Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

[The skill Resource Gathering has been activated.]

[Target has been acquired.]

Dorian had his eyes closed so he could get a clear picture of what he was looking for.

Unlike when the Resource Gathering skill was only at Tier 1, the system could now understand him without him having to explicitly state his desires.

It made it more convenient for him, and he also used less mental fortitude, making him capable of using the skill to its full capacity.

[Your target has been located.]

[Target: Natural Resource.]

A web of golden light spread from his foot and through the entire Red District in a matter of seconds. Following each thread of light, Dorian was able to see everything from the beginning to the end.

The first thing he saw was the underground caves filled with a deep, dark black liquid: crude oil, pulsing from a deep vein in the ground.

These oil pockets were scattered in different regions of the land; about five to six spots were located with the help of the skill.

Secondly, he noted that every region was heavily guarded.

Men patrolled the perimeters, while others were controlling and forcefully making some villagers mine the oil for them.

Dorian frowned at the sight, knowing once again he was right.

Oil.

This was why this place was the way it was; some nobles were benefiting immensely from this "black gold."

He opened his eyes, the Resource Gathering skill finally canceling. Lili, still kneeling at the side, tilted her head a bit as she asked, "Master, you've been silent for a while. Is there something wrong?"

Due to the fact of her being his servant, she could share his emotions at a certain level and could tell he was struggling to keep them at bay.

"Crude oil," Dorian uttered out loud, then he leaned back onto the bed.

'I doubt the people of this world truly understand the power of having crude oil at their doorstep. With this, we can move to an industrial age in no time. I should be happy, and yet, knowing the number of people who lost their lives because of something this stupid truly upsets me.'

He sighed out loud.

'As much as I do not want to admit this, Revina is truly a terrible King.'

During the few days Dorian had spent in the small village in the Red District, he spent most of his time reading books from the academy's hidden library. Amongst those books was one covering the journey of the mighty King Revina Lumberg and how she had conquered the several enemies that had been a threat to their nation.

And truly, Revina was impressive, always willing to lay her life down for her people, giving it her all when it came to raising her blade for her nation.

But that was about it.

When it came to the political aspect, she was a total klutz and knew barely anything on how to effectively rule a nation.

While she tried, and under normal circumstances one could say she was doing a great job, the sheer amount of corrupt nobles she had under her meant they would take advantage of her flaws until their hearts were content.

This was a great example of that.

Dorian sat back up, placing his hand on Lili's head, knowing she was probably worried about his prolonged silence.

Immediately his hand touched her, she smiled happily.

'There is a limit to what these people can do with crude oil right now. Not that it matters anyway. I am taking the entire operation down, and killing every single person present there.'

From what he saw after he used the Resource Gathering skill, there were many routes to take to ambush the Yaima group before they could even see a damn thing coming.

Dorian was certain about his victory, and he was even more certain of catching the mastermind behind the entire thing.

Suddenly—

Knock~

Someone knocked gently on the front door.

"Lord Dorian, we have an issue." That was Maria.

"Come in."

Maria walked into the room, Aces waiting outside with his twin blades at his waist.

As Maria walked in, she closed the door and moved closer to where Dorian was.

"My Lord, I already gathered all I can from the villagers," she began. "They don't know much about the Yaima group's inner workings; apparently only the head of the village was knowledgeable enough to gather sufficient information about them."

Dorian sighed at the information. He had hoped some members of the village would have something useful for him, especially regarding the other villages the Yaima had taken over and their operations.

At first, he made sure to ask them how their lives in the Red District had been, and it was just as he had imagined.

They were not allowed to go out.

They were given food once a week. Forced to breed and work, and sometimes, if they were unlucky, they would be sold to countries abroad for money to fund this oil oppression.

Maria's voice suddenly snapped Dorian from his thoughts.

"Many of the villagers are passionate about you helping them. They also claim if the other villages could hear this, they would be willing to start a revolution and join in."

"I understand their enthusiasm, but that would just be them wasting their lives. Rather, I want them all to evacuate the city and stay in a safe spot for us to wipe out the pests."

Maria paused.

"That would be difficult since the information states the Yaimas are scattered all around. Surely they would notice the evacuation process a mile away," she hinted, trying to understand where Dorian was going with his plan.

Dorian smiled, stood to his feet, and moved towards Maria.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, his lips dangerously close to hers as he whispered softly in her ear, allowing her breast to press firmly against his chest.

"That's the plan." He moved closer, holding her even tighter. Though she tried to hold it in for a while, Maria had begun to slowly blush.

"We need them to panic."

Dorian pulled back just enough to see the flush on Maria's cheeks, a smirk playing on his lips.

He released her waist, walking past her toward the small window, his eyes fixed on the dim, red-hued sky outside.

"If the villagers evacuate secretly, the Yaima group might catch on and adjust their defenses or—worse—use the remaining people as leverage," he explained, his voice losing the playful tone and becoming sharp with strategy. "But if the evacuation is loud, clumsy, and looks like a spontaneous uprising, it will force their hand."

Maria, steadying her breath, followed his gaze. "A diversion? You want them to focus on controlling the villagers while we strike the oil operations?"

Dorian nodded. "Precisely. We use the chaos to our advantage. The Yaima commanders will panic, diverting resources to suppress the 'revolt' in the villages, leaving their core assets—the oil sites and their key personnel—vulnerable."

"But My Lord," Maria protested, concern etching her face, "a loud evacuation means the villagers will be in danger. The Yaima group won't hesitate to use force."

"I'm not asking them to fight," Dorian clarified, turning back to her. "I am asking them to run. I need you to pass a message to the village heads you've contacted. Tell them to start spreading rumors—whispers of a planned mass escape, starting tomorrow night. Make it look like a desperate, uncoordinated effort. I will ensure we create safe zones along the planned escape routes."

Still standing close, Maria, with her flushed cheeks, nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Good, you understand." Dorian pulled closer, his lips only inches away from hers.

Maria couldn't help but gasp a bit. One would have thought she would be used to Dorian being this close to her by now, but her heart was still beating so loud.

"You have been quite busy these last few days helping me, and you haven't complained once."

Maria blinked multiple times, her face completely red. "I am only doing my job. As your knight, it's-"

"That isn't what I am talking about." Dorian lifted her jaw a bit with his fingers. "No matter. When we get back to the barony, how about we go on a small vacation, just the two of us?"

Maria finally locked gazes with him. "I doubt the others would agree."

"Seraphina will have been healed, but I won't be letting her go anyway until I am certain she is perfectly fine. As for Ishtar, I am sure she understands." This was Dorian's response.

"Please don't tease me so much. T-this is actually harder on me than you think." Maria glanced to the side, unable to look at his attractive gray eyes anymore.

Before she could glance further away, Dorian tilted her head back and kissed her.

...

[A/N]

In this world, the industrail age has not fully taken place yet, curde oil are used for various other activities, like making fire stronger when forging and stuff like that.

It is valuable for a different reason, though.