Thus, the gold dust mining that began only came to an end in the late afternoon.
"Everyone, gather around."
Having returned home, Rockefeller sat down with his younger siblings around an old dining table to check the gold dust they had gathered that day.
"This is the amount we've earned through our efforts today. It's the value we've rightfully earned through hard work."
The amount of gold dust they had obtained through panning was small, but when all the results were combined, it was enough to make their eyes widen in surprise.
It was roughly enough to make a small gold coin.
"Wow, did we really gather this much? It's a lot."
"I've never seen this much gold before. Could we actually become rich at this rate?"
Rockefeller and his young siblings looked disheveled from wrestling in the stream all day, but in front of a quantity of gold dust somewhat excessive for mere commoners, they couldn't hide their excitement.
"You've all worked hard. If we keep putting in this effort, we won't have to go hungry anymore. In fact, with this much, we could live more prosperously than others."
The ones who got most excited upon hearing this were the second and third siblings.
"Really?"
"Is it really going to happen? Wow, I'm excited!"
While his younger siblings were ecstatic at the thought of becoming rich by selling the gold dust, Rockefeller's mind was not at ease, considering various other factors.
'The problem is how to handle this….'
In principle, everything produced within a domain belonged to the lord of that domain.
So, technically, the gold dust they had collected was not rightfully theirs.
'I can't just openly sell this in the market. That's definitely going to cause problems.'
And it was ridiculous to think of reporting this to the lord.
'It would be great if he just praised us. But he definitely won't let it slide.'
Beyond that, it was doubtful whether the lord would leave them be for mining the gold.
Whether he decided to punish or reward them, it was all up to the lord's discretion.
'If he doesn't like it, he might punish us. That's up to him, after all.'
While Rockefeller was lost in these thoughts, the excited expression on his third sibling's face suddenly turned sour.
He had started to share similar worries as Rockefeller.
"But how do we sell this? If we sell it in the market, wouldn't it be a problem like Rockefeller said this morning?"
The second one also seemed to agree, showing a gloomy expression.
"Right. If we say that we found gold in the river, it will definitely raise some eyebrows. Even simple hunting in the forest requires the lord's permission. Though they overlook small things like rabbits and weasels in the fields...."
Hunting in the forest itself required the permission of the lord.
Indeed, everything within the lord's territory belonged to the lord, so even hunting the animals in the forest required the lord's permission.
"Shouldn't we inform the lord about this?"
As the third one spoke, the second one burst out angrily.
"No! What if the lord punishes us for this!"
"But still... if we apologize first for our mistake, maybe the lord will forgive us."
"How can you know that! What if we get punished, will you take the responsibility?"
While the two younger siblings were bickering,
Rockefeller also pondered for a bit.
'There are two ways. Either inform the lord or keep it to ourselves.'
If they inform the lord and he shows a favorable attitude, they can legally mine gold without worrying about others.
‘It would be a relief mentally. But it's not something I can guarantee, and we'll have to give him a portion of what we harvest as tax. That's usually how it goes.’
But that was a best-case scenario.
If things go badly, Rockefeller and his younger siblings would be punished, and the lord might monopolize the gold mining among his serfs, indulging in luxury all by himself.
‘It's entirely possible. If he's greedy, he wouldn't want to share what's from his land. He might even make his serfs or slaves do all the work and reap the benefits himself.’
Therefore, the conclusion was reached.
‘Informing the lord is too uncertain. This isn't the right move.’
Moreover, even if things went well, the thought of part of their share going straight to the lord was too bitter to bear.
‘As they say, the bear performs the tricks but the cunning one earns the money. I can't be foolish enough to be the bear.’
"I've thought about it, and I really don't think it's a good idea to inform the lord about our work."
As Rockefeller started the conversation, his siblings' attention turned to him.
The first to express doubt was the third brother, Joshua.
"Then what should we do? There's no guarantee we won't get caught eventually, and if we do, it could be really serious. Wouldn't it be safer to just tell the lord?"
Andrew, the second brother who was there, countered this.
"You fool! That's why we should go and mine quietly by ourselves. That place is so dangerous that hardly anyone goes there anyway."
"Can we keep from being caught indefinitely?"
"If we occasionally catch some fish and do things like that, at least we can deceive them. It's even better if we have someone to keep watch. We're not alone in this."
"That's true, but..."
Rockefeller stepped in and shared his thoughts with his brothers.
Why they shouldn't inform the lord.
This changed the third brother's attitude.
He seemed somewhat convinced.
"Rockefeller is right. I also thought too positively. Informing the lord might not be such a good idea either."
The second also sighed softly.
It meant they hadn't found a solution.
But Rockefeller was different.
"We can't just give up on finding a way to live, right? So, let's do this."
As Rockefeller began to speak, the eyes of his siblings all gathered on him.
"Do you have a good idea?"
"Rockefeller, what are you planning to do?"
Rockefeller then shared with his excited siblings the plan he had in mind.
How old are his siblings because for a medieval fantasy world they're way too naive
ReplyDeleteRockefeller was 15 years old, the second younger brother was about 12 or 13 years old, and the youngest sister was 6 years old.
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