Chapter 102: Investing in Gold

When Louis followed the butler into the dining room, Count Crowley greeted him with a beaming smile, then warmly took both Louis and Stewart into conversation. Before long, the bishop and the magicians also arrived and took their seats. Bishop John, upon seeing Louis, gave him a meaningful smile and shook his head.

As more people joined the conversation, Miss Kate soon entered the dining room with graceful composure and took her seat. She kept her eyes lowered, acting as though she barely knew Louis. Yet as she ate, she listened intently, eavesdropping on her father and the others' discussion.

Since last night, Kate had already noticed: her father seemed determined to invest heavily in Louis. Louis had a natural connection with Her Highness the Princess, remarkable personal abilities, and a small but weighty network of contacts. If he chose to support the princess, and her father lent his aid, it would be enough to tip the current balance of power, greatly increasing the princess’s chances of reclaiming her position as heir.

Of course, the risks were considerable. But if the future rulers belonged to the Queen’s faction rather than the Princess’s, their family’s risks would only be greater. If things succeeded, the princess would become queen, and Louis—having played such a pivotal role—would surely be one of her most important ministers. With little Osyclis’s gentle temperament, she would hardly be able to stand firm without support; Louis would inevitably be her strongest pillar.

The queen’s consort, regent, perhaps even more—her father had always been a shrewd judge of character. No doubt he had seen the ambition in this young man.

As breakfast was drawing to an end, Helen quietly asked Louis about his plans for the day.

“My sister said her father called her—her birthday is coming up, and he hoped she would come home for a while. She told him she’d return tomorrow, and before the new term starts, she’ll stay here for a bit.”

Hearing this, Louis glanced at Count Crowley and caught a few unspoken thoughts. He realized Crowley had called the palace that morning. Crowley had informed the king about the family’s situation, explaining that it was his daughter’s good friend and colleague who had resolved the matter, and that he had persuaded the gentleman in question to attend the princess’s birthday banquet with her.

The king, already missing his daughter dearly, couldn’t resist calling her again after hearing the news.

Louis stroked his chin. Now that Osyclis had his support, as well as the backing of the Crowley family, she no longer had to worry about being married off—her father couldn’t possibly trick her into coming home only to kidnap her for the king, could he? Especially since Helen had told her about changes in the palace, Osyclis had thought it over and decided to return.

Helen’s words suddenly gave Louis a new thought:

“Osyclis’s young stepmother and the king—could they really lure her back under false pretenses only to marry her off elsewhere?”

Having spent time in this world, Louis understood a great deal. With the Witch Queen now siding with the Muggles, wizards feared them—her presence meant that the Sorrendo Kingdom’s greatest weakness was gone. In the eyes of wizards, it had become an invincible power without flaws.

But even so, if the Muggles and wizards went to war, both sides would suffer grievous losses—for except for the Sorrendo Kingdom, most other kingdoms’ elites could be controlled by the wizards. Thus, the current situation was one of delicate balance.

Yet the Dragonkin could shatter that balance. Louis had seen them beneath the Sacred Tree: they were few in number, each with a name and legend, highly skilled in magic, often over a hundred meters long, and able to take human form—their descendants, the Dragonborn, were the offspring of ancient dragons and humans.

Every one of these beings was a force of nature. In this era, Muggles lacked the formidable anti-air capabilities of later times, so these dragons could still level a city with ease. If the usually neutral Dragonkin chose to side with any faction, the scales would tip in an instant.

Therefore, the Sorrendo king was deeply interested in forging ties with the Dragonkin—a royal marriage would eliminate his greatest concern. No wonder he constantly wished to marry his daughter to a dragon.

But judging by the situation Crowley had revealed, if Osyclis didn’t come home, she might lose her chance at the throne for good—the princess’s supporters would be left leaderless.

“If, after celebrating her father’s birthday, Osyclis discovers her young stepmother and father have tricked her into a trap, her face would surely blanch in terror…”

Louis found this amusing. This birthday banquet was becoming far more interesting.

“All right, let’s go. We’ll pick her up at the train station,” Louis said to Helen, handing her a slice of steak.

“So, since my sister’s coming tomorrow, shouldn’t we spend more time today… um, preparing for her arrival, Louis?” Helen clutched a theme park brochure, shaking Louis’s arm and pleading with puppy-dog eyes.

Seeing Helen’s pitiful expression, Louis nearly agreed on the spot. But he hesitated. He had promised to take Helen out, but he had business to attend to today. He might have to disappoint her.

“I’ll take you all around London today—there’s an exhibition happening,” Kate suddenly suggested with a smile, knowing Louis planned to visit the Magician’s Association. “There will be cars and the latest products from the ‘Warhammer’ Yordle engineers.”

Louis’s eyebrows rose—this was the perfect solution.

Helen squealed with excitement. “Will there be Yordle ace pilots?!”

“Of course,” Kate replied, patting Helen’s head. “And the ace drivers from ‘Son of Lant’, too!”

“Kate, you’re the best!”

After the meal, Louis first called the great banker, Kentucky Belf. He recounted the events of the previous night.

Kentucky, upon hearing the news, could not help but shout into the phone, “I knew you’d pull it off! Thank heavens! My money tree was almost uprooted! You truly are my savior!”

“Money tree?”

“That’s right—a money tree. The Crowley family is a superb source of raw materials, plus their textile mills and that ‘Seventh Fleet’ with a royal Muggle letter of marque—all have my investments. If the Crowleys went under, my investments would be lost!” At this, Belf could be heard wiping sweat from his brow on the other end of the line.

He went on, “My dear friend, now I can finally sleep soundly—Louis, what are your plans? If Crowley supports the princess in the future, would you be willing, when the ‘Seventh Fleet’ runs into trouble at sea, to help ‘your own’ fleet resolve a few small issues—for example, sea serpent blockades on certain trade routes?”

“You really are a schemer.” Louis understood now. “Of course I’ll invest in these shares—as long as there’s trouble, the Bureau of Mysteries will send people. Go ahead and invest with confidence.”

“That’s wonderful—you have no idea how many ships loaded with ‘gold’ have sunk to those damned things in the past year. Wizards lack the ability for long-distance sea travel, and the idiots at the Ministry of Magic are always bickering instead of doing their jobs. With your guarantee, the value of this privateer fleet will surely double!”

A weight lifted from Belf’s heart. Without Louis, these shares would be worthless; with him, they were gold. The Belf family had absolute trust in Louis, and even young Conch had once said, “Her Majesty Delphinia will have to move down another spot.”

“By the way, Louis, my brother Archie at the Stog Group has another favor to ask… Hello? Hello?”

…

Three chapters today, with two more on the way.

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