Wickton was silent.
Of course, he knew what Hanock was saying, and he also knew things that Hanock did not, such as where exactly the money had gone.
It wasn't the fire extinguishers; those cost little money, and they weren't paid for by the King but by the people's sweat and toil, and could even be considered revenue.
The real hitch in the Kingdom's stride was still Campbell Duchy's "Winter Moon Coup."
Although the King never admitted that the coup was related to him, anyone with eyes could see where Earl Derek's funds came from.
They weren't donated by the peasants, at least not the peasants of Campbell.
To support the nobles of the Campbell Duchy, Your Majesty had delivered massive supplies to the rebel army, but Edward not only survived, he quelled the rebellion with thunderous means, making this huge investment go down the drain without even a sound.
Another gap was the tax shortfall in the Twilight Province and the Lion Heart Knight Order struggling in that quagmire.
