Chapter 132: Gains

“This is the shard of the Eternal Stone Slate?”

Looking at the metal fragment before him that was only as big as his palm, Gawain could not help but reveal a surprised look.

“Yes, the Eternal Stone Slate — I didn’t think it would actually look like this.” Viscount Andrew shook his head weakly. “The shards of the Eternal Stone Slate are worshiped in secret by the various big sects. Other persons or factions who have gotten the fragments have decided to not display them carelessly, so I was completely oblivious as to what I’d dug out at first. However, my men soon found remains of textual descriptions in the ruins. Only then did I dare to be sure that this metal piece protected by layers and layers of magical equipment was the legendary Eternal Stone Slate fragment…”

At this point, Viscount Andrew could not help shaking his head and sighing. “Many of the magical equipment in the remnants have stopped operating, but only those used to protect this piece of tablet fragment… Those gears remained operating up to this day. To get my hands on it, I paid a huge price, but I never expected that it was the start of an even bigger price only after it came into my hands…”

Gawain was reminded of a saying from his previous life on Earth: The precious stone lands its innocent possessor in jail[1].

He picked up the ‘stone slate fragment’ (say, could this thing still be called a ‘stone’ slate?) and confirmed that it was indeed of a metallic material. Such a faint-gold-colored metal did not belong to any magic-conducting material or common material known to him; instead, it was more like some unknown alloy. Its front was extremely smooth as if a thin layer of enamel covered it, and under the ‘enamel’ were complicated, detailed patterns. The back of it had some grooves that he couldn’t tell the functions of; there was even a small piece of crystal mounted in one of the grooves.

And on the edge of the metal plate was a neat and regular fracture. It looked like a connecting latch, turning the whole fragment into a geometric solid with a complex structure. Instead of saying that this had ‘broken off’ from a whole, Gawain suspected more that the so-called Eternal Stone Slate was pieced together by large amounts of such geometric pieces, like a certain puzzle…

It was indeed very interesting.

He turned this fragment here and there as he examined it and said thoughtfully, “It is said that mortals will receive the revelations of the gods after coming into contact with the Eternal Stone Slate. So why is there absolutely no effect when I’m holding it?”

“Merely touching it is of no use. You still need to communicate with it using spiritual power,” Viscount Andrew explained slowly. “But my supernatural abilities are insignificant. Even in communication, all I can hear are some indistinct murmurs. I can’t get any knowledge at all. But if it’s you… Perhaps gaining powers directly from it is possible.”

Gawain nodded his head but had no intention of using his spiritual power to communicate at all.

In fact, he had deep misgivings and fear for this thing.

The Eternal Stone Slate, the legendary object that brought belief in the gods to the mortal world. The first generation of mortal scholars had created such a big pile of religions precisely because they had come into contact with the Eternal Stone Tablet and also gained the power to use theurgies. This might have seemed like a blessing to the laymen of this world, but Gawain could not help but suspect that this item possessed mind-controlling, brainwashing, and instillation powers or the likes of. What if he failed in the communication and had his mind taken over by the consciousness of those gods? Even if they didn’t occupy his mind, leaving behind the illness of hearing those gods occasionally murmuring nonsense in his consciousness henceforth was a big no-no too!

“I’d ask that you take this fragment with you,” Viscount Andrew suddenly said. “Whether to keep it yourself, present it to the King, or hand it over to a church that you believe in and wish to be on friendly terms with, anything is fine.”

“Are you sure?” Gawain raised his brow for a moment. “You ought to know the value of this object. Even if you don’t dare to continue keeping it, personally handing it to the King or a church could give you a lot of benefits in exchange.”

“I no longer want anything more to do with this.” Viscount Andrew burst out with energy and shook his head hard. “Even if I were to hand it over, I do not wish to do so through my hands. — And if it wasn’t for you today, it would’ve been impossible for me to have survived. Just take this as a gift.”

Gawain showed a vague smile. “But we really can’t be sure whether it’s a gift or a plague…”

Despite saying so, he put the Eternal Stone Slate fragment away without hesitation.

This object was indeed a ticking bomb. It was able to pressure a dark organization like the Oblivion Association to make a reckless move against the nobility of the kingdom. Yet this object was also a treasure. It possibly contained the secrets of all the gods and could even allow Gawain to get a brief glimpse of a hint of the truth of this world. In any case, Gawain was unable to turn a blind eye to it.

In the situation where the Oblivion Association had already failed, he could be sure that no one would be trying to obtain this object for the time being. Besides, time was needed for news to spread; it would be difficult for outsiders to find out in time that this piece of ‘stone’ slate fragment was already in his hands. During this slightly safer period of time, Gawain was going to study this mysterious fragment.

His identity as a ‘famed legend’ was also a strong safeguard in retaining this stone slate fragment. — Although the Cecil territory was extremely weak right now, in this era, the reputation of a legendary powerhouse was, more often than not, a greater deterrent than having a powerful and prosperous aristocratic clan. Gawain did not mind borrowing his own influence in this aspect.

Of course, he had also considered the pitfalls in doing so. Hence, if the situation was truly critical, he wouldn’t mind handing this object over to the King or a church. — While knowledge of the gods was indeed valuable to some people, it was unlikely to be able to convert into the forces of production that he needed. In the future, he could use this shard to exchange for other gains; as long as the gains were enough, it would be worth it. But this would definitely be the choice he would take only in the situation where there were no other alternatives.

Pittman and the two knights who went to the courtyard to save people had also returned to the meeting chamber a while later.

“The powers of the heretic cult believer have begun to fade away. It wasn’t difficult to release the magic on those poor men.” The old druid explained how he was able to take care of that extensive sorcery this quickly. “The two knights and I rescued a portion of the people and then got those in slightly better conditions among the rescued people to also help. Together with the means to control the vegetation, we managed to dig out all the people buried in the ground. However, those who had lost their lives still made up a significant number. A third of them could not be saved. Amongst the remaining living ones, a good deal of them have received severe damage to their minds. While some could recover, I’m afraid some will forever be in a trance.”

“This is truly a grievous loss.” Gawain glanced at Viscount Andrew with sympathy.

Andrew could only manage a bitter smile as he shook his head. “I’ll probably have to spend a fortune to deal with the aftermath… But I’m still alive. Things will get better somehow. Right now, what I’m most grateful for is that my two sons went elsewhere in the territory a few days ago to collect rent. Their procrastination is considered to have saved their lives. But my little daughter…”

“Your daughter is still alive,” Sir Philip informed. “But the poor girl had suffered serious damage to her mind. She’s now in a crazy state. Perhaps only the gods would know if there’s a possibility for recovery.”

“It’s enough that she’s alive, it’s enough that she’s alive…” Viscount Andrew said with a complicated expression. This aristocrat who was once elegant, confident, and proud had aged at least twenty years in this one night. Right now, his voice was exhausted and tired. Even though there were many things that could be considered good news, they were unable to sustain this body and mind that were exhausted. However, he still put in an effort to lift his head and look towards Gawain who was standing at a side. “Anyhow, I want to thank you for your succor. The Leslie Clan is greatly indebted to you and your knights. — If you have any needs, feel free to mention it.”

Clearly, he too knew that it was quite unkind to give that troublesome stone slate fragment away as a gift…

“Giving mutual help and protection was a rule that Charlie and I had set for the aristocrats of Anzu seven hundred years ago. I was merely fulfilling what I’d said back in those years,” Gawain spoke with an especially strong sense of righteousness. “I will not take advantage of this opportunity to profit from your misfortunes, but since we have the chance to have a talk, perhaps we can strengthen our cooperation.”

“Cooperation?” Viscount Andrew repeated this word.

“You should know, the new Cecil territory is currently being constructed. We lack all sorts of supplies, and most of them are purchased from Tanzan Town.” Gawain smiled. “At present, what we’re lacking most are storage crystals and various magic-conducting materials, and the Tanzan Mine has a massive crystal mineral vein.”

Seeing that Viscount Andrew’s expression was slightly rigid, Gawain Cecil went on, “Don’t be nervous, I’m only asking if I can buy them. — I only hope to be able to purchase large amounts of all kinds of crystal magic materials at a favorable price from now on. We don’t require quality. Even crystals of the lowest grade will do. We only ask for ample amounts. You don’t have to worry about any losses. You must know, our insufficiency of supplies is huge. The amount that the new Cecil territory wants to purchase will definitely be enough to swallow up a big batch of your crystal output. Even if the price is slightly cheaper, your profits would exceed what you earn after having to pay to transport those crystals in smaller batches to other territories and searching for markets there. If you agree, I will wait till things have settled down here before sending someone to negotiate the prices.”

Viscount Andrew relaxed and nodded lightly while listening. He began to recognize that this was a win-win idea. The Cecil territory would get large amounts of cheap magic-conducting materials, and Tanzan Town wouldn’t have to worry about markets for the crystals and could even swiftly raise the funds needed to repair the castle and for other aftercare work.

As for how the Cecil Clan who was poor and broke not long ago suddenly became wealthy and even started making coins recently… Viscount Andrew was absolutely uninterested.

Regardless of whether they had found a gold mine in the Dark Range or if this old ancestor from 700 years ago had dug out his true lifetime savings[2], it had nothing to do with him. As a Viscount living at the border with a flexible mindset, Andrew Leslie was always very open-minded and very good at grasping the things that were truly beneficial to himself.

As a matter-of-fact, he had correctly guessed a part of the truth. — Gawain had indeed dug out lifetime savings; only, it was the lifetime savings of the entire Anzu Kingdom.

Seeing Viscount Andrew nod, Gawain went on, “Second, population. I hope that you can help me publicize news of the Cecil territory taking in refugees. If you have refugees here and you do not want them, you may send them over as well. In short, a surplus of population in any form, as long as they aren’t people who violate the law and commit crimes, I want them all. I won’t ask for a specific number in this aspect. Just do what you can.”

Viscount Andrew agreed even more readily this time. He didn’t think there was any problem with directing people to the Cecil territory at all. In fact, this was a good chance for him to clear the ‘useless people’ in his territory. After all, there were too many wanderers gathering in the slums, and they could not yield any worth at all.

“One more thing.” Gawain smiled. “I hope to hire some people who are literate and have mathematical knowledge. No, no, I’m not referring to those scholar-level people. Their apprentices would do. — I want a batch of such people. Whether they are serving as recorders or copyists, the only requirement is being able to read and count and having ample patience.”

[1] This means that owning a treasure gets a person in trouble because of other people’s greed.

[2] The Chinese term used for this literally translates to ‘capital to buy a coffin’; it refers to money that people save for their funeral expenses and, usually, the last of their savings.