Chapter 865: Mind Reading
“Wh—at?”
George blinked. For a moment he was not sure his ears had worked correctly.
He turned to look at Guye beside him and found the earl’s face a mirror of his own—pure, unguarded bewilderment. Around the hall, the assembled nobles wore variations of the same expression. The room had gone still enough that he could hear the lake shifting under the building’s pilings.
This had not been part of the plan.
Did Roland somehow persuade Earl Delta in advance?
He glanced at the Lord of Redwater City. Delta was no calmer than anyone else—his eyes wide, his jaw slightly open, staring at the new king with the expression of a man who had been handed someone else’s catastrophe. Whatever Roland had announced, Delta had not been warned of it. The banquet in the Lakeside Villa had been, for Earl Delta, routine hospitality. For the rest of them, the same.
This was Roland acting alone.
Is he mad?
“I think most of you have observed that the feudal system has severely obstructed the flow and specialization of personnel,” Roland continued, as if speaking to an audience of one who already agreed with him. “This has, in turn, restricted the growth of our nation’s productive capacity. Given that Graycastle—and indeed the entire human race—may soon face a crisis of considerable magnitude, I have made this difficult decision: I am reclaiming all the land and authority currently in your hands, so that the people of Graycastle may work as one body.”
Specialization of personnel. Productive capacity. Crisis. George’s mind processed the words and found nothing to grip. What does any of that mean in a hall full of nobles?
Roland didn’t appear concerned about their opinions. He kept speaking as though alone in a room. “The Western and Northern regions are proof of what I am telling you. The disappearance of the feudal nobility in those regions produced not chaos but order. Unified decree, unified planning, unified policy deployment have driven cities into what I would call an industrial age—large factories have displaced the household workshop as the primary engine of production. Wealth has been created in quantities that would not have been possible under the old arrangement, and the people who participated actively have benefited greatly. These are facts. I believe you have seen evidence of them yourselves.”
He paused.
“I do not mean to eliminate the noble class entirely. Losing your manor and your hereditary title does not mean losing everything. Consider: a cake the size of your palm might satisfy one man’s hunger, barely. But if you could make that cake the size of a table, even a single slice would be more than enough. The reform I am proposing benefits not only you but your subjects. Many of you have heard of it, I think?”
George had recovered his composure by now. The initial shock had cleared, and what replaced it surprised him: this might be useful. Reaching a consensus among the assembled nobles in advance had always been the difficult part of his plan. Roland had just done the work for him—he had united the room against himself. George could see it in the way the nobles were watching each other, the way shoulders had stiffened and hands had tightened on wineglasses.
“Your Majesty—I am not familiar with conditions in the Western or Northern regions. Might Your Majesty allow me a few days to consider?”
“This decision would determine my family’s fate. I cannot answer alone.”
“Can you guarantee that each of us will receive more wealth than we have now?”
“What if the reform fails? If we surrender our lands and the reform collapses, haven’t we lost even the small cake we had?”
“Your policy may be wise, but I am not a merchant, Your Majesty—”
“Yes,” George thought with quiet satisfaction. Keep asking. Every question you throw at him makes me look more clear-sighted by comparison.
Roland’s expression did not change. He let the questions accumulate, then raised one hand.
The hall went quiet.
“You seem to be under a misapprehension,” he said. His tone had altered—still unhurried, but with something colder in it now. “What I said was not a suggestion. It was an order. You do not, in fact, have any say in this matter.” He looked around the room. “I already know who will join me in the progress ahead, and who will plant themselves in the road like stones and be ground to dust.”
Earl Delta said, startled: “How—how do you know that?”
A smile moved across Roland’s face. “Because I can read minds.”
Silence.
“What did you—”
“Skepticism is normal when confronted with something beyond your experience.” Roland turned and made a small gesture toward Edith. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
The Pearl of the Northern Region inclined her head. She looked across the assembled nobles with an expression of pleasant authority. “His Majesty’s ability can be verified simply. All you need to do is repeat the words I say aloud, and you will understand immediately—no lie can pass undetected under His Majesty’s mind-reading. The Wimbledon rule of Graycastle depends on mastery of this ability. Anyone who does not repeat after me will be considered among those stones in the road.”
Complete nonsense, George thought with considerable energy. There is no such thing as mind-reading. If a witch had claimed it, it might at least carry some weight. This is theater.
He wanted to call out to the other nobles, to name the farce for what it was—but he found when he looked around that many of them seemed inclined to try. Whether they were waiting for Roland to embarrass himself, or genuinely afraid of seeming to refuse, he couldn’t be certain. Either way, they were going to participate.
Edith smiled. “Please listen carefully. The first sentence is: I completely agree with His Majesty’s new policy, and I am willing to cooperate with the officials dispatched from Neverwinter.”
The nobles repeated it—most of them carelessly, a few unable to suppress a laugh at the absurdity of the exercise.
“None of you is telling the truth,” Roland said.
The room paused.
“Though that is somewhat disappointing, it is understandable. If I were you, I probably would not easily trust a king who spent years at the kingdom’s border. Please continue.”
Something is wrong. George frowned. Any king who had just been told to his face that none of his assembled nobles believed him would be embarrassed—or furious. Roland was neither. He looked almost pleased. His equanimity was too steady, his calm too specific.
“The second sentence,” Edith said, with the bright energy of someone who has been waiting to perform: “Although I do not fully understand what His Majesty intends, feudal power is not something I cannot live without. I am willing to cooperate if the opportunities for greater wealth exist.” She glanced over the room. “Please repeat after me, word for word. Speak clearly.”
Chapter 865: Mind Reading
Translator: TransN Editor: Meh
“Wh—at?”
George blinked. For a moment, he couldn’t believe his own ears.
Looking at Earl Tririver next to him, he saw that the Earl was bewildered too. At that moment, all the nobles’ expressions resembled Guye’s. The room was shocked into silence, so much so that you would have been able to hear a pin-drop in the room.
This… wasn’t a part of the plan!
Could this mean that Roland Wimbledon has already persuaded Earl Delta?
He then looked at the Lord of Redwater City and his assumption was immediately dismissed. The Earl was no calmer than the others, and with his eyes wide open, he looked at the new king with disbelief. Obviously, he did not expect the new king to have this plan up his sleeve when he himself was the one who invited the guests over to the banquet.
To Delta, it was only routine to be attending the banquet in Lakeside Villa.
As was the same for the others.
This is just Roland’s selfish move!
Is he… mad?
“I think most of you have noticed that the feudal system has severely hindered the flow and specialization of personnel, which in turn has restricted the
development of our nation’s productivity. Considering that Graycastle… and even the entire human race may soon fall into a major crisis, I have to make this tough decision, which is to take back all the land and power in your hands so that people in the Graycastle can work as one.”
“Specialization of personnel? Productivity? Major crisis? What the hell is the guy talking about? Who understands those things?” George thought and swallowed hard.
Yet the new king seemed not to care about the nobles’ opinions. He kept on talking as if there was no one present, “For the moment, I believe that this decision is both right and necessary. Take The Western Region and the Northern Region of Graycastle as examples: the disappearance of feudal nobles didn’t cause chaos in the two regions but instead brought them order. The unified Neverwinter decrees, planning, and deployment of policies have propelled the propelled the city into the industrial age, with large factories taking over from household workshops as the workhorses of production. At the same time, a large amount of wealth has been created, and people who actively participated in this process have benefited greatly. These are undeniable facts, and I think you can all see it.”
“With that said, I don’t mean to eliminate the entire noble class. I just want to tell you that losing your manor and the title doesn’t mean you’ll lose everything. In this new system, you will gain better, more abundant opportunities. Imagine a cake the size of your palm. Although you might be able to barely satisfy your hunger if you swallow it all, if you were to enlarge that cake to the size of a table, you will have more than enough even if you only get a slice of it. Since this reform is beneficial to both you and your subjects, it shouldn’t be hard to understand why we want to make it a comprehensive reform across the kingdom. Many of you must have heard of the reform, right?”
“Indeed, many nobles know what you’re up to, but they didn’t expect you to be so impatient.” George thought quickly. After the initial shock, he gradually regained his composure. To his surprise, he found that this accident was not necessarily a bad thing, and it might even be favorable for him!
It was almost impossible to reach a consensus with the amount of nobles present. On the contrary, it would aggravate the preexisting conflicts between them and the new king. George was happy to see that the king’s talk actually saved his effort to make himself look good in front of all those present. After all, compared with making his move after persuading the Redwater City Lord, what the new king did was too reckless. This could quickly push those who previously wanted to support Earl Delta to his side.
As expected, when the nobles came to their senses, one of them said, “Your Majesty… I’m not too familiar with the situation in the Western and Northern regions. Would Your Majesty be so inclined to give me a couple of days to decide?”
“Yes, this matter is of utmost importance and would decide the fate of my house. I can’t make the decision on my own.”
“Your Majesty, can you guarantee that each of us will get more wealth?”
“What if the reform fails? If we lose our lands, doesn’t it mean that even the original small cake would be lost?
“Your policy must be wise and brilliant, but… I’m not a merchant, Your Majesty!”
“That’s right. There we go,” George gloated. The more questions they throw towards the new king, the more insightful he himself would appear. If Roland were unable to assure the nobles of his reformation plans, he would be stuck in quite an awkward spot.
Roland, however, kept his unwavering facial expression. After the crowd rambled on for a while, the King raised one hand and silenced the room. “You seem to be misunderstanding something—what I just said was not a suggestion but an order—did you think that you had any say in this to begin with?” His tone turned less friendly and colder. “I don’t even need your consent. I’m fully aware of who’ll stand on the wagon of progress and join me, and who’ll act as the stubborn rocks blocking the wheels just to be crushed into dust.”
“How… do you know that?” Earl Delta said with surprise.
A smile crept up Roland’s face. “Because I can read minds.”
“What… did you say?”
“When faced with things beyond your comprehension, it’s normal to be suspicious.” Roland turned over, signaled to Edith, then said, “In that case, I’ll demonstrate it to you.”
The Pearl of the Northern Region nodded. She smiled to the nobles and said, “His Majesty’s ability can be easily proved. As long as you repeat every word that I say, you’ll understand it instantly. No lie can escape the detection of His Majesty’s mind reading. The Wimbledon’s rule of Graycastle depends on the mastery of this ability. I want to make it clear that anyone who doesn’t repeat after me will be considered as one of those rocks to be crushed.”
“Nonsense! This is absolute nonsense. There’s no such a thing as mind reading. It would have been more credible if a witch had said that.” George Nery retorted in his heart. Wearing a God’s Stone of Retaliation, he was not afraid of the bewitchment of any evil force.
He wanted to call for the other nobles to help him put a stop to this farce, but he found that many nobles in the crowd looked like they were going to go along with Edith’s suggestion. Many believed that they would have nothing to lose even if they tried, so they were actually waiting for Edith to continue speaking. George was not sure whether they were waiting for the King to make a fool of himself or were afraid of openly offending the King.
Edith smiled. “Everybody, please listen carefully. The first sentence is—I completely agree with His Majesty’s new policy, and I’m will willingly cooperate with the officials dispatched from Neverwinter.”
The nobles repeated carelessly; a few even failed to hold their laughter, feeling that what they were doing was rather ridiculous.
“None of you are telling the truth.” Roland gave his judgment. “Although a little regretful, it’s actually understandable. If it were me, I guess I also
wouldn’t have easily believed in the king who had stayed at the border area of Graycastle the whole time. Please continue.”
“Wait a minute… Something’s wrong.” George frowned. “Would any king accept this result so calmly?” Being the Lord of Rock Ridge himself, although he was aware that not every one of his subjects was sincerely obedient to him, he never would want to hear that right to his face. “Shouldn’t he be embarrassed and annoyed? Why is Roland Wimbledon so calm?”
“The second sentence—Althought I don’t understand what His Majesty wants to do, the feudal power isn’t something I can’t live without. I am willing to cooperate as long as the opportunities for me to acquire more wealth exists.” Edith licked her lips and said in high spirit. “Please repeat after me word for word. Do make sure to speak clearly.”