Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World

Chapter 370: Liszt

TL: Etude

The night was deep, and even Fort Ness, the capital of the Horn Bay Alliance and a rare city with a bustling nightlife in this era, had succumbed to silence and darkness.

In a hotel in the dock area, a light still shone in a room on the second floor.

At a table by the window, a young man with an unkempt beard and glasses was fervently writing with a quill pen on paper.

His face showed no signs of fatigue, but rather an air of excitement, suggesting sleep would elude him tonight.

Word after word leapt from the tip of his pen, the handwriting messy yet sharp.

With a creak, the door to his room opened, but the man seemed completely unaware.

“Ah~” The person entering yawned and said somewhat reproachfully, “Liszt, you’re still awake! What time do you think it is? I got up to use the bathroom and saw light under your door. I pushed it and it opened. You’re too careless, especially being in a foreign land, a place unfamiliar to us…”

Liszt, finishing his last paragraph, turned and saw his companion: “Ah, it’s you! Haha, sorry for worrying you. But I’m just too excited today!”

His companion smiled wryly, “I understand. My first time in Horn Bay, seeing a city as large as Fort Ness, I was so physically exhausted yet couldn’t sleep all night. How was it? Quite an eye-opener, right?”

“Indeed, an eye-opener!” Liszt exclaimed, clenching his fists, “I had only heard of the prosperity of Horn Bay, but seeing it with my own eyes today really lived up to its reputation.”

His companion remarked sentimentally, “Yeah, our hometown seems like a small fishing village compared to this.”

Liszt waved his hand, “Don’t worry, I believe under Lord Grayman’s governance, Alda… no, even the entire Northwest Bay will one day rival Horn Bay.”

His companion, somewhat skeptical, chuckled and walked over to the table, “Let me see what you’ve written. You don’t mind, do you?”

Liszt handed over a thick notebook, “Feel free to look. It’s nothing private.”

His companion flipped through a few pages, murmuring, “You’ve noted down all we’ve seen and heard on the road? Hmm, prices, taxes, currency… you’ve covered everything!”

Narrowing his eyes, the companion joked, “Tell me, Liszt, your real identity isn’t a spy sent by the Count to Horn Bay, is it?”

Liszt rolled his eyes, “Nonsense, isn’t it normal for someone in business to pay attention to these things? Are you that insensitive in your profession?”

“Haha, just joking!”

Taking back the notebook, Liszt opened a page and said, “What I value most here are the tariffs between the states of Horn Bay. I believe that, aside from its geographical advantages, one of the reasons for their prosperity is their reasonable tariffs.”

He shook his head, “If only the lords of our Northwest Bay were as enlightened as Horn Bay, looking beyond immediate small gains for a longer-term vision…”

His companion rolled his eyes mockingly, “Hah, now that you’re thousands of miles away from Northwest Bay, you dare say anything! A commoner like you critiquing the lords.”

Liszt, ignoring the sarcasm, lamented, “Alas! Such a pity about Lord Grayman’s tariff alliance idea, foiled by those ignorant bumpkins.”

By ‘bumpkins’, he referred to the rustic landowners of Alda. The tariff alliance proposal by Paul was quickly killed in the womb due to their strong opposition. The business community of Alda was initially thrilled, only to be greatly disappointed later.

Admiration filled Liszt’s eyes, “Speaking of which, Lord Grayman is only sixteen, right? Never having left Northwest Bay, let alone Horn Bay at the edge of the world. How did he come up with such a brilliant idea as the tariff alliance? It’s too precocious.”

He sighed, “I really wish I could have a thorough discussion with this Count.”

His companion, half amused and half concerned, reached out to touch his forehead, “Friedrich Liszt, have you lost your mind? You’re just an employee of a trading company, and yet you’re dreaming of meeting Lord Grayman! Go back and try to get into Lakeheart Town; with your impoverished appearance, let’s see if the lord’s guards don’t throw you into jail.”

Liszt muttered, “Lord Grayman would never be that kind of person. In my opinion, although this young lord is wise, he is too indecisive in some aspects. He should have stood firm on the tariff alliance and used his status and power to override the opposition. Giving up just because of a few dissenting voices? That’s nothing short of cowardice…”

“Stop, stop! Never say such things in front of me again. I have a family to think of and don’t want to invite trouble.”

His companion, sweating, quickly silenced Liszt’s seditious comments about the lord.

“Looks like you’re so excited you’re not thinking straight. Listen to me, get some good sleep. We still have the task Mr. Todd from the shipping company gave us tomorrow.”

The two were sent by the shipowner, Bennett Todd, to Horn Bay to recruit shipbuilders. Mr. Tod was tired of passively waiting for shipyards with full orders to build his merchant ships. He planned to take matters into his own hands for a more abundant life.

“Ah, I’m going back to sleep. You better go to bed quickly, or you’ll regret it tomorrow.”

His companion turned, opened the door, and walked out.

“Let me light the way for you; it’s quite dark in the hallway.”

Liszt picked up the candlestick and followed him out.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t get adjacent rooms when booking, and his companion’s room was at the end of the corridor.

After another trip to the bathroom with the candlestick, Liszt leisurely returned to his own room.

“Hmm? Did I forget to lock the door again when I left? This memory of mine… But it’s been such a short time; surely, I haven’t been robbed.”

He inserted the key into the lock, feeling it obviously unlocked, and chuckled at himself.

After entering the room and seeing nothing out of place, he finally relaxed.

“Time to sleep!” After blowing out the candle, Liszt stretched and walked to his bed.

Just as he lay down, a clamor arose outside.

Startled, Liszt wondered what was happening. The noisy commotion was mixed with cursing and crying.

‘Could it be bandits? Ah, but this is Horn Bay; pirates are more likely!’

‘But this is the capital of the Horn Bay Alliance!’

Light streamed in through the window. He jumped out of bed and ran to the window, looking out to see numerous torches lighting up the street in front of the inn like daylight, the building now surrounded by a large crowd.

Could it be? Had robbers really come?

Liszt’s heart was in suspense.