Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

Chapter 161: I Have To

The Golden State was serene and elegant, peaceful and quiet, just like Lady Isolde herself.

Lately, Emperor Alaric found himself weary of the gaudy, painted faces in the harem. What he longed for now was this calm and tranquillity. Here, he could almost forget all his burdens, at least for a little while.

Perhaps it was age. Perhaps just exhaustion. These days, he found himself recalling his own youth as a prince.

Back then, Prince Gerad, Prince Ezekiel, and the other princes were still by his side. But now, all that remained was a cold and lonely throne.

The very throne he had once pursued with madness and obsession.

"If Prince Ezekiel were the emperor now... Would the Eldorian Empire suffer such humiliation?"

The terrifying thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly shook it off in alarm.

Cold sweat soaked his back.

He let out a bitter laugh. Enough of that. I still have to deal with the reaver ultimatum and the endless bickering of my ministers. Looking at Lady Isolde’s lowered lashes, Alaric seemed to make up his mind.

"Prince Simon is carrying a heavy burden now." He said. "How could I turn a blind eye? His affairs are now state affairs."

Lady Isolde sighed. "It doesn’t seem like anything major, just that his domain ran out of nitre. Apparently, no merchants are delivering to Brambleford anymore?"

"Nitre?" Alaric frowned. "He’s making gunpowder? I didn’t expect he’d be capable of that too."

"I was surprised as well." Lady Isolde replied as she gently fed him a spoonful of porridge. "Our son seems to have picked up all sorts of skills. I don’t even know where he learned them."

"At least it’s better than when he was just a lazy prince." The emperor chuckled. "No matter where he learned it, it’s useful now."

Then his tone sharpened. "The only major nitre source in the empire is in Sylvaris City. Prince Gal must be behind this. Those two have never gotten along, even back in Eldora. Now that Prince Gal knows Simon needs nitre, he’s obviously playing games."

A father knows his sons well. Alaric understood Prince Gal’s petty nature all too clearly.

"Even now, the princes are scheming against one another." Lady Isolde muttered with a frown, clearly displeased.

It wasn’t often Alaric saw her lose her temper. He found it oddly refreshing, but said. "Of course, I’m just speculating. Even if it’s Prince Gal’s doing, confronting him directly would get me nothing but denials."

"Then what can we do? This nitre seems vital to Simon." She said worriedly.

"No matter," Alaric replied. "I’ll immediately order all nitre and gunpowder from the armoury to be allocated to him. I’ll also demand that Prince Gal deliver his nitre stockpile to Eldora. Let’s see if he dares refuse."

He had ruled for over thirty years. Court intrigue was second nature to him.

Lady Isolde nodded quietly. Neither of them fully understood how crucial gunpowder would become. They simply saw it as another resource like coal or iron.

Sighing, Alaric sat up and swung his legs off the bed. "There are twenty fire lances left in the arsenal. I’ll have those sent to him as well."

"Your Majesty, where are you going?" Lady Isolde asked with concern.

Simon’s needs can’t wait. Besides, I still have to deal with those nagging ministers."

He dressed and stepped out of the Golden State.

---

Outside the Imperial Court, a crowd of ministers were kneeling.

"Your Majesty, we beg you to reconsider!" They cried. "This is a rare opportunity for peace with the reavers. Think of the people!"

Alaric’s face was unreadable.

"If that’s how you feel." He said coolly. "Then any of you with daughters, send them into the castle. I’ll adopt them as imperial princesses. We’ll arrange the marriage alliance using your daughters."

The court froze.

Alaric had not taken the throne merely due to Prince Ravencrest’s support; he was also sharp as a blade.

In the past, he might’ve accepted the reavers’ terms for a decade of peace. But after witnessing the ambitions of the vassal lords, he saw the real danger.

The imperial family’s lands were shrinking, while these regional lords used ’defending the country’ as an excuse to demand money and grain. If this continued, the empire would fall into someone else’s hands.

So this time, he passed the burden back to them.

The ministers looked at each other in dismay. Sending the emperor’s daughter was easy; it didn’t affect them. But their own daughters?

Everyone knew how cruel and crude the nomads were. A daughter sent away like that might never live to see another day.

Still stunned, the ministers said nothing.

Then the emperor added. "And about the treasury, you all know we’re stretched thin from annual tributes. Perhaps you ministers could recommend which vassal lord we should borrow silver from?"

Another bombshell.

Looking at their anxious faces, Alaric gave a cold snort and swept away, leaving them speechless.

"This matter is settled." He declared. "If Prince Simon and Prince Gerad can’t defend Dunmere, so be it; it’s a failure of the royal family. But if they do and anyone dares suggest surrender again, I’ll have his head!"

He left.

The ministers slowly rose to their feet.

One of them asked. "Lord Darrel, what do we do now?"

"What do we do?" Darrel snapped. "You planning to send your daughter?"

"Of course not." The other replied sheepishly.

"Then we wait for Dunmere to fall. Our emperor won’t cry till he sees the coffin." Darrel sneered, then left humming a tune.

The other ministers quickly dispersed. There was no point staying.

---

Brambleford.

It had been twenty days since the newspaper announced the nitre buyback policy. With real silver being handed out, the people no longer hesitated. Homemade nitre production was booming.

Every day, government offices in towns and counties were lined with peasants carrying powder for sale.

Even though shipments from Eldora had brought plenty of nitre, Simon refused to stop local purchases.

Because the intelligence reports brought with those ships made clear: they had only two months left.

"Three months." Said Baldwin, standing in the command office. "Which means just over two months remain now."

Simon had received a letter from Alaric even before the supply ships arrived. The emperor’s anger practically leapt off the page, describing the reaver envoys’ arrogance in court.

But from that, they could also confirm one thing: the reavers would attack in three months.

Now they had barely two.

Staring at the twenty fire lances delivered alongside the letter, Simon said. "Exactly. We start now. In three days, the wheat outside the city will be ready for harvest. Send orders to every county, begin grain stockpiling. Also, start organising labour teams to transport supplies to Dunmere."

Baldwin nodded. "Leave it to me, Your Highness. I won’t let these tasks slow down your greater plans."