Chapter 227: Motion
The artillery training grounds reeked of gunpowder, and the field was pockmarked with craters from cannon fire.
William stared at the distant cannons, barely visible at four hundred paces, then at the shattered clay figures littering the ground. His mind reeled at the sheer destructive power on display.
He could now vividly imagine the Battle of Dunmere, where these monstrous cannons had slaughtered dozens of charging cavalrymen with a single shot.
"William, you’ve seen the results for yourself. Whether it’s worth twenty thousand caps of silver should be obvious by now. No offence to the Mystic Armoured Cavalry, but four hundred horsemen truly can’t compare to a single one of my cannons." Simon said, deliberately provoking him.
William fell silent for a long moment before replying. "Your Highness, the cannon’s power is undeniable. But the price... Could it not be lowered?"
"Out of the question." Simon shook his head firmly. "I can’t afford to sell at a loss. Besides, I wasn’t even willing to provide these to the imperial court, let alone other feudal lords. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how your faction blocked the Emperor from sending reinforcements to Brambleford. The fact that I’m willing to sell you cannons at all is already an act of generosity."
In business, it was standard practice to inflate prices before gradually lowering them. As the saying went, the buyer is never as shrewd as the seller; after all, buyers could never know a seller’s true profit margins.
Simon’s sudden shift in tone left William visibly uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "Your Highness misunderstands. We had nothing to do with that incident; it was entirely the scheming of certain court officials."
Bringing up old grievances was merely a bargaining tactic. As much as Simon despised William and his ilk, he wasn’t about to let personal grudges interfere with profit. "Very well, I’ll take your word for it," Simon said. "I could lower the price... But that depends on how many you intend to purchase."
William glanced at Steve, who subtly held up two fingers.
"Twenty cannons." William declared.
"Only twenty?"
Simon frowned, studying the two men. Their expressions betrayed unease.
So that’s their game, he thought coldly. William must be planning to reverse-engineer the cannons. Otherwise, they’d need at least three hundred to secure their front.
"Had the order been larger, I might have offered fifteen thousand caps per cannon. But for just twenty? It’s hardly worth the effort. Twenty thousand each, take it or leave it."
With that, Simon turned and walked away.
His cannons were one-of-a-kind. They could either pay his price or go without.
Once Simon was out of earshot, William muttered to Steve. "Are you certain we can replicate these?"
"Your Highness, initially I had doubts. But after seeing the cannons up close, I’m confident. We’ve already mastered the techniques for crafting fire lances; these are thicker and longer. Once the first batch arrives, our craftsmen can reproduce them exactly."
"Good. And the armour?"
William had brought Steve precisely because of his photographic memory.
"Already memorised, Your Highness."
Nodding, William and Steve followed Simon back to the castle and agreed to purchase twenty cannons at twenty thousand caps each.
"Return to Brambleford in two months to collect them," Simon said.
Even a small profit was still profit. Forty thousand caps for twenty cannons meant a net gain of over three hundred thousand, equivalent to a month’s revenue from the merchant guild. With this silver, he could fund two more galleons.
Though the shipbuilding project had proceeded quietly, those galleons were true money pits.
"Understood, Your Highness." William bowed. "We’ll take our leave now."
As the two departed, Simon’s gaze darkened. He immediately summoned Gius.
"Gius, have your men monitor William and Steve closely. I suspect ulterior motives, especially regarding the Machinery department and military workshops. Report every detail of their movements and contacts in Brambleford."
"Yes, My Lord." Gius’s expression turned grave. "Lately, the influx of merchants into Brambleford has surged. My Secret Guards have identified several posing as traders while actually gathering intelligence. It seems many are after the cannon technology."
"Of course they are. Why pay for cannons if they can steal the designs for free?" Simon scoffed.
Ever since the cannons’ fame spread to Eldora, he’d known Brambleford would become a nest of spies. Their goals were twofold: to steal artillery secrets and to surveil him. The culprits ranged from rival warlords and princes to his own father, Emperor Alaric.
The Emperor might have celebrated the victory at Dunmere, but as a ruthless ruler, he’d also view Simon’s growing power with suspicion.
Gius hesitated. "My Lord, should we arrest all suspicious individuals preemptively?"
"No." Simon shook his head. "These spies operate under the guise of legitimate trade. Acting rashly would fuel rumours and damage Brambleford’s commerce. Without concrete evidence, you are not to make arrests."
"Understood."
---
Outside the Goldwynd Family Tavern lay the bustling East Market of Brambleford.
With the influx of merchants, the market had become livelier than ever. After the recent harvest, the people of Brambleford had some extra coin to spend, making the marketplace even noisier. The clamour from the market could be clearly heard inside the tavern.
"So, we’ll be staying in Brambleford for a while?" William said.
Steve nodded. "Your Highness, Prince Simon is undoubtedly keeping a close watch on the Machinery Department right now. If we act recklessly and get caught, we could lose our heads. But with you here, it’s different. If anything goes wrong, you can step in, and the outcome will change entirely. Besides, Empress Gretchen is your aunt; if we bring her up, Simon won’t dare refuse us face. After all, Lady Isolde is still in the imperial harem."
"Exactly. Though Simon has a volatile temper, he’s filial. If he doesn’t want his mother to suffer, he’ll have to give our family this respect. In that case, do everything you can to obtain the cannon technology as soon as possible."
"As you command, Your Highness," Steve said with a bow.
Meanwhile, the tavern’s manager downstairs glanced up at the guarded guest rooms. Under the table, he secretly noted the number of people upstairs and the locations of their rooms.
Then, he called over a waiter and said. "Take this note to Commander Gius."