Oil is gold

"Oil?! How is that possible?!" blurted Albert. He couldn't believe that those small beans could produce oil.

"It is possible, but there are things that we need to prepare before we can turn those cheap beans into something as valuable as gold."

Edgar was grateful that he spent some time researching how to produce daily necessities like oil. There were few resources in the kingdom, and his modern knowledge could give the kingdom a large amount of income. When he decided to look for a gate of inheritance, he taught himself some miscellaneous knowledge to increase his chance of passing the trial. He was glad that his decision was right.

"What do we need to prepare for your highness?! I will prepare it right away!" Albert felt excited. Although he did not completely believe in the prince, he still had some hope because the person in front of him did not resemble the previous lazy and debaucherous prince.

Edgar smiled at the eager minister. "Let us wait for the craftsman first. I already told Elena earlier to look for someone that can be trusted because the method of producing oil can be easily copied. Those people involved in the production of oil must be strictly monitored!"

He knew that the secret of cooking oil could not be hidden for a long time since the method was simple, but he wanted to keep it for as long as he can because monopoly was a huge profit.

"Your highness, I will personally cut anyone's head that leaks the secret!" seriously said by Albert.

Edgar nodded at the seriousness of the minister, so supervision should not be lax. Then he shifted the conversation to another important matter.

"What is the current situation of the kingdom?" Edgar asked the minister because there was not enough information in Van's memory since the debauchery prince did not care about the kingdom's situation.

"Your highness, the kingdom's situation is not good," answered Albert while feeling happy because Van started to become concerned about the kingdom, but he still looked serious while explaining the situation. Since the king became sick and unable to attend court meetings, Albert started losing power, and some nobles were not following the court's order. More nobles had become disobedient since Van became the regent king.

"Your highness, food production in some areas has decreased because water canals have not been managed properly since your grandfather's reign. More bandits are appearing. There are insufficient funds for magic research and study of students in the magic academy.

Many nobles aren't cooperating with the royal court. Taxes collected in areas governed by some nobles have decreased. Some broken magic armor and weapons of the army should also be replaced," said Albert. He looked exhausted when he explained the kingdom's plight because his effort to solve the situation was obstructed in many places.

"Many problems of the kingdom will be solved once money is available. Although money will be sufficient, you can take some of it from the treasury first to immediately buy food. Sell the food at a reasonable price to areas that lack it to suppress the price manipulation of nobles and merchants.

Limit the sale of food that we bought. Avoid getting cheated by grain merchants and nobles. We must avoid turning our people into refugees. If there are already beggars and refugees, feed them porridge and give them temporary work," said Edgar. He had read in history on Earth that many refugees became rebels. Many rebellious refugees shook the foundations of some countries in history.

"Yes, your highness. I am sure that common people will be very thankful for your kindness." Albert felt relieved that he got the prince's permission to get money from the Treasury for food. The treasurer did not agree because money was lacking. He was worried, though, that oil might not provide the expected income to the kingdom.

"Your highness, how much do you expect to earn from selling oil?" asked Albert.

Edgar had a mysterious smile on his face when he heard Albert's question. The discovery of oil was not that long. It had uses, but people from the Aurora world do not know yet the other pleasure given by oil. The pleasure of food! "Our oil will not be used like others. Cooking oil will bring great change to the world! People will experience food delicacies that they have never had before!"

"F-food?!!" Albert was really shocked. Most of their food were cook through steam or boiling.

Knock! Knock! Knock! The knock from the door interrupted their conversation.

"Your highness, the craftsman is here," said Elena.

"Let him come in." Edgar looked at the man who came in—the man who would make oil production possible. His posture was low, and he looked afraid. He didn't know his importance to the kingdom.

Edgar brought out a blueprint from his drawer that he had drawn earlier. "Come closer and don't be afraid. I called you here because I need your help to build something. Once you make it, I will give you an official position, land, and money."

He was promising benefits to keep the craftsman's loyalty and enthusiasm.

The craftsman was very happy when he heard the prince's explanation. His face was full of smiles while he imagined his future. The regent king seemed different from the rumors that he heard. He looked wise and kind.

Edgar handed out the blueprint."Here is the blueprint for the oil press. It is simple to make, but you must keep it secret because it is very important to the kingdom. If you leak the secret, you will lose your head and implicate your family. Do you understand?"

His tone sounded serious when he was warning him. He was following the principle of giving a carrot and stick.

"Y-Yes, your highness," answered the craftsman while stuttering. He realized that he was involved in a very important matter for the kingdom. He will lose his head if he was not careful, but he also felt excited because the regent king would definitely attach importance to him once he successfully completed his task.

"Elena, prepare a place for him where he can experiment and make the oil press. You can bring him out with you."

"Yes, your highness." Elena was happy that the prince had started to govern the kingdom.

Edgar appreciated the little maid because she was a competent secretary. He continued his conversation with Albert. "Tomorrow I will show you how to extract cooking oil and use it for cooking. You must prepare a place for the production of oil. That place must be strictly guarded. I have another task for you and must be kept secret. You must find an unknown person with good eloquence because that kind of person is important for future layout in our neighboring kingdoms. We will continue our conversation later."

He wanted to end the conversation because he wanted to move around the city and start his training. Before going out, he wanted to go to the top of the castle and see what the city and kingdom looked like. He already saw it in Van's memory, but he still wanted to see it personally.

Albert was walking alone in the hallway, then he stood on a window as he looked outside the castle, and thought,"What happened to the prince? Did he met a wiseman that enlighten his mind? But the change is too big and sudden. Unless..."

He had been in the royal court since the reign of Van Flameworth's grandfather. He became the prime minister when the current king sat on the throne, so he saw how Van grew up. A smile appeared on his face when he remembered a younger version of Van who was eager to learn. "I should talk about it with the king later."

Edgar was walking on a stairs. He was almost at the top of the castle and he could hear the flapping sound of a flag. The flag was yellow with a red lion mark. It was the flag of Baynard.

He stepped on the viewing platform. His long red hair and dark red coat were swaying because of the strong blows of the wind. He moved to the edge of the platform and took a look. He already expected it, but he still felt amazing as he looked at the scene.