I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

‘Trade with the South,’ River thought, reminiscing about the past.

Before the recent war with the Empire, how much effort had they put into securing food supplies from the South?

The South was technically part of the Empire, but it had always been a very autonomous region. Just as the North was.

But the South didn’t lend a hand to the North. Perhaps they were wary of the Empire’s watchful eye.

‘There was nothing in the North that was attractive enough to defy the Empire.’

Trade in gems and precious metals had already bottomed out due to clandestine deals made while avoiding the Emperor’s scrutiny.

When even that avenue was exhausted, the South turned its back on the North.

Well, he understood. Even he, River, might have made the decision to turn away from the south to protect the north.

That’s why he couldn’t think of trading with the South as a solution.

‘But what if it succeeds? ’

While there was famine in the North in recent years, the warm climate and abundant produce in the South meant they had ample food even during the same period.

If the South pursued lucrative trade, even if famine struck the North again, it wouldn’t be as devastated as before.

River still felt uncertain about whether the trade would succeed or fail.

A fifty-fifty chance of success? But that was fifty times better than the less than one percent chance he had before.

It was Brody, undeniably, who had boosted his faith.

So he decided to listen to Brody some more.

“If we build a fortress in this area, we secure not only the port but also access to farmland in the relatively warmer region to the south of Perdan. The council considered it difficult to manage and left it as a free zone, but it seemed too valuable to give up. It may not be as fertile as the South, but it could become a breadbasket for the North.”

River ran quick calculations in his head.

The cost of building a fortress and keeping the Empire at bay, and the gain in trade and farmland.

He weighed the options, but the farmland alone wasn’t enough to make up for the uncertainty.

What if they spent a fortune and failed to build it? What if they succeeded and the north’s finances were ruined?

Seeing River’s indecision, Brody spoke up.

“We need to make a decision as soon as possible.”

“It’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Right now, the Empire will stand still because we’ve left it alone as a neutral zone, but they won’t stand still if we try to claim it.”

“So there’s no better time than now, when the Empire is at its weakest.”

“We should build the fortress even if it means stretching ourselves thin. The North is exhausted now, and it’s not easy to withdraw manpower.”

“Ah, manpower. I’ve thought about that.”

River and Aidan, who had been silent, looked incredulous. Brody had consistently exceeded their expectations.

“I’m talking about paying hired labor instead of just distributing relief food. Since this year’s winter food is more abundant than before, I thought about it.”

“Food? Are you suggesting we use the food we received from the Empire as payment instead of distributing it as aid?”

“Some people find it difficult to come to work, so we can’t just pay for it completely. But if you pay more, people who want the opportunity will flock to it. When you build a fortress, a new village is created. If we subsidize that fund, people who have nowhere to go due to the war can immigrate, and the number of homeless people will decrease, so it’s not like killing two birds with one stone.”

“…….”

River stroked his chin in thought.

She was right.

It might seem harsh in the moment, but think of the future.

If they let the food they have now go to waste this winter, it would be little more than a one-time relief.

Besides, you need the strength to rise from the ruins. Hope is what drives people.

‘If we build the fortress, we’ll create jobs and motivation. And we’ll have a justification for distributing food fairly. We won’t have to waste too much time debating how to distribute food in the future while arguing about whether the famine will continue next year. Securing farmland, securing a port. We don’t know how much benefit it will bring, but isn’t it better than nothing? ’

‘Should we do what we’ve always done or try something new? ’

If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll just keep doing the same thing when you run into the same problems.

Or, if trade fails, securing the agricultural lands beyond Perdan will be beneficial in the long run.

If they stick to what’s been done, they’ll only face the same problems again.

‘As long as we don’t fall so hard that we can’t get up again……, that is. It’s a matter of whether we can afford it.’

River was cautious. As chief of staff, he’d do what was best, but he wouldn’t gamble with the odds. The challenge was not for him.

When River was silent for a long moment, Brody spoke up again to fill in the gaps.

“Of course, we’ll also focus on food self-sufficiency. I plan to develop improved varieties that can withstand cold and drought. But considering the cause of the famine… we can’t know when it will end. If the North only grows potatoes, it’ll barely avoid starving to death.”

Aidan, who had been listening, interrupted.

“The cause of the famine? Do you know that?”

“Well, um… rather than knowing the cause, it’s more like a natural disaster, isn’t it? Natural disasters are things that can’t be helped by human power.”

In fact, Brody seemed to know the cause of the famine.

From the statistical documents she learned from River and her interpretation of geographical information from the maps, she could guess.

It was due to the influx of cold air, resulting in a cold, stable atmosphere and a lack of rain.

People of this era might find it difficult to understand, so it had to be dismissed as a natural disaster. After all, it was partly true.

It would be nice to have an irrigation project to draw water from other areas to farm, but the technology was too far beyond Brody’s reach.

“So even if the famine continues, we need to make sure we can handle it.”

Aidan nodded in agreement.

“I guess it’s a matter of whether you want to take a chance on something that could end up being a big success or a big failure.”

“If the famine doesn’t continue, the stable path isn’t bad, but if it does, we’ll only last a year, two at most, with the food we have now, and while the potatoes might keep us from starving, the north will still be poor. But if the Empire grows in strength in the meantime, what are our chances of winning the war in three years?”

Aidan said, glancing at the map.

“It won’t be easy, not with the current Emperor……. The empire has ‘that Princess’ now.”

He recalled the image of her.

Her first hostage negotiation at the capital’s walls, and her pursuit of Brody in front of the Perdan fortress.

She seemed capable and ambitious.

If she were to rise to power in the Empire, the North would not be the same as it is now.

Aidan nodded, organizing his thoughts.

“If doing what we’ve always done is not even a stable option, then we have only one choice.”

Brody smiled wryly at his answer.

His demeanor, which had recently gone from avoiding her to freaking out every time they crossed paths, had suddenly become businesslike, like they were having a strategy meeting.

Isn’t that proof that Brody treats him as a solid strategic partner?

It filled him with a strange sense of exhilaration, akin to successfully passing an important meeting or securing a difficult deal.

River felt the same way. He let out a long sigh and pinched his brow, but didn’t seem to disagree.

“Alright then. I understand about half of the reason why we need to build the fortress. The other half would be what trade goods we’ll exchange with the South. I assume you have plans for that, so go ahead and tell us.”

River filled Brody in with a tone that was ready to bite, as if to say, “Tell me what you’ve got planned for that trade, and if it’s crap…”

‘Oh my, that’s just disgusting.’

When she thinks of River, she feels like spitting out the words, ‘That’s your problem.’ Brody said while looking at Aidan.

Seeing his compliant face made her feel more at peace.

“I think we’ll have to wait until we’re up and running before we can flesh out the details.”

But again, River interrupted.

“At least give me a rough list of items.”

Brody frowned at his scourge, then crossed her arms and tilted her chin up.

As if saying, ‘Fine, I’ll teach you.’

“Well, okay. For now, it’s a new medicine, Chief of Staff River knows about it, right?”

“I hope that’s not all.”

‘Ah, really, people. Did you leave the trade goods? Until then, you didn’t even have a single decent trade product or a future plan.’

Brody’s stomach churned, but she kept her cool.

“It’s not everything, but if you think it’s not a big deal, I’ll take it off the list.”

“…….”

Brody was the one holding the hilt anyway.

The items they were about to discuss couldn’t be produced without Brody’s intervention, which made it even more apparent.

River, who had been prodding in a twisted manner, eventually kept his mouth shut.

But he must have been feeling really urgent. He looked at Brody, rolling his eyes in a childish way.

‘Eh, yeah. You really are a northern madman.’

As he had been suffering from famine, war, and many other things for a long time, and as she had heard of his attachment to the North, it was understandable.

Brody began to kindly explain to River, who was out of sorts.

“In addition to new medicines, there are rare herbs, rare flowers, ah, flowers are ornamental, a unique food made from potatoes, and finally, contraceptives. That’s about it.”

Brody said, counting off on her fingers.

She looked up as she racked her memory, so when she folded her fifth finger, she didn’t realize until it was too late that the two men in front of her had gone rigid.

“And I need something, um, what’s wrong with you two?”

“That… … Eh hum. Oh, no.”

“What do you need?”

Aidan coughed, the tips of his ears reddening.

River seemed calm, too, but it was odd to see the man who’d been freaking out just moments before calm.

And Brody quickly realized why.

‘Ah, contraceptives.’

It’s probably very awkward for a woman to say this in public in this day and age.

However, what can she do? This might actually be the most contentious item.

In this era, the existing contraceptives were almost useless. Some contraceptive methods were even grotesque.

‘By comparison, my contraceptive pill is the best in existence. 99.99% effective.’

If she had created this pill in her previous life, it would have been a huge hit.

Now that Brody’s ‘powers’ allow her to make it, it would have been impossible.

Anyway, she’s just talking about work, but these two men are so naive. She didn’t know about Aidan, but River was a little surprised.

‘Well, last time when I was treating him, judging by his reaction, he seemed quite gullible.’

Brody smirked, and the two men bit their lips tightly together, looking like they didn’t know what else to do.

Feeling sorry for them, Brody decided to turn the conversation away, pretending not to notice their discomfort.