"It was wise of you, sending King Widikund to Eisenkreis rather than overseas. And, withholding this knowledge from Bavaria, another smart move, mien Fuhrer." The Empress, Maria, moved behind her Kaiser, resting her hand on his shoulders as he peered over the letter that head had read several times. "They have proved quite useful in the past, the Austrians. And they have had their hands on this sought after material for quite a bit longer than we. Their technological advancements with it can provide us a great boon to our military." She leaned close to his ear. "If Ferdinand has anything to say about your wise and honorable decision, you must remind him who the Emperor is. You could burn Bavaria to the ground, if you so saw fit."

Otto Leopold rose from his desk before turning to look at his wife and Queen. "Yes, I am the German Emperor. My say is final."

"The [i]Great[/i] German Emperor," she corrected him. "A good ruler seeks the advice of his vassals, and a great one knows when to ignore it." Just then the door to the Emperor's office swung open. "Mien Fuhrer, Hans Olo is waiting to see you."

Kaiser Bismarck turned back smiling. "Excellent, send him in." The envoy had returned today from his mission in Naples, but had sent word ahead of his success. "Ah, Hans. Welcome. King Widikund told me that you have never failed him. I am glad to see he was right." He extended a hand to the man and gestured for him to have a seat in front of his desk. Otto von Bismark took his own seat and looked to his wife. "Could you leave us to talk, darling."

"Of course, your excellence." Her hand lingered on his shoulder as she stepped away from his side before she stopped just beside Olo. "You have helped this nation immensely, thank you." She smiled at him before stepping from the office.

"She is right. It is for that reason that I would like to invite you to stay here in Berlin. I would name you our Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice Chancellor, as well as the Duke of Pomerania." He smiled at the man who only gave a smirk.

Finally. Hans' grasp was reaching higher than his ambitions had ever dreamed to go. His secret background, being the child of a lowly pig farmer had not prepared him for this. He had one day hoped to hold a position of office, but never to rise so high as to become a Duke and hold lands of his own. He wasn't certain he'd even wanted the responsibility of maintaining a realm. That's what delegating was for, however. "Thank you, mien Fuhrer, you are most generous. I humbly accept the honors, though I feel they are too great for one such as myself."

"Nonsense," he waved the humility off as he held up the letter. "You have secured us two significant deposits of Blue Coal. What's even more, you got the King to offer more than I had even asked." He was referring to the Italian lands that would now be under German control. Olo would not dare that that part of the arrangement had not been his doing.

Bismarck rose from the desk and stepped to the fireplace, gazing into the burning flames held within. Hans followed suit, rising as his emperor did. "We must act quickly. We should get men on those deposits, setting up mining facilities immediately. As well, I shall build a military fort at either site with a strong garrison to hold the base from any invading force or rebelling peasants. I want you to hire only those you find most loyal and trusted as your staff. We need a permanent dignitary in King Pagani's court to be my voice of reason in his ear should any confrontations arise between him and his government, or any foreign emissaries. Also, I want you to write a letter on my behalf to the Dutch. Get a feel for their thoughts on Pagani's decision. See if they feel any amity towards us. I should like to know where they stand in the realm of politics. If we need to be reinforcing our western borders I shall need to know."

Hans stood there, nodding until Birsmarck turned back to him, looking confused. "You are dismissed, Duke Olo."