Chapter 270: Gold Rush
No one could resist the lure of gold. Ever since Baron Fikeni discovered the first gold mine, it was as though God had opened this door, and gold mines large and small were discovered one after another.
The scope had long since ceased to be limited to Guinea. Gold mines had been found in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and other regions as well.
Even the most conservative nobles in the German regions could no longer sit still. One after another, they sent out younger members of their families to organize overseas pioneering expeditions and fight for a slice of this rich, fatty cake.
Vienna Palace
Lopez, president of the German Cultural Exchange Association, said, "Your Majesty, quite a few German nobles have expressed goodwill toward us recently and hope to join this struggle for the gold mines. Do you think we should let them participate as well?"
The German Cultural Exchange Association had been established on Franz's orders after the Paris Conference, its primary purpose being to continue carrying the banner of unification.
It had found a very receptive audience among the youth, literary circles, and educational circles of the German regions. Through the links forged by this organization, the Vienna Government held German Cultural Exchange Association events every year.
It was not only attended by people from the New Holy Roman Empire, the German Federal Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia. In fact, people from independent countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands also took part.
The venue rotated among the various states of the German regions. Officially, the funding came from private donations, but in reality, most of it was allocated by the Vienna Government.
The German nobles Lopez referred to naturally were not nobles within the New Holy Roman Empire. Any families