Chapter 29 - Intelligence and Stone Carvings

Chapter 29 - Intelligence and Stone Carvings

"It's closed, really closed."

"No one is allowed to pass?"

"No one is allowed to pass!"

"Then when will it reopen?"

"How should I know?"

The next morning, as Charlotte stepped out of her rented inn room, she heard a commotion coming from the first floor, where the public dining hall was located.

After listening for a while, Charlotte realized that news of the border closure in the Viscount of Lanwan's territory had finally reached Ambratu. She couldn't help but sigh at how slow information traveled these days. The incident had happened two days ago, and only now was it reaching the ordinary citizens.

Entering the dining hall, Charlotte scanned the room. In a dim and secluded corner, a blond man noticed her. He waved to catch her attention, then stood up and gave her a slight bow.

The man was Robin Mancini, the knight Charlotte had sent to Ambratu as soon as he arrived in the Viscount of Lanwan's territory.

Charlotte walked over and sat down across from Robin Mancini.

"Good day, my respected lady," Robin greeted her in his usual flippant tone.

"Good day, my loyal knight. How goes the task I assigned you?" Charlotte asked.

Hearing her question, Robin couldn't help but laugh. "If you're asking about the task of accompanying Sir Harvey Shelwin in eating, drinking, and having fun, then it's been going quite smoothly."

"You know that's not what I'm asking about," Charlotte said sternly.

Robin finally dropped his playful smile. "Of course, that task has also been completed well." He pulled out a small, finely crafted leather-bound notebook and handed it to Charlotte.

Charlotte took the notebook and began flipping through it right there in the noisy dining hall.

Taking Harvey Shelwin to Ambratu for leisure was only the first task Charlotte had assigned to Robin. His other mission was to gather basic intelligence about Ambratu.

The results of Robin's work on the second task were now in the notebook Charlotte held.

As Charlotte had initially suspected, Ambratu had a population of about 90,000 permanent residents. Among them, there were roughly 28,000 citizens, over 50,000 freemen, and the rest were mostly slaves, with a small number of foreigners.

However, there were also people living outside the city walls. Some were foreigners not permitted to live within the city, others were stewards or serfs working on the estates of noble families, and some were villagers from nearby scattered settlements. When combined, the total population of Ambratu likely exceeded 110,000.

In theory, every citizen of the city-state was obligated to serve in the military during wartime, so Ambratu's total military force should be around 28,000. However, the main combat power in this world still lay with superhumans. Ambratu had approximately 1,300 superhumans, a figure supported by records from past wars.

Currently, the ten elders in Ambratu's Council were:

Olivier Capino, Lucas Capino, Klose Barak, Jürgen Wöller, Harry Kane, Nuno Kane, Martin Kramer, Antanas, Sallius, and John Rice.

Like most mature city-state political systems, Ambratu's Council was divided into two major factions: the Democrats and the Oligarchs.

As the names suggested, the Democrats believed that power belonged to the majority and that all city-state affairs should be decided by a vote of the entire Council. The Oligarchs, on the other hand, argued that the city-state should be led by a strong individual who could guide it forward.

The root of this division lay in the different backers of these elders. Some elders came from political families, with ancestors who had also been elders. They entered politics with a group of supporters and followers, who were mostly wealthy and influential families in the city. Other elders came from humble backgrounds, having been ordinary citizens fishermen, cobblers, or tanners who, through their eloquence, intelligence, and battlefield achievements, gained the support of the city's lower-class citizens and were elected to the Council.

To an outsider unfamiliar with the situation, it would be easy to mistake the former as Oligarchs and the latter as Democrats.

After all, aristocratic families were often seen as monopolizing power and wealth, blocking the upward mobility of the lower classes.

However, the reality was quite the opposite. In city-state politics, the Oligarchs were often elders who either came from the lower classes or represented their interests, gaining their support. The elders from political families, backed by powerful clans, were the ones advocating for democracy.

Take Ambratu's Council, for example. The Democratic faction included Olivier Capino, Lucas Capino, Klose Barak, Jürgen Wöller, Harry Kane, Nuno Kane, and Martin Kramer all from political dynasties. The Capino, Barak, Wöller, Kane, and Kramer families were all long-standing political families in Ambratu.

On the other hand, the Oligarchs Antanas, Sallius, and John Rice had humble beginnings. Antanas was originally an ordinary ship helmsman who was later conscripted into the Aili Alliance fleet and entered politics after earning military honors. Sallius and John Rice were similar; the former was a tanner, and the latter made a living teaching debate, both struggling in poverty.

Robin's notebook contained detailed information about each elder's family background, interpersonal relationships, and even some gossip.

"Very good. You haven't neglected your task," Charlotte said as she closed the notebook.

Robin shook his head with a smile. "I didn't do anything extraordinary. The reason I was able to gather so much information is entirely thanks to your wisdom."

Before coming to Ambratu, Charlotte had told Robin that Harvey Shelwin was a useful tool for gathering intelligence and that Robin should stick close to him.

It didn't take long for Robin, initially puzzled, to understand what Charlotte meant.

After arriving in Ambratu, Harvey Shelwin indulged in pleasure and spent money lavishly, quickly catching the attention of the city's elite. He was invited to dine at the home of one of the elders, where he was treated to fine food and drink.

Harvey, who loved to show off, began boasting after a few drinks. He claimed to be a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Koxin, a relative of the Duke of Green Plains, and even said that Rosie Melfield was his aunt. He even produced a letter bearing Rosie Melfield's personal seal as proof.

As for why a member of the Koxin royal family didn't bear the surname "Müller"… well, have you never heard of illegitimate children?

Instantly, Harvey became a sought-after guest among Ambratu's elite families. Even if it was just to see what a noble from the Oran Empire looked like, hosting him for a meal was worth it.

Robin had been accompanying Harvey to these banquets, where conversations were lively and information flowed freely. He easily learned many secrets that couldn't be heard in the streets, deepening his admiration for Charlotte's foresight.

After closing the notebook, Charlotte's attention was drawn to its leather cover. It was exquisitely crafted, with simple yet elegant paintings in gold leaf. The paintings gave her a strange sense of familiarity.

"My lady, should I return with you, or should I stay in Ambratu?" Robin asked, seeing that Charlotte had fallen silent after closing the notebook.

"Of course, you'll stay in Ambratu. Do you want to go back?" Charlotte countered.

"Ah, well…" Robin stammered.

"Enough, I know you don't want to go back," Charlotte said, rolling her eyes. "Stay here and keep Harvey Shelwin company. When he gets bored, or when I give you new orders, you can return."

"As you wish, my lady," Robin replied cheerfully.

"But don't just focus on eating, drinking, and having fun. Keep gathering information," Charlotte added.

Robin nodded repeatedly.

"Also, I'll give you some money. Use it to make as many connections as possible with Ambratu's citizens preferably those who are struggling. For example, people who've gone bankrupt, are burdened with debt, lost their families in the city-state wars, or were disabled in battle and aren't well cared for…" Charlotte listed, counting on her fingers.

Robin memorized each point and nodded. "I understand," he said, without asking why.

"One last question where did you get this notebook?" Charlotte asked, holding it up.

"I just bought it at a local market. I heard Ambratu's tanners are skilled. Is there something wrong with it?" Robin asked, puzzled.

Charlotte shook her head lightly, then pointed to the paintings on the leather cover. "Do you know the origin of these paintings?"

Thinking Charlotte's aristocratic curiosity had been piqued, Robin eagerly replied, "Do you find the paintings special too? I thought they had a unique charm, so I asked the tanner about them. He said the designs come from stone carvings outside Ambratu. There are four carvings on the stone bridge outside the city, said to have been left by Ambratu's ancestors. They depict the history of settlers battling wild beasts for this fertile land…"

Robin gestured with his hands to show the size of the carvings, which were about the size of a table, and continued to elaborate.

Charlotte, however, waved her hand to cut him off. "Are they allowed to be copied?"

"Uh, I think so…" Robin nodded. "I even saw a donkey urinating on them once, and the locals didn't seem to mind."

"Then get me a copy as soon as possible. I'll take it with me," Charlotte said.

"Understood," Robin replied, still somewhat confused.

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