Chapter 151: Pulling Strings
"Prince of Sylvaris?"
Simon murmured the name softly.
Memories of this prince from his predecessor’s life surfaced; among all the imperial brothers, the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Sylvaris, had the worst relationship with him.
Both unruly and headstrong, the two had clashed repeatedly in Eldora.
Simon and the Prince of Sylvaris had fought more than once over petty rivalries, earning them frequent reprimands from Emperor Alaric.
Now that the Fifth Prince had taken his domain in Sylvaris, Simon hadn’t thought much about him in a long time.
In Simon’s memories, Sylvaris was a remote, mountainous region, though historically known as the ’Land of Abundance,’ never lacking in grain.
The only downside was the frequent raids from the Gothic tribes in the south and the Iberians in the west.
Still, overall, the Prince of Sylvaris’s situation was slightly better than his own, though not by much and given Sylvaris’s rugged terrain, isolated deep inland, the Fifth Prince likely found his circumstances even more frustrating.
"Exactly, Your Highness. Think about it, Brambleford was buying saltpetre in bulk, and merchants from Sylvaris were thrilled to profit from it. But suddenly, they can’t obtain any. Who else but the Prince of Sylvaris could enforce such a blockade?" James complained. "If this is truly his doing, then he’s deliberately sabotaging you! With the reavers pressing south, time is critical, yet he’s throwing obstacles in your path. He clearly wants to see you fail!"
If it were anyone else, Simon might have hesitated, but with the Prince of Sylvaris, he fully believed the man was capable of such pettiness.
"The road to Sylvaris is harder than climbing to the heavens."
Precisely because of this, Sylvaris was easily defended but hard to attack. Currently, the southern and northern princes have very different agendas.
The Prince of Sylvaris, as a southern prince, could live comfortably even if the north fell; he only needed to hold Sylvaris.
Moreover, the Fifth Prince knew he had no chance at the throne of the Eldorian Empire, but if chaos erupted, everything would change.
After a moment of contemplation, Simon said. "Whether it’s the Prince of Sylvaris’s doing remains unclear. How much gunpowder can we still produce with the remaining materials?"
"At most, five hundred pounds."
Simon’s frustration spiked. Five hundred pounds of gunpowder wouldn’t even be enough to scratch the reavers.
The current cannons fired solid shot; their power was comparable to a direct-fire catapult, just with a longer range. The damage wasn’t overwhelming; unless a shot hit directly, it wouldn’t kill, unlike explosive shells that relied on shrapnel and shockwaves.
Even with ample gunpowder, the battle would be tough. If they ran out, Dunmere City would likely devolve into close-quarters combat.
"I’ll handle the materials. Just focus on production." Simon’s expression darkened.
Earlier, issues with iron and coal had been debated at court, but the other princes hadn’t deliberately obstructed him.
Though some mines had been flooded, local supplies were still barely sufficient. And Prince Gerad, eager to use Simon as a shield, had been cooperative.
Thus, coal and iron hadn’t been major problems.
But now, the saltpetre shortage was a death sentence.
Though the Eldorian Empire already used gunpowder, demand wasn’t yet high enough for large-scale production. The saltpetre came from Sylvaris, but since it was for the Imperial Machinery Department, the Prince of Sylvaris wouldn’t dare interfere.
Leaving the industrial district, Simon returned to his castle. For now, he could only send a letter to Eldora, asking Emperor Alaric to resolve the issue.
At the same time, he planned to request saltpetre and gunpowder from Prince Gerad, though he doubted he’d get much, since Gerad also undervalued firearms.
After drafting the letter, he sent Ysabeau to the courier station, ordering it to be delivered to Eldora at top speed.
This wasn’t the modern world, where a phone call could solve everything. Here, the fastest communication between cities was through courier stations, yet even an 800-mile journey would take at least nine days for a round trip.
And if further complications arose, more back-and-forth messages would be needed.
The thought made Simon seethe. His greatest fear was that the Prince of Sylvaris was indeed behind this; if so, the man could simply drag things out, leaving Simon helpless.
By the time Dunmere’s battle ended, and saltpetre finally arrived, it would be useless. If Dunmere fell, there’d be no need to send saltpetre at all; instead, Emperor Alaric would have to rely on the Prince of Sylvaris.
"Prince of Sylvaris, if this is your doing, I’ll skin you alive one day." Simon gritted his teeth in frustration, yet there was little he could do.
Sylvaris was thousands of miles from Brambleford, utterly beyond his reach.
While seeking help from Eldora, Simon refused to sit idle. He sent another letter to Prince Gerad and summoned Roland back immediately.
By dusk the next day, Roland finally arrived at the castle.
"My Lord, what’s so urgent?"
Exhaustion from rough travels clung to him; his search for mines had taken its toll, leaving him gaunt and weary.
"Stop searching for other minerals. From now on, focus entirely on finding saltpetre and sulfur. Everything else can wait."
Industrial upgrades could be delayed, but the reaver threat was imminent.
Moreover, if he used cannons to repel the reavers, the Eldorian Empire would inevitably prioritise gunpowder, and saltpetre would become a strategic weapon used against him, much like oil in the modern world.
A resource-poor nation was vulnerable; if cut off, its economy would collapse.
"My Lord, what’s happened?" Roland asked, confused.
Simon explained the saltpetre crisis, and Roland’s expression turned grave.
"Saltpetre is a matter of life and death for me. I’ll assign you another 5,000 labourers, even if we have to dig through every inch of land; we must find it." His voice was steel.
Roland understood the severity. Bowing deeply, he said. "This old servant will recall all mining teams immediately and devote everything to the search."
With that, he turned to leave, only to run into Baldwin at the gates.
"Steward Roland, you look troubled. What’s wrong?" Baldwin, ever observant, couldn’t help but ask.
"Sigh, the saltpetre supply is cut off. His Highness is furious. Be careful when you see him."
Baldwin frowned. "Misfortune never comes alone. I fear His Highness will be even angrier soon."
Roland had no time to inquire further. With a quick salute, he mounted his horse and galloped away.
Watching him leave, Baldwin sighed, hesitated for a moment, then stepped in.