Year End 5

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Eileen Rodney's inner thoughts were extremely complicated at the moment.

On one hand, the male figures in the hall showed a blatant resistance towards her appointment as the Director of the Ministry of Education. Ah~ it made her furious; why do they look down on me just because I'm a woman?

On the other hand, Eileen was also surprised by Paul appointing her to oversee education. After all... it really didn't conform to tradition—damn tradition!

Seriously, why didn't this guy discuss this with her beforehand? He made it so sudden that she wasn't prepared at all.

If she had been prepared, maybe she could have made a passionate inaugural declaration to change the minds of these men in the hall who looked down on women.

But perhaps it was also because Earl Grayman really acted on a whim.

In any case, the little princess suddenly felt a slight sense of gratitude towards Paul—gratitude for having her abilities recognized.

Unlike her sister Catherine, Eileen had never liked politics and matters of war from a young age; she aspired to become a scholar.

His Majesty the King also welcomed her development in this direction. As a ruler of a nation, having two children skilled in both military and political affairs wasn't ideal. Besides, it was normal for a girl to behave this way.

But Catherine's performance was too dazzling. Eileen grew up hearing nothing but praise for her sister from those around her. Although the two sisters had a deep bond, deep down inside, there was always a hint of dissatisfaction.

Now, Paul had given her an opportunity. How could Eileen not be happy?

"Earl Grayman!"

Eileen stood up and bowed solemnly to Paul.

"I will definitely not disappoint your trust in me."

Then she sat down without saying another word, silently vowing to make these men sitting here take notice of her within a year.

"Well then, do your best."

Paul casually encouraged.

In fact, he had used the process of elimination to rule out many unsuitable candidates and found that besides the two female advisors, there really was no one else suitable. Miss Ladia, one of the ladies, would be tasked with handling some mysterious studies in his plan, so he threw the educational responsibilities to "Miss D'Arshi."

It was definitely not as Hansel speculated, "taking a step back to move forward." If there had been a male candidate with equal qualifications, he would have subconsciously prioritized hiring a male.

"Everyone, let me explain the development plans for next year's industries—those intended for foreign markets."

Upon hearing the lord's words, everyone perked up.

"Iron smelting!"

"Cotton textiles!"

"Printing!"

These were the results of numerous discussions between Paul, Steward Ford, and Hansel, among a few others. Now it was being announced openly to all high-level members of the Ministry of Affairs.

Malon asked somewhat curiously, "Paul, aside from printing books, it seems that iron goods and textiles from Alden and Byerldine have little competitiveness. Why not invest resources in industries like pottery and papermaking, which have already proven to be profitable?"

He only knew that Paul had developed a highly advanced printing press capable of mass-producing books.

"Sorry for not informing you all sooner about this."

"In textiles, I will order the factory to improve the current popular spinning and weaving machines. I'm optimistic that efficiency can be increased by up to forty times!"

"As for iron smelting, we already have a whole set of new production processes, techniques that can surpass similar ones worldwide. I believe we can start production very soon. Isn't that right, Mr. Burns?"

Guy Burns stood up and nodded to Paul, "We should be able to get it done around the New Year."

"Then I can rest assured. Once it's done, be sure to notify me to witness the first batch of iron production."

If it were six months ago, everyone would have thought the lord was exaggerating, but now no one thought so.

Suddenly, Paul remembered something. "Once the textile industry develops, we can produce cheaper military uniforms for soldiers."

Currently, Alden's army uniforms were still in the style of "local guerrillas". Perhaps the natives of this world didn't mind, but for him, this style combined with "execution by firing squad" was too discordant.

Was it really necessary for the Royal Guards and Lobstermen to match execution by firing squad?

"Oh, Earl, are you planning to improve the current military uniforms?"

It was Bryce who spoke up, his face filled with excitement. "I have quite a few new ideas in my head."

Paul found it amusing and said with a smile, "You have ideas too? Alright, after you go back, draw up your ideas, I'll draw up mine, and let's also prepare a set for the navy. Then we can discuss them together."

Most of the issues to be discussed had already been covered; it was time to end the meeting.

"If there are no other questions, let's conclude today's meeting."

"Um... Earl, there is actually one more thing."

"Oh? Steward Ford, please go ahead."

Old Ford cleared his throat.

"We've had quite a few immigrants this year, and according to the plan, there will be even more next year. Shouldn't we consider specifically where to settle them, not in terms of work, but in terms of housing? Many of them are single and will eventually start families and careers. They can't keep living in the temporary government quarters we've set up."

Paul was puzzled. Was this really a problem? In his plan, immigrants were supposed to be settled first in Alden Town and Frand Port, but the proportion had to be controlled, with the local residents and recruited workers from the northwest as the main population.

"After they earn enough money, they can buy houses near their workplaces or hire people to build houses, right?"

The old steward shook his head.

"That's true, but with so many people coming all of a sudden, we can't just build houses anywhere, can we? There needs to be regulations. The town didn't have this problem when it was small before, but with so many people coming at once, we really need to think about it carefully."

"You make a good point. Alright, who should be responsible for this? I'm not very knowledgeable about city planning myself."

"Earl, city planning should be left to professionals. There are certainly professionals in the capital city who specialize in this."

"In that case, let's find the very best. Crystal Glare is the largest city in the kingdom, right? Let's invite a planner from the capital to design for us, focusing on Alden Town, Frand Port, and Buteya."

"Isn't that a bit... overqualified?"

"We need to consider the long term. Haha, Alden Town might even develop into a city with a population of 100,000 someday."

People were amazed by this statement. Was Earl Grayman dreaming?

"Hansel, please take note of this when you next visit the capital."

"I've got it, Earl."

Finally, with no further questions, Paul adjourned the meeting.

(End of the Chapter)