How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony

The main purpose of Henri IV, the legitimate king of France, was nothing else.

To rebuild this ruined kingdom.

And simultaneously, to place this unstable new dynasty on solid ground. As the first monarch of the Bourbon line, following the collapse of the Valois dynasty, Henri knew that his family's claim to the throne remained precarious, contested by powerful noble factions and foreign interests who questioned his right to rule.

For that, he needed enormous funds. Very enormous funds that would allow him to address the kingdom's countless needs while also projecting the strength and magnificence expected of a French monarch. The royal coffers had been emptied by his predecessors' extravagances and the costly wars that had torn the realm apart.

Thanks to the excellent fiscal policies and miraculous sale of offices by the Duke of Sully, Maximilien de Béthune (later the Duke of Sully), fortunately, millions of livres began to accumulate in the royal treasury.

With that money as his weapon, Henri built up the army, constructed roads, and developed industries. Keeping opposition in check or appeasing them was just a bonus.

...Of course, he had dreams too.

'I must create a new source of funds that belongs to the royal family, benefiting only the royal family!'

Henri believed that dream could be realized in America, and his closest friend and excellent finance minister, the Duke of Sully, opposed his opinion. Henri envisioned France's greatness extending across the Atlantic, where vast territories could provide timber, furs, precious metals, and exotic goods to enrich the kingdom's coffers and enhance its standing among European powers. He saw in these distant shores not merely commercial opportunity but the chance to create a "New France" that might embody his ideals more perfectly than the old world ever could.

Because establishing colonies would immediately consume enormous resources that Sully had worked so diligently to accumulate. Each expedition required ships, supplies, soldiers, and settlers—all requiring substantial investment with uncertain returns. Sully, ever the pragmatic administrator, insisted that France's recovery demanded fiscal discipline and concentration on domestic affairs. Colonial adventures, he argued, would drain the treasury faster than it could be replenished, potentially undoing years of careful financial management.

Moreover, after several attempts at establishing colonies, they were all either already under the control of the 'native emperor' or too close to England's sphere of influence.

His dream... seemed to be crushed that way.

But.

"...Do you see? You must understand what conclusion this leads to?"

"Th-th-that's impossible. You know, don't you? How many expeditions have gone to America over the past 100 years!"

"Yes! I know too! Until just 10 or 20 years ago, there wasn't even a trace of an 'empire'! But look! Now they're building a cathedral? Who, for what purpose, would construct such a building?"

"The English!"

"...What?"

When Henri was momentarily stunned by that answer, his Chief Minister, the Duke of Sully, responded.

"Don't you know? English people with the Emperor's permission can freely settle in the Emperor's territory. Perhaps, contrary to what's publicly known, tens of thousands of English have already settled there."

"..."

"Yes. That's much more convincing than an unidentifiable 'empire.' This intricately processed magnetite and currency of unknown material... let's set that aside. There must be another way to explain it."

The Duke of Sully speaks to his lord imploringly.

"Please... you must come to your senses. American ventures will devour resources like a hippopotamus. If we pour those resources into the kingdom, we can build up the artillery more, expand roads more, and extend Paris more!"

"...Then, what about the future of the kingdom and the new dynasty?"

"The future is here. Not across the Atlantic. My lord, please..."

"Well... that is certainly more realistic."

"Yes, my lord!"

"But realistic assumptions aren't always correct."

Henri IV grabs Duke of Sully Béthune's shoulder and whispers quietly as if coaxing him.

"My friend... I will check just a few more times. After that, if this 'empire' truly turns out to be an illusion created by the English, then I will stop."

"Then..."

"Not right now."

At those words, the Duke sighs, and the King raises his chin high and says.

"For now, it's time to verify these suspicious things. With so much physical evidence, how can I deny its existence outright?"

For now, there is overwhelming physical evidence before their eyes that the 'empire' must exist.

Conversely, there is also overwhelming circumstantial evidence that the 'empire' must be an illusion.

Yes...

Just one more time.

I need to find out about this mysterious empire just one more time.

"Think about it, Maxime. If... if we assume there really exists an empire of natives there."

"I am thinking about it."

"Good. Yes. Imagine their numbers are at least hundreds of thousands to millions, and they've just converted to Christianity!"

Snap!

Henri snaps his fingers and says.

"What would they need most?"

"First of all, educated missionaries."

"We can't send missionaries. I am nominally a Catholic monarch, and wasn't the Emperor converted by priests sent from England? Then he would be Protestant. Anything else?"

"Then, perhaps wine for communion..."

"Yes! That's it!"

A look of delight comes over Henri IV's face.

"We'll send wine across the sea! They may grow grapes, but do they know how to make proper wine? The English don't even know how to grow grapes properly or make wine. What if we send them properly made wine? If there really is a proper Christian empire and emperor?"

They couldn't possibly refuse.

At the excited words of the French King, Duke of Sully Maximilien de Béthune strokes his mustache and contemplates.

Yes. For some reason, demand for Bordeaux wine had decreased among the English upper class, causing concern.

In this situation, finding a new market for surplus wine would not be a bad choice.

The Duke of Sully carefully nods and responds.

"Very well... Let's contact the wine merchants for now. The next merchant ships heading to Virginia will carry wine."

"Good. Well chosen! Just wait and see!"

Henri IV lightly pounds his chest and bursts into hearty laughter.

"They will all become customers of our French wine. I look forward to seeing how much wine they will buy in the future...!"