Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

The waiter nodded, deftly tucked the note into his shoe, and left the tavern. He blended into the crowd in the East Market, stopping at an old vegetable seller to buy some produce. While paying, he discreetly passed the note to the old man. The old man then handed it to a thirteen-year-old girl playing behind him. The girl took the note and skipped away cheerfully.

Leaving the market, she entered a residential area near Prince Simon’s mansion and eventually arrived at an unremarkable house.

”Is Commander Guis here?” she asked as she stepped into the main hall, where four people were sorting through a pile of notes and copying down information.

This was the headquarters of the Secret Guards.

Gius had just returned from the prince’s castle. Seeing the girl, he said. ”So, Prince William’s heir has taken up residence at the Goldwynd Family Tavern, hasn’t he?”

The girl, bright-eyed and lively, pouted. ”How did you know?”

”I just came back from His Highness. We were discussing William. Since he doesn’t own property in Eldora, he’d naturally stay at Brambleford’s finest inn.”

The girl huffed. ”Hmph, no fun. You always guess right.”

”Of course. That’s why I’m the commander, and you’re still just a half-baked little spy,” Gius said smugly.

The girl’s gaze held a different emotion as she looked at him. ”Well, I’m not just a little spy. At least I know your secret.”

”What secret?” Guis said dismissively as he reviewed the incoming reports.

”Agnes, Agnes...” The girl suddenly teased in a singsong voice.

Gius’s expression instantly changed. ”How do you know Agnes’s name?”

The girl giggled. ”Not just me, everyone in the Secret Guards knows. When you sleep, two out of three times you call out that name. Who is she?”

Gius’s face turned red. ”None of your business. Stop being insolent. Go back and keep an eye on William. If anyone meets with him, make sure to note it.”

The girl pouted in disappointment and left with a huff.

Once she was gone, Gius froze for a moment, lost in thought. The image of that beautiful figure at the docks outside Eldora flashed in his mind, stirring a warmth in his chest.

The first time he had seen Agnes, she seemed like a goddess descended from heaven.

After a moment of reverie, Gius snapped back to reality, his expression turning stern. He knew he had no right to indulge in such thoughts; after all, he had once been nothing more than a lowly servant in the prince’s castle.

Agnes, on the other hand, was a maid serving Prince Simon’s mother. That was why he had been working tirelessly to build the Secret Guards into an indispensable force under Simon’s command.

Perhaps then, he would have the standing to ask the prince to request Agnes’s hand from Lady Isolde.

With renewed determination, Gius focused on the reports in his hands, each detailing the movements of suspicious merchants.

A few of them hailed from the Ravencrest territory, which immediately caught his attention.

As Prince Simon had said, William’s mission in Brambleford was undoubtedly to obtain cannon technology. To do so, he would need to connect with merchants familiar with Brambleford.

And these merchants, having been in Brambleford for nearly a year, were the perfect candidates.

With that in mind, he summoned the Secret Guards to assign tasks. The prince had ordered him to keep watch on the Machinery Department. Most of the craftsmen there lived and worked on-site, only allowed out once a month. Their next day off was approaching, and he had to ensure they were closely monitored.

At the same time, he planned to use a ’fishing’ tactic to lure out the spies among the merchants, a method Simon had taught him, calling it ’entrapment.’

Under this plan, a craftsman would act as bait, offering a fake set of cannon-making techniques. Once the deal was made, the spies would be arrested, purging Brambleford of infiltrators one by one.

---

After Gius left, Simon headed straight to the Oxford Academy. By then, Desmond and the others had finished touring the galleon and arrived as well.

The academy had been in the process of preparation for some time, aimed at spreading knowledge. Some students were already attending classes, while others awaited notification to enrol.

Lately, the number of scholars applying to the Oxford Academy had been increasing, and the originally planned classrooms were starting to seem insufficient.

”Your Highness, what is this place for?” Desmond asked, watching the scholars coming and going.

”A place to learn knowledge,” Simon replied.

”What is knowledge?” Desmond asked, puzzled.

Simon smiled. ”For example, what you’re about to study, navigation. That’s a form of knowledge. In short, knowledge is the accumulated experience of those who came before us.”

Desmond nodded, his eyes filled with curiosity about the place.

Just then, Liam arrived with the artillery unit. ”My Lord, you summoned me?”

”Yes. Some of these men will serve as gunners. You’ll need to train them.” Simon said.

Liam gave a wry smile. ”My Lord, I haven’t even mastered it myself. How can I teach them?”

”Exactly why I called you here. Your cannon firing today was no better than before. It’s time I taught you proper cannon-aiming techniques.”

”Cannon-aiming techniques?” Liam perked up.

Simon nodded. ”Since you’re all here, I’ll explain it in one go.”

---

Inside an empty classroom at the Oxford Academy, Liam, Desmond and their men had all taken their seats.

Standing at the lectern, Simon surveyed the group before him and realised his future would likely resemble that of a schoolteacher. For him, spreading scientific knowledge as widely as possible was now his greatest advantage.

”From now on, this classroom will belong to the Naval Academy. Whenever you’re summoned for lessons, assemble here.” Simon announced to Desmond and the others.

”Yes, Your Highness!” Desmond and his men replied with palpable excitement, their voices ringing loud and clear. As fishermen’s sons who had spent their lives at sea, they had never imagined they would one day have the privilege of sitting in a classroom.