The last rays of the sunset sank beneath the horizon, and the deep twilight enveloped the royal capital of Lucien.
Viscount Bernard de Laval sat inside his carriage, gazing out at the sparse stars gradually appearing in the night sky, still feeling as if he were trapped in a dreamlike haze.
After the Crown Prince’s Spy left, Allen pulled him and the old steward Jean Leclerc aside to elaborate on a business blueprint capable of overturning the entire kingdom’s understanding.
Newspapers, the printing revolution, the entertainment industry, mass media… these unheard-of concepts exploded like thunder in Bernard’s mind.
Most astonishingly, Allen even sketched a design on the spot for something called the “Printing Press”!
Such wisdom could only come from a God’s Messenger!
Bernard, a seasoned fox well-versed in the commercial seas, immediately saw the terrifying prospects and astronomical profits hidden within.
If the Laval House were still the financially powerful construction giant it once was, Bernard was absolutely confident this plan could create a monopolistic media empire, elevating the family into the kingdom’s highest ranks of nobility!
Unfortunately… reality was cruel. The Laval House was burdened with a massive debt of 300,000 livre.
Even the most optimistic estimates said it would take at least 50,000 livre in start-up capital to get this plan off the ground.
Where would the money come from?
Allen seemed to see through his father’s worries and dropped a viewpoint that left Bernard dumbfounded: “Father, the more you owe, the more you can borrow.”
“We have the Tax Farming Privilege. You are a Tax Farmer, which proves our strength and the royal family’s trust. Your noble title and social connections are the best credit endorsements!” Allen spoke confidently. “The private bankers in Lucien, those Noble Moneybags in their robes—what are they most interested in? Huge profits! Monopoly! The massive market of the future!”
“Take this business plan to them and tell them that investing in us is investing in the future! Using printing to monopolize knowledge dissemination, controlling public opinion through newspapers, making huge profits from books! When they’re attracted by the enormous profit prospects and trade their real gold for shares in our company, the Laval House’s credit will no longer be a problem! We’ll become more and more ‘valuable’!”
“As long as we can keep our industry’s expansion speed forever faster than the growth of debt, the Laval House can rise from the ashes, even stronger than before!”
Allen told Bernard that the financial market was actually supported by confidence.
Instead of convincing people the Laval House could pay off its loans, it was better to make them believe the Laval House would keep making big money.
Allen’s depiction of modern financial thinking was like a dimensionality reduction strike, completely shocking Bernard the traditional businessman.
So this is how finance works? This… this was like opening the door to a new world!
Bernard, whose commercial thinking had been sharply expanded by Allen, felt his mind instantly upgraded!
Why cling to that half-dead construction business?
He should have already gone all-in, mortgaged all those bad assets, and gambled everything on the media industry!
Father and son immediately threw themselves into work, jointly creating a detailed business plan: clearly explaining the revolutionary nature of printing technology, the profit model (newspaper subscriptions, book sales, advertising revenue), the investment required, and the enticing expected returns.
Once the plan was complete, Bernard wasted no time and took it to bankers he knew.
With his seasoned commercial mind, the aura brought by his noble status, and the plan depicting a blueprint of “monopoly profits,” he successfully ignited the interest of several bankers.
Especially when he visited one wealthy banker who also held a noble title, the man revealed a crucial piece of information:
Crown Prince Charles Durand had actively reached out in goodwill to the Laval House!
The most obvious proof was that the “Sword-Bearing Nobles” were preparing to repay the money they owed the Laval House.
Those greedy Sword-Bearing Nobles actually paying their debts? This was unprecedented!
This sudden shift in political winds became the final straw that broke the camel’s back, prompting the bankers who had been hesitating to make up their minds and join this high-risk, high-reward gamble!
Thus, when Bernard discovered the Laval House had not only escaped the brink of bankruptcy but unexpectedly gained the strong backing of a large group of private bankers, he could only feel that happiness had arrived too fast, too unreal!
“Old Jean…” Bernard leaned against the soft cushion of the carriage, his voice tinged with a dreamy tone, “this is incredible… do you think the Crown Prince’s Spy showing up was also part of Allen’s plan?”
The steward Jean Leclerc, driving the carriage, wore a gratified smile: “Of course, my lord. The young master is a God’s Messenger and naturally sees through everything. My progress this afternoon went smoothly too. The young master’s blueprint received the approval of one of the capital’s top craftsmen. He is willing to build the first printing press prototype for us free of charge and mobilize all his connections to quickly cast a sufficient number of uniform movable types. The printing press could be operational within a few weeks.”
Bernard was a little surprised: “Free? What does he want in return?”
“To be remembered forever.” The steward explained, “He saw at once that this invention would change history. He only asks that the young master add his name as co-inventor of the printing press.”
“…I see.” Bernard suddenly understood.
For a God’s Messenger like Allen, eternal fame might be trivial, but for ordinary people, this was a lifelong pursuit of glory.
“What is the name of this craftsman?”
“He is an exile from the Empire. His name seems to be Gutenberg.”
History’s coincidences were astonishing.
In this other world, a craftsman named Gutenberg was about to accomplish a feat strikingly similar to one in Earth’s history.
Bernard’s mind raced, filled with plans for the future.
Now money was no longer the problem; the question was how to spend it quickly and earn it back even faster!
Which paper supplier to choose? Where to set up the printing shop? How to gather and edit newspaper content? How to design the layout?
He even thought about first building a small printing workshop to print collections of short stories or poetry popular among nobles, proving profitability and market acceptance, then using that successful case to leverage larger-scale investments!
Allen never doubted his father’s business acumen, and Bernard did not disappoint Allen’s expectations.
Allen drew the blueprint, and this former construction giant clearly planned how to lay the foundation and place every brick.
Bernard felt that he and his son had finally established an unprecedented, absolutely trusting intimacy.
Father and son united, their strength could cut through steel!
Of course, the only “flaw” was that when Allen heard Bernard had really written to the Count of the Borderlands asking for 100,000 livre as a dowry, he showed a face full of despair.
“I’m doomed.”
Bernard had never met his future daughter-in-law Livia von Stern and didn’t understand why his son seemed inexplicably averse to her.
He could say that Livia von Stern was a powerful, war-heroine beauty!
What was wrong with such a daughter-in-law?
Besides, it was Allen who insisted on asking for a larger dowry—how could that be called overreaching?
Well, young people’s matters were best left to them to fuss over!
Bernard de Laval was determined to create new glory for his family!
When Bernard and the old steward returned home and stepped into the dining hall for dinner, they found Allen was not there.
The only maid left told them, “My lord, the young master is in the dining hall… and quite a few of the young master’s new friends are here as well.”
“New friends?” Bernard walked toward the dining hall with curiosity.
The moment he entered, he nearly blinded himself with the sight before him!
The dining hall was packed! Several long tables had been added, filled with all kinds of people.
Most wore tattered, stained clothes; their hair greasy and tangled; their faces marked by chronic malnutrition and the roughness left by life’s struggles.
Their composition was complex. Besides some teenagers, there were elders, disabled people, orphans not yet grown, and even a few pale, skinny young girls.
They devoured the food on their plates with no sense of decorum, consuming visibly at a rapid rate.
Chewing sounds, smacking lips, and satisfied hums mixed into an extremely “spectacular” scene.
Bernard felt his vision darken.
Where had this group of beggars suddenly appeared from?!
He instinctively searched for the conspicuous red-haired figure: “Is that red-haired nun named Anna not here today?”
“Anna was taken back to the Inquisition to write a report.”
Allen’s voice suddenly sounded beside Bernard, startling him.
“Allen, when did you get here?” Bernard was still shaken.
“I’ve been here all along.”
Allen stepped out from the shadows in the corner of the dining hall, a mischievous smile on his face.
This was a basic stealth skill taught to him by Marianne.
“Is that so?” Bernard eyed his son suspiciously and lowered his voice. “Son, have we turned into a relief home? What’s with all these beggars?”
Allen laughed, patting his father’s shoulder. “They are your new employees.”
“New employees?” Bernard scrutinized the group again, keenly detecting that underworld vibe emanating from them. “They are… gang members?”
“That’s right. They are members of the Wild Dog Gang. They used to freeload under my banner, and now I’ve recruited them.” Allen said casually. “Oh, and father, you don’t know yet that I publicly confessed and recruited them this afternoon, do you?”
He briefly told his father about the afternoon’s price survey, the public confession, recruiting the Wild Dog Gang, interrogating cultists, and reaching a cooperation deal with Judge Victor.
Bernard listened with bated breath but quickly fell into character.
He sighed, “Son, you really are a genius. If you were in charge of running the country, maybe you could build a heaven on earth.”
Allen responded humorously, “Before that, let me build a heaven underground.”
“But son, what exactly do you mean by new employees?”
Bernard still didn’t quite understand what these people could do.
“Father, if we’re going to publish newspapers, where will the news come from? How do we get the newspapers into readers’ hands? Especially in the Lower District?” Allen pointed out the key.
Bernard suddenly realized, “Indeed! Setting aside the noble circles, the Lower District is a chaotic mix. We need people familiar with the area to distribute newspapers. The newspaper company needs locals like them because they know best how to gather information and get things into people’s hands!”
“Father, what I want them to do goes far beyond that.” Allen looked into his father’s eyes.
In this world, Bernard was one of the very few people Allen could fully trust and share his ultimate plans with.
After all, these two were the best unlucky duo who had died together 999 times!
Allen revealed his true plan to Bernard—
He intended to create a secret society called the Brotherhood of the Children of Dawn.
The Wild Dog Gang would become the Brotherhood’s first members.
At first, Allen wanted to name the organization the Nod Brotherhood or Epsilon, but he always felt those names sounded like death flags and decided against it.
Those ominous villainous-sounding names would have to wait until he became an evil big bald guy!