Half an hour later, in the conference room of the Governor's Mansion.

Catherine and several trusted secretaries, who were maids from the Grenville family, watched the silver-haired girl speaking eloquently before them.

They silently mulled over the new concept she had presented, which promised to be highly profitable:

"The industrial and agricultural price disparity in international trade?"

"Precisely, the price disparity. In fact, this theory already had an embryonic form in the Artisan section of the 'Key of Omniscience,' sparking major discussions among Tower Sequence Transcendents. I've just refined it a bit on that basis and am preparing to put it into practice in the Banta'an Archipelago, the most vibrant place."

Miss Violet nodded slightly. Tapping her petite foot lightly on the ground, she activated her Third Order ability, "Alchemy."

A circular Alchemy Array inscribed with special characters appeared explosively underfoot. The smooth stone slabs on the ground rose in place, transforming into a blackboard.

With a tap of her delicate fingers, a chart that Catherine, who majored in finance, could understand automatically appeared on its surface.

Two price curves representing industrial and agricultural goods intersected, forming a "large pair of scissors" that made financial personnel shudder. It almost seemed as if one could hear the SNIP! SNIP! of frantic wool-shearing.

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...

Miss Violet tapped the blackboard.

"As I define it, the price disparity in international trade refers to the difference that arises when industrial goods are exchanged between countries at prices above their intrinsic value, and agricultural products at prices below their value.

"There are mainly two forms of expression.

"The first one is the price disparity that manifests through dynamic price fluctuations. Imagine, when general prices rise, isn't the increase in agricultural product prices often less than the increase in industrial goods prices? And when general prices fall, isn't the decrease in industrial goods prices often less than that of agricultural products? Simply put, when prices fluctuate, the amount of industrial goods one can exchange for the same amount of agricultural products decreases, making industrial goods more valuable."

Pointing to the chart on the blackboard, she summed up, "If the price movements of industrial and agricultural products over a certain period are shown on a statistical chart, then the price of industrial goods will clearly trend upwards, while that of agricultural products will trend downwards. Their shapes resemble an open pair of scissors, which is why I named it the industrial and agricultural price disparity!"

Ordinary people might not understand a word she was saying, but Catherine, who had studied economics and finance, immediately got it.

She twirled her feather pen and continued, following Miss Violet's explanation, "I think I understand. According to your theory, the other form of disparity should be the degree to which prices deviate from value. When we exchange agricultural products priced below their value for industrial goods priced above their value, a significant difference will also emerge. This reveals a serious inequity in trade between industrial and agricultural products. Part of the excessive profits currently obtained by the Old Continent nations in the Banta'an Archipelago comes from this."

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP...

Miss Violet couldn't help but applaud her, visibly pleased with her forthcoming comrade-in-arms. The stronger Catherine's abilities, the happier she became.

She was also generous with her praise, "Excellent, just like that. You truly live up to your reputation as the 'Mithril Dragon.' Lady Earl, if you had pursued the Tower Sequence, you would definitely be a great and renowned scholar by now. Moreover, this is not subjective speculation but true social science.

"If we ignore transcendent abilities and compare based only on productivity, the Old Continent nations, which have evolved to the era of massive ships and big guns, clearly have an overwhelming advantage over the indigenous people, who haven't even invented the wheel in their Stone Age.

"So the key question arises: if we can improve production efficiency tenfold or a hundredfold, further widening the price disparity—that is, the gap in excess profits—could our foreign trade system not then evolve into another form of national tribute system? Every foreign transaction would become a tribute from a less developed nation to us. Moreover, it's more covert and less noticeable. Whether it's the indigenous city-states or other countries of the Old Continent, they'll have their wool sheared effortlessly by us without even realizing it. This colonial system's approach will surely surpass the Castilians' tactics of city slaughtering and nation annihilation."

As Catherine began to grasp the essence of the issue and her eyes brightened, Miss Violet's voice tempted her like that of a devil, "Backward civilizations yearn for the lifestyle of more advanced ones, naturally converging to live in big cities, assimilating imperceptibly like a misty rain. This is merely a longing for a better life, a natural human desire.

"Once this project is launched, the Rapid Stream Port constructed on Yucatan Island will siphon in tens of millions of people, elites, goods, gold, and silver from both empires and those scattered tribes... gradually growing into a super-city with a population of one million, even ten million. Even without widespread occupation of indigenous lands, this city alone could contend with an Old Continent nation by its own might."

Catherine's eyes sparkled as she listened keenly.

You must understand, her Supreme Art forges its blade with gold, its edge with silver, its spine with credit, its hilt with finances, its Sword Scabbard with money markets, and its counterweight with commodities. She rules by market regulations, enforces with power, laws, and force; "investment" is her slash, "consumption" her thrust, and "export" her slice. These three sets of Sword Moves are actually the three drivers of economic growth.

If "financial instruments" are one edge of this sword, then "large-scale industrialization," as mentioned by Miss Violet, is undoubtedly the other sharp edge!

With this sword drawn, she would be invincible.

With a resolute slap of her small hand, she declared definitively, "I, the 'Mithril Dragon,' am in for this project!"

Her bright eyes then focused intently on the Third Order Grand Artificer before her, and she asked, "So, Miss Violet, why did you choose the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company? For a Grand Artificer of your caliber, there must have been many better options, right? Although we consider ourselves to have unlimited potential, compared to those national powers or the Pirate King groups, we're still worlds apart."

Hearing this question, Miss Violet blinked her large, sparkling eyes and thought to herself:

Should I say that I'm actually in cahoots with your family's Byron? And I think Byron, although cunning and scheming, doesn't understand women at all. The only thing they'll admit they were wrong about in their entire lives is this: 'I must have been blind to marry you.' As long as Catherine herself approves the project, even if they can't recoup the costs for a long time, she won't be able to blame Byron, who planned it all in secret. Instead, she'll have to grit her teeth and continue investing. A project one starts oneself must be pursued to the end, even through tears. Just occasionally give her a little something sweet, let her see hope, and the plan will be perfect.

If Byron were to find out, he'd likely immediately think of scams like "returning next week" or "car delivery next year." He'd give a big thumbs up and exclaim in admiration, "You're truly a copywriting genius, damn it!"

Besides, in Catherine's eyes, foreign Priests are better at chanting scriptures. A grand blueprint proposed by a Third Order Grand Artificer is always more professional than one from her foolish younger brother, who only knows fighting and killing. He's just a Pirate General; what could he possibly understand about industrialization? That's why I decided to bypass Byron and directly win over Catherine, making her willingly approve the project herself.

But when she spoke, what came out was, "Ah, it's mainly because I heard so much about the two of you on my way here; I've long felt a spiritual connection. Especially with Mr. Byron Tudor, the 'Sea Hunter,' who is already one of the brightest new stars of the Banta'an Archipelago, possessing far-sighted vision and a promising future. Like the Pirate Kings, creating a domain fit for a king is certainly not out of the question for him. After all, as the saying goes, if you want to marry a general, you should do it when he's still a foot soldier. If you want to be a founding senior member of a great power, you should invest in it when it's still obscure, don't you think?"

Catherine's "Golden Law" enveloped every corner of the room.

Immediately, she was certain that even if Miss Violet was hiding something, everything she said was definitely sincere!

If anyone praised her own beauty or wealth, she could take it lightly. But praising her brother struck a chord deep in her heart, sweeter than honey.

She immediately smiled and approved, "Very good, Miss Violet. From today onward, you will be the Chief Engineer of the large-scale industrialization project. I've decided to give you... the Torrent Fortress as your 'experimental field' and production center."

Miss Violet smiled too. "It's an immense honor."

Everything was settled.

The prettier the woman, the more deceitful—indeed, a fundamental truth of humanity.

Miss Violet's status instantly shifted from Byron's designated Chief Engineer to Catherine's Goddess of Wealth.

And so, when Byron discovered Violet's whereabouts via the "Golden Law" and rushed back, fearing the two women had come to blows, he was surprised. He found the two stunning beauties already having dinner, chatting merrily as if they were long-time best friends; their combined presence was somewhat dazzling.

Catherine, at 172 cm tall, had long, shapely legs that were full and firm—a golden ratio of a willowy branch bearing heavy fruit—her figure explosive and enticing.

Miss Violet appeared petite and exquisite in comparison, around 165 cm tall without her disguise. Compared to the former's turbulent waves, she could only be described as having a well-proportioned figure, perfectly balanced.

Compared to Byron himself, who had grown to 190 cm, she seemed as if she could dance in his palm.

Byron had never seen the girl's murderous other side and only found her light and flexible, sweet and adorable.

Alas, even their breathtaking beauty could not genuinely move his "face-blind" heart. It was like a breeze on his face, causing no ripples.

It was only after Byron learned the details from Catherine that he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

"You..."

"What 'you'? Do you think this grand industrial plan isn't good? Or are you trying to prevent the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company from reaching new heights?"

"I..."

"What 'I'? On your return trip, bring Miss Violet back with you. This time we've really stumbled upon a Goddess of Wealth. From now on, you must treat Miss Violet with the same respect you show me, understand?"

Seeing his sister immersed in the prospects of wealth, and Miss Violet making a cute face at him from behind Catherine, Byron secretly shook his head.

Catherine, you'll regret this! he thought. And yet, titles like "My Best Friend's Little Brother" or "My Sister's Best Friend"...avi couldn't help but surface in his mind. Why do I feel a bit thrilled about this?