At ten years old, Kayal had grown from a little brat into a young boy. At least, from his development, he was already one meter thirty-four, which was considered tall among children his age.
However, as he grew older, his innocent childhood faded, and Kayal had less and less free time. Kayal had to use his clever wit to help his father solve these troublesome matters.
Ever since Grand Duke Andrei discovered that Kayal handled affairs better than him, he consciously involved Kayal in political matters, allowing Kayal to establish his prestige in Red Leaf Ridge from a young age. However, Kayal naturally didn't want to manage these things; he merely offered a few suggestions from behind the scenes, which caused Red Leaf Ridge's GDP to rise by several percentage points.
Doing this once or twice was fine, but when Kayal offered suggestions repeatedly, it was inevitable that he would be exposed to the eyes of his father's officials.
While marveling at the young duke's extraordinary talent, they also looked forward to Red Leaf Ridge's development when the young duke grew up. The old officials had no jealousy or malicious intent. In this world, knights most revered the Six Virtues of a Knight, and despite being astute after many years in politics, they had not abandoned the Six Virtues of a Knight.
But that was all when he was young. Now that Kayal had grown up... there were too many troublesome things!
"A banquet." Pinching his brows, Kayal looked at the invitation in Cyber's hand. He frowned slightly but couldn't speak. This was already the fifth invitation his father had sent this month. This time, he probably couldn't refuse. Alas, it would be better to focus on agriculture and ensure that rye and barley had enough growth to feed all the farmers this year, rather than bothering with such superficial matters.
"Yes, the Grand Duke said so, and he insists that you, my lord, must go this time." This naturally placed Grand Duke Andrei in the second position of loyalty, putting Kayal in the first.
"Alright, I'll go once, and let Father give up on this idea." Kayal knew that such banquets were held for two purposes: first, to meet new political partners and lords, with trade or marriage being means of interaction; second, to reconnect with old friends, so that their relationships wouldn't cool down as they went their separate ways.
Of course, these were matters that the lordly class had to worry about. The second generation of nobles had only one thing to do: to be used as bargaining chips for marriage by their parents, their engagements already set in their ignorance, their entire lives becoming political pawns.
Kayal's actions in recent years would, of course, not be used as a bargaining chip by Grand Duke Andrei for such a transaction, but it was hard to say for other young children.
Going this time was also with the intention of making a splash. Although this would make him a hot commodity and stir the hearts of lords with daughters, it would also allow him at least a few years of peace, at least until he was seventeen, without any marital worries.
"Cyber, I'm leaving the house to you." Time is a butcher's knife. Cyber, who used to be a frivolous man with a fawning smile, had, after several years of Kayal's influence, transformed into a middle-aged man in a neat tailcoat, wearing a black bow tie, and with a serious expression.
Hearing Kayal's words, Cyber smiled slightly and bowed in response, "Yes, I hope my master can bring back a beautiful lady."
With a laughing curse, Kayal got up, put on his robe, and, with Leyton, mounted his now tall white horse and headed towards Red Leaf Fortress.
Red Leaf Fortress had completely transformed. The outer perimeter consisted of streets in the style of a Dutch town. Two-story houses were the maximum safe height for stone and wood houses at the time. The second-floor windows were lined with flowers, and below them was a row of oak trees. The oak trees were symmetrical, and the wide central road allowed two carriages and six cavalrymen to advance simultaneously.
This entire area was residential, while the commercial district was on the other side. The commercial district was vast, an area developed entirely for commerce, with no residents, but instead, guards patrolling individually to prevent merchants from causing trouble.
Nobles, merchants, and commoners formed the prosperity of Red Leaf Ridge's outer areas, yet fewer people went inside Red Leaf Fortress.
But everyone knew that Red Leaf Fortress was the coveted place of residence for all.
Ever since most people moved out three years ago, the interior of Red Leaf Fortress began a major renovation. The renovation not only employed three thousand workers within Red Leaf Fortress but also attracted a large number of merchants to Red Leaf Fortress to buy and sell building materials. The arrival of these merchants further added a vibrant flow to Red Leaf Fortress's economy. The various specialties of Red Leaf Ridge made the merchants ecstatic. The money they earned here was immediately spent on buying various specialties, and Red Leaf Ridge did not suffer losses; instead, it became even more prosperous thanks to these merchants.
The so-called economy is circulation.
Thanks to the comings and goings of merchants, Red Leaf Ridge's tax revenue increased significantly. Proposed by Kayal and approved by Grand Duke Andrei, this tax revenue was directly invested in road construction, a beneficial undertaking for both the country and the people. In this world, where even yellow gunpowder did not exist, road construction was an extremely arduous task, comparable to manually digging canals.
Not only was tax revenue invested, but Grand Duke Andrei probably had to contribute a considerable amount himself. However, Kayal naturally knew that after the roads were built, merchants would arrive as promised. Compared to other territories with scarce resources and muddy roads, Red Leaf Ridge had many specialties, comfortable routes, and more money to be made. With such a comparison, it was obvious where merchants would prefer to go. Once merchants developed a habit and considered Red Leaf Ridge a free trade city, how much commercial tax would be collected would be entirely up to Grand Duke Andrei to decide, wouldn't it?
The bait must be large.
Grand Duke Andrei, adhering to this principle, managed Red Leaf Ridge vibrantly. Red Leaf Ridge, relying on its economy and its attraction to merchants, began to stride forward, showing a tendency to advance towards Red Leaf City.
This banquet would probably make countless lords envious of Red Leaf Ridge's economy. They either wanted a piece of the pie or wanted to learn from them. This banquet... it's trouble.
Shaking his head once more, Kayal, sitting in the carriage, glanced at the unusually excited Grand Duke Andrei and sighed, wondering what his father was thinking, so excited. But then, thinking of his mother's eager gaze and her longing for a daughter-in-law, Kayal was speechless, knowing that such matters should absolutely not be discussed with the old lady, otherwise, it would truly be impossible to reason with her.
Kayal was a smart person, so he decisively shut up and followed Grand Duke Andrei into the luxurious carriage to attend the banquet.
"Father, why not host a banquet in Red Leaf Fortress? This way, not only can those lords see the new face of Red Leaf Ridge, but we can also take the opportunity to extort some money from them." Extorting some money from those lords would teach them a lesson, to open up roads, which would benefit everyone.
"Hahaha..." Grand Duke Andrei laughed loudly, "I don't have that much prestige. The host of this banquet is His Majesty the King."
His Majesty the King? Kayal's eyes lit up. He wanted to see what kind of father could produce such an eccentric king as King Arthur.