"Enslavement?"

Harlan looked up at this moment, his expression one of disbelief.

The crime of banditry alone was enough to warrant execution, let alone the fact that they had attacked an official convoy. He was momentarily stunned.

Adel, too, wore a strange expression.

At this moment, Simon glanced at Baldwin, who seemed somewhat satisfied, and pursed his lips. Originally, he had intended to release all of these men.

But Baldwin had strongly opposed the idea, arguing that winning over people’s hearts should not be rushed. If they were released without punishment, Harlan might feel grateful to Simon, but he would also likely assume that Simon had spared him out of appreciation for his skills, which would diminish any sense of gratitude.

Instead, Baldwin suggested demoting them to slavery and later lifting their slave status based on their contributions. This way, they would take their work in the shipyard seriously.

It had to be said that people from different eras often thought differently. A ’saviour complex’ could be detrimental in this era.

After some reflection, Simon realised Baldwin had a point.

At this moment, Roland slowly spoke up. "Harlan, don’t be surprised. It was I who pleaded for your lives. Do you remember me?"

Harlan studied him carefully and exclaimed. "Steward Roland!"

"Indeed, it’s me. When I first arrived in Brambleford, I visited your shipyard to have my damaged merchant ship repaired. The convoy you attacked at The Mountain was also mine." Roland said.

Harlan said remorsefully. "Steward Roland, I was blind. If I had recognised you, we would never have dared to do such a thing."

"Enough, let’s not speak of this again. It was I who begged His Highness to spare your lives, seeing that you have some skill in shipbuilding. From now on, you must work hard to repay His Highness." Roland continued.

Roland and Simon were playing a classic good cop, bad cop routine.

Harlan, feeling as though he had just escaped the gates of hell, kowtowed and spoke. "Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Steward Roland."

"Rise. From today onward, you will belong to the Machinery Department and be registered as slaves. Captain Lancelot, take them away." Simon ordered.

In the Eldorian Empire, slavery was still a common practice. The empire’s laws explicitly stated: "Slaves are lowly, equivalent to livestock."

This meant they were treated like animals, and the modern term ’lowly person’ originated from this concept.

The servants and attendants in the prince’s residence were essentially Simon’s private property. He could buy, sell, or even kill them at will, as they had no human rights.

In the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, slaves did not have a place, as they merely existed as dependents of these four classes.

In Eldora, the capital, slaves made up as much as 20% of the population. The idle nobility relied entirely on these people for their daily needs.

The sources of slaves were diverse: prisoners of war, criminals sentenced to slavery, commoners who sold themselves into slavery, and children born to slaves.

These people were registered under a special slave category, and whether they could be freed depended entirely on their master’s will.

By registering Harlan and his men as slaves, Simon held their fate in his hands, and he could dispose of them as he pleased.

Lancelot led Harlan and his men to the Machinery Department, while Roland said. "Congratulations, Your Highness, on acquiring another group of skilled craftsmen."

"This is all thanks to Chief Secretary Baldwin’s advice," Simon replied, as the two exchanged mutual flattery.

Baldwin gave a stiff smile. "However, Your Highness, the funds allocated for the porridge distribution will only last for a month. I hope Your Highness can think of a solution. Many bandits have been surrendering recently, so it seems our efforts are bearing fruit."

Simon felt a headache coming on. Baldwin bowed slightly, implying that this matter was entirely up to him, and then left gracefully.

Roland glanced at Baldwin’s retreating figure and said with a bitter smile. "My Lord, Chief Secretary Baldwin has always been like this. He means no harm."

"You’re always the peacemaker," Simon said helplessly. "Let’s go to the Engineering Department. Whether we can secure the funds depends on what they can do."

This time, Simon went to the Engineering Department to have Fjord forge a very practical item, a distiller. This device could be used both for distilling alcohol and for extracting essential oils.

The principle of a distiller was quite simple: it consisted of several connected sealed containers. The first container was for distillation, the second for cooling, and the third for collection.

Once the distiller was made, distilling alcohol and extracting plant essential oils would be a breeze.

Most importantly, the distiller could be made from wood, ceramic, or metal. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

At the Engineering Department, Bjorn was assigning menial tasks to Harlan and his men. Simon called Fjord over.

"Fjord, I need you to make this for me in the next couple of days," Simon said, pulling Fjord aside and drawing a diagram of the distiller on a blackboard. He then explained the specific construction and materials needed.

[Knowledge transfer complete.]

After Simon’s explanation, Fjord quickly grasped the process of making the distiller. He spoke. "This is simple, Your Highness. How about we make a few large ceramic jars? They’re easy to shape."

"Good idea. Use the ’hollow-core’ method to make the connecting tubes between the jars." Simon said.

The ’hollow-core’ method involved wrapping a soft rod in clay, firing it, and then removing the rod to create the condenser tubes needed for the distiller.

"Understood, Your Highness. I’ll have the craftsmen start on it right away." Fjord said.

After giving instructions for the distiller, Simon returned to his residence and sent Ysabeau to purchase some rice wine and spices.

Ysabeau went to the East and West markets that day, but while she was able to buy rice wine in Brambleford, she couldn’t find any spices.

Simon thought for a moment and decided to summon Alfred.

"My Lord, spices won’t be a problem," Alfred said, though his focus was clearly elsewhere. He asked. "I heard Your Highness has captured Harlan and his son?"

Simon warmed his hands over the coal stove. The snow in Brambleford had stopped a few days ago, but as it melted, the weather had grown even colder.

It didn’t surprise Simon that the Chandlier family had some history with Harlan. He replied. "That’s correct. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"

"My Lord, it’s not that I have any thoughts, but Harlan owes my family a large debt. My father’s idea was to buy Harlan and his son from Your Highness and have them build ships to repay the debt." Alfred said tentatively.

Simon raised an eyebrow and said indifferently. "That won’t do. I have my own plans for them, so don’t entertain any ideas about this."

Alfred, having been rebuffed, said awkwardly. "In that case, I shall take my leave."

Simon glanced at Alfred and added a warning. "These spices are meant as a tribute to the Empress. Your Chandlier family must be careful. If anything goes wrong, even I won’t be able to protect you."

Alfred, who had been annoyed by Simon’s refusal regarding Harlan, had initially thought of buying some low-quality spices to brush the matter off perfunctorily. But Simon’s words sent a chill down his spine.

"My Lord, don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare to pass off inferior goods. My family happens to have a batch of premium spices from the Western Regions, originally intended for sale in Eldora. I’ll deliver them to you tonight." Alfred said with a forced smile.

"That would be perfect," Simon replied with a meaningful smile.