When People No Longer Believed in the Mystical

Matthew was a man of his word; he snapped his fingers.

"Bring two big trucks!"

Upon seeing that a big customer had arrived, the two rickshaw drivers immediately drove over.

Matthew waved his hand lavishly, "Please, take a seat."

Li Mo, of course, didn't stand on ceremony with him and pulled Anna and Helen into the car.

Wayne glanced at Matthew and said, "Matthew, the envoy has his own carriage. Shall we ride in the one in front with Estelle?"

--Your Excellency?

Matthew immediately glanced at Caroline.

The royal family's hair color was too conspicuous, and he wasn't stupid; he quickly understood the current situation.

So he asked, "Is Your Excellency also coming to the factory with us?"

Caroline nodded. "Let's go take a look."

Matthew was overjoyed to hear this.

This is Her Majesty the Queen's special envoy!

Building a good relationship with her will bring you countless benefits.

Moreover, the place everyone is about to go is a spinning mill, their own comfort zone, which they will have to showcase in a moment.

As for now, he can first demonstrate his gentlemanly conduct, and then have Estelle, with whom he has a good relationship, put in a good word for the envoy.

Matthew understood all this and immediately went to Estelle's side, saying:

"Miss Estelle, the envoy is a very important person representing Her Majesty the Queen. You just transferred to Mondel, so you must want to expand your network locally. Hurry up and help the envoy into her car, and then ride with her there."

Estelle listened quietly.

Matthew, thinking she was interested, continued to offer advice:

"Girls are easier to talk to. Be respectful and leave a good impression on the Special Envoy. If you can get in touch with the Special Envoy's Office's office, any business difficulties your family encounters in the future, even a casual slip of the tongue from the Special Envoy will be enough to benefit you immensely. Oh, and don't forget to say a good word for me too. As for Li Mo and the others, leave them to me..."

Caroline noticed their subtle interaction, turned her head, and winked at Estelle.

Estelle remained silent for a few seconds.

final,

She walked over to Caroline, expressionless, and took her forearm, saying:

"Your Excellency, watch your step."

Caroline's lips curled slightly as she grasped Estelle's wrist with her other hand and said gently:

"Thank you, Miss Estelle. I was getting a little bored traveling alone. Why don't you come up and keep me company?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Estelle lifted her skirt and bent down to enter the carriage.

The car door closed.

Matthew stood by the roadside and nodded in satisfaction.

--I'll have to do it myself! Miss Estelle will definitely remember this as a huge favor!

"Alright, stop looking, their car's already gone." Wayne walked over and patted Matthew on the shoulder. "Now it's just the two of us. How about we talk about 1729?"

Matthew got annoyed. "Wayne, can you just get lost?"

Wayne stuck out his tongue. "I'm not getting lost. Only an idiot wouldn't understand 1729, only an idiot wouldn't understand 1729~"

Matthew said urgently, "I understand! I just need some time to study it."

Wayne: "... Damn it, why did it have to be now...?"

Matthew decided to take another taxi.

He couldn't bear to spend even a second longer with Wayne!

Seven people and four horse-drawn carriages headed towards the factory.

Inside the black carriage.

Caroline had become obedient, squatting quietly beside Estelle and saying, "Your Majesty~"

Estelle wouldn't hold it against her for taking advantage of her earlier.

The two have known each other since childhood and have a very good relationship; otherwise, Caroline wouldn't have been so bold.

Caroline was just about to ask His Majesty how his first day of school went.

Then Estelle took out the Death Note and handed it to her, saying:

"All the people listed here must be thoroughly investigated."

Caroline's expression hardened.

I opened it and took a look.

There are quite a few names on this book.

From Isaac, the owner of Oliver Cotton Mill, to the deputy director of the Harbor Authority, and even the city hall's chief clerk, Crawford, the credit officer of the joint venture bank, as well as the military procurement officer and the western district tax officer...

Estelle said, "Remember, don't reveal my identity. Use the pretext of the Special Envoy's Office checking local wartime material quotas to have your accompanying guards thoroughly investigate all the accounts and correspondence. I'll give you two days; I need to see the results."

Caroline replied solemnly, "Very well, it will certainly bring great results for His Majesty."

The carriage fell silent.

After a moment, Estelle let out a soft breath and asked:

"Caroline, do you know math?"

Caroline: "Huh?"

Estelle turned to the second page of her notebook and said seriously:

"This is what Li Mo talked about at the math salon today. I didn't understand a single word. Can you explain it to me again?"

"Okay."

Caroline readily agreed.

When she studied at the Royal Academy of the Capital, she excelled in both arithmetic and geometry.

She has always been very confident in her math skills.

Caroline glanced down.

Um...

She took a closer look.

Um...

She blinked.

I took one last look.

Um...

Caroline looked up and asked, "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Estelle pondered, "Even you can't understand it?"

"..."

Caroline wanted to say that she could understand the numbers on the screen, but she had no idea what they meant when put together.

Fearing the Queen would be displeased, she quickly closed the book and comforted her:

"Your Majesty, it's normal not to understand this. Our kingdom is known for its mysticism, so it's understandable that we're not particularly good at mathematics."

Estelle turned to look out the car window and whispered:

"Yes, they specialize in the occult."

"That's how it was. Hundreds of years ago, who on the continent cared about these symbols and formulas? Back then, our kingdom relied on its powerful mysticism to intimidate all sides. Of the seven most powerful Mystical Artifact in the entire world, our kingdom alone possessed three. Just with those three artifacts and countless mystical scholars, no one dared to cause trouble on our territory."

Estelle said calmly, "That was a long time ago. In the last hundred years, steam engines have entered factories, ironclad warships have been taken to the docks, and the advantage of the occult has been gradually eroded."

Upon hearing this, Caroline's expression gradually calmed down, and she said, "Is Your Majesty thinking about the Great Sage's words again?"

"Yes, when people no longer believe in mystery, mystery will abandon the world."

Estelle repeated softly, "I used to think this was just a prophecy, but after reading so many briefings from the front lines these past few years, I've come to understand its weight."

Caroline nodded:

"Indeed, in the past two years, astrologers in the court and professionals accompanying the army have been privately discussing that the effects of performing Mystical Ritual are much weaker now than they were decades ago. A ritual that used to require only half an ounce of Star Silver Powder often requires twice that amount to be effective. Since the steam revolution, more and more people believe in science and no longer hold the mystical in awe."

In fact.

The late emperor and the previous kings also recognized this.

Therefore, before Estelle ascended the throne, the royal family consistently cracked down on science, shutting down workshops that privately modified steam engines and restricting the publication of natural philosophy journals.

But that was completely useless.

The Duchy of Magla, lacking the Seven Great Mystical Artifacts, has become so powerful through its vigorous development of artillery and metallurgy...

Estelle muttered to herself, "Mysticism can no longer save this country. Technology continues to advance, and one day it will tear away the veil of mystery. If we don't keep up with the times, the Kingdom of the Fog Capital will sooner or later disappear into the annals of time, just like countless ancient kingdoms in history books."

Caroline looked at the Empress and felt a pang of sympathy.

After his coronation, His Majesty defied public opinion and engaged in countless rounds of struggle with vested interests and old forces in order to transform the entire country.

The kingdom now faces not only external enemies but also internal troubles.

Estelle is so young, yet she has endured so much...

After a while...

Estelle gave the order:

"When we get to the spinning mill, take a close look. If you're sure the improved spinning machine is really effective, then you should get their factory listed as a royal-designated cooperative workshop, and have the Special Envoy's Office directly issue military and civilian orders."

Caroline replied earnestly, "Understood."