I made a grand gesture in the air as I planted one foot on a table. On the inside, I could hear my heartbeat. I felt sweat trickle down my brow. It took every bit of effort I had to not tremble in fear.

I'd figured out how to solve my family's economic problems, and it would be the most dangerous thing I've ever done.

"We're going to introduce insurance to this world!" I declared.

Silence overtook the room. I slowly gazed at the faces of my companions. Every one of them was splattered with confusion.

"What's insurance?" Johannes asked.

"It's something that existed in my world long before we had your technology," I said. "Let me give you an example to explain it. Let's say you have a merchant. That merchant wants to go on a long-distance trading mission. So he gives money to an insurance company. If any of that merchant's goods are damaged on the trip, the company will pay to replace them. Multiple merchants will give money to the insurance company. That means the company will have enough money to pay for any damages and make a profit. This insurance was essential to trade in my world."

"That idea is ass," Dimitri stated.

"He's not wrong, but there's more to your plan than just this, isn't there?" Dʰéǵʰom asked.

"There's a lot more," I thought as I clenched my hands.

"That must be why you're scared shitless," he stated.

"Yup."

Joanna glared at Dimitri.

"I will not tolerate your rudeness," she said.

"It's fine. I want honest feedback. Explain why it's ass, Dimitri," I said.

"Any merchant who goes on a long trip is guaranteed to get attacked by monsters. The only safe way to travel a long distance is by riding on a dragon or traveling with an army. Dragons can't carry enough goods to make a profit and be able to fly. And merchants can't afford to hire an entire army. Any insurance company would run out of money having to pay off all the damages," he replied.

"That's where the second step of my master plan comes in," I said. "The insurance company would double as a bodyguard service. The bodyguards would protect the caravans and pay compensation."

My legs trembled. I slapped them hard.

"Sorry, there was a mosquito," I covered it up.

"I mean no disrespect, Saint Gustav, but a bodyguard service wouldn't work. I'm really good at killing monsters, but there are monsters that I couldn't hope to take. You could send an army, but that would only be able to protect a few merchants at a time at most. It wouldn't be enough to pay the army," Johannes stated.

"Gustav wouldn't expect us to guard merchant caravans. It would take too much time, and we have other important work to do. Besides, he knows how expensive armies are," Joanna replied.

"You hit it dead on the money, Joanna," I thought.

I forced down the fear that was building up in my body.

"Having undead guard them wouldn't work either. We'd need a necromancer with every caravan, and I doubt many nobles would lower themselves to being merchant escorts," Dimitri said.

"Why don't we just wipe the monsters out with undead like you did in Weltai?" Astrid suggested.

"You're right that we were able to make Weltai safe by using undead to wipe out monsters, but we're also a small country. Monsters don't have many places to hide there. We wouldn't be able to replicate that feat elsewhere."

"Don't worry. We're not having undead bodyguards. We'll get dragons to guard the caravans," I said.

"That plan still ass," Dimitri stated.

You have no idea, Dimitri. My plan isn't ass if it succeeds. But if it fails, then...

I took a deep breath, calming my trembling.

"Saint Gustav's plan is great," Astrid glared.

Then, she broke out in a cold sweat. Astrid trembled as she spoke.

"I didn't mean to offend you, my lord. I just like my Liege Lord's plan."

"I'm not offended," Dimitri said.

Astrid placed her hand on her chest. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Dimitri stated, "Gustav, the dragons that fly people around are runts. They serve humans because they wouldn't be able to hold down territory in the wild. They aren't big enough to protect caravans, especially if a larger dragon decides to attack."

"Gustav, are you sure you want to go through with this? You could always back out," Dʰéǵʰom said.

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"I don't like this plan. But it's the only way I could think of to promote trade. It won't just help my family but all civilization. Trade is also a great way to prevent wars. I'll save numerous lives," I thought.

My eyes slowly scanned the others in the room.

"Then let me ask you this: what can kill a dragon big enough to hold its territory?" I asked.

"An army," Dimitri answered.

"A powerful spellcaster," Johannes said.

"Another dragon," Astrid stated.

"A powerful adventuring party," Joanna added.

"Exactly," I said. "Almost nothing can challenge a large dragon. That's why we're getting them to guard the merchant caravans."

Everyone looked at me like I had gone completely fucking insane.

"My Lord, I must strongly advise you to not try to talk to a dragon. It'll end with you turning into a charred corpse," Astrid knelt before me.

Johannes joined her, "Please, my Lord. Few who meet dragons ever come back alive."

"Yes. Dragons that hold their own territory would never lower themselves to serving humans," Dimitri pointed out.

Dr. Minos nodded.

"Please, Gustav, don't do it. You're a spellcaster. You might live forever. Don't throw that life away," Joanna said.

I bit down my fear, pushing it into the deepest recesses of my mind.

"Don't worry. I will use one of the world's greatest powers to persuade the dragon," I assured them.

"No power could ever be good enough," Joanna stated.

"You underestimate the power of sex," I said.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing. Dimitri clutched his stomach and started choking. Joanna ran over to him. She cast a healing spell over her laughter.

"Did you really have to phrase it that way?" Dʰéǵʰom asked.

"Yes," I thought.

"I can't believe I thought you were being serious," Dimitri chuckled.

"I was," I said.

Dimitri sighed.

"What are you going to do, seduce the dragon?" he questioned.

"I don't have to do that. The simple fact is that almost everyone wants to have sex. Male dragons horde gold for the same reason that bowerbirds horde blue objects: getting laid. If we sell protecting caravans to the dragons by telling them it'll help them expand their hoards, we can get them to sign up. Plus, they won't be mere servants. The dragons will be top-ranking members of the insurance company. And since large dragons can take human form, we can introduce them to human luxuries. They'll start spending money on it. This will ensure that at least some of the gold they get is recirculated into the economy. And the increased trade will bring prosperity to the countries involved in it."

My plan put us at risk of running out of gold if the dragons built their hoards long enough. However, it would take us centuries to reach that point, and I could come up with a solution by then. Introducing paper money might work, but then I'd have to deal with the fact that the dragons would want to be paid in precious metals.

"By the gods, that's brilliant," Dimitri said.

"Thank you," I replied. "We'll start out with one dragon, and if that goes well, he can help us convince other dragons to join the company."

"I'll help you if I get a cut of the insurance profits," he stated.

"Done deal. Now, we need to find a dragon."

I saw Dimitri furrow his brow. He placed his hand on his chin. Dimitri turned to Joanna.

"Lady Joanna, is getting dragged off on crazy plans by Gustav normal for you?" Dimitri questioned. "I'm not complaining. I'd just like to know."

"I was wondering that too. You were already going to the Mr. and Mrs. Barbarian contest to get an actor when I met you," Astrid admitted.

"It's been my life since Gustav came of age," Joanna said.

My eye twitched. Yes, I dragged her off on crazy adventures, but she dragged me into a dungeon. Of course, that wasn't a bad thing. But still.

I kept my focus on hiding my fear and the task at hand.

"Johannes, you killed a lot of monsters. How do we find a large dragon?" I asked.

"I don't know. I never looked into hunting wild dragons. It's suicide. All I know is that they like mountains," he answered.

"Why don't we just ask around town?" Astrid suggested. "That's how I found people for my duels."

"Alright!" I smiled. "Everyone, break and try to figure out where a dragon is! I'll look for transportation to mountains."

Johannes raised his hand like a kid at school.

"My Lord, I have a question," he said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You said that there was a bird that collects blue objects."

"Yes. It's an animal from my previous world."

"Your world had some weird animals," Johannes stated.

"I know," I said. "Now, everyone start asking around about the dragon."

"Some of us should stay with you, my Lord," Astrid replied.

"Dr. Minos and I will do that," Joanna told her.

With that, everyone except Joanna and Dr. Minos left the room.

"You two go on ahead out. I'll catch up with you in a few moments," I said. "Stay in the hall outside the room. I need to do some thinking on my own."

Joanna and Dr. Minos exited.

I collapsed to my knees. Ragged, heavy breaths forced themselves out of my mouth. I felt vomit well up in my stomach. It flew at my throat. Swallowing hard, I forced it down. Burning pain seared my neck. Sweat stung my eyes.

"What the fuck am I thinking?" I held my arms, shivering.

"I'm the god of humans, and even I have no idea," Dʰéǵʰom said. "You could still go back on your decision. No one would blame you."

"No. I think this is the right course of action. Trade is essential for economic and technological advancement. Trade is limited in this world because we haven't been able to wipe out the monsters. We need some way to protect merchants from monsters, and the only monsters that mess with dragons are other dragons."

I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself. My breathing came out ragged. Sweat poured down my face like a waterfall.

"Gustav, you need to calm down. Your plan is risky, but it isn't bad. And if it succeeds, there's high reward," Dʰéǵʰom said.

"I know that. The problem is that I have to talk to a dragon to do that! I just...I don't know if I can succeed. It's one thing to talk to merchants or a director. But if the dragon wants to kill me, there's nothing I can do to stop it," I stated.

"You'll have support. You've got your retinue and Dimitri. If you have trouble convincing them, they can help you," he pointed out.

"I won't have them. I'm facing the dragon on my own."

I felt like I'd throw up again. My throat burned as vomit flowed up it. I swallowed as hard as I could, pushing it back down.

"Let me guess: you don't want to get anyone killed if your plan fails?" Dʰéǵʰom asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"Alright, then it looks like it's just you and me," Dʰéǵʰom said.

"Anything you can tell me about large dragons?"

"They're very arrogant. They don't like taking orders from anyone, even gods. But they're also very smart. Dragons age unless they know magic, but they live a very long time. Any dragon that's large enough to hold its own territory is at least a hundred years old. That means they have an experience advantage over you."

"How will we know if any rumors we find are talking about a male dragon and not a female dragon?" I asked.

"Female dragons live in even more remote areas than male dragons do. They want to keep their children away from potential attackers, including humans. If you hear rumors about a dragon, it'll be a male dragon," Dʰéǵʰom answered.

I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. Then, I stood up. My body had stopped shaking.

"Alright," I said. "Let's not waste time. To use a poker metaphor: This is a gamble, and I'm going all-in."