Chapter 71: Seeking Talent
Charlotte was truly speechless when it came to her older brother.
Regardless of whether their grandfather's grand rebellion could even succeed, couldn't Andre stop and think for a moment why Jose Mellerfield had specifically set up a large camp on the border between the Green Plains Duchy and the Gatu Kingdom?
Just because His Majesty King Ethel couldn't stand Emperor Leopold, did that mean he looked favorably upon the Duke of Green Plains?
His daughter, Helen, had taken her own life in the Green Plains Duchy, and his son-in-law, Jose Mellerfield, had immediately turned around and married Emperor Leopold's sister-in-law as his second wife! After something like that, wouldn't anyone in Ethel's position feel betrayed by the Duke of Green Plains?
Instead of fantasizing about how glorious his own position would be after their grandfather became emperor, shouldn't Andre first consider whether the Green Plains Duchy could even withstand the elite Companion Knights of the Gatu Kingdom?
If Grandfather arrived, but Father was lost, would Andre's situation truly be any better than it was now?
Besides, Emperor Leopold wasn't a fool.
Having been played by the father-son duo twice, Ethel's discontent was plain to see. Everyone under heaven knew that Ethel would surely rebel if given the chance, and Emperor Leopold naturally knew this too.
This time, Emperor Leopold had invited the "Two Kings, Two Dukes, and One Marquis" to attend Henry Hollowin's wedding together. It was highly likely – perhaps an eighty percent chance – that his aim included eliminating the threat of Ethel's rebellion.
Whether Ethel would even get the opportunity to rebel was still an unknown, yet Andre was already brimming with optimism, envisioning the wonderful outcome of his grandfather successfully ascending the throne.
Charlotte couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on Andre. For the rest of the journey, apart from playing chess with Sean and occasionally chatting idly with Jose Mellerfield, she spent her time playing simple games like 'Green Silk Threads Touch Jade Dew' with Anna and her mother.
Lately, Charlotte had noticed that her father, Jose Mellerfield, was spending more time talking with her – though not significantly more. Their conversations weren't about household trifles or high-society gossip, but rather the complex political situation within the Orlan Empire.
Through Jose Mellerfield's words, Charlotte learned many secrets that would be hard to know unless one was part of the empire's highest circle of power.
For instance: Emperor Leopold once had the chance to have a biological son. About five years ago, a court lady became pregnant with the Emperor's child. However, just before she was due, an assassin infiltrated the heavily guarded imperial palace and killed her. The court physicians confirmed during the autopsy that the court lady had indeed been carrying a male infant.
Another example: Alphonse Murat had been kidnapped from his own bedroom a few months prior.
This Alphonse Murat was none other than the King of the Kexin Kingdom, the father of both Rosie Mellerfield and Mary – not Andre's little lover Mary, but Mary Hollowin, the Empress of the Empire.
Such a prominent figure, a king and the Emperor's father-in-law, had actually been abducted from his own palace bedroom!
Alphonse Murat vanished for three whole days. On the fourth day, he returned to his palace on his own – barefoot and disheveled.
Quite a few people knew the story up to this point, but few knew what happened next.
The Kexin Kingdom investigated the kidnapping for a long time, and various pieces of evidence pointed towards Count Gilmore Butler, the 'Wolfheart Count', and the imperial intelligence organization he controlled, known as "The Claw."
Alphonse Murat lodged a stern protest with Emperor Leopold regarding the matter. Gilmore Butler argued that he had never issued such an absurd order; perhaps his subordinates had misunderstood instructions, leading to this farce. Emperor Leopold publicly reprimanded Gilmore Butler and ordered him to apologize to Alphonse Murat in person.
Consequently, the Wolfheart Count traveled to the Kexin Kingdom, sought an audience with His Majesty King Alphonse, and offered his apologies. To compensate for the physical suffering Alphonse Murat endured during his abduction, Gilmore Butler, right in front of Alphonse, bit off one of his own fingers, chewed it, and swallowed it whole.
This incident occurred shortly after Charlotte had been enfeoffed and left Platinum City.
Hearing this, Charlotte felt a chill crawl up her spine. What kind of ruthless self-control did a person need to bite off and eat their own finger?
Jose Mellerfield mostly recounted these little-known stories briefly, without delving too deeply into the turbulent undercurrents they implied. It was as if he was letting Charlotte grasp whatever she could through her own intuition – however much that might be.
After traveling for over half a month, the Duke of Green Plains and his family finally reached Platinum City.
The further north they traveled, the noticeably colder the weather became. By the time they arrived in Platinum City, Charlotte was greeted by a world blanketed in silver snow. This grand, bustling, yet perennially grimy and smelly, imposing city, adorned by the pure white snow, finally seemed to possess an aura that lived up to its name.
The Mellerfield family owned a residence within Platinum City – a large house gifted by the previous Emperor Joseph. However, like most nobles, the Duke of Green Plains found the city itself too smelly and opted to stay in their manor outside the city walls instead.
This manor was the property of Count Philip. In a few days, Count Philip and his family would also arrive in Platinum City and stay here. Fortunately, the manor was vast, with plenty of rooms, easily accommodating both families.
Once settled in the manor, Jose Mellerfield needed to go to the imperial palace for an audience with the Emperor. Charlotte went out with him, planning to visit the Great Banyan Academy to see her teacher – Simon Capriati.
With the Holy Grace Festival approaching, the children of nobility were quite busy, and the Great Banyan Academy wasn't as lively as usual. Charlotte arrived at the academy and easily found Simon Capriati.
Simon Capriati was an old man with completely white hair and beard. It was said he was over one hundred and twenty years old, yet he remained robustly built and sharp-spirited. However, Simon Capriati had never married and had no children; only an old servant and two students who had followed him for many years stayed by his side.
"Miss Mellerfield, it's been quite a while," Simon Capriati said, looking at his visitor with surprise. "What brings you to see an old man like me at this time of year?"
"Naturally, I came specifically to visit you, Teacher," Charlotte replied, placing the gift she had brought before Simon Capriati.
"Is that all?" Simon Capriati had the old servant put the gift away, then nodded. "In that case, this old man doesn't plan on discussing any serious matters today."
"Ah? Please don't make such a quick decision, Teacher," Charlotte said with a smile.
Simon Capriati chuckled. "I knew you wouldn't suddenly come see me for no reason. Just say what's on your mind. You should know I dislike excessive formalities."
Charlotte nodded, pondered for a moment, then placed two small booklets on the table. "I wish to ask Teacher to recommend some talented individuals to help me refine these two Extraordinary Factions."
Simon Capriati picked up the booklets. He opened the first one, which detailed the Royal Griffin Knight Faction, an all-too-common one within the Orlan Empire. He scanned it briefly and tossed it aside, then picked up the second one.
After reading just two lines, Simon Capriati raised an eyebrow. "The Sokya Mercenary Faction? What are you planning to do regarding the Sokya City-State?"
Charlotte blinked, feigning innocence. "I merely wish to prepare a more suitable Extraordinary Faction for the knights in my domain. What does that have to do with the Sokya City-State?"
Simon Capriati shook his head with a smile. "Back when you discussed 'City of Nobility' with me, debating what kind of nation is truly suited for this world, I knew you were a child full of ambition."
'City of Nobility' was the script of an absurdist play written by Simon Capriati.
Before writing it, Simon had been wandering across the Eagle Continent. He passed through the Gangtu Empire on the western edge of the continent just as its young new emperor, Jefferson Shane, had ascended the throne. Simon stopped by to offer his congratulations.
However, during their meeting, Jefferson Shane had brazenly declared, "I advocate baseness, because the base always have an advantage over the noble."
Simon Capriati couldn't be bothered to waste more breath on Jefferson Shane and simply left in a huff.
Afterward, Simon Capriati wrote the play 'City of Nobility'. In it, a city lord named Shane Jefferson, while governing his city, issued a decree declaring greed, envy, pride, sloth, vanity, and other vices as noble virtues, while defining love, humility, diligence, moderation, and other virtues as shameless evils.
The inevitable result was that this "City of Nobility" quickly collapsed due to infighting and slaughter.
Through this comical and absurd drama, Simon Capriati illustrated his philosophical point: only when virtuous people gather together is there a possibility of unity and progress. When base people gather, they can only drag each other down, scheme against one another, and ultimately head towards mutual destruction. This is why a nation must promote truly noble virtues.
Reading 'City of Nobility' for the first time, Charlotte felt like she was reading an other-world version of Plato's 'Republic', albeit through a darker lens. In Simon's depiction, a group of petty individuals congregated, engaging in wretched scheming and backstabbing, with each person's self-interest ultimately pushing the entire city towards ruin – a plot sufficient to make the audience gnash their teeth in hatred.
Charlotte would call it the 'Anti-Republic'.
After reading 'City of Nobility', Charlotte had wanted to meet its author, which was the catalyst for her enrolling in the Great Banyan Academy.
Hearing Simon Capriati's words, Charlotte recalled their previous conversations and smiled. "Indeed, Teacher. I am currently working hard to build the ideal nation you envision. If it's convenient for you, you must lend me some assistance."
"Forget it. The nation you idealize and the one I idealize are fundamentally different," Simon Capriati saw through Charlotte's flattery and waved his hand dismissively.
Simon Capriati disagreed with the Sokya City-State's system of universal suffrage. As mentioned before, he believed that "a ship should be entrusted to those who understand navigation, not just anyone."
However, Simon Capriati also disapproved of emperors and nobles. His famous saying actually had a second half: "No one is born knowing how to navigate."
Simply put, Simon Capriati's ideal nation would cultivate a group of talented individuals specifically educated in governance through education. National affairs would then be entrusted to them for collective discussion and decision-making.
Charlotte also found Simon Capriati's political philosophy quite progressive and had offered many unique insights during their discussions.
Yet, Simon Capriati knew very well that Charlotte would never truly accept his ideals. Her personality possessed an extremely aggressive streak; she would never allow a group of people to stand on equal footing with her, dictating her actions. If she were to govern a region, what she would undoubtedly desire is a pack of loyal hounds that strictly execute her commands and follow her forward without hesitation.
Nevertheless, Simon Capriati ultimately did not disappoint Charlotte. "However," he said, "if you need Arcanist Scholars to help you refine Extraordinary Factions, I can still recommend a couple of people. Even Sword Saint Meon studies the Royal Griffin Knight Faction, so ordinary Arcanist Scholars truly lack the ability to help you refine it. The ones I recommend will certainly be highly reputable Arcanist Scholars. I will only write two letters of recommendation for you. Whether you can persuade them to serve you depends on your own abilities."
"Naturally. Thank you very much, Teacher."
Charlotte nodded, smiling with satisfaction, while also finding the situation somewhat amusing internally.
Sword Saint Meon was a legendary Sword Arcanist who had created his own unique Sword Arcanist faction, simply called the Meon Faction.
The fact that the Royal Griffin Knight Faction plagiarized and adapted from the Meon Faction was a well-known, yet unspoken, topic in Platinum City.
This was because the Orlan Imperial Family and the Royal Griffin Knights consistently denied such rumors, claiming their faction was an original creation by the Orlan Imperial Family's Arcanist Scholars. Spreading such rumors was considered slander against the Imperial Family's reputation.
Simon Capriati, being decades-long friends with Sword Saint Meon, couldn't stand the Orlan Imperial Family's hypocritical behavior – plagiarizing yet still trying to maintain a virtuous facade. Thus, he would tell everyone he met things like: "Sword Saint Meon plagiarized the Royal Griffin Knight Faction," "Without the Royal Knight Order, Sword Saint Meon would be nothing," and "The reason Sword Saint Meon hasn't broken through to become a God-Favored Arcanist yet is because he hasn't personally come to study at the Royal Knight Order."
The Royal Griffin Knights gnashed their teeth in hatred over this but dared not act against Simon Capriati due to his esteemed reputation.
Simon Capriati fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. After a moment, he suddenly spoke again, "Cecilia wrote to me. She mentioned that she is highly valued by you where she is."
"Mm," Charlotte nodded earnestly. "I've said before, I greatly admire her talent."
"I am pleased to see that your words were not empty," Simon Capriati gave a slight nod. "In that case, let me recommend two more talented individuals to you. At least, I consider them talented. I hope you will think so too."