CHAPTER 479: SPREAD OF IDEAS

History does not bend to the will of man!

Paul now deeply understands the meaning of this phrase.

This morning, as soon as he sat down in his office, Hansel brought him a troublesome figure—Gerald Rodney, the nephew of the current king. He then explained his purpose.

Paul’s current dilemma stems from this.

Looking at Count Gerald, who was smiling and leisurely examining the furnishings in his reception room, Paul felt somewhat displeased.

Introducing industrial technology from Alda to the royal territories?

Good heavens, Paul had always kept a low profile in all but necessary affairs, fearing the attention of some bigwig from beyond the Northwestern Bay on his little plot of land.

Count Alda wanted to quietly make a fortune.

The diffusion of technology?

Of course, this was inevitable, an unstoppable historical trend. Paul would even actively promote this when the time was right.

The question was whether the time was ripe.

Paul hoped the spread of technology would remain within his control.

Centered in Alda, the technology would gradually diffuse outward, near and far.

Alda, as the origin and pinnacle of this technology, would continually upgrade and innovate, constantly leading the development trend.

Always getting the first bite of the fat.

Now, the Kingdom of Ordo has abruptly entered the scene.

Heavenly Father, with the territories and population under royal control, the abundance of resources and talent, once they fully grasped what he had developed, with proper measures by the authorities and some necessary reforms, they could immediately sideline Alda and even the Northwestern Bay.

The Northwestern Bay, just beginning to thrive, would again become a small corner of the Kingdom of Ordo.

History does not bend to the will of man.

Paul repeated this phrase in his heart again, both as a lament and as self-comfort.

Gerald was very observant of the Grayman family’s reception room.

In his eyes, considering the status of a noble, the decoration and furnishings here were extremely simple.

The floor was covered with a common carpet, showing signs of wear. The walls, devoid of valuable paintings, exquisite sculptures, or animal head specimens, were merely painted white, underlaid with modest brown wooden wainscoting.

Since his arrival, he had seen only four servants, excluding the security guards. One was weeding the garden, one cleaning the corridor, one who had brought him tea, and an old butler who had led him into the reception room.

If the nobles of the Northwestern Bay lived like Count Grayman here, then this land truly deserved the description of the royal capital’s nobility—a remote and impoverished, harsh and cold place.

How does a noble of moderate means live in the south?

The servants attending to him alone include, but are not limited to, tailors, cobblers, saddlers, carpenters, grooms, stable boys, dairy maids, pharmacists, musicians, male and female actors, poets, architects, painters, and more. Essential personal servants such as chefs, bakers, pastry chefs, dishwashers, female ironers, male stewards managing meals, specialized meat carvers at meals, and bartenders mixing drinks and beverages are also necessary. Typically, each of the aforementioned jobs is handled by several people, not just one, and some servants even have their own assistants to help them.

Wealthier nobles often have multiple residences, each typically equipped with a complete set of servants as mentioned above.

Gerald’s father, Prince Jassim Rodney, had arranged for 17 manservants in his front hall, required to be at the ready day and night, prepared to fulfill their specific duties at a moment’s notice or a mere gesture from the Prince. One was ready to fetch his master’s pipe, another to bring a glass of water, and another to pick up a book, among other tasks.

In contrast, Gerald only saw four servants in the Grayman family estate. In the circles of the Crystal Shine nobility, describing this as poverty would be an insult to the word itself; it didn’t even come close to the threshold of noble living.

Paul noticed Gerald’s scrutiny of the interior and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Cough! We people of the Northwest tend to admire simplicity.”

In truth, Paul also wished to adorn his ancestral castle more elegantly, even if just with some precious flowers and plants.

But he lacked the funds.

Since the establishment of the public treasury, all kinds of taxes from his territory and the industries established under the Administration Council, like mines and ironworks, had their profits channeled into the public coffers.

The various estates and properties directly operated by the Grayman family were retained, along with workshops established in the family’s name, such as the highly profitable porcelain kiln. These industries brought great wealth annually, constituting Paul’s private treasury for the Grayman family.

In the eyes of people of this era, public and private treasuries were just like pouches hanging on the lord’s left and right hips. After all, everything on this land, even living people, legally belonged to the lord.

But Paul, who had traversed from Earth in the 21st century, still had a bit of historical consciousness.

He intended to use the public treasury solely for the development of the territory, never taking even a copper coin for himself.

Of course, he wasn’t so noble; the private treasury was reserved for his enjoyment. Not to live in debauchery would be a waste of his transmigration.

But, as they say, reality is often disappointing. In rapidly developing Alda—and also in Baylding and Emden—money was needed everywhere: in education, military construction, technology research, urban expansion, bridge and road repairs, water conservancy projects, and salaries for the growing administrative system. The public treasury alone was insufficient to cover these expenses. The shortfall was often met by issuing bonds to the public, which ultimately needed repayment, and by taking money from the Grayman family’s private treasury. Paul had no intention of having the Administration Council repay this—viewed by others as merely shifting money from one hand to the other.

Additionally, Paul occasionally had to financially support some less fortunate branches of his family.

Each time he spent money, Paul hoped it would be the last time, but soon enough, another unignorable financial gap would emerge.

For various reasons, the lord was currently “poor.”

But he was confident that, with the continued development of the Northwestern Bay, the public finances, primarily fueled by taxes and profits from public industries and supplemented by bond issuance, would grow stronger and eventually fully shoulder the costs of territorial development.

Then, he could live lavishly off his private treasury.

Holding onto this beautiful dream, the count diligently worked day after day, year after year.