When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1089 Candlelight Dinner
The restaurant is located on the second floor of a mountain villa.

The fluorescent lights on the ceiling were dim, and looking out the window, one could see the lush Central Park and the dimly lit St. Regis in the distance.

In the dimly lit restaurant, only three white candles burned on the silver candlestick in the center of the table.

The flickering flames cast Horn and Catherine's shadows on the wall, one tall and one short.

Catherine gently stirred the pan-fried foie gras on her plate with a silver fork, the aroma of melting butter filling her nostrils.

But he couldn't bring himself to eat that piece of foie gras for a long time.

She glanced at Horn across from her; the young pope was unconsciously cutting his steak with a knife and fork.

The knife scraped across the porcelain plate, making a sharp, grating sound.

"Your Holiness," Catherine said, setting down her knife and raising her eyebrows, her voice sweet as honey, "it seems you don't like steak, but prefer minced meat."

Horn snapped back to reality, and the knife and fork clattered together.

He looked at the beef on the plate, which was shoved into pieces, and chuckled dryly, "I was a little distracted."

“It’s more than just a little,” Catherine said sarcastically. “You’ve been daydreaming for almost half an hour since you sat down. You’ve been eating with me while thinking about which sister you’re thinking about.”

Are you worried about Jeanne? Or has another novice nun from a convent written you a love letter?

"Don't slander me!" Horn quickly waved his hand, his face serious. "I'm thinking about serious matters."

“Serious business?” Catherine raised an eyebrow, picked up her glass of red wine and took a sip. “I’ve come all this way… If it’s just because I’m worried about Jeanne, there’s no need for that.”

Although Square didn't completely win, defeating Kennard was already a major victory.

“It’s not Jeanne,” Horn sighed, putting down his knife and fork. “It’s about the ship.”

"About the ship? What ship?"

Horn rubbed his temples: "The production capacity of the Crown Furnace needs to be expanded to thirty units, requiring eight thousand tons of iron ore to be transported over each month. Including auxiliary ores such as crushed iron ore, the total amount of ore needed is estimated to be close to ten thousand tons."

The Ibe River is wide enough, but we don't have enough boats, and we can't haul such heavy cargo.

Catherine put down her wine glass, her expression also becoming serious: "Can't Fran help?"

“Difficult.” Horn shook his head. “François shipyards are extremely busy right now. They need to upgrade their own navy and build merchant ships for the southern colonies. Their production capacity is already full.”

Even if we place an order now, it will take at least three years for the ship to be built and delivered to Saint Union.

"Then why don't we make them ourselves?"

“Even more difficult.” Horn smiled wryly. “Have you forgotten? We used up all the good timber in our stockpile to build those few warships.”

The oak and pine wood used for shipbuilding need to be air-dried for more than ten years. Newly cut trees won't be usable for at least another ten years.

Catherine's fingertips lingered on the pattern on the tablecloth as she pondered, "Expanding the capacity of the Crown Furnace would be pointless if the iron ore couldn't be transported in; it would still have to be shut down eventually."

"Salvation!" Horn scratched his head in frustration. "No matter how I try to figure it out, I can't get around this hurdle."

Without ships, iron ore can't be transported in; without iron ore, the crown furnace can't be started; if the crown furnace can't start, the lightning furnace won't have enough steel..."

“Why not buy ready-made ones?” Catherine suddenly said. “Don’t Fran have some old ships? Let’s buy a few to tide us over until our own ships are built.”

“We’ve tried,” Horn said with a hint of helplessness. “The French are willing to sell, but their asking price is outrageous.”

A five-year-old cargo ship is being priced 30% higher than a new ship—it's highway robbery!

The candlelight illuminated Horn's furrowed brow. Catherine picked up the bottle and poured some wine into Horn's glass: "There's always a way."

Horn picked up his glass and downed it in one gulp: "Alright, never mind. It was my fault today, I got distracted. You finally came back..."

Before he could finish speaking, Catherine's eyes lit up, as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right!” Catherine clapped her hands. “Where’s your Captain Danio? The one who went with us to the southern frontier? Is he going to trade with the vampire caravan at the royal court?” Horn was taken aback. “Danio? What happened to him?”

“Ship materials!” Catherine smiled. “The royal court has plenty of good ship materials. The port is always piled with all kinds of air-dried timber. Both Fran and Leia import from them year-round.”

Her eyes grew brighter as she spoke, and she leaned forward slightly as she said, "Write a letter to Danio and tell him to keep an eye out for ship materials when he's at the royal court, and to buy them as soon as he finds a suitable one."

First, ship them to Pearl Harbor, then transfer them to the Musk River and bring them back. Wouldn't that solve the timber problem?

Horn smiled but shook his head helplessly: "I've thought about it. Danio has already set off. How can I write to him across the vast ocean?"

"You," Catherine said, tapping his forehead with her finger, "why did your brain suddenly stop working? Couldn't you have sent the letter to Zealand?"

Danio's journey from Pearl Harbor to the Royal Court will definitely involve going around Continental Cape, which will take a long time. He probably hasn't even reached the Zealand Islands yet.

He will definitely need to resupply whenever he passes through the Zealand Islands, so leaving a letter will allow him to collect it when he stops along the way.

"That's it!" Horn slapped his forehead, making the candlelight flicker. "Catherine, you're a genius!"

He excitedly stood up, walked around the table to Catherine, and bent down to kiss her.

"Wait." Turning her head, Catherine reached out and pressed her hand against his face, picked up a napkin from the table, and gently wiped the grease from his mouth.

Horn chuckled and let her wipe him until the napkin was removed.

Catherine had already pouted and closed her eyes.

He looked at Catherine's lips, which were painted with a mauve lipstick, and couldn't help but lower his head and kiss them.

"Well."

The candlelight flickered gently behind the two, blurring their shadows on the wall.

After dinner, Catherine left with a resentful look in her eyes, clearly not wanting to leave.

Horn immediately summoned the Privy Council clerk and wrote a letter to Danio in his own hand.

The letter detailed the types and sizes of ship materials needed, urging him to acquire them at any cost.

He also specifically instructed that if any shipbuilding craftsmen were encountered in the royal court, whether hired or recruited, they should be brought back.

After he finished writing it, he had the clerk make a copy.

One copy was sent urgently to the main port of Zealand via the Fran Road stables (or post stations), and the other was given to the Holy Union embassy in Fran, asking them to keep an eye on Danio's fleet.

Two weeks later, the letter from the Holy Alliance arrived in the Zealand Islands by fast ship.

Honolulu, the main island of the Zealand archipelago, has a natural deep-water harbor that attracts caravans from all over to stop and resupply.

Looking out, the masts are so densely packed that they resemble a forest at sea.

The Honolulu Post Office is built on a hillside next to the port, and its red brick and white roof stand out in the sunlight.

When the letter from the Holy Alliance arrived, the post office manager glanced at the address and casually tucked it into the mail compartment.

Three days later, at dawn, a fleet of vampire pirate ships flying merchant flags slowly sailed into the port.

On the lead ship, Danio stood at the bow, gazing at the unfamiliar port, rubbing his face, which was stinging from the sea breeze.

"Captain, shall we stay here for two days?" The first mate stepped forward and handed him half a coconut.

“Yes, provide plenty of fresh water and food, and let the brothers rest ashore.” Danio took a sip of coconut water. “By the way, go see if there are any letters from us, especially from the Holy See.”

The first mate responded and left, returning shortly with several letters, one of which bore the Holy Alliance's sun gear emblem on its wax seal.

"Captain, a letter from the Holy Machine Court."

(End of this chapter)