After a few hours, the celebration in the ballroom had beco much livelier than before.
Elegant music continuously played in the background while the nobles danced gracefully near the center of the floor.
Servants still moved around endlessly carrying trays of wine, desserts, and expensive dishes prepared specially for the occasion.
At the far end of the ballroom, a group of perforrs had already begun entertaining the guests.
Several musicians played beautifully while dancers dressed in flowing, ornate outfits perford near the stage under the bright chandelier lights.
The atmosphere genuinely felt grand and almost unreal.
anwhile, for Lionel was thankful that he was now surrounded by his peers. After so ti, those young noble won eventually left him alone
But there was still a number who kept approaching him here, and there.
"There you are!" And among all them, he was thankful to et Rufus here.
Rufus imdiately walked toward him while carrying a glass of juice in one hand.
Rufus still looked exactly the sa as usual. Though tonight, he was dressed properly in dark formal attire befitting his noble status.
"You were pounced on by all the ladies earlier," Rufus comnted while crossing his arms lightly.
"Yeah," Lionel answered honestly.
Several nearby young n imdiately laughed at that.
"Honestly, I don’t bla them," one nobleman comnted. "After tonight, almost every family here will probably try getting close to your family."
Lionel only sighed helplessly at that.
The group around them laughed lightly again before the conversation slowly changed into more casual topics. Unlike the earlier conversations with adults, talking with people closer to his age felt much easier.
"My father made morize tax records last week," he muttered with visible despair.
"That sounds horrible," another one imdiately replied.
"It was."
"That’s what I hate too. I’d rather train with swords all day than stare at numbers," another young noble complained.
"You say that now," one boy scoffed from the side, "but once you inherit your territory, you’ll see the real work."
"That’s exactly what my father said!"
Lionel quietly listened while holding a glass in one hand. Unlike military training or swordsmanship, conversations about studies and what they’re doing in life was mostly the topic for their age.
After all, noble families survived through wealth, land, and influence.
"My older brother handles most of our business matters," one nobleman admitted. "So thankfully, I only assist sotis."
"You’re lucky," another one muttered imdiately. "My father suddenly beca obsessed with teaching everything after hearing I barely passed economics."
Several boys burst into laughter.
"No wonder Lord Varentin looked furious when I visited you last ti."
"That old man terrifies ."
"What about you, Lionel?" one noble asked curiously afterward. "Do you also study estate managent already?"
"A little," Lionel answered honestly. "My parents insist that I learn about it already."
"That sounds exhausting."
"But I guess you need it."
"Yeah, after all, your territory is large."
The others nodded one after another.
Lionel just smiled at them. How could he say that he’s actually having a nice ti, since he already knew everything?
In his previous life, Lionel had ignored almost everything related to administration and politics during his younger years. Because of that, he suffered greatly later on when he took over their estate.
That mistake alone made him learn a lot. Now, he no longer wanted to repeat the sa mistake.
"But honestly," another boy lowered his voice slightly afterward, "my father has been talking nonstop about trade lately."
"Trade?"
"Yeah. Apparently, the western regions have been making ridiculous profits from mariti trade recently.
Lionel’s attention turned to the man who said that.
Mariti Trade? He forgot about that...
"That reminds ," another noble joined in, "I heard so rchant groups are beginning to invest more into ships."
"My uncle said the sa thing."
"Apparently, they can transport more goods into faraway places faster."
Lionel quietly listened to their conversation afterward. Although the boys around him were just casually gossiping, their talk was valuable.
Several of the young nobles imdiately beca interested after hearing about the growing mariti trade.
"My father should probably invest in that too, then."
"Sa here," another boy agreed. "If mariti businesses are really becoming profitable, entering early sounds smart."
"I heard so rchant families already started buying additional ships."
"They’re probably expecting the profits to double within the next few years."
"Honestly... maybe I should ntion it at ho too," he muttered while rubbing his chin lightly. "Our territory is close enough to one of the ports." Even Rufus found it interesting.
anwhile, Lionel remained quiet while listening to all of them.
Mariti trade...
In the future, he knew that it would truly beco incredibly profitable since it’s one way of transportation. But not now.
Lionel’s eyes lowered slightly toward the drink in his hand. If his mories were correct, sothing major would happen within the next few weeks.
A large rchant vessel from the western regions would sink near one of the Empire’s major trade routes. At first, everyone would think it was just an ordinary accident.
But later, it would be discovered that the ship had been transporting dangerous oil substances improperly.
The spill would contaminate large parts of the ocean nearby and destroy several coastal fishing areas.
The incident would beco such a massive issue that the empire would temporarily halt portions of mariti trade to investigate and implent stricter laws regarding sea transportation.
And because of that, many nobles and rchants who invested heavily in ships too early would lose enormous amounts of money.
"Don’t invest in ships yet." Lionel suddenly spoke calmly to them.
The conversation around him imdiately stopped.
"Huh?"
"Uhm?"
"What?"
Several young nobles turned toward Lionel in confusion.
"Why not?" one of them asked curiously.
Lionel rely smiled lightly.
"Just trust ."
The others looked even more confused afterward.
"..."
"..."
"Let’s just say... I have a bad feeling about mariti investnts right now." Lionel calmly took another sip from his drink before answering. Of course, he couldn’t exactly explain the real reason.
Others still looked confused, but hearing Lionel made them sohow hesitant about the business. After all, they knew that Lionel had good connections backing him up.
"’ I guess there’s nothing wrong with what Lionel said..."
"We’’ll just wait then."’
"Yeah. I guess it’s fine since the trade is just starting."
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