When the ball reached its middle stage, Earl Vincent came over with a wineglass to strike up a conversation with Hobart.
Given Vincent's seniority, he would normally gather with Christin, Earl Hall, and the others. The reason he had come to speak with Hobart was that his youngest son, Carl, was currently working in Hobart's territory.
Hobart's personal male servant—or rather, his student, Dennis—now frequently traveled between Backlund and Jeffrey City, sometimes helping the children of nobles deliver letters home.
Hobart had read out the relevant confidentiality rules from the very beginning, so those noble children roughly knew they were currently within Fenebote. Their parents, however, believed they were on Longtail Island.
Carl had already written two letters home. From certain details, Vincent had learned something about Hobart's methods of governing his territory, which made him see Hobart in a new light.
Most importantly, Hobart's territory had a training system for officials. Every three days, Carl went to Town Government to study, learning practical knowledge and precautions for solving real problems.
What surprised Vincent was that Carl, his youngest son whom he had never thought highly of, had improved at an astonishing pace. In particular, his way of thinking about solving problems had changed dramatically.
This made Vincent want to take the initiative to grow closer to Hobart. He realized that Hobart would certainly achieve even greater things in the future.
And with Carl following Hobart, the Vincent family would also gain considerable benefits.
After today's ball ended, Hobart returned to the earl's residence somewhat exhausted. He first considered the Queen's commission, then recalled Alice's unusual behavior today. As he thought, he unexpectedly drifted off to sleep, a rare occurrence for him.
Early the next day, Hobart arrived at Military Intelligence Section 9. He had just changed into his uniform