After Baron Stoichkov from Soria took his leave, there were no other visitors at the castle for the time being. However, a steady stream of letters continued to arrive. Felix headed to the study to read them and manage the growing web of social ties.
Most of the letters came from nobles. As always, they were either invitations to attend banquets or inquiries about when Sardinson Castle would be hosting one. However, now that Felix had been promoted to duke, the number of correspondents had noticeably increased. A banquet was inevitable—and not only would old allies expect to attend, but many of the nobles from Felix's newly acquired territories were eager to visit and pay respects to their newly appointed liege.
Naturally, nearly every letter mentioned Crown Prince Edward, all expressing their great desire to meet His Highness. Felix would need to ask the prince before responding, though he suspected Edward would not agree to any of these audiences.
As for the banquet, it would indeed be held—but there was no rush. They had only just returned to the territory and would take their time with preparations.
The contents of these letters were largely repetitive. Wei Wei skimmed through a few before losing interest and turning her attention to more important matters.
They had been away from the territory for quite some time. While things had been arranged beforehand and officials had occasionally sent documents to the capital for their review, it was still inconvenient. Many of the less urgent matters had been left to the stewards and subordinate officials to manage on their own. Now that they were back, it was time to review everyone's performance.
Wei Wei called Penny and instructed her to notify all the estate managers to attend a meeting tomorrow for a formal report.
Wei Wei had always overseen the agricultural affairs within the estate. As for the factories and external matters, Felix handled those. He, too, sent out a notice to arrange a managers' meeting.
Once the meeting was scheduled, Wei Wei returned to her paperwork. She was currently reviewing a report from the research institute. Not long ago, the alchemists and their apprentices had finally resolved the formula ratios and production challenges for chemical fertilizers. Mass production could now begin.
Previously, fertilizers had only been produced in small quantities, so the facilities and manpower were limited. Now, they were requesting approval to build a proper factory and hire more workers.
However, building a new factory on the estate wasn't practical. Several factories already existed on-site, and expanding further would require encroaching on farmland. Felix had long ago selected a plot of land in Slot as a future industrial zone. It was far enough from New Town not to affect residential life, yet close enough for convenient commuting and transportation. The area would be fortified and centrally managed. Eventually, all estate-based factories would move there—including the fertilizer plant.
That's why, back when the request had been sent to the capital, it had not been approved. However, the recruitment of additional workers had been greenlit. A new batch of laborers had already been hired, and fertilizer production had increased. A limited quantity was now available for sale.
Given the small supply, sales were prioritized for local tenants. Feedback had been excellent—everyone who used the fertilizer reported great results. Many merchants had heard of Sardinson's superior fertilizers and had long wanted to buy some. But production capacity remained limited. So far, none had successfully signed a supply deal and could only wait in line.
Wei Wei was now reviewing a new application requesting an increase in raw material procurement. The materials required for fertilizer production weren't native to Sardinson and had always been sourced from other nobles or merchants. Now that production was ramping up, the original purchase quantities were no longer sufficient.
She approved the request and pulled out the files of their current suppliers, drafting inquiry letters to ask if they could increase shipments. If not, she'd have to look for new sources.
Once the letters were written, she sealed them with red wax bearing the Williams lion crest. This wax seal had been custom-made. It made tampering with the letter obvious—a method long favored by European nobles to secure important documents. Though wax seals weren't widely used in this era, Wei Wei introduced them.
Despite being a small innovation, these wax seal sticks were very popular when sold in stores. Not only nobles but even common merchants bought them for business correspondence.
Once the wax hardened, she placed the letters aside and moved on to the next file.
At that moment, Felix came in and handed her a letter. "It's for you."
"From whom?" Wei Wei was puzzled. Normally, letters addressed to her would already be routed to her directly. If it had been in Felix's pile, it must have been addressed to him instead.
"I already read it," Felix said. "It's from that foreign merchant who helped you buy cocoa beans."
That reminded her—last year, she had made a trade agreement with a foreign merchant who operated in the southern Mediterranean. He was tasked with sourcing cocoa beans and coffee beans from the countries along that coast. Due to seasonal limitations, he had only delivered a few boatloads of cocoa beans, and very little coffee. This year, she had been in the capital when the new shipments arrived, and she hadn't met with him directly. But payment had been prearranged, so she hadn't expected further correspondence.
She opened the letter. It had been written almost a month ago but had traveled by sea, taking considerable time to arrive in Sardinson. It must've been delivered around the same time as the congratulatory letters from other nobles and got bundled together by Butler Barton, who assumed it was one of them.
The letter opened with pleasantries addressed to Felix, congratulating him on his ducal promotion—clearly, the merchant was well-informed. But he soon got to the point and explained why he was writing to Wei Wei.
He mentioned that since Sardinson had expressed interest in unlimited supplies of cocoa and coffee, he had been traveling non-stop between various southern Mediterranean countries searching for large-scale plantations—and had found quite a few. As a result, shipments of both products had become steady. Sardinson's milk tea shops had started selling chocolate and a range of coffee drinks. The royal capital and other towns where they had shops had also begun offering these items in limited quantities.
Chocolate products were wildly popular, while coffee—initially less accepted due to its bitterness—was gaining fans thanks to its invigorating effects and unique aroma. A new coffee-drinking culture was emerging.
While searching for suppliers, the merchant had not forgotten the other special plants Wei Wei had once asked him to look for. In every new region he visited, he made a point of asking the locals if they knew of any unusual flora.
In one such place, a local priest had told him about a mysterious tree deep in the rainforest—a "weeping tree" that exuded a white milky sap when its bark was cut. It sounded just like what Wei Wei had described. However, the leaves and seeds were poisonous, and people or animals who consumed them would fall ill. Because of its toxicity, this tree grew only in remote, untouched parts of the rainforest.
The merchant hadn't seen the tree himself and wasn't sure if it was what she wanted—he merely passed along the priest's description.
Wei Wei was instantly excited.
The details matched everything she knew about the rubber tree—the poisonous leaves and seeds, the milky latex sap. If so, this might truly be it!
Originally, she hadn't dared hope for much. Rubber trees were native to South America, a region currently unreachable. She had only asked the merchant on the off-chance he might stumble upon something. Never had she imagined he actually would.
Suppressing her excitement, she continued reading. The merchant wrote that the rainforest was extremely dangerous, and even locals rarely ventured in. As a small-time trader, he didn't have the means to lead an expedition. However, he was willing to introduce her to the region's best hunters as guides.
This left Wei Wei in a dilemma. Tropical rainforests were infamously perilous, even with modern gear and medicine—things they didn't have. Sending people in could mean sending them to their deaths. Who could she possibly send?
"You want that tree?" Felix asked. He had already read the letter and could tell from her expression what she was thinking.
"Yes," she replied firmly. "If it is the rubber tree, its value is immeasurable."
Rubber had endless applications—not just industrial, but practical. Take shoes: nothing beats rubber soles. Sealing food containers would improve shelf life. Carriage wheels, water pipes, even window gaskets—all required rubber.
Give her a rubber plantation, and she could jumpstart an industrial revolution.
So yes—it was important.
"How about hiring locals to do it?" Felix suggested. He didn't know much about rainforests, but he did know how dangerous uncharted wilderness could be. Locals would understand the terrain better than any outsider.
He believed that if the reward was high enough, someone would take the job.
And if the rubber tree was that useful, then working directly with the local rulers would be worthwhile. Many countries along the southern Mediterranean were closed off, but if foreign merchants could get in, the regions likely weren't too xenophobic.
Wei Wei agreed. Wild rubber trees alone wouldn't be enough—they needed plantations. And for that, they'd have to buy land and set up cultivation operations locally.
All of that required the support of local authorities. If they could strike a deal with a king, all the better.
"So who should we send?" she asked. "Even if we hire locals, we need our people to go negotiate. I don't want to leave this to the merchant alone."
Felix had already considered that. After reviewing his trusted lieutenants, he said, "Why not send Kingsley? He's now a baron. As a noble, he'll have an easier time securing an audience with foreign rulers."
Felix had been promoted to duke, and among his knight retinue, three had been granted noble titles—Kingsley was one of them. He had long served as commander of the knight order, was highly skilled in combat, and had a silver tongue to match. Sending him abroad as an emissary made perfect sense.
In addition, Felix planned to select a few trustworthy merchants from the trade caravans to accompany Kingsley, along with a shipment of Sardinson's specialty goods. That way, the local rulers could see firsthand the value of trading with Sardinson, making negotiations easier.
"Kingsley is a good choice," Wei Wei agreed. "But he should be taking over his fief soon. Will he have the time?"
"No problem," Felix replied. "Kingsley's fief is built on his original demesne, so the handover won't take long."
As part of their elevation to the baron, each of the three new nobles was granted land. The king had left the selection of territory entirely to Felix, who, of course, treated his loyal followers generously. Each received an excellent piece of land.
Kingsley's fief was in Sardinson and expanded from his original holdings to include surrounding land and a few villages. He got lucky—none of the nearby lands had been granted to other knights or nobles, so he didn't need to relocate.
The other two new barons weren't so fortunate. Since their original demesnes bordered land owned by others, Felix had to assign them fiefs elsewhere—in Slot, specifically. There, they took over territory formerly held by a baron who had been branded a bandit by the knight order and lost everything, fleeing with his family. Though the deposed baron had once been an earl, only half his lands had been confiscated. The remaining half was still sizable—large enough to divide between five barons.
Now, that land belonged entirely to Felix.
Each of the new barons received a standard baronial estate, consisting of approximately 8,600 acres of land and around 1,000 tenant households, passed down from the disgraced noble.
Since Kingsley didn't need to handle a complicated relocation, sending him abroad was ideal.
"Then ask him if he's willing to go," Wei Wei said. "And since the Royal Harbor finally sent us those owed sea vessels, let's recruit a few sailors and form our fleet to make the trip."
Earlier, they had commissioned five ships, but before delivery, they had been attacked and either stolen or burned by pirates. The royal shipyard had to compensate them. If it hadn't been royal-owned, the financial hit would have ruined them.
The pirates were never caught. To make amends, the Royal Shipyard had upgraded one of the replacement merchant vessels into a warship—something Felix hadn't been qualified to order before. Back then, the king had still been healthy, and without royal favor, they could never have acquired a warship.
Now that they had one, their fleet would be much safer at sea.
Since the ships had arrived, it was the perfect time to assemble a fleet.
Wei Wei wrote a reply to the foreign merchant, informing him that they would be sending someone and asking him to help host the Sardinson delegation when they arrived. She also requested his services as a translator, or at least to recommend someone suitable.
The southern countries didn't speak Latin, and without a fluent speaker, communication would be a serious barrier.
Wei Wei sealed the reply along with the merchant's original letter and handed both to Mona, asking her to send them to Dingle.
As Sardinson's prosperity grew, more merchants and nobles began to establish outposts in the region for trade and intelligence gathering. The foreign merchant had opened a shop there too, so delivering the letter to his storefront would be enough—his people would see it safely to him.
Wei Wei remained in high spirits the rest of the day. After all, she'd gotten a double dose of good news—first tobacco, now possibly rubber. A double windfall.
She practically hummed a tune as she worked through the rest of her paperwork. When she finished her tasks, she went to help Felix with his. He had far more official business than she did—enough to keep him busy for days—so she sat with him, helping sort through the backlog.
It wasn't until dinner that the servants finally reminded them of the time. Stretching in unison as they stood up, they looked at each other and laughed.
Felix circled his chair and wrapped his arm around Wei Wei's waist. "Come on, we can't be late for dinner—not tonight. It's Crown Prince Edward's first official visit to our home. We didn't greet him properly during the day; it would be very rude to delay dinner."
Felix had once taught Edward swordsmanship, though that had ended as the prince's health declined. Still, their relationship retained some of that mentor-student familiarity. Technically, Edward was his senior by rank, but they'd always interacted as equals.
Since receiving treatment and regaining strength, the prince's daily exercise had shifted from mere walks to more intensive routines. After Felix returned from the front lines, Edward had even consulted with Wei Wei and resumed sword training. Between that and Wei Wei's status as the royal physician, the couple's relationship with Edward had grown close—almost like family.
Knowing they had government work to catch up on, Edward had been considerate upon arrival and insisted they didn't need to accompany him. He simply asked Dolores to show him and his fiancée around.
Of course, due to his health issues, Edward couldn't spend much time in the flower gardens, which were full of pollen. So Dolores only showed them the interior of the castle.
During the tour, Edward discovered the newly built library—and promptly refused to leave.
Sardinson Castle hadn't originally had a library. There had been a communal study, but its book collection was small—nothing compared to the royal collection.
But Felix knew Wei Wei loved books—her habit of reading encyclopedias daily had made that clear. So from early on, he had been systematically collecting books. Other nobles, upon learning this, began gifting rare or beautifully hand-copied volumes to gain favor. In addition, Wei Wei built a paper mill and a printing press and often received books as tokens of thanks from clients who used her services.
Over time, the castle's collection grew too large for the study. Felix had several adjoining empty rooms converted into a proper indoor library.
Prince Edward had always loved reading. When his body had been frail, books were his only escape. Upon discovering the new library filled with unfamiliar titles, he immediately settled in.
His fiancée, Miss Campbell, shared his passion. After seeing the collection, neither of them wanted to leave. They even told Dolores they'd be perfectly content reading on their own.
Dolores didn't understand their obsession with books, but she respected their wishes. She arranged for tea and snacks to be served and posted attendants outside the library to assist them as needed. Then she went to the kitchen to oversee preparations for dinner.
Since her sister-in-law had passed, such tasks had fallen to her. Now that Wei Wei had just returned and was still busy, Dolores decided to help out for a few more days to ease her burden.
So by the time Felix and Wei Wei arrived in the dining hall, the prince and his fiancée were still holed up in the library.
Instead, they were greeted by two little angels.
"Mama! Papa!" Little Anthony, now able to walk, came toddling over, wrapping his arms around their legs and looking up at them with a bright, adorable smile.
Trailing behind was a taller Caroline, who imitated Anthony by hugging Wei Wei's other leg and calling out, "Uncle! Auntie!"
Though several months had passed since they last saw each other, Caroline hadn't forgotten her two favorite elders. When they'd first reunited, she had burst into tears and asked pitifully why they had gone away for so long—had they stopped loving her?
It had taken Wei Wei quite a bit of comforting to get her to smile again.
Then she found out that her beloved little cousin Anthony didn't recognize her anymore, which led to another wave of sorrow. But while Anthony no longer remembered her, he still warmed to her right away.
With some coaxing and a few sweet kisses, he had completely won her over again. The two toddlers had then skipped off hand-in-hand to their toy room, and with Caroline keeping him company, Anthony no longer clung to his mother—happily playing the entire day.
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T/N: Only 11 chapters to go! Enjoy the rest of the journey!