"You're here, Locke." The second prince was very busy. He only greeted Laurist as he entered the hall. There was a thick stack of documents in front of him. He looked at one and thought for a while before writing something on it.
"Good afternoon, Your Majesty." Laurist bowed and glanced at the documents. He had good eyesight and could clearly see that the documents in the second prince's hands were personal and family information. He knew that these must be nobles who followed the four Grand Dukes in the central region. The second prince was deciding on how to deal with them.
The second prince did not seem to notice Laurist's greeting. His eyes were fixed on the documents in his hands. Laurist did not care. He straightened up and began to look curiously at the palace where the second prince lived in Hans City.
This was also one of the ten famous palaces of the former Crisen Empire, Mercury Palace. Cupid was a kind of spirit in Galinthia folklore. They were only the size of a thumb and would bring good luck and happiness to the humans they liked. Legend had it that there was a kind of black-haired spirit who liked to wear black petals. They were called Cupid and liked brave warriors. If a warrior was lucky enough to be favored by a Cupid, he would be blessed with courage and endurance, becoming invincible on the battlefield.
An ancestor of the Handa Family was an invincible warrior on the battlefield. He had been through hundreds of battles without a scratch. It was said that he was a warrior who received the blessing of Mojubi, and this ancestor of the Handa family did not disappoint the people's speculation and respect for him. In his old age, he used all the property he had seized in his life to have Mojubi Palace built.
There is a legend about this famous palace. The skilled craftsmen who built this palace carved a thousand different shapes of Cupids on the decorations of the palace, hidden in a variety of patterns and patterns. If someone could distinguish these thousand different Cupid figures, they would be blessed by Cupid just like the ancestor of the Handa Family.
Mercury Palace had always been the residence of the Grand Duke Handa Family, but now it was the residence of the second prince. Laurist looked up at the decorative lace around the ceiling of the palace, trying to count how many Cupid figures there were.
"What are you doing?" At some point, the second prince had come to Laurist's side. He was also looking up at the sky, as if curious about what Laurist was looking at.
"Mochupis …" What a waste of effort. He had already counted to fifty-three, but after being interrupted by the second prince, Leurist could not tell if the two Mochupis who were fighting each other with daggers and shields had already been counted or not. Forget it, let's not count anymore. There were probably more than sixty Mochupis in the decorations of this side palace. Counting them would take a lot of effort and eyes …
The second prince couldn't help laughing. "You also believe in that legend?"
Laurist shook his head. "No, Your Majesty, I was just counting out of curiosity. In fact, I think this legend is actually a trap."
"A trap?" The second prince did not expect Laurist's answer. "Why do you say that?"
"Your Majesty, I think that if a person has so much energy and perseverance to find these one thousand Mochupis, he might as well put this effort into his own cultivation. Over time, his fighting energy will advance, and he will naturally become an invincible warrior."
The second prince nodded. "What you said makes sense. In fact, there is such a thing recorded in the records of the Handa Family. About seventy years ago, a member of the Handa Family swore that he would find these one thousand Mochupis and receive Cupid's blessing. Unfortunately, he spent more than thirty years rummaging through every corner of the palace, and in the end, he could only find nine hundred and ninety-seven Mochupis statues. He could not find the other three no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he went crazy and searched the palace all day, muttering 'where is it, where is it,' until one night, he lost his footing and fell into the water … "
Laurist sighed. "What a tragic story."
"Yes, so from then on, the Handa Family no longer let anyone in the family search for these one thousand Mochupis." The second prince looked up at the Mochupis statues in the decorative patterns on the ceiling. "Just as you said, if he spent these thirty years on his fighting energy, then no matter how ordinary he was, he would at least be able to reach the Gold rank. It would be a good ending for him and his family."
Laurist smiled and did not say anything else. The second prince was behaving strangely. It was as if he had forgotten about Lollister's refusal to obey his order to attack the Handra Empire's defense line more than a month ago. He treated Lollister with his usual enthusiasm, forgetting that he wanted to tear Lollister apart and devour him alive at that time.
"Alright, enough nonsense. You are here for the reward, right? I have already written it for you. I really can't bear for you to leave and return to your family's territory. "The second prince turned back to the table and handed a piece of animal skin to Laurist.
This was the proof of tax exemption. Whether it was the lace or the king's seal, it showed that the second prince did not intend to fool Laurist and had long prepared for it. But when Laurist skimmed over the date on it, he could not help but be stunned. "Your Majesty, did you write the wrong year?"
It was supposed to be three years of tax exemption, but the three years on the proof had been changed to five years. Strange, did the sun rise from the west today? When did the second prince become so generous? Laurist was more willing to believe that the second prince had been too busy and made a typo.
The second prince waved his hand casually. "That's right, this is what you deserve. Locke, to be honest, it's all thanks to your help in the conquest of the four central duchies that we were able to achieve victory with so few casualties in such a short time. No one has made more contributions than you. Although we had an argument some time ago, it was because we had different views on the war. The facts have proven that you are right. As a king, I must be fair with my rewards and punishments. I cannot ignore your contributions just because you contradicted me. I believe that the reward you asked for is not enough to repay your contributions in this war, so I have decided to change your family's tax exemption from three years to five years. "
Laurist bowed. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
"You don't have to be so polite. I am just trying my best to be a fair king with clear rewards and punishments … "
"But Your Majesty, isn't your punishment of Duke Şahin a little unfair?" Laurist immediately took advantage of the situation.
"Uh …" The second prince was rebuffed by Laurist's question. Although he was a little embarrassed, he still maintained his gentlemanly manner and shook his head with a smile. "Duke Şahin must have complained to you. That must be the case. After all, the four northern families are of the same branch. It is only right for him to complain to you. But Locke, think about it. I have already given him two choices, and he rejected neither. Can you blame me for that? I have done what I said. Both Limad and Meishan are rich in mineral resources, and the profits are much greater than his current Count's territory. As long as he develops them for a decade or two, he will be able to reap a large financial profit. But he gave up, so there is nothing I can do … "
"Your Majesty, you know the current situation of Limad and Meishan. Duke Şahin will certainly not want such provinces as his family's territory. He is not good at managing and developing his territory. How can he stand waiting for a decade or two before he can reap the benefits? "
"Haha, but can you blame me for that?" The second prince laughed out loud. "Who was the one who turned Meishan and Limadh into a vast expanse of white land? Was it my order? Think about it, Duke Şahin wants Crimea, but how much has he done in this war? He has already been promoted to a duke of the kingdom, and he is still not satisfied? Even if I give him the province of Crimea, will he accept it with a clear conscience? "
Lollister shrugged, indicating that there was nothing he could do. The second prince was right. Duke Şahin did not perform well in this war. He was indeed a passerby. Although he followed Lollister's footsteps closely, he did not make any outstanding contributions on the battlefield. Lollister had nothing to say when the second prince used this excuse to make things difficult for him.
"Alright, Your Majesty, you are right. Duke Şahin should not have wishful thinking. Then I will take my leave. "Lollister felt that it was time for him to leave after finishing his business.
"Wait, Locke, I still have something to discuss with you." The second prince hurriedly urged him to stay.
"Hmm?" Lollister thought, The show is here. One who is unaccountably solicitous must be hiding evil intentions. Why would the second prince be so kind as to give him two more years of tax exemption? He must be lying in ambush here. I wonder what he is planning …
"What is it, Your Majesty? Do you have any other orders?" Lollister asked.
"Oh, Locke, it's like this. I heard that you have been hunting magical beasts in the demonic plains across the river for the past month?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Because you went on patrol, I did not want to stay in Hans City with nothing to do, so I brought the family's armed forces to the demonic plains for daily training so as not to disturb the citizens of Hans City. Also, I hunted some magical beasts to replenish the army's meat, "Lollister replied.
"Hehe, Locke, I do not blame you. I just wanted to ask if you still have the fur of the magical beasts you hunted? "The second prince asked.
"Of course." Lollister replied with some confusion. "Your Majesty, you want the fur of magical beasts? I just happened to get some of the more precious ones this time. I will ask someone to send them to you later. "
"I can pay."
"No need, just the fur of a dozen or so magical beasts. Consider it a gift from me to Your Majesty." Lollister said generously.
"No, Locke, I want all the fur of the magical beasts you hunted in the demonic plains. I can buy it from you," the second prince said.
"All the fur of the magical beasts?" Lollister was dumbfounded. Can you even afford it? Other than some of the more precious fur that was shipped back to the family's territory at the end of last year, the rest, along with the fur of the magical beasts that he led the family's armed forces to hunt in the demonic plains last month, were worth nearly a million gold fords. Then, Lollister came back to his senses. The second prince really did not lack money now. Other than the 1.5 million gold fords each from the three archdukes in the central region, there was also nearly a million gold fords seized from the former Duke Falkel's camp that were not taken away …
Hmm, there was also the contribution money that the nobles who followed the four archdukes voluntarily paid to atone for their crimes. The second prince was now a big spender! Lollister looked at the second prince passionately, as if the person standing in front of him was a statue made of gold.
But why did the Second Prince want so many magical beast furs? This was the only trace of clarity in Lollister's mind. Could it be that he also wanted to form an army or an army that could go out in the winter? Lollister immediately understood why the second prince wanted to buy the fur from him. Whatever, he had to do business first. It would be a waste not to take advantage of this opportunity. He would regret it if he missed it. Did he really think that winter training was so easy? Did he really think that every soldier could come and go freely in the snowstorm just by wearing winter clothes? Hmph, he thought too simply …
"Your Majesty, do you really want to buy all the fur of the magical beasts?" Lollister immediately became enthusiastic. At this moment, it was as if the second prince had become his best friend.
The second prince nodded reservedly.
"Alright, the fur of the magical beasts stored in the camp is estimated to be worth 1.4 million gold fords. I will give Your Majesty a discount. How about 1.2 million gold fords? In addition, I also have dozens of precious magical beasts' fur. I will give them to Your Majesty as well. "
Well, just now he said that he would give the second prince the fur of dozens of precious magical beasts, and now he was giving them all at once. As long as the second prince was willing to pay for all the fur, it would be fine.
"Wait, how much did you say? Worth 1.4 million gold fords? Do you have that many magical beasts' fur? " The second prince was a little dizzy. He did not expect Lollister to have so many magical beasts' fur. How many magical beasts did this guy kill in the Magical Plains?
The second prince was going to form a small army and call it the Blizzard Assault Army. They were trained to use skis so that they could carry out raids in the winter snow. He had learned this lesson when he crossed the Broken Cloud Mountains and the Great Snowy Mountains. More than 30,000 people went on an expedition, but in the end, only 8,000 were left with him to attack the capital of Fedelica on a snowy night. Therefore, he believed that the quality of the assault army was not the quantity, and that 10,000 people would be enough. He did not want to be like the Norton Family, where all the soldiers had to undergo winter training. That was purely a waste of gold.
The second prince knew that Lollister led the Flying Tiger Army to hunt magical beasts in the Magical Plains at the end of last year. However, he did not care much about it because he wanted to confuse the enemy and provide meat for the army. In the second prince's heart, he felt that it was foolish to use the family's army to hunt magical beasts. He did not understand that the Norton Family's army was originally a magical beast killer. At the end of last year, when Lollister rushed back to the family's territory, he brought away more than half of the more precious magical beast fur. What was left in the camp was basically the fur of the Demonic Plains' wild wolf, Curled Horn Antelope, and other magical beasts. The second prince had seen them before.
In his heart, the second prince thought that if he bought all of Lollister's magical beast fur, it would at most be worth 300,000 to 400,000 gold fords. It was enough to make winter clothing for the Blizzard Assault Army, and there might even be more. Therefore, when he opened his mouth to buy all of them, he did not expect to be shocked by Lollister.
"Of course, Your Majesty. I also hunted magical beasts in the Magical Plains last month, and they were all freshly killed. Rest assured, Your Majesty, the magical beast furs I brought are mostly intact. I will not pass off those broken and rotten skins as good ones. I can vouch for it in the name of the Norton Family. However, I did not expect Your Majesty to know how to do business now. You must be thinking of buying them from me at a low price, and then selling them at a high price when you return to the imperial capital. This way, Your Majesty will earn a lot … "Lollister was still talking non-stop.
"This, this …" The second prince was speechless. He had really forgotten, but the conversation was too full and he couldn't change it.
"Your Majesty, you are not joking with me, are you …" Lollister's face darkened.
"No, no. As a king, I will naturally keep my word. I will send someone to your camp to check the goods later … "The second prince agreed with a bitter expression.
"Alright, Your Majesty, I will take my leave first. I will wait for your people in the camp." Lollister swaggered off.
…
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