Chapter 4: Luck Is Also A Skill

[Canin Artificial Cultivation Plans Announced One After Another… Seed Acquisition War Escalates]

Klaus put down the newspaper with a pleased smile.

After it was revealed that Canin, or more precisely, the root of Canin, was a treatment for Malus.

Major countries, one after another, embarked on artificial cultivation of Canin.

This is because it was discovered recently and its growth conditions are demanding, making it very difficult to find wild Canin.

Even now, many people are suffering from Malus, and as long as Malus is not completely eradicated, a large amount of Canin roots will continue to be needed in the future, so there is no choice but to engage in artificial cultivation.

Currently, they are engaged in fierce competition to secure even one more Canin seed.

This is because if they don’t secure seeds now, self-sufficiency in Canin will be impossible.

Since the importance of Canin is so great, many countries have defined Canin as a national strategic asset.

As such, even if they succeed in artificial cultivation in the future, they will only process and sell the roots, and will not sell seeds to other countries.

In other words, this is the first and last opportunity to secure Canin seeds.

And if they miss this sole opportunity, they will be in a position where they can only import the Canin roots that other countries export.

Perhaps forever.

Therefore, the competition to secure Canin seeds was becoming more intense by the day, to the extent that it could be called a war, as the newspaper also alluded.

With supplies already scarce and demand surging, the price of Canin was skyrocketing beyond imagination.

It had reached a point where only a wealthy nation ranking among the top five, no, top five fingers, could dare to jump into the Canin artificial cultivation project.

Although it was not a country among the top five, the Kingdom of Amelia was able to start the Canin artificial cultivation project without difficulty.

This was because they had already secured a sufficient amount of Canin.

All thanks to…

Dominic Rosenfeld, the newly appointed official of the Royal Assets Management Bureau, who had poured all of his operating funds into purchasing Canin.

He was now sitting in front of him.

Klaus asked him, suppressing his urge to split his face with a smile.

Unable to conceal the gaze that was like a father looking at his proud son.

“Did you know that Canin had such efficacy?”

There was no way he could have known.

How could he have known something that even pharmacologists and botanists didn’t know?

Therefore, it was right to see it as just a coincidence.

But despite that, the situation unfolded like a well-scripted play.

A newly appointed official, fresh out of appointment, fearlessly carried out a reckless investment, going all-in on Canin with his operating funds.

A while later, it was revealed that the root of Canin was a treatment for Malus.

Thanks to that, the Kingdom gained an enormous profit that couldn’t be converted into money.

Could this simply be dismissed as a mere coincidence?

Klaus had never seen such a perfectly aligned coincidence until now.

He couldn’t shake the thought that something other than coincidence might have been involved.

That’s why he had asked that question.

But Dominic denied it, even waving his hands.

“No, Your Majesty.

Who other than God could have known that in advance?

It was merely good fortune.”

“Merely good fortune?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.

I merely judged that the popularity of Canin among the wealthy class would not easily die down, and I simply couldn’t find any other suitable investment options besides Canin.

Therefore, I invested all the operating funds in Canin; there is no other reason.”

Upon hearing him at first glance, Dominic’s words seemed truthful.

But why?

Klaus felt that he was lying.

His political intuition, having grown increasingly shrewd over decades on the throne, was telling him so.

Dominic’s words about it being merely good fortune were indeed a lie.

From Dominic’s perspective, things had turned out that way due to bad luck.

Klaus, while thinking that there must be another reason for his investment, decided not to pry further.

‘Is this his trade secret, I wonder…’

Entrusting the process and looking only at the result.

And giving appropriate rewards or punishments for that result.

That is the role of a monarch.

When a subordinate renders great service.

Knowing how he rendered service is not important to the monarch.

What is important is only the fact itself that he rendered service, and what reward should be given to him.

Therefore, Klaus did not ask any further questions.

“Hmm. I see.”

—He merely gave a mechanical reaction.

And then he changed the subject to something far more important.

“The reason I have called you here is to commend your service.”

“Your Majesty. I appreciate your words, but as I said, it was merely…”

Dominic, who desperately spoke even though he didn’t know what reward the king was about to bestow, and didn’t want it whatever it was.

His words were instantly cut off by Klaus’s firm voice.

“Although you say it was merely luck, that does not mean that the service you have rendered is not a service.

It is an undeniable fact that your investment has been of great help to the Kingdom.

It is something worthy of reward, so do not be so humble.”

Dominic closed his mouth.

Because if the king spoke like that, a mere newly appointed official couldn’t object any further.

“And.”

“…….”

“Isn’t there such a saying? Luck is also a skill.”

‘That saying exists here too…?’

Klaus signaled with his eyes to the man sitting beside him.

By the hand of the Chamberlain, the attendant who assisted the king at the closest distance, two things were placed on the table.

One was the king’s decree written on luxurious gold-colored paper.

An order for a promotion by one rank.

“Congratulations, Dominic Rosenfeld. On becoming the first case of receiving a special promotion less than a month after being appointed.”

“I am… infinitely grateful for Your Majesty’s grace…”

And the other was a Canin flower planted in a pot.

It was precisely that Canin that the great powers were desperately trying to acquire even one more of.

“Take it and cultivate it well.

Try sowing the seeds as well.

Who knows?

You might succeed in artificial cultivation.”

For some reason, Klaus had a subtle expectation like, ‘Perhaps he’ll succeed in artificial cultivation too?’.

***

While Dominic was called to the king as soon as he arrived at work.

The officials of the Royal Assets Management Bureau were not doing their work and were only talking about him.

“That friend, Dominic, isn’t he truly amazing?

To achieve such results from his first investment.”

“Indeed. Is this what they mean by the top student is different?

I thought he was just good at studying, but to think his investment skills were also extraordinary.”

Benton’s eyebrows furrowed at the sound of his colleagues chattering together at the next desk.

Especially the last remark.

That remark particularly bothered Benton.

“Skill? Skill, you say?”

As Benton interjected with a sarcastic tone, his colleagues’ gazes shifted to him.

“Dominic’s investment this time was purely due to luck.

He didn’t invest expecting Canin to have such value.

Shouldn’t you at least distinguish whether it’s due to skill or luck?

Being an official of the Royal Assets Management Bureau, in name.”

Someone challenged his sarcasm.

“Don’t you know the saying, ‘Luck is also a skill’?

Especially in this field, whether it’s luck or whatever, if you achieve high returns, that’s skill.

You must know that, right?”

At that, Benton snorted.

Then he leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.

The badge with his family crest, which he always wore on his chest, shone brightly in the light.

“In our Veil family…”

As Benton started like that, his colleagues all wore expressions like, ‘This b*stard is starting again’.

Benton’s family, the Veil family, was the Kingdom’s foremost financial family.

Unusually for a noble family holding an earldom, they entered business, particularly the financial industry, early on and raised the Veil Bank, which represented the Kingdom.

The Veil family was the largest pillar supporting the Kingdom’s economy, to the extent that it was widely rumored that the Kingdom’s economy would not function without the Veil Bank, which was also the royal family’s main bank, known as ‘The King’s Bank’.

Benton was the youngest son of such a Veil family.

He wasn’t particularly good at anything, and perhaps due to his unattractive face, he wasn’t popular for a rich family’s son.

He had nothing to boast about except being the son of the Veil family.

Perhaps to resolve that inferiority complex, he would excessively boast about his family.

It would be fine if he only boasted, but the problem was that while doing so, he would subtly look down on other people and other families.

By adding phrases like, ‘You wouldn’t know well’, ‘You wouldn’t have seen before’.

As that behavior showed signs of starting again, his colleagues, who had experienced it dozens of times, couldn’t have good expressions.

“…There’s a saying.

‘Luck must be repeated to be skill.

If it’s a one-time thing, that luck becomes poison.’

You wouldn’t know well, but.

There were countless such people in this financial market.

People who mistake good luck for good skill.

On the other hand, our Veil family…”

Benton, as expected, repeated phrases like ‘You wouldn’t know well’, ‘You wouldn’t have seen before’ today as well, and boastfully talked about his family in an unpleasant manner.

One colleague, unable to listen any longer, cut him off and changed the subject.

“Wanna bet?”

“…What?”

“Let’s bet on whether that guy Dominic’s luck will become skill or poison.”

At that, Benton chuckled.

In Benton’s eyes, Dominic was someone who knew nothing about the financial market.

Unlike himself, who had grown up receiving excellent education in the Veil family, the top financial family.

Benton thought it was a good opportunity to give him a stern lesson.

Isn’t giving lessons to foolish people also a responsibility of a child from a prestigious family?

“I will gladly accept. You first, what will you bet?”

“I…”

Just then.

Another voice cut into their conversation.

“Would you allow me to join that bet?”

Everyone turned to look at where the voice had come from.

It was Dominic, holding the king’s decree in one hand and the pot with the Canin flower in the other.

Dominic placed those two on his desk and approached his colleagues.

Then, in a tone like a professional gambler who had found a betting table, he said.

“I will bet my entire salary for next month.”

“Ha! Overestimating yourself too much…”

Dominic cut Benton off and added.

“On the side that it will become poison.”

“……Huh?”

“Why are you betting on that side…?”

“If you’re scared, just die.”

Looking at Dominic, who smiled wickedly as he said that, Benton thought.

‘This b*stard… why are his eyes spinning……?’