Raising the Northern Grand Duchy as a Max-Level All-Master

138. Building Soft Power as a Max-Level All-Master (4)

Violet quietly left the VIP room. She felt she had done everything she needed to do here.

Baker, Holland, and Cardinal Marcus were too engrossed in their loan discussions, and Richard was laser-focused on the upcoming horse race. None of them noticed Violet leaving the VIP section.

Waaaahhhhh!!

Not long after she stepped out, the race began.

Even though 200 ren were on the line, Violet didn’t spare a glance at the race and simply walked around the racetrack.

Working even on her rare day off felt draining. All she wanted was to go home and collapse into bed.

“Go! Go, go!!”

“Please! Mejiru! I bet my entire month’s salary on you!”

Everywhere she looked, people were clutching their enchanted silver and bronze betting slips, screaming their lungs out with desperation.

“Beer! Get your beer here!”

“Hot rum available!”

“Hungry? We’ve got delicious chicken and fries!”

Young boys and girls weaved through the crowd, selling food and drinks.

“Money! Need a loan?!”@@novelbin@@

“Just a slight 40% interest rate—slightly higher than Arad Capital! Cheap, right?!”

“Is the northern man going to give up here?! There are still two more races left! Feeling lucky?”

Scattered among the crowd, loan sharks from Renslet could be seen conducting their business.

These lenders were the ones sought out by people who had been refused loans from Arad Capital.

“Loan me money! I’ll put up my house as collateral!”

Eyes bloodshot and minds drowning in dopamine, some desperate gamblers frantically approached the sharks.

However, there was one key difference between the general seating area and the VIP room.

“Brother, think about your family. You must stop here.”

“Who are you to tell me—? Huh?! Ack!”

Near every loan shark stood priests dispatched by the Renslet Church.

“Ahem! I’d like to loan you money, but I can’t. It’s against the law. If I loan you money, I’ll be the one in trouble!”

The loan sharks were visibly wary of the priests but didn’t dare confront them.

Challenging the priests could genuinely result in their deaths.

This was the North, after all. Here, the axe often preceded the law.

Even in the High Tower, the principles of rule of law were not yet firmly established. Summary executions and duels were still commonplace.

“It seems this brother needs treatment.”

Although Arina Rune Renslet had created this unprecedented gambling venue, she had no intention of allowing her citizens’ families to collapse under its weight. Ṟ𝓪NȎ฿Εṧ

She wanted her beloved people to enjoy themselves within reasonable limits and for the kingdom to collect moderate surcharges—an additional form of taxation.

To achieve this, the Church, which was intertwined with the High Tower as one entity—a perfect blend of state and religion—stepped in to intervene.

“No, no! I’m not addicted to gambling! I’ll go home right now and buy toys for my kids with the rest of my money!”

“We will be the ones to judge that. For the sake of a healthy Renslet household, you must come with us.”

The Church had developed a divine spell targeting the mind.

“No… nooo!”

It could cure most cases of addiction to alcohol, gambling, or drugs.

However, the treatment process was known to be excruciating.

Arad, who had once witnessed the ritual, shuddered and nicknamed the spell “brainwashing.”

“Please… I beg you. Anything but brainwashing!”

“Oh my, so you’ve experienced it before? And yet you’ve fallen into gambling again? It seems we need a stronger session this time.”

“Nooooooo!”

The nickname “brainwashing” was so fitting that even the Church used it more frequently than its official name, “mental salvation.”

Thanks to the strict oversight by the High Tower and the Church, cases of bankruptcy caused by gambling debts were surprisingly rare.

‘They’re incredibly thorough.’

Violet admired the administrative capabilities of the High Tower.

One of the things that had most surprised her since coming to the North was how intricate and centralized its administration was.

It was a sharp contrast to the rugged, untamed image of the North that most people had.

Aaaaaahhh!!

Suddenly, a loud roar erupted from the stands.

But it wasn’t a cheer—it was a groan filled with disbelief and despair.

[Unbelievable! A major upset has occurred!]

[Number 7! Silver Ship, the horse with the lowest odds, is in the lead!]

[Silver Ship! Can it maintain this pace until the end?!]

The amplified voice of the commentator quickly explained the commotion.

The odds for horse number 7, Silver Ship, had been the worst because it was notoriously difficult to control.

And yet, somehow, Silver Ship was racing steadily without going off track.

“?!”

Even Violet, who had absolutely no interest in horse racing, couldn’t help but stop walking and focus on the track.

Tremble, tremble.

The golden betting slip in her hand began to shake.

‘No way… No, it can’t be…’

She kept denying the situation in her mind.

It all felt unreal.

[Aaaaahhhh!!]

[Silver Ship! Silver Ship has crossed the finish line in first place!!]

[Did anyone actually place a single win bet on number 7?! This is insane!]

But it was real.

“!!”

Even Violet, who usually prided herself on her calm and composed demeanor, couldn’t stop her heart from pounding in excitement.

And thus, another potential candidate for “brainwashing” was born.

***

The North had long been a desolate place where survival was the only priority.

People fought to survive, and even when they managed to find stability, they only worked tirelessly.

Leisure, if it existed at all, was limited to simple gambling games like dice or cards at the tavern—or the occasional secret gladiator match.

But now, the North was beginning to bloom with various forms of entertainment.

“It’s my turn. Draw! I summon Glacier Orc!”

“Glacier Orc, huh? Chairman Jin, your deck’s luck doesn’t seem to be on your side this time. My turn. I normally summon Colossus Mech! And I activate the magic card Enhancement, increasing its attack power by 1,000!”

“Oh, really? Then I activate the magic card Sacrifice! By offering Glacier Orc and Dark Sorcerer as tributes, I can special summon an even stronger monster!”

“?!”

“Appear! The White Serpent, Jörmungandr! I summon it to the field in Siege Mode!”

“This… This can’t be!”

At the heart of the Arad Industrial Complex stood the headquarters of Arad Group, where Arad Jin’s office was located. The entire building exuded a festive atmosphere, a blend of year-end celebrations, Arina’s birthday, and the overall festival season.

“Another victory for me, President Bishop.”

“This is… This is cheating!”

I was currently playing a “magic” card game with Entir, who had come to visit the High Tower.

The game was called King of Games, a card game that had originated from a serialized comic in one of Renslet’s newspapers.

The original concept, of course, was inspired by the famous Yu-Gi-Oh! from Earth.

“Cheating, you say? Anyone could see that my deck was worse than yours.”

“How can you call The White Serpent a weak card?!”

“The summoning conditions for The White Serpent are extremely difficult. In fact, your deck, which utilized Pluto, was more advantageous.”

To be honest, I had gotten a bit lucky this time.

My luck stat had simply outperformed Entir’s.

That said, Entir’s luck wasn’t something to scoff at either.

Reaching his position as the Empire’s top merchant and shadow chancellor required more than just skill; luck played a significant role as well.

Though I couldn’t help but wonder why someone like him had such poor luck with his wife.

“Hmph… Fine. I admit defeat. While I’m here at the High Tower, I might as well buy some cards before I leave.”

In the end, Entir grudgingly accepted his loss.

He didn’t seem entirely convinced, but what could he do? This was the High Tower, my territory.

Moreover, he had a mission—to import this card game to the Empire.

“Any chance you’d sell me the manufacturing techniques and equipment for these cards?”

“No. It’s closely tied to the technology used for printing Renslet currency.”

“Tsk, I figured as much.”

Faced with my firm refusal, Entir quickly backed off. It seemed he had asked on the off chance I’d say yes.

“Cards that shine and move so intricately… It’d be impossible to forge these, just like your currency.”

As he shuffled his deck for the next game, Entir marveled at the craftsmanship of the cards.

“These cards contain the very essence of magical engineering,” I said with a grin.

“No one else in Arcadia would think of utilizing magic in such a way, Chairman Jin.”

The magic cards on the table were, in some ways, far superior to the card games on Earth.

By incorporating the printing techniques used for Renslet currency and enchanting them with Isabelle’s illusion magic, we had created cards of extraordinary quality.

Not only were they ornate and precise, like the currency, but the illustrations on the cards also glowed and moved.

“In any case, thank you for allowing King of Games and other comics and novels to be featured in the Bishop Times.”

“No need to thank me. It’s not like I’m doing it for free.”

“I’m a merchant. More than anyone, I understand the value of the comics and novels currently serialized in Renslet. Considering their worth, the royalties are a small price to pay.”

“But are you really planning to include all the comics and novels from Renslet in the Bishop Times? If you do, the paper might lose its original function.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll only feature one comic and one novel in the Bishop Times. The rest will be distributed among other newspapers affiliated with the Noble Assembly.”

“That way, more citizens of the Empire will be exposed to the ideology and opinions promoted by the Noble Assembly.”

“Exactly.”

Entir flashed a greedy merchant’s smile.

“So, King of Games will be in the Bishop Times?”

“Of course.”

“For comics, you’ll need special printing plates and machines. The technology for making King of Games cards is complex, but I can help you with machines tailored for comics.”

“Oh, no need for that. We’ve made significant advancements in printing technology ourselves. We can handle illustrations of this level on our own.”

“Is that so?”

I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Most comics were printed in black and white, but occasionally, full-color pages were included.

I had been planning to sell Entir a downgraded version of our printing machines, stripped of the advanced features used for currency.

But he declined, claiming they were unnecessary.

“Of course, it won’t match the quality of Northern newspapers, but it’ll still be good enough. Hahaha!”

Seeing Entir’s confidence, I decided I’d save the printing machines for potential sales to the United Kingdom.

“I see.”

‘If counterfeit Renslet currency ever appears, I’ll suspect him and Bishop Company first,’ I thought to myself.

Between the steam engine and industrial knowledge they had leaked to Bardenheim, and their rapidly advancing magical technology, Entir and Bishop Company were becoming potential competitors worth keeping an eye on.

“Mech Knight Pluto would be difficult to introduce in the Empire, wouldn’t it?”

Despite my inner thoughts, I continued the conversation.

“Yes. The content portrays the Empire and its Church in a negative light.”

For the record, Bishop Company hadn’t purchased Mech Knight Pluto. More accurately, they couldn’t.

“What a shame… Truly…”

Entir’s expression clearly said, “We could sell so many Pluto toys!”

“Could you tweak the story to make it more suitable for the Empire? We’ll cover the revision costs.”

“With Arad Entertainment’s current staff, that would be difficult.”

“In that case, we’ll create a new story inspired by Mech Knight Pluto ourselves.”

Entir stood halfway out of his seat, ready to propose making their own version. If I left him unchecked, he’d probably go ahead and produce bootlegs.

“Well, I suppose I have no choice.”

With a faint smile, I nodded.

“Just make sure to pay the proper royalties.”

“Of course!”

Since our auto-hunting AI could handle the rest, I saw no reason to oppose it.