What's wrong with building a steel torrent in a dungeon?

It is rare to see metal currencies such as Roll coins and Magic Crystal coins near the port of Biesund. Basically, everyone uses paper money such as Vienna coins (the predecessor of O'Reilly coins).

With the academy's breakthroughs in a series of technologies, anti-counterfeiting of banknotes no longer requires the infusion of divine power by Shinra's divine magicians. This has led to a significant increase in the issuance of banknotes, and many small-denomination currencies have also been issued for daily use.

The trading of commodities made Vienna coins a hard currency. In the early days of promotion, merchants would exchange Vienna coins for gold and silver of equal value after leaving the port, but as paper money became more and more convenient and transactions in Biesund became more and more frequent, they no longer had this habit and even gradually promoted paper money to their own ports.

Now, as long as he asked his subordinates to print a few more pieces of paper, he could easily exchange them for real gold, silver, and various hard currencies from merchants from other countries. After all, if you want to buy and sell large quantities of goods, you must have Vienna coins. This led to a large amount of precious metals flowing into the safes of Orila City every year.

As for whether the issued paper really corresponds to the precious metals in the safe, only Fran knows!

Christina instantly remembered the tulip storm that Fran had created in the early days. She thought it was just a short-term scam, but she didn't expect it to be played like this! It was even bigger and more outrageous than before, and of course the profit was even greater!

Every slight fluctuation of the Vienna currency can bring about fluctuations in the prices of bulk commodities, and relying on this fluctuation, the issuer can naturally obtain huge benefits.

As long as there is no bank run, Fran will be able to issue banknotes far exceeding the upper limit of precious metals in exchange for a large amount of supplies.

Fulan calculated that the hidden profits she could obtain by issuing paper money were actually equivalent to those of her own textile industry!

No wonder they say finance makes money!

Of course, Fran is also very clear that although this money is easy to make, it does not generate new value. It is essentially just a new type of gambling! If you want to make a country strong, the most important thing is to focus on industrial production. This is the lesson of many countries!

Therefore, Fulan needs to keep a close eye on finance and make good use of it. While making full use of its role, ensure that it does not backfire on the corpse industry.

The current president of the Bank of Vienna is Huang He, who followed Fran to create the tulip storm.

Back then, he was just a small flower shop owner, but now he owns a huge amount of resources and controls the financial order of the entire world. It can be said that she is the biggest beneficiary around Fran!

Fran knew that Huang He was not a good person in the strict sense. He was greedy and good at cheating! But he had one good thing, which was that he was smart enough! He knew that he had such a status thanks to Fran, and he also knew that without the productivity of the city of Orila as an endorsement, the Vienna currency would be truly waste paper! So he also actively cooperated with Fran's policies and worked hard to maintain the financial stability of the port of Bieson.

Sometimes policies still have to be made by bad guys! Because only bad guys know how to exploit loopholes and set traps. Huang He, who started out as a flower shop and gambling house owner (card drawing game), is very clear about the twists and turns, so while he fights financial criminals, he gathers these people under his command to form a powerful financial army.

With the protection of these "bad guys", Vienna Coin can develop so stably.

In time, will Vienna also be able to become a superpower with currency in one hand and weapons in the other?

Chapter 235 Gustave's Visit

That day, Fran was reading the naval strength comparison report written by Harald in her study, when Catherine told her that someone she didn't expect wanted to see her.

"Gustave? How come you have time to come and see me?" Fran looked surprised.

Since the end of the war, Gustave has joined the Second Army as an officer in the cavalry regiment and has been stationed near Vienna.

After the baptism of war, Gustave had grown into a graceful young lady. Although her face still retained a lot of immaturity, she at least looked like a reliable officer in her military uniform. This made Fran extremely satisfied, as if she was her own daughter.

"City Lord, I'm here today to plead for a good friend of mine." Gustav said straight to the point.

"Friend?" Fran pulled a chair and said, "Did your friend commit a crime? You know the rules! In the city of Orila, everything must be done according to the law. If the crime is serious, I can't do anything about it."

Gustave said, "She didn't break any laws, so this is even more difficult."

"Who is your friend?"

"Katrina."

"Katrina?" Fran was stunned. The name did sound familiar, but she really couldn't remember it.

"Katrina Habsburg." Gustav reminded.

"Wait! The Habsburg family!" Fran suddenly remembered: "Are you talking about the commander of the legion under Margaret? That is, Margaret's cousin?"

"Yes." Gustav said, "The city lord should also know that when Her Majesty Margaret was defeated, it was she who launched a mutiny and put Her Majesty Margaret under house arrest. Then she led the team to break out and attract Arthas's main force, which allowed Her Majesty to barely escape."

If it was Catalina, it would be very troublesome indeed.

If Catalina had not immediately launched a mutiny, Margaret would have died on the battlefield with her men. After that, Catalina took all the responsibility on her shoulders.

But Margaret obviously didn't appreciate it. She obviously couldn't forgive her sister for betraying her and turning herself into a coward who escaped from the battlefield and survived!

So after returning to the capital, Catherine was placed under house arrest by Margaret in Vienna until now. Or Margaret had to do that, otherwise Catherine's sacrifice would be in vain.

"This is indeed difficult to deal with!" Fran said, "Strictly speaking, Catalina is not a member of the city of Aurora, but belongs to the Holy Roll Empire. In principle, I have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the Holy Roll Empire."

After hearing this, Gustave and Catherine beside her curled their lips imperceptibly.

Now the capital of the Holy Roll Empire is in your hands, and you say you are interfering in its internal affairs? That's a joke.

"Can the city lord plead with Her Majesty Margaret? After all, Catalina did nothing wrong! The most important thing is that with her talent, it would be a waste if she were locked up in prison for the rest of her life." Gustav said.

"Talent? Even if I let her out, I can't let her lead the troops for the time being! It's even more impossible for Margaret to let her become the legion commander again." Fran said.

"No! The talent I'm referring to is not in the military field. In fact, in my opinion, her military ability is only average." Gustave said: "Her ability should be in diplomacy."

"Diplomacy?" Fran said in disbelief, "This little girl is about your age. How can she be talented in diplomacy? At her age, she won't be fooled by those old foxes?"

"You are not that old!" Gustave said, "and when you launched the tulip storm, you also fooled those old foxes."

"What tulip storm? It has nothing to do with me!" Fran quickly denied.

Gustav did not expose the truth, but said: "Lord, Catalina wants a chance to work for you. If you are willing to help her end her house arrest, she will help you persuade Grand Duke Habsburg to open the border and allow the railway to pass directly through the principality."

"Really?" Fran looked at Gustave suspiciously. But she knew that this girl was always serious and never liked to joke.

"This is Catalina's promise." Gustav said, "I think the city lord can give it a try. If her negotiation fails, the worst that can happen is that she will be put under house arrest. And she said that she doesn't need you to promise anything to Grand Duke Habsburg. She can get the right of passage with just a word."

The existence of the Habsburg Principality directly interrupted the planning of the two north-south railways in Orila City. When planning the railways, Fran had no good idea and could only choose to shelve the dispute and deal with it later.

Now that the two railways have been completed, she has to face this thorny problem! The Habsburg Principality is her ally, and she doesn't want to do anything bad to her ally, but how to negotiate with them? At this time, Fran discovered that there are not many diplomatic talents around her, and most of them are engineers!

If we rely on someone like Gorronil to negotiate with the Habsburg Principality, I'm afraid the two sides will go to war the next day.

The only person around him who can take on the important task is Christina, but Christina is the saint of the Holy Roman Empire after all, and the Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburg Principality have always been at odds.

If Katarina can really do what she said, she will help Fran solve a difficult problem. This also indirectly proves Katarina's ability. Fran must find a way to get such a talent!

Seeing that Fran was relenting, Gustave continued, "City Lord, I am willing to vouch for Catalina! I will escort her all the way to the Principality of Habsburg. If she escapes or fails to complete the mission, I am willing to be punished by military law."

"No joking in the army?"

"No joking in the army!"

Fran nodded and said, "Since it's Little Gustave's guarantee, I'm willing to believe you! But I'm a little curious, when did you and her develop such a good friendship? Although you two have similar personalities, you don't talk much, like to read books, and like to think. But you probably don't have much in common."

"She and I are just casual acquaintances. For a period of time, I was assigned to garrison Vienna with the cavalry regiment. I met and talked with Catalina several times. Apart from that, we have no other friendship." Gustav said, "The only reason that prompted me to ask you for mercy is that I don't want to see such a talented person like her being imprisoned for life."

"I believe in your judgment." Fran said, "You and Catalina should go to the Principality of Habsburg in the next two days! I will tell Margaret."

"Yes!" Gustave said, "But before that, Catalina said she wanted to tell you something important. She said this is also a way to prove herself."

"To me? Prove yourself?" Fran was even more confused.

What are these two girls up to?

Chapter 236 Crisis at Sea

Fran agreed to Gustave's request.

As a result, Gustave immediately invited a hooded girl upstairs.

The girl took off her hood, revealing her true face - she was Katarina.

In other words, Catalina had already violated the regulations and left the city of Vienna where she was under house arrest.

Fran didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but looking at Katarina's lovely face, she couldn't say anything. After all, these were all affairs of the Holy Roel Empire. The person under house arrest by Margaret escaped. What did it have to do with Fran?

"Hello, little Katarina." Fran looked at the girl in front of her.

Catalina also had a cold look, very similar to Gustav. Perhaps it was because of the long-term house arrest that Catalina's face looked a little pale.

"Hello, Lord Mayor." Katarina bowed respectfully to Fran. As a member of a big family, her etiquette was very accurate.

"I heard from Gustave that you have something to tell me?"

"Yes! It's about the Endless Sea." said Catalina.

As she spoke, Katarina spread a sea chart on Fran's desk.

"what is this?"

"This is a simple nautical chart of the Endless Sea that I found." Catalina said, pointing to a triangle on the map, and then said: "This direction should be the direction that the city lord's large fleet was heading some time ago."

"Yes, what do you want to say?"

Catalina said, "The direction this fleet is heading is very strange. Its target is a barren ocean with no fishery resources, no trade routes, and no large islands or continents. So the purpose of this fleet is very strange."

"So what do you think the purpose of this fleet is?" Fran asked with a smile.

The rescue of the Feather Tribe could be said to be the highest secret in the city of Orila. Not many people knew about it, and even the captains of the fleet didn't know where they were going.

"It's not hard to guess." Catalina said, "Some time ago, a feather tribe of 100 people appeared openly near Biesong Harbor, and then His Majesty began to build Thousand Feather Town. I visited Thousand Feather Town, and there are a lot of houses planned there. If it is only to accommodate 100 people, it does not need such a large scale.

Therefore, the purpose of this fleet is most likely related to the Feather Clan.

Fran nodded, agreeing with Catalina's guess.

"Afterwards, I went to the port and asked a few senior sailors. They told me that many Feather Tribe would fly in this direction after looting. In fact, this area is vast and barren. No one usually enters it. It can be said that it is very suitable for the Feather Tribe to hide themselves. So your majesty should go there to bring back a large number of Feather Tribe.

"As you said, it's not hard to guess." Fran said, "In fact, I don't intend to deliberately conceal or mislead other forces. Even if they guess it, it won't matter. You didn't come here today just to tell me this. Being able to deduce this is indeed commendable for a girl of your age, but it doesn't mean anything to me."

"No! What I want to say is behind this!" Katarina paused, then said, "In the Endless Ocean, the Feather Tribe hates the dwarves the most! The dwarves are also very aware of this, so they have always implemented a policy of exterminating the Feather Tribe, but they are troubled by the fact that they can't find the habitat of the Feather Tribe. Once there is any clue, it will attract their attention! It is better to kill the wrong one than to let him go."

Hearing this, Fran's expression changed instantly.

"And the direction of your fleet this time seems to have pointed out the target point for the dwarves very well. At least, it has narrowed the range for them." Katarina said.

The dwarves were different from the conservative elves. They made their fortunes through trade, so they frequently communicated with the outside world. Their intelligence network also covered the entire main plane except the Elf Continent, so they obviously knew about the appearance of the Feather Tribe in Biesong Harbor.

Since Katarina could deduce Fran's plan based on these clues, the dwarf could obviously do the same.

Dwarves are not fools! At least Fran can't treat them as fools.

Moreover, the dwarves have dominated the Endless Sea for so many years, and they must be more familiar with the geographical features of the sea than Fran. Based on the course of Fran's fleet, they can definitely easily deduce the specific location of the Feather Kingdom! At least they won't deviate too much.

Needless to say, what happens next!

When she thought of this, cold sweat instantly broke out from Fran's back.

She said to Catherine quickly, "Send a fast warship immediately... No! Call Nerte and the Feather Tribe immediately! See if they can notify Harald's fleet!"

After hearing the news, Nerte set out at night with a few tribesmen and rushed to his kingdom.

This is a race against time, they must reach the kingdom and inform their people before the dwarves, otherwise there will be a catastrophe.

Although they didn't know why the dwarves hated the Feather Tribe so much, judging from their previous actions, they would definitely not miss such a great opportunity to hunt the Feather Tribe! If they wanted to avoid such a tragedy, they had to evacuate the Feather Tribe before the dwarves.

Unfortunately, that place was closer to the dwarves, and Fran's fleet was moving very slowly because it was carrying a large number of merchant ships. Unless they hoped that the dwarves would be delayed because they got lost, the hope of the Feather Tribe would be very slim!

They must reach the Feather Tribe's kingdom before the dwarves, and then use force to force the dwarves to retreat, otherwise the dwarves will probably destroy themselves and the Feather Tribe along with them.

So Fran had to organize a new fleet again! This fleet gave up a lot of baggage and even sacrificed some firepower, just to arrive before the dwarves found the habitat of the Feather Tribe!

This will be a difficult task!

Because it means that this fleet will have to resist the powerful dwarf fleet with its exhausted bodies! And it will persist until Harald's main fleet arrives.

If we are not careful, this fleet may be destroyed in the sea!

But the sailors had no complaints about this! They knew that this was not only to help the Feather Tribe, but also to resist the hegemony of the dwarves on the endless sea! This was a step they had to take, but they did not expect that this step would come so soon!

Just like that, a few days later, a miniature fleet consisting of six warships set sail! Without a grand farewell ceremony, without blessings from family and friends, they just took advantage of the night and hurriedly set off towards the unknown sea.

Chapter 237 Dwarf Messenger

Although the newly dispatched fleet is small, it is still a fleet after all! This matter obviously cannot be concealed. However, this is not news to most people in Port Bieson. After all, the fleet of Orila City often conducts military exercises, and they are no longer surprised.

Although this exercise was a bit strange, with no advance notice and even taking advantage of the dark to start, no one took it too seriously. They didn't know that tens of thousands of people on the other side of the ocean were about to be threatened with massacre!

Fran could only pray that the dwarves would be as old and frail as the elves, and would first argue among themselves, hold meetings, express their opinions, and then take action. If Katarina's speculation was wrong, the dwarves had not collected enough intelligence, nor had they combined the matter of the ocean-going fleet with the Feather Tribe.

However, this beautiful vision was soon shattered.

On the third day after the fleet set out, a dwarf who claimed to be an ambassador asked to see Fran!

Fran's heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

She knew that the dwarves must be taking action.

"Hello, respected Lord Fran."

A group of dwarves arrived at the reception hall of Bieson Harbor. ;

Unlike the arrogant elves, the dwarf messenger looked easygoing and humble. But Fran would not be fooled by this superficial humility, because there might be a vicious knife hidden behind this smile.