PS: Actually, I didn't want to update in the middle of the night, but I'm really busy tomorrow, so I stayed up all night to finish it.
PS2: Thank you to my book friend "Crying Beans" for the great reward. Thank you very much!
Old World, Earl of Glamorgan, March, Gene Town.
Winter was finally over. After the last winter snow in March, spring finally arrived. The bright spring light illuminated the sky of the earl's territory. This year was another year of harvest.
The amazing effect of the Fairy Tower in the Lake radiated in all directions from the town of Jean. The closer the farmland to the town, the higher the yield. After the harvest of winter wheat, many serfs found that there was more than enough food left for their family to eat even after paying a lot of fixed taxes.
It was not like five years ago. As long as they worked hard, which serf didn't have some food in their house? Because of this, many serfs were tempted. They secretly asked around in the city to see if there were any merchants buying food.
Sure enough, the serfs received good news. There were several merchants buying food in the city!
Bono of Redfish Village was one such serf who planned to enter the city to sell food. This serf's house had a lot of food, and there were many bags of barley flour. Everyone in the village knew that Bono had someone in the city. It was a halberd soldier named Raymond, who was the earl's soldier. If he said there were merchants buying food, then there must be merchants buying food!
The uneducated Bono firmly believed this because the earl was Laing, and Laing was a Holy Grail Knight. He definitely wouldn't lie to them!
The dozen or so serfs discussed together and got a few carts, ready to transport the food to the city to sell.
The next day, everyone woke up early. The serfs hurriedly loaded the carts with bags of grain, ready to transport them to the town to sell.
"You're going to sell food in the city?" The serfs were still loading the carts when a big, bald knight of the kingdom passed by. He was holding an apple in his hand and eating half of it in one bite. He had a fat pig around his arm and two axes on his back. His posture was very scary.
But after five years of living together, the serfs knew that Master Anglo wasn't as scary as he looked. He liked to do farm work and looked like a kind and simple old farmer.
"Master Anglo! Good morning! " A few serfs quickly stopped what they were doing and wanted to kneel down to greet him. One of the serfs stuttered, "Master Anglo, we have already paid the fixed tax! We are all good people. We still have some food left at home, but we can't finish it. We want to go to the city to sell it and buy some things back. "
"I see. Let's go." Angelo did not mind. He nodded and asked, "What are you selling?"
"It's mainly barley flour, wheat flour, buckwheat, millet, and many vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, cabbage, beets, onions, and garlic." The serfs were a little nervous. They had to open the goods and show him.
"I remember that carrots and broccoli are popular in the city. I hope you can sell them at a good price!" Anglo turned and left.
The group of serfs continued on their way.
The road leading to the town gradually became crowded. Many carriages and carts were crowded together, and the speed of progress became slow. The serfs huddled together, waiting to enter the town.
"There are a lot more people in the town now! There are a lot of unfamiliar faces, Southerners, Empire guys, and I heard that some Northerners came recently? "
"Oh, so many people are going to sell food!"
"Hurry up! If we're late, we might not be able to sell them at a good price. "
"Bono, where's that Raymond kid you know?"
"He's already waiting for us in the town!"
It took a long time for them to enter the city, where Raymond was already waiting for them inside. This young man, who had been eating ever since he served as a soldier for the count, was very sturdy. He was dressed in well-made linen clothes with an animal skin cloak draped over it. What made the serfs even more envious was the hat on his head. It was a fashionable hat with a feathered helmet, one side high and the other low, with a badge printed on it.
That was a soldier's identification!
"Uncle Bono, you're in the town? So many things? " Raymond was off today, so he hurriedly went up to greet them. Although the streets of the town were already very spacious, several carts of things still took up a lot of space. The serfs rushed here, panting and exhausted. But when they thought of selling grain to make money, these serfs ran very fast, full of energy.
These are all mine! After handing over enough to the Lord Knight, the rest would all be his!
"Raymond, where's the price of food?" Bono was in his thirties. He panted a few times, looking at the young man in front of him with a hopeful expression.
"Oliver's Conglomerate and Hadrian's Conglomerate have good prices, and the other conglomerates are also passable. Recently, I heard that the overland trade route between the Empire and our Brittany has been cut off. Without the Empire's food imports, the Parawon duchies, Montfort duchies, and Gisole duchies are all suffering from food shortages. The merchants of the Empire's Middleton are also importing food on a large scale. Food is selling quite well, and …" Raymond purposely kept them in suspense, before continuing, "Many of the freemen in the town are no longer content to eat black bread."
"Oh, oh, oh!" The serfs didn't understand what he meant by the overland trade route being cut off. The food shortages in those duchies were also far away. All they could hear was that food was selling well and vegetables were good. That was enough!
Many of the serfs smiled. Last year's weather was good, and there were no pests or man-made disasters. It wasn't easy for them to have a good harvest, and no one would complain about having too much food.
The wheels of the handcart moved along the noisy street, and a beautifully decorated large store appeared in front of the serfs. Everyone noticed that many serfs were going in and out, pushing full carts in and out, and pushing empty carts out. The staff in the store came and went, and it was very lively.
Bono was the first to go up to the counter. Before he could ask, the Oliver's Conglomerate director sitting behind the counter asked, "You're here to sell food, right?"
"Sigh! How do we get food? "The serfs squeezed together, their sun-tanned skin covered in wrinkles.
"One silver per catty of wheat, sixty coppers per catty of barley, fifty coppers per catty of buckwheat, eighty coppers per catty of rye, two crowns per catty of rice, and two crowns per catty of chickpeas. Other food and vegetables are on the wall. Take a look yourself." The director's face was expressionless. "Are you selling?"
The serfs squeezed together and did some calculations. The price of food should have gone up, but it wasn't obvious. The price of vegetables was good!
This was a deal they could make!
"Why don't we go to another store?" a serf whispered.
"Another store? I heard Oliver's Conglomerate's price is already quite good. Where else? "
"Like Hadrian's Conglomerate?"
"Hadrian's Conglomerate is several streets away from here! You want to go there? I'm not going there! "
"Oh, what if Hadrian's Conglomerate's price isn't as good as here? Then it'll be a loss, a loss! "
The serfs argued in a low voice, their faces flushed with anger.
The director behind the counter watched the serfs argue and felt a little disdainful, thinking that this was the thinking of the poor.
They were greedy for immediate profits and eager to cash in. According to the director's experience, the serfs were definitely satisfied with the current price of food and vegetables. So, the result of the argument was …
"Are you selling or not? If you're not selling, then don't stay here. Even if you're not selling, there are plenty of people who want to sell. Don't hinder our business, "the director immediately added.
"Yes, yes, yes! We'll sell!" The serfs had no objections and hurriedly nodded and bowed.
The food on the cart was unloaded. The staff in the store began to count and weigh the food one by one. At the same time, they began to argue with the serfs about the quality of barley and wheat. The noise in the store didn't stop.
Before the things were counted, a few more serfs came in with carts and asked for the price. Soon, they were also saying that they wanted to sell while arguing about the quality of their grain.
The carts were emptied little by little, but the serfs' pockets were filled with copper and silver coins. There was even a golden crown in Bono's pocket. The serf proudly played with the gold coin with the portrait of the founding Knight King Arthur and the date of birth and death. On the other side was engraved the image of the Knight of the Holy Grail.
"Uncle Bono, put it away. Be careful of thieves." Raymond motioned the serfs to put away the coins. "There have been thieves in the town recently. His Excellency the Count has strengthened the patrols. Everyone should be careful."
"Oh, it's right, it's right." Several serfs suddenly felt like they had been bitten by a poisonous snake on the arm and hurriedly covered the coins in their pockets.
Raymond took the serfs to the market for activities.
The market in the town of Jean was now very prosperous. People came and went, and the shops were selling all kinds of things.
"Homespun cloth, canvas, linen, cashmere! Cheap, buy a full one meter at a time and add ten centimeters! "
"Selling high-quality fur! All kinds of fur! "
"All kinds of dyes have been greatly reduced. Come take a look, folks!"
"Safflower oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil!"
"Dwarven farm tools! Dwarven igniter! Dwarven carts! Dwarven products, must be the best! "
"Selling all kinds of furniture and pots and pans!"
Many of the peddlers were like hungry wolves who had smelled blood. They stared at the serfs who had just sold their grain. The peddlers knew that at this particular time, the serfs would definitely have shiny coins in their pockets.
In fact, the serfs also wanted to buy some things. For example, candles made of animal fat. One of the serfs bought several of them in one go. For example, cloth for clothes. Bono calculated how many people there were in his family and how much cloth he needed to buy to be enough for his five children. For example, dwarven farm tools and daily necessities began to enter the serfs' homes.
As for the high-end goods sold by the wood elves and the luxury goods from Tyrell, the Empire and even the high elves, the serfs were shocked.
A high elven food called chocolate actually cost 20 crowns per box! There was also coffee imported from Tyrell that cost more than 60 crowns per catty!
The serfs who heard the price were so shocked that their hearts almost fell out. They didn't even dare to look back, afraid that they would have to pay if they did.
Raymond only smiled along the way and didn't say much.
When the serfs reached a place they thought was safe, they quickly realised that they still had quite a bit of money in their pockets. They gathered together and found a simple bar. They ordered some roasted meat and each took a glass of wine and started drinking.
The atmosphere in the bar was joyous. The serfs who entered the city to sell their grain all had smiles on their faces.
"This year's harvest is really good. I still have quite a bit left after paying my taxes!"
"Ever since the count came, he's been doing better and better!"
"I heard your family doesn't eat black bread anymore?"
"It's good enough to fill our stomachs."
"I hope we can eat more meat next year."
"It's strange. Ever since the count came here, there haven't been any disasters. The Orcs in the forest seem to have disappeared."
"It's not that they've disappeared. My grandfather's cousin's uncle's niece's husband's younger brother is from the Chalon Forest Patrol Camp. He said that there are still Orcs in the forest, but we've beaten them back every time."
"Oh, oh, I see."
Everyone started chatting, and soon, everyone's attention shifted to an important topic. Bono thought for a moment, and suddenly signaled for everyone to quiet down.
"Everyone, do you think that serfs like us who don't starve and have stored up grain and meat occasionally … are we serfs?"
"Bono, what nonsense are you talking about? We're all serfs, and we'll be serfs for our whole lives. We're living like this because of our Earl's mercy. If you ask me, I'll be the first to smash the head of anyone who opposes our Earl! "
"Yes! Smash his head!!! "
There was a commotion in the tavern as all the serfs spoke loudly. Many of the serfs looked at Bono with reddened eyes, and some of them scolded, "Bono, you son of a b * tch. Are you thinking of rebelling?"
"Kill him! Beat him up! "Some of the serfs shouted loudly.
"No, no! I mean, I … I want to be a free serf! "Bono was attacked by a few serfs and quickly voiced his thoughts loudly.
The atmosphere in the tavern changed slightly.
How could it be so easy to be a free serf? The only way to become a free serf was to join the army, achieve military exploits, and be promoted by the count.
"When can we go to war?" A serf faintly voiced his desire, and his question was echoed by the crowd.
The serfs longed for war, even more so than the nobles and knights. It was the only way to change their fate.
They wanted to become free serfs! They wanted to change their fate! They even … wanted to become Lord Knights!
At this moment, there was a commotion and cheering outside.
"It's the Ugor Circus!"
"Let's go out and see!"
The serfs came to the entrance of the tavern. Sure enough, a grand circus was passing through the town. Some Ugor people dressed in the costumes of the northern Kislöw Kingdom were performing acrobatics, swallowing fire, and juggling along the streets. Wherever they went, there was a burst of cheers.
What made the serfs feel even more refreshed were the few big bears behind the circus. Following the sound of the zither in the circus leader's hand, these bears stood on their feet and danced to the music.
The most conspicuous one was a golden-haired bear. It wore a red top, clapped its hands to the beat, and shook its head. It was very cute.
However, this made Laing, who was watching the performance in the distance, change his expression slightly. Sitting in the attic, Laing immediately said to Cassenberg, who was standing behind him, "Tell Captain Ivan to immediately change the golden-haired bear's clothes and change the color."
"Yes!"
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