Night, dark as ink, enveloped Eisenwald.
Within the throne room, only a single candle on the desk burned quietly, casting Lacey's silhouette upon the wall behind him.
Outside the window, the scene was entirely different from a year ago.
A constellation of lights stretched from the new workers' village at the foot of the mountain up to the commercial district on the mountainside, forming a continuous sheet of brilliance.
Wasser Fief was displaying astonishing vitality.
The support of the people, industrial output, the growth of tax revenue—everything was on the right track.
But Lacey's gaze did not linger on these achievements.
His sight passed over the prosperity before him, reaching toward the more distant center of power in Leithanien.
The Electors.
He had already secured one of their seats, but it was far from enough.
What he wanted was the Twin Crown that rested above all the Electors.
According to the imperial system that had persisted for hundreds of years, the deposition and establishment of an emperor had to be decided by a vote in the Imperial Central Parliament.
Furthermore, impeachment was only possible if the emperor had committed a grave error.
Setting the latter aside for the moment and focusing on the former.
Leithanien had a total of nine Great Electors, each with one vote. Only one who secured more than half the votes could ascend to the supreme position.
This meant that, besides his own vote, he needed the support of at least four of his colleagues.
Lacey closed his eyes, and the faces and files of the other eight Electors surfaced one by one in his mind.
In the northern territories of Leithanien, Abraham Rossetti of the Heidenshweir Grand Region.
A traditional military aristocrat, the so-called "Fist of the Empire" who seemed to have more muscle than brain, he despised any position of power not earned through strength.
In the Parliament, he was one of the most vociferous, wishing he could hang this "mud-leg" from the gates of Trullinczentyr immediately.
Gertrude's intelligence also confirmed that this man was secretly expanding his army within his fief and had doubled the border patrols in the direction of Wasser Fief.
Winning him over would be like asking a tiger for its hide. He could only be an enemy.
...
Hoffmann Herbert of the Oschdenheim Grand Region.
An old-school noble, pedantic and inflexible, whose family history could be traced back to the era before the Witch King.
To him, the nobility of one's bloodline was the sole standard by which all things were measured.
And Lacey's origins were, in his eyes, the greatest original sin.
In the Parliament, the way he looked at Lacey was as if he were staring at a pile of filth.
Another enemy, and the stubborn kind who would rather sink with his ancestral tablets than bow his head to a new era.
Two mortal enemies, clearly identified.
The remaining six were potential targets to win over.
Lacey's fingers tapped lightly on the desktop as he contemplated.
...
Wolner von Hochberg of the Schtong Grand Region.
This family had once been an alternative target for Lacey.
Wolner von Hochberg had only recently succeeded his title, and his position was not yet stable.
Furthermore, intelligence suggested this Elector was surprisingly soft-natured.
During the Parliament session, he seemed to have a rather favorable impression of Lacey, subtly revealing his goodwill.
Lacey considered him a potential ally, but the time was not yet right; he still needed a sufficiently weighty bargaining chip.
...
As for Ziegler Augustin of the Fordgang Grand Region, Gabriel Alarand of the Niedenher Grand Region, and Alfred Utica of the Enwald Grand Region.
These three were typical neutralists, or, to put it less kindly, fence-sitters.
The strength of their fiefs was average, with no outstanding advantages nor any fatal weaknesses.
In the Parliament, they always acted according to the whims of the Twin Empresses and the other powerful Electors, adhering to the principle of making no mistakes and offending no one.
They were the most indecisive group.
To sway them would require a great tide, a momentum powerful enough to make them abandon their old master and rush to a new ship without a moment's hesitation.
...
Erak Congreve of the Ruperkan Grand Region.
At this thought, Lacey's knuckles paused their tapping.
The Ruperkan Grand Region was his homeland; that small border town near Salem was under Erak's rule.
His parents had died on that land.
Bach, the son of the town mayor who had been bought by the count, was theoretically a lackey of one of Erak Congreve's vassals.
It was a complicated debt to settle.
Erak himself may have known nothing of the tragedy that occurred in that remote town, but his rule was the very soil that nourished such evil.
Toward this "parental official," Lacey's feelings were the most complex.
One day, he would return to that land, but not now.
Erak Congreve would be a tough nut to crack on his path to supremacy, but also a potential partner.
To be set aside for now.
...
Finally, only one name remained.
Meklen Neum of the Caplania Grand Region.
The corners of Lacey's mouth curled up.
This was a pure merchant, one of the wealthiest in Leithanien.
His title of Elector was said to have been purchased by his grandfather from the emperor preceding the Witch King for a sum of gold sufficient to buy half of Trullinczentyr.
In the eyes of the old nobility, the Neum family reeked of copper coins and was utterly unpresentable.
But in Lacey's view, this was precisely Meklen's greatest strength.
A pure merchant meant that all his actions could be measured and predicted by profit.
At the Central Parliament, while the old nobles were verbally crucifying him, Lacey had keenly caught the flash of interest in Meklen's eyes.
It was the look of a merchant who had discovered new goods and was assessing their value.
Especially when he had proposed the "stocking the pond to raise more fish" theory of taxation, Meklen was the only one in the entire hall who had secretly agreed.
This exposed his true thoughts.
He cared nothing for tradition, bloodline, or order.
He cared about only one thing—profit.
And the one thing Lacey did not lack right now was the ability to create profit.
Wasser Fief itself was a massive point of profit growth.
"Someone attend me," Lacey said softly.
An attendant entered silently, bowing and awaiting orders.
"In my name, send an informal invitation to visit Elector Meklen Neum of the Caplania Grand Region," Lacey commanded in a calm tone.
"Just say that I have discovered a new trade route between Wasser Fief and Kaprasia."
"A golden road... one that can double his current fortune. I think he'll be willing to come and inspect the quality of this road himself."
The attendant acknowledged the order and departed.
Silence returned to the throne room.
The candlelight flickered. Lacey looked at the map of Leithanien spread across the desk, his gaze falling on the border between Wasser Fief and Kaprasia.
Eight Electors, eight locks to be opened.
He had already found the first key.
What he had to do was use this key to open the first door on the path to the pinnacle of power.
As for whether Meklen Neum, who was behind that door, would become his ally...
That would depend on whether he was a competent merchant.
A high-stakes gamble was about to begin, with the future of Leithanien as the prize.
And Lacey always had that confidence.
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