Kingdombuilding: All My Inventions Are Novelty

The tension in the Machinery Department lightened slightly after Richard’s words.

Simon said. ”You still have the nerve to speak? If it weren’t for Richard this time, I would’ve had your head.”

Gius lowered his head in shame.

Richard added. ”My Lord, Commander Gius’s arrangements were already very thorough. It’s just that King Ravencrest’s men were one step ahead. Their carrier pigeon messaging system is incredibly difficult to detect. That’s how they managed to pass orders without a trace.”

”No need to defend me. I lost this round because my skills aren’t up to par. I accept whatever punishment is due.” Gius said calmly.

Simon glanced at him. ”At least you’re self-aware. The two of you, one in charge of internal matters, the other external, are my left and right hands, my eyes and ears. Spies in Brambleford are increasing by the day, but I cannot afford to restrict trade because of it. Therefore, the responsibility of countering espionage lies squarely with you both. You must share intelligence without reservation.”

”Yes, My Lord.” The two responded in unison.

Simon continued. ”Also, what I’ve taught you both, don’t keep it to yourselves. Pass it on to every Secret Guard. Only by cultivating new talent can we avoid another failure like today.”

They nodded again, more earnestly this time. After addressing them, Simon followed Richard to the southern district. According to Richard, the carriage had been intercepted near the South Gate.

William had likely hoped to use his identity to smuggle Tony out of the city.

Disguised as a guard, William had even managed to fool the innkeeper during the earlier chaos at the Goldwynd Family Restaurant.

Near a narrow alleyway by the South Gate, Simon finally saw William, who was furiously pacing, his face contorted in anger.

Upon seeing Simon, William shouted. ”Simon, you’ve gone too far!”

Simon said coolly. ”I’ve gone too far? Is abducting a craftsman from the Machinery Department your idea of Brambleford etiquette?”

”I didn’t abduct him! Some street thugs threw him into my carriage. He was badly injured, so I was taking him back for treatment. And that’s an offence?” William tried to twist the facts.

”You really don’t give up, do you?” Simon sneered. ”You’ll understand soon enough. For now, I’ll have to inconvenience you. Men, escort the Young Lord back to the Goldwynd Family Restaurant and keep him under close guard.”

This, effectively, was house arrest.

William roared. ”Simon, how dare you! I am the Crown Prince of Valkris, nephew of the Empress herself. Even His Majesty gives me due face. Do you not fear offending them?”

”I am a son of His Majesty too. Do you not fear offending me?” Simon replied coldly.

With a wave of his hand, soldiers stepped forward and took William into custody, escorting him back toward the restaurant.

Tony was still unconscious, a streak of blood on the back of his head. Simon instructed. ”Take Tony back. Apprehend everyone involved in the attack, immediately.”

”Yes, My Lord,” Gius replied and departed swiftly.

Richard said. ”My Lord, why bother with this brat? Just beat him senseless and throw him out.”

”It’s not time to burn bridges just yet. A lesson will suffice. What matters most is uprooting King Ravencrest’s entire spy network here in Brambleford. William himself is irrelevant.” Simon replied.

Richard nodded.

He added. ”By the way, I have another matter to report.”

Whenever Richard spoke of ’other matters,’ it usually involved the reavers. Simon asked. ”Have the reavers made a move?”

”Yes. I’ve received solid intel: Fern is organising captured craftsmen from the Sapphire Empire to forge cannons.” Richard said, his tone grim.

”Sapphire craftsmen?” Simon frowned.

”Yes. During multiple raids, the reavers captured quite a few artisans from the Sapphire Empire. Fern is now fully focused on cannon development and questioned these craftsmen extensively. Turns out a few of them were indeed involved in Sapphire cannon forging.”

Simon furrowed his brow. ”Do we have any intel on how powerful Sapphire cannons are?”

”Unfortunately, no. The Sapphire Empire is too far from the Eldorian Empire for direct comparison.” Richard said.

Simon nodded. Just as he expected, once a new weapon appears on the battlefield, enemies will scramble to replicate it.

Fern’s actions proved that. But Simon wasn’t too worried. His own artillery was based on late-18th-century tech, and with recent upgrades to aiming devices and gunpowder, he was confident that even if the reavers succeeded, their cannons wouldn’t be on par with his.

Still, this development would undoubtedly complicate future wars against the reavers.

Richard continued. ”There’s more. Word is that Fern openly declared that once their cannons are finished, he’ll launch another attack on Dunmere, to prove their power.”

Simon’s brows furrowed again. This Fern, he had to admit, was a clever and calculating opponent.

He said coldly. ”Then let him come. I’ll let him taste lead bullets. Keep monitoring the reavers. Report any unusual movements immediately.”

Richard nodded and took his leave.

The situation had been perilous, but thanks to Richard’s foresight, disaster was averted. In this regard, Richard had proven more reliable than Gius.

At noon, Gius returned to report, still reeking of blood.

”My Lord, we’ve extracted confessions. All the Ravencrest merchants involved have been captured. They confessed that Steve gave the order.”

”They talked that easily? I assumed they were all fanatics.” Simon said in surprise.

”No fanatic can withstand Your Highness’s interrogation methods. After about a hundred cuts, they confessed everything.” Gius said.

”In that case, let’s visit William. It’s time to send him on his way.” Simon said with a cold smile.

At the Goldwynd Family Restaurant, William slapped Steve hard across the face.

”You told me this plan was foolproof! How could something so simple fail? Because of this, our entire spy network in Brambleford has been wiped out. What am I supposed to report to Father now?” He raged.

”Your Highness... I didn’t expect that thug to take silver from both sides. If not for that, we would’ve succeeded.” Steve muttered, holding his swollen cheek.

A single lapse in judgment had unravelled an entire operation.

While they were arguing, the door burst open, and Simon stepped inside.

”Young Lord, here’s all the evidence. Do you have anything to say?” Simon tossed a confession sheet onto the table.

One by one, William read the names on the page, his heart sinking. Every agent they had embedded in Brambleford was wiped out.

He clenched his fists. ”Very well, Simon. You win. Let’s see what happens next.”

With that, he turned to leave with Steve.

But just then, Gius stepped forward, silver flashing in his hand.

In one swift motion, he slashed Steve across the throat.

Steve clutched his neck, a gurgling sound escaping his lips as blood gushed from the wound.