Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.

"No slacking! Hurry up! I don't have all day!!!"

Seraphina stood on top of a small rock, high enough for her to see the entire field without her having to roam about.

Scattered across the land were workers, picking up the dark, slimy rocks and tossing them into trash bags to dump in the wagon parked at the side.

The land was called the Volcanic Ash.

Mountains of dark ash were piled around the vast land; in addition, the ground itself was colored in black, almost as though it was another world entirely.

In order for the Forane workers to dig up these volcanic stones, which were red, slimy rocks, they would need to dig below the ashes on the ground and pick them up like seeds.

So far, over 25 workers were present there, doing this exact same thing, planning to fill up 7 wagons in one go.

While Maria and Seraphina supervised.

Meanwhile…

…

Dorian was seated on the chair opposite the desk, while opposite him was Ishtar.

She had a cup in her hand, settling it down gently on the table after she had gotten a sip of the coffee inside.

Right beside her was Killa, his face still hidden behind the black mask.

"I am quite surprised your first wish was for me to deploy my workers to help you harvest the volcanic stones. You are very strange; wouldn't it be far better if the workers from your territory handled the task?" asked Ishtar.

Dorian leaned back on the chair even more, his arms folded.

"Why would I do something dumb like that? The way I see it, this costs me less, your workers do all the labor, and I just take them to my land, easy as that."

Ishtar chuckled, "I should have expected such a response. Forgive my ignorance."

Dorian stayed silent, watching as Ishtar once again picked up the cup of coffee to drink.

He was supposed to be outside with the girls, watching over the entire harvest himself. But for some reason, Ishtar asked to see him privately.

It took a lot of convincing to get the girls to let him go alone, and yet, Ishtar has not really said anything of utmost importance.

'Is she buying time or something?'

The thought crossed his mind. But he couldn't exactly think of what she could be buying time for.

"Who are you?" Ishtar suddenly asked with no warning whatsoever.

A question he was certain she had asked before.

Catching him mildly by surprise, Dorian raised a brow. "Pardon?"

"I mean, who are you really? Our duel only further proved to me that there is more to you than meets the eye." Ishtar leaned forward.

"You single-handedly picked your family name from shambles in such a short amount of time. I was willing to overlook this, but not only does the God of Gamble have you in such high regard, you also have a Lord-Rank knight serving under you, not to mention you were able to think of such complex imagination. You are no ordinary person."

What exactly would be the best way to answer these questions?

Dorian tilted his head to the side, his eyes closed in thought, arms folded.

It was obvious many people would question his journey; he was ready for that.

A suitable answer to a woman who is obsessed with information is a different case entirely.

He slowly opened his eyes, meeting Ishtar's growing anticipation to hear his reply.

"You want to know about the artifacts I used to challenge you, right?" he asked.

"Very much so!" Ishtar replied immediately, her professionalism slipping away, "I am even more curious about the last attack you dropped on me. What was the name? Hytrogen bomb? I think…"

Dorian chuckled a bit. She was almost like a child, excited to go on their first road trip.

"It's a hydrogen bomb," he corrected. "Yes, I can tell you all of this, but on one condition: are you willing to do whatever it takes for it?"

When he asked it, a rather mischievous expression played on his face. It wouldn't be a far stretch to imagine him as the devil stretching out his hand for a deal.

Upon seeing this, Ishtar leaned back on her chair.

"Oh, is that all?" she uttered.

The next moment, she reached for her dress and slightly raised it a bit, exposing her juicy thighs, even though Dorian could not fully see it due to the desk blocking the sight.

Killa, on the other hand, was frozen in shock at the spectacle. "M-my lady! What are you doing?! Ah!"

Then Ishtar uttered with a straight face—

"I don't mind. If my body is what you want in exchange, then go ahead."

Dorian's eyes turned blank. "Is that—really the impression I give people?"

Ishtar looked to the side, her cheeks blushed, "B-but, please be aware that I am a virgin, is th-that alright with you?"

Dorian was silent.

Slowly, he lowered his gaze, staring intently at his hand.

"Is this the impression I give women when I speak to them? Isn't this exactly the same way Seraphina reacted? Am I a molester in flesh and spirit?"

"My lady, please show some modesty! You're scaring Lord Aurelian!" Killa stepped in, quickly pushing the dress back down her thighs.

"Yeah, no, I am not; he obviously wants to mate with me." Ishtar turned to Dorian. "Isn't that right?"

With little to no life on his face, Dorian raised his head. "Don't say that so freely; it's better to have a child with a higher noble than a baron."

Ishtar tilted her head to the side. "You think? I would rather have one with you, though. I mean, you have talents I need. If my child can have that, then I can use them to further push myself forward. Don't you think?"

'Right, I forgot the system hinted at her being a manic.'

Dorian sighed out loud before sitting upright.

"I don't mind telling you everything you need to know. In fact, I am willing to start a company with you just for the sole purpose of crafting these artifacts."

Ishtar's eyes widened. He is proposing a business collaboration, right? Right?

She tried to hide her excitement, but deep down she knew if Dorian, a man she had only just met, were to become partners with her. A man who made the Monteli family business grow and also the barony—she would be hitting a bigger jackpot than anyone could ever hit.

Hell, she would be the luckiest woman in the world.

Dorian, taking a hint of her struggle to control her excitement, decided to push.

"But as I said, this is not for free. I need information about your father's plan. Is he planning to start a civil war against me soon? Who is he allying with? Are there other baronies in cahoots with this?"

His question hung in the air.

...

[A/N]

Thank you for reading.