Chapter 83: Troublesome Policy

Elias descended the final few stairs, his thoughts still occupied by the conversation he had just had with Monica, when Benjamin approached him from the side with a troubled expression. The old butler hesitated for a moment before calling out, "My lord..."

Elias stopped and looked toward him, immediately noticing the unusual concern on his face.

"What is wrong?" he asked.

Benjamin remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly debating whether he should bother Elias with whatever had been troubling him. He knew his master already had enough matters to deal with, especially after everything that had happened in the past few days, but keeping the problem to himself would only make it worse.

Eventually, he sighed and lowered his head slightly before saying, "We do not have enough gold to continue more than this month."

"What?" Elias blinked in confusion as he stared at him. "Did the clan not provide us with three hundred gold coins?"

"They did," Benjamin said with a small nod, "but that is not enough for a noble family of four with three servants."

Elias’s brows furrowed as he processed those words. He reached into his clothes, pulled out the pouch he had obtained from Daemon, and tossed it toward Benjamin.

"It has ten gold coins," he said calmly.

"I am already searching for a better solution."

Benjamin caught the pouch and opened it, revealing the ten gold coins inside, before his expression became slightly complicated.

Elias, however, was already thinking about the actual solution to their financial problem.

He possessed enough resources to completely change their situation.

The monster corpses he had stored inside his Inventory could be sold for a considerable amount of gold, while the Riftstone he had collected from the spatial rift should be even more valuable. If he could find the right buyers, their financial problems would disappear almost immediately.

The problem was finding those buyers.

Kilmir was simply too far west.

There was no mercenary guild branch nearby where he could casually sell monster materials, no merchant guild branch that could provide him with reliable buyers, and no Mage Tower branch where Riftstone could be exchanged without attracting unnecessary attention.

He could perhaps sell the Riftstone to Priest Mekah, but doing so would inevitably raise questions about where he had obtained it and why he possessed such a large amount. The same problem existed with Erick, the master of forgery, if Elias tried to sell the monster corpses through him.

Even though they desperately needed gold, Elias couldn’t casually take actions that might create problems for himself or his wives later.

He remained silent for several moments before suddenly raising his head.

"How is it that we do not have enough gold?" he asked.

Benjamin stared at him in confusion. "I do not understand the question, my lord."

"We are in Kilmir," Elias explained, his expression becoming increasingly puzzled. "How expensive can daily necessities even be that three hundred gold is not enough for three months? Peasants would probably starve to death if they had to spend even one tenth of that."

Benjamin’s expression turned bitter as he shook his head. "Kilmir is indeed not that costly, my lord. At least, it was not before."

Elias immediately frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The City Lord has issued a new policy," Benjamin explained. "Nobles, merchants, and those belonging to higher classes or possessing considerable wealth are required to pay more for their purchases, taxes, and various services."

He paused briefly before continuing, "So although a loaf of bread normally costs four bronze, we have to pay ten bronze for it. And that is one of the cheapest commodities Kilmir has to offer."

Elias fell silent.

His fingers slowly tightened into fists as the meaning behind Benjamin’s words settled into his mind.

Once again, Berlic Draveon was proving to be a nuisance.

The man had already humiliated him publicly, attempted to use the ranger team against him, and created enough trouble that Elias had decided leaving Kilmir was the safest option. Now he had discovered that Berlic’s policies were directly draining his household’s resources as well.

Yet there was nothing Elias could do about it without creating even more trouble.

He eventually relaxed his hands and looked toward Benjamin.

"I have noticed your worries, Benjamin," Elias said calmly. "That is why we are leaving Kilmir."

The old butler lowered his gaze before giving a respectful bow. "I understand, my lord."

Elias nodded and walked past him, leaving the matter behind for now.

He didn’t have much time before the church’s carriages departed, and spending the remaining days worrying about Kilmir’s prices would accomplish nothing. Once they left the city, he would find a proper place to sell the resources stored inside his Inventory and solve the household’s financial problems properly.

For now, there was something else he wanted to do.

Elias made his way through the manor until he reached the training grounds.

Monica was asleep, while Natasha and Stella were currently in his room, communicating with one another through Natasha’s notebook, which meant Elias finally had some free time for himself.

He stepped onto the familiar training ground and looked at the wooden sword resting nearby.

A faint smile appeared on his face as he walked toward it.

He picked up the sword and felt its familiar weight settle into his hand.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, the countless worries occupying his mind seemed to become quieter.

He raised the sword and assumed his stance, his feet firmly planted against the ground as his eyes settled on the space before him.

There was no opponent and no audience. Only him and the sword.

Elias slowly exhaled before swinging.

The wooden sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, and he smoothly followed the first strike with another, allowing his body to move naturally as he repeated the fundamentals he had practiced countless times before.

His movements were no longer as clumsy as they had once been.

Every swing carried greater precision, his posture had become more stable, and his control over his body continued improving as his Perception and other physical attributes grew stronger.

He swung again and again.

Each movement brought him closer to the person he wanted to become.

The world and his circumstances could change.

His enemies could become stronger, and his wives could eventually become powerful enough to shake the entire continent.

But Elias knew that no matter how much everything around him changed, there was one thing he would never abandon.

As long as he lived, he would swing the sword.