After touring the shipyard, Paul and Queller strolled to the seaside to enjoy the scenery. The weather was pleasant today, and the gently blowing sea breeze carried a faint salty tang that refreshed the spirit.
Queller suddenly asked curiously, "What are you planning to sell?"
"Some novel gadgets, a new type of paper. It's cheap and plentiful, unlike parchment, which is so expensive. There's also a kind of beautiful vessel. You'll absolutely fall in love with it."
Paul spoke with a hint of pride. Thinking of Europeans' obsession with porcelain, he was confident he could make a fortune.
He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Queller. "This is the paper I plan to sell. I'll be returning to Lakeheart Town in a few days. Do you want to come with me and take a look at those vessels? They're much prettier than the pottery we use."
"Sure, I definitely will." Queller took the paper and exclaimed admiringly, "You mean this paper can be mass-produced?"
The Southern Nations had developed economies, and their daily commercial activities required vast amounts of paper. Contracts, account books, letters, and countless other things consumed paper every day. Economic prosperity had brought about cultural flourishing, while the cultural industries were themselves major consumers of paper. If there truly was a new type of paper that could be supplied in sufficient quantities at a low enough price, there would be no shortage of buyers.
"Yes. In my workshop, with the same manpower and time, I can produce dozens of times as much as parchment." In truth, Paul had made that up on the spot. He had no idea exactly how many times greater the output could be. However, given the abundant raw materials and the fact that he could hire more workers if necessary, he figured that thirty or forty times more should not be a problem.
He suddenly thought of another idea and slapped his forehead. "Ah! Right, I heard that the Southern Nations are culturally advanced, with countless great authors and playwrights?"
The young nobleman planted his left hand on his hip and smoothed his hair with his right, revealing a trace of pride. "You flatter me! Although we in the south are inferior to you northerners in military strength, we really can't afford to be too modest when it comes to literature and the arts. Hahaha!" His expression made it seem as though he himself were a great master of the arts.
Paul immediately put on an expectant expression. "I've long admired your culture. When you return, could you send me some popular literary works? Novels, poetry, and the like."
Queller's heart swelled with pride. "Of course, of course! Hahahaha—"
"But why do you want to transport them by sea? There aren't many ports along the West Coast of the Auldo Kingdom where ships can dock for supplies, are there? What if you encounter extreme weather or the ship breaks down?"
Paul said helplessly, "I have no choice. You were held by pirates for several months, so you probably don't know that the southern part of our country is at war, do you? And forgive me for saying something disrespectful about His Majesty the King, but who knows when this war will end? I don't want my caravan passing through a land plagued by war and chaos. What if we get robbed? Even if there weren't a war, checkpoints would be scattered all along the route. Just paying the taxes would strip us down several layers."
Queller wore an understanding expression. "I just heard about it. It's 'Greedy Wolf' Giles, right? He's a dangerous fellow. Even in our country, he's 'famous far and wide.' Still, he's leagues above the other lords in your country. By lowering tariffs and favoring merchants, he's monopolized trade between Aldo and the Horn Bay Alliance, and made quite a fortune."
Queller suddenly seemed to remember something. He paused, glanced around, then leaned close to Paul's ear and whispered, "I'll secretly tell you a little secret, but don't tell anyone else."
Seeing how mysterious he was acting, Paul's curiosity was aroused. He nodded and promised, "Don't worry. I'll keep it absolutely confidential."
Quirk spoke in a low voice. "I estimate that your Royal Family is in serious danger this time. Giles has powerful forces supporting him from behind the scenes."
"What did you say?" Paul looked astonished, as if he had just heard something incredible.
"I said that the Auldo Kingdom may very well be on the verge of a dynastic change!" Seeing how stunned his friend was by the secret, Queller felt somewhat satisfied.
Paul looked incredulous. "Don't lie to me. Giles launched his rebellion after you fell into the pirates' hands. How do you know he has people supporting him? And that they're powerful enough to overthrow the Royal Family?"
"You don't think Giles suddenly came up with the idea of rebelling a few months ago, do you? He's been preparing for years. The upper echelons of every country know it perfectly well. As for him having backing, I only found that out by chance shortly before I left home. That support was probably what finally gave him the resolve to launch the rebellion."
"And how did you find that out 'by chance'?"
"You forgot that my father holds a seat on the council? I secretly looked through some documents in his study. Apparently, several merchant guilds from the Horn Bay Alliance have been transporting supplies to the Giles Territory by sea on behalf of that hidden power—large quantities of weapons, provisions, and so on. The scale was astonishing. That's why I said His Majesty the King is in a rather precarious position this time."
"Hmm..." Paul knitted his brows tightly. If that was really the case, then as a lord ruling one side of the country, he would have to carefully consider which side to support. The Greiman Family had been sent to the Northwest Bay precisely because they had chosen the wrong side in the past.
Queller seemed to see what Paul was thinking. He put a hand on Paul's shoulder and said, "If you don't have the strength to protect yourself, just be a fence-sitter for a while. Wait until the situation becomes clear before declaring your position. If things truly reach the point of no return, come to the Horn Bay Alliance and find me. You saved my life. I'll protect you for the rest of yours."
"Being a fence-sitter takes some strength too." Paul thought this silently, but Queller's words still moved him deeply.
Paul looked up into Queller's sincere eyes. "Thank you, Queller." Then he asked curiously, "Which side does the Horn Bay Alliance support?"
Queller immediately replied, "Since its founding, the Horn Bay Alliance has followed a diplomatic principle of 'armed neutrality.' We only want to conduct our business in peace and won't involve ourselves too deeply in other countries' internal conflicts. If we bet on the wrong side, we might not even have a business left to run."
"Er..." He changed his tone. "At least, that's the official stance. As for what happens in secret, I'm not interested in politics and know very little. After all, a country that has survived until today probably isn't as simple as it appears on the surface."
He continued, "When it comes to third-party businesses like transporting supplies, the laws of the Horn Bay Alliance don't prohibit them. If your king placed an order, our merchant guilds would accept it just the same."
"Then do you know who's backing Giles?"
"As long as the alliance's own interests aren't harmed, the council has no authority to investigate commercial secrets, and the documents didn't say who it was. Still, the possibilities aren't that numerous. Aldo isn't a small country, and how many powers capable of interfering in your affairs can there be? Besides, I remember that those merchant guilds operated their businesses in the area east of the Horn Bay Alliance."
What a good method. Transporting supplies by sea made it easy to keep them hidden, and the volume that could be shipped was enormous. Since they were large quantities of weapons and provisions, it was probably a state-level operation.
East of the Horn Bay Alliance? Wasn't that the Tria Sea? Near the Tria Sea, the only powers capable of supporting Giles were probably the Holy See and the Gabella Empire.
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