Free Web NovelChapter 280: The Revitalization Project
"The situation in the south, according to our scouts..."
"... at least 4 unique Sixth-Order Beasts have been detected..." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"There is a need for joint action..."
"...production of advanced machinery to facilitate the transition."
"Large-scale agricultural development..."
"... significant outside investments."
"... focus on infrastructure."
"Simulating commerce to increase tax revenue..."
"And that is why we believe this project proposal, if managed correctly, will result in net benefits for all involved parties."
With those words, Allina ended the long, drawn-out meeting between the representatives of the 5 largest and most powerful noble houses in the South-West Province.
While Lucas was the one who had organized the plans involved in this presentation, he ultimately decided to take a step back and have Commander Crest make the presentation.
There were several reasons for this, but the biggest one was that the various noble envoys would take the word of a Peak Spirit Initiate and close advisor to Marquess Balfour far more seriously than those of an unknown boy.
Lucas had gained some fame over the past month in and around Iron Rock, especially amongst the members of the Carlson Family with whom he had frequent contact, but for the most part, he had been working behind the scenes, trying to stay out of the public limelight.
As such, it made more sense for Allina to lead this final meeting.
Of course, that didn’t mean Lucas was going to miss this event; he was right there, at the front of the room, acting as Allina’s assistant.
Lucas was also responsible for explaining some of the more technical details of what he dubbed the South-West Province Revitalization Project.
Again, it wasn’t the most creative of names, but Lucas didn’t think he needed to come up with a fancy title for it to be effective.
Glancing around the hall, Lucas noticed that the different gathered parties all wore different expressions.
The Baker Family, headed by Arnold Baker, was all smiles, but definitely not because they were happy or satisfied with the project proposal that had just been laid out.
Over the past month-and-a-half, the Baker Family’s fortune had been all but completely drained. On top of that, Count Richard Baker had left for Rockwell City over a month ago to seek treatment for his ’injuries’.
Now, with less than a million Gold Coins worth of assets left, it was highly doubtful this noble house would survive, much less be able to rebuild. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
For a commoner family, a million Gold was enough for their next 10 generations to live in luxury, but for a Count Rank Family with nearly 400 years of history, it was little more than a pittance.
The only good news in all of this was that today, in this hall, it was formally acknowledged that for their various ’contributions’, Marquess Balfour and Earl Drax would not pursue the Baker Family any further for their crimes and would even allow them to keep what little remained of their personal property.
It was for this reason that Arnold Baker and his advisors were all wearing big stupid grins. They wouldn’t be involved in the redevelopment of the South-West Province, but they also wouldn’t be executed or starve to death.
At least, not yet.
As for what they did next, quite frankly, no one else in the room cared.
It was well known amongst the major players in the South-West Province that the Baker Family had steeply declined ever since the previous Count retired. Additionally, the personal and financial relationships between these houses had severely deteriorated over the last 50 or so years.
Whether the Bakers persisted or simply faded into the annuls of time mattered not to the other nobles gathered here today.
When Lucas shifted his gaze to the Moores, he noticed the Viscount, Victoria, staring directly at him with a piercing gaze.
Unable to read anything from the young Viscount’s face, Lucas scratched his cheek awkwardly and simple nodded back.
Although their situation wasn’t nearly as dire as the Bakers’, it was a fact that the Moore Family had suffered significant damage to their foundation. Their territory was gone, their people mostly scattered, and over 70% of their accumulated wealth had been used up.
Now, some of that wealth would be reimbursed by the Royal Court, and once they found a new location to settle down, a fair number of people who had trust in them would probably follow, but the Moore Family would still essentially be starting over from scratch.
If they acted quickly and decisively enough, there might be a chance for them to participate in the South-West Province Revitalization Project, but their role would undoubtedly be minor compared to the 3 noble families whose power bases were still standing.
In response to Lucas’ nod, Victoria simply stared at him for a moment longer before nodding back once then turning to her advisors and entering into some kind of private discussion.
Lucas didn’t know what to make of this, nor did he think it was appropriate for him to insert himself into what was obviously the internal affairs of the Moore Family, so he decided to move on.
The Carlson Family had suffered significant territorial and financial losses during this crisis; however, the damage was nowhere near as bad as what the Bakers and Moores had to endure.
As a result, the Carlson Family’s situation remained relatively stable. Their foundation had been hurt, but with some careful stewardship, it could still be restored.
It was also for this reason that they were quite interested in some of the proposed research and development projects which had been brought up today.
Since the meeting was taking place in Iron Rock, Count Mathias, Supreme Elder Elizabeth, and many other important Elders of the Carlson Family were able to attend in person. This allowed them to consult with each other in real time, which better enabled them to understand the many new concepts and ideas which were being introduced.
Some of the more esoteric concepts, like the circulation of capital, or time-value of money, were still a bit beyond them. Other aspects, like free-markets based on supply-and-demand seemed questionable to them, but if there was one thing they could all agree on, it was that the novel machines and technology which were being showcased to them held incredible potential.
The burly old Elder in charge of the Carlson Family’s farming industry, who also happened to be a Peak-Rank Mortal Grade Spirit Smith Apprentice, was practically chomping at the bit to get his hands on the blueprints for the seed-drill, harvester, and thresher once Allina explained their functions and purpose.
This Elder knew exactly what kind of impact these 3 farming machines would have, not just on the Carlson County, but on the entire Rockwell Kingdom. If he could complete these designs and popularize them, it would be an enormous achievement, one grand enough to leave an indelible mark on history!
For the burly old man, dramatically increasing farm yields was attractive enough, and as a blacksmith, there was no greater honour than to have the tools you developed become an essential part of life.
The others from the Carlson Family delegation hadn’t all immediately seen the value of these new machines and mechanical inventions, but with the old Elder’s enthusiastic persuasions, by the end of the meeting, most of them had come to realize their incredible importance and commercial potential.
It was safe to say, of all the noble houses represented in this room, the Carlsons were the happiest at this moment, but the Patterson Family came a close second.
As vassals of the Drax Earl Family, the Pattersons paid much of their revenue to their Lords and there were strict limits on the number of private guards and private enterprises they could own, so they were understandably eager to become more independent.
From the day the Drax Family entrusted them with Yarrel and its vast farmlands, the Pattersons had served them dutifully, but as the city grew bigger, and the land grew more profitable, dreams and ambitions began to bubble up.
To that end, other than the Carlson County, the Patterson Viscounty had accepted the most refugees following the recent mass-evacuation, nearly 40,000 in total.
This massive number of immigrants would increase the population under the Pattersons’ rule by nearly 50% and just barely bring them up to the standards of a Count Rank Family.
Viscount Lewis Patterson’s plan was to have these refugees further expand the already expansive farmland in his territory by clearing fields and establishing new towns and villages.
As long as this new population could be settled appropriately, and the amount of tax revenue generated increased by the corresponding amount, the Pattersons could then apply to the Royal Court for a promotion in rank.
According to the Rockwell Kingdom’s Laws, all Count Rank Families and above were direct vassals of the Royal Family, which meant that once the Pattersons got their promotion, they would become independent of the Drax Family and no longer have to consult with them before making their own decisions.
Originally, the Patterson Family estimated this whole process would take 20 or 30 more years to achieve, costing them a significant fortune in the process; however, if they could get their hands on enough seed drills, harvesters, and threshers, they could probably cut the time and cost in half!
They would surely face some difficulties with the introduction and integration of these new machines to their farms, but that was but a trivial issue compared to the potential gains.
