Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 727: The Social Experiment

TL: Rui88

Hansel Abbott sat somewhat reservedly in the palace dining hall, giving a slight nod to the attendant who was setting out his food.

His gaze fell upon the tableware on the table. It was exquisitely made, with no visible flaws, but it was all ordinary porcelain.

As a key product that brought immense profit to Alda, porcelain had long since become popular all over the world with the merchant ships of the Northwest Bay. These smooth utensils with exquisite patterns were beloved by all social classes. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

But thanks to being the country of origin for porcelain, the price of porcelain in Ordo was not as outrageous as in other countries. After the initial craze subsided, its price had fallen back to a somewhat expensive level.

In any case, it could not be compared with utensils made of gold and silver.

But Hansel had heard from his father that the utensils used to entertain guests in the palace were all made of gold and silver.

“This is no disrespect to you, Sir Abbott.”

King Rodney XVIII noticed Hansel’s brief glance at the tableware and began to explain.

“I have already sold most of the gold and silver items in the palace for money.”

“Oh! Your Majesty, you have truly made a great sacrifice for the country,” Hansel said flatteringly, though his heart ached.

It truly ached, for the king. Many of the items in the Crystal Shine Palace had been passed down for centuries, their value far exceeding the objects themselves, even a dinner plate or a set of cutlery.

Rodney XVIII said resolutely, “As long as it can make Ordo’s army strong, no sacrifice is too great.”

After speaking, he raised his wine glass. “Hansel,” the king called him cordially by his first name, “I toast you.”

Hansel was suddenly somewhat flattered. He quickly picked up his wine glass, touched it to the king’s from afar, and drank.

Heavens, this was simply unimaginable before. A bastard son from a noble family with a somewhat disreputable background was being privately entertained by the supreme ruler of Ordo in this magnificent palace dining hall. What an honor.

“Your work has been outstanding!”

Outstanding? The king’s words cooled Hansel’s slightly feverish mind.

“Back then, my uncle sent you all to the lords loyal to the royal family to strengthen our connections with them. Among so many, only you—Hansel Abbott—have truly brought great benefits back to the kingdom.”

Uh… Hansel became alert. In Rodney XVIII’s words, it was as if he still regarded him as his direct subordinate.

But Hansel knew in his heart that he could no longer separate himself from Alda’s system.

In the Northwest Bay, he was a high-ranking official of the Administration Council entrusted with important responsibilities. As the head of agriculture, he played a crucial role in the land reforms initiated by Marquis Grayman, earning either fear or respect from many landowners and country gentlemen who held large tracts of land. That feeling of being enveloped in the aura of power was something he had never experienced as a mere low-level tax collector in Crystal Shrine.

Hansel also understood that back then, he and the other noble sons sent to contact the loyalist lords were just being sent away by the royal family to save on food. The most direct evidence was that the royal family had never shown any intention of recalling them over the years.

He remembered how, after coordinating with the then-Count Paul Grayman to contribute a large amount of crucial food, military equipment, and other supplies to Crystal Shrine, Hansel had waited with anticipation for the royal family to recall him. But after years of waiting, his heart finally grew cold, and he gradually began to see the Northwest Bay as his foundation.

Moreover, Marquis Paul Grayman had treated him well, with a generous salary and consultation on all matters, making him feel highly valued, while the royal family had not given him a single coin for years. For various reasons, Hansel finally completed the transition of his self-identity, preferring to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond. Besides, with the rising momentum of the Northwest Bay, it was hard to say which was the big pond and which was the small one.

Hansel felt no guilt towards the royal family. He had done what he was supposed to do, which was worthy of his baronial title.

“Hehe!” The king seemed to have noticed the fleeting embarrassment on his face and said with a smile, “This is merely a sincere compliment! There is no other meaning.”

Rodney XVIII disdained being the kind of person who probed people’s minds with riddles. “I hope you will continue to serve Paul diligently. After all, he is my brother-in-law, a marquis of the kingdom. And I only hope that you will continue to maintain the bond of loyalty and goodwill between Grayman and Rodney, and I will not make any excessive demands of you.”

“Thank you! My king!” Hansel looked at him. “So, when Your Majesty invites me to the palace for dinner, is there some ‘not excessive’ request?”

“Hahaha!” Rodney XVIII laughed for a while. “I just want to talk to you about my brother-in-law. You have been by his side for so many years, you must know him better than Catherine and I.”

Hansel asked, “Isn’t Princess Eileen the same?”

When he learned that the arrogant former head of the Department of Education was actually the second princess of the kingdom, Hansel had been uneasy for a while, because he had argued heatedly with her several times in Administration Council meetings.

However, as he completed the transition of his self-identity, he put this worry behind him.

Rodney XVIII raised an eyebrow. “She is, after all, a young girl, inexperienced in the ways of the world. Towards another young, capable man of high status, she might exaggerate some things and overlook others.”

“Hmm…” Hansel thought, was commenting on his de facto lord a “not excessive request”?

The king smiled again. “Whatever you say, I will listen carefully. You know, I have even entrusted the army to Paul’s care now. This is a huge gamble, and I am eager to understand him from multiple perspectives.”

Since it was the king’s request, it was impossible not to say anything. But did he mean… he could say whatever he wanted?

Hansel considered for a moment in his heart and said, “Your Majesty, entrusting the training of the army to Marquis Grayman’s subordinates was the right decision. Marquis Grayman is an ambitious man.”

“Uh…” Rodney XVIII was confused by his contradictory statement.

“Please don’t worry,” Hansel continued. “The Marquis’s ambition does not lie in the pursuit of secular power.”

The king asked doubtfully, “Are you saying he is an explorer of the spiritual world? But I don’t think Paul’s enthusiasm for religion is very high.”

Hansel shook his head. “Not in a religious sense. Besides researching some strange technologies, the Marquis is also keen on sociology. He seems to want to explore a path based on the various virtues of humanity—diligence, altruism, and self-restraint—to build another form of society. This is what I mean by ambitious.”

“Oh? That seems no different from what the sages of history pursued.” The king nodded.

“Yes, but the sages of history relied on enlightened monarchs, powerful heroes, or omnipotent gods, while Paul Grayman wants to rely on ordinary people themselves.”

“Go on.”

“The Marquis has conducted several social experiments. He built several large farms, but did not appoint managers, letting the people inside decide what to do—the members of the farm worked together according to different divisions of labor and collectively decided on various operational matters. The key is that the farm’s property and harvest were collectively owned by the farm members—it’s complicated to explain in detail, but that’s the general idea.”

“Naive!” the king commented.

“Yes, naive. We all thought so privately!” Hansel agreed. “And without exception, all those farms failed for various reasons.”

“But Marquis Grayman enjoys it. He seems to believe that there is an inherent good quality hidden in human nature that can regulate people’s behavior, and that even without a compulsory binding force, a group of ordinary people can spontaneously form a positive and beneficial orderly environment.”

“It’s just like playing house!” The king then smiled. “Please don’t repeat my evaluation to Paul, that would be too impolite.”

“Of course.” Hansel nodded. “But he once said that some mistakes must be repeated to know why they were wrong.”

“Sounds like someone has tried this before?”

“Perhaps,” Hansel said. “But I don’t think a man like Marquis Grayman would be keen on becoming that ‘compulsory binding force’ himself.”

The king smiled. “What if he also opposes others from becoming one?”

“Marquis Grayman is also a realist.”

Hansel replied, “Theory is theory, and reality is reality. He hopes to strike a balance between the two.”