After the meeting, Lauri was left alone with Lind.
Now, Lauri is already one of the imperial advisors, but because Lind is energetic and somewhat eccentric, most of Lind’s advisors are actually just a kind of identity token.
Of course, in the future, these advisors will gradually shift towards real power. After all, Lind knows that not all descendants will be as vigorous as he is. Historical experience tells Lind that even without a prime minister, future generations with insufficient abilities will certainly establish a similar secretariat, which will eventually evolve into a sort of prime ministerial cabinet.
Rather than letting future descendants flounder, it is better for Lind to set the framework himself first.
However, in this position, Lauri definitely cannot manage the army as he did before.
“I’ve heard some things about you.”
Although Lauri is older than himself, Lind’s tone became earnest.
“You should read fewer of those strange conspiracy theories and magazines.”
Lind handed Lauri the map and intelligence he held: “If I really wanted to deal with you, I would have plenty of reasons, so don’t make trouble for the Public Security Bureau and the Court.”
After receiving the map and intelligence, Lauri smiled awkwardly and said, “Isn’t it because I saw that people used to do this? Since everyone in the past has sullied themselves like this, it must have its reasoning.”
After giving Lauri a glance, Lind said, “You’re overestimating yourself. Your reputation isn’t high enough yet to sully yourself; instead, you’re making a mess over there at the Court. Colin is currently eager to make a move against you.”
Although Lind said this, now that it’s been spoken, Lauri is surely in the clear, and the teasing tone reminds Lauri of the days they once fled together with Lind.
The two were initially considered friends across generations, but they gradually moved toward the relationship of ruler and subject. Even so, they still share a tacit understanding.
At the moment he looked at the map of the Solun Continent, Lauri understood what Lind wanted to do: “No hurry, Your Majesty and Sean are both young; we can adopt a more cautious approach.”
The map is densely marked with various resource areas, especially some magic stone veins, as the Solun Continent lags behind in mining technology, and most of the veins have not been fully excavated.
To be honest, Lauri is not particularly adept at warfare. As a veteran who had followed his lord into hiding, he’s not exactly skilled at troop deployment. Though he has some experience in leading troops, it’s not sufficient for large-scale battlefields. Fortunately, everyone’s skill level was similar back then, making it possible for Lauri to steadily improve amidst the chaos, especially with the help of the newcomer Darsi and the seasoned veteran Hammond, as the two supported one another to steadily reach heights that even Generals like Lars could scarcely imagine.
However, Lauri is not without merit; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been promoted to be among the first batch of advisors. Beyond having solid relationships, Lauri is also particularly good at understanding people’s hearts, adept at employing talents, and making judgments based on circumstances—these are merely subdivisions of his talent.
“If Your Majesty simply wants the magic stones and mining resources from the Solun Continent, you could let those nobles being monitored go free, let them catch a whiff of fresh blood, and they will continuously bring resources from the Solun Continent.”
“But the Solun Continent is also part of the Empire now, and it will continue to be so in the future. According to Your Majesty’s plan, our focus cannot only be on these two continents.”
To navigate through the fog or step onto the starry seas, merely having resources is definitely not enough; talent will always be the most precious commodity.
“Moreover, with the intelligence sent by Lord Sean, the people of the Solun Continent do not have a unified consciousness. I believe we can assimilate them over the long term, making them aware of the Empire’s reputation and accept education. After all, Your Majesty is still quite young and has ample time to accomplish this task. In two or three generations, there will be no difference between the people of the Solun Continent and the M Continent.”
“It is certainly possible to take over the Solun Continent all at once and acquire resources—we can indeed do that—but our number of officials on the M Continent is already stretched thin. Your Majesty can’t possibly allow those nobles on the Solun Continent, who can betray their own country without a second thought, to remain in power, so my suggestion is to expand but proceed slowly and cultivate carefully.”
On the map, Lauri casually pointed out a few places and said, “Key roads can be prioritized for occupation, and railways can be built to develop from this basic foundation. In a decade or so, once the next batch of the Empire’s youth has received a complete education and capable of work, we can send a new group of graduates to take positions there, and continue to expand.”
Of course, accomplishing this will not be so simple. Once Sean develops on the Solun Continent, it is likely that a large influx of people from other countries will pour into that area, and additional elves who are Druids will need to be sent there to help with farming and increase food production to prevent famine.
However, the Solun Continent’s environment is disturbed by Supremacy Magic; in a magic-stifled environment, food cultivation may need to be re-planned and re-bred, which are critical but not immediately obvious issues.
After discussing this matter with Lauri, Lind had a few idle advisors go discuss it and draft a five-year plan to report back.
By the time Lauri left the royal palace, it was already dark. However, unlike in Lauri’s impression of darkness, the capital was brightly lit; the leftover magic from the Obelisk was purchased by some vendors, creating illuminated signs that shone on the streets.
The capital can truly be described as a city that never sleeps.
Lauri got into the car, started it, and took a drag from a cigarette. This was something he learned from a mother dragon in the Golden Merchant Alliance; he liked to smoke a few when the pressure was high.
Once the driver started the car, Lauri rolled down the window and looked up at the still brilliant starry sky, reflecting the lights on the ground.
Even having been beside Lind from the start, Lauri still felt that he couldn’t keep up with Lind’s thoughts. After all, one could say that a newly unified nation dreaming of stepping into the stars was somewhat too fantastical.
Yet the Empire is indeed taking steps toward this goal, and what bewildered Lauri even more is that he is among those propelling the Empire toward this very target, becoming what was once unthinkable to him: a grand advisor.
The Lauri who once looked up at the stars on the night he enlisted, would he have thought that decades later, he would become an advisor of an empire spanning two continents while gazing at the same starry sky as his past self?
Lauri didn’t know. As he gazed at the vast expanse of stars, he couldn’t help but want to recite a poem, but as an imperial advisor, he found himself unable to express even a whisper as he neared home. In the end, Lauri gave up and thought, if that bard were here, perhaps he could come up with a few lines.
With this thought, Lauri smiled and decided to discuss how to solidify and advance the next five-year plan with the other advisors, after all, this was one of the few tasks given to the busy Emperor by the advisors.
