“These accursed pirates! Thank goodness His Majesty’s grand army has wiped them out!”
“I heard that this time around nearly a thousand pirates were captured, and a large number of pirate ships were seized, which is just fantastic!”
“Long live the King! He truly is the greatest king!”
“Ah, have you seen what’s reported in the newspaper? The Pope has proclaimed His Majesty as ‘Savior of Sorrows’, thanking him for the blessings he brought to countless Catholics!”
Of course, this title was the result of Joseph’s people communicating with Pope Pius VI. The Pope also wanted to use this opportunity to enhance the prestige of the Holy See and to please France, so why not?
In the circles of wealthy nobles and factory owners, what concerned them was the news that “after sincere exchanges between His Majesty’s diplomats and the new Bey of Tunisia, a series of agreements have been signed.”
In a salon of the Louvre District, a group of nobles were heatedly discussing: “I hear now we can buy land in Tunisia?”
“Yes, I saw it as well; it was reported in the Paris Commercial News, and the land prices are very cheap.”
“I have a relative who trades with North Africa. He told me that the land in Tunisia is incredibly fertile, allowing for three wheat harvests a year!”
“These past few years, France has constantly been troubled by droughts and hailstorms; perhaps buying some land in Tunisia wouldn’t be a bad choice.”
“All you think about is farming? Right now, Tunisia has almost reduced the customs duties for French goods to zero. You could make a fortune by just shipping over a bit of wine or clothing!”
“Exactly! Viscount Hoien is gathering funds to buy two ships for trade with North Africa. Anyone interested in investing?”
At the Palace of Versailles, Mirabeau and a few industrial system officials walked out of the office, looking somewhat exhausted. They had just finished discussing how to make use of the agreement that allowed the French to build factories in Tunisia to expand their industrial scale; now they were off to attend the ball hosted by Queen Mary to celebrate the successful eradication of the pirates.
The Hall of Mirrors was filled with lively music and crowded with nobles who had come to join the ball. These celebratory balls were very popular because the King and Queen were bound to be in very good spirits, often bestowing generous amounts of Gold Coins on the attendees.
Queen Mary, with an exaggerated hairstyle towering on her head, took Louis XVI’s arm and gracefully proceeded to the front wooden steps of the Hall of Mirrors.
The ladies were all discussing the Queen’s trendy hairstyle. It was a huge ship, taking up almost her entire head, and its height even surpassed her face.
“Oh, Her Majesty always sets the trend! That hairstyle is simply beautiful!”
“Oh God, that’s a warship!”
“Madame Xisneros, do you recognize what ship that is?”
As the wife of a naval officer, Madame Xisneros had some knowledge on the topic and immediately answered: “If I’m not mistaken, that should be the flagship of the Combined Fleet, the Avant-Garde.”
“It’s said that the King himself crafted that headpiece.”
“Oh, that is so romantic! If a man made such a ship for me, I’d marry him on the spot!”
The Queen’s lady-in-waiting clapped her hands to signal everyone to be quiet, then curtsied and stepped back two paces.
Queen Mary, smiling, raised her hands and then, full of admiration, looked towards her husband beside her and loudly said, “Let us pay our highest respects to the great ‘Savior of Sorrows’!”
The nobles immediately erupted with praise: “Long live the Savior of Sorrows!”
“Long live the King!”
Louis XVI, finding himself the center of attention, felt somewhat uneasy and rubbed his forehead, thinking that he hadn’t really done much at all; why was the Pope being so generous?