Henwell decides not to have Chick continue following Leom and instead chooses to track him personally. Henwell senses that Leom is a dawn-css expert, and only someone like him, a Grand Knight of the same level, can tail Leom without being detected.

  The mysterious organization called Veil, with a recruitment department head as powerful as this, truly astonishes Henwell. His suspicions are confirmed—this is a massive multinational conglomerate. Henwell himself has ambitions to create such an organization, and understanding the Veil Organization in advance could be quite beneficial for his future endeavors. After all, as a chairman with strengths equivalent to Veil’s HR, he certainly has a lot to learn.

  Fortunately, Henwell is quite capable. He follows Leom through several cities without being noticed, identifying numerous Veil Organization bases, some of which have been operational for quite some time.

  After nearly a month of tracking, Henwell decides to stop.

  On one hand, he has identified enough members of the Veil Organization to keep tabs on them.

  On the other hand, Leom is preparing to report to higher-level members. Since Leom is a dawn-css transcendent, his superiors are likely rising sun-css powerhouses, equivalent to Iron Knights. Henwell, having just reached Grand Knight status, knows better than to take unnecessary risks. After all, if he was discovered, the repercussions could be severe.

  Meanwhile, Henwell needs to start discussions with Arius about the envoy's mission for the upcoming marriage alliance. As the weather warms, the union between the two nations is being publicly announced, becoming a hot topic among the people.

  After meeting with Arius and the others, tasks are assigned to ensure everything goes smoothly. Since Henwell has a swift horse, he's tasked with delivering important information about the ceremony back to the duchy. Without much rest, Henwell is sent off again.

  Riding swiftly back to the duchy, Henwell delivers the messages. Knowing how rare these trips are, so he quickly returns to Peace Haven, handling some pending affairs before heading to his secret workshop.

  Though half a year has passed without success in creating advanced alloys, Henwell remains patient, encouraging the bcksmiths. His encouragement is practical—grand promises mean nothing without tangible rewards.

  He distributes generous bonuses and grants the craftsmen a few days off to rest. Bancing work and rest is crucial; technical breakthroughs often require inspiration, and a rexed mind is not only more creative but also helps prevent accidents.

  The weapons workshop is thriving, having doubled in size and significantly increased its skilled workforce. More people mean more ideas, and greater production leads to more experience. All these factors contribute to improved production techniques.

  Both production speed and quality have seen substantial improvements since the factory's inception. Handling Catherine's orders is no longer a challenge; even if the orders doubled, the factory could meet the demand with full operation.

  In terms of agriculture, with improvements in seeds and farming techniques, yields have been increasing year after year. More grain means more people can be fed.

  As Peace Haven is a bustling trade hub, its economy is experiencing rapid growth. The local popution is benefiting from this prosperity, making residents retively wealthier compared to other regions. Consequently, a rge influx of service workers and serfs is moving into Peace Haven, with the non-native popution growth far surpassing the local birth rate.

  With Henwell's continuous investment in potion research, more potions are being developed and tested. The basic potions have seen significant improvements in both cost and effectiveness. Gradually, potions have become one of Peace Haven's key export products, with even the duchy procuring them in rge quantities. Instead of payment, these are often offset against taxes owed.

  Behind these potions lie countless lives that contribute to their development. Besides this, Henwell's workshops, including the forge and leather armor factory, have received numerous orders from the duchy. Peace Haven is steadily transforming into an industrial production center, just as Henwell envisioned.

  The new city has exceeded Henwell's previous pns, with sections of the city walls already constructed. The renovation of Henwell's estate is nearing completion. Once the marriage alliance concludes, he'll be moving into his grand vil!

  On the military front, the defense forces and the patrol cavalry have been reorganized according to Henwell's pns, with their combat capabilities gradually aligning with those of his private army.

  Despite these positive developments, there are also matters that trouble Henwell. The duchy has unexpectedly deployed another legion to the southeast.

  This means that there are now three duchy legions stationed to the north of Peace Haven. Including the newly formed legion, the duchy has a total of only twenty-eight fully organized legions. Pcing more than a tenth of their military force nearby, Henwell is puzzled about Duke Amir's intentions.

  To get some crity, Henwell consults with Viscount Jansen, who reassures him that the Duke is not targeting him. As Peace Haven becomes increasingly significant, the Duke is likely taking precautions against any ambitions from the Kingdom of Ika. Henwell understands this reasoning, acknowledging that he's not yet significant enough for the duchy to deploy three legions against him.

  Still, something about the situation doesn't sit right with Henwell. There's an underlying unease he can't quite shake off.

  The presence of three legions has begun to affect Henwell's business ventures. During the Path of Honor, Henwell had struck a deal with Viscount Holdsworth in Iris City for smuggling salt and sugar products.

  Over the years, their colboration had been quite successful. Initially, Henwell was making over ten thousand gold coins annually from this smuggling route. As the market expanded, profits surged dramatically, reaching thirty thousand gold coins st year. Though it may not sound like much, Henwell was already preparing to establish a refined sugar factory, aiming to produce higher quality and more easily transportable white sugar.

  Over the years, Henwell had trained numerous craftsmen and was familiar with improved sugar refining techniques. He pnned to monopolize refined sugar production after the marriage alliance concluded.

  However, the deployment of the duchy's three legions led Viscount Holdsworth to send a message, indicating a temporary halt in sugar smuggling. With the legions present, smuggling had become inconvenient. The trade project would resume once the situation became clearer.

  Not only does Viscount Holdsworth reduce supplies, but the northern Fabio faction also cuts back on their coal and iron deliveries. Although Henwell has coal and iron mines, their output is modest. Moreover, some of Fabio's iron ore is of better quality. There is little Henwell can do about this situation except wait and address it ter.

  For now, Henwell instructs Peace Haven's military forces to closely monitor the movements of the duchy's three legions. If they merely station outside Peace Haven, Henwell can tolerate it for the time being.

  However, if they dare to cross the border, especially attempting to reach his secret workshop area, Henwell will not hesitate to show his teeth and fiercely defend his interests.