Jefferson was attending a ball at this moment.
The castle hall was spacious and magnificent, with massive tapestries hanging on the stone walls and a magical crystal chandelier swaying from the ceiling, casting a mesmerizing atmosphere over the venue.
The floor was covered in thick carpet, providing utmost comfort and silencing footsteps.
Nobles adorned in garments sewn with gold and silver threads, or velvet gowns, elegantly danced in the ballroom to the music.
From time to time, professional performers used fireworks and lighting magic to enhance the ambiance.
It had been a long time since Jefferson had experienced such an atmosphere, making him feel somewhat out of place.
“What’s the matter, Lord Jefferson? Do you not like our welcoming ceremony?”
An elegant middle-aged noble approached, clinking glasses gently with Jefferson before downing his pale gold drink.
“Lord Doug, aren’t we supposed to be talking about business?”
“No, we are not discussing business tonight.”
With that, Doug tossed his cup and shouted, “Ladies and gentlemen, let us welcome the Viscount Jefferson from Graywhite Territory!”
The nobles erupted into enthusiastic applause, leaving Jefferson momentarily at a loss and slightly embarrassed.
“Viscount Jefferson, welcome to embrace freedom.”
Initially, Jefferson had rejected this mission.
What he desired now was to quietly focus on selling his sugar and potions, not to get entangled in the nobles’ open and covert conflicts.
After all, the scale of the enterprises Jefferson managed had long surpassed the total of all the Champagne Nobility, leaving him with just the need to lay low.
Although he was merely an agent for sugar and potions, only needing to find ways to sell those products in Doug’s territory, the bulk of the income still had to be handed over.
Even if Jefferson turned over the bribes from those distributors, the wealth he accumulated was quite impressive.
Jefferson felt like a kitten eagerly rushing to eat the cat food poured out; at first, he managed to eat a bit when the food fell in small amounts, but as more and more food cascaded down like a waterfall, Jefferson began to fear the abundance and refrained from eating any more.
Being able to retire in peace was Jefferson’s greatest wish.
However, Lind, holding onto the British spirit, had found Jefferson.
The good news was, Jefferson could finally cease being in charge of the sugar and potion trade, which relieved him greatly, sparing him from this violent business where a slight misstep could lead to demise.
The bad news was that Jefferson would now have to assist in selling arms, and to the enemy at that; it would be a miracle if he left intact.
Amidst the chaotic ball, Jefferson’s thoughts returned to that afternoon when he was summoned.
“Are you sure?”
Jefferson repeatedly confirmed the plan.
“What’s wrong with it?”
Lind looked unchanged since the first time Jefferson met him, but Jefferson could clearly sense that this Lord Governor had gained something after the assassination attempt.
Something called ambition.
This was something anyone could possess, and after that failed assassination, this Lord Governor’s ambition could not have been more evident.
“No matter how you look at it, selling weapons to the enemy is just…”
After reading the plan several times, Jefferson was almost sweating from the tension; it seemed like a direct path to death. In Jefferson’s understanding, if they were to lose the war in the future, his actions in supplying the enemy would surely come back to haunt him.
Moreover, supplying weapons to the enemy was utterly inconceivable in the eyes of these traditional nobles.
Did he perhaps offend the Lord Governor recently? He hadn’t taken a single penny from the sugar and potion trade.
“It’s just exchanging sugar and potions for weapons.”
Lind hadn’t anticipated Jefferson’s resistance, thus he did a lot of persuading that day. In reality, the total amount of sugar and potions supplied to Doug’s territory had been steadily decreasing, primarily directed toward the military.
The railway still needed to be built; it was a monumental project, and once it was completed, merchants were very interested in it. Many merchants donated without asking for rewards, merely hoping that when the railway opened, it would pass through their hometowns.
However, constructing the railway required strong central support; these merchants’ donations were merely a drop in the bucket, and the bulk of the funding had to come from Lind’s own pockets.
Not to mention, while the trains in this world did not burn coal, obelisks needed to be constructed at intervals to replenish magic power, requiring a government with strong executive capabilities and a healthy economy.
Once completed, Lind had nefarious methods at his disposal; he could easily acquire a railway for free if he desired. The railway was the lifeline of a nation, and Lind had to hold on to it firmly, never relinquishing it to others.
Moreover, in Lind’s view, providing inferior weapons to Doug’s army would be far less harmful than supplying sugar and potions.
A pile of obsolete firearms couldn’t even break through the standard-issued gear of Graywhite Territory, and given Doug’s management level and overall quality, these firearms wouldn’t be sold to Doug’s army, but rather to the still-unliberated commoners of the Northern Border, and Doug would have to pay for them himself.
Regardless, having unified weaponry was better than dealing with a jumble of firearms of unknown utility, at least one would be fully aware of the specifications of the opponent’s weapons.
Even if Lind didn’t sell them, the alchemists of this world would soon be able to replicate identical firearms; the method of making firearms in the royal capital would likely become widespread soon, and Doug would eventually figure out how to mass-produce them. It was better to profit substantially before that happened.
Thus, the money Doug spent on old-fashioned weapons would be used by Lind to build railways and develop new weapons, creating a positive cycle.
In any case, after clarifying everything to Jefferson, he finally accepted the mission.
Drawing on his experience from trading sugar and potions, Jefferson quickly connected with the merchants in Doug’s territory and through this line established contact with the Doug officials.
Unexpectedly, Doug valued this deal greatly and personally invited and met with Jefferson.
Perhaps due to the influence of Graywhite’s intelligence network, throughout the journey, Jefferson paid close attention to the living conditions of the common people in Doug’s territory as well as information about prices.
Jefferson could definitively assert that the economy in Doug was on the brink of collapse.
Moreover, although it had clearly entered spring, there were hardly any people preparing for the spring plowing in Doug’s territory. Most were elderly women turning the soil in the fields, and there weren’t even any young men or even a single old man in sight.
At that moment, Jefferson couldn’t help but feel that if the Lord Governor saw such a situation, he would surely be pained, knowing that so much good land was left uncultivated.
Returning to the present at the ball, Jefferson observed the nobles before him; these nobles were beyond mere opulence. Some had even designated individuals to catch their spat, claiming it was to maintain noble decorum and not sully Doug’s lavish carpets.
After all, human life was much cheaper than carpets.
Watching this scene turned Jefferson’s thoughts inward; the Lord Governor was right. What use would it be to sell weapons to such people? They would probably just use them for hunting and fireworks; it would be better to heavily profit from these people, at least giving them some contribution for the Northern Border.
Jefferson’s eyes regained their brilliance, lifting his cup gently towards Doug, saying, “To the Northern Border, I toast you, my lord, and all those present.”
