Chapter Volume 4 44

This week = Fail again (It’s always off by less than 60 views)

Coal Quarry

When the ladies had their bath, it was best for me to not hang around nearby. I headed to the open coal quarry with the guidance of a soldier. The place wasn't natural. Possibly due to rainfall or war, the mountain was slippery, thereby forming a fractured section. Underneath the fracture covered by the crass, I saw traces of people having dug around. That was where I finally touched the black coal. The entire fractured region was black coal. If the nearby area was a coal quarry, it'd be considered an enormous coal quarry. In any case, it no longer belonged to me.

It was no longer quarry after I took a hundred gold coins from Edward. However, I needed to sell the quarry. As he stated, I didn't have steam-powered machines. Therefore, even if I extracted the coal, I wouldn't be able to export it. There was no way it was the only coal quarry in humanity's empire. When others were found, my coal quarry would become a burden for me instead.

Coal had never been worth money. Natural resources never were worth money. Coal was worth money thanks to steam engines. Having coal on its own is worthless. I wanted everything.

Edward came up next to me from out of nowhere. He looked at the coal that belonged to him and chuckled: "I knew you would come here. If you regarded our activities as being important, you would come here, and anyone with a brain would have their eyes on us. You have already become a household name in the imperial capital after what you did there. That is why you, as a brilliant businessman, would watch us."

"Sorry, I didn't know you were also here. Otherwise, I think I'd need to make an appointment with you before coming here. It is yours now, after all."

"Are you ridiculing me? People say that ridicule is a way of expressing one's regret. Can I assume you are now regretting your decision to sell me the land so thoughtlessly?"

Edward chuckled. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. I smiled: "You know, the one thing one should always avoid is getting carried away after making one correct decision."

"Why can one who has changed the world not get carried away? Her Majesty is the perfect example. Do you have business coming to my coal quarry? I would presume that you are not here to try and take it back. It belongs to us now, after all. We already have…"

"Did you forget that we have yet to sign the contract?"

"Let us sign it now, then."

Edward vigorously pulled out a parchment and pen from his pocket. I took the pen with a smile. I signed Veirya's name without any hesitation, as it belonged to Veirya to being with. I handed him the parchment: "The most fundamental aspect of business is credibility, so I won't violate the contract. The quarry is yours once I receive the one hundred gold coins."

"I have already handed the one hundred gold coins to that… that… that maid at your place. You should see it by the time you get back."

Edward stored away the parchment carefully. He was quick; I'll give him that. By the looks of it, he must've truly been eager to procure the rights to the quarry and finish everything. Steam engines' wide variety of applications would be the first industrial revolution, and the surge in production abilities would change the entire world's outlook. More explicitly, the empire might have to shuffle their cards. Indeed, he made a world-changing discovery. With that said, what I saw wasn't capitalism; what I saw was merely the fact that steam engines could bring me lots of money.

"You're very young, Edward, too young. It's not necessarily a good thing for one to be successful at a young age. Arrogance is one's downfall just as the current Queen Sisi. Frankly, I shouldn't be saying this to you, but, if you ask me, you're scum. That's why you're an eye sore, literally. And so, I'm going to ridicule you further." I took in a deep breath then went on, "You sold your wife and child to a brothel for money. You're not a businessman because you fail to be the 'man' in 'businessman.' I always say I don't have a bottom line, but the reality is that my bottom line is merely different to others. I will not betray my family even if it means that I will have to take my last breath as a consequence."

Edward didn't let me rile him up. He took a step back with his gaze on me. He chuckled: "You have not experienced everything that I went through; therefore, you cannot understand me. What you say comes from your standpoint. My wife and child are my assets. It does not matter what I need to do. I am just the same as you; I am utilising all of my capital to obtain everything that I want."

Edward didn't wait for my response and left. I didn't chase after him. Honestly, it was my personal hobby. The act of him selling his wife and daughter had nothing to do with me. However, I had Leah and Veirya, which was why I couldn't stand him as a man. If I was my past self, I might not have bothered with him. To my surprise, though, I was angry due to someone who had nothing to do with me and over something that had just as little to do with me. Seriously, I felt slightly dejected about it. I stood at the coal quarry in silence and drifted into my own world.

I already said to Edward what should be said. I used to have great relationships with previous business partners. Edward and I? It was clear we were adversaries by then.

I needed to go back and ask for Queen Sisi's opinion. Edward introduced his business to Queen Sisi, suggesting she might also be fascinated. I needed to obtain her tacit approval for me to compete for the quarry. Else, she might very well not allow me to fight for it. Subsequently, I needed to ensure that the Queen would continue to favour me. While I wasn't sure if she genuinely favoured me at the moment, at the very least, she claimed to favour me for the meanwhile. She didn't seem interested in Edward in the slightest. She was conscious of the fact a man too young and too proud was bound to never succeed.

I kicked the coal quarry then turned around and headed back. I didn't have anything left to talk to Edward about. I needed to visit the bank in the city and see to things there. Once I gathered the compulsory information, I could commence the plan I had in mind.

When I returned to the spring, the three were already done. The dapple of sunlight shone a gentle and warm light onto the three. The three of them were lying on the lawn, enjoying the beautiful and forest air in their underwear. They had a bottle of wine bottle with ice blocks enveloped around it sitting on a tray, placed between them.

Leah seemed interested. She had a full cup with the yellow liquid in her hand. I walked up to her and took it from her: "Kids can't drink this, yet."

"You dote on Leah too much. I already began using my intellect for the nation at her age," commented Queen Sisi.

"Leah is not you at the end of the day."

"She didn't go through everything that I went through, after all." Queen Sisi sat up from the lawn. She pulled over a towel and draped it over herself before standing up: "If we have time, I will share my past with you, Little Doggy. However, you appear to have something to say to me right now, correct? Tell me. What do you think about the elves and I?"

I walked over to Veirya and sat down. I looked at the gentleness before me and paused for a moment before I spoke: "Are you positive you want to hear my opinion, or did you want to hear what you wanted to hear?"

"I think the options do not exist, for there is only one answer."