ACT 3: Secrets of Silvana Castle

Ha..

Ark sighed with a pained expression. It was because of a NPC named Berami. After the siege ended and he got a good nights sleep, he connected to an office in Silvana. It was a luxurious office overlooking his estate! It was the first time Ark realized that the estate was his. After all the suffering he was able to sit down and relax in a comfortable chair. He became thrilled at the thought of being a Lord. Then while he was in a good mood, a middle-aged NPC knocked and entered.

I am the Lords advisor, Berami.

Beramis role was estate management, legal advice, financial management and so onwhile he was old-fashioned about military affairs, his financial style was modern. A user who came to power overnight wouldnt be equipped with the knowledge to handle the castle and its estate. So an NPC who specialized in estate management was provided. From the beginning Ark didnt really like Berami. And unfortunately his intuition didnt lead him astray.

Do you like the office?

Hmm, its not bad.

Ark deliberately answered in a haughty tone. Berami pushed his glasses with his fingers and smiled.

Im glad you like it. You were brilliant in the siege but the castle is a mess. This was the only decent place. Well, enough about thataccording to their Majesties law, the rights of the Lord have been transferred to Ark-nim. Congratulations. I hope you last for a while.

The civil servant spoke in an official tone. Although there was a slight sense of sarcasm..he was still a civil servant NPC. But Arks pleasant dream soon turned into a nightmare because of his words.

The most important thing I have to explain is about financial management.

Thats right!

Ark strained his ears and concentrated. It was the part that Ark was most curious about. He went through a lot of struggles before occupying the castle. So how much profit would he get from it? Beramis explanation continued.

The income for Silvana is earned from the import of alcohol, customs, various taxes and businesses in the territory.so one month is 150,000 gold.

150,000 Gold!

Arks mouth dropped at the astronomical amount. That was worth 15 billion won in reality! It was more money than hes seen in his life.no, he couldnt even imagine that much money. Of course, since it was the castles income he might not earn that much as an individual. However he also had to apply medieval economics to New World.

As the Lord, am I free to spend 150,000 gold however I like?

His heart rate sped up and his breathing became rough at the thought! Was this what winning the lottery feels like?

However..Arks happiness got water poured on it.

Now Ill explain the amount to be spent. The most important thing is that you have to pay a tax to the royal family of the Three Kingdoms. Thats 10% of the monthly revenue, so 30% is 45,000 gold.

45,000 gold instantly flew away.

Ark felt like he was hearing a scam but he made himself calm down.

I-its okay. Theres still 105,000 gold.

However Berami cruelly continued talking.

By default, you should use the rest of the 105,000 gold for estate management. Now, I will tell you the things that need to be done based on priority. The most urgent thing is to repair the Defense Towers and castle walls that were destroyed in the siege. This is important as a Lord. Then.ha, it was neatly smashed. Repairing it should cost roughly 47,000 gold.

Berami shook his head as if he was irritated. However, Ark felt more like crying. He struggled so hard to destroy it and now he had to use his money to repair it!

Then there is the monthly salary for the estates employees. The costs for hiring soldiers and servants is 17,000 gold. The donation to the Shrine of War is 4,000 gold. The maintenance of various infrastructure on the estate is 10,000 gold. And the castle development fund..

S-stop!

Ark shouted with fright.

What the hell is with all that money?

Berami retorted with a scornful look.

Did you think the estate is maintained for free? The items I mentioned are just summaries. I will go into more details in the following days. But as the Lord you dont have to be concerned. I will handle most of it and you will still receive a small salary.

Then I can use that money anyway I like?

Didnt you know?

Berami asked with surprise.

Although the kings from the Three Kingdoms authorized you to become a Lord, your actions are still limited. You can only use the proceeds from the castle for castle related business. As the Lord, youll receive 2% of the total revenue of 150,000 gold. That is 3000 gold.

In the end the salary for a Lord in Nagaran wasnt that different from a president. Of course, 3000 gold was still a large amount. However, he had to consider the vast amount of money that was needed for a siege. And only receiving 3000 gold from 150,000? He had a sinking feeling..

Honestly, at present Silvana is in a deficit. Because Sir Alan who was the previous Lord started a lot of construction projects. He invested a lot in the estate. Well, if the facilities were completed then the income for the Lord would increase.

After hearing Beramis explanation, Arks idea of having a castle changed. He had thought that he could get profit just from occupying the castle. But it was a big mistake. New Worlds system and its NPCs werent so easy. All his funds from the territory were tied to the estate thanks to the law. In other words, he had to invest most of the money into development of the estate. Of course, the Lord would be able to get a profit in the long term.

Currently Silvana was a D class estate. Once it develops to a C class then the proceeds would double. The Lords income would also increase by 2, making it 6000 gold..so if he developed it to an A class estate then he would get a monthly income of 12,000 gold. Since one month is 10 days in reality, that was 36000 gold every month! It was an absurd income! But it would take a few years and there was no guarantee that he could defend the castle for that long.

Realistically, in would take 1~2 game years to raise the rating of the castle by that much. In reality that is half a year. If I fail to defend the castle in the meantime then it wont be very good. In addition, I also have to consider the money involved in a siege..

The Lords monthly salary of 3,000 gold was not that much. Ark now understood Alans feelings. Since he couldnt use most of the money, Alan couldnt afford to waste the 3000 gold on a siege. A ghost guild was made to reduce the cost of a siege as much as possible. And because the Defense Towers and walls werent destroyed, he could rush the estates development. Ark once again realised the uselessness of war.

Anyway, it is impossible for me.

The cost of repairs, food, various potions and hiring mercenaries If he participated in a war again then it would cost several thousand gold. Well, in the last one the money came from the Hermes guild but he still wasted 600 gold on food, cannon production and so on.

He also only used 83 people. But if he was a Lord then he needed more money and troops for a war. Since Alan had occupied the castle until now, it was clear that he suffered a huge financial loss.

Since I was never that greedy about it, I can just collect the 3000 gold and leave.

That was what he first thought when he heard about it. But the cunning of the Three Kings immediately appeared. Instead of being paid beforehand, the Lords salary was paid afterwards. If it was like that.then he would receive the salary one month after he became Lord. A month was 10 days in reality. He would have to be victorious in the sieges that were held once a week in order to receive the salary! If the Lordship changes then he would receive nothing. It was a brilliant law.

Isnt this like the kings are professional conmen?

Ark became gloomy. With the siege next week, he had no confidence about keeping the castle. Of course, as the Lord he might be able to attract allies. However, Ark had no funds to hold a siege. Who was help a Lord who couldnt even buy potions? They would rather help the other side to take over the castle.

If I scrape money together then I might be able to hire some mercenaries

He would be driven penniless by that kind of money. With no money Ark was powerless to keep the castle.

But the land is too good to just give up. Just like me, Raiden or Haiyan from Grey Wings wouldnt have known anything about the estate. But Silvanas geographical position means that its development potential is immense. When Nagaran becomes stable, I can develop it to C or even B class. Then the income from the castle would be unthinkable.

If it was like that then money wouldnt be a problem. With the huge funds, organizing an army of 10,000 people wouldnt be a dream.

But despite the castle, I cant even ask for 1 copper..I would rather Raiden become the Lord like originally planned.

Ark felt resentful towards Raiden. If Raiden had just followed the agreement then he wouldnt have to worry about this. The value of 100 Intermediate Recovery Potions was 2000 gold. Catapult repair costs 1000 gold. Renovation and labour costs for the raccoons 600 gold. In total it wouldve been 3,600 gold!

That was more than the Lords monthly salary. However, Raidens betrayal meant he didnt get a penny of it and the only thing he received was the castle.

I really dont have any luck..

Ark kept on sighing. But Berami acted like Arks feelings didnt matter. He extended a thick document.

Then please settle the payment for the estate management immediately.

Please come back later!

After Ark angrily raised his voice, Berami shrugged and left the office. His attitude clearly showed that he opposed the appointment of the new Lord. After he was alone, Ark organized his thoughts for a bit. Ark quickly gave up. At the thought of dying and losing his money, he easily gave up.

It is impossible for me to control the castle next week. So Ill put that problem aside for the momentwhile Im the Lord Ill do what I can. Alan used his power as a Lord to imprison Sid in the dungeon.

It was the objective he had to achieve first.

But it might be insufficient. Alan is closely related to the Cathedral. It is to the extent that the Cathedral secretly dispatched the Holy Knights. Alan also disturbed Sid because of his grudge. This has become troublesome.

Ark thought of something and nodded.

Thats it. It is the reason why the Lord of Jackson hesitated to help me. There is the rule that regular soldiers cant interfere in Nagaran. That also applies to the knights from the Cathedral. If I find proof that the Cathedral secretly helped Alan then it is possible to strike a blow to them.

Once the Cathedral is shaken then it wouldnt be difficult to extract Sid. Once Ark determined his task, he immediately began to explore the castle. 20 knights were kept in the castle so they shouldve left a trail somewhere. And he found the trail without any difficulty. No, it was just left in the open.

What is this?

Ark muttered with a foolish face. Inside the castle a luxurious building had been set up. The building had an atmosphere like a temple and was locked when he pushed the doors.

Ah, that is the Asyeosu Temple.

Asyeosu?

Berami explained the history after Ark visited him.

Yes, the goddess of balance. But it is mostly called the Cathedral because it is the most influential of the 12 religions on the continent. The church of Asyeosu was revived 100 years ago. The former lord Sir Alan is a devout believer. According to what I heard, the church helped Sir Alan a lot when he was undergoing the ordeals to be recognized as a Holy Knight.

Then this temple..?

Originally it just contained an old statue of Asyeosu. After Sir Alan became the Lord, he invested a lot of money into building the temple.

Ark began to feel suspicious after Beramis words. A guy like Alan wouldnt invest money in a temple for no reason.

Maybe he had to build a temple in order to receive the churchs help. If the temple was built then the church would send NPCs for free. But.it weighs heavily on my mind. Would he really waste all that money building a temple in the castle just for some helpers?

Just as Ark was thinking this.

Apart from Alan, everyone in Dawn Blade was a devout believer.

What?

After Sir Alan built the temple, all of the Dawn Blade coalition lived in the temple. They would not leave the temple even after spending three days and three nights there.

What were they doing in there?

I dont know. Sir Alans commands prevented other people from coming near there. Well, wasnt it to keep a vigil all night? They were always tired after leaving.

Berami answered in a disinterested tone. And Ark suddenly saw a flash.

Three days and nights praying in the temple? Once the users connected they would spend hours stuck in the temple. In addition, Alan did it as well..No, it was impossible for him to be that devoted to Asyeosu. Even if the religion gave him all sorts of benefits, it was difficult to transfer those benefits to reality. There was no reason to believe in a fake religion in a game. Since he built the temple and wouldnt leave it, there was definitely something hidden.

If I want to find a link between Alan and the Cathedral then it would be here!

Can I enter there?

Of course. Because everything in the castle is the Lords possessions.

It was the first time Berami said something great. While he couldnt receive the Lords salary yet, he was the Lord of the castle.

But it was locked?

My Lord should go to your office safe. The keys to all the facilities are kept there. But my Lord is prohibited from carrying the key outside the estate. Since the title of Lord was released, the key should be housed there.

Ark headed straight to find the temple key.

Clatter, creak.

After he inserted the key the door opened with a massive sound. The interior wasnt that different from other cathedrals. There were long chairs lined up inside with a slightly higher platform at the front.

What the hell? Its not hiding anything? Then what were they doing in here?

He really spent his fortune just to pray to the gods here? Ark looked around until he suddenly became puzzled.

Wait. Isnt something strange?

Ark stood in the centre of the temple and looked around. Berami said that the Dawn Blade coalition stayed here for three days. It was a coalition not one guild. In numerical terms it comprised of 1,700 people. However the temple wasnt big enough for all those people. Even the commuter buses could only cram in a few hundred people at 7 in the morning. Then where did the remaining people go?

Are there any other exits?

Ark searched every corner but nothing caught his eye. After a few minuteshe was searching the platform when he saw small letters engraved on the bottom.

Turn your head and bring back the darkness.

What does that mean?

Ark looked around the area with a dubious expression. However Ark had quite a lot of experience in solving puzzles in New World. Once he knew the location of the statue of Asyeosu, Ark was able to understand the phrase. Since breakfast had just finished, the morning sun was coming from all directions through the transparent windows. The light was concentrated on the statues right side. In order words, he had to turn the statue away from the east. One of the unshakeable laws was that the sun always rose in the East! He had to turn the statue to the darkness, which meant to the west.

Then

Ark insolently grabbed the statues face and turned it. The face turned around just like he expected. When he let go a mechanical whirring sound was heard. The platform was pushed to one side, revealing a long staircase leading into darkness.

It is a secret passage! The Dawn Blade members went in here!

There was no need to think. Ark used Eyes of the Cat and descended the stairs.

Where do these stairs lead to?

The stairs were longer than expected. It twisted into a spiral staircase that seemed to lead to hell. How far did he go? He suddenly felt a cool spirit on his skin. It wasnt simply a feeling of the temperature going down. It was like cold slippery tentacles were gripping his body. An unidentified fear crept into his mind.

What the? Why does it feel so unpleasant?

Ark murmured in an uncomfortable voice. The stairs ended and a huge cave appeared.

The Cradle of an Ancient Evil (Special)

You have discovered a cave with a cold chill that makes even the soul tremble. Youve heard the groaning of a mysterious ghost deep inside the intricate maze-like cave. And the more powerful and evil spirit as it grabbed them. The bloody history of this cave isnt as simple as you think. No doubt huge and sinister secrets are hidden. If you are wise then you should never enter alone.