Strategic Deterrence

A new shop had recently opened in Weissenburg City. Its Female Owner was Nina, the former head maid who had served the Weissen Family for over twenty years.

Nina was forty this year. Her father had been the Weissen Family's merchant and had died of illness several years ago.

Nina's husband, Janis, had inherited his father-in-law's work and performed adequately. He had now been sent to Munich to sell "Weissen Syrup" and "Weissen Candy"—malt syrup and crackling candy.

However, Nina had a habit of spreading tales about the castle, and Frederick had never liked her. So when the new Master took charge of the household, she had been made to resign.

In consideration of her many years of service, Frederick had paid to open a Steam Bread shop for her.

Making steamed buns used less fuel, time, and space than bread, so they were slightly cheaper. Freshly made buns were also much softer than bread, and with the bonus of being "invented by the Young Master," they sold quite well.

That day, the carriage convoy of Baron Philip von Ertal, a diplomat from the Duchy of Mainz, was passing through Weissenburg on its way to Munich in the Duchy of Bayern. When the convoy passed the steamed bun shop and saw steam billowing outside its door, Philip curiously ordered the carriage to stop and went over to investigate.

When Nina saw customers arriving, she was about to greet them when she froze for a moment. She immediately bowed behind the counter. "Welcome to my humble shop, Baron Ertal."

Philip was taken aback. He had not expected a roadside shop owner to recognize him, much less bow with such flawless etiquette. Were all the residents of Wessen Territory monsters?

He had a good memory and soon recalled seeing this Female Owner before. She had likely been a servant at the castle when he visited Wessen Territory three years ago.

Nina remembered Philip purely because he was handsome and refined, the most striking figure among all the guests.

Philip asked curiously, "What are you selling?"

Nina replied respectfully, "My lord, I sell Steam Bread invented by our Master, Baron Weissen."

As she spoke, she used tongs to place several steamed buns onto a tray on the counter.

In Wessen Territory and many other places, bread was an essential commodity for ensuring the survival of the populace. Bread sold publicly was therefore regulated by special legal provisions, commonly known as the "Bread Law."

Wheat flour ground at mills came in four grades: coarse flour containing bran, Ordinary Flour with only the bran sifted out, Excellent Flour blown out from Ordinary Flour by windmills, and Fine Flour.

The laws of Wessen Territory stipulated that all bakeries could sell only six kinds of bread: Excellent white bread, Excellent white bread with salt, ordinary bread, ordinary multigrain bread made from Ordinary Flour mixed with chestnut flour or bean flour, bran bread, and bran multigrain bread.

Anyone who wanted Fine Bread made from Fine Flour had to buy it from the castle. Ordinary people could not afford such precious bread all year round, so it normally had no market.

At the same time, the prices of all types of bread were fixed. If grain prices fluctuated, only the size of the bread could be changed, not its price.

Steam Bread was also bread and was likewise governed by the Bread Law, so steamed buns also came in six varieties.

The main reason Frederick had not begun selling filled buns and the like was that the legal question of whether they counted as bread or pastries had not been settled.

The taxes on pastries and bread differed. Survival necessities such as bread were taxed very lightly, while pastries were taxed far more heavily.

The legal scholars at Weissenburg University were still debating the issue. With multigrain bread and twisted rolls muddying the waters, it had already risen to a philosophical question of how to distinguish quantitative change from qualitative change.

Philip did not yet know that this matter would later earn Frederick a place in philosophical circles. At that moment, he was studying the various steamed buns before him with rapt attention.

The Excellent steamed buns were white as snow. They yielded softly when poked with a finger, and the local high-gluten flour gave them a faint springiness. Fresh from the steamer, they were warm enough to remind him of his daughter's little cheeks.

Beside him, Nina habitually gossiped about castle affairs. "This Steam Bread is delicious. Even Lord Richardnal likes it. I heard he has a plate of roasted pig trotters, a plate of Steam Bread, and a huge mug of beer every night. After finishing the pig trotters, he even stuffs sauerkraut into the Steam Bread and eats it..."

Philip immediately caught the important part of that statement. Pretending to be casual, he asked, "The Lord Richardnal you mentioned—is he Lord Richardnal, the Sword Saint?"

"Of course!" Nina said proudly. "Lord Richardnal came last month. He's now our Master Baron Weissen's teacher. I heard he teaches Master how to use Forbidden Spells every day."

"I also heard that Lord Richardnal will teach students at the university in the north later!"

"Those of us who used to work for Master each have a place as Lord Richardnal's student, but my useless husband..."

Philip did not listen to her household chatter. He had his servant bring over a basket and buy several of each type of steamed bun before leaving.

In the carriage, Philip quickly wrote Frederick a letter, saying that his journey was too rushed for him to stop this time, but that he would certainly pay a visit on his return trip.

After finishing his first day of training, Frederick received the messenger while eating breakfast. After a few polite exchanges, he sent him away.

Having completed his delivery, the messenger remained in the city and spent every day gathering local information.

In the dining hall, Richard Nahl asked Frederick with a cold sneer, "You spread the news that I was here?"

Frederick did not make excuses and answered directly, "Yes. The nearby neighbors and the distant King all want to take a bite while we're weak. Once they know Master is here, they definitely won't act rashly."

Richard Nahl gestured with his chin toward Manuel and the other scholars having breakfast with them. "With us here, we can indeed scare off those jackals for you. But I need to set a rule."

"We can help you defend your territory, but expanding it is something you must do yourself."

Manuel added, "With Lord Richardnal and us here, the enemy will not attack openly. But there will certainly be all kinds of underhanded moves."

"I studied the surrounding situation. The Weissen Family and the neighboring nobles are pieces your King placed between the Duchy of Mainz, the Duchy of Bayern, and the Free City of Nuremberg."

"Last year's defeat cost your King both face and substance. Some of the surrounding pieces became restless, so your King used you as meat to feed them, keeping them loyal to him."

"We are not skilled in political affairs. Otherwise, we would not have fled Constantinople. I suggest that you recruit at least two professionals in the future."

Frederick stood and solemnly thanked the two men.

Now that the territory had a Sword Saint and the many mages of Weissenburg University, it was like a nation possessing a nuclear warhead and an elite army.

The problem was that King William and the neighboring Grand Duke of Bayern and Grand Duke of Mainz possessed more nuclear warheads. Wessen Territory merely led in per-capita numbers, making every side feel that directly clashing with tiny Wessen Territory was not worth it.

Strategic deterrence was the greatest role Richard Nahl, Manuel, and the others played in Wessen Territory.

Just because no one would act rashly militarily did not mean they would not make political moves, and Frederick knew absolutely nothing about that field.

Frederick told everyone, "The most valuable thing in this world is talent. If a territory wants to develop and grow stronger, it cannot do without the help of all kinds of talented people."

"Master and all the scholars now provide Wessen Territory with an umbrella of protection. That is an advantage, and we can use it to attract talent from all over the world to Weissenburg University."

Richard Nahl shot him a cold glare and said angrily, "You brat want to use me as a gimmick again, don't you? Believe me, I'll hang you from a tree and whip you."

Frederick put on an adorable smile, trying to muddle through by acting cute.

Manuel, however, said with some difficulty, "This advantage is not very obvious."

Frederick thought for a moment and asked, "What if our school treated every scholar and school of thought equally?"

Manuel frowned. "What if heretics come?"

Frederick paused. He had not considered that question. After thinking for the time it took to finish a white sausage, he answered, "Only in academic matters."

He was not particularly interested in religion. Going to church for group-building activities was merely going through the motions.

The Church of Light was not particularly powerful at the moment. Its strength was directly proportional to how thoroughly the lords had been fooled.

But the church also had value that could be exploited, and Frederick decided to discuss business with them later.

This business would likewise help the university develop, so Frederick told Manuel, "Recommend two students of good character and quick minds to me. I have important research for them. If they do well, they will receive at least a knighthood."

Because "knight" and "cavalryman" were often confused, the title of knight was commonly referred to as "sir."

Although knights were merely working-class nobles, they possessed their own fiefs and had escaped the proletariat to join the great family of landowners.

Traditionally, knighthoods were not inherited permanently, only for two or three generations. If descendants failed to earn merit and preserve the family estate, they could only return to the proletariat.

In this era, aside from the children of merchants and master craftsmen, commoners had very few opportunities to receive full-time education and training. Therefore, as long as the family line did not die out and no complete fool appeared, a knighthood could be passed down.

This reward was immensely tempting to commoner scholars. Even Manuel was considering whether one of his own children should take a place.

Richard Nahl had learned his lesson with malt sugar, so this time he asked first, "What are you planning to make now?"

Frederick answered, "Something that can replace parchment. I don't know whether it can succeed."

He had decided to introduce papermaking and printing as a means of attracting scholars, while making money on the side.

At the same time, it would earn him prestige among scholars and make some people think twice before moving against him.

If he had no talent, then so be it. Starting from scratch and feeling his way forward slowly was not impossible.

Richard Nahl asked again, "Can it be a woman?"

Frederick raised an eyebrow and asked his master with a wicked grin, "Is she pretty?"

Richard Nahl sneered. "My daughter."