A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

71 – Mobile Convenience Store

“Lord Lendor? What is all this?”

“If you look, you’ll know. Dragons. Dragons.”

“How many are there in total?”

“After Red Dragon brought the dragons from the Dragon’s Nest, we confirmed a total of 2312. We decided to entrust 2100 of them to us.”

“Wait a minute. So, then, Rumpang owns more dragons than the Empire’s Dragon Knights? Does that make sense? In no time, we’ve become the strongest military organization in the Empire?”

At that, I laughed and shook my head.

“The Red Dragon, who has the authority to control all these dragons, is part of the Dragon Knights. The dragons here are under the Red Dragon’s command and are not allowed to breathe fire. They are just here for show.”

Even with my explanation, Karl Hanson still had a puzzled expression.

“Transportation through trucks and cars is already showing sufficient efficiency. There seems to be no need to add dragons for transportation, right?”

I smiled at his words.

“Exactly. The Aylam Empire has a well-established nationwide network of railways, highways, etc., so there is no need for dragon delivery to achieve sufficient transportation efficiency. But what about Karamba?”

A land five times larger than Aylam.

A land mostly covered with deserts and plains, requiring long journeys.

With many areas where it’s difficult to lay roads due to the terrain, making it hard to easily adopt advanced technologies like trains and cars.

There, people living in what is often referred to as the neglected lands abound.

Until now, there was no clear way to access these areas, but with the emergence of dragons, a proactive way to sell goods in those regions has now appeared.

“Haven’t they said dragons can’t fly for long under Karamba’s scorching sun? Yet, are we sending a large number of dragons to that region for deliveries? This is an absurd idea, Lord Lendor.”

It was a valid point. And there was a solution to that as well.

“Yes, that’s right. Karamba’s region is too hot due to the sun, making it difficult for dragons to fly for long. However, that was the case before the arrival of Red Dragon, a top-notch con artist, and before Prince Rashad caused a strike.”

Dragons get overheated and tired quickly?

Just build a dragon resting place in the Karamba territory to let them rest. If it were a sultan, he might not know, but Rashad would obviously allow it.

And above all, we had a Red Dragon.

Who is the Red Dragon?

Wasn’t it a being that controlled flames?

It was no mere existence that even the heat of the sun couldn’t handle.

The face of Karl Hanson, who understood my words immediately, contorted strangely.

It was the wicked laughter of a merchant who smelled of money.

“I didn’t know about that. I will contact Prince Rashid directly.”

“Do it. And I, too, will go meet the Red Dragon once. Ranpang’s Dragon Delivery Service. If it’s Ailam, it might be fine, but there will be a demand exploding from Karamba.”

“hehehe!! Let’s really make use of Karamba’s gold coins! Lord Randor!!”

“Of course!”

Karl Hanson and I began to move swiftly for our respective tasks.

“Sending my subordinates to the Western Continent for delivery?”

“Yes. However, the west is too hot, which is a problem. Dragons cannot fly for long. I believe the great Red Dragon will have a solution. We humans are so humble that we couldn’t find a proper solution.”

I felt the nostrils of the Red Dragon rise in an instant at my words. Karia, now diligently attaching titles every time we met, apologizing for the wounds inflicted with the Holy Sword, had greatly restored the Red Dragon’s pride.

“hahahaha! Something like the sun is nothing special in front of me. Don’t worry. If they are my subordinates, they will endure the heat well. Bestow upon my subordinates the incantation magic that can withstand the heat. They will be able to endure even in the midst of scorching flames.”

“Indeed, you are a great being. I am truly grateful.”

“In the future, you must continue to praise my greatness. Mortal.”

“Of course. Of course.”

By accommodating the fellow appropriately, I was able to cast incantation magic for heat resistance on 2100 dragons.

And I went to inform the Emperor of this fact.

“You’re going to try dragon delivery logistics in Karamba?”

“Yes. We can charge a handsome delivery fee. We will charge a fixed amount of delivery fee per item delivered. Not to mention, it will have the effect of tightly controlling Karamba’s logistics industry and, above all, completely bringing the marginalized tribes living in remote areas under our influence.”

“Hmm… Can we create more pro-Ailam factions?”

“That’s exactly it. Think about it. People who used to live in places where it took days to ride a horse or a camel to get to the city will now have a store flying right in front of their tents. They won’t be able to resist.”

Adran chuckled at my words.

“If the Sultan tries to start a war, the people of that region will all rise up.”

“That’s right. And subtle armed protests will also be possible. We have increased the number of dragons we can operate by this much. So, it will send a message not to act recklessly.”

“Not bad at all. Alright. Permission granted. How can I assist?”

“Teach Ranpang’s deliverymen how to control dragons. Nothing else is needed, just the ability to control. Ranpang’s dragons will never breathe fire or carry weapons.”

“Alright. Permission granted. I will instruct the Dragon Knights to do so.”

The Emperor’s permission was granted.

Before long, some of Ranpang’s employees would be riding dragons, not trucks.

It takes about three months to learn dragon control skills.

Now, all that was left was to persuade Rashid within that period.

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And as expected.

Compared to Sultan Saladin, who only knew of conquest, our Prince Rashid was much more flexible and reasonable.

“Delivering goods to tribes in hard-to-reach places using dragons? What a great idea! Let’s discuss it right away!!”

As always, he was very positive about dragon delivery.

We met again in Dagamba, the bustling trading city of Karamba, connected by the Rako Mountain trade route, railways, roads, and more.

Here, like the Marquis of Elond or the Portu commercial city, every time I visited, the city was growing in size not unlike the Portu commercial city.

“What about the heat issue with the dragons?”

“We’ve solved it. The dragons move with heat-resistant magic. Of course. There shouldn’t be any reason to push them too hard, right? If we just create a resting place for dragons between Dagamba and major delivery points, there shouldn’t be any issue. You can handle that much. But where did all these dragons suddenly come from?”

“It’s simple. We’ve swept all the dragons from the Green Hell’s dragon nests in the south.”

“How is that possible?”

“We have the support of 7 ancient dragons.”

At my words, Rashad’s eyes widened. I chuckled, and Rashad stared at me for a while before letting out a long sigh.

“It seems Father’s dream of conquest has completely gone down the drain.”

“I suppose so. If, by any chance, he gets any strange ideas, Prince Rashad will have to convince him.”

“Indeed. Thousands of dragons and dragons flying in the sky… It’s terrifying even to imagine.”

Rashad shook his head and then looked at me.

“So? How will this venture turn profitable?”

“Where do the tribes living in the harsh lands reside?”

“There are some nomads in the wastelands. But they are close enough to Dagamba that there’s no need to deliver by dragons. Ironically, the tribes of the wealthy Western Plains in Karamba often struggle to find proper goods due to their distance from Dagamba.”

The Western Plains.

One of the two massive pillars forming the Sultan’s legion.

The raiders of the wastelands have become people who can’t buy various goods and grains supplied from Dagamba. Those living very close to Dagamba’s streets would feel it even more.

Having conquered one pillar of the Sultan, it was now time to conquer the other.

“Then let’s deliver to the tribes in the west using dragons.”

“How so?”

“The dragons’ transport capabilities surpass imagination. With powerful mana stones in their bodies, especially creatures nurtured within a dragon’s household receive a portion of the dragon’s magic, making them much stronger and able to fly longer. We will move a whole small shop concept using this.”

Necessities.

Food.

Appliances.

All of these will be carried by dragons, sold in a mobile shop format for the local people to purchase.

“Not a bad idea, right?”

“Instead, we will attach a fixed delivery fee to each item, so we’ll sell them slightly more expensive than buying in Dagamba.”

“That can’t be helped. The details can be discussed by the operational team. How many dragons will be flying to Dagamba for deliveries?”

“2100.”

Rashad started to laugh as if amazed.

“Absolutely staggering. Only a delivery company would have that many dragons. The Sultan would go mad if he knew. He would think you’re a fool for having so many powerful dragons without even thinking of conquest.”

I chuckled at his words.

“I am already conquering Karamba. Just not with swords and guns.”

At my words, Rashad smiled bitterly.

“It’s truly sad that it can’t be denied.”

I cautiously sipped the very sweet tea unique to Karamba.

“I plan to name it Ranpang’s Mobile Convenience Store.”

“A convenience store?”

“Yes. We also have such services planned. We’ll create a product catalog, and if you request a delivery, your item will be brought along on the next delivery.”

“It’s amazing. Not a bad idea. The Western Great Plains, with its vast expanse and terrain not well-suited for laying tracks, didn’t benefit as much from railways compared to the Western Karamba… If it’s dragon delivery, things will be neatly resolved.”

“Indeed. The West will soon become a region where one cannot live without Ranpang.”

“We should establish a large-scale dragon residential area in Dagamba. We also need to pocket some gold in the process.”

“Of course. Karamba needs to prosper so that I can continue to make money in the future, right?”

Rashed chuckled happily at my words. And so, the outline of Ranpang’s convenience store and delivery business in Karamba was set. However, Rashed wasn’t going to stop here.

“While we’re at it, let’s discuss a few more things. Are there any of those cars rolling around in your country these days?”

“Yes.”

“I want to import those on a large scale.”

“You’ll need roads for cars, Prince Rashed.”

“We can lay down roads. Unlike the Western Great Plains where it’s hard to lay down roads or railways, the barren lands in the East are solid enough to make road construction easier. Well… that’s why they’re called barren lands, even though grass doesn’t grow there.”

“If only roads are built, I will authorize product sales at any time.”

“Great. And also, the trade routes of the Laco Mountains. One route is not enough; we need to open several.”

“We’ve been actively scouting locations suitable for new trade routes for years. Once a route is established, we’ll promptly open new paths.”

“Then there should be no problem.”

This meeting was also very successful.

Indeed, unlike the stubborn Sultans, Rashed was a reasonable guy to talk to.

The two of us parted ways happily, returning to our respective lands.

And a few months later.

The mobile convenience store and delivery business in Ranpang was officially launched in Karamba.