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"I'm sorry, Mister Lucian, but we don't provide lodging here. If you need it, you can pay 30 silvers to visit the Pink Fairies in Jean Town. I'm sure Madam Sala would be more than happy to entertain you," Veronica mocked. Veronica said sarcastically. The young Lucien's face turned red, and the knights laughed together. Veronica's meaning was clear. Men were not welcome to stay in the wizard tower.
Of course, that didn't include a certain someone. When they reached the staircase connecting the sixth floor to the seventh floor, a large iron gate blocked their way. Veronica tapped her heels on the ground and turned around. "Thank you for your visit, ladies and gentlemen. Today's tour will end here. The seventh and eighth floors are my private quarters, so please return to your rooms."
The knights knew that private quarters weren't suitable for sightseeing, so they dispersed. Laing was about to leave when Veronica grabbed his arm.
"My dear, it's them. Come with me."
"Wait!" Seeing that the knights had really dispersed, Theresa hurriedly said, "I want to go too."
Veronica furrowed her brow. Garlan seemed to have thought of something and agreed with a smile. "Alright, Trovic, come with us."
Theresa hurriedly followed behind. Veronica opened the iron gate, and a fiery red carpet covered her path. In the luxurious private area, the entrance, windows, and colonnades were all arched in a semicircular arch. The floor depicted an ellipse in the shape of the earth, with animal and plant patterns on it. The dome symbolized the stars in the sky that moved in the same direction as the sun, and the chandeliers were made of golden brass plates.
"Her Highness Morgiana also wanted to visit your wizard tower, but after much consideration, I told her not to come." Ryan walked up the stairs with his hands clasped behind his back. He smiled at Veronica. "I can't imagine how Morgiana would react if she saw your renovation."
"What else could she do? If I had nothing to do with you, her first reaction would be to tie me to a stake and burn me. Oh, right, I'm not afraid of fire. " Veronica smiled. "My dear, you did the right thing. Remember to protect me in the future!"
Laing smiled bitterly. Seeing that Teresa still didn't understand the situation, Laing began to explain.
Morgiana was the spokesperson of the Lake Fairy in the mortal world and the first Chosen One. She had great power in this country. As a religious leader, she had a lot of power. She also quite excluded the mages in the kingdom, especially the male court wizards hired by the Dukes. Many of the court wizards often locked themselves in the attic of their rooms to drink and complain about the Lake Fairy Witches.
Now, there were 20 Holy Grail Knights and a dozen Lake Fairy Prophets stationed in Laing's territory. If Morgiana came to visit Veronica's wizard tower, there would be at least a few prophets and at least eight Holy Grail Knights to protect her. These people were not only powerful, but also followed Morgiana's orders. Laing was worried that the Lake Fairy Witches would suddenly act up. Who knew if there were any violations in the thousands of pages of laws?
"But I think you have the ability to calm Her Highness Morgiana down, my dear. You always have a lot of ways to deal with women." Veronica said with a half-smile.
Teresa was still a little confused, but Laing and Veronica didn't continue the topic. On the contrary, they arrived at their destination.
Veronica's private space consisted of her own private magic workshop, bedroom, living room, dining room, study, and bathroom. When Garland opened the door of her bedroom, Laing and Teresa both felt their eyes light up.
Veronica's bedroom was not big. Brown wallpaper, tapestries, and landscape paintings decorated the bedroom of about 20 square meters. The room was filled with warm colors. Several cabinets and furniture made of cherry wood were placed on the side near the door. There was an exquisite dressing table, a beautiful floor lamp, and a dwarf-made fireplace. Everything was there.
Opening the glass window, one could see the beautiful scenery of the countryside. On the left was Laing's horse farm and farmland. On the right was the clear water of the Shinon River and the majestic Oracle Mountain Range. On the windowsill, one could see the Earl's castle in the distance. Behind the wooded hills was the mountain road to Helenhilde, the capital of the Winford Duchy. The direction to the Fairy Tower in the lake was filled with thick fog.
"It's so beautiful." Laing sighed. At the same time, he looked at the bed in Veronica's bedroom and suddenly smiled. "I like this bed. I've always liked it."
"I like it too." Veronica looked at Laing coquettishly. This was the bed she brought all the way from Skyvault Castle to Laing's domain. It was large and soft, reinforced with high-quality redwing wood. Many of her beautiful memories were stored in it. Garland clapped her hands. "Alright, you've seen all the places you wanted to see. You can go back now. Leave the time for me and Laing. Also! Don't touch my bed! "
Teresa was about to touch the sheets when she heard Veronica's words. However, she knew it was best not to argue with her in front of Laing. She pulled a bench over and sat down. "What a luxurious wizard tower. I don't think you'll have to leave this place in the future."
"This has nothing to do with you. I don't need you to tell me what to do. By the way, when do you plan to return to the council? Don't let your mother wait too long! " Garland sat on Laing's lap and purposely kissed him on the lips. "Don't disturb me and Laing, okay? I beg of you. "
"You!!!" Theresa was so provoked that she was about to lose her temper again.
"All right, all right, ladies." Leon finally spoke. He tightened his grip on Veronica and gently let her go. He stood up and stood in front of the window. Calmly, he said, "I have something to discuss with you."
Hearing Ryan's words, the two witches knew that Ryan had something important to discuss with them. Veronica kicked off her black high heels, revealing a pair of long and slender legs that exuded a moving charm. She sat lazily on the bed and said, "Say, dear, you must have encountered a problem right now, right?"
"What's wrong, Laing?" Theresa turned her head. Her black glasses with butterfly patterns moved as she looked at Ryan who was standing by the window.
"I have a few plans. First, I plan to reduce taxes in my fief. The serfs' lives are too hard." Laing looked out the window. "I need to reduce taxes to make them more motivated."
All she could see was farmland and prosperity. The serfs were working hard in the fields. It was the height of summer and the waves of wheat were swaying.
"This means you're going to challenge the current 'nine out of ten tax system', dear," Veronica said. Veronica immediately realized something. She frowned. "Dear, what are you going to do? If you're going to mess with taxes, you'll have to go to war with most of the nobles in the kingdom. Your fief will also become unstable. "
"Laing, you have to be careful about taxes." Teresa added, "Even if you're the champion of the Lady of the Lake, the nobles will object."
"That's why you have to be careful." Ryan frowned. He thought for a while and told Veronica and Theresa his idea. "How about this? Those who have cultivated farmland in the forest, those who have worked hard for more than five years and paid their taxes on time, and those whose families have been promoted to serfs, will have the right to reduce their taxes. Their taxes will be reduced from tithes to tithes. What do you think?"
The new Earl knew that if he wanted to change the tax system that had been in place since the founding of the Brittany Kingdom, he would have to shake the foundation of his rule. He could not discuss this matter with his knights, stewards, or tax officials because they would all object to it. The only people he could discuss this with were Veronica and Teresa.
"No!" Veronica was the first to complain. "Laing, you can't change the seventeenth tax. If you don't want to face the condemnation and hostility of the whole kingdom, then don't change the tax. If you want to die, then come to bed and leave me a child. Then you can find a tree to hang yourself from."
"That's right! Laing, don't change the tax. Think about it, most serfs in the whole kingdom have to pay ninety percent of the taxes. Duke François's seventeenth tax has already caused him a lot of criticism and pressure. François is a descendant of Arthur and a Knight of the Holy Grail. If it's you, you won't be able to do it, Laing. "Teresa also said softly," You can't do it. "
Laing turned away from the window. The Earl really felt the pressure from the whole society and the whole class.
Veronica and Teresa were not nobles, and their starting point was for the good of Laing. Even so, they still rejected Laing's idea.
It was conceivable that if Laing called a meeting with his knights, he would encounter fierce opposition.
"Laing, remember, don't think that it's easy to change the tax system. You will make countless enemies in the kingdom. If the kingdom reduces the taxes from seventy percent to sixty percent, how many knights will lose their positions and salaries? How many knights will go bankrupt because of this?" Veronica added seriously. "You will become the enemy of all the knights in the kingdom!"
Laing nodded slowly and sighed. He sat beside Veronica and said softly, "Let me think about it … Maybe we can change the method, which is to change the seventeenth tax to a fixed tax. Let's collect it according to the standard of the farmland. We can invite the Church of the Goddess of Mercy and the Church of the God of Justice to be the judge and set a general standard. If the serfs can pay the corresponding tax according to this standard, then the rest will be theirs. If the serfs can't do it, then we will collect the taxes according to the seventeenth tax. What do you think?"
"You mean to say that the more work, the more income?" Veronica motioned to Laing to hug her.
Laing hugged Garland's soft body in his arms. He reached out and touched Veronica's legs, enjoying the smoothness of her skin. Veronica allowed him to do whatever he wanted. Garland's eyes were full of attachment. She thought for a while and nodded. "If that's the case, then the opposition you will face will be much smaller. On the surface, the knights' interests will not be affected. Plus, you are enjoying the glory of killing the Blood Red Duke and the new Earl. You have the ability to accomplish this, but … dear, you don't really sympathize with the serfs, do you?"
"Haha … Of course not." Laing thought to himself. He came to this world to fight against the Chaos, not to do charity and land reform. It was necessary to raise the serfs' standard of living and liberate their productivity. However, as he said before, the most important people to fight against the Chaos were the knights and nobles. These serfs with weak beliefs would be trained to lead the way for the Chaos and the undead.
Some theories were not universal. There were gods and Chaos in this world. If one did not control them well, they would all be used as reserves for the Chaos. This world was idealistic, not materialistic.
Laing's main goal was to let the serfs fulfill their value.
"Also, I plan to give an order to all the bandits and bandits in my territory to come and join me within a month. Depending on the situation, I will let bygones be bygones or reduce their crimes. If they don't come when the time is up, then … hehe." Laing laughed evilly.
"That's a good idea. Bandits and bandits are good people. Laing, your reputation in the kingdom is at its peak. The bandits won't have the guts to fight against you." Veronica and Teresa both agreed.
"Lastly, I plan to give all the infantrymen half of the miscellaneous taxes. After two years of service, they will be exempted from furnace tax, mill tax, and firewood tax. Sergeants and rangers will also be exempted from hunting tax and marriage tax," Laing added. He wanted to encourage the serfs to join the army.
Knights were not the only thing in war. Infantrymen were also indispensable.
The miscellaneous taxes were not a big deal. Laing had the final say. The two witches did not have any more opinions.
"Then let's do it!"
…
Old World, Southern Kingdom, Tyrell, Milagliano.
The Emperor, Kirriman, Fogen, and Cohl were swaggering through the streets of Milagliano. Many people on the street looked at them in surprise, but that was all. They thought that they were bishops or guards of some church, or perhaps visitors from the High Elves.
Milagliano, the capital of the Kingdom of Tyrell, was famous in the Old World for its architecture, fashion, art, painting, opera, and tourism. Countless artists and singers had taken root in this place. Merchants, wizards, and mercenaries formed the main rulers of the Kingdom of Tyrell. They kept each other in check and together they created the current prosperity of Tyrell.
The huge flow of people, art galleries, and museums made this metropolis, which had been famous for more than 1,500 years, maintain its former prosperity even after the High Elves left.
But at the same time, as the kingdom of Tyrell was made up of countless city-states, corruption was rampant in the free trade environment. The thousands of churches within the city worshipped hundreds of strange gods, many of which were unheard of. The Four Chaos Gods could be openly worshipped here with a simple disguise. Elves, dwarves, and even mutated demi-humans could move freely on the streets without anyone managing them. Murder and theft happened every second on the streets. There were even people who openly sold cult books and accessories on the streets without anyone bothering them.
Because of that, the Imperial Emperor and the others were moving freely on the streets. The King of Humans' long black hair danced in the summer wind, while Kiriman and Fulgen stood on opposite sides. "Father, this city may be prosperous, but it's too chaotic," the original Ultimate Warrior Kiriman complained.
The Emperor did not answer Kirriman's question. Instead, he stopped.
"Look over there, Kirriman, Fogen. Tell me, what do you see?"
Kirriman and Fogen looked up and saw a boar sitting on the throne. It wore a crown on its head and made a rumbling sound as it advanced under the protection of a large number of elite mercenaries.
"A boar wearing a crown?" Fogen asked curiously. "Is it worshiping some false god?"
"No, that is Prince Tyrell, who was elected by the city-states," the Emperor said calmly. "He has been on the throne for nine years."
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