Allen had obtained crucial intelligence and had already formulated a countermeasure in advance.
Feeling confident and at ease, his mood was naturally cheerful.
He ignored Marianne’s gaze, which was almost scorching enough to burn him through, and reached out to ruffle Anna’s fiery red hair.
“Well done, Anna! Want to have a good meal? My treat!”
“Want to!”
Anna responded immediately.
So Allen bought several brightly colored macarons from a quaint dessert shop by the roadside and handed one to Anna.
“Yay!”
Anna cheered and rushed to give Allen a bear hug, but Allen was quick and blocked her with his arm.
He smiled and handed another colorful macaron to Marianne.
“Sorry, I called this a ‘date’ with you, but I was really just doing what I wanted.”
Allen’s voice carried a hint of sincere apology.
“I knew from the start.”
Marianne didn’t seem to hold any grudge.
She carefully bit into the expensive treat.
The delicate sweetness instantly melted on her tongue like dissolving sunshine.
Unconsciously, she squinted her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly as a pure and content smile blossomed on her face.
“If you really planned to go on a date with me, that would be the sky falling down. It’s so sweet…Allen.”
She naturally called him by his name, her voice carrying a sweet, lazy tone.
“Is that so?”
Allen took a bite as well.
Sweetness truly brings pleasure.
It is a physiological instinct encoded in human genes, with dopamine secretion brightening one’s mood.
However, unlike Marianne who simply indulged in sensory joy, Allen’s taste buds savored the sweetness while his mind raced, catching a subtle discord—
The source of the sugar!
In this world, the continent’s geography resembled an enlarged, stitched-together Europe plus North Africa and the Near East, with no natural environment for sugarcane to grow!
Macarons, expensive desserts requiring large amounts of refined sugar—where did the sugar come from?
Monopolized by the Church?
The Church monopolizing spices and sunflowers as cash crops was plausible, but monopolizing the sugar industry was likely impossible.
Sugarcane cultivation is a labor-intensive industry; the process is harsh and dangerous, requiring a large workforce working intensively under scorching heat.
The Church cared deeply about its image and reputation.
How could it let clergy do such dirty, exhausting labor?
They certainly wouldn’t openly support the Slave System!
That would conflict with their “Gospel of Suffering with the People”!
What about sugar beets—the other source?
Efficient extraction and purification of crystalline sugar from beets requires industrial chemical technology!
Given the Church’s level of technological blockade, this route was basically closed off.
The source of this sugar…was problematic!
Allen put down the macaron and looked at Marianne, asking directly, “Marianne, does the Kingdom grow sugarcane?”
“Mm,” Marianne swallowed the bite she had just taken and answered quickly, clearly familiar with this information, “The Duchy of the South monopolizes sugarcane cultivation and the sugar industry.”
Allen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“How do you know that?”
He had reincarnated many times but only knew about the Southern Duke NPC, never deeply investigated other related info.
A faint blush appeared on Marianne’s fair cheeks.
She lowered her head slightly, her voice tinged with a hint of pride and subtle shyness:
“I want to help Allen in all aspects, so I’ve learned a lot from Mr. Leclerc…including the Kingdom’s regional specialties and major industries.”
“I see!”
Allen’s eyes lit up instantly as if discovering a treasure.
He had only regarded Marianne as a sharp blade, a reliable companion—this was sheer waste, like hiding a bright pearl in the dark!
She was so smart, meticulous (even if sometimes with odd ideas), insanely fast at learning, with built-in intelligence radar to actively gather information.
Her!
Alive?
What kind of maid was this?
She was clearly a genius in intelligence work!
Allen instantly tagged Marianne in his mind as the future chief spy.
All those unsavory “wet work” missions, those requiring precise infiltration, subversion, and building intelligence networks…could all be entrusted to the personal maid slash Shadow Mistress.
This dual role was a perfect stage tailor-made for her.
Wait…this train of thought felt oddly familiar.
The Crimson Spiral Cult had recruited Marianne for the same “talent,” hoping to make her do similar dirty work.
Villainous ideas always bore remarkable resemblance!
Allen silently vented in his heart.
But well—
Allen’s smile suddenly turned solemn and righteous, filled with a “clearing evil for the people” mission: Thanks to the Cult brothers for painstakingly cultivating (exploiting) talents!
I, Allen de Laval, gratefully accept this “gift”!
You used Marianne for evil manipulation—an unforgivable sin!
But I…hehe, call it discerning talent and putting the right person in the right position!
This is righteous recycling!
Right?
Don’t worry!
To express my sincere gratitude…
I will uproot you all and wipe you out clean!
“Well done!”
Allen sincerely praised, his tone excited.
“How much do you know about the Duchy of the South? Can you tell me in detail?”
“Sure.”
Marianne nodded, her blush deepening as she saw Allen’s admiration.
She began to speak seriously.
As Marianne spoke, Allen realized the Kingdom of Lorraine’s structure was far more complex than he had imagined.
The Duchy of the South, nominally part of the Kingdom’s territory, was essentially a highly autonomous independent kingdom.
It had originally been an independent southern duchy sharing the same cultural sphere as Lorraine.
To jointly face the enormous threat of the Empire, it chose to merge with Lorraine.
The two only truly united during wartime and otherwise did not interfere with each other.
This “one country, two systems” patchwork extended even to the Church system—the Kingdom Church was split into the Northern Ecclesiastical Province (managing Lorraine proper) and the Southern Ecclesiastical Province (managing the entire duchy).
A nation’s quality is often revealed through contrast.
Compared to the Empire’s chaotic superstate—an amalgamation of countless small states warring externally and internally, never at peace for a millennium—
Lorraine’s “two-and-a-half states” patchwork seemed highly unified.
But this superficial unity could not hide the Southern region’s distorted prosperity.
The Duchy of the South’s ability to develop labor-intensive sugarcane plantations was rooted in its retention of a Slave System identical to the Empire’s.
Slaves’ blood and sweat watered this “prosperity.”
Besides the sugar industry, the region was riddled with exploitative factories.
Meanwhile, the Southern Duke tightly controlled the main overseas trade routes, reaping massive wealth.
Thanks to a relatively stable environment and ruthless exploitation, the southern economy in recent years even outpaced the disaster-ravaged north.
But beneath this affluent facade lay shocking division!
Vast wealth was swallowed by a tiny minority, while the vast majority struggled below the poverty line, thrown like fuel into the economic furnace.
Uprisings and riots flared up like underground fires, erupting endlessly.
What did this mean?
It meant the Duchy of the South was like a powder keg piled high with dry tinder!
Just one spark could ignite a blazing revolution!
More importantly, this seemingly powerful territory was militarily weak inside.
Except for the Duke himself, who wielded a strong Emblem Power, the South barely had any decent Crestbearers.
Its security relied heavily on mercenaries and support from the Kingdom.
Allen’s eyes shone brighter—this was undoubtedly the weakest, most lethal link in the old world’s chain!
Details!
That’s the power of details!
Going out for social investigation this afternoon was definitely the right move!
Allen looked at the nobles surrounded by servants and suddenly asked Marianne: “Marianne, what feeling does the Upper City give you?”
“Gorgeous, orderly…but lifeless,” Marianne thought for a moment and replied.
“Exactly.”
Allen nodded.
“Then what do you think…a world without nobles would look like?”
Marianne suddenly looked at Allen and immediately understood his true intention.
She didn’t answer directly, only whispered, “I think you’ll know very soon.”
Ahead was the Lower City.
As the three passed through the archway connecting the Upper and Lower City, the scene suddenly changed—
The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from bakeries, the clanging of the blacksmith’s hammer rang out, housewives with baskets, hawkers shouting, children running…
The bustling, lively atmosphere of the Lower City hit them full force.
“Wow! So much food!”
Reaching the crowded market, Anna instantly got excited, like a puppy smelling a meat bone.
Allen curiously observed the prosperous scene, as if transported back to his hometown.
The vibrant vitality, the competition of all living things—it was all right before his eyes.
He had another important task today at the market: to do the “King’s Capital Purchase Power Challenge” and get a grasp of current real prices.
How terrifying was 300,000 Livre?
Only firsthand experience would tell.
He stopped at a pottery stall.
Rough but practical earthenware pots and bowls were stacked.
A medium-sized soup bowl was priced at 5 Denier (about 0.02 Livre).
Nearby, a wood utensil and tool stall sold a sturdy small axe for 20 Denier (about 0.08 Livre).
The fabric stall displayed colorful but mostly coarse hemp and wool textiles, with a bolt of common local woolen cloth priced at about 1 Livre 10 Sol (1.5 Livre).
At the meat stall, fresh pork and mutton hung.
A pound of quality pork cost around 15 Denier (about 0.06 Livre).
In the live poultry area, a plump hen was repeatedly weighed by a woman and finally sold for 12 Denier (about 0.05 Livre).
Bread was the market’s star, exuding an inviting wheat aroma.
A loaf of rye bread enough for a strong laborer for a day was priced at 2 Denier (about 0.008 Livre).
Allen even spotted a small stall selling spices sourced through Church channels.
A small packet of pepper cost a staggering 2 Livre, which left him speechless.
He wandered, asking prices, jotting down and calculating in a little notebook.
Livre silver coins were minted in limited quantities and circulated little.
Apart from frequent use in noble circles, they mainly served as currency units in daily life.
Common folk mostly used the two subsidiary coins, Sol and Denier.
After investigation, Allen found that 1 Livre’s purchasing power far exceeded his expectations.
It could nearly cover a common family’s several days of food (black bread, beans, small amounts of meat), or buy several practical tools, even half a bolt of cloth.
This gave him a more intuitive and heavier sense of the terrifying weight of his family’s 300,000 Livre debt—
That was equivalent to the food for the entire Capital’s population for several days, or a mountain of massive supplies.
It was a mountain of gold capable of crushing anyone.
After strolling the market, Allen spent 1 Livre, most of which went into Anna’s belly.
“Allen, you’re such a generous guy!”
Anna had a skewer in one hand and a piece of honey cake in the other, happily munching while mumbling thanks.
“Slow down, don’t choke.”
Allen smiled helplessly.
Who could resist feeding their “dog” when she looked at you with those pitiful eyes?
Fortunately, Anna wasn’t wearing her Nun’s habit, or her gluttonous pose would have scared the townsfolk.
In this era, it was a luxury for ordinary people to eat meat every day.
Although the Church didn’t mandate fasting, monks and nuns maintained simple diets daily to show solidarity with the people.
Anna’s “passing through the stomach” style bore a somewhat “Buddha in the heart” unconventional vibe.
At that moment, Allen’s gaze was drawn to an elderly woman selling small accessories.
The stall displayed trinkets made of colorful glass beads, shells, and cheap metal wires.
He picked out a butterfly hairpin made of blue glass beads and fine copper wire, exquisitely crafted and reflecting a beautiful luster in the sunlight.
He imagined how it would look pinned on Marianne’s short black hair.
The old woman glanced at Allen’s simple clothes, then at Marianne, who wore a white dress but kept her eyes fixed on Allen with a hint of awkwardness.
She smiled simply: “Is this lovely lady your girlfriend? This butterfly hairpin suits her perfectly. It’s cheap, only 2 Su (0.1 Livre).”
“Girlfriend…”
Marianne’s cheeks instantly flushed bright red.
Seeing Marianne’s reaction, Allen shook his head with a smile.
“She’s my sister. Isn’t she cute?”
“Oh, I see.”
The old woman gave a knowing, ambiguous smile.
“Then you should definitely buy a gift for your cute ‘sister’.”
Allen looked at Marianne.
Though a bit annoyed by the “sister” label, her eyes couldn’t help but glance toward the pretty butterfly hairpin with a trace of hope.
This little gift must mean something special to her.
Allen thought for a moment and took out a 1 Livre silver coin.
The old woman looked at the large silver coin and hesitated, rubbing her hands nervously:
“Ah, sir, this…this is too big. I don’t have change. Do you have smaller coins?”
Allen searched his pockets but only found a few scattered Denier copper coins, less than 1 Su in total.
He felt a bit embarrassed, about to give up, when the old woman carefully studied his face.
Her cloudy eyes first showed doubt, then grew more and more suspicious.
Suddenly, she pointed at Allen, her voice trembling uncertainly: “You…you are Young Master Allen de Laval?”