Chapter 535 — Man of the Hour

With that, the viscount withdrew, leaving the banquet hall to the Angray Loom and its inventor, while he himself returned with the old mage Daniel to a withdrawing room adjoining the hall.

"Master Daniel, this has been a delightful day," Viscount Hermir said happily as soon as they entered the room. "Do you know? What I love most is bringing out something new and then savoring everyone's astonished looks..."

The old mage Daniel nodded. "Thank you for your assistance, Viscount."

Eccentric as he was, he still knew basic courtesy, and besides, to complete his master's task he must now cultivate the best possible relations with every "target to be used."

"Please, no such courtesy, Master," Viscount Hermir said quickly. "Lady Windsor once gave me some guidance, and I count myself, if I may, as half her disciple; and you are her teacher — it is an honor to help ease your troubles."

Daniel glanced at the young noble. "You do have some talent for magic."

"Ah, I know my own small talent well enough; I doubt I shall ever go far on the path of magic, and besides, I am a man who cannot endure hardship," Viscount Hermir said, waving a hand. "That is why I prefer to put my energies into 'curiosities.' Fortune has been kind to me — it let me find a curiosity of such value, and then let me meet a master of such discerning eye and surpassing wisdom as yourself. To be honest, though I saw great value in the Angray Loom, without your guidance and instruction I doubt I should ever have imagined in all my life how great its true power might be..."

Daniel accepted the viscount's flattery calmly, then probed obliquely: "Viscount, do you think your friends will be interested in the Angray Loom?"

"Ah, they are all people like me, interested in things new and strange — though not everyone has the courage to invest as I do. You know how it is: many nobles, having lost their lands, guard what assets remain to them with particular care, and even dare hold banquets only twice a month," Viscount Hermir said, sitting on the soft couch in the withdrawing room and leaning over to take a fruit from the dish beside him; he sniffed its fragrance as he spoke. "But among them there are still two... oh, three, who should have both the eye and the courage. They will join in."

"Good," Daniel nodded. "The more who take part, the faster we can expand our scale, and the more obvious the effect of publicity. The Angray Loom has already been registered with the Artificers' Association; in time you may not only open factories but also sell licenses for the loom, and the returns will far exceed an annuity."

"To be honest, I can hardly wait," Viscount Hermir said, setting the fruit aside. "Though frankly... good as the Angray Loom is, it needs a sufficient supply of yarn to show its full value. Mr. Martin... can he really design the new spinning machine before the Month of Chill ends?"

"He will succeed, rest assured — after all, a spinning machine is far simpler in structure than a loom, and there is the water-powered spinning machine the Herites invented in 714 to serve as reference," Daniel smiled — though that smile, rather than reassuring, gave one a rather chilling feeling. "Beyond that, I will help him. I know... a little of mechanics."

Viscount Hermir let out a long breath. "That is good. Once the spinning machine is in place as well, I shall have nothing to worry about."

"No — there is in fact one more thing we should worry about in advance," Daniel shook his head and reminded him in good time. "Viscount, don't you think that if the spinning machine and the loom are set running at the same time, we shall need a great deal of... cotton?"

"...That I have indeed considered," Viscount Hermir's expression grew a little more serious at Daniel's words. "Most of the people near the capital grow grain and beans; the main cotton-growing regions lie somewhat farther south, and even in the south their output should not be able to keep up with what the machines will consume — the machines' efficiency is simply astonishing."

"Why don't we find a way to persuade those farmers who grow grain and beans to plant a little cotton as well? Cotton can after all yield a decent harvest in the central provinces too," Daniel said, recalling his master's teachings and guiding him along step by step; a more pronounced smile appeared on his face — still with that chilling quality, though in Viscount Hermir's eyes it was full of sincerity and goodwill. "The farmers will reap enormous benefits; the factories will pay far more for cotton than they earn from selling grain..."

"And... if they are unwilling?" Viscount Hermir hesitated. "Many farmers are very stubborn, and now the imperial law protects them besides — I cannot simply force them to change what grows in their fields..."

"Sir Viscount, this is where you will need to put in some effort in the council—draw more people into the textile factories. Once everyone has become our investor, the councilmen will naturally come to realize the importance of cotton..."

"Ah, Master Daniel, you also understand how the nobles' council operates?"

"A little."

Looking at this old mage before him—a man of such discerning eye and outstanding intellect—Viscount Hemir could not help but finally show a look of admiration: "Master Daniel, if I may speak frankly—you truly should have returned to the imperial capital sooner. Your insight and judgment are so exceptionally brilliant that had you come back two years earlier, you would already have become a leading figure of this city."

"No, Sir Viscount, this is the age of the young," Daniel said unhurriedly. "Keep your expectations high—you are about to become the leading figure of this age."

Viscount Hemir burst into laughter. He rose to his feet, took down a goblet and a bottle of red wine from the rack nearby with his own hands, poured a cup for himself and another for Daniel, then handed one to the old mage before him: "Let us drink to that, Master."

Daniel took the goblet and raised it slightly: "To this wonderful age."

"To this wonderful age."

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