Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

966 – Your donation warms the world – 1

Human desires are vertical, not horizontal.

When the need for survival is satisfied, we begin to care about food, clothing, and shelter. When we are satisfied with food, clothing, and shelter, we desire more wealth. When we obtain wealth, we desire honor. These are vertical needs.

After honor, there is a stage of self-actualization or something, but I don’t remember it well and it’s not important, so let’s skip it. What’s important now is that the next stage for people who have satisfied their wealth is to satisfy their honor.

‘If you have a lot of money, you want to make your name known and be praised by people.’

Some people say, “I want to be rich and not famous,” but people who are really rich but live like a mouse are people with superhuman endurance. All rich people want to make their presence known, whether it’s wide or narrow.

In that sense, the empire has the richest man on the continent who pursues honor more than anyone else.

From the title to the Golden Seal, it is a great family that will rise to the top spot, excluding the imperial family that cannot be included in rankings.

So I sent a letter to the Golden Prince with a proposal for a donation,

[If you create a room within Stefan’s Glory to commemorate the loyalty and devotion of the Osiden family, I will support not only Stefan’s Glory but also the construction budget of Dong Danis.]

A fiery answer came back that exceeded expectations.

Beyond simply putting their name on the list of donors, they also asked for a room named after their family. It’s a rather unconventional request, but it’s not something they wouldn’t grant if the price was a huge amount of support.

Regardless of the era, aren’t water lords always noble beings? Even the water lords who spare no expense in pouring out their wealth for buildings that symbolize the authority of the imperial family and the new order? Why choose a room for such a water lord and name it Oshiden?

‘I can give you the real name of the Golden Duke, even if it’s not the family name.’

If they wanted to change the name of the building from Glory of Stefan to Glory of Osiden, then who would hesitate when they are receiving support from the richest man on the continent in exchange for just one room?

“Hoo. Did the Golden Ball say that?”

In fact, the emperor also let out a gasp as soon as he heard the Golden Duke’s answer.

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Golden Duke’s loyalty is truly something that all nobles should emulate, and it is truly a beautiful loyalty that will remain forever in the history of the continent.”

“The Count is right. Compared to the Golden Duke’s loyalty, what I will give is small and insignificant. Moreover, even the Golden Duke’s small request must have been made out of courtesy and consideration for me.”

This is a saying that if nobles unilaterally donate to such a national affair, it would somewhat damage the emperor’s reputation, so they offer it to the emperor after receiving compensation.

To be honest, I don’t think the Golden Ball was that considerate. No matter how I look at it, it seems like he rushed in for his own honor and to make new money.

But let’s just assume that what the Emperor says is right. It’s better for the Emperor’s reputation, for the Golden Duke’s honor, and for the people to hear it.

“By the way, I will not only help with Stefan’s glory, but also with the construction of Dong Danis. I am so touched by your sincerity.”

“Isn’t it because of such loyalty that the Emperors of the past have favored the Oshiden family?”

“That’s right.”

The emperor nodded slightly and tapped the desk with his index finger.

Then he stared intently at the reply from the golden ball I had sent him, as if he was contemplating what kind of reward he should give.

Even though the Golden Duke first made the ‘offer that the Emperor can eat raw’, it is not right to accept it without hesitation. If a subject voluntarily wants to receive something from the position of the subject, it is the Emperor’s dignity to add additional compensation. After all, the Emperor should always be more generous, merciful, and wise than his subjects.

“count.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“A single room is not enough to commemorate the Golden Duke’s loyalty. How about naming the entire hall after Oshiden?”

“In the hall… are you talking?”

I quickly thought about those words.

Hall. A large space that you first come across when you open the door to a castle or mansion. It is a place where you can splendidly display the grandeur of the building, and it is the place that guests encounter more than anywhere else.

If such a place were named after Osiden, the Golden Duke would be pleased. Everyone who visits the glory of Stefan would see the name of Osiden.

“The Light of Osiden. If we give it a proper name, everyone will know what contributions the Golden Ball and Osiden have made. It will also be a chance for me to let the Empire know that we have such loyalists.”

“Your Majesty’s words are true. Anyone who visits the glory of Stefan will be amazed by its grandeur and once again be amazed by the loyalty of Osiden.”

“I feel relieved when the Count says so. I’m sure the Golden Duke will be very pleased as well.”

The emperor let out a small laugh and stared at the golden gong’s answer again.

What is it? Why do you keep looking at it? Wouldn’t it be enough to name it Oshiden in the only hole?

“Since you said you’re helping with the construction of Dong Danis, I guess it would be a good idea to name one of the streets in Dong Danis Laphros Street.”

However, the emperor, who had been pondering alone, opened his mouth calmly, regardless of whether I was wondering or not.

This time, I was a little surprised. They had already prepared a huge reward for naming the hall Osiden, but now they are naming Dong Danis after the Golden Duke? That seems a little big.

‘Isn’t it?’

Is it an appropriate award if you think of Stefan’s Glory and Dong Danis separately? It seems appropriate if you think of them as separate projects.

“This is it. I guess I’ll have to make it bigger.”

As I was staring blankly at the emperor, the emperor also turned his gaze towards me.

“Count. I need to borrow your power for a moment.”

“Your Majesty, I will do whatever is within my power.”

“Spread this news to the other dukes. The Emperor has named the hall of the Sky Building after the Osiden family, and he plans to name the new city after the Golden Duke.”

I almost burst out laughing because the instructions were so obvious.

Tell the other dukes that the Golden Ball is on its way out. Anyone can see that this is an act of encouraging donations from the other dukes.

Even if it can’t be helped since there’s only one hall, there will be a considerable number of rooms built inside Stefan’s Glory. Of those, the best rooms should be named after other dukes to save face.

And now there’s a La Prous street in Dong Danis? Then there should be a Richter street, a Richard street, a Beatrix street, and an Arodell street too.

‘uh?’

I felt a little uneasy for a moment.

Next year, the Duke of Servet will be replaced. Then, will the Duke of Servet’s donation be in Tricky’s name or in mine?

‘Surely there won’t be any knife distance?’

Just thinking about it makes me dizzy. There’s a street named after me next to a street named after dukes. I feel like a freeloader on my wife’s honor.

‘This kid, for sure.’

Besides, considering the Emperor’s usual disposition, there’s a high probability that he’ll mention my name. Since Tricky’s fame is so overwhelming, he’ll make Beatrix’s Street, but he’ll also make Carl’s Street nearby.

I can assure you that there will never be a future where only one person is created. The distance between couples will definitely be created.

“Count? What are you thinking about?”

“I am so moved that I cannot speak when I think that the glory of Stephen will be built through the loyalty of the dukes. Surely Michael X in heaven and his son, the Great Emperor, will be pleased with it.”

“Haha. I feel so happy when a grown-up count says that.”

“I’m so sorry.”

A new question filled my head: If I were to name it after myself, would it be Karl Street or St. Karl Street?

Either way, it’s a name that makes your heart swell.

He explained to the dukes diligently about the glory of Stefan and the East Danis.

Honestly, I think this is something that should be done by someone who needs donations, but I can’t say ‘Give me some money’ to save face as the emperor. I understand with a compassionate heart.

– Huh? Gooongseung building!?

While making contacts as a public relations officer, which was not even in his fortune, Hyunmyeonggong’s eyes widened at the mention of a building in the sky.

– That thing in the first place? Do you really make things like that!?

“It is more than that. The air battleships in Chenes are the remnants of a defeated nation, but the glory of Stefan that the Empire will create will remain a symbol of peace and order forever.”

– Wow! The glory of Tsutepan! Even the name is great!

My shoulders shook for a moment. Because of that alcohol-filled, subtle pronunciation, I couldn’t tell if I liked the name or not.

Of course, I believe it will be the former. No matter how wise a person is, he would not say such ugly words to the Emperor’s ancestors.

– I’m so excited! Every time I see a battleship in the sky! Are you excited to see it flying? Even so, I’m a little excited when I see a Leviathan or a Cheese flying, but I’m really excited when I see a bunch of them flying!

“With a little help from my aunt, it can be accomplished quickly. His Excellency the Golden Duke and His Excellency the Transcendent Duke have already assured me of their assistance, and His Excellency the Young Duke has also said that he will positively consider it.”

– What about your niece?

“I haven’t asked you yet because I’m in the Duchy of Servet. I’ll ask you when I get back.”

– Joa! Take my money aaah!

Thanks to the joining of two dukes and one positive review, Hyeonmyeonggong also decided to donate without much hesitation.

After all, the competitive spirit is the most important. It’s a bit odd if other people’s names are on the list but you’re the only one left out.

– There’s a road named after me in the Imperial Territory! Arodel Street! If you name it, you have to buy it right away! I’ll put up a lot of buildings!

“Isn’t that declaring speculation too blatant?”

– Boom! It’s not speculation, it’s a tug!

The words “That’s it, isn’t that it?” were on my lips, but I held them back.

Actually, I also plan to buy all of the Beatrix Street and Karl Street when they open.