Chapter 159: New Industries

After staying in the basement for a few days, Donald stepped out with a smile and returned to the lord’s manor.
“My lord!”
“Mm!” Donald nodded briefly in response.
The servants of the lord’s manor noticed that, despite no visible changes in his appearance over just a few days, their lord’s demeanor had become even more composed. Though he smiled, he exuded an air of authority.
This was actually because Donald had used the House of Time to gain a hundred times more time, spending nearly seven months there. Of course, another reason was his acquisition of knowledge and insights from divinity, which made him appear more profound and steady.
Upon arriving in the manor’s council hall, William, the administrative officer who had been informed, along with the new head of commerce Augusta, the finance officer Jesse, and Clinton, the head of the adventurers’ guild, came to report on the current situation of the territory.
“My lord, Augusta has fulfilled your instructions. The preparations for the savings bank are complete, and it can open at any time!”
Catherine’s cousin truly had talent—just in a few days, commerce in the territory had improved significantly.
Firstly, the preparations for opening the savings bank were almost done, awaiting only the lord’s command. This was one of the two business plans Donald had discussed with Augusta earlier.
At that time, Donald had only outlined the general plan, which astonished Augusta so much that she worked through the night to prepare a detailed plan without waiting to return to the territory.
After reviewing it, Donald found that, aside from a few adjustments needed due to the unique conditions of Dalaran, everything else was quite thorough. He thus approved the plan and enlisted several mages from the territory to assist.
During the few days he had been in seclusion, Augusta and the others had completed the preparations.
So, the next morning, under Augusta’s leadership and in collaboration with the adventurers’ guild, the Dalaran Savings Bank officially opened in the territory. Donald was well aware of the profits generated by banks, so he naturally wouldn’t overlook such a profitable and convenient industry.
However, due to the different world environment, Donald changed its name to a savings bank—literally, a place for storing valuables. In this world, the concept of a bank already existed in its infancy; most large merchant guilds offered services to temporarily store large sums of money for clients, though these were still primitive and rudimentary, and it was uncertain when they would develop further.

Adventurers have always been nomadic; once they go on missions, it’s impossible to keep all their earnings at home or carry them with them. It’s also not convenient or safe for caravans to carry large sums of money, as it attracts the attention of thieves. Thus, the convenient service offered by banks immediately caught many people’s interest.

According to Donald’s initial plan, banks would operate in two main areas: currency deposit, withdrawal, and exchange, charging only a small fee that ordinary people could afford. This service attracted many merchants from the start. However, since it was new and not yet established, its credibility relied on Donald’s status as the lord, so many people watched cautiously without taking action.

As these banks expanded beyond the territory in the future, people would gradually realize the importance of this industry.

The second service was providing safes for customers to store valuable items. With the help of magic and alchemy, it was easy to build vaults and safes. Even an alarm system was created by several mages in the territory, especially Chris, a silver mage who was always interested in such unusual things. He was the first to get involved after Donald proposed the plan.

The defenses of these vaults were extremely strong, involving many powerful mages. Those below the silver rank had no chance of breaking them, but even gold-ranked individuals might not be able to overcome them—after all, they were meant to protect honest people, not scoundrels. Yet, even gold-ranked individuals would trigger an alarm if they tried to steal items, revealing their identity to everyone in the territory.

Moreover, like the security systems in his past life, these defenses could be upgraded. Once there were gold mages in the territory, the bank’s defense system could be significantly enhanced.

The provision of safes was currently the bank’s main service. Whether it was merchants, nobles, or adventurers, many had valuable personal items. With the guarantee of numerous mages and Lord Dalaran, storing these items in safes was naturally safer than carrying them around. Additionally, unless the defense system was breached, only the magical key held by the owner could open the corresponding safe—something that made these customers feel especially secure.

Another user-friendly service is that the items and possessions stored by deceased adventurers are handed over to their designated heirs once confirmed. Given that adventuring is a dangerous profession with a high risk of not returning, and considering these adventurers have families and friends, this service quickly won the favor of many adventurers, as well as some others. In a world where even charity does not exist, such a service is undoubtedly unprecedented. As the deposit business flourished, the affairs of the Adventurers’ Guild also got on track, along with Dalaran’s new tax policies. Business taxes in this world are generally high; the standard in the Kingdom of Thelos is 20%, meaning that if a merchant brings in goods worth 100,000 gold sols, 20% of that value, or 20,000 gold sols, must be paid in taxes after sales. This would have been utterly absurd in the previous life, but due to the limited transportation infrastructure, there are huge price differences across regions. Even after deducting taxes, the remaining profit is still substantial, which is why there are so many merchants in this world. Donald’s tax policy stipulates that if one owns businesses such as shops in Dalaran itself, the tax is reduced by half; for local Dalaran merchants, it is only 10%. This measure greatly stimulated commercial development in Dalaran, attracting merchants from nearby areas, as well as some small merchants who applied to become citizens of Dalaran. Even merchants from the eastern coastal regions of the kingdom traveled great distances to come here. It should be noted that Dalaran’s major products are rare goods outside the region, and their profits are enough to make even powerful nobles envious. Even when divided among many merchants, they still yield substantial earnings. After mages like Mithel announced this, Donald took back the agency for selling moonlight wine and black tea from the Mage Association. Now, these tasks are handled by Augusta. Judging from the changes over these days, business is thriving, if not extremely profitable, which satisfies Donald greatly. As early spring approaches, the northern regions have not yet warmed up. Apart from greenhouses, everyone relies on food stored in autumn to get through the winter, while Dalaran continues to sell large quantities of fresh vegetables to the outside world.

At this time, the price of greenhouse vegetables was dozens of times that of summer and autumn, making it unaffordable for ordinary people to enjoy them often. Only the nobility and wealthy merchants, who possessed advanced concepts and magical technologies from past lives, could afford to eat them daily. The produce from Donald’s manor and several farms was enough to meet the vegetable needs of the entire North County, with leftovers as well.

It was said that even in the royal capital, many nobles were already enjoying vegetables produced in Dalaran. Due to the differences between winter and summer, even if some noble families had greenhouses, they usually only grew common vegetables, as not all varieties could survive in these seasons.

Thus, the variety of fresh vegetables from Dalaran became a unique business opportunity. Moreover, the profits from this simple vegetable trade were even higher than those from moonlight wine and black tea.

Of course, this business had a limited duration and couldn’t compare to pillar industries like moonlight wine and black tea.

After discussing matters with his teachers and other mages and participating in several alchemical studies, Donald decided to take a break by going out to inspect his territory.

Coincidentally, at that time, his wife, Catherine, had finally regained her freedom with the help of the queen and came to meet him from the royal capital.

Overjoyed, Donald took Catherine to the uninhabited northern regions to spend some time together.

The northern part of the Moonlight Woods was now beyond the range of the natural barrier, so everything in sight was vast and endless.

As the farthest northern part of the human territories in the north, Dalaran was undoubtedly the coldest place in Thelos. However, thanks to the existence of the World Tree, it was as warm as the central and southern parts of the kingdom. Many plants that should have withered according to the seasons remained lush under the nourishment of natural forces.

Therefore, viewing such vast snowy landscapes outside the territory offered a truly unique experience.

For this trip, Donald only brought Catherine, as they wouldn’t go too far from the territory and should not encounter any danger. Besides, his strength had greatly increased, and reaching the silver rank was just around the corner.

For comfort, Donald chose to ride a goblin airship rather than a flying magical beast.

“What a truly uplifting view! I never thought that cold snow and ice could be so beautiful!” Countess Catherine stood on the deck of the airship, gazing at the snow-covered forests and mountains in the distance.

Born on the southern continent, she had seen snow in the royal capital as well, but nothing compared to the vastness of these forests. She had never seen such extensive snowy landscapes before and was naturally stunned.

Donald laughed from behind and said, “Let’s head further north to a place with mountains and water. We can enjoy the scenery there while having a barbecue picnic! I’ve already prepared everything!” “Hmm! Let’s go there! Look at that snow-capped mountain—it looks just like a pile of salt. There’s also a glint below; it’s very likely there’s water!” Catherine pointed at a snow-capped mountain ahead.

Donald, with vision far beyond ordinary people’s, could already see traces of flowing water there, so he ordered the airship to fly straight there. Upon approaching, they indeed found several streams. Some of the ice and snow on the mountains had melted, forming multiple mountain streams. The water in these streams was crystal clear, with unfrozen ice layers that resembled strips of crystal, shining brilliantly under the sunlight.

The airship slowly landed on a flat area surrounded by streams. Donald immediately took out all the items from the space. They spread thick blankets on the ground, sat down, and set up a stove along with the prepared meat and vegetables in front of them. One copper pot was filled with water for hot pot, while another stove had an iron grilling rack for barbecuing.

Donald had experienced such picnics a few times in his past life. The most memorable was when he barbecued with his family as a child under his parents’ guidance. But after his parents passed away, he could never find that feeling again. In his past life, he didn’t like traveling and wasn’t into backpacking or outdoor survival. This was his first time having a picnic by a fire in such a deserted place, so he was even more excited.

Catherine, watching Donald busy himself excitedly, joined in as well. Together, they prepared several servings of delicious and fragrant barbecued food in no time. The water in the other pot had also boiled, so they picked up plates and started eating.

As he ate, Donald marveled at how delicious the purely green, pollution-free food was! Moreover, being in this breathtakingly beautiful environment with his beloved by his side, this enjoyment was truly beyond compare!