After sharing some interesting things and scandals among the nobles, Audrey stopped writing and put on a serious look as if she was thinking hard.
Relying on her excellent memory as a Spectator, she sorted out fragments of her father, Earl Of Hall's words and occasional teachings, as well as some of the news she heard at banquets, balls, and salons, and organized them into paragraphs.
After writing a draft in her mind, Audrey finally put pen to paper.
"As for the political situation in Baekeland that you asked about, it's not within the scope of my interest. I can only describe to you the details that I happened to know based on my impression.
"Just some time ago, my father told me that after the Grain Act was abolished, the price of food plummeted, and the rent standard for fields and pastures also dropped like a cliff. I'm not sure about the specific extent, but I can give you an example to let you understand.
"As you know, the Duke Of Negan is the noble with the most land outside of the royal family. It is said that he has more than 12 million pounds worth of fields, pastures, and forests. Last year, his land rent income reached the highest level in history, 1.3 million pounds. This year, it is foreseeable that the total land rent income will be 850,000 pounds, which is a reduction of 450,000 pounds. This is more than all the assets that I can share.
"There is no need for me to explain further. My dear brother, you must understand the characteristics of most of the old-school nobles. They are proud of owning land, and their main source of income is land rent. Dignity is more important than anything else. Even if they are in debt, they have to maintain a lifestyle that matches their status. Every year, they have to pay tens of thousands of pounds for castle repairs, thousands of pounds for clothing and jewelry, as well as persistent hunting activities, social banquets, occasional grand weddings, extravagant funerals, and so on.
"Due to the severe decline in the income from land rent, as far as I know, some of the nobles are facing financial difficulties. For this reason, Count Wolfe sold 840,000 acres of land in the countryside for 290,000 gold pounds, while Viscount Conrad sold his collection worth 55000 gold pounds to the National Gallery."
"Apart from a small number of ambitious nobles who have long shifted their focus to industries such as steel, coal, railways, banks, rubber, and other industries, everyone else has suffered serious damage from the Grain Act. Let us praise our dear Earl Of Hall here!
"My father told me that the lack of financial resources will cause the nobles to lose control over party politics and the seats in the House of Commons. It's not hard to imagine that the number of members of parliament born into the landed nobility will be greatly reduced next year."
"In order to raise funds, the Conservative Party and the New Party have promised that no matter who it is, as long as they have no criminal record and donate enough money, they will seek a title for the other party. Of course, the premise is that the person has the minimum land area to match the title."
"One example is the wealthy Mr. Syndras who bought the minimum land required for a baron's title, which is 600,000 hectares. He then donated 100,000 pounds to the Carlton Club, 400,000 pounds to the Conservative Party, and 300,000 pounds to charity activities. In the end, he successfully received His Majesty's edict and became an honorable baron. In this regard, I heard that there's a price list. A baron is 300,000 pounds, and a hereditary baron is 700,000 to 1,000,000 pounds. There's no clear answer for viscounts and earls, but I think it's definitely exaggerated enough."
…
"In this year, many nobles who had financial problems began to seriously consider the possibility of socializing with wealthy merchants. In just two months, there were three such marriages. The dowry of the bride was very coveted."
"In addition, the workers who protested the Grain Act did indeed receive a reduction in the price of food, but their quality of life didn't improve. In fact, it was even worse. This was because the bankrupt farmers entered the cities and used low wages to snatch jobs. Hence, the wages of the working class plummeted rapidly."
"I remember that day, after talking about these matters, my father once asked me who I think the winner of the Grain Act incident was."
"My dear Alfred, you definitely know the answer. You will definitely be able to obtain a hereditary title through your own hard work."
…
After receiving Audrey's reply, Xio Derecha and Fors Wall were riding a carriage back to the Baekeland Bridge area.
Xio, with her disheveled blonde hair, looked out the window. Her eyes were so bright that it seemed like two flames were burning.
She kept muttering the words "450 pounds" to herself as though she was chanting an incantation. Every time she repeated it, she gained more courage and strength.
"Darkholme hasn't come to us today. Let's go to his place directly!" Suddenly, Xio turned to look at Fors.
Darkholme was the leader of a gang in the East Borough of Baekeland. He controlled many beggars and thieves.
Although he always looked kind and had a friendly smile on his round face, Xio knew that he was a cruel and vicious scoundrel. He had once broken the hand of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old thief just because the thief hid his loot.
If it wasn't necessary, Xio wouldn't even wish to see Darkholme. However, he was one of the people who understood the vagrants in the city the best.
Fors tucked her slightly curly brown hair behind her ear.
"As long as it doesn't delay my lunch."
"No problem! Perhaps after this week, I'll treat you to an Intis feast! "Xio promised, feeling good about herself.
"Should I thank God for that?" Fors asked in amusement.
She was different from Xio. She was a shallow believer of the God of Steam and Machinery.
As they conversed, the two ladies switched to another public carriage and arrived at the East Borough of Baekeland to find Darkholme's house.
It was a townhouse located in a narrow alley. Green plants grew on the walls, and the environment outside was rather messy.
Xio walked to the door, raised her right hand, and knocked on the door in a unique rhythm.
With a creak, the door, which wasn't closed, swung open with her knock.
Xio's slightly dazed expression instantly turned solemn, like an angry lion.
She took out the trident she carried with her, carefully pushed open the door, and slowly walked in.
Fors also changed her nonchalant attitude and took out a dagger from somewhere.
They didn't smell anything strange, but their rich experience made them acutely aware that something was amiss.
One step, two steps, three steps. Xio and Fors entered Darkholme's house.
Then, they saw the pale, severed arm hanging from the gas lamp. They saw the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys on the coffee table. They saw strips of flesh splattered on the floor and hanging on the coat rack!
The white bones had been shaved clean and were messily piled up in front of the door.
And amidst the white bones, there was a head with empty eyes. It was none other than Darkholme.
His round face maintained a friendly smile as though everything was normal. The interior of the house wasn't filled with the smell of blood at all.
As a former clinic doctor, later a best-selling author, and a Sequence 9 Beyonder, Fors had seen death scenes more disgusting than this. As she patted Xio, who was tense and on the verge of vomiting, she looked around and said in a deep voice,
"Zillinges? Rear Admiral Hurricane Zillinges? "
"He discovered that Darkholme was investigating the missing tramp, so he followed him in reverse and came straight to the door?"
"Or could it be that Darkholme discovered his whereabouts but was discovered by him?"
Xio held back her nauseous palpitations and nodded with a solemn expression.
"As expected of a pirate admiral known for his ruthlessness and cunning … And the strangeness of this place matches the performance of his mystical item."
"Cunning …" Fors was suddenly alarmed as she blurted out, "Could he be waiting nearby in an attempt to ambush the mastermind behind the investigation?"
Xio was taken aback for a moment before she replied in a flustered manner.
"It's very possible!"
That was a Sequence 6 Wind-blessed, a great pirate who wielded a mystical item. As for the two of them, they were only Sequence 9!
This was a very simple and easy comparison!
…
In the house opposite Darkholme's house, a man in his thirties with a unique wide chin and dark green eyes stood by the window. He coldly watched Xio and Fors push open the door and slowly enter.
He was none other than Rear Admiral Hurricane Zillinges!
The black glove on his left hand suddenly squirmed as though it had a life of its own. A layer of dark golden scales appeared on its surface.
Zillinges revealed a cruel and joyful expression as his dark green eyes turned pale gold and merciless vertical pupils.
…
With a thought, Fors hurriedly pulled Xio to the other side, avoiding the area directly facing the door.
Right on the heels of that, she gritted her white teeth and took off a bracelet that was concealed by her sleeves.
The silver bracelet had three dark green coarse stones on it. The surface of the stones were filled with burn marks and were uneven.
Fors plucked off a stone and shouted in ancient Hermes, "I'm going to kill you.
"Door!"
She grabbed Xio Derecha tightly as she watched the stone emit an illusory light blue glow.
The figures of the two ladies turned blurry, almost incorporeal.
They saw indescribable bodies, even objects that were so transparent that they didn't seem to exist. They saw streaks of different colors that contained limitless knowledge. They had entered the mysterious spirit world.
In the strange World that was higher than reality, Fors pulled Xio in a particular direction.
Three seconds later, they left the transparent and illusory state and returned to reality, back in Baekeland.
However, they were no longer in Darkholme's house, but in an uninhabited cemetery.
…
Zillinges, who was wearing a fine-scaled glove, silently appeared at Darkholme's door and swept his cold gaze inside.
He was taken aback as he frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "Traveler?"
"Traveler?"
In the cemetery.
In the cemetery.
"What do we do next?" Fors panted with a pained and fearful expression.
The bracelet was a mystical item she had obtained from the fortuitous encounter where she obtained the Apprentice formula and ingredients. Apart from making her hear strange, indistinct ravings every full moon, there weren't any other dangers.
The bracelet originally had five stones that allowed her to traverse through the spirit world, allowing her to do something similar to teleportation. But now, there were only two left.
Xio composed herself and nodded solemnly.
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