ctnovel Chapter 214 The Path to Wealth Through Silver
Chapter 214 The Path to Wealth Through Silver
Chapter 215 The Path to Wealth Through Silver
While Peter and the Silver Dawn were on their mission, Henry was also working to save Hans.
Every moment Hans was imprisoned felt like a red-hot iron searing Henry's heart.
He couldn't bear to watch his friend suffer at Malesov Castle.
The only hope for saving Hans is said to lie in a secret passage leading to the castle's basement, a secret held by the castle's former master, Sir Rutherford.
Rutherford Palace, nestled within the city of Kutenberg, was covered in ivy on its stone walls, exuding a sense of melancholy after its former glory had faded. Henry, filled with hope, knocked on the door, only to unexpectedly stumble into a fierce conflict.
Royal Mint Officer Vavank, a man who climbed to his high position through opportunism, is leading a few fierce guards in a blatant extortion attempt against the elderly Sir Rutherford, with his sights set on the last lifeline of the knight's family—the dwindling silver mine.
"Jazz, times have changed," Wavank's voice was sharp and arrogant. "You can't fill your stomach by clinging to the glory of the past."
"Once the mine transfer documents are signed, you and your daughter can enjoy your retirement in peace."
"Impossible! I would never sell the mine to a villain like you. Not today, not tomorrow, never!" Rutherd refused outright.
"Then let's see if your words are tougher, or the swords of my soldiers are tougher! Or let your precious daughter judge whose men are tougher!"
Wavank was as despicable and vile as ever.
Seeing that the conflict was about to escalate, Henry did not hesitate to draw his sword to help.
His swordsmanship was superb, fierce, and unpredictable. After a brief but intense struggle, Vavank's guards were driven back, and the mint official himself slunk away from Rutherford Palace after uttering a few harsh words.
Sir Rushard and his daughter Rosa were extremely grateful to Henry. Miss Rosa's eyes, as clear as a forest spring, were filled with the relief of surviving a close call and curiosity about this unfamiliar knight.
However, when Henry asked for information about the secret passage to Malesov Castle, the old knight's grateful smile vanished, replaced by a shrewd calculation.
"Sir Henry, you saved Rosa and me. The Rutherford family will always remember this kindness."
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The old knight's voice was slow and clear, "However, the secret to Malesov Castle is one of my family's last trump cards."
To get it, you need to do something else for us, something even harder.
"Please speak," Henry said, a sense of foreboding rising within him.
"Help us take down Wavank."
Rutherd's voice was filled with cold hatred, "That parasite, that vampire! He not only covets my silver mine, but also wants to drag our family into the mire."
Only when he falls can we achieve true security.
To overthrow the Royal Mint?
Henry's heart sank. In Courtenberg, the royal mint city, the mint was a high-ranking official personally appointed by the king, wielding immense power, second only to the municipal magistrate.
To ask a knight's squire to do such a thing is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.
Henry was somewhat indignant. Did this father and daughter think that saving his life was not even worth a secret message?
But thinking of the torture Hans might suffer in the dark dungeon, Henry gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes.
I promise you.
In his search for evidence of Vavank's crimes, Henry ventured into the silver-mining village of Grand.
The air here is filled with the smell of ore and coal smoke, and the clanging sound of digging comes from deep underground, never ceasing.
He met Christian Pisek, a nobleman with ambition in his eyes. He was the younger brother of Sir Peter Pisek, the owner of Suchdor Castle, and the Pisek family had ruled the Royal Mint for generations.
Wavank's sudden emergence not only took away the position that might have belonged to Christian, but also forged an irreconcilable feud.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Christian warmly welcomed Henry. "We share a common goal."
In order to avoid attracting the attention of Vavank's spies, Christian had Henry disguise himself as a Prague scholar writing about the lives of miners, and go deep into the miners to interview and gather material.
Henry descended into the deep, dark mine shafts and witnessed firsthand the inhuman working conditions of the miners. They toiled like ants in the narrow, damp tunnels, with dim oil lamps as their only source of light. The mine supports groaned under the weight of the weight, and loose rocks occasionally fell from above. The cracking of the overseers' whips and shouts echoed through the tunnels.
Through conversations with the miners, Henry learned two key pieces of information:
First, the rich veins of silver mines have long been exhausted. The current output is barely maintained by manpower and extended working hours. The miners are divided into three shifts and work day and night, but they can only produce about a hundred truckloads of ore per day.
Secondly, the miners' wages were extremely meager, with each truckload of ore earning only half a Grossen's hard-earned money, and even this meager sum was frequently deducted for various reasons. Since Vavank took office, exploitation has intensified, and mining accidents and "accidental" deaths have become increasingly frequent.
Henry reported his findings to Christian, who wore a sly smile.
"A hundred cartloads of ore every day, but only eighty are reported—" Christian clapped his hands lightly, as if enjoying a good show. "Where did the other twenty cartloads go? Henry, my friend, we've found his tail!"
But convicting Vavank required solid evidence. The clues pointed to the Bress smelter, the territory of Vavank's confidant Bress and foreman Volkmar.
This time, Henry, posing as a southern nobleman intending to buy the smelter, used his arrogance to extract crucial information from Blaise and Volkmar: the twenty cartloads of embezzled silver ore were being transported to an abandoned mine near Old Kootner village, where an illegal private foundry was hidden.
Old Kutna village, once a mining jewel, rapidly declined after a devastating mining disaster six years ago, leaving behind countless abandoned mine shafts that resemble scars on the earth.
Henry followed the trail and found the carefully disguised entrance. Inside, the cave was brightly lit and sweltering, with furnaces roaring as they melted the stolen silver ingots back into molten silver to forge illegal coins.
Henry infiltrated like a ghost, quickly dealt with the few guards inside, rescued several coerced coin minters, and successfully found the ledger recording evidence of Vavank's crimes.
The document clearly records the amount of ore embezzled each day, the losses during smelting, and the final amount of privately minted currency—irrefutable evidence.
When he left the mine with his ledger and his loyal steed Little Grey, his journey home was far from peaceful. Five ragged but menacing Polish mercenaries tried to steal his horse.
Frustration and the tension of the past few days made Henry's attacks exceptionally ruthless. In the blink of an eye, three people were killed, and the remaining two were terrified and fled in a sorry state.
Henry didn't give chase. He sheathed his sword, patted Little Grey's neck, and sped off towards Grand. He just wanted to finish the deal as soon as possible.
When Christian saw the account book, he was overjoyed. He repeatedly stroked the rough pages, as if caressing a lover's skin.
"Great! Great! Vavank is doomed this time!" he roared excitedly.
Henry immediately proposed the initial plan: "We should hand this ledger over to Sir Rutherford immediately so that he can use it to bring down Vavank and fulfill my promise."
However, Christian shook his head, a smile on his face that Henry could not understand, a smile that was almost pity.
"Give it to Rutherford? My dear Henry, you're too naive."
Christian carefully tucked the ledger into his robes. "If the ledger is given to Rushard, only his family will benefit. As for us—"
He leaned closer to Henry, lowered his voice, and said seductively, "And if we control this, it's like we've got Vavank by the throat."
Just imagine the profits from twenty cartloads of silver ore every day! It's a river flowing with silver!
Christian continued excitedly, "We can force Vavank to cooperate with us and divide this enormous fortune among ourselves."
You, me, and even Rutherford can all get a share. Isn't that the best option for everyone?
Henry, I can give you a sum of money that's enough for you to live a decent life in any city.
Henry was stunned.
Looking at Christian's face, which glowed with greed, he suddenly felt a strong sense of nausea.
Rutherford used him for his own benefit, and Christian, in turn, wanted to betray the alliance for his own benefit.
These nobles, regardless of their stance, seem to be forever only concerned with their own wallets.
They stole from the king, even though it was the property of the false king Sigismund, but they harmed the interests of the country. In the end, it was always the miners in the mines who risked their lives every day for half a Grossen that suffered.
Even if King Wenceslaus returns in the future, will they hand over these ill-gotten gains?
Absolutely not.
He recalled the words of István, the self-assured and sharp-witted Hungarian nobleman: "Nobles prefer the lazy and incompetent Wenceslaus, because he is easier to control than Sigismund!"
Henry thought the statement was too extreme at the time, but now he finds it incredibly clear and true.
Under the powerful rule of Sigismund, they only dared to steal secretly; if it were really the "lazy king" Wenceslaus in power, they probably wouldn't even bother to cover it up and would just reach into the treasury directly!
Regardless of whether it's Vavank, Christian, or anyone else on stage, the miners' wages for each truckload of ore will still be a pitiful half a Grosshin, not a penny more.
A mix of disappointment, anger, and self-deprecation welled up inside me.
He sneered, suppressing all his emotions, and said in a tone even more forceful than Christian's, "I want one and a half percent."
Christian was visibly taken aback for a moment, then burst into an even louder laugh, slapping Henry hard on the shoulder:
Hahaha! Great! Very good!
I love your greed, Henry! It makes us more like brothers! Happy to work together!
Christian made no mention of whether he would keep his promise in the future. Henry didn't press him further; he now only trusted the sword in his hand.
"Then what about Blaise and Volkmar, those foremen who knew about it?" Henry asked.
Christian's smile became nonchalant, as if he were talking about the weather: "Oh, you don't need to worry about them."
The depths of a mine are always full of surprises—they will soon die in a tragic mining accident.
Of course, as a benevolent administrator, I will apply for a generous compensation for them.
Despite having anticipated it, Henry still felt a chill rise up his spine and instantly spread throughout his body.
He realized once again, with profound clarity, the cruelty that lurked beneath the refined exteriors of these nobles. In their eyes, life was nothing more than a pawn on a chessboard, to be discarded at will.
These nobles deserve to die!