Chapter 371: The Far Bank
Even twenty gold coins could become a considerable burden for them, and shoving the bill in their faces at just the right moment would make it all the more effective. It would serve nicely as a way to strengthen Frendel’s hand.
"The costs can be resolved by squeezing the Neunil family, but the problem is that there’s no suitable port nearby. Trade on the Main River isn’t a huge share of the whole, but losing it will still be a considerable blow."
"Minister, in that case, what about Vintenheim, right here?"
"Vintenheim? You mean that little fishing village in your territory?"
Vintenheim, the only fishing village in Rosenheim, sits across the river to the north of Breisach, and it isn’t as far off as you’d think. It was the hometown of Baron Constance’s retired handmaid, the woman who died at the queen’s hands.
I visited that village and, in the course of investigating her death, learned that the queen was behind it. As a bonus, I gained Ralph and Stella, who had been framed for the murder of their own family, as retainers.
Vintenheim had left me nothing but shocking memories.
But the reason I had my eye on it was its potential to be developed into a port.
"How about using it as a temporary dockyard until Breisach is restored?"
"A fine idea, but does that little fishing village have facilities on that scale?"
"It doesn’t, which is why I intend to invest an enormous sum."
How much would building a port cost? I would have to call in architects and consult them, but it would certainly not be cheap. I was thinking around five hundred gold coins, and I hoped the budget would come in under that.
"Even if you build a dockyard, isn’t it on the far side of the river?"
"If you go south, isn’t there that great bridge connecting Rosenheim and Breisburg? Transport costs will rise a little, but with Breisach paralyzed, people will use it if only out of desperation."
It was an old bridge with centuries of history behind it, and while Baron Constance was still alive, he had conferred with Karlus, the crown prince at the time, and greatly expanded it.
"Hmm, it seems you made quite a lot of money in this civil war, Baron."
"Consider my achievements. It is only a fitting reward for fitting service."
"True enough. No one in this world can match what you’ve accomplished, Baron."
The Administrative Minister seemed to have accepted it, one way or another.
In the end, we agreed to use Vintenheim’s docks as a temporary dockyard.
Rebuilding Breisach would take time, and in the meantime, cementing Vintenheim’s position was what mattered. Karsten, who had wished for Viscount Neunil’s downfall, had unexpectedly handed me an opportunity.
Personally, ever since seeing the port city of Schafen, I had thought it would be good to build a proper port city in Rosenheim as well. Trade along the Main River isn’t large in scale, but it brings in fairly decent money.
Expanding Breisburg’s trade routes, which had depended solely on Breisach, would also be welcome news for the merchants. It would make it easier to send export goods produced in Rosenheim down the lower Main.
Honestly, that was my biggest objective.
Exporting high-quality Rosenheim goods.
"You mean to use Breisach’s misfortune as a chance to get a foothold in the Main River trade, don’t you?"
"I won’t deny it. Breisach and Vintenheim are close, but since we sit on opposite banks, neither of us will encroach much on the other’s territory. And if a misfortune like this one strikes again, we could even help each other."
"Hmph, it may well be a fine opportunity for you, Baron. But it won’t be easy."
"Of course not. First, the tariff problem will have to be resolved."
If goods were unloaded in Rosenheim and moved to Breisburg, tariffs would naturally apply. Those tariffs would drive up unit prices, and in the end, that would push up the cost of living in Breisburg.
Of course, overland trade holds the larger share, but river trade is far from negligible. The Administrative Minister held firm that tariffs were not something he could negotiate at present.
In ordinary times the idea would have been out of the question, but thanks to Breisach’s paralysis, the mere fact that he was considering tariff negotiations at all was achievement enough. He was worried about rising prices too, after all.
"Reporting the situation to His Highness comes first."
"Of course. If you’re granted full authority, I’ll be counting on you then."
"It won’t be easy, Baron. With royal taxes at stake, you’ll need to prepare a great deal if you mean to persuade me. I find myself very much looking forward to it. I’d love to see the look on your face when you fail."
The Administrative Minister gave me a meaningful smile and said he could already picture quite an amusing scene. Lowering the tariff barrier alone would bring considerable profit, so I couldn’t back down either.
Raising a small fishing village into a port city is no easy feat, but I have a partner in the system. I have something to fall back on, and that is exactly why I’m willing to invest an enormous sum.
The Administrative Minister, apparently judging that we had reached a decent agreement, seemed to relax a little. Then he called in the bureaucrats waiting outside. They came in straining under the weight of a chest.
"Things are about to get very busy, so I brought this along on my way."
"Isn’t this the crest of Rosenheim?"
"A true treasure that by rights must be returned to you, Baron."
The crest of Rosenheim is a yellow shield studded with five stars, and the family of Baron Constance, the former lord of Rosenheim, had set a rose emblem at its center.
Inside the chest were the standard scales, documents, and more. These were the true assets of Rosenheim that the royal family had recovered. When the grand duke told me to stop by the Administrative Minister’s, this was what he meant for me to receive.
"Thank you for the consideration, Minister."
"I have no intention of treating your visit lightly, Baron."
The Administrative Minister said he would remain in Breisach for the time being, since he had to draw up the reconstruction plan. He entrusted the Breisburg administrative residence to his heir, Davirt von Dickmeyer.
Unlike the Finance Minister, who kept his son in check, the Administrative Minister was slowly preparing to pass his ministerial seat down to his heir. It was an ideal succession, but Davirt had never been highly regarded.
That is why the Administrative Department’s future is not all that bright.
Adelbert is getting knocked around from all sides right now, but if he holds out just a little longer, Davirt will inherit the Administrative Minister’s seat. When that happens, the situation will flip. Adelbert seems to be waiting for that day.
Michael has held a solid position from the start, so he’s beside the point.
And behind my brother-in-law stand the Count of Belfort and me.
"Tomorrow is the new year. Time really does fly."
"Tell me about it. And yet here we are, heading for Breisburg."
"Can’t be helped. We have three matters to take care of."
I entrusted Beort with keeping order in Breisach until the duchy army could be dispatched. We could have returned to Feuzen, but unfortunately, three matters still remained to be settled.
Handing Mort, currently under escort, over to the Judicial Department. Going to Old Man Bertheim’s mansion to console Göring. And finally, negotiating with the Elsheimer viscounty about Bodo.
Of these, the most important is surely the negotiation with the Elsheimer family. Bodo’s fate will be decided by whether Ariel, the family’s sole remaining blood relative, accepts him or not.
Bodo was desperate to become a noble, but he knew better than anyone that it wasn’t something a man could have simply by wanting it. Still, he was optimistic.
That is because Adelbert and Ariel are in love. If Ariel doesn’t accept Bodo, then to protect her family’s viscounty she will have to take in a husband through matrilineal marriage.
But if she wants to marry Adelbert in the end, she has to acknowledge Bodo. There is no chance Adelbert would marry into her family, so ultimately the only path left is for Ariel to wed into his.
If Bodo carried on the Elsheimer line, that was entirely possible.
Politically, it would also draw the Streit family in as an ally, so given her unhappy circumstances, acknowledging Bodo was her best move. But the emotional side couldn’t be ignored either.
"If Bodo becomes a noble, what are we supposed to do?"
"Show him proper courtesy, of course. You’re stating the obvious."
"...Now that it might actually happen, it feels incredibly awkward."
"Anton, it’s not Bodo you’d be showing courtesy to. It’s Viscount Elsheimer. And in terms of rank, his title would stand above mine. Even I would have to show him courtesy at official functions."
"Oh, Lord! Good heavens!"
Only then did Anton and Ted realize how thoroughly tangled the family tree had become. Isn’t it more absurd that I would have to show him courtesy than that you lot would? Not that it bothers me in the least.
That was simply the natural order of noble society.
And the fact that Bodo remains under my influence does not change.