Chapter 231: Uninvited, Invited?
The savoury aroma of smoked pig’s trotters wafted through the entire courtyard of the Prince’s castle.
Simon sat at the head seat, with Roland beside him. In front of each of them sat a low dining table; these were the standard dining tables used in the Eldorian Empire, where meals were traditionally enjoyed seated on the floor.
Seeing the abundance of dishes on the table, Roland’s eyes lit up instantly. After all, he had endured a great deal of hardship over the past few months.
But before the two could even pick up their dining utensils, a servant hurried in to report: Benjamin, Lancelot, and others had arrived; Baldwin and Bjorn were also with them.
"My Lord? Did you summon them?" Roland asked, puzzled.
Simon responded helplessly. "What do you think? Clearly they heard about your return and found an excuse to come mooch a meal."
Unlike the other imperial princes who frequently held banquets, Simon rarely did. So Benjamin, Lancelot, and the others took every opportunity they could find to come by and freeload a meal.
It was starting to feel like they were taking advantage of a wealthy host.
"Haha, I see. Still, it’s lively this way. I’ve been away for three months, and I might be off again for another few. If too much time passes, I’m afraid we’ll grow distant." Roland said. Simon nodded to the servant, signalling him to let the guests in.
It wasn’t often that so many people gathered, so he figured it could serve as a small meeting as well. Besides, frequent meals and drinks together helped strengthen their bonds.
"Roland, you’ve gotten even skinnier," Baldwin said upon entering, bowing slightly to Roland.
Roland stood and greeted everyone one by one.
After exchanging pleasantries, Benjamin and Lancelot immediately turned their attention to the food, their eyes gleaming.
"Sit down, all of you. Seems you lot won’t rest until I’m eaten into poverty." Simon sighed, instructing Ysabeau to bring a few more tables and have the kitchen prepare a few additional dishes.
"My Lord, that’s not fair. I’ve been thinking about what you taught at the Oxford Academy all day; my head still hurts! Don’t you think I deserve some reward?" Liam chuckled.
Benjamin and Lancelot were already aware that Liam had attended the Oxford Academy.
Upon hearing this, Lancelot burst out laughing. "My Lord, Liam came back claiming the Earth is round and that you said so! That nearly killed me!"
Benjamin and the others laughed as well. Only Fjord remained composed, having already heard the explanation from Simon.
Lancelot was still laughing when he noticed Simon glaring at him. He immediately fell silent, even swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Simon felt utterly helpless. It seemed he had become the butt of everyone’s jokes. If word of this spread to Eldora, he could only imagine how much ridicule he’d face.
He said. "It’s fine if you all joke among yourselves, but don’t go spreading this around. I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for myself."
Everyone nodded. In their view, if this sort of talk got out, it would indeed damage Simon’s reputation.
Once seated, they dropped the topic and began asking Roland about his recent journey. Upon hearing that both saltpetre and lead ore had been discovered, Fjord exclaimed excitedly. "My Lord, we can start producing lead bullets now, right?"
His words immediately drew Benjamin and the others’ attention.
"Lead bullets? What are those?" Liam asked.
Fjord explained. "His Highness once said that lead bullets are toxic. Even if someone survives being shot, the poison will finish them off. Against the reavers, these would scare them witless."
Simon nodded. Because lead is relatively soft, it transfers all of its kinetic energy upon impact.
When striking the human body, lead bullets often deform or shatter severely, creating trumpet-shaped cavities in tissue. The wound area is hundreds of times greater than that caused by iron projectiles.
Additionally, lead bullets cause immense pressure on the circulatory system, leading to severe internal damage. Their lethality is hard to imagine.
But the suffering didn’t end there. If fragments of the bullet weren’t completely removed from the wound, the remaining lead could cause poisoning. Even if only a few fragments remained, infection was still likely, as the bullet often dragged in pieces of clothing or debris.
Even if the god himself were alive, he wouldn’t be able to save someone like that. And the death? It would be slow and agonising.
According to data, at a distance of 100 meters, a direct hit to the head with a lead bullet resulted in a 90% mortality rate. Hits to limbs resulted in a 20% death rate, with most survivors requiring amputation.
A shot near the heart almost always meant certain death. That’s why, in modern times, lead bullets, due to their destructive and inhumane nature, are considered as horrific and threatening as biological weapons. They were banned by the European Union.
"Poisonous?" Liam’s face turned grim. "My Lord, is that true?"
Simon nodded. Lead’s toxicity was common knowledge in modern times. Now that they’d found a lead deposit, his goal was to manufacture lead cannonballs, making them the third type of ammunition following grapeshot.
These bullets would be reserved specifically for targeting reaver commanders. Even if they weren’t directly struck, a hit from a fragment would be almost certainly fatal.
These lead bullets would also be used as ammunition for Brambleford’s firearms; lead was far cheaper than steel balls, after all.
But most importantly, they were for fighting the reavers. Simon had long set his sights on the fertile lands of West Ham. If he could drive out the reavers, not only could he block them at Snake Pass, but he’d also gain vast territory and population; that was the ultimate prize.
Benjamin spoke up. "The reavers will stop at nothing to destroy us. We can’t afford to show mercy to our enemies. Roland, you’ve truly made a great contribution."
"That’s right. In the Battle of Dunmere, the number of enslaved soldiers killed was more than ten times that of the reavers. And those men were all civilians from the old West Ham lands." Lancelot added.
Baldwin had originally wanted to object to such a brutal weapon. After all, he had been raised on religious ideals of compassion. But seeing that Benjamin and the other military officers were united in their stance, he said nothing.
Because maybe, just maybe, they were right.
"Enough of that for now. Tonight is a celebration for Roland. Come, let’s eat." Simon said, noticing Baldwin’s conflicted expression.
Seeing Baldwin remain silent, Simon felt relieved.
During the day’s lesson, he had started to realise just how deeply religious feudal ideology had influenced him. He admitted that ideas like ’father is father, son is son,’ and ’ruler is ruler, minister is minister,’ had their benefits in governance.
But its rigid dogma was also a major obstacle to the advancement of civilisation. The system recorded that civilian astronomical research was outright banned, an outcome of religious push for centralised control.