The previous Prince Gaius VIII maintained his country by allying with the Empire, contracting the Zemish, outpowering Elfrieden under the weak rule of the previous King, and a display of military strength against the south, achieving a balanced diplomacy. Does Julius have the capability for that? Even if he did, does the young Julius have enough influence to wield for it? Influence is normally gained gradually while under the previous ruler, but Gaius was no longer here.
Julius would henceforth have to handle the difficult problems of external threats and internal leadership of his subordinates. If during that crucial time he were to leave the Humanity Declaration, he would be unable to borrow the Empire’s influence and quickly fall into a ‘checkmate’. Julius understood that, too, and thus he bitterly bowed his head to Jeanne.
“… we will, comply to your wishes”
“That is a good decision, Lord Julius”
Since the discussion had come to a canclusion, we proceeded with the essential payment amount. We presented an amount that equaled to three years of Amidonia’s national income, to be paid in yearly installments over ten years. Also, we requested that it be paid in Imperial gold coins. In other words, we were asking to almost a third of their national income for the next ten years. Julius naturally objected, but Jeanne persuaded (coerced?) him to agree. For Amidonia, who spends half its national income on military, this had the implication of robbing them of this military power. They would be able to pay the amount by downsizing the military, but I’m not sure if Amidonia would be able to do that.
“Lady Jeanne. What if the payment is delayed”
“Very well. Then the Empire will authorize Vannes’ transfer to Elfrieden”
“Kuh …”
Julius was mortified, but said no more. Having concluded that, I made Jeanne a proposal.
“But Lady Jeanne. It’s possible that they would delay the payments while hardening the defense of Vannes. Even if the Empire is involved, it would be a lot of trouble to take a capital that had been released. Therefore, we would like to have a collateral for the payments”
“A collateral?”
“Something for us to hold on to until the payments are made. If they become unable to pay, the collateral will become ours. We will of course return it once the payments are made”
“I see … so what do you want?”
“Their Royal Broadcast orb”
“What! Our country only has one of those!”
Julius was indignant. Well, the Royal Broadcast was a treasure that could not be made with current technology. It would likely be worth about two years of Aminodia’s annual income.
“You’re not using it anyway, are you? Is there any problem with giving it to us?”
“Foolishness! Are you trying to solicit our citizens!”
“You can simply change the frequencies on the receivers, right? That way you won’t be receiving any broadcast from Elfrieden”
“Ugh … but still …”
Julius’ face was anguished, but unexpectedly, complied without resistance. He only used it for scheduled broadcasts at the start of each year, even though it’s so useful. Julius who adopted a military first doctrine wouldn’t understand its value. I think he might even only be considering it as a huge ornament.
As I was thinking that, Hakuya whispered, “Your highness, if I may?”
I raised my eyebrow.
“Uh … isn’t that just your hobby?”
“What are you saying? … it’s the crystallization of wisdom”
“Humm … well, listen up, Lord Julius”
“… what is it?”
“To make up for the deficit in collateral 1, we would like custody of all the books in this castle”
This was what Hakuya proposed. The custody of the books gathering dust in the Amidonian archives. Paper is still precious in this world and books aren’t widely circulated. It’s very possible that Amidonia had books that Elfrieden didn’t have. Also, when it comes to books, there’s the possibility of copying them while they’re under our supervision. Julius snorted.
The previous Prince Gaius VIII maintained his country by allying with the Empire, contracting the Zemish, outpowering Elfrieden under the weak rule of the previous King, and a display of military strength against the south, achieving a balanced diplomacy. Does Julius have the capability for that? Even if he did, does the young Julius have enough influence to wield for it? Influence is normally gained gradually while under the previous ruler, but Gaius was no longer here.Julius would henceforth have to handle the difficult problems of external threats and internal leadership of his subordinates. If during that crucial time he were to leave the Humanity Declaration, he would be unable to borrow the Empire’s influence and quickly fall into a ‘checkmate’. Julius understood that, too, and thus he bitterly bowed his head to Jeanne.“… we will, comply to your wishes”“That is a good decision, Lord Julius”Since the discussion had come to a canclusion, we proceeded with the essential payment amount. We presented an amount that equaled to three years of Amidonia’s national income, to be paid in yearly installments over ten years. Also, we requested that it be paid in Imperial gold coins. In other words, we were asking to almost a third of their national income for the next ten years. Julius naturally objected, but Jeanne persuaded (coerced?) him to agree. For Amidonia, who spends half its national income on military, this had the implication of robbing them of this military power. They would be able to pay the amount by downsizing the military, but I’m not sure if Amidonia would be able to do that.“Lady Jeanne. What if the payment is delayed”“Very well. Then the Empire will authorize Vannes’ transfer to Elfrieden”“Kuh …”Julius was mortified, but said no more. Having concluded that, I made Jeanne a proposal.“But Lady Jeanne. It’s possible that they would delay the payments while hardening the defense of Vannes. Even if the Empire is involved, it would be a lot of trouble to take a capital that had been released. Therefore, we would like to have a collateral for the payments”“A collateral?”“Something for us to hold on to until the payments are made. If they become unable to pay, the collateral will become ours. We will of course return it once the payments are made”“I see … so what do you want?”
“Their Royal Broadcast orb”
“What! Our country only has one of those!”
Julius was indignant. Well, the Royal Broadcast was a treasure that could not be made with current technology. It would likely be worth about two years of Aminodia’s annual income.
“You’re not using it anyway, are you? Is there any problem with giving it to us?”
“Foolishness! Are you trying to solicit our citizens!”
“You can simply change the frequencies on the receivers, right? That way you won’t be receiving any broadcast from Elfrieden”
“Ugh … but still …”
Julius’ face was anguished, but unexpectedly, complied without resistance. He only used it for scheduled broadcasts at the start of each year, even though it’s so useful. Julius who adopted a military first doctrine wouldn’t understand its value. I think he might even only be considering it as a huge ornament.
As I was thinking that, Hakuya whispered, “Your highness, if I may?”
I raised my eyebrow.
“Uh … isn’t that just your hobby?”
“What are you saying? … it’s the crystallization of wisdom”
“Humm … well, listen up, Lord Julius”
“… what is it?”
“To make up for the deficit in collateral 1, we would like custody of all the books in this castle”
This was what Hakuya proposed. The custody of the books gathering dust in the Amidonian archives. Paper is still precious in this world and books aren’t widely circulated. It’s very possible that Amidonia had books that Elfrieden didn’t have. Also, when it comes to books, there’s the possibility of copying them while they’re under our supervision. Julius snorted.
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