Chapter 876: Silver City
Roland shrugged. He would have to work harder — being overtaken by his own subordinates was nothing to be proud of.
Redwater City, at least, had steadied. Of the nobles who had passed Nightingale’s scrutiny, seventy percent had chosen to continue in their former posts; the rest were trying their luck at City Hall. The basic requirement for the administrative examination — functional literacy — was well within their reach, yet Roland suspected that after the final tests, very few of them would last. Old habits ran deep in people who had spent their lives expecting deference rather than earning competence. Still, becoming a clerk was considerably better than losing one’s head.
Three of the nobles had even applied to the First Army. They were former knights, and Nightingale had found no hidden malice in any of them. Roland refused anyway. His original decision stood.
With feudal power resolved, the work moved faster. In just over a week, more than twenty thousand people had boarded ships for Neverwinter, and the flow from the surrounding districts continued to swell. At first glance, abandoning the smaller towns and villages might look like a contraction of territory — but in practical terms, it dramatically concentrated his administrative reach. In an age where even roads were a luxury, enforcing government policy in the countryside was little more than a fantasy. Stationing a handful of leaders throughout a region over the course of a year was manageable; expecting those same leaders to implement decrees across scattered farmsteads was not.
Barov had asked him more than once why he kept funneling people toward Neverwinter rather than simply unifying the kingdom and leaving existing structures in place. Roland had never given him a complete answer.
The City Hall Director couldn’t imagine how many people a mature coal-and-iron complex could absorb, nor how much time and capital it actually took to build one. And beyond that — remote territories simply couldn’t operate at scale. From any reasonable accounting of resource efficiency, holding them was waste. Better to concentrate the population in a handful of cities with real transport links.
It was through that same logic of land reform that Roland had finally taken full jurisdiction of the Redwater region.
His next target was Silver City.
Compared to Redwater’s sprawling reach, the old king’s mining district was a simpler problem. Silver City had begun as an ordinary city, no different from the ring of settlements around the capital — until someone found the first silver vein. After that, one discovery led to another, and the city grew into what it was now: busy, wealthy, and peculiarly stable.
Given the importance of Silver City’s output to Graycastle’s economy, the reigning lords had always come from the house of Earl William — the “good old man” who had remained loyal to the Wimbledons through every succession crisis. Their power was deliberately constrained, and the city had never been allocated to anyone outside that family. In practical terms, as long as the lord declared allegiance, Silver City’s cooperation was guaranteed.
Persuading them would not be difficult. Roland was King Wimbledon III’s descendant and the most legitimate claimant to the throne; that lineage still carried weight in a place like this.
What gave him pause was something else: Silver City was built on mineral veins — and it was Nightingale’s hometown.
Every time he raised the subject, he received the same answer. I have cut my ties with the Gilen Family. You don’t have to worry about my feelings. He suspected she was keeping something back, but his schedule left little room to press the matter. He let it rest.
Four days after receiving Iron Axe’s dispatch, the Eastern Front Army entered Silver City territory by canal.
It was nearly identical to the arrival at Redwater City. Earl William rode out at the head of a small platoon to receive them, greeted Roland warmly, and immediately extended an invitation to dinner. The key difference was the composition of his retinue: where Redwater’s welcome had been ringed with nobles, the old man’s party was thick with merchants — including their familiar acquaintance Hogg.
That evening, the Earl opened the feast with a short speech that settled the matter before it had properly begun. He was prepared to surrender his feudal power and gave his full support to His Majesty Roland’s new administration. The room applauded before Roland could say anything, and he quietly swallowed the remarks he had prepared.
Then Hogg took hold of the occasion and turned it into a trade fair.
“Haven’t you always been asking how the machine in my mine works?” he declared to the assembled merchants, chest out with obvious relish. “The man who invented it is standing right here — His Majesty Roland himself! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You don’t need to travel all the way to the Western Region. You can get your answers right here, tonight, in Silver City.”
The merchants descended on Roland at once.
“Your Majesty, how does the engine generate such force?”
“If you’re willing to expand the rail system, the Daymond Chamber of Commerce would be very interested in a partnership.”
“Your Majesty, do you remember the Fastsail Association? Two years ago, we provided several ships to transport refugees from the Eastern Region. We are among the strongest trading houses in the Central Region, and we would like to discuss purchasing a complete manufacturing set for a steam engine — at a very generous price.”
Roland managed a smile. Margaret’s advance warning — Hogg will bring a crowd of merchants to the Western Region — had failed to mention that he might encounter them first. He felt the mild absurdity of it but found he couldn’t quite be annoyed. The world would be a fine place if every city in Graycastle was as frictionless as Silver City.
After exhausting the merchants’ questions, he finally found a moment to speak privately with the old lord.
They walked the length of the hall together and stepped out onto an open balcony, leaving the noise of the party behind. Roland held his wine glass and looked out over the city for a long moment before speaking.
“Handing over the city so readily — don’t you feel any regret?”
“It was never truly mine to keep.” Earl William smiled. “Your father — and his father before him — never said it plainly, but they would never have allowed Silver City to develop its own armed cluster. It has always been an unspoken rule: the William family does not fortify its own seat. As far as I’m concerned, that kind of power was never really in my hands.” He paused. “And frankly, I don’t need it.”
“Don’t need it?”
“The real purpose of holding a feudal city is to expand your power and prevent rivals from underestimating you. Silver City doesn’t face that problem — any attack on this city would be a direct provocation against the Wimbledon Crown. So as long as my family remains loyal, we were never truly at risk.” The Earl took a slow sip of wine. “And feudal power cuts both ways — you have to distribute resources to buy allegiance, which means less for yourself. I’d rather keep hold of what I have. Do you know how much Silver City’s output has grown in the past twenty years?”
Roland shook his head.
“Sixteen times.” The old lord’s voice rose slightly with pride. “At the start, it was a single open-air silver mine. Now we’ve mapped more than ten distinct mineral veins. In the beginning, the only operation here was the royal excavation team. Now there are merchants dealing in every kind of ore and gemstone, plus a whole constellation of supporting industries — oil lamps, mining tools, smelting equipment. Your steam engine belongs in that same lineage, if I’m not mistaken.”
“You’re not.”
“It’s like raising a child and watching it grow.” The Earl’s smile deepened. “Why would I want to carve it up and give pieces away? That is why I don’t need such power.” He let out a long breath. “Your Majesty — would you allow me to continue managing this city of Silverlight for you?”
“Of course, if you wish to.” Roland raised his glass. The old man raised his. They touched them together, softly, and drank.
“One more thing,” Roland said, lowering his glass. “Do you know anything about the Gilen Family?”
“Gilen.” Earl William considered, one eyebrow rising slowly. “I know the name — though not clearly. It’s been some time since a new noble family appeared in Silver City; the old families were all here before the silver was found. If I recall correctly, the last of the Gilens changed his family name about two years ago. His land now belongs to the Somis.”
When he spoke those words, Roland felt Nightingale’s grip tighten on his arm.
Chapter 876: Silver City
Translator: TransN_ Editor: Meh
Roland shrugged, it seemed that he had to work harder. Being overtaken by his own subordinates was never something to be proud of.
Thankfully, Redwater City was now back to normal. Out of the remaining filtered nobles, 70 percent had decided to continue doing their previous jobs while the rest wanted to try their luck at the City Hall even though the basic requirement to apply for the administration exam “literacy of sentences” was easy for them. Roland still believed that after the final tests, these people would not have too much of a chance to become official members.
After all, it was hard for nobles to change their habits.
But certainly, becoming a normal clerk was much better than losing your head.
There were even three nobles who wanted to join the First Army. They were knights originally and when being observed by Nightingale, they did not conceal any evil thoughts. However, he still stood by his original decision and refused their applications.
Having solved the issue of the feudal power, the work efficiency of Redwater City and the surrounding areas had greatly improved. In just over a week, more than 20,000 people had boarded the ships for Neverwinter, whilst more and more people continued to arrive at Redwater. At first glance, abandoning the small towns and villages seemed to decrease the amount of land they could control, but in fact, it drastically increased his capability to control the City Hall.
In such an age where even roads were scarce, the implementation of government decrees in the countryside was something he could only dream
of. Arranging a few leaders within the course of a year was rather doable, but asking them to go around implementing the decrees was quite difficult. Barov had asked him more than once why he persisted in sending people to Neverwinter, instead of unifying the kingdom and leaving everything as it was. He had never fully answered him.
It was because the City Hall Director could not imagine how many people could actually be absorbed by the compounded industry of coal and iron, nor understand how much energy and time it actually took to build such an industry.
And the most important part was that those remote territories could not operate effectively and thus, from the perspective of resource utilization, keeping them would just be a waste.
Thus, it was more suitable for the current situation of Graycastle to gather the population in several major cities with convenient transportation.
It was from that moment of land reform that Roland finally acquired jurisdiction of the Redwater area.
As for his next target, that was Silver City.
Compared to the huge City of Redwater, the old king’s city district was much easier to deal with. It was originally a common city, not much different from the several cities encircling the king’s city. However, its existence became more special when the first silver mine was discovered there. As more and more precious mineral veins were being excavated, the city became busier and busier, and eventually reached its current size.
Considering the great importance of Silver City’s output to Graycastle’s economy, the latest Lords were only appointed by the family of Earl William, the “good old man” who was loyal to the Wimbledons. In addition, their power was also restricted and in the next couple of years, the city was almost never allocated to other nobles.
In other words, as long as the lord of the city declared it, Silver City would always be a thing.
Roland believed that “persuading” the other side was not a difficult task, considering he was the descendant of King Wimbledon III and the most suitable heir to the throne.
However, he was somewhat concerned about the fact that the city, which was built on mineral veins, was Nightingale’s hometown.
Every time he asked her about it, he would get the same answer “I have cut my ties with the Gilen Family, so you don’t have to worry about my feelings.” He still felt Nightingale was hiding something, but because of his busy government affairs, he did not have much time to think about it so he could only leave this be for now.
Four days after receiving Iron Axe’s secret letter, the First Army of the Eastern Front Army entered the Silver City territory through the canal.
…
It was almost the same with the trip to Redwater City. Earl William led his platoon out of town to greet them and after a warm greeting, he followed up with a dinner invitation. The difference was that in Redwater City, they were welcomed by the city’s nobles while in the old man’s platoon, there were more merchants, including their old acquaintance Hogg.
That evening, the Earl’s opening speech set the tone for the feast. He was willing to hand over his feudal power and fully supportive to His Majesty Roland’s new government. A warm applause sounded immediately at the meeting and the latter swallowed back the words that he had prepared to say.
And through Hogg’s efforts, the feast became a business fair.
“Aren’t you always asking me how the machine in my mine operates?” He talked proudly in front of a bunch of merchants. “Its real inventor is currently standing in front of you—it’s His Majesty Roland himself! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You don’t even need to go to the Western Region. You can get the answer directly here in Silver City!”
The merchants immediately swarmed over.
“Your Majesty, could you tell us why its power is so strong?”
“If you’re willing to sell more rail systems, the Daymond’s Chamber of Commerce is looking forward to working with Neverwinter.”
“Your Majesty, do you remember the Fastsail Association? Two years ago, we provided you with several sailing ships to transport refugees from the Eastern Region—in terms of trade strength, we’re definitely one of the best Chambers of Commerce in the Central region. If possible, the Fastsail Association wishes to buy a complete set of the manufacturing equipment for a steam engine. And naturally, at a very generous price!
Remembering the”good news” the female merchant Margaret had revealed to him, Roland did not know whether to laugh or cry— “Hogg will bring a large number of merchants to the Western Region”. Unexpectedly, he had actually met them beforehand.
The world would have been such a nice place if everywhere in Graycastle was like Silver City.
After satisfying the merchants’ curiosity, he finally found a chance to speak privately with the old lord.
They walked through the hall and went to an open air balcony, temporarily putting behind the buzz of the party.
Roland held his wine glass and after staring at the city for a long time, he finally said, “To hand over your city power like this, aren’t you feeling any regret?”
“It was never actually mine to keep, so what’s to regret…” Earl William smiled. “Your father, as well as his father before him, though they never said it clearly, they would have never allowed Silver City to have its own cluster. And it’s a rule for the William family to never have their own cities. As far as I’m concerned, this power isn’t so important.” He paused for a moment.”Not to mention that I don’t actually need this power.”
“You don’t need it?” Roland could not help but ask curiously.
“The actual reason for the city a province is to expand and consolidate your power to prevent others from looking down on you. But Silver City does not have this risk—anyone who wants to attack this city will blatantly provoke the authority of the Wimbledon royal family. So as long as my family stays loyal, I don’t need to worry about getting attacked.” The Earl had a sip of wine and continued, “In turn, feudal power is also in a sense a weakening of your own power—through it, one has to allocate part of his own resources to others in order to gain their allegiance. Compared to giving out these resources to other people, I’d prefer to manage them by myself. Do you know how much the output of Silver City has increased in the past 20 years?”
Roland shook his head.
“As much as 16 times, after all, I put most of my energy into it…” The old lord said with high spirits, “At first, it was just an open-air silver mine, but right now the excavated mineral veins have reached more than 10 different kinds. In addition, at first there was only an excavation team sent by the royal family, but now, not only are there are all kinds of ore and jewel merchants, but also many auxiliary industries have been developed through mining, such as oil lamp, mining shovel manufacturing, etc. Your steam engine can also be considered as one of them, am I correct?”
“Indeed,” Roland said with a smile.
“This feeling is like raising a child and watching it slowly grow up. Why would I be willing to split and share it with others? That’s why I don’t need such a power.” After saying that, the Earl sighed. “Your Majesty, do you wish to let me continue managing this city of shimmering Silverlight for you?”
“Of course, if you wish to.” Roland lifted his wine glass towards him, they smiled at each other and then touched their glasses gently.
“Oh right,” Roland changed the subject after finishing his drink, “do you know about the Gilen Family?”
“Gilen?” Earl William pondered for a while before raising his eyebrow. “I think I remember them but not very clearly—after all, it’s been for a long time for a new noble family to appear in Silver City. All those families were
here before the discovery of the silver mine. If I remember correctly, the last Gilen must have changed his family name two years ago and his land now belongs to the Somi family.”
When he said those words, Roland instantly felt Nightingale’s grip on his arm.