Old World, Brittany, Earl of Glamorgan.
In the prosperous town, Laing was walking with his wife, Suria, and his steward, Katzenberg, on the streets of Jean Town.
"My Earl, your territory now has a population of nearly 90,000. For the convenience of the village and the city, I have suspended the unlimited population. With the end of the war, the number of escaped slaves and serfs from the north has greatly decreased. After Duke Lauen became the regent of the kingdom, he decided to reduce the tax rate and encourage the serfs to return to their territories to farm. Fewer and fewer serfs from the north have come." Katzenberg explained to Laing.
"Duke Lauen's ability to govern is actually very good. It's not surprising that he can do this. In fact, Duke Lauen was the first to agree to the Lady's order to select three serfs to be promoted to knights every year." Laing was wearing an earl's suit. He held Suria's little hand and the couple walked on the paved street.
Since the dwarves came to this town, the construction of the town had become the dwarves' work. The dwarves' construction skills were always guaranteed to be beautiful and practical. For the dwarves, as long as they had the blueprints, there was nothing they couldn't build.
The beautiful Suria was wearing a white lace blouse and a black pleated skirt. She was wearing a Brittany palace light brown incense mink coat and a pair of black suede high-heeled boots. The female knight's golden hair was straight to her waist. After hearing Laing's words, Suria complained, "Laing, you have a lot of things in your territory. In addition to the barracks, stables, pastures, and farms that all lords have, you also have a wood elven observatory, a dwarven tavern and settlement, a dwarven blacksmith workshop and weapons, a huge livestock farm, the Lady's tower, and Veronica's wizard tower …"
"They're all landmarks, hehehe." Laing just smiled and continued, "In addition, there's also Alfred Frey's Justice Chapel and Teresa's Wizard Tower under construction."
"My Earl, Countess, in addition to these, there is also a new building that is being prepared for construction. I plan to expand the market. The current market can no longer meet the current demand for trade. We need to build more stalls and shops." Kasenberg was still bald and wore a pair of round sunglasses. His hands were behind his back as he followed Laing. "Apart from that, there's also a new windmill and a granary to be built. We estimate that it'll cost another 500 crowns."
"How many crowns do I have in my vault?" Leon asked in a low voice.
"A lot … Your Grace, even if we deduct the budget for the expansion of the town, we still have 55 thousand crowns in the treasury." Kasenberg seemed rather confident when he said that. "Don't worry, Your Grace. We collected five thousand crowns in taxes last year. That's more than enough."
"That doesn't mean we can't spend it recklessly. By the way, I'm planning to expand the count's castle. Go look for your dwarven friends and let them handle this project. I'm sure they'll be able to coordinate the hiring and work arrangements," Laing continued.
"Understood." Carson nodded in agreement.
"Kasenberg, don't force yourself. If you can't handle all these things alone, just say so. We'll send more people to help you." Suria's smile was like a blooming flower. "Ever since Laing came here, you've been a great help to him. We need your strength. Taking good care of yourself is the best way to repay us."
"Thank you for your concern, Madam Suria! But I'll be fine. " Her words filled Kasenberg's chest with warmth. He hurriedly lowered his head and expressed his gratitude. "I'll do my best to carry out Your Grace's orders. It's my duty and responsibility."
Kasenberg was very satisfied with the marriage between Laing and Suria. He had graduated from the Vanford Academy and carried the mark of the Vanford Duchy on him. To him, the marriage between his mistress and Laing was what everyone wanted. He was sincerely happy for his mistress' happiness.
Laing nodded silently. Suria had won the hearts of people with just a few words, while he relied more on his identity as the champion of the Chosen of Gods and his powerful heroic aura to intimidate his subordinates. Although the methods were different, the effect was good. Now, as long as the couple played their roles well, it shouldn't be a big problem to ensure the loyalty of their subordinates. This was Brittany, not the Empire. It was rare to hear of maintenance fees and supplies disappearing for no reason.
The couple continued to walk along the snowy road. In the distance, the four-story wooden building of the Olivier Merchant Guild appeared in Laing's sight. At the end of January, there were fewer people in the guild. This was because neither the wood elves nor the humans liked to come out to do business. Even the dwarves liked to stay behind the thick stone walls and enjoy the fire and ale.
The cold wind was so cold that the guard at the door was choking. Two streams of water flowed down his nostrils. The guard thought that no one would come in such weather, so he secretly found a place to sit down. He put his halberd aside, yawned, and cursed the damned weather. "It's so cold. When will spring arrive?"
Ever since the Empire's merchant Olivier rose to prominence in Brittany through his relationship with Laing, he gradually became another rich merchant. With the exclusive rights to the wood elves' goods and half of the Veronica Wizard Tower's supply channels, Olivier earned a lot of profits. Duke Schultz of Marlinburg also gave Olivier the green light on many issues.
Then, as Laing and Emperor Karl-franz signed a trade agreement and a defense alliance with Kurfürst Boris Todbringer, many high-end luxury goods from Ricks and animal hides, wood, and livestock from Midden could be found here.
Olivier's status and identity also rose because of this. The great merchant had recently done a great thing. He tried his best to help the Duchy of Karkazon and the Duchy of Bereon to pay a "fixed war tax" to the king. During a storm at sea, the cunning Olivier even kept the money for two months and took the opportunity to place a lot of big orders with Marlinburg. After a successful turnover, he would send the money to Kurfürst.
The guard at the door waited for a while. Just as he was about to go in and warm himself up by the fire, he saw a few people coming towards the Merchant Guild.
As a guard, he was naturally a person with great foresight. When he took a closer look, he was so scared that he quickly ran into the house. "F * ck, Mr. F * ck! The count is here! "
The former personal guard of Olivier, who had now been promoted to captain of the guards, was sitting in the hall on the first floor drinking fish soup with a few other guards. Hearing the call of the guard, Focker asked lazily, "Who's here?"
Now that Olivier's status was different, Focker, who had followed him for a long time, also felt that he was a big shot in Brittany. In the past few years, his temper had become a lot worse.
"The count! It's His Excellency Count Macado! "The guard quickly said.
"Quick, quick, quick, quick!" Focker almost lost his grip on the bowl after hearing that. He quickly led the guards out to greet Olivier with a flattering smile on his face. "Mr. Laing! Mrs. Suria! What brings you here? "
Laing and Suria walked in together, and Carson followed behind them into the hall.
"It's cold outside, Focker. You guys really know how to enjoy life, hiding in a warm room to drink fish soup." Laing smiled. He thought that the guard's name sounded weird, but he did not want to argue with him. "Where's Olivier?"
"The president is upstairs checking the accounts. Do you want me to bring you up?" Focker bowed at a 60-degree angle.
Laing did not appreciate the gesture. He shook his head and gestured for them to go up by themselves.
They walked up the wooden staircase. Olivier had already received the news and was standing at the staircase to welcome them. "Mr. Laing! Mrs. Suria! Mr. Carson! Welcome, welcome to my Merchant Guild. Why didn't you tell me that you were coming? "
"We wanted to make a surprise attack. Let's see what you're doing, Mr. Olivier." Laing held Suria's hand and smiled at the merchant.
"Oh, please, have a seat!" After a year, Olivier had become thinner. The merchant seemed to have realized that being too fat was not good for him, so he worked hard to lose weight. At the same time, he used expensive weight-loss pills from Veronica's Dawn Wizard Tower to slim himself down.
Laing and Suria sat on the expensive leather sofa. Carson stood behind them. As a butler, Carson was very good at standing. However, Laing gestured for him to sit.
Olivier served three cups of hot coffee. These coffee beans were imported from the Kingdom of Tyrell in the south. They were expensive. "Mr. Laing, why did you come to the Merchant Guild on such a cold day?"
"It's cold now. I saw that I had nothing to do, so I came out for a walk." Laing picked up the coffee. He did not add any milk or sugar. He drank it directly. He liked the original bitter taste of coffee and the aroma of charcoal.
"Mr. Olivier, you've always been our friend. We're just here to visit an old friend. This is like a greeting between friends. There's no need to be so formal." Suria smiled. The female knight's words made the merchant feel like he was bathing in a spring breeze. Some of his nervousness and lack of confidence disappeared immediately.
"Without you, Olivier's Merchant Guild would not exist today." Olivier nodded. His Merchant Guild's trade network was now spread throughout Brittany, the Empire, Tyrell, and Estalia. At the same time, they also had good relations with the dwarves of the Grey Mountains and the wood elves of Azeroth. All of this was Laing's power.
"Have you heard about Helmgat?" After a simple greeting, Laing cut to the chase.
"I have. News came from the Axebite Pass. Duke Fulcade of Montfort has defeated the Skaven Ratmen army that invaded Montfort Castle. However, the destruction of Helmgat is an indisputable fact. It will take a year to rebuild the city. During this time, the Axebite Pass can only temporarily suspend trade." Olivier took out an unopened letter and handed it to Laing. "Count, this is the news I just received."
Laing took the letter. It was news from a subordinate of the Merchant Guild that opened a shop in the Axebite Pass. The Axebite Pass' trade route would be suspended for at least a year. This was a conservative estimate. As for when trade would resume, it would have to wait until Helmgat was rebuilt.
Duke Fulcade of Montfort did not have a good relationship with Laing, but he had a good relationship with the Empire. After finally defeating the Skaven Ratmen, Fulcade not only sent out knights to help the Empire's army clean up the underground, but he also sent out craftsmen to help rebuild Helmgat.
Although Brittany and the Empire had never been short of skirmishes and skirmishes, in the face of a common enemy, they once again chose to support each other.
Of course, Laing thought to himself that this was not entirely a matter of chivalry and the so-called community with a shared future for mankind. In a small way, the Axebite Pass' customs revenue was the main tax revenue of the Duchy of Montfort. If trade could no longer be conducted in the Axebite Pass, Duke Fulcade would have to live a tight life for more than a year. From this perspective, he was most anxious and hoped that the trade route could be restored.
"How much of an impact will the loss of the Axebite Pass have on our trade?" Laing asked the question he was most concerned about.
"Not too much, my count. Last year, Olivier Merchant Guild's total trade volume was about 54 thousand crowns. After deducting costs, transportation and other necessary expenses, the profit was about six thousand crowns." Olivier then took out a list. "Our main trade is still through the sea route. Our trade volume at the Axebite Pass is less than nine thousand crowns after being escorted by Duke Bordero's Poseidon fleet."
Laing took the list and looked at it carefully. The overall figures and accounts were very clear and there were no problems. Olivier was quite serious about his work.
"I remember that wood elves' goods are very profitable," Laing joked casually as he handed the list back to Olivier.
"That's right, but the wood elves' goods aren't sold in high quantities. Some of our products, such as wood and food, are also sold at a cheaper price," Olivier said. Out of habit, Oliver spoke in the business jargon, "The goods are selling well, but the scale is not large."
Laing nodded. The wood elves' large caravans usually came once every two to three weeks, and they would only bring a few carts of goods each time. Their small-scale trade was non-stop, but his territory could handle it all on its own.
"Dwarven weapons and tools are very popular, but they can't be sold to the Empire or Marimburg. As you know, there are many dwarves in the Empire as well, so their goods are mainly sold in Brittany." Olivier then analyzed the different markets and needs of the various goods. The wood elven medicine was the most popular of all, followed by the Vanford red wine produced by the Suria Family. Then there were the many magical potions produced by Veronica and Lake Goddess Morgiana and Dawn Magus Veronica's Dawn Magus Tower.
Laing took out a scroll of parchment. "This is the new batch of magic ores and materials that Veronica's Dawn Magus Tower needs. I'll leave it to you to get them from the Empire."
"Understood." Olivier took the parchment. These magic ores and materials had to be obtained from the Empire through special channels. Fortunately, Laing had reached an agreement with Emperor Karl. Otherwise, Olivier would've had a hard time dealing with this.
Veronica didn't care so much before. She said, "You have to get me what I want. Otherwise, Magus Garland will tell on you to Laing." Olivier was so worried that he lost a lot of hair.
"Oh, by the way, my Count, the Ugor archers from Kislöw have set off from Örengrád and arrived at Marimburg to replenish their supplies. They're going to bypass Lyonnesse and land at Bordero. In addition to a tribe of a few hundred people, Mrs. Kiesler also got a few big bears as per your request. They're going to tour Brittany."
"The leader of this troop is a Ugor chieftain called Mikoyan Ivanovitch Govorov, nicknamed 'Ivan the Terrible' or 'Ivan the Great'."
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