Byron's proposal made everyone a little confused, especially Heti. She directly asked, "Buying slaves at 30% of the market price? And in the form of a mercenary commission? How could anyone be willing to accept such a thing? Not to mention the abnormally low price, the mercenaries' remuneration would have to be taken out of this 30% … This is a loss for those mercenaries. "
Facing this question, Byron just lightly said, "So we have to add an additional condition: no slavery and no contract."
Heti and Rebecca looked at each other, and Amber had already understood. The half-elf thief wanted to say something, but she did not expect that Gwen would speak before she did, "In this case, the mercenaries will kidnap refugees and sell them as slaves."
Amber looked at Gwen with some surprise, as if she did not expect the Duke to know this kind of thing. Byron and Knight nodded in surprise, "A strong serf or slave worker with a complete slave contract usually costs 20 to 30 small silver coins, or 16 to 17 silver shield coins. The biggest cost is actually their slavery. Because they have an identity, they must be bought through official channels. In addition to the money to buy the slaves, the slave owners, the tax officers of the lord, the local churches, the slave market, and even the 'slave worker association' formed by the local ruffians and scoundrels will also take a cut. That's several times or even a dozen times the price. But refugees … refugees don't need any cost. No one will protect them, and they don't have any identity information. Their disappearance or death will not attract any attention."
Byron paused for a moment, as if to give Heti and Rebecca some time to think. He then continued, "Under normal circumstances, nobles will not buy slaves without a slave contract, because such slaves have no guarantee of birth, and they will appear to be stingy, poor, and have low taste. Once these slaves are killed or captured by other slave owners, there will be no compensation. But even so, there will still be people who will send out commissions to buy cheap slaves. This is a kind of tacit black rule, actually referring to … refugees. "
Heti clutched her chest. Although she was already a model noble who was very close to the commoners, she had never come into contact with such a dark truth. "There's such a thing?"
"Not only there is, but there are refugees everywhere, madam," Byron and Knight said in a low voice. "In some unscrupulous mercenary circles, these refugees are called 'long-legged money'. They even secretly circulate the refugees' gathering places and shelters as paid information, like sharks and hyenas, watching the refugees, waiting for someone to buy cheap slaves — usually in bulk — and they will swarm them."
Rebecca subconsciously tightened her grip on her staff, her knuckles turning white from the force. "Mercenaries …" she murmured as if she was talking to herself, "I listened to their stories in the tavern. I listened to them exterminating bandits, killing monsters, exploring ancient castles and mysterious realms. I thought that was the life of a mercenary, but …"
"Viscount, when you are in the tavern, the mercenaries in the tavern are not mercenaries," Byron and Knight looked deeply at Rebecca. "Not all mercenaries will do what I just said. What you said is indeed the life of some mercenaries, but there is one thing — mercenaries are destined to have dirty hands. It's just a matter of how much evil they do."
Then the middle-aged Knight looked up at Gwen. "My lord, what do you think? About the commission … "
Gwen looked at the Knight with a half-smile. The Knight had revealed the darkest truth in front of everyone. In fact, the subtext was very obvious. But he did not want to expose the Knight who seemed to have a past. "I don't intend to save money."
Heti and Rebecca were obviously relieved.
"We are not short of money. The gold and silver in the treasury is enough for the whole territory to spend for a long time. But if we save money by encouraging evil, the debt on our souls will not be so easy to redeem." Gwen said slowly. "Follow the normal procedure. Go to the neighboring territories and post notices and send people to read them out. Negotiate with the nobles you can get in touch with, rent carriages and prepare dry food. If you want to buy serfs, buy them through the normal channels. Don't be stingy with money. I only have one request: make sure that everyone who is about to come to this land understands one thing: no matter what they have done before, they must obey the law here."
Byron put his hand on his chest and bowed his head. "This is their duty."
Gawain nodded. "You're good at dealing with people in this field, so I'll leave this matter to you. You can go to Heidi for as much money as you need, but you must have a clear account and a plan for the territory. In addition, if you have the channels, it is best to inquire about the gathering point of the refugees. "
As the construction work was on track, there was a little surplus in terms of manpower, and the minting of coins in the territory had begun on a small scale. Gawain had designed and ordered the minting of the first few coins a few days ago, and these coins were sent to the nearby Tanzania Town and a few other towns that were further away. After the merchants and nobles notarized the coins, they could now be used.
After Byron and the others left, only Gwen and Amber were left in the tent. The latter kept looking at Gwen with a strange look, which made Gwen feel uncomfortable. "What are you looking at?"
"Letting those mercenaries who only care about money catch the refugees and send them over is obviously much more convenient than sending your own people to spread the word and search for them. Not to mention that you also have to prepare carriages, horses, and rations. I thought you would definitely choose a more practical plan. Don't you always say that you are a pragmatist?"
"I am indeed a pragmatist, but I am not a villain. I can imagine what kind of methods those mercenaries will use to catch the refugees as slaves. How many people will be killed in the process? How many people will be separated from their families? How many people will die of hunger and disease in the rough process of the mercenaries' 'transportation'? Even if I deliberately emphasized that the health of the 'slaves' must be guaranteed, how many mercenaries do you think will really listen to me? And these things may not be done by me, but I am the one who instigated it. This is against my principles. "
"But you know, even if you don't do it, someone else will. The stingy farmers and black mines will buy slaves from the mercenaries every year. The number of slaves they buy is enough to fill this small camp of yours several times over."
"So I am ready to destroy this status quo and build a new order. Not only do I have to follow these principles, but every land I build must follow these principles. Whether they are slave owners, mercenaries, ruffians, robbers, profiteers, or some hereditary aristocrats, they all have to follow these principles. I don't do evil, and they won't allow it. "
Amber opened her mouth and looked at Gwen in astonishment. After a while, she said, "You talk big … But why are you so obsessed with protecting the weak? Is it really because of those so-called 'classical aristocratic virtues' or 'Knight's spirit'? "
"No, it's just basic morality."
Amber seemed to be deliberately trying to find fault with him. "You are so naive. How can you change so much by yourself? You know, in this world, the law of the jungle is the rule. It is morality for the strong to rule over the weak. "
Gwen looked at Amber and suddenly couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, the law of the jungle is indeed the rule of this world, or even the rule of nature. The strong should make the rules, and the weak can only obey."
Amber blinked. "Then you …"
Gwen's smile was even more uncontrollable. "So I have already started to make the rules, haven't I?"
Amber: "… You can do that!?"
At the same time, on the White Oak, which had already left Cecil's territory and was sailing on the Whitewater River, Veronica was staying in her prayer room.
She was still wearing a plain white nun's robe. Her light blonde hair was draped behind her head, without any luxurious accessories. She knelt in front of the statue of the God of Holy Light, her hands crossed in front of her chest, imitating the image of two intersecting rays of holy light on the holy emblem. Abundant light elements were flying around her, like translucent little angels surrounding her, protecting this devout believer of the Holy Light.
She prayed devoutly, letting the light gradually shroud the statue of the God of Holy Light, whose face could not be seen with the naked eye. After a verse of the prayer, she opened her eyes and looked at the burning thick candle in front of the statue.
The flame of the thick candle jumped a few times and suddenly turned from orange to pure white. The flame also expanded several times and became a pure flame. The flame shook and shrank, gradually forming the image of an old man.
The old man was sitting on a chair. Although he looked quite majestic, he was obviously old and weak. If any believer of the God of Holy Light was here, they would recognize him at first glance. He was the current supreme ruler of the Church of Holy Light, Pope Ivan III.
Veronica bowed her head slightly. "Your Holiness."
The pope's slightly distorted voice came from the flame. "Child of the Holy Light, have you returned?"
"Yes, I have left Cecil's territory. Now the fleet should be close to the mouth of the Dorgon River."
"Did everything go well on this trip? Is Gwen Cecil an enemy of my Lord? "
Veronica pondered for two seconds and replied softly, "Everything went well. Gwen Cecil is indeed the legend from seven hundred years ago, not an evil soul who stole the body of a hero and lived in the world. He spoke calmly under the illumination of the Holy Light, and he is a man of noble character."
"Then, that's good. In recent years, I have often heard the voice of the Lord. He wants me to teach the righteousness of the Holy Light to the world, and Gwen Cecil's recovery at this time is really a matter of concern. But now that you have confirmed that he is not an enemy of the Lord, I am much more relieved. "
Veronica folded her hands and bowed her head deeply. "The righteousness of my Lord will certainly spread throughout the world."
The candle was gradually burning out, and the power of the divine spell was coming to an end. The voice from the flame became weak. "Come back as soon as possible. Don't delay on the way, in case the dirty world affects your pure Holy Light. Return to the Cathedral of Holy Light …"
The flame disappeared, the candle was only left with some pale ashes, and the breath of the pope was far away from this place.
Veronica waited for a few more seconds, then slowly stood up and quietly looked at the statue of the God of Holy Light.
She spoke softly, as if she was talking to herself.
"He is actually a person without faith, right?"
"Yes, not only does he have no faith, but he also contradicts the way of the Holy Light."
"He seems to be contradicting the God, not the Holy Light …"
"In short, he is neither a servant of the Holy Light nor a pawn of the Darkness."
"Interesting …"
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