episode_0043

After the cabinet meeting, I returned to the office.

“But, do you really have a way to make that much money at once?”

Theodora, who saw me sitting at the desk, spoke as if she was curious.

“Huh? Yes.”

I plan to strip the territories of the nobles who deserted in this anti-emperor faction war and make it my direct territory.

If so, it is not difficult to fully cover the costs.

In addition, I plan to sweep away the treasures that the deserted nobles have accumulated so far.

At my words, his red eyes shine cutely and he speaks to me with a mischievous look.

“Please tell me how to do that too.”

I ask because I am puzzled by that statement.

“Huh? Why that method?”

“That’s because I also need money.”

Does Theodora need money?

“You can use the money you need from the imperial funds managed by your mother-in-law, right? I heard that there is always money left over from the empire that is paid every year to maintain the dignity of the imperial family?”

In fact, during the time of the former emperor, who lived a frugal life, there were several cases where the imperial funds were returned to the national treasury.

Theodora, who gently averts her eyes at my words, speaks hesitantly.

“Well… there is something I really need… but the imperial funds can’t afford it…”

Have you reduced the funds going to the imperial family these days? I have never given such an order to the Treasury.

I understand that they are paying the same amount as the previous emperor because they wanted to provide as much convenience as possible for their mother-in-law. Is there something going on?

I reflect on this and say to Theodora that I have been too indifferent to the imperial family recently.

“Phew… What do you need it for? If absolutely necessary, I will let you use it from the national treasury.”

But Theodora, who cannot readily answer what I say, hesitates.

What on earth do you want to buy?

“Tell me, you are the emperor of the empire anyway, right? You can only have dignity if you have the right amount of luxury, so say it comfortably.”

I have never seen Theodora indulge in great extravagance, so let me put it mildly.

“45 million gold is needed.”

“Uh…? Huh?!”

45 million gold. Converted to the weight of gold, it is over 30 tons.

If calculated roughly in Korean Won, wouldn’t that be around trillion units?

I shout in confusion when Theodora says that such a large amount of money is needed.

“Mi…Why do you need such a crazy amount of money?!”

“That…”

It’s already hard for us because we have so much money to spend, but the emperor of the empire says he needs a ridiculously large sum of 45 million gold.

Calm down, Theodora isn’t a kid, is she? I’m sure he has something on his mind.

If I said it without thinking… I might have to seriously imprison Theodora and support Joey.

I would rather dethrone a crazy emperor than leave him alone.

I have a little hope in the fact that even if he wasn’t a saint in the original, he was definitely not a cancer army.

And seeing her fidgeting in front of me, I speak kindly, believing that she must have had her own thoughts and said this.

“Because I won’t get angry. Tell me, if you really need it, I’ll give it to you.”

But of course, I have no intention of giving it to you unless you really need it.

How much money do you have to go out now?

In addition, tax revenues from Epirus and Ezip will no longer be received from next year.

Although the number of places to spend has increased, next year’s tax revenue has actually decreased, so other national projects may have to be reduced.

“In fact, we invited professors from the academy. At that time…”

So I quietly listen to Theodora.

The more I listen, the more…

“Haha…”

I feel strange.

“Can you show me the materials the alchemy professor gave you?”

Theodora nods at my words and hands me a stack of documents, and I quickly look through the contents.

[It was confirmed that salt, which was easily found in the temples of the Babylonian Empire, had the effect of promoting plant growth…]

[As a result of sprinkling temple salt on the ground, the harvest was of an unusual size… ]

[As a result of obtaining temple salt and conducting a decomposition test, it was confirmed that it was a completely different substance from the substance previously known as salt, so we conducted a long-term experiment in the laboratory to prepare a manufacturing method…]

[As a result of long-term experiments, the synthesis was successful.]

Is this… fertilizer?

With such excitement, I turn to the back page and read it.

Roughly speaking, the key idea is to liquefy air at a low temperature and distill it to obtain two necessary substances, and then confine the two substances in one place and maintain a high temperature and high pressure state.

Looking at the unusual letters seen here and there, it is not difficult to think that this is a chemical formula that exists here.

Hmm… Now that I think about it, I heard that the ammonia needed for fertilizer is made from air.

To be exact, was it nitrogen and hydrogen?

I don’t remember the details.

Previously, I thought it would be nice to have fertilizer, so I looked into the fertilizer used here.

Fertilizers existed in a primitive form even here in the medieval or modern times.

This is done by mixing animal waste with ash or straw, letting it rot, and then scattering it on the ground.

However, it is basically less effective than modern fertilizers and parasites sometimes infect people.

With just this, we can solve our chronic food problem.

The empire has a huge amount of farmland.

However, since only 1/4 of the farmland can be cultivated, productivity is greatly reduced.

But if you have fertilizer, the story is very different.

Existing cropland will quadruple, growth will be faster and yields will increase.

In other words, productivity will increase by more than dozens of times.

As expected, I can’t ignore the technological prowess of this place. But if you had this kind of technology, you would have let me know.

To be honest, I knew that the academy professors were hostile to me, but I bowed first and begged them to help the empire develop.

I’m a little… or, to be honest, very disappointed that they didn’t help me like this.

Where is this though? Even if you don’t do it, you can still get dozens of times more crops?

okay! I would rather hate myself as much as I want and ask for this result. Then I am willing to take any criticism.

“Good job! Theodora! As expected, I believed it, No. 2… no, the emperor of the empire!”

“Yes?”

Theodora looks embarrassed by my words, but ignores it and continues reading.

I nod as I look at a graph showing how yields increase with fertilizer production facilities.

Ten years later, the happiness circuit is slowly activated as the slope of the expected yield graph looks almost 1.

Yes, what if I get criticized and the people of the empire grow up healthy?

As I run the happy circuit and look at the necessary budget plan, I notice something strange and talk to Theodora.

“Wait a minute… Theodora, is something strange about this? Why are there so many balls?”

10 million gold as the first installment.

35 million gold in the second installment.

I am beginning to question my sanity at the insane amount of 100 million gold for the third installment.

Is it because I’m so happy? Do you think there’s something wrong with your eyes?

However, Theodora speaks carefully as if that is not the case.

“That… Well… You’ll probably find more details later. It’s the cost of producing the equipment and artifacts needed for the experiment.”

I finish reading those words.

Magical items and devices for creating and maintaining the desired temperature and pressure, as well as devices for separating the necessary substances from the air.

And research funds to ensure that the artifact can withstand all these high temperatures and high pressures, etc.

But you need 45 million gold just for the experiment?

Looking at the details, I fall into despair.

The artifact is too expensive… and the cost of researching a metal that can sustain and withstand high temperatures and pressures is also enormous.

The first and second payments must be paid all at once since they are necessary for the experiment.

That too is a problem. Literally, if you convert the cost of the experiment into Korean Won, it breaks into trillions.

No, wait… That’s also because of the cost of living. Doesn’t it actually break more?

It can be said that the birds of modern Korea and the birds here are quite different.

In addition, the third major expenditure was to build facilities for mass production.

This is just a rough calculation, and no one knows whether it will go higher or lower.

That’s why I close my eyes for a moment and get lost in thought.

Is this really possible?

What if such an astronomical amount of money fails?

If you fail, just hearing about fertilizer may give you a stomach ache for the rest of your life.

“Phew…”

As I sighed and thought about it, Theodora spoke with an anxious look.

“Wouldn’t it be possible?”

It’s worth doing if there’s a guarantee that you’ll succeed.

But what if you fail? Both Theodora and I, who approved this plan, may be branded incompetent.

At that time, there is really no other way to rule than by force.

As I was lost in thought, I saw Theodora’s red eyes shaking and said:

“It is possible if you succeed. However, it is difficult to invest a large amount of money just by looking at the data here.”

When I say that, I see my face turn a little brighter.

“Thank goodness.”

“What?”

“I was a little worried because I didn’t know what people would say for trying to do something ridiculous.”

“No, I actually did better than expected.”

If only we were successful in making fertilizer. She may leave a mark on this empire as a great saint.

That moment.

“Thank you.”

My heart starts pounding as I see her smiling brightly, probably in a good mood.

A smile like that is against the law, right?

She did it anyway to get her power back.

So there is no point in being excited alone.

“First, I will review it and let you know. Please submit a formal proposal.”

“Proposal?”

“Yes, even if you are the emperor, you can’t do whatever you want if the ministers refuse at the cabinet meeting, right?.”

In reality, no matter how emperor he is, he only has the right to appoint and dismiss ministers who make up the State Council, but there is no law that obliges him to unconditionally follow his words within the council.

That’s why Frank was able to reject the idea of opening an intelligence department earlier.

At this point, it would be good if Teodora also knew how to write a proposal.

Usually, it is written by an aide.

He deliberately did not appoint an aide to Theodora, who did not yet have any ability or her own political philosophy.

Is it a desire to experience, realize, and grow on your own?

“You’ve never written a proposal before?”

“It’s okay, I’ll watch over you. The emperor will not have to write the proposal himself, but he will learn something while writing it.”

“I understand. But…”

Tilting her head, Theodora continues.

“But if we open an intelligence department, will we have the money to do this?”

“Phew… I’ll have to figure it out somehow. First, I’ll tell you what you have questions about, so take a look and ask the professors.”

If such a large amount of money is invested and the production volume is minimal… I have no intention of doing it.

This means that at least tens of tons of it must be produced per day.

Theodora says with a puzzled expression.

“But you don’t plan on meeting me in person?”

I laugh bitterly at Theodora’s words.

“Yes, I guess they hate me. It would be better for you to step forward yourself.”

When I visited the academy, no help was provided.

But Theodora, at her request, I gave her this groundbreaking paper.

The only thing they trust and follow is the legitimate ruler.

They don’t want to help me.

So, if you want them to participate voluntarily, it would be better for Theodora to come to the forefront.

I also need to revive the market manipulation that was abandoned for the time being. Some things are busy.

If possible… I didn’t want to become a market manipulator…

I can’t stand fertilizer.

At that moment, a memory from the past flashes through my mind.

“Ah, that’s right. You promised to give some of your power back, right?”

Theodora smiled brightly and nodded at my words.

-Pisik.

Is power that good?

I don’t like power.

“First, I will give you full power over the development of this fertilizer.”

Theodora tilts her head as if it is strange to hear what I say.

“Yes? All power over development?”

I say that with a grin.

“Yes. With power comes responsibility, right? I will fully trust and hand over everything regarding development, so take responsibility and make sure to succeed.”

“Now… wait a minute?”

Theodora, whose face became pale, continued speaking in a trembling voice.

“Seo… Are you really asking me… to succeed in such a big business?”

-Nod.

“Yes!, I’m too busy, right? When do I pay attention to that while going through papers one by one? Besides, the emperor has the right to audit the affairs of the Grand Duchy, so there won’t be any legal problems, right?”

“That… Still! This is not it!”

Theodora trembles and speaks as if she can already see all-night and overtime work ahead of her.

“J… I don’t like it! They say you won’t let me sleep every night!”

Seeing Theodora refusing like that, I calm my eyes and say.

“Theodora. You clearly work hard for the people and the empire? Did you want to become emperor just to have fun?”

“Ugh…”

Seeing that she can’t refute what I say, I push her a little harder.

“Think about it. There is no power without responsibility. The reason an emperor exists in an empire is to make the empire and its people prosper. But you’re not saying you’re going to play behind the scenes, are you?”

“Ha… But no matter what… Working all night like that…”

As I look at Theodora’s pretty face becoming pale, I hold her hand and say,

“Now… wait a minute?”

I ignore her embarrassment and just say what I have to say.

Don’t leave me thinking. Now we have to push hard.

That is the height of psychological warfare.

“Think about it carefully, what if this business succeeds and the people of the empire live a full life? A life where you eat steak for dinner every day! And the one who took off was Empress Theodora. Ah~ I see clearly in my eyes, the great saint Theodora.”

I smile to myself as I see her blushing, as if my words were touching.

it’s okay. I’m almost over it!

“Ha… I will… let go of my hand…”

I nod and let go as I hear her crawling voice.

“Then I will believe it. Your majesty, the great Emperor Theodora!”

Theodora hides her blushing face at my words.

“Ugh… I don’t know.”

I feel happy inside as I see her say that and hurriedly leave the room.

Yes, work hard, Slave No. 2!

“Thanks to you, I will have a bit more free time.”

Theodora, please grow up quickly. And please get me out of this overtime hell…

With that thought in mind, he sits back down and searches for the market manipulation agenda that was not previously signed.