Volume 6: Helping the World Chapter 199 Isaac is Conferred
As the saying goes, you can't just grab the same place to get the wool. When Xiao Yun led the team transporting vermicelli into the underground world again, he didn't cause any trouble on the way there. He quickly and honestly rushed to the underground city to deliver the vermicelli, and then - when he came back, he "got lost" in another direction.
Not only the gray dwarves and goblins, but all the battle trees that fell into the sight of the Snow Wolf Tribe were uprooted... Unfortunately, there were no more plants that had intelligence, could run and hide like the first one. All that were found were plants that only knew how to instinctively use their hammer fruits to beat people. They were no different from ordinary carnivorous plants and killer vines.
At the same time, the grassroots patriarch in Valentine also completed a large transaction with the new city lord of Valentine.
In downtown, the Miles family's hotel.
Many customers lined up in front of the store, holding a few or a dozen copper coins in their hands, either to buy some pork or the cheaper rabbit meat. If they couldn't afford either, they could at least take some broth back home for their families to taste the meat.
Two snow wolves, three MSG factory employees who came to help, and two adventurers were busy in the store. The peak period had just passed and they were all sweating profusely.
On one side of the store against the wall, the Grassroots Chief and Isaac were standing in the corner, talking head to head.
"Six hundred thousand catties of rabbit meat and one hundred thousand catties of pork. This is the maximum amount that City Lord Pope can digest." The Grassroots Chief spread out the account book and motioned Isaac to look at it. "In order to pay this money, I found that the City Lord was missing two rings. We can only deal with the remaining amount ourselves."
Yes... the new mayor of Valentine is the nephew of Grand Duke Pope who dealt with the incident in which Philip was murdered... the nobles never need to be particular about their manners when protecting their own people.
Isaac frowned and said, "This is too... How could Lord Pope not even be able to pay more than 2,000 gold coins?"
"I also found it very strange before. We calculated Valentine's account by referring to the inflow and outflow of Saint Bridge Royal City. Given the monopoly of Valentine Port in the Kingdom of Kronin, the city's annual inflow and outflow of liquid funds should be in the hundreds of thousands of gold coins." Grassroots Chief said, "But based on our observations in the Upper City during this period, at least this year, Valentine really has no money - I didn't see anyone holding a banquet, and the maids on the street didn't wear new clothes."
Isaac's expression changed: "So..."
"Yes." The Grassroots Chief nodded, "Valentin was sucked dry."
The course for the top leaders of the Fire Department requires them to not only settle their own accounts, but also learn to settle the accounts of others, and the grassroots tribe leader has always been a good student.
"...Combined with the information provided by Laura Philip and the Adventurer's Association, Ayun believes that Valentine will inevitably fall into financial difficulties step by step in the next few years. Given the corruption and greed of the Kronin noble bureaucrats, if the Noble Council wants to invest ten gold coins in the southern battlefield, then Valentine will be drained of at least a hundred gold coins." The Grassroots Chief said seriously, "About 20% of the houses in the upper city are empty. Some nobles have already planned to temporarily withdraw from Valentine's business to avoid this chaotic vortex."
The front is tight, the rear is tight, this routine is not only played by the "National Army"
Isaac wiped his sweat silently...
Before he led the team to Valentine, his teacher had told him to take advantage of the chaos in Valentine to gain a foothold in the largest port city in the Kingdom of Kronin. As a son of a noble family, he had naturally imagined the situation that would arise in Valentine, but he did not expect that the situation facing Valentine would be more severe than he imagined.
What Isaac didn't know was that when City Lord Philip heard the news Sean brought, he immediately decided to give up the position of City Lord - due to the greed of the powerful in the aristocratic class, the higher the position, the less likely they would take chances.
"The Lord of Pope is the nephew of Grand Duke Pope, but even with such an identity he still can't protect this city!" Isaac couldn't help but sigh. His team had once lived in Valentine for a few years, and he had feelings for this free city built by the late Count Philip.
Suddenly, Isaac thought of something and asked quickly, "Wait, is Lord Pop planning to use this batch of supplies to save himself?"
"Yes." The Grassroots Chief smiled, "Lord Pope asked us not to transport the goods into the city, and the delivery site was also placed at the dock of the Adventurer's Association Transportation Department. This is not a transaction between the Lord and us, but a personal transaction between Viscount Pope and us."
In other words, Viscount Pope had been forced into a corner and had to bypass Valentine's ruling team and get some of the life-saving money from the bottom of the box for himself.
Isaac's eyelids twitched, and he murmured, "This is a sign... a sign that the situation in the city is out of control. In this case, we can't develop in the city anymore, and we have to move our base outside the city."
The Grassroots Chief was in charge of different things from Isaac. She tried her best to provide support and assistance to Isaac, but she would not interfere with Isaac's decision. She nodded and said, "Just think about it. We will board the ship and leave in a few days. The materials left in the Transportation Department of the Adventurer's Association will be left to you."
In the past few days, scattered sales in various stores in the lower city have sold more than 100,000 kilograms of meat. Lord Pope does not care about the market in the lower city and lets the Fire Department do its best.
The Snow Wolves cannot stay in Valentine forever, so the remaining goods in the warehouse of the Ministry of Transportation will naturally be handed over to Agent Isaac, who has come to Valentine specifically to "open up new territory"; the surplus generated will be the "start-up capital" for Isaac to do big things.
Allowing those who follow you to gain benefits and move forward based on their abilities in accordance with the rules is a basic quality of an excellent leader... It is unrealistic to expect the horse to run without feeding it at night~!
Deliberately suppressing your own people, and limiting their development by saying they need to be trained and polished, etc., is really sick... Such a boss cannot retain talents! (Some male leaders are particularly keen on doing this)
Isaac smiled and nodded, his eyes cast towards the crowd queuing outside the store, a sense of pride welling up in his heart - even though he was just the leader of a team of adventurers, now that he had the full support of his teacher and the Fire Department, he didn't believe that he would achieve nothing!
The Grassroots Chief still had a lot of things to do, so he explained everything to Isaac and left. Isaac stayed in the Miles's inn for a while, talked with the knight brothers who came to inspect, and then continued to go to other stores.
That night, Isaac brought Alex and his knight brothers and accompanied the grassroots patriarch to the new city lord's mansion in the upper city to meet Viscount Pope.
Viscount Pope is in his prime, with thick hair and sharp eyes, but his eyes are quite dark - it can be seen that it is indeed not easy to be the current lord of Valentine.
"Mr. Robbins hopes to buy a piece of land outside the city?" After hearing the grassroots patriarch's intention, Viscount Pope did not hide his surprise and looked at Isaac with a strange expression.
It is no exaggeration to say that Valentine is now a piece of meat on a plate surrounded by countless dark shadows holding knives and forks. Viscount Pope has been exhausted after only holding on for less than two years. There are countless small nobles who have been dealing with the flight of assets openly or covertly. Now they are willing to invest money in this company. Do these people have too much money or what?
Isaac said cautiously, "Respected Viscount Pope, I have no intention of operating a farm or farm in Valentine, nor do I intend to become the owner of a village. What I hope is that you can allow me to buy the useless rocky beach ten miles east of the port. The thin soil nearby cannot grow crops, and there are no villages or farms of any nobles around it."
The threshold to become a country noble is not high - buy the cheapest lord title or knighthood from the lord (theoretically, any citizen who has contributed to the territory can obtain the lordship, and paying money to the lord naturally counts), buy a piece of land, buy a dozen serfs (or directly buy the land of a village), and you can become the lowest level of the aristocratic class.
These most basic nobles are naturally masters in the eyes of common people, but they are nothing in the aristocratic circle... They also have to pay heavy taxes, and if they don't run their business for three or five generations before falling into poverty, they will not be recognized by other noble families of the same class at all.
Viscount Pope was even more puzzled: "Mr. Robbins, are you referring to the rocky beach east of the port?"
If Isaac had not been introduced by the grassroots clan leader, he would not have been qualified to be called Sir by Viscount Pope...
"Yes, Your Excellency." Isaac nodded slightly and said respectfully, "My family is well-known in the Kingdom of Osmond, but since I left home, I no longer rely on the protection of my family. I hope to become a knight of your family and establish my own glory and yours in Valentine."
Isaac made this request after careful consideration. The titles of lord and knight are both the most basic nobles, but the title of lord is linked to the territory, while the lord's family knights only need to be responsible to the lord personally.
Viscount Pope's slightly tense face relaxed a little. Obviously, Isaac's flattery was very much in line with his wishes - the so-called family knight meant that when Viscount Pope needed it, Isaac had to bring his own dry food and troops to serve Viscount Pope, instead of being a shoe-shine for whoever had the loudest voice like the lord.
If Isaac was a pauper, Viscount Pope would certainly not be very interested in him. He does not have any spare money to slowly train a useful family knight. Even if he wants to train one, there is no need to train someone like Isaac who joins the family halfway. Wouldn't it be more reliable to pick one from his own family?
But Isaac is obviously not a poor guy who has to rely on Viscount Pope for blood transfusions - this guy has the support of the Fire Department, which can provide large amounts of supplies for trade!
Not to mention that Isaac was very sensible and said that he would not be influenced by the Robbins family - his hometown is in Osmond, which is also a member of the Northern Federation, but is separated from Kronen by two countries!
Viscount Pope, who liked Isaac very much, showed a look of joy on his face. However, after treating Isaac as a younger brother who came with his own food, Viscount Pope became dissatisfied with his choice: "In that case, why did you choose that kind of rocky beach where nothing can grow? Some people in the upper city are selling their farms. Perhaps you can have a better choice."
Isaac said in a more respectful manner: "Your Excellency, I admire your character, personal charm and talent very much, and I long to become your follower. Please believe that even if it is a rocky beach where nothing can grow, I will definitely not let you down and run the business diligently. When you need me, I will come with all my strength and lead the horse and stirrups for you."
Farming on the grassland can make you rich, but this is not always the case in Kroning.
It goes without saying that there were heavy taxes and levies, but more importantly... the fertile land was registered in Valentine's land management book! The former city lord Philip was a selfless person who devoted himself to the development of Valentine. There was no such thing as hidden land under his command.
If the knighthood title of Viscount Pope's family bestowed upon Isaac was tied to those registered fertile fields, wouldn't Isaac be like a bird that voluntarily got into a cage!
Viscount Pope's focus is different from Isaac's. Although he can also think of this, in his opinion, Isaac is more like a ready-made "self-motivated patriot" who asks for nothing and only wants to serve him... This seems quite suspicious: How can there be such a good thing in the world?
Facing Viscount Pope's suspicious eyes, Isaac lowered his head and said humbly, "To be honest, I actually hope to obtain land that is not noticed. In this way, the goods of the Fire Department can be traded in a more free venue. It will be managed by me on your behalf, and it will belong to you, Your Excellency, the Viscount."
Viscount Pope was surprised, then suddenly realized... So that's how it is, this knight supported by the Fire Department wants to become the agent of grassland products in Valentine?
Thinking about the friction between the Lamia Chamber of Commerce, the largest local tyrant, and the workers employed by the Fire Department last year, Viscount Pope instantly saw through the knight's intention to join him - without his support as the city lord, how could Isaac Robbins, an outsider knight, fight against the Lamia Chamber of Commerce?
Viscount Pope was somewhat dissatisfied with the "disloyalty" of the person who claimed to become a knight of his family. However, as a qualified politician, Viscount Pope felt relieved when he thought that this was a free comer who did not require his efforts and he could share the benefits... He was "airdropped" to become the lord of Valentine just when he needed manpower. Even if the composition of this "own people" was not pure, compared with the grassland tribe separated by the inland sea and of a foreign race, he could naturally exert greater influence on Isaac Robbins.
Viscount Pope stood up, straightened his clothes, stretched out his right hand, with the back of his hand facing up, and said, "I accept your surrender, Knight Robbins."
Isaac quickly stood up, knelt on one knee, and kissed the back of Viscount Pope's hand: "I pledge my loyalty to you, my master."
"Get up, my knight." Viscount Pope smiled. "Since you have pledged your loyalty to me, I cannot fail to show my loyalty. All the areas east of the port that do not intersect with other people's lands will be granted to you. I hope you can live up to the honor of a knight."
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency," Isaac said, moved. "I will manage your land wholeheartedly and devote my whole life to you."
The grassroots chief quietly watched their performance with a pure look on his face.
The knight brothers & Alex who were watching silently: "..."
Ali, who was born in the lower class, was a little confused. He clearly remembered that they came here to buy a piece of land to run a base, so why did Isaac suddenly become the master and servant of the city lord? The land doesn't even cost money? !
The knight brothers looked admiring...
Being a proper knight does not mean being proficient in martial arts and cavalry warfare. Without being formally conferred a title, one is no different from any other adventurer.
However, it is too difficult to become a knight of the kingdom, and it is basically impossible to be awarded the title; if you want to be awarded by the Holy See, the price is too high and you will lose your freedom; the restrictions on the knights of noble families are also high, and the threshold is high, you either have to be rich or have strength and fame; so most knights just muddle through their days, either as adventurers or mercenaries, and keep the honor of knighthood in their pockets and never show it off.
Isaac was amazing. He got the land and the official title without spending a dime, just by talking. He didn't need to be a servant or a slave to raise horses for others (many knights granted titles by kings and nobles needed to raise horses for the kings and nobles, and they would fight each other to the death for the right to raise horses). He could immediately become the lord of his own land...
Well... the power structure of this world is so distorted that the lord of a country or a city can divide the land according to his own mood, and his words are more effective than the law - and in order to maintain the sanctity of the aristocracy's rule, even political opponents will accept this kind of division.
Of course, the knights who were granted titles could not take their lands and move to another family. They had to fight to the death for the nobility and live and die with the nobles who granted them the titles... This was also the rule of the game of power in this world.
Isaac had nothing to worry about in this regard. As long as he could save Viscount Pope's life and use the land happily before Viscount Pope's death - Viscount Pope was the nephew of Grand Duke Kroning after all, and even if he failed in the political struggle, the enemies would try their best to save his life.
The reason is similar to the rule of "no punishment for literati" during the internal struggles among scholars in the Song and Ming dynasties... How could the literati who ruled the world together with the emperor lose their lives in a failed political struggle? Should the literati's status and superiority be maintained?
There are only a few idiots like Markarth who killed his father, who still held the title of earl, among all the human race.
"Are you going back? Not going to continue your business?!"
Upon hearing the news, Mr. Miles felt as if he had heard the most terrible news, and he staggered so much that he almost couldn't stand.
Nanfeng, the Snow Wolf Cub, quickly packed his things and said frankly, "Yes, we have been out for almost a month. We need to go home."
After dealing with them for more than ten days, Mr. Miles, who has run a hotel for many years and has seen all kinds of people, shrewdly saw through the honest nature beneath the ferocious appearance (?? ) of the Snow Wolf Tribe. Not only did he take the initiative to talk to the Snow Wolf people, but when business was busy, he would also ask his wife to help.
After selling out today’s evening rush hour, the Miles couple enthusiastically helped to pack up. When they heard Nanfeng say this, they were heartbroken as if they had lost their parents… They only had one silver coin in rent per day, and the Snow Wolf Man would give them the leftover bone soup and minced meat, which made the couple gain several pounds in just ten days. Such a good thing was going to end in just a dozen days. Why was life so difficult!
Seeing how upset they were, Nan Feng comforted them, "I will miss you too, but it doesn't matter, we may come again next winter. Even if we don't come, you can still go to the grassland to play. I work at the Elf Port, and I will make delicious food for you if you come."
Miles seemed to be laughing and crying. The boat ticket was very expensive! Even if he went to the cargo hold, it would cost dozens of silver coins for one trip. How could he afford it?
There is no place to find wealthy people like the people on the grassland who are willing to charter boats every year to send workers home for the winter!
Miles suppressed his grief and tried to put on a smile: "It's okay, it's okay, we will miss you... Uh, I wonder... I wonder if you still need workers on the grassland? My son is 21 years old this year, and he is a hardworking and good boy..."
Nanfeng scratched his head in embarrassment. These days, many customers had been trying to find out whether the MSG factory and the woolen spinning factory still needed workers. But he was just an inexperienced person working for Ashu at the Elf Port, so he didn't know anything about this!
The female adventurer who was washing the pot nearby heard this and said, "You have to ask the grassroots leader about this. Nanfeng doesn't know this."
"The Grassroots Chief... is that the old man?" Mr. Miles' eyes lit up, and he asked nervously, "When are you leaving? Will we still be able to see the Grassroots Chief?"
"We will continue to sell for a few more days. There will be a chance. The grassroots chief was here today as well." Nanfeng said.
Mr. Miles breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately thought about how to muster up the courage to approach and talk to the Snow Wolf tribe master when he came...
"Are you all packed? We need to go back to the port."
Edward, the oldest of the knight brothers, came to see what was going on. As soon as he entered the door, Nan Feng said to him, "Edward, do you know if the MSG factory needs workers? Miles said his son is very hardworking."
Mr. Miles' breathing paused, and he looked nervously at the knight in armor.
"No, there's no surplus of raw materials caught , and we have enough staff in the MSG factory now." Edward said.
The farmed sea intestines have not yet been put on the right track, and there is not enough sea intestine powder. It is difficult to ensure the product quality control of the MSG factory relying solely on fermented monosodium glutamate.
Mr. Miles was completely distraught, and his wife glared at him angrily... It was all Miles' fault for not letting his son sign up!
Edward smiled and looked at the Miles couple: "If your son doesn't have a job and can't go to the MSG factory, he can come to us."
"Sir Knight, do you have work there too?" Mr. Miles immediately came to life and came up to Edward and nodded.
Valentine's port cannot absorb the labor force of the lower city. This is the reason why the public security problems in the four lower city areas of Valentine have never been completely eradicated. Lord Pop arrested thousands of idle men from the Brotherhood to repair the road to the port, but it only eliminated the possibility of large-scale armed fights on the streets. Public security cases such as theft, robbery, kidnapping and fraud still occur from time to time.
Even at the butcher shop that was dominated by the Snow Wolf Clan, there were always people trying to extort money from the shop every few days... Of course, those ruffians who wanted to take advantage of the situation were dragged into the alley and "dealt with" by Isaac's team members - the adventurers' attacks were much more severe than those of the Snow Wolf Clan themselves, and these ruffians were not like the thick-skinned adventurers in the Elf Port who could withstand the south wind.
Isaac swore allegiance to the city lord and got a large piece of land for free, so he had to give some token of his allegiance to Viscount Pope.
With the endorsement of his teacher and the support of the Fire Department, Isaac came up with the following solution: He would do his best to help his "master", the Viscount, solve the security problems in the lower city, and arrange for the young and middle-aged people who are most likely to cause trouble...
