How does it feel to rise to the heavens in a single step?
Perhaps it is best captured by those ancient verses: ‘On the spring breeze, the horse’s hooves gallop fast, seeing all the flowers of Chang’an in a single day.’
Inside the solemn Royal Palace, a long corridor stretched forward as if it had no end.
On both sides of the hallway, attendants in royal uniforms and guards clad in sturdy armor stood in formation.
They were like silent sculptures, creating an atmosphere of grand spectacle and giving this newly appointed Minister of Finance the dignity he deserved.
However, the gazes cast upon him — whether scrutinizing, curious, or indifferent — were like invisible blades, testing the mental fortitude of anyone who dared to set foot there.
Bernard de Laval, the former merchant and current Viscount, walked with a spring in his step, passing through the heavy doors that swung open for him with composed ease.
His slightly stout frame was wrapped in an expensive formal suit.
As he walked, he showed none of the restraint typical of the Robe Nobility; instead, he exuded the composure of one who had weathered many storms in the sea of commerce.
The slight cowardice he only ever showed to his son at home had been completely tucked away.
His expression was blank, and his eyes were firm. Every step he took was solid and unshakable, like a mountain.
Those doors represented many things: estrangement, class, barriers, and natural chasms that countless people could never cross in their entire lives.
But today, they opened one by one before Bernard.
He knew that once he pushed open the final door, he would enter the Throne Hall and step into the true center of power in this Kingdom.
The Holy Scripture said: ‘You must enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.’
The doors leading to power, wealth, and desire were always wide and tempting.
But that was not the path he intended to take.
At this moment, he was more like a warrior walking toward a dragon’s lair — not to slay the beast, nor to become a new dragon himself.
The place he wanted to enter was the ‘narrow gate’ hidden in the deepest reaches of the dragon’s den.
It was the path of reform, destined to be covered in thorns and blood, planned by his son — the Messenger of God — to save this sinking world.
He had already seared every word of the reform plan his son had written into his mind.
Today, he would take this grand vision — one that was advanced enough to overturn an era and nearly insane in its boldness — and meet the heart of the Kingdom with the mindset of a beast.
He did not fear becoming a martyr.
For he firmly believed that at the final hour, he would return to God’s Paradise.
He was fully prepared.
Thus, he reached out his hand and steadily pushed open the door.
Inside the magnificent Throne Hall, Louis XI was already waiting for him.
To his surprise, however, the King was not seated upon the high throne. Instead, he stood at the bottom of the steps with an inscrutable smile on his face.
“My dear Minister, I have been waiting for you for a long time.”
Bernard was about to kneel on one knee to pay his respects, but the King caught him by the arm.
“Dispense with these formalities,” Louis XI said, his voice loud and powerful.
His sharp gaze scrutinized Bernard, as if trying to pierce through the fine clothes to see the essence beneath.
“My dear Minister of Finance, what gift have you brought for me?”
The King went straight to the point.
This meeting was completely different from any past audience between a monarch and his subject.
The past Ministers of Finance had been either greedy corruptors or mere puppets of power.
Bernard, however, was a pragmatist who brought subversion.
Indeed, unlike his idealistic son, Bernard himself possessed no grand ideals.
His only ideal was to turn Allen’s dreams into reality, and for that, he was willing to throw himself into the fray without hesitation.
Currently, the commoners were in dire straits, and the relationship between the ruler and his subjects was as precarious as a pile of eggs.
Bernard bore the heavy responsibility of propping up a collapsing building.
At this moment, the King and his subject no longer needed to maintain the empty etiquette designed to decorate royal power.
Their goals were aligned, and their urgency was mutual.
They were not only trying to save this 1,000-year-old kingdom that was one foot in the grave, but also seeking a path of revenge and rebirth for the 10,000-year cycle of reincarnation and destruction of Humanity.
The moment Bernard looked into the King’s eyes, he understood completely.
There was not a trace of the rumored madness or decadence in those eyes.
There was only bottomless wisdom and the majesty and urgency of a slumbering lion that had finally awakened.
This ‘Mad King’ had been lying low, waiting. And now, he was beginning to show the fangs of the king of beasts.
What Bernard had brought was exactly the gift that could provide this lion with a feast.
“Your Majesty, the gift I have brought for you is called the Four Modernizations.”
“The Four Modernizations?” A flash of intense interest crossed the King’s eyes.
He pondered for a moment and then affectionately took Bernard’s arm, as if treating a long-lost friend.
“Come, my dear Minister. Let us find a comfortable place to talk slowly.”
The King did not lead him to any of the magnificent drawing rooms. Instead, they passed through several hidden corridors and arrived at an unremarkable iron door.
As the door opened, Bernard’s pupils contracted slightly.
This was not the luxurious study one would expect of a king; it looked more like an Alchemy Workshop.
The room was not particularly tidy; in fact, it was somewhat cluttered. Massive bookshelves were stuffed with various heavy volumes, ranging from philosophy and history to theology and law.
Exquisite devices he had never seen before were placed throughout the room.
On the desk lay scattered blueprints depicting complex mechanical structures, as well as glass jars and bottles of strange shapes — likely some kind of alchemical tools.
What surprised Bernard most was a strange metal model in the center of the room.
It was shaped like a slender cone with several horn-like openings at the bottom.
It shimmered with a cold, silver-gray luster, exuding a sense of simple, pure power that seemed to transcend the era.
Bernard realized that he was likely the first outsider to enter this study.
Even the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Princess had probably never set foot in this secret place.
“Sit.”
The King gestured casually toward a comfortable-looking armchair while he walked over to a strange metal pot and began tinkering with it.
Soon, a rich and peculiar bitter aroma filled the air.
The King personally brought Bernard a cup of dark brown, steaming liquid and took one for himself.
“Try it. A gift from an old friend. This stuff is called coffee; it clears the mind.”
The King’s tone was as relaxed as if he were chatting with a neighbor, showing no royal pretension at all.
Bernard took a sip as the King did. The intense bitterness instantly washed over his taste buds, and he nearly spat it out on the spot.
He instinctively thought the King was making things difficult for him on purpose, but seeing the King enjoying it with a look of pleasure, he could only grit his teeth and take a few more sips.
Strangely, after that extreme bitterness, a mellow and fragrant aftertaste slowly emerged.
“Speaking of which,” the King said, setting down his cup as his expression shifted to one of slight gossip, “The duel between your son and that girl from the Stern family was truly spectacular. Two young heroes joining forces to repel that terrifying monster — it is truly a blessing for the Capital. It doesn’t matter if the youngsters bicker a bit. As a father, how do you view their marriage?”
“Your Majesty,” Bernard replied calmly, “that is a matter for the young people. We should let them handle it themselves.”
“Well said!” the King applauded in agreement.
“Romance and marriage should be autonomous! I never interfere with my own two children either. Times have changed, my dear Minister. We old-timers shouldn’t use old perspectives to bind them anymore.”
The King’s phrase ‘times have changed’ exploded in Bernard’s mind like a bolt of lightning.
He understood in an instant that he was not facing a crazed monarch who needed to be flattered and soothed, but a fellow traveler who craved change even more radically than he did.
The warm atmosphere of casual chatting vanished in an instant.
The King’s expression turned serious. He leaned forward slightly, and the atmosphere in the study suddenly tightened. An invisible pressure rushed toward Bernard.
“Come now, my dear Minister of Finance. Let me hear exactly what these ‘Four Modernizations’ of yours are. What kind of earth-shattering treasures have you brought?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Bernard set down the cup of coffee that was bitter enough to sharpen his nerves and straightened his back.
The grand blueprint that could turn a 1,000-year-old kingdom upside down was slowly revealed through his words.
“First is agricultural modernization. Its goal is to stabilize the foundation of our food supply and truly extend the roots of royal power into every village of the Kingdom. There are three specific measures.”
“First, establish the ‘Royal Academy of Agricultural Sciences.’ We will gather the Kingdom’s best agronomists to promote new crop rotation systems, improved plows, and scientific seed selection methods.”
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