Belden City was located in Jianhai County, a city that had once risen on coal mines and later declined because of them.
Since the coal resources began to run dry, the young people in the city gradually left Belden for larger metropolises like Constant and Backlund to make a living. This city, which had once been fairly prosperous, quickly lost its vitality, and the atmosphere became more and more oppressive.
After all, even though it sat along a railway line, Belden, which had lost its own resources and had yet to find a new identity, offered no visible hope.
For such a half-dead city, with a bit of reputation but no practical benefit, situated in Jianhai County—a border region facing Feysac—granting it as a fiefdom to a "newly minted viscount" who had contributed three million pounds of wealth was nothing more than a costless reward for the Loen royal family.
A few days ago, when Ebner heard that George III was planning to grant him this city, he couldn't help but sigh at just how calculating the king really was.
If he remembered correctly, according to the trajectory of the original story, this very Belden City would fall in the coming war. And just as it had yet to recover from the devastation, it would suffer another calamity when the archbishop of the Church of the God of Combat fled into the city with the sealed artifact "0-02," nearly destroying it altogether...
Truly unfortunate timing… but since I, a 'Prophet' who can defy fate itself, am now this city's lord, perhaps fortune has turned in its favor!
After a few moments of self-praise, Ebner did not feel that revitalizing the economy of a declining city was particularly difficult. In fact, with just a bit of casual thought he already had several plans—such as directly investing in the construction of a "film city" and outdoor sets there, turning it into a filming site for various genres of movies to push the city into a new identity...
When that time came, wouldn't there be flocks of people coming here like "northern drifters"? How could there be no vitality then!
In short, as long as there was investment and resources were directed there, was there any reason development wouldn't follow?
Especially since Ebner could at any time "observe" the city's "course of destiny" and choose the most "reliable" stream of fate to guide it along.
While turning these plans over in his mind, Ebner was about to board his carriage to head to the theater in Hillston District.
But just then, he suddenly felt a strange "premonition." He stopped in his tracks and told the coachman to wait a moment.
It was his "passive prophecy" ability, suddenly giving him a sign: he absolutely must buy the newspaper in the newsboy's hands in a few minutes, and afterward, "fate" would unfold in a way favorable to him.
This feeling wasn't unfamiliar to Ebner. Even back when he was still an ordinary man, the Pure White Eye had subtly influenced him with "passive prophecy."
For example, on the very first day of his transmigration, he suddenly joined in Xio's mission and generously told her about the "acting method." Beyond the fact that he himself already had a favorable impression of Xio, who in the original story was Miss "Judgment" of the Tarot Club, and that the "Reader" pathway carried a tendency to show off, subconsciously following prophecy to seek fortune and avoid harm had been another important reason.
It was just that back then, he had not realized this was the Pure White Eye's influence, believing it to be his own decision.
Only after becoming "Knowledge Keeper" and deepening his use of the Pure White Eye did he faintly notice the truth.
"But what was the benefit of approaching Xio back then?
"Was it that she and Fors became my close friends?
"Or was it that I shook off the sense of unreality at the start of my transmigration, and gained a 'bond'?"
As Ebner let his thoughts wander, a newsboy came around the street corner. The boy's business seemed to have gone well today—by the early afternoon his satchel was already empty, with only one last newspaper still in his hands.
Seeing this, Ebner knew that this was the figure from his prophecy. He beckoned the boy over.
The clear voice of the newsboy rang out, with a slightly uneasy tone: "Sir, there's only one copy of the Tarsok Miscellany left..."
The Tarsok Miscellany was a small tabloid that only published bits of street gossip. Because it never relied on exaggerated headlines for sensationalism, its sales were always mediocre.
It was rumored that the only reason it hadn't gone bankrupt as a weekly was because its backer had been continually subsidizing it...
But Ebner knew the truth: the real owner of this little paper was actually a high-ranking deacon of the Church of Storms, Stuart. Most of the stories printed were events from the families of more open-minded Storm believers. He seemed to be trying to express certain views through this, but unfortunately its influence was far too limited.
Come to think of it, the reason Ebner even knew this at all was because Xio had told him.
Just over a month ago, on the night he had met with Princess Vera in secret, Xio had received an urgent mission to recover a stolen seal.
That seal was said to be the signet of the Intis Gustav Dynasty, but it had been stolen during an exhibition. The Mandated Punishers responsible for security lost face, and so Stuart was added to the case as well, forming a joint investigative group with the military.
At that time, it was only by relying on his own "Retrospection" ability and the help of his newspaper's reporters that Stuart discovered the thief's rented lodgings and recovered the stolen seal overnight.
Unfortunately, the thief still managed to escape in the end. No one had ever truly seen his face, and it remained completely unknown who he was or why, after stealing the seal, he chose to abandon it.
Since Stuart had used his reporters in that case, it was natural that Xio learned of the Tarsok Miscellany, and later she told Ebner.
While turning these things over in his mind, Ebner pulled out a coin and paid the newsboy, buying the paper.
Then, he boarded the carriage and began reading it on his way to the theater.
Ebner skimmed quickly over the family drama stories and soon locked his gaze onto a single advertisement:
"This Wednesday at 10 a.m., the private museum at 16 Pinster Street, North District, will open its doors..."
If my premonition was right, it should be this... Could it be that this private museum will exhibit something useful to me?
And moreover, the entire paper only has this one advertisement... Is the circulation so poor that no one wants to pay for ads, or is this museum actually connected to the newspaper?
Perhaps I should send someone to investigate first...
Lost in thought, Ebner soon arrived at the theater. After alighting from the carriage, he entered through the back door, and before long he saw Xio, who was busy arranging for people to handle reporters and film critics.
Speaking of which, since the "film industry" had only just begun, most of the film critics at present were not very professional—in fact, a large portion of them were "plants" that Ebner had trained beforehand to guide public opinion...
After all, the battlefield of public discourse had to be seized early. As long as he nurtured some authoritative critics and established a reputable film journal, it would become much harder for competitors to surpass his company.
On the other side, when Xio saw Ebner arrive, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. To her, hosting such an event was more exhausting than a fight with a Beyonder.
Still, she pulled Ebner aside first, stood on tiptoe, and studied him for quite some time with a very complex expression, before speaking with both excitement and genuine happiness for him: "The ritual was successful?
"Ebner, you've become a demigod?"
His state wasn't good—his brain was a muddle—so he only wrote this much.
(End of Chapter)