Chapter 342: The Big Pie of Industrialization, Oh No, Blue

The night was deep, Marshal Aiwen's manor was brilliantly lit, and melodious court music echoed in the banquet hall covered with crystal chandeliers.

Silver tableware and wine glasses shone under the candlelight, and guests in luxurious clothing were in groups of three or five, talking in low voices, with laughter occasionally coming out.

As the protagonist of tonight's coming-of-age ceremony, Marshal Lako Aiwen's youngest son, Arthur Aiwen, was undoubtedly the most eye-catching focus of the whole audience.

This young knight not only inherited his father's height, handsomeness, and bravery, but also won the championship at the just-concluded Knight's Assembly, winning the cheers and applause of all the citizens of the city, and was conferred the title of "Chief Knight" of the Temple Knights by Prince Kelin!

Although this glory was somewhat due to his father's face, but... among the gentlemen and ladies present, who hadn't received the care of their elders?

Even the waiters serving tea and pouring water were not necessarily relying on the shade of their ancestors to obtain this enviable errand.

The rules of this world were just like this.

The young ladies in the banquet hall cast admiring glances at Arthur one after another, either whispering about his brave performance, or boldly and enthusiastically stepping forward with wine glasses to chat with him, or inviting him to dance... making the group of young knights who were also winners very envious.

"I feel like we are just pendants on Prince Aiwen," a young man who also got a ranking at the Knight's Assembly muttered, trying not to let the jealousy on his face look too obvious.

A slightly older knight beside him looked at him and said in surprise.

"You just found out? I thought you knew."

"... I heard Prince Kelin has no children, I don't know if I have a chance." A young man with freckles on his face looked at Prince Kelin's direction eagerly.

"Why? You still want to be his adopted son?"

"Why not? What if—"

"There is no what if, as long as he wants, the girls willing to help can line up from the dance floor to the manor gate, I think you'd better fantasize about him liking to go through the back door."

"Get lost!"

"Hahaha!"

Listening to the natural talk and laughter of the other young men, Jia Sibo didn't make a sound, his face maintaining a stiff smile, but his toes were already clenched tight.

Standing here, he only felt that he was out of place with the surroundings, and even the tuxedo on his body was fighting with him, making his ribs ache and his arms sore.

Holy Xisi above, he would rather be fighting demons on the battlefield!

Never having attended such an occasion, he was so nervous that he had no strength to think about other things.

Everyone has things they are not good at.

It was not just Mr. Jia Sibo, who was of citizen origin, but at this moment, Arthur, who was surrounded by young men and women like stars holding the moon, was no exception—clearly, he was not good at everything like riding a horse.

Dealing gracefully and appropriately with those fiery gazes, this handsome young man's gaze was always searching on the dance floor, and finally landed on a lonely young lady.

That girl was the youngest daughter of Duke Andre Castillon, Ofia Castillon, who was slightly younger than him.

Only to see her wearing a light purple long dress, exquisite silver embroidery like starlight scattered on the skirt, and a slender neck like a swan, elegant... making a certain young man in puberty hold his breath involuntarily.

Although people always say what haven't the children of the Earl's family seen, but Arthur was after all at an age that hadn't passed the woman's pass, so he really hadn't seen this.

When he saw Prince Kelin take her hand, he only felt his heart stop for a moment—even though he knew it was a perfectly normal etiquette.

The time of this dance was as agonizing as a century to him, fortunately they finally finished dancing, and Prince Kelin didn't do anything to her.

At this moment, that girl was standing alone on the edge of the dance floor, a hint of faint sorrow on her fair face, beautiful and heartbreaking.

Arthur took a deep breath and walked over quickly with a flushed face. He stopped beside Ofia, leaned forward slightly, and said politely and nervously.

"Miss Orphia... I am Arthur Eberg. We... met once before, though you might not remember me, but I have always remembered you... It is a great honor that you could come to attend my coming-of-age ceremony."

His voice became more and more constrained, and his face involuntarily flushed into a pig's liver color.

"May I have the honor of dancing a song with you? I want to dedicate the glory of today's Knight's Assembly to you."

Ofia came back to her senses, glanced at this young man in front of her, politely lifted her skirt and bowed, but her expression was somewhat indifferent.

"Mr. Aiwen, you should have many dance partners tonight, right? I think you don't lack one. I think, rather than wasting precious time on people who are not worth it, why not go find the girl you are truly interested in?"

Ofia's refusal was very tactful, but Arthur, who was on the rise, clearly didn't hear it, and in his fluster, he actually comforted her.

"Please don't describe yourself like that, you are definitely not that kind of person... You are the only dance partner I expected."

As he spoke, he straightened his back and continued with great enthusiasm, "Miss Orphia, the reason I was able to win the championship at the jousting tournament today is entirely because of your encouragement! This honor... I wish to dedicate it to you!"

The moment his voice fell, small exclamations came from around, and soon turned into whispering discussions and snickers.

In the tradition of the Os Empire, gifting the glory of the Knight's Assembly is equivalent to a confession.

Didn't expect Aiwen's youngest son to be so brave.

Hearing the whispering voices around, Arthur's face became even redder, but his eyes did not retreat in the slightest, still looking at her with burning eyes.

Ofia heard this, but there was no joy and shyness that Arthur expected on her face, instead she frowned slightly.

She turned her gaze away somewhat awkwardly, but her eyes inadvertently fell on the other end of the banquet hall—on Prince Kelin, who had just danced a song with her and left gracefully.

She didn't hate little Aiwen, in all fairness he was also handsome, also polite and gentlemanly, and his family background was also impeccable, it's just... he was too young.

Especially compared to Prince Kelin, he was like a child who hadn't grown up, and she really couldn't have any longing for him.

In contrast, she wanted Prince Kelin to stay by her side and tell her more about his adventures in the jungles of the Star Fall Continent.

That was much better than the stories of the bards, and she couldn't wait to lie on the edge of her pillow and listen to him talk.

Thinking of this, Ofia bit her lip unconsciously, and those eyes that were about to drip water became even more resentful.

Coincidentally, Arthur followed her gaze, which carried a bit of resentment, and just happened to see Luo Yan walking toward Duke Castillon.

That handsome face instantly lost its blood color, and his eyes dimmed accordingly.

If the opponent were someone else, he would definitely not have no courage to fight, but if the opponent were a figure like Prince Kelin... he knew very well what his odds of winning were.

His steel-like shoulders slowly sank, and Arthur left Ofia's side in a low mood, as if he had been broken up with.

At this very moment, Luo Yan, who was holding a wine glass and walking toward Duke Andre Castillon, did not know that he had inadvertently hurt a brave and upright young man deeply again.

However, considering that the number of people the Demon King had indirectly hurt could not be counted with two hands, even if he knew, he would probably just smile and pat Arthur on the shoulder and congratulate him on growing up.

Noticing Luo Yan walking toward him, Andre's mouth floated a hearty smile, and he said in a teasing tone.

"Why, Prince Kelin, you don't accompany my precious daughter, but run to accompany this old man?"

The difference in the ecology between the Empire and the Underworld can be seen from the attitude of Duke Castillon and Councilor Padric when dealing with their daughters' emotional problems.

Of course, this might also have something to do with the fact that Imperial nobles often have many children, while the Underworld, which has clicked "cross-species hybridization ascension," has difficulty having children.

Luo Yan shook the red wine in his glass lightly, smiled slightly, and said with a calm and composed expression.

"Actually, I have some things I want to talk to the Duke alone."

"Is it about the Temple Knights?" Andre asked subconsciously.

"No," Luo Yan shook his head, his smile carrying a hint of mystery, "It's about the Bai Lu District project, presumably the Duke must have heard of it... This is not a place to talk about business, is it convenient to borrow a step to talk?"

Andre raised his eyebrows, eyes revealing strong interest, laughing and saying.

"Of course, I think Marshal Aiwen shouldn't mind his distinguished guest disappearing for a little while."

Leaving the noisy hall, the two moved to a quiet lounge in the manor.

The room was decorated elegantly and comfortably, soft light sprinkled on the precious carpet, and the air was filled with faint incense.

The waiter bowed and served each of them a cup of steaming black tea, then retreated silently, and thoughtfully closed the heavy oak door, isolating the noise of the outside world.

As the oak door closed, the room was immediately quiet, leaving only the crackling sound of wood burning in the fireplace, and the curling tea fragrance rising on the teacup.

After a brief greeting, Duke Andre Castillon picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a look of knowing appeared on his face.

Looking at Prince Kelin sitting opposite, he opened his mouth in a gentle and pleasant tone.

"I knew it, the 'Tang Taisi Group' that has been making quite a stir in the Bai Lu District recently is indeed your handiwork, Your Highness."

As an old noble family of the Empire, the Castillon family had a deep foundation and many eyes and ears in the Shengcheng.

Such a big change in the Bai Lu District, especially involving land, naturally could not escape the eyes of this shrewd head of the family.

"Yes." Luo Yan admitted frankly, he picked up his teacup and took a sip, his gaze meeting Andre's probing eyes calmly.

Duke Andre's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, seemingly weighing his words.

After a moment, he finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and took the initiative to ask: "I don't understand, the territory of the Shengcheng is vast, there are many places worth investing in, why did Your Highness choose the Bai Lu District?"

Luo Yan did not answer directly, but smiled slightly, turning to mention another matter: "It is a coincidence, I happened to discover an interesting thing while strolling in the market of the Shengcheng during the day. I wonder if the Duke has noticed why most of the red wine that can be easily bought on the market, whether high-end or low-end, comes from wineries in the vassal states around the Empire, rather than locally in the Shengcheng?"

Duke Andre Castillon smiled when he heard this, and answered without hesitation, "Your Highness's observation is quite careful. Indeed, as you said, most of the red wine that 'can be bought' on the market of the Shengcheng is produced in the Empire's vassals, especially the Kingdom of Lain. As for the reason, besides water, soil, and climate, it is nothing more than cheap."

Actually, water, soil, and climate can be omitted; the Empire is vast, how could it not find a winery to grow grapes?

Looking at Prince Kelin's interested eyes, Andre continued.

"Your family has been away from this land for too long, many things have happened in these five hundred years, the Empire is no longer the Empire of the past, but those nobles and their subjects in remote areas have mostly lived in the past until today. For example, the Kingdom of Lain, which has the reputation of 'Hometown of Knights,' I heard that they still practice the most primitive feudal jurisprudence, and there are even serfs. As for the Os Empire, it has long abolished the backward system, and the costs of labor and land are much higher, so it is naturally difficult to compete with those feudal vassal states in price. However, in the true noble circle, the wineries of the Empire are still very famous. The wine produced by these wineries often does not flow into the market, but appears at the banquet just now... As for the price, that is not a factor we consider."

Having said this, Andre changed the subject and looked at Prince Kelin with interest.

"Your Highness suddenly mentioned this, could it be related to our previous topic?"

Luo Yan nodded slightly, the smile on his lips undiminished.

"Naturally it is related. The reason I chose the Bai Lu District as the entry point is naturally because it is cheap. Not only land, but also people. Under the same convenient transportation conditions, it is currently the most cost-effective choice around the Shengcheng... Of course, besides this, I also have several other alternative plans, but they are not as 'suitable' as the Bai Lu District, and they are far away from your port."

Duke Andre smiled when he heard this, and reminded him in a tone that was neither heavy nor light.

"Your Highness, there is a saying, I don't know if I should say it or not. Sometimes things that seem cheap are often the most expensive. The land composition of the Bai Lu District is complex, and there are many historical legacy problems, even the Castillon family is not willing to easily intervene in the affairs there. You don't know much about the Shengcheng, if you are rashly involved, I'm afraid it will be very easy to fall."

Luo Yan smiled slightly, responding in a gentle tone.

"Thank you for your reminder, but I have already made psychological preparations for this, the Duke needn't worry for me, I have my own way to deal with it."

Duke Andre looked at Luo Yan deeply, seemingly wanting to see something under his calm expression.

After a moment, a smile reappeared on his face, his body leaned back slightly, and he continued in a gentle and pleasant tone: "Then... Your Highness specifically asked me for a private talk, what exactly do you want to talk to me about?"

Luo Yan's body leaned forward slightly, his gaze became sharper, but his tone remained gentle.

"It's very simple. If I can solve the land problem in the Bai Lu District and turn that place into a Baron territory under my control... I want to cooperate deeply with you, the Duke who controls the nearby port, regarding the future operation of the Bai Lu District."

The fire in the fireplace flickered slightly, reflecting Andre's surprised expression.

After a long while, he raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at the young Prince in front of him with interest.

"Turning the Bai Lu District into a Baron territory under your control... Your Highness's appetite is not small."

Luo Yan chuckled, not avoiding his gaze, and said calmly.

"After all, the land composition there is complex, dealing with one Baron is better than dealing with a group of Barons."

Andre understood his hint—this Prince did not intend to hold this Baron territory himself, but intended to let his vassals manage it on his behalf.

This actually didn't matter, many great nobles of the Empire did this, only minor nobles without titles to divide would hold every piece of land tightly in their hands and not let go.

What surprised him was not the land problem, but he didn't understand why this Prince had to go this far.

Kelin's family was clearly not short of money, this was beyond doubt.

"Seriously, I am curious, Your Highness, why are you so concerned about this business? You give me the feeling... that you are not very interested in money." Andre finally asked the confusion in his heart, his eyes looking curiously at this young and unfathomable Prince.

He rarely encountered people he couldn't understand at all, and this Prince from the Star Fall Continent was undoubtedly one of them.

Money, women, land, power... things that could fascinate mortals' eyes seemed unable to enter this guy's heart.

If this guy were his own age, it would be fine, but he was only twenty-something, the same age as those "stinky boys who couldn't even speak when they saw his daughter."

Andre suddenly believed it a bit.

This guy might really be a God-chosen one.

No wonder the Hilfin family wanted to paint for him!

Luo Yan smiled when he heard this, and said frankly.

"The Duke is sharp-eyed, I am indeed not just for money... even, that is just a secondary goal."

After pondering for a moment, he turned his gaze to the night outside the window, his eyes deep and long.

"I carried my father's ashes and last wishes and finally stepped onto the homeland of the Kelin family. And here, besides witnessing endless prosperity, I also saw many things that made me feel worried."

"One thing that touched me most deeply is that, in just five hundred years, the purity of the Imperial gold coins has actually dropped so much... so much so that I initially thought the gold coins in those people's hands were fake."

Andre's expression froze for a moment when he heard this.

He naturally knew what Luo Yan was referring to, but it was inconvenient to comment too much.

Every year, the Royal Mint would quietly mix some other metals into the gold coins, "watering down" had long been a routine operation. Perhaps this was unacceptable in the eyes of the Kelin family, but in his eyes, it was nothing to make a fuss about, and even less worth mentioning.

After all, what endorsed the Empire's gold coins was not gold, but the Empire's invincible fleet and unshakable Imperial power.

Of course, Andre also knew that this model could not be sustained, after all, the purity of gold had a threshold, and one couldn't have a gold coin with no gold in it at all. The Senate had had a headache over this matter more than once.

In the final analysis, the Empire's colonial system had long lagged behind the era.

A long time ago, when colonies and vassal states were not developed, the sages of the Empire designed the post-war order of the Second Epoch. The Shengcheng could support the entire Empire's residents just by relying on the minting rights of gold coins, and even liberate them from the land, making them decent citizens.

However, without significant changes in productivity and living standards, liberating serfs would not make the position of serf disappear out of thin air, it just transferred from the Empire to vassal states and colonies.

As time passed, because the colonies had been at war with the Underworld, they hadn't had much development, but the vassal states of the Empire had developed one after another because they were far in the rear.

Those nobles not only grew grapes, but also began to brew wine, and slowly brewed better than the nobles of the Empire.

Not just winemaking, but other finished products, from furniture to textiles, and then to the Empire's most critical technology—the steam turbines of ocean-going cargo ships.

These vassal states produced goods that were continuously transported to the Empire, and even formed a "reverse dumping" on the Empire, and it was inputting raw materials and finished products at the same time, plundering the Empire's gold.

The gold coins transported out by the Empire had long been in deficit, and facing the goods continuously transported by vassal states and colonies, they could only do some articles on the purity of gold coins.

However, Andre still believed that this could at most be considered a skin itch, far from a skin-cutting pain. After all, at least for now, the Empire's fleet was still very capable of fighting, and no vassal state dared not recognize their gold coins.

Moreover, the Empire also had some ways to balance trade—such as fooling the nobles of vassal states to learn magic in the Empire's academies, such as using priests to control the real estate of vassal states, such as the Adventurers' Guild, etc.

Although these were "small means" that couldn't change the overall situation, they could still maintain the good days in front of them.

Seeing the expression on Andre's face, Luo Yan knew he was a sensible person, so he happily said the words that had long been prepared for sensible people.

"To thoroughly solve this problem, we must make improvements to the outdated rules. And if we don't change the rules of trade, we must change the rules of production... We must reverse the surplus of vassal states against us over the past five hundred years, and let the gold that flowed out flow back to the Shengcheng."

Andre frowned slightly, his curiosity fully aroused, and he pursued: "Oh? Does Your Highness have any wonderful plan?"

Luo Yan smiled slightly and laid out his plan.

"The Bai Lu District is an experimental field. I plan to use the cheap syrup produced in the Star Fall Continent to complete the 'large-scale production' of white sugar and rum on the land in the suburbs of the Shengcheng. This is an advanced experience I learned from the Kingdom of Gutav, where the lizardman nobles discovered that as long as logistics can keep up, the denser the industrial workshops are built, the higher the efficiency... both production efficiency and raw material utilization are like this, and this will ultimately lower the cost of finished products infinitely."

"They call it, industrialization."

"Industrialization..." Andre recited this word, a hint of realization appearing in his eyes, although there were still many places that made him confused, he roughly knew what Prince Kelin intended to do.

"That's right!"

Luo Yan did not stop, continuing to describe the blueprint he had laid out—or the pie that was almost ready to be baked—in an excited tone.

"... Those rums and sugar products produced by large-scale industrial production will be dumped to the entire coast of the Vortex Sea at a very low price through the port controlled by the Castillon family! We can drive the vassal states' products out of the kitchens of the Empire's subjects in an instant!"

"Not just rum and sugar products, the experimental field in the Bai Lu District is just a beginning! As long as this path works, we can quickly promote this set of models to various industries!"

"We don't even need to promote it ourselves, as long as the Empire's subjects see that this path works, they will naturally participate in this wave of 'industrialization'!"

"In this way, the Empire's manufacturing industry will prosper again, and the market of the Shengcheng will be filled with goods made by the Empire again! And the gold that the Empire's vassal states have snatched from our hands over the past five hundred years will all flow back to the Shengcheng continuously!"

After a pause, he lowered his tone, restored his gentlemanly posture, and said with a smile.

"As for why I chose white sugar and rum, it is mainly because this is closely related to the lives of the Empire's subjects, and also closely related to the interests of the Star Fall Continent."

Andre listened seriously until the last moment, almost forgetting to breathe, and only breathed slowly after he was about to start holding his breath.

Even though the family foundation supported his waist, a hint of excitement and agitation still couldn't help but rise in the bottom of his heart.

Although the Castillon family was already very rich, who would think that the cake in their hands was too much?

Moreover—

This was also for the prosperity of the Empire and the prosperity of the descendants of the Castillon family!

However, this Duke was not those captains and sailors who couldn't walk when they saw a little gold, and even less General Hamilton who didn't feel heartache when spending the Emperor's money.

He did not express his position immediately, just smiled and leaned back in his chair, saying meaningfully.

"Your Highness, the blueprint you showed me is indeed tempting, especially for the Castillon family... even more tempting than the Temple Knights, I am honored that you can choose us."

After a pause, he continued.

"But forgive me for being blunt, there are too many things in this that are based on assumptions... Just talking is not enough, you have to let me see, and believe that it can be realized."

It is not easy to get a Baron territory from the suburbs of the Shengcheng, even for a Prince Kelin who owns a continent overseas.

And this is after all a cooperation between the Castillon family and the Kelin family, different from the "public offering project" like the Temple Knights.

As the head of the Castillon family, he had to first see the means of this Prince, whether it was worth his further investment.

Luo Yan smiled slightly, his expression calm and composed, as if everything was under control.

"Then please wait and see."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 343 =====