Empress Borough, Earl Hall's residence.
"Papa, you seem a little unhappy. Did your business at the bank not go well today?"
Audrey, whom her father had summoned to his study alone, looked at Earl Hall sitting behind his desk. His lips were pressed together, and his expression was distinctly unnatural. She asked softly.
"Ah..."
Earl Hall rubbed his brow and sighed softly.
He had just made a loan that, from a purely commercial perspective, amounted to a losing deal. As the Kingdom's greatest banker, he naturally had little reason to be happy.
But he did not want to burden his daughter with these frustrations from the worlds of politics and business. He quickly adjusted his expression and mustered a gentle smile for Audrey.
Papa's smile looks a little forced... Audrey, a Spectator, silently observed, but she did not expose her father's pretense.
"Audrey, there is an emerging industry with an exceptionally bright future. Would you be interested?" Earl Hall composed himself and asked.
"An industry with a bright future?"
"Yes. It is a cheap drink aimed specifically at ordinary people and laborers at the bottom of society."
Earl Hall interlaced his fingers, regaining the confidence of a leading banker. "It is easy to store, has an extremely stimulating and distinctive taste, and costs very little to produce, making it ideal for mass distribution."
"In fact, it is simply a cheap, mass-produced version of the flavored sparkling water you have had at those elegant dinner parties."
To help his daughter understand the value of this business, Earl Hall patiently explained, "Imagine it, Audrey. Backlund has millions of industrial workers. After a day working in stifling factories and on the docks, they desperately need water and sugar. And this drink, called 'soda,' costs only a penny, or even half a penny, for