Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste
Chapter 121: Recruiting Court Officials

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Recruiting Court Officials

While the Brandelis Clan was once a Baron family, the old butler Foster was very qualified as a noble butler.

However, it was clear that he could not handle the heavy duty of being a court envoy for the Northern Guardian, because the people he needed to interact with in this role were completely different from those the Baron family had previously dealt with.

Although in the past, the Brandelis Clan could interact with figures like Eldest Princess Annie due to Perfikot’s mother’s connections, overall, the people they could connect with were usually only middle to lower-tier nobles.

But once Perfikot became the Northern Guardian, a power in her own right, the characters and matters Foster needed to deal with were utterly different.

In such times, the correct course for Perfikot was to recruit a retainer familiar with court etiquette and noble knowledge, rather than expecting Foster to handle multiple roles alone.

After all, he was only a butler who transitioned from being a knight’s attendant, not a retainer specialized in noble knowledge.

And the self-recommendation from the court envoy clearly played right into Perfikot’s hands, although she wasn’t familiar with this court envoy, it did not prevent her from recruiting him.

Facing Perfikot’s gesture of goodwill, the court envoy quickly and humbly said, "It is my honor to serve you. I graduated from Royal Langton University, served in the Empire’s eastern colonies, am proficient in heraldry, court etiquette, and noble affairs, and have considerable insight into administrative management and diplomacy.

I believe I can provide you with the highest quality service, contributing my due efforts for the exploration and development of the Northern Territory."

Listening to the court envoy’s self-introduction, Perfikot was very satisfied, but did not immediately settle the matter.

She merely said to the court envoy, "However, you still have the mission of a court envoy, and presumably, you need to return to Langton before you can hand over your duties, right? Speaking of which, as a court envoy, you should be serving the Royal Family, so why are you willing to come to such a remote place as the Northern Territory?"

"Countess, being a court envoy is merely a title for Her Majesty’s palace attendants; only when there is a royal order to transmit does one become an envoy. It sounds prestigious, but actually, it’s a position with limited scope for showcasing one’s talents." The court envoy said with a touch of self-mockery and helplessness: "Although I also put in significant effort to become a court attendant, I must say that this is largely a position for retirees.

I’m only forty now, and if possible, I still hope for the opportunity to fulfill my ambitions and display my talents."

"I see, I understand." Perfikot nodded understandingly, then said, "Since that’s the case, let’s not be polite. I hope you return to Langton, temporarily refrain from handing over the court attendant duties, and instead serve as my envoy in contact with the Royal Family.

Don’t worry about your status, you only need to explain the situation to Eldest Princess Annie, indicating that you are now my court envoy, she will understand."

"I understand, so what exactly should my work entail? Should I be in charge of inquiring about Langton City’s news and maintaining noble relations for you?" The court envoy, having long been involved in Langton’s noble circles, naturally understood that his new role was probably akin to eyes and ears, as well as a messenger.

The job seemed devoid of specific duties but actually involved numerous tasks, necessitating adroit maneuvers to harmonize various relationships.

This posed a significant challenge to personal capabilities.

"Inquiring about news and maintaining noble relations are expected tasks, just handle them as you see fit. You can consult my butler for insights on certain relationships the Brandelis Clan has in Langton, he’ll tell you who needs smoothing over." Perfikot wasn’t very conceptually acquainted with such matters before, not needing to consider them before, yet now her status required her attention to these: "Of course, besides these, you will also need to execute various other tasks I assign you, such as recruiting suitable talents for the Northern Territory and safeguarding Northern interests within the Empire..."

Perfikot did not disclose matters regarding the apocalypse to the court envoy, choosing instead to leave this issue to Eldest Princess Annie.

After all, she wasn’t familiar with the court envoy, and whether he could be trusted remained an issue; though the matter didn’t strictly require secrecy, if he leaked the information, it could still cause substantial troubles.

Thus, Perfikot hoped Eldest Princess Annie could help discern whether this person could be entrusted with significant responsibilities.

If not, Perfikot would not deal harshly with him; she would still delegate the tasks mentioned earlier to him, since these tasks indeed required someone to help her manage, given her role as the Northern Guardian.

"I understand, you can rest assured that I will handle these matters." The court envoy was confidently assured after Perfikot’s briefing.

"Good, then when you return, remember to deliver a letter to Aunt Annie for me." Perfikot instructed curtly and turned to deal with Colonel Richard and Captain William.

Perfikot had previously engaged with these two and had consulted Foster about their connections to her family.

According to Foster, Colonel Richard was brought up by the old Baron, the 17th Guards Regiment was once directly affiliated with the Brandelis Clan, and Colonel Richard represented the family’s sustained influence over the regiment.

Yet as the direct line of the Brandelis Clan waned, Colonel Richard’s ties to the direct line also grew distant.

Fortunately, with Perfikot’s rise, figures like Colonel Richard, marked with the Brandelis Clan’s insignia, would quickly rally under the clan’s banner.

In fact, according to Foster’s judgment, many old subordinates of the old Baron and some familial sidelines would soon seek out Perfikot, now the Count of Exploration and Northern Guardian, Colonel Richard being quite a representative among them.

Conversely, Captain William’s identity was somewhat surprising to Perfikot; he was once her grandfather’s knight’s apprentice.

With this relationship, commanding the Knight Order posed no concern for Perfikot.

Judging by the identities of the two, it was clear those from Langton considered their dispatch refinedly, sent to work for Perfikot, not to cause trouble.

Thus, upon officially becoming the Northern Guardian, Perfikot directly said to Captain William: "Captain William, are you prepared to become a Steam Knight?"