Free Web NovelChapter 90: A Rat
"Walter, since His Highness is unwilling, there must be a reason. Are you here to upset His Highness this time?" Alfred said lazily.
Compared to the Goldwynd family, the Chandlier family was closer to Simon. However, the incident in Dunmere had severely weakened the Chandlier family, and they harboured some resentment toward Simon.
But this resentment could only be buried deep in their hearts, as the incident had shown them that Prince Simon no longer needed to cater to their whims.
"Alfred, why would you say that? I’m here to make His Highness happy." Walter said, clapping his hands. A servant from the Goldwynd family entered, carrying a box.
Walter continued. "Your Highness, this is a gift from my father. We hope you will accept it."
The servant opened the box, revealing sheets of paper filled with writing.
Simon glanced at them and was slightly surprised. He spoke. "These are land deeds."
"Exactly, Your Highness. These are land deeds. My father learned that Your Highness still needs a large amount of farmland, so he has gifted you a thousand hectares of fertile land outside Brambleford City." Walter explained.
Simon narrowed his eyes. His own land holdings in Brambleford amounted to only a hundred hectares. This time, the Goldwynd family was gifting him a thousand hectares of prime farmland. While this was a drop in the bucket for the Goldwynd family, it was the first time they had offered land as a gift.
After a moment of thought, Simon understood. Cedric was indeed shrewd. For Simon, silver was no longer enough to sway him.
Now, the only way to win his favour was to cater to his interests. Simon’s land reclamation efforts were due to a lack of farmland, and Cedric had likely realized that commerce in Brambleford was far more profitable than farming.
"Hahaha..." Simon laughed heartily. "Your father is truly thoughtful. I am indeed in need of farmland, and this gift couldn’t have come at a better time."
Walter smiled, pleased that he and his father had guessed correctly once again.
Alfred’s expression darkened. He sneered and said to Simon. "Your Highness, I’m not like Walter, who has vast land holdings across the six cities. However, I know that Your Highness is in need of skilled shipbuilders. I’ve purchased a thousand experienced carpenters from shipyards across the Eldorian Empire. I hope you will accept them."
"Excellent!" Simon slammed the table, his excitement evident.
Although the shipyard had many slaves, none of them were skilled carpenters. Training a group of carpenters would take a long time, so the arrival of a thousand skilled craftsmen was a godsend.
However, the Goldwynd family’s gift of land and the Chandlier family’s gift of craftsmen suggested that both families already knew what product Simon was about to unveil.
Simon frowned. Despite his strict confidentiality measures, it seemed that someone in the Machinery Department or the castle had leaked information.
Alfred looked smug, feeling that he had matched Walter’s move.
After a moment of contemplation, Simon said. "Since both of you have shown such sincerity, I won’t disappoint you. This product is called glass."
"Your Highness, may we see it?" Walter and Alfred asked simultaneously.
Simon observed their expressions. Neither showed any surprise at the unfamiliar term ’glass,’ which further confirmed his suspicions.
"Of course."
Simon gestured to a servant waiting outside, who left and returned with a recently produced glass bottle.
Walter and Alfred stared intently at the glass bottle in the servant’s hand, their breathing growing heavier.
The bottle, more beautiful than jade, left them in awe. They could already imagine the immense profits this glass would bring.
"Your Highness, this is truly a masterpiece of divine craftsmanship. Are you really planning to sell it?" Walter asked excitedly.
Alfred added. "Your Highness, such an exquisite item, how should its value be measured?"
"Since I’ve brought it out, it’s naturally for sale. Isn’t that why both of you are here?" Simon said calmly.
With Simon laying his cards on the table, Walter and Alfred stopped beating around the bush. Walter said, "Your Highness, the first profits shouldn’t go to outsiders."
"Walter is absolutely right, especially for something as extraordinary as this." Alfred agreed.
The two of them went back and forth, each trying to secure the first opportunity to profit from the glass.
Simon, however, had his own plans. He intended to let the Brambleford merchant group handle the initial sales, maximizing profits before auctioning off the distribution rights six months later.
He spoke. "I understand your intentions, but I plan to entrust the glass to the Brambleford merchant group. However, since both of your families have shown such sincerity, I’ll allow you to purchase the glass from the Brambleford merchant group. How does that sound?"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Both men were overjoyed.
After expressing their gratitude, they left one after the other. Once they were gone, Simon’s expression darkened.
He summoned Gius and Richard.
"My Lord." Gius and Richard arrived at the main hall simultaneously. Seeing Simon’s grim expression, they grew uneasy. freёwebnovel.com
Both Gius and Richard now worked in the command headquarters, using their official positions to conceal their true roles.
"I ordered you to closely monitor the Machinery Department and the industrial district. How did information about the glass still leak out?" Simon demanded angrily. "If the glass can leak today, what’s to stop everything in the Machinery Department from leaking tomorrow? All my hard work will have been for nothing!"
Gius and Richard exchanged glances. Gius said. "My Lord, I can guarantee that there were no breaches in the industrial district." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
"Richard swears on his life that there were no breaches in the Machinery Department. We’ve been monitoring everyone Fjord and Bjorn have interacted with. They haven’t had any contact with members of the powerful families."
Simon snapped. "Guarantees? How can you guarantee anything? The fact is, information about the glass was leaked prematurely."
"Your Highness, the leak might have come from the castle." Gius suddenly suggested.
"The Castle?" Simon frowned.
"Yes, Your Highness. We were afraid of angering you, so we didn’t place any informants in the castle." Gius explained.
Simon’s anger gradually subsided. The safest places were often the most overlooked. Due to the castle’s tight security, Gius and Richard hadn’t considered it a potential source of leaks.
"For now, this is just speculation. You may leave." Simon said. He realised he had been careless. "But remember, the responsibilities of the secret service are immense. I’m spending over a hundred thousand caps of silver on you every month. I expect results. Now is the time to prove your capabilities. Find the leak."
Gius and Richard bowed and left the main hall.
As Simon looked at the box of land deeds Walter had brought, a chill ran down his spine.
How many spies from the powerful families were lurking around him, both openly and in secret? This incident had served as a stark warning.
