Chapter 423
Blank City
Grandet knew Eivass was busy, so he politely excused himself and left after their conversation.
Objectively speaking, Grandet’s existence had solved many troubles for Eivass.
Gray Green clearly knew some of Grandet’s background. And the trouble and cunning that Eivass displayed when negotiating with Mr. Gold Coin saved her the trouble of testing Eivass further. This saved both parties time and energy.
Unlike the large orders involving core national policy that Grandet dealt with, Ms. Gray Green’s request was quite simple.
She simply hoped that Eivass would take over as the new president of the Lloyd Society, thereby stabilizing the Avalon merchants whose minds were starting to wander.
—The Lloyd Society, as a merchant consortium, had merchants as its members. And merchants have no loyalty.
When they confirmed that the Lloyd Society was being targeted by higher authorities, those merchants would unceremoniously abandon the Lloyd Society.
But that did not mean they would not gather again. They would simply re-form into a new merchant consortium with a different group of people at its core… perhaps under a new name, such as the Skyscraper Society or the Prince Society.
Perhaps publicly, but more likely in secret.
But in essence, these organizations were the same. And different small groups would inevitably try to gain influence, which would bring environmental instability and change—for the sake of fairness, merchants who already possessed resources would naturally want stability.
At this time, if Eivass, as the Minister of Affairs, could become the president of the Lloyd Society, it would undoubtedly send a friendly signal to these merchants: the Round Table Hall might not want the Lloyd Society to disband, but merely to intervene and take a share.
Merchants’ logic was all the same. They didn’t fear bargaining, nor demanding too much, but they feared not being willing to talk at all.
Eivass had already joined the Lloyd Society before. The Moriarty Family had been in business for generations, and his foster father, James Moriarty, was a high-ranking official in the Lloyd Society. He was undoubtedly the best choice.
For Eivass, this was not a bad thing either.
Rather than letting those rats gather in dark corners to cause trouble, it was better to keep them in plain sight and well-fed.
With Gray Green as his agent, Eivass could finally exert influence over the gangs in the Lloyd District.
For these gang members living in the mud, the decrees issued by the exalted Round Table Hall were basically useless. If he didn’t intend to kill them all like King Tyburn, Henry VIII, they had to be controlled through channels recognized by these gang members.
Besides, they had other great uses for Eivass.
If possible, Eivass even wanted to help Gray Green expand her influence. If possible, it would be best to integrate all the underground gangs in the country.
—When Grandet sent his “engineering team” to Avalon to build the railroad, these gang members would be useful.
One’s own people know their own business, and locals have their own rules. Building a railroad was a good thing for Avalon in the long run, and it was harmless for the troll construction team to come and spend money for free, but it might not be free from the hostility and obstruction of the local people.
After all, trolls were too ugly, and Avalon was too conservative. The residents of some remote towns did not understand the significance of the railroad, and the construction process would inevitably pass through many living areas. Many lands and houses would need to be valued and purchased by Avalon… Grandet would certainly not pay for this part.
And if someone realized the necessity of the railroad for Avalon at this time, there would inevitably be some ill-intentioned people who would raise prices, extort extra benefits, or even collude with entire villages and towns to repeatedly raise prices, or accept money from the Star Antimony people and Iris people to destroy the railroad. And Avalon would find it difficult to directly intervene in such matters through official channels.
In the past, these violent acts were handled by the Inspection Bureau. But because of this, many people were very fearful of inspectors and held strong hostility towards the Inspection Bureau.
Whether for interference, protection, or surveillance, these gang members were much more useful than the Inspection Bureau. The flow of information was also much faster than through official channels; many matters that were inconvenient for Eivass and Isabel to handle could also be resolved by Ms. Gray Green.
And if she had a channel for people to be rehabilitated, it would be an opportunity for the local village and town gang members to start anew. In Avalon, where many legal jobs would soon be available, this was a very useful prospect.
Gray Green was an intelligent person. Eivass did not need to explain repeatedly; she quickly understood what she needed to do and what she could gain from it.
When two intelligent people eliminated the trouble of mutual testing, efficiency became very high. By the time Eivass finished talking with Gray Green, it was not even noon.
Afterward, Eivass returned to the Silver and Tin Hall to rest for a while, took a bath, and changed into a new set of clothes.
Although his wound had healed, there was still some bloodstain on the collar of his clothes. Isabel might worry if she saw it, so it was better not to tell her about it.
After changing, Eivass went directly to Isabel’s bedroom to wait for her return. They arrived almost at the same time. As Eivass’s hair was still slightly damp, Lixia entered with Isabel.
“Long time no see, Your Majesty the Queen. Have some warm black tea first.”
Eivass looked up and said softly.
It was not yet lunchtime, and he was calmly drinking his warm black tea. Seeing Isabel, still in her formal attire, enter, he poured two cups for Isabel and Lixia as well.
A little ginger, a good amount of sugar, and bergamot essential oil blessed by Eivass himself were added to the tea leaves. Rather than a cup of tea, it was more like a medicinal potion. Just drinking it was enough to restore some energy.
Lily took the glass teapot with insufficient tea from Eivass’s hand to refill it.
Isabel did not drink the tea. After taking off her crown, she unceremoniously sat opposite Eivass, looking very tired and propped her upper body on the table. Her arms were crossed, just like the posture of a student resting during a break between classes.
“How does it taste, Lixia?”
Eivass watched Lixia, who was standing and almost as tall as him, drain her tea and joked casually, “Would you like some milk?”
Lixia casually replied, “If possible, I’d like some beer.”
“Why not try it? It might be delicious.”
Eivass encouraged Lixia, “Add some orange and ginger, boil it with beer, or red wine; or add some mint and ice to the beer and black tea, I think it might all be delicious.”
“You’re right,” Lixia seemed genuinely tempted, “I’ll try it later—will you drink it if I make it?”
“Not impossible.”
Eivass smiled, “You prepare some drinks, and we’ll drink it with Her Majesty. You see, Your Majesty is quite tired, so it’s perfect to have a little drink and then have a sweet nap.”
“If Her Majesty is also drinking, I’ll have to be more conservative with the ingredients I prepare… Lily, come help me!”
Lixia said with a smile, shaking her head and leaving Isabel’s bedroom, leaving Eivass and Isabel alone for a private conversation.
Eivass watched her pull Lily and leave in a hurry, shaking his head slightly.
Sometimes, Eivass was not sure if Lixia’s emotional intelligence was high or low.
Looking at Isabel, who was lying motionless on the table as if asleep, Eivass reached out and gently stroked her head. He felt the warm and smooth hair brush over his fingertips like smoke, and Isabel showed no reaction.
“You’ve worked hard, Isabel.”
Eivass looked at Isabel, who was lying on the table as quietly as if she were dead, gently shook her shoulder, and then said softly, “Listen, drink your tea first… and then change your clothes.”
“…Eivass.”
Isabel’s muffled voice came from under her arms, “This is the first time in my life I’ve been allowed to leave Glass Island.”
“I know,” Eivass said softly.
“I thought I would be very excited…”
Isabel spoke, then raised her head. She covered her face with both hands, propping up her forehead.
She wasn’t crying, but she looked very tired. Not the kind of tiredness fromLack of sleep or overwork, but the kind of exhaustion from feeling immense pressure for the first time.
Eivass handed her the tea, and Isabel finally put down her hands and took the tea.
She drank the tea, which was no longer hot, in two gulps, and her spirits improved slightly.
Isabel placed the empty teacup back on the tray and suddenly asked, “Have you been outside of Glass Island, Eivass?”
Eivass said calmly, “You know, I just returned.”
“Yes. Sherlock has been, Meg… Ms. Lixia has also been, and Teacher is a traveler who has traveled the world… but none of you told me that the world outside of Glass Island is like this…”
Isabel’s words suddenly faltered.
“Desolate?”
Eivass tried to piece together the word for her: “Barbaric? Backward? Poor?”
“—[Blank].”
Isabel shook her head repeatedly, then suddenly blurted out.
This was her unique metaphor.
