Three days later, in the private second-floor room of an inconspicuous tavern in a small border town where Caplania and Wasser Fief met, a secret meeting was underway.
On one side was Meklen Neum's most trusted representative, an ordinary-looking middle-aged merchant.
On the other was Gertrude, the Minister of Intelligence and Propaganda for the Wasser Fief Workers' Party.
Two documents were spread open on the table between them.
One was a "Memorandum of Cooperation on Trade and Infrastructure Development between Wasser Fief and the Caplania Grand Region." The other was a secret military materiel procurement agreement.
Gertrude meticulously reviewed every clause of the agreement. From the specifications of the steel and the purity of the coal to the payment methods and delivery schedules, everything was clearly detailed.
Meklen's efficiency exceeded her expectations. Once that old fox made up his mind, the commercial machine under his command could unleash astonishing power.
"We have received His Excellency Meklen's sincerity," Gertrude said, putting down the document and looking up at the merchant across from her.
"I hope our cooperation will be as efficient as this agreement."
"Please rest assured, Lady Gertrude," the merchant replied with a slight bow.
"The head of the family has instructed that Wasser Fief's needs are to be given the highest priority."
"The first team of survey engineers has already set out. We expect to have the most detailed railway route proposal ready within half a month."
The two signed their respective names on the agreements, exchanged the documents, and then sealed them with special wax.
The merchant departed in a hurry, leaving Gertrude alone in the private room.
She looked at the agreement in her hand, still smelling of fresh ink, and a smile touched her lips.
The most critical link in Lacey's plan had succeeded.
Not only had they found a powerful channel for transfusing resources into Wasser Fief, but more importantly, they had shackled Leithanien's wealthiest Elector to the war chariot of the Workers' Party.
...
Meanwhile, in Caplania, the Neum family, that vast commercial machine, had begun to operate at high speed, centered around the secret agreement.
Transport ships flying the Neum family crest one after another altered their usual routes, sailing quietly towards the northern ports.
They were laden with Ursus's cheap rye and oats, which were shipped back to secret granaries in Caplania.
On the mineral exchange market, a mysterious capital force suddenly flooded in, feverishly snapping up goods regardless of cost—iron ore, coal, raw Originium chunks...
The prices of all raw materials related to industry and the military were driven up by nearly twenty percent in just a few days, leaving countless small and medium-sized merchants dumbfounded.
Countless encrypted letters were sent from the Neum estate, flying to family agents lying low in various parts of Leithanien.
They began to secretly acquire armories on the verge of bankruptcy and recruit artisans and engineers laid off by the military, building up reserves for the coming transition to military production.
Meklen's swift and decisive actions demonstrated the terrifying executive power of a commercial emperor.
But his unusual behavior soon caused an uproar within the family.
Inside the Neum estate's family council hall.
"Father! Have you gone mad?!"
A man with a strong resemblance to Meklen, but with a more youthful and impetuous air, stood up excitedly. He was Yarlin Neum, Meklen's eldest son and the family's first-in-line heir.
"You've invested nearly half of the family's liquid assets into those damned rocks and grains! Do you know what people outside are saying about us now?"
"They're saying the Neum family is going bankrupt, that you've grown senile!" Yarlin's hands trembled slightly from agitation.
In the council hall, a group of the family's uncles and elders chimed in with agreement.
"Indeed, Meklen, this move is too big. The foundation of our family is stable trade; we don't need to do this," a white-haired great-uncle said, leaning on his cane, his tone full of distress.
"Lord of the family, please reconsider! At the very least, you should tell us what the purpose of all this is!"
Facing the questions and panic from his kin, Meklen simply sat calmly in the main seat, slowly stirring the coffee in his cup with a small silver spoon as if listening to a farce that had nothing to do with him.
Only when everyone had finished speaking did he slowly put down his coffee cup.
The crisp clink of the cup against the saucer instantly silenced the noisy council hall.
His gaze swept over each person, and the authority in his eyes made everyone who met his gaze involuntarily lower their head.
"Are you finished?" he asked faintly.
"Bankrupt? Senile?"
Meklen let out a soft laugh, a laugh filled with disdain.
"Yarlin, my child, your vision still hasn't improved much."
"I taught you that a true merchant doesn't look at the numbers in a ledger, but at the scales of the era."
He stood up.
"Do you all think the wealth of our Neum family was accumulated through stable trade?"
His voice suddenly rose. "Wrong!"
"It was built by placing bolder bets than anyone else at every turning point of history!"
"My grandfather bet on the Witch King when he ascended, and he won! I bet on the Twin Empresses when they overthrew the Witch King, and I won too!"
"And now, a new era is coming!" Meklen spun around abruptly, his eyes burning as he stared at his son.
"And that young man named Lacey is the one who will usher in this era!"
"You call him a madman, but this madman, in a single year, turned the near-bankrupt Wasser Fief into a money-printing machine!"
"You only see the risk, while I see an opportunity for the Neum family to stand tall for a hundred years!"
He walked over to Yarlin and patted his rigid shoulder.
"Child, I am not gambling. I am buying a ticket for your future."
"The most expensive ticket, for a seat aboard the ark of the new era," he said, his tone softening.
"War or peace, the world is changing."
"That man named Lacey is the only one drawing the new map."
"I would rather hold a pen and draw it with him than be erased from the map by him."
Yarlin opened his mouth, but found he couldn't utter a single word.
He saw a light in his father's eyes that he had never seen before.
The family council ultimately ended on a sour note due to Meklen's unyielding stance.
The voices of opposition were suppressed, but the seeds of doubt had been sown.
...
Wasser Fief Grand Region, the Tower, inside the Throne Room.
Gertrude placed a top-secret intelligence report she had just received on Lacey's desk.
"Meklen moved quickly. He's practically mobilized everything he has. Our plan is off to a perfect start."
Lacey picked up the report and scanned it quickly, a satisfied look on his face.
"Once a greedy wolf smells blood, it won't let go easily," he said, putting the report down and gazing out the window.
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