I Had to Find a Powerful Patron

A few days earlier.

In a tavern in a small town in the territory neighboring Arda Territory, Baron Hansel Abbott was drinking with a man dressed like a traveling merchant.

"The times are hard!" The man across from him set down his cup, pulled a roll of parchment from his robes, and handed it to the baron.

"So this is a new mission for us?"

Hansel took the parchment and unfurled it, scanning it briefly.

"Gathering provisions? I remember the officials managing the Royal Capital's granaries boasting every time that their supplies could last for more than a year. Could Hals's few thousand men really have eaten it all in such a short time?"

"Uh..." The merchant-dressed liaison was rendered speechless. After hesitating for a moment, he shrugged. "There was a fire in the warehouse."

"Oh, no wonder." Hansel nodded. Nine times out of ten, it was the work of spies.

"Speaking of which, Baron, why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Lakeheart Town? It took me a great deal of effort to find you." The liaison asked curiously.

"Hmm!" Hansel cleared his throat and tried hard to control his heartbeat so his face would not turn red.

"Arda Territory has been plagued by pirate attacks. As the Royal Family's representative stationed there, I naturally can't stand by and do nothing. That's why I'm here purchasing supplies and weapons for Lord Greiman." He could hardly admit that he had been frightened by the pirates into coming here.

The liaison gave him a thumbs-up. "Impressive! So Earl Greiman's success in pacifying the pirates was partly thanks to you."

This time, Hansel was the one who grew puzzled. "Pacifying the pirates?"

The liaison said, "Earl Greiman hasn't informed you yet? When I went to Lakeheart Town to find you, everyone there was already talking about it. His Lordship has led his troops to retake Franklin Harbor and hanged a large number of pirates. I heard he'll be returning to Lakeheart Town after some time."

"Really? Looks like I can return to Lakeheart Town too." Hansel's face filled with delight, but inwardly he thought, That young earl really does have some ability. Before I left, the enemy had already reached his doorstep.

He immediately added, "But as you know, I'll have to wait for Lord Greiman to give me an official notification before I can return."

"I imagine the notification will arrive soon. When it does, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of the provisions."

"Of course." Hansel readily agreed.

The liaison suddenly sighed with emotion. "I often travel through this part of the northwest. There really aren't many lords as concerned about their people as Earl Greiman. The coastal regions have been ravaged by pirates for many years."

Hansel snorted inwardly, completely unconvinced. He immediately changed the subject. "How is the situation in the south?"

The liaison shook his head. "All the grain has been burned. What else can we do? Ah, please don't tell anyone about this, my lord. Though I expect it'll spread across the world before long. I didn't enter the city with the army, but I could see that towering blaze from several miles outside. There's no way to keep it hidden."

Hansel frowned. "In other words, the army suppressing the rebellion can't be dispatched south immediately?"

"Isn't there a saying? The troops and horses haven't moved, but the provisions must go first. Now that all the provisions are gone, how are they supposed to fight? They'll probably only be able to send a small force to help the old Duke Dodge hold Thorn Gate. It'll be fortunate if they can prevent Giles from reaching the north."

The liaison looked pessimistic as he continued, "Fortunately, the force attacking Thorn Gate doesn't seem to be Giles's main army."

He suddenly shuddered and hurriedly said, "Baron, I've had too much to drink and started spouting nonsense. Please..."

Hansel smiled and raised his cup toward him. "I've always been very tight-lipped. To His Majesty the King!"

The liaison also raised his cup. "To His Majesty the King."

Giles's main army hadn't gone north? Then it was surely dealing with the southern lords who refused to submit to him. If the Royal Family's army couldn't head south in time, then given Giles's strength, those lords could only be left to fend for themselves. Once the rebels consolidated all the southern territories, they would be even harder to deal with.

The times are hard! Hansel sighed inwardly. He made up his mind to visit that young earl again.

Back in the present, Intelligence Director Cecil was reporting the results of his work in the study of the Lord's Manor in Lakeheart Town.

"My lord, as you requested, our intelligence personnel have begun operating in the Royal Capital. However, because of their lack of experience and the martial law imposed some time ago, they weren't able to learn much. We finally have some results now."

He respectfully handed Paul a stack of documents.

"Hmm... Let me take a look."

Paul skimmed through them rapidly. He was not particularly concerned about intelligence from the Royal Capital; the affairs of the northwest were already more than enough to keep him busy. However, as a vassal of the Auldo Kingdom, it was still necessary for him to have a general understanding of the latest major national affairs.

"Damn, it's that bad? Someone burned down the granaries." Paul was shocked. Remembering what Queller had told him in Franklin Harbor, he thought about how Giles had powerful backing while the Royal Family kept suffering setbacks. First, the capital had been stolen from them, and after finally recovering it, they had lost a huge amount of provisions. Could the Royal Family really be doomed this time?

Paul wondered whether he should write Giles a letter of allegiance first. As a transmigrator, he had little loyalty to the Rodney Dynasty. He didn't care who wore the crown, as long as it didn't interfere with his grand plan for the Industrial Revolution. Once my factories are built, all of you will be swept into the dustbin of history as feudal garbage.

However, Cecil's next report dispelled that thought.

"Earl, with the spread of New Type Paper, quite a few people have already begun secretly plotting against us."

As he spoke, Cecil handed over the second report. Paul grew anxious and began examining it carefully. This concerned one of Arda Territory's most important sources of revenue.

"Bandits! Thieves! Shameless!" After reading the report, Paul waved his arms and angrily berated the despicable villains hiding in the shadows.

The report revealed that multiple factions were attempting to steal the manufacturing technology for New Type Paper. They included several powerful merchant guilds and even several lords from neighboring territories, such as Earl Kent of Emden and Viscount Johnston of Bordeaux.

Fortunately, Paul had repeatedly emphasized secrecy, maintained tight security, and offered the workers generous treatment, which had fostered sufficient loyalty. That was why the papermaking technique had not been stolen. But if things continued this way, it was hard to say how long that would last.

It wasn't that Paul wanted to monopolize papermaking forever. The thing was actually quite simple, and sooner or later others would learn it. But it concerned Paul's first bucket of gold, and during the early stages, he had to rely on the monopoly to accumulate some capital.

Paul was actually glad to see new technology spread. Otherwise, even if he worked alone for his entire life, he would never be able to industrialize the world. But there was one prerequisite: it had to remain within the sphere of his control. He didn't want his enemies to develop airplanes, missiles, or something similar before him and then blast him into the sky.

However, involving the surrounding lords made things troublesome. He instructed Cecil, "Notify Butler Philip and have him invite Baron Hansel Abbott here."

There was no time to worry about anything else. Right now, he had to find a powerful enough patron to cling to.