To further consolidate his trade advantage and control financial channels, Karl began implementing a new policy: encouraging large-scale trade, especially wool transactions, to be settled through Carnford Border Bank.
Transactions completed using bills of exchange or promissory notes issued by the bank could enjoy certain tax reductions or fee discounts. Not only would this keep vast amounts of trade capital within the banking system, strengthening the bank's power and credibility, it would also gradually extend Carnford's financial influence throughout the trade chain—a single move yielding many gains.
As more and more people came to Carnford, Karl noticed that many who arrived in the Northern Border—whether soldiers, craftsmen, sailors, or ordinary immigrants—had a habit of smoking to ward off the cold, stay alert, and relieve stress.
Most of them used pipes, packing roasted tobacco leaves after shredding them. But pipes were inconvenient to carry, limited in where they could be used, and their flavor depended heavily on the quality of the tobacco and the skill with which it was packed.
A thought flashed through Karl's mind: cigarettes.
Processed tobacco could be rolled into long, slender sticks with specially made thin paper—ready to use at any time, easy to carry, and simple to smoke. And if the process could be standardized, the flavor would be easier to control.
Tobacco cultivation had certain requirements for climate and soil, but they were not particularly demanding. Some of the sunnier, more southerly areas within Carnford Territory might be suitable for experimentation.
Tobacco was an enormously profitable business, comparable to—or even surpassing—wool. If he could keep it in his own hands, Carnford truly would never lack money.
He ordered Edgar to immediately investigate the land in the southern part of the Southwest Peninsula, prepare for trial tobacco planting, and at the same time contact reliable farmers