Free Web NovelChapter 281: Amendment
Turning to the last noble delegation in the meeting hall, Lucas was somewhat surprised to discover that, unlike the others, the Drax Family’s representatives all wore flat expressions. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
While they weren’t showing open opposition to the Revitalization Project, it was clear that the Earl’s envoys weren’t exactly happy either.
Lucas frowned when he noticed this, confused as to what exactly the Draxs found problematic with his plan.
He had taken great pains to try to maximize the benefits each of the noble houses would receive, and if they actively participated in the various initiatives he had proposed, Lucas estimated that within a decade, the Earl would see an increase in tax revenue of at least 30%.
A 30% boost in your primary source of income was no small matter, so what exactly was the issue?
Try as he might, Lucas couldn’t understand where he had gone wrong, but since he had decided to hand the lead role over to Allina, he couldn’t exactly come out ask the Draxs either.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to.
"Lady Crest, forgive my ignorance, but, might I ask a few questions?" Great Elder Tobias Drax, the second highest ranked member of the Drax Family, right beneath the Patriarch, spoke up suddenly.
Allina, seemingly having anticipated such a request, didn’t show any signs of surprise and simply nodded back, "Of course, Sir Tobias."
Being addressed so casually by someone he considered a junior caused Tobias Drax’s brow to furrow slightly, but he quickly hid his displeasure behind a typical mask of calm indifference.
Tobias Drax was the granduncle of Kenneth Drax, the current Earl and Patriarch of the Drax Family.
As a 248-year-old Peak Spirit Initiate, Tobias couldn’t quite be called an old man, but he was certainly approaching the latter part of his life, and as someone who had wielded incredible power in the South-West Province for over a century, he found it quite off-putting for such a young outsider to be acting so casually inside his own domain.
Still, knowing that Celestina Balfour was casually leaning against the back wall of the meeting room behind him, Tobias knew better than to lash out simply because his pride was slightly wounded.
Instead, the highly traditional and conservative Great Elder decided to get on with his business and pointedly asked, "Will the designs for the new agricultural machines you presented today be made available to all our houses, or is this an exclusive partnership between the Balfour and Carlson Families?"
The instant this question came up, a subtle tension arose within the meeting hall. It also allowed Lucas to form a theory about why the Drax Family looked less than enthusiastic about his plan.
When he had been putting together his resettlement and economic stimulus proposals, Lucas had tried to be as fair as possible to all the involved parties, but it now occurred to him that that itself might have been a mistake.
"Would an exclusive partnership between the Balfour and Carlson Families be a problem for you, Sir Tobais?" Allina, unphased by this question, asked back, avoiding answering the Great Elder for the moment.
"Certainly not, Lady Allina," the Elder from the Drax Family calmly waved his hand, changing his way of addressing Allina to be slightly less polite, "the South-East Province flourishes under the Balfour Family’s rule, and the Carlsons specialize in blacksmithing and forging, so it is reasonable for your two houses to collaborate on such a project."
Pausing here, Great Elder Tobais’ eyes narrowed slightly before continuing, "However, as the Royal Family’s chosen representatives in the South-West Province, it is my Drax Family’s duty to oversee any and all matters which may result in... unexpected developments here."
Tobais’ words were polite and logical, but they also contained a barely hidden barb.
Simply put, this Drax Family envoy was saying the Balfour Family, which had no jurisdiction in the South-West Province, should not get too involved here, especially in affairs like regional and economic development.
Allina was well aware of what Tobias was implying, but she also had no intention of meekly backing down. In fact, although she maintained a professional smile on her face, deep inside, she was fuming mad.
The Balfour Family had deployed an enormous amount of troops and resources and had even suffered quite a few casualties among its elite forces to protect the South-West Province.
It was difficult to put an exact figure on it, but Allina knew for a fact that Celestina’s intervention here had cost the Balfours no less than 10 million Gold Coins. Yet now, the Drax Family, which had not only been slow to respond to this crisis, but had also provided the least amount of support of the 5 leading noble houses, was saying they should stop sticking their nose where it didn’t belong?
It was simply outrageous!
Still, Allina was no novice to noble politics, so she quickly adjusted her strategy and made a counter-proposal, "I understand your concerns, Sir Tobias. If the introduction of unproven technology and techniques worries you, the Balfour Family is willing to take on those risks."
Turning to the Carlson Family delegation, Allina continued, "Count Carlson, I propose that the development and manufacturing of the seed drill, harvester, and thresher be moved to Torren Ridge in the South-East Province. We can establish a joint workshop there with equal ownership rights. Once the machinery has been perfected, the Balfour Family can promise to prioritize exports of them to the South-West Province."
Count Mathias, who very much didn’t want to be dragged into this power-struggle, now found himself stuck right in the middle of it. He was no stranger to disputes between the big noble houses, but this was certainly one of the most difficult ones he had ever been involved in.
The Balfour Family had done him and his County come to their aide in their most desperate time of need and had even done them several enormous favours along the way. On top of that, the Balfours were undoubtedly stronger and more influential than the Drax Family, so favouring them seemed like the obvious choice.
However, the Balfours were ultimately outsiders in the South-West Province, while the Drax Family were the local overlords.
Mathias knew very well how the Drax Family operated.
Simply put, this Earl Rank Family preferred to subvert others rather than confront them openly; quietly suppressing their foes while elevating opposing forces within their domain to maintain their own dominance was one of their most common tactics.
What’s more, the Drax Family controlled Southbridge, through which 70% of all trade left the South-West Province. Even if all they did was levy extra duties on the Carlson Family’s goods, it could cause a severe impact to their business.
Worse yet, the current crisis gave the Draxs the perfect excuse to raise such taxes.
Count Mathias didn’t fear the Drax Family, but he understood that if he chose to slight them today, they would surely extract ’compensation’ from him in the future.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Mathias really didn’t know what to do, but he knew that he couldn’t just remain silent forever, so after quickly weighing the potential gains and losses, he ultimately decided, "Since the design of the seed drill, harvester, and thresher all belong to the Balfour Family, it makes sense they would want to maintain some control over them. If the condition for allowing my Carlson Family to participate in their development and production is manufacturing them in Torren Ridge, then..."
"That won’t be necessary," a young voice suddenly spoke up, rudely cutting off Count Carlson before he could complete his sentence.
Having drawn everyone’s attention to himself, Lucas boldly declared, "The mechanization of agriculture is something which will benefit not just the Rockwell Kingdom, but all nations on the Blue Sky Continent. As such, the more people involved in their development, the better."
Turning to face the now slightly frowning Tobias, Lucas made his proposal, "If the Drax Family is willing to match the Balfour Family’s investment in this project, I see no reason why we cannot establish a three-way partnership here in Iron Rock."
"Of course," Lucas then addressed Mathias, "only if the Carlson Family is also willing to agree."
Although it was obvious who Mathias had chosen to favour already, since he hadn’t spoken his intent out loud, the whole matter could still be brushed off as never having happened.
Politics was just like that sometimes.
Everyone in the room knew this, and they also understood that this was probably the last chance they would have to settle this matter amicably, so without hesitation, Count Mathias nodded, "The Carlson Family has no objections. Since we are of the South-West Province, we naturally favour doing as much work in the South-West Province as possible."
Marveling at just how thick-skinned these high nobles were when they wanted to be, Lucas shifted his gaze back to the Drax Family.
Tobias had heard from his great grandnephew Loyd about how ’unusual’ this boy Lucas was, but it wasn’t until this moment that the old man really understood what that meant.
The kind of boldness, intelligence, and flexibility Lucas had just displayed was not something many adults possessed, much less a mere 10-year-old boy.
Even so, he didn’t immediately reply and instead turned to back to Allina, "Is the Balfour Family ready to accept Young Master Lucas’ sudden amendment to its plans?"
As a staunch traditionalist who believed deeply in the established societal and noble hierarchy, Great Elder Drax wasn’t about to just accept the word of a child, no matter how outstanding that child may be.
Before Allina could reply, however, someone beat her to the punch.
"Yes," a strong voice sounded from the back of the room, as for the first time since the meeting began, Celestina decided to speak, "My Balfour Family has no objections. I only hope that this is the last ’amendment’ that will be necessary today."
