September 15, 1993, a little after ten in the morning.

A motorcade drove through the streets of Stockholm, leading directly to the Royal Palace.

The palace we are going to visit this time is not the one Alan visited a few days ago. That is the private palace of the Swedish royal family. The one we are going to today is the official one, which is larger and has a better geographical location. It is a semi-open, semi-private administrative palace next to the central square.

There are small flags hanging on the lamp posts on both sides of the road.

Alan looked at it curiously. The flag was white, with the emblem of the Swedish royal family printed on the main body.

King Gustav is on the left in military uniform, his wife Queen Silvia is on the right, and three children are in front of them.

There is also a shadow of the Swedish territory behind it.

At first glance, this little flag looks pretty nice.

There's a festive atmosphere going on, but when I think about what Gustav had said in the beginning, that he wanted to make the celebration a lively one, and then look at the arrangements on both sides of the road today, I can only say... it's a bit petty.

If it were the place where Alan lived in his previous life, any third or fourth tier city, when a leader came to inspect or something, the scale of the welcome would be much more exaggerated than today's. At least flower pots and slogans would be standard.

It’s nothing like it is now, so plain, without even a slogan.

…

When they arrived at the palace gate, the British royal team was relatively late. This was something the etiquette master in the team had specifically instructed them to do. After all, the British royal family is very famous, so even if they couldn't be the last to appear, at least they couldn't arrive early, as that would make them look low-profile.

Just like now, Alan got out of the car first, and Prince Edward's car was behind him, and the two were dressed very differently.

Today's dress code is based on modern etiquette.

If it were Britain, on such a grand occasion, the Queen would have to wear royal robes and a crown to show her face.

But Gustav doesn’t care about this, mainly because he has no power. What is his biggest advantage now?

It is his nominal identity as the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces.

So today Gustav wears a military uniform and rank, while the Queen wears an ordinary dress.

Aristocrats like Allen, who were born into a military family, had to follow King Gustav and wear military uniforms, but Prince Edward didn't have to. He only wore an ordinary tuxedo.

As soon as the two got off the car, there were no media, only reception staff arranged in advance to receive them.

According to the procedure, Alan reported his number, presented a gift, and then followed the waiter into the palace.

This is the formal waiter visiting procedure, and everything must be done according to the procedure.

"It is full of decay, yet it is dead and yet not dead."

Suddenly, I heard Prince Edward's complaints again.

Alan turned his head and looked at this guy. Compared with Sweden and Britain, who is more corrupt?

You can't tell the difference between the big and small kings?

…

As Allen walked, he was wearing all the medals he had ever won, both formal and informal, and his sword as well. The metal clashed against each other, making a sound of metal collision with each step he took.

No matter how valuable these medals are, at least they look quite impressive at first glance.

When he walked with Prince Edward, Prince Edward looked more like a follower, while Alan looked like a prince.

…

"Hello... Nice to meet you. May I ask... Are you the Earl of Carmarthen of Wales?"

"Who are you?"

As soon as he entered the palace, he found the whole hall extremely bustling. Alan glanced around and saw that there were at least three or four hundred people standing in the hall!

A greeting voice came from the side. Alan turned his head and found that the person looked unfamiliar and he didn't recognize him.

"Haha, it seems that my guess was right. I heard that the Earl of Carmarthen in Great Britain is outstanding in appearance and extraordinary in bravery. I have seen you on TV before, but your hairstyle was different then. This time... I didn't realize that I am the Earl of Custer."

"Oh... hello, hello, nice to meet you."

Alan held up his hat with his left hand, straightened his back, stretched out his right hand and shook hands with the man enthusiastically.

As soon as he heard the name Count Custer, he knew that he was a local Swedish nobleman, whose fame was... so-so. He was in the timber business. The last time he went hunting with Gustav, the area where Alan and the others were was contracted by this count.

The Swedes have a king, and of course they also have corresponding nobles.

But their nobles...are rather strange.

There are two types. One is the compiled ones, that is, the nobles in Sweden who are personally canonized by the king. The canonization here specifically refers to the canonization before Gustav.

Since Gustav ascended the throne, he has lost all his power, so what title is there for him?

He could only confer a nominal dukedom on each of his three children, but not on the others.

The highest-ranking noble in Sweden is the earl.

Their formal aristocratic system has the king at the top and the prince at the bottom, which is the duke.

Unlike in Britain, where there is a marquis below the duke, there is no marquis in Sweden. It goes directly to earl, and there is no viscount below the earl, only baron.

Below the Baron, there is no such thing as a knight, only a knight.

A system that favors ancient rituals and military merit aristocracy.

For the Swedes, the nobility reaches its peak at the earl.

There are still more than a hundred earl families existing in their country.

But... compared to the life of the nobles in Britain, the nobles in Sweden... don't look like nobles at all.

Among the more than one hundred earl families, there are no more than ten that are doing well and famous, and the rest are rubbish.

After all, their king is in such a miserable state, and the nobles below are not much better.

In addition to these registered and registered nobles, there are also many remaining nobles who have taken refuge abroad living in Sweden.

For example, the former German nobility, the former Italian nobility, the former Tsarist Russian nobility, the former French nobility, and so on. Anyway, all kinds of people are like in an aristocratic exposition. Nobles from all over Europe can be found here. Some aristocratic families have extremely glorious histories, but they are now in decline.

Alan had heard Gustav's introduction before. There were dozens of noble families with the surname Feng living in Sweden, and there were also families with the surnames De and Tang.

…

The Count Custer in front of him is one of the most successful Swedish nobles.

This one is doing well...they are compared to other Swedish nobles.

If the comparison object was changed to someone like Allen.

It is no exaggeration to say that with Allen's current wealth and power, these ten or so earls combined are probably not as good as Allen. The gap is that big!

So... now it seems that both of them are earls, but the difference in rank is very clear to them. When they shook hands, Alan only extended his right hand, and the other party directly shook the hand that Alan extended with both hands. Not only did he not feel that Alan was being rude, but he felt it was an honor to know Alan.

"Shall I show you around the palace?"

Letting go of his hand, Count Custer was very enthusiastic and prepared to take Allen on a tour.

"Then there is Count Laucaster."

When Alan finished speaking and turned to talk to Prince Edward, the prince was nowhere to be found.

“…”

Well, the gift has been given, the reporting process has been completed, and now everyone can go their separate ways, which is exactly what Allen wants.

…

In normal conversations in the hall, men and women were clearly divided. On the left were the nobles who participated in the celebration, and on the right were the families brought by these nobles.

Count Custer walked in front, starting from the door, and introduced to Alan the portraits hanging around the palace hall one by one.

This is a set of matching portraits of the kings and queens of Sweden, starting from the left and extending to the far right. Look at the space... and there's also a place for Gustav.

"Count Allen, I went on a business trip to South America some time ago. When I came back, I heard from the servants at home that you visited IKEA?"

While visiting, Count Custer pretended to chat about family matters and started a conversation.

"Well, I went there to study and visit, and it was very rewarding."

Alan looked at the military uniforms of various countries in the hall and found it very novel. The scene gave him a weird feeling of COSPLAY.

The main reason is that it's too messy. For example, his clothes are navy blue, and someone's dress is gray. You can tell it's Dezi at a glance.

There is also a shit-yellow color, which probably looks like a French aristocrat.

When the Japanese first started learning, the first thing they learned was the military uniforms of the still very rigid French.

Especially the French African troops. They had huge interests in Africa back then. They had the African Corps. There was a lot of wind and sand there, so they added two things like fart curtains on both sides of the hat to block the wind and sand and protect the ears and neck.

But the Japanese people at that time didn't understand, so they followed suit and made their new military uniforms the same yellow color as the French African Corps, and added butt curtains on their hats.

Because of this, the Japanese were often ridiculed by European masters in the past.

So...when Alan saw a military uniform of this color in Europe, he knew that the other party was most likely a French aristocrat.

As for the British Army uniform, it is also this color, so why can't it be the British aristocracy?

The British Army... has only a few nobles, and it is impossible for them to appear here. Those who understand will understand!

…

"Aha, it seems that Earl Allen is going to enter the furniture industry? Will there be a chance for us to cooperate with each other then?"

Count Custer said meaningfully.

"oh?"

Speaking of this, Alan looked at Count Custer strangely. Who said he was going to enter the furniture industry?

The industries he currently has on hand have not yet been regulated, so how can he have the time to get involved in new industries?

"I don't have such plans. I would never get involved in the furniture industry. The economy has been bad in the past two years and I don't have the energy."

As Allen spoke, he returned the greeting to a noble who was nodding at him in the distance.

"Haha, Lord Allen, you are such a forgetful person. You obviously have a furniture business. Last year, I remember you sent someone to purchase a batch of high-quality ancient wood."

"???"

There is such a thing?

How come I don’t know?

Alan was stunned by Count Custer's words.

Just as he was about to deny it, suddenly... Alan seemed to remember something and asked uncertainly, "Are you talking about the people from Bentley?"

"Yes, yes, that's them. They occasionally came here to purchase wood before. I have had contact with them before."

Seeing that Alan finally remembered, Count Custer nodded with a smile and looked at Alan expectantly.

…

“…”

Speaking of Bentley, Alan was a little speechless. There were some things that he had not cared about before and had not tried to learn about them specifically, but someone reported them to him later and he just listened and that was it, so much so that when Count Custer asked about it just now, he didn't remember them at all.

Speaking of furniture and Bentley, Alan just remembered.

In his new estate, more than 80% of the wooden furniture was handmade for him by his own family.

As for where this was built, it’s Bentley!

As the most awesome furniture maker in the entire luxury car industry, Bentley's carpenters are definitely among the best in the industry.

If other luxury car models use various leathers, diamonds and gold as their interior materials, then many of Bentley's older models use a lot of precious woods.

For example, armrests, dashboards, various guards and the like, even if some places only need wooden boards less than one millimeter thick to decorate, they are all hand-made by Bentley's carpenters!

It is because of the excellent craftsmanship of the carpenters and the outstanding craftsmanship that Bentley has always had a unique style among ultra-high-end luxury cars. The idea of ​​embedding a small watch on the dashboard was first invented by Bentley, which highlights its noble and high taste.

With such a good carpenter at hand, Butler Hut was sure to make use of him. In the end, he gave most of the furniture making work in the new manor to Bentley.

Bentley has been acquired by Allen for such a long time, but has not achieved any results. They feel a little guilty about it. Now... they can make furniture for the new boss, what else do they want?

Do it.

It can be said that Bentley's carpentry department worked hard, used connections everywhere, and obtained a large amount of precious wood. They used the best materials and the best craftsmanship to create furniture for Alan's new manor.

In this process, he inevitably came into contact with Count Custer, who was also in the timber business.

This person probably wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to talk to Allen about cooperation with Bentley. Even though Bentley doesn't use much wood in a year under normal circumstances, the wood they use is high-end. Having such a partner would be a great honor for them!

When he goes out and chats with others, he casually says that my partner is Bentley, the manufacturer of luxury cars, and all the high-end wood they need is sourced from me. Does this represent the strength of Count Custer?

With this identity, he can use it to bully others and approach car companies or furniture dealers to discuss cooperation, which will increase his success rate exponentially!

…

"I usually don't care much about this kind of thing. I'll ask about it when I get back this time."

Alan didn't agree right away. How could he agree right away?

Socialize, chat more, and have a give-and-take approach. Besides, he has to go back and find out everything first. How can he talk if he doesn't know any of the inside story?