Loren Loyalty

Chapter 3 Loren Loyalty

Vittorio Emanuele II moved quickly.

On the very day Carlo received his annual pension of three million Lira, Vittorio Emanuele II also brought him a butler candidate he had carefully selected.

But the final decision still rested with Carlo. After all, a butler was the subordinate a noble could trust most, and Carlo had one hundred percent freedom of choice.

Borrowing a meeting room in the Royal Palace, Carlo met with the subordinate recommended by Vittorio Emanuele II.

Because Carlo was still quite young, the talent recommended by Vittorio Emanuele II was not very old either, appearing to be only in his early twenties.

But according to the information Vittorio Emanuele II had provided, this fellow named Loren was far from simple.

First came his education. Not only had he graduated from a proper prestigious university, but he had also studied in Britain and France for several years.

However, because he had been trained and funded by the Royal Family from childhood to adulthood, his loyalty was guaranteed.

Moreover, Loren himself had been managing part of the Italian Royal Family's assets, and his abilities in finance and economics were worthy of recognition.

Simply put, Loren was a talent whose knowledge and abilities had both already been tested, and whose loyalty was also beyond doubt.

Carlo's first impression of Loren was quite good as well.

Born in a monarchic country, Loren held monarchy in fairly high regard. Especially since everything he had came from the Italian Royal Family's support, his loyalty to the entire Italian Royal Family was beyond question.

"Loren?" Carlo spoke first.

"Yes, Your Highness. I am Loren. It is an honor to serve you." Loren nodded respectfully, keeping himself exceedingly humble.

"Very good." Carlo nodded in satisfaction, approving greatly of Loren's conduct and bearing.

After all, if even his own butler did not recognize the superior status of nobles, then who would?

"Were you previously working for my father?" Carlo asked.

"Yes, Your Highness." Loren nodded and replied with great respect, "Previously, I managed plantations in the Philippines and acquired several newspapers in Turin."

Carlo was fairly satisfied. Although the plantations Loren managed were all crop plantations, that management experience could also be carried over to future rubber plantations.

There was no need to say how profitable rubber plantations were. With such experience, Carlo could easily become a giant of the Rubber Industry when laying out his future plans.

His experience in acquiring newspapers added several more points to Loren's value. In Carlo's heart, the power of public opinion wielded by newspapers was extremely important.

If a person or a country could grasp the power of public opinion, they could easily turn black into white, call right wrong, and call wrong right.

This was exceedingly important for stabilizing the monarchies of Italy or Spain. At the very least, it could influence the people's choices and keep monarchy from leaving the stage of Italy and Spain too early.

Whether now or in later generations, people possessed a blind herd mentality.

No matter whether a system was good or bad, once enough people said it was bad, then it was bad.

If wielded well, the power of public opinion would become Carlo's most important weapon after the army in the future, and it could also produce unexpected effects.

In Carlo's future plans, whether he became King of Spain or continued as a noble in Italy, he intended to use his noble status to genuinely do good things for the people.

And the power of public opinion centered around newspapers was an important weapon for Carlo's propaganda. After all, the purpose of doing good was to let the people know that not all nobles were cruel rulers who oppressed them, and that monarchy was not entirely riddled with faults.

"Tell me what you think of newspapers." Although Carlo was already very satisfied, his assessment of Loren was not yet completely over.

If Loren's vision of future development aligned somewhat with Carlo's, perhaps their cooperation would be even more perfect.

Hearing Carlo's question, Loren did not rush to answer. Instead, he pondered carefully for a moment before speaking. "At present, newspapers are merely one way for the people to obtain information from the outside world.

But in the future, newspapers will play an extremely important role, even influencing the people who read them.

Although a single newspaper has little influence, if we can control dozens or even hundreds of newspapers, then publish the same news item across those hundred papers, that news will instantly be believed by hundreds of thousands or even millions of people, regardless of whether it is true or false.

I believe that, considering the potential and function of newspapers, it is necessary for you to purchase several newspapers as your own weapons of public opinion, thereby exerting influence upon the people."

Carlo nodded, greatly approving of Loren's words.

Although newspapers had not yet developed into a large-scale force of public opinion, the role of such public opinion institutions was beyond doubt.

The fact that Loren had noticed this ahead of time proved that he possessed quite a good eye for strategic development.

With such a talent managing Carlo's assets, the probability of Carlo's wealth increasing would at least be far greater than the probability of it decreasing.

"You have successfully moved me, Loren." At the end of their conversation, Carlo smiled and nodded, saying to the nervous-looking Loren, "From now on, you are my court butler."

Butlers in Western courts were not like the eunuchs of Eastern courts. A butler not only possessed considerable authority, but would not suffer discrimination from anyone.

Loren did not reject becoming Carlo's butler either. After all, under Vittorio Emanuele II, he was merely a talent with fairly decent abilities.

But if he pledged loyalty to Carlo, Loren would become Carlo's confidant and important subordinate. The importance of the two positions was utterly disproportionate.

Furthermore, Carlo was also Italy's Duke of Savoy. Becoming a duke's butler was not something shameful.

"Your Grace, because I have been an orphan since childhood, I only have the name Loren and no surname of my own.

May I ask you to bestow upon me a unique surname? Loren is willing to devote the efforts of his entire life to serving Your Grace." At the end of their conversation, Loren suddenly spoke, asking Carlo to grant him a surname.

Such things were not unprecedented. If a commoner suddenly gained a monarch's trust and important appointment, it was hardly strange for him to be granted a surname that allowed him to enter the noble class.

By asking for a surname, Loren was in fact showing Carlo his loyalty. Once he received the surname Carlo gave him, he would be completely branded with Carlo's mark.

If Loren betrayed Carlo in the future, his reputation among the European nobility would be ruined, and naturally his future would be finished as well.

Carlo naturally understood this. Looking at Loren's resolute expression, Carlo smiled and said, "Very well then, Butler Loren. I think Loyalty is a fine surname. Loren Loyalty will surely become a legend worthy of being written into Italy's history."

Loren nodded, accepting the surname with a respectful expression.

Loyalty meant loyalty in English. The meaning behind Carlo giving him such a name was self-evident, and Loren also hoped to use this method to express his loyalty, thereby earning Carlo's trust and important appointment, and displaying his own abilities.

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