Cooperation

This time, however, Marquis Argyle intended to take a slightly higher profile, begin cooperating with a few nobles, and build some connections. After all, Duke Negan's scheming had put him in quite an uncomfortable position.

As the leader of the New Party and a leading figure in industry and finance, Earl Hall was naturally a very suitable partner.

According to the family's investigation, although Earl Hall held considerable influence in the steel industry, he had one fatal weakness: there were no coal or iron mines in his fief.

Ordinarily, the nobles who owned mines and steel companies would show him some consideration. But an undertaking as large as the ironclad project promised profits that everyone wanted to keep for themselves, so the major steel companies would never allocate part of their output to him.

Although no one could monopolize the entire ironclad project, whoever produced more would naturally claim a larger share.

If Earl Hall could secure a steady supply from the Argel family, then with the New Party's influence in industry and Kronos's position as a technical adviser, it was hard to say just how large a share he could seize.

They could not limit their cooperation to Earl Hall of the New Party and neglect the Conservative Party, either, or there would be further misunderstandings about their political leanings.

Thus, Marquis Argyle also needed to begin preparing for cooperation with the Rieveldt family, the second-largest noble family in the Conservative Party. They had Earl Rieveldt in the House of Lords and the demigod Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt in the military, while their youngest brother, Aston Rieveldt, was governor of Ravi Island.

Marquis Argyle planned to buy grain from the Rieveldt family in bulk, distill it into strong liquor, and sell it to the Feysac Empire through the extensive shipping network on the Sonia Sea.

The Feysac Empire lay in the cold north. Its people disliked low-alcohol wine and much preferred strong liquor, so the Argel family had begun distilling spirits for sale there many years ago.

However, grain production in Midseashire was low, and grain supplies were already in the hands of the nobles. Since the Argel family did not want direct dealings with other nobles, the business had never grown very large.

These two cooperation plans had been worked out the previous night, when Kronos went to Marquis Argyle to test the Eye of Time. Cooperating with the leader of the New Party and the Conservative Party's second-largest family would avoid signaling any clear political allegiance, while also giving Duke Negan the cold shoulder to express their displeasure.

The only question was whether Duke Negan would retaliate. Even a family with an earl in the House of Lords, a demigod admiral, and a regional governor was firmly suppressed by the Negan family, which spoke volumes about Duke Negan's clout. Kronos therefore still needed to maintain a good relationship with Philip Negan.

Kronos was now going to see Professor Portland for detailed information on the ironclad, so he could make a more convincing case when discussing cooperation with Earl Hall.

Arriving outside Professor Portland's office, Kronos straightened his clothes and knocked. Only after hearing a "Come in" from inside did he push the door open and enter.

Professor Portland was engrossed in a document. At the sound of the door closing, he glanced up before returning his attention to it. "Ah, Kronos, you're back. How are things at..."

His voice abruptly cut off. Professor Portland quickly raised his head again, his eyes filled with delighted surprise. "You took off the Oath of Secrecy? Your period of silence is over?"

They had been both teacher and student and friends for three or four years, yet had never held a proper spoken conversation, so Portland was naturally delighted.

Kronos smiled. "There were supposed to be a few days left, but this situation required me to speak, so I ended it early. It was only four or five days anyway. It won't make much difference."

Portland was an excellent researcher and a very intelligent man, but he truly had no experience whatsoever in politics.

His expression grew serious. "Will there be trouble? I do have some connections. I should be able to help."

If this affair caused serious trouble, he would indeed count as one of those involved. His lack of political vigilance had allowed Duke Negan to manipulate him. Without his support, the appointments as technical adviser and naval lieutenant commander would not have been finalized so quickly.

Kronos sat down opposite Professor Portland and explained everything to him, bit by bit, with no intention of hiding anything.

For one thing, the Argel family's plans were all aboveboard, making them difficult for Duke Negan to sabotage. For another, Kronos knew this endearing old man well. What he hated most was getting mixed up in politics, so there was no chance he would leak anything.

Professor Portland was furious after hearing the explanation. He had never expected to be manipulated. He immediately brought out the ironclad's original design specifications along with the revised documents.

"If you need any help, just say so. We must give Negan a warning this time!" Bristling with anger, the old man tossed the documents to Kronos.

"That's wonderful. With your help, I can negotiate more terms with Earl Hall." Kronos laughed heartily.

They did not talk much longer before Kronos took his leave, intending to spend the night thoroughly studying the documents.

Kronos usually stayed in West Borough, where his house was smaller and did not feel so empty when he lived alone. Today, however, he naturally had to return to Empress Borough, to let all the nobles know that the Argel family's heir had arrived.

Just as Kronos had expected, a large pile of visiting cards had already been delivered to the villa in Empress Borough. They came not only from the Conservative Party but also from many members of the New Party. Even some unaffiliated nobles had come to establish connections.

As a result, Kronos spent the entire afternoon entertaining one visiting noble after another. Fortunately, he had spent several years navigating the workplace, or he would never have been able to handle it.

The Eye of Time also played a considerable role. By letting him observe plenty of useful information beforehand, it naturally made socializing much easier.

After that round of entertaining, Kronos finally understood why Duke Negan had to die. Apart from those who already belonged to the Conservative Party, the visiting nobles fell into three groups: members of the New Party, nominal New Party members who actually belonged to the Conservative Party, and ostensibly unaffiliated nobles who were also Conservatives.

Moreover, Kronos had seen many scenes in the timelines, such as a group of factory owners supporting the New Party whose true backers were Conservative nobles.

Under these circumstances, unless Duke Negan died, the New Party would sooner or later be crippled by his maneuvering. Only George III's desire to introduce certain rules in the New Party's name had kept it from being swallowed up by the Conservatives long ago.

It was not until after dinner that the villa finally quieted down, leaving Kronos time to properly study the ironclad documents.

It was 101 meters long and 21 meters wide, with a high-freeboard design, a main armor belt 457 millimeters thick, and a displacement of 10,060 tonnes. Its armament consisted of four 305-millimeter main guns fore and aft, six quick-firing guns, twelve six-pounder guns, eighteen six-barreled machine guns, and four torpedo tubes. It could reach a speed of 16 knots.

These were Professor Portland's revised design specifications, exactly matching the finished vessel described in the original novel. He certainly lived up to his reputation as a great scientist. As for the original specifications, the less said, the better. It would have been a miracle if the ship could even float.

Early the next morning, Kronos put on a very formal suit and took a carriage to Earl Hall's villa.

The two residences were actually quite close, and the journey took only a few minutes. Since Kronos had sent his visiting card the previous day, Earl Hall was waiting at the entrance, showing him considerable respect.

"Good morning, Earl Hall. I'm Kronos." Kronos placed his left hand over the right side of his chest, removed his hat with his right hand, and bowed slightly while nodding in greeting.

After returning the greeting, Earl Hall smiled. "I heard you were still observing your period of silence. Has it already ended?"

Kronos gave a bitter smile. "I had no choice. Once someone has schemed against you, you have to deal with it quickly. Otherwise, wouldn't dragging things out only turn it into a major problem?"

Earl Hall raised an eyebrow. He had not expected Kronos to say something so blunt. Was he expressing dissatisfaction with Duke Negan? Surely this was a somewhat ill-advised approach.

Earl Hall led Kronos into the villa, and the two entered the drawing room. Once they were seated, Earl Hall went straight to the point.

"May I ask what brings you here this time, Kronos?"

Kronos and Marquis Argyle had already agreed to get straight to the point, so this suited him perfectly.

"I'm here to discuss cooperation."

"Cooperation with the New Party?" Earl Hall knew that was very unlikely, but asked anyway.

"No. Cooperation with you, Earl Hall."

Earl Hall said nothing, merely gesturing for Kronos to continue.

"The ironclad project has already begun, and the royal shipyard is buying steel in bulk. But I believe you can't supply even a hundred kilograms of steel right now, Earl Hall."

Earl Hall remained silent, his expression unchanged.

"The New Party arose in this country because of the distribution of interests. The old noble families possess the most fertile lands and the richest resources, but the newly risen nobles are dissatisfied."

"Yet the steel companies owned by the New Party's nobles depend on the old noble families for supplies. And with a project like the ironclad underway, you can no longer buy iron ore in bulk."

If Earl Hall still showed no response at this point, there would be little hope for their cooperation. Earl Hall knew this too, so he spoke plainly. "What can you offer? And what do you want?"

Kronos's expression relaxed slightly. "Almost all the iron, steel, and coal in Midseashire are in the Argel family's hands. Over two years, we can supply enough for half of the entire ironclad project. My teacher, Professor Portland, and I are both technical advisers for the ironclad. I think that should be enough."

Earl Hall considered this for a moment. "Half? That quantity is certainly tempting. So, let's discuss what you want in return."

"I want a fleet of merchant ships traveling to and from the Southern Continent."

That truly was a very generous condition. Even Earl Hall looked surprised.