Chapter 31
Emperor Lucien's "personal presence" was like an invisible decree, both a tacit acknowledgment of Serena's status and a complete thrust into the spotlight of Roconia's power stage. All eyes were on this young, resurrected duchess, scrutinizing, speculating, and awaiting her next move. Having only a title without real achievements would only lead to rapid marginalization, or even being swallowed up, in the empire's ruthless aristocratic circles.
Serena knew this perfectly well. She needed a spectacular debut, a project that could quickly generate tangible benefits and showcase her abilities and value.
She locked herself in her study for several days, working with Mara to meticulously examine all the properties under the Wilde family's name—manors and woodlands scattered across several provinces, several mediocre mines, and some overseas trade investments that had nearly stagnated due to the Duke's neglect in his later years. Traditional agriculture provided stable but slow income, while the mines, limited by grade and transportation costs, yielded limited profits.
Her gaze finally settled on a nearly abandoned industry in the southern coastal province of the empire—"Lucius Bay." It was a small port that had once prospered because of the high-quality rock salt produced nearby, but in recent years, due to rising mining costs, mismanagement, and competition from other large salt fields, it had gradually declined and was almost in a semi-abandoned state. Every year, the family had to invest funds for basic maintenance, making it an inconspicuous deficit on the books.
Almost all the family advisors recommended abandoning Luches Bay and selling it to generate cash flow. But while reviewing old files, Serena noticed a overlooked detail: decades ago, a family prospector had discovered signs of a high-quality quartz sand deposit near Luches Bay, but at the time, due to a focus on rock salt mining and a lack of glassmaking technology, this record was shelved.
A bold plan took shape in her mind.
She summoned an elderly clerk from her family, known for his rigor and taciturn nature, and a retired captain who had sailed to the southern city-states many times and witnessed glassmaking. Under conditions of absolute secrecy, she sent them secretly to the commercial city-state of Comeria, carrying her handwritten letter and some funds.
Her instructions were clear: First, hire one or two unsuccessful but skilled glassmakers. Second, procure special raw materials and simple tools that were difficult to obtain within the empire for small-batch production of colored glassware. Third, everything should be done through unofficial channels to avoid attracting attention.
Meanwhile, under the pretext of "inspecting the family's southern properties," she personally visited Luches Bay. What she saw was a desolate scene: dilapidated docks, idle warehouses, and a small number of idle residents. But she noticed even more the clear waters, the abundant sunshine, and the relatively convenient, albeit dilapidated, roads leading inland.
Upon returning to Roconia, she withstood internal pressure to sell Luches Bay and instead persuaded the family council to approve a small but crucial amount of start-up capital. She publicly declared that Luches Bay would undergo a "comprehensive assessment and limited development," attempting to restore some of its traditional salt industry revenue.
Secretly, her men in Comeria successfully brought back a middle-aged glassmaker and his apprentice, who had been unable to stay in the society due to offending the leader, along with several boxes of valuable raw materials and tools. They were secretly housed in a renovated old warehouse in Luches Bay, far from the main residential area.
The experiment was conducted in extreme secrecy. Using abundant local quartz sand, pure alkali from marine plants, and a small amount of metal oxides brought from Cameroon as colorants, under the guidance of their teacher, and after several failed attempts, they finally succeeded in firing their first batch of brightly colored, highly transparent glass sheets and small vessels. Their quality far surpassed that of ordinary glass products commonly found within the Empire, which were cloudy and bubble-filled.
When Serena saw the sample, a genuine light finally shone in her eyes for the first time in months. She knew she had found the key.
She did not rush into mass production. Instead, she carefully selected a few of the most exquisite samples—a deep blue vase resembling the sea, a set of glassware inlaid with gold and red veins—and sent them, in the name of the Wilde family, as "novelties of the South" to several noble ladies known for their refined taste and wealth, and whose relationships with the royal family were neither close nor distant.
These unprecedented, dazzling glasswares instantly caused a sensation in Augustus's most prestigious aristocratic salons. Rarity drives up value, and these novel items, combining practicality and artistry, immediately became new symbols of status and wealth, attracting a constant stream of buyers.
Only then did Serena announce the existence of the Luches Bay Glass Workshop at the family council meeting and present preliminary orders. The family members and advisors, who had initially been skeptical, were stunned.
She was not content with this. She understood the temporary nature of technological monopolies. She swiftly implemented the following measures: First, she maintained strict secrecy regarding the core formula and process, breaking down the production process, with core coloring and firing handled by Comellia artisans and their absolutely trusted apprentices. Second, she utilized the port conditions of Luches Bay to gradually restore small-scale shipping, facilitating the import of raw materials and the export of finished products. Third, she positioned glass products as high-end luxury goods, strictly controlling production to maintain their scarcity and high profits.
Within just a few months, what was previously a deficit business has been transformed into a potentially huge profit driver. For the first time, the Wilde family's books have seen a bright and promising increase thanks to the new duchess's decision.
The well-informed court naturally heard about the Wilde family's "flowing colored crystals." When an elegantly shaped glass ornament inlaid with purple crystals was presented to the palace as a "gift of gratitude for His Majesty's delayed visit," Lucien gazed at the magnificent colors that shifted and changed under the light, his deep purple eyes unfathomable.
The success of the Luches Bay stained glass earned Serena initial recognition within her family and a valuable breathing space, but this was far from enough. Glassmaking techniques were easily imitated, and the luxury market had limited capacity; she needed a more stable and strategic political and economic foothold. Her gaze once again turned beyond the empire to international trade, but this was no easy task. The empire had long pursued a protectionist trade policy, with the import and export of vital goods firmly controlled by the royal family and a few major merchant guilds, making it difficult for emerging nobles to intervene.
However, after Lucien ascended the throne, he showed a strong interest in strengthening the empire, especially its navy and military power. This gave Serena an opening.
She carefully studied the Empire's existing trade laws and tariff provisions and discovered a neglected ancient regulation concerning "franchises." This regulation allowed, "under specific circumstances and for the vital interests of the Empire," the Emperor to grant a noble or merchant exclusive rights to import certain "strategic materials" for a limited period, subject to strict supervision.
What qualifies as a "strategic material"? Besides traditional iron ore, timber, and saltpeter, what else is considered a strategic material?
She recalled her experiences in the ports of Losca and Freeport, the swift and agile oar-powered warships of the southern city-states, and a viscous liquid called "black oil" from the Cador Federation. This black oil originated from the swamps of southern Cador. The local natives had long discovered that it could burn fiercely and was not easily extinguished by water, but due to its difficult extraction, dangerous transportation, and pungent odor, it was not widely used and was mostly used as a cheap kindling or a rudimentary fire-starting material.
But Serena believes this property might have amazing potential for specific military applications, such as naval warfare. It is more viscous and has stronger adhesion than traditional kerosene.
This was a high-risk, high-reward gamble. She needed to prove the "strategic value" of black oil and convince Lucien to grant her an import license.
She once again used her connections in Comeria, but this time, her target wasn't artisans, but rather merchants or down-on-their-luck scholars familiar with the properties of Cador black oil and willing to take risks. She needed more detailed information, even small batches of samples, to conduct a "feasibility study."
Meanwhile, at an informal meeting of the Senate, she subtly raised a topic: "On the inadequacy and potential improvement of the Imperial Navy's existing fire-based methods in dealing with the harassment of fast ships from the southern city-states." She did not directly mention black oil, but instead cited historical examples to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various fire-based tactics, subtly pointing out that the oil currently used by the Empire was easily dispersed and ineffective under the influence of wind speeds at sea, necessitating the search for a more efficient and adhesive alternative.
Her speech was logically clear, supported by compelling evidence, and entirely based on the interests of the empire, attracting the attention of some veterans with military backgrounds. Although no conclusion was reached at the time, the seed had been sown.
Several months later, her men sent to Cador successfully brought back several barrels of black oil samples and a report detailing its properties (including combustion experiments). Serena did not keep it to herself; she did something extremely audacious—she secretly presented the report and a small sample vial to the First Lord of the Navy through a relatively neutral elder.
The First Lord of the Admiralty was initially dismissive of this "whimsical idea" from a duchess, but the report's description of the black oil's adhesion and sustained combustion capabilities, along with the accompanying records of small-scale combustion experiments conducted in a controlled environment, piqued his curiosity. He ordered the naval shipyards to conduct preliminary tests.
The test results were astonishing. This viscous black oil was indeed more difficult to disperse by water than traditional kerosene, and burned for a longer period of time, potentially having an unexpected destructive effect in naval boarding maneuvers or port defense.
The news quickly reached Lucien's ears. He looked at the report presented by the Minister of the Navy and the Wilder family's initial "research" materials, a mysterious glint flashing in his deep purple eyes. She had actually extended her reach into the Empire's military sphere, and it seemed she had indeed found something of value.
Shortly thereafter, a charter signed by the Emperor and bearing the royal coat of arms was delivered to the Duke of Wilder's residence. The charter granted the Wilder family a five-year exclusive right to import "combustible mineral oil for specific official imperial use" (i.e., black oil) from the Cador Federation. The quantity imported, storage locations, and final uses were subject to dual oversight by the Naval Office and the Royal Commissioner, and strict regulations were also established regarding profit sharing.
This was not a license for the Wilde family to reap exorbitant profits; it was fraught with restrictions and regulations. However, its political significance far outweighed its economic benefits—this was the first time since the new emperor's ascension to the throne that a family outside of traditional commercial guilds or core vassal nobles had been granted a concession to import strategic materials. This marked Serena Wilde, the newly crowned duchess, as she officially entered the political and economic arena of the empire's upper echelons with an undeniable presence.
With this license, Serena quickly established contact with suppliers in the Cador Federation and began a small-scale, strictly regulated importation of black oil. Although the majority of the profits went to the Empire, the commissions, management fees, and most importantly—political influence—that the Wilder family received were immeasurable.
She was no longer just a duchess with a novel glass workshop; she had become a link in the imperial strategic supply chain, a powerful noblewoman with direct connections to the navy and royal affairs.
In the palace, Lucien listened to reports about the import of black oil and watched as the Wilder family, under the leadership of the duchess, methodically carried out the terms of the charter. His fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest of the throne.
She always managed to surprise him.
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