The outskirts of the empire.
Once it was called Azrak Goldmine, the leading gold mining area on the continent, but it had now become a dead land with no small gold veins left.
Could there be someone in such a place who suddenly needs a lot of money?
'Yes. There will be someone who needs the money soon, even if it's not right now. I won't name names.'
Domains on the outskirts like Montefeltro were bordering other powers, and if the timing was bad, they could spur a lot of turmoil and conflict.
'Montefeltro may be relatively quiet for an area on the outskirts, but that doesn't mean it will remain peaceful forever. That's because the dwarves and the orcs will soon have a full-scale confrontation.'
A lot of money is needed for war, and the place that lends that money earns considerable profits through interest income.
Goblin Bank was the one that generated the most profit from conflicts, not just within the empire, but throughout the continent.
'It seems like those goblin guys are getting ready to wrap things up.'
At the moment, the Montefeltro Domain was unnoticed by anyone.
At a time when the Montefeltro territory was a forgotten area, neither the Empire nor the dwarves paid any attention to it before it once again became a gold mine.
However, they could not ignore the ongoing war between the two factions happening near their territory.
'If that happens, the dwarves and orcs will have a serious battle.'
The catalyst for this was the orcs' totem idol.
The orcs usually lived in tribal units, led by a chief, but the one who held a higher position than the chief was the tribe's shaman.
The most sacred thing for the shaman was the totem idol made of monster and beast bones.
The rumor was that the goblins secretly broke the totem idol and framed the dwarves, whom they had a close relationship with.
'Was it a totem war? In any case, once the war starts, there will be issues with the orc suppression and there will be unrest here as well.'
Shrimp shouldn't suffer from a whale fight.
In case that war broke out, there were people who would be most stressed.
Rockefeller was looking forward to someone who would visit soon.
'I will probably need a lot of loans. As much as possible.'
After a few days, rumors began to spread that the Hound mercenaries hired by the lord chased the orc party that had been lurking near the territory.
The temporary mage hired by the Hound mercenaries was particularly impressive, giving the territory a festive atmosphere for a while.
Since the troublesome orcs were pushed out of the territory, they couldn't help but be happy.
However, Rockefeller's expression was not entirely relieved after hearing the rumor.
He never thought that the orc suppression would end so easily.
'If my thoughts are right, the signs should be visible soon.'
Just as it seemed the orc suppression would wrap up, a huge rumor swept through the territory.
It was a rumor that a massive orc army was gathering near the territory.
Of course, as it was happening outside of the territory, it wasn't a direct problem for Montefeltro, but the fact that a massive number of tribal orcs had formed an army turned the territory upside down, and the lord was just as surprised.
"Carter! Are you there?"
The haggard-looking Lord arrived at Carter's bunk, looking for him first.
"What's going on?"
Instead of Carter, the Lord frowned at Rockefeller.
"Just call Carter for me. There's a long conversation to be had with him."
Rockefeller, who felt somewhat out of place, called for Carter at the lord's request.
As Carter arrived, the lord immediately asked about the loan.
"How much can you lend me?"
"Why do you ask so suddenly?"
"A large sum of money is urgently needed. It's crucial for the territory. I wish you could help me too."
"Could it be... is the rumor true?"
The lord, whose face had darkened, scratched his forehead with a frown.
"It's becoming a headache. A war seems to be brewing outside the territory. Seers went and investigated, saying that the size of both sides is significant. At that scale, it's almost a full-scale war between factions."
"But isn't it unrelated to us?"
"Technically, it is someone else's problem. However, that doesn't mean we can be complacent. If there is a slip, there's no telling if it'll come this way."
"Have you not told the Empire yet? You need to request support."
His expression darkened further at those words.
"It seems that the lack of interest in the area has led them to provide only formal help. Quite disappointingly."
"But we are people of the same empire. Will his Majesty abandon us like this?"
The lord held back his words and asked again.
"Anyway, how much can you lend me? I need as much money as possible."
