Chapter 509 Who is the Real Wealth
They have left Tethyr and gone deep into the Kingdom of Amn. They are less than a hundred kilometers away from the largest city here, Retavon. At the current speed, they will be there in two days. Can be reached.
Previously, when they were in Darauma, they just gathered a migratory army, which already made the entire city of Saladas unable to sit still.
Not to mention, they came straight towards Ritawen, killing heads along the way and wiping out all the monster races along the way.
Nearly a hundred kilometers away, Ruitawen sent troops to contact them. I don’t know whether to say that they are confident or slow to react.
At first, Gavin thought it was the former, until a loud and long dragon roar came from the air, and a huge figure appeared directly above the Ritawen light cavalry. The Erd and harpy kobolds all hid far away, their bodies Trembling involuntarily - a giant dragon, an adult white dragon.
An adult white dragon is not scary to Gavin. Its strength is almost the same as that of a young red dragon.
There is a ranking among the giant dragon species. Take the five most famous colorful dragons, which are generally arranged in the order of red dragon, blue dragon, green dragon, black dragon and white dragon.
The rankings of blue dragons, green dragons and black dragons are somewhat controversial. After all, their living environments and abilities are very different. In particular, green dragons are good at conspiracy, and black dragons like to engage in secret ambushes. I like head-on conflict.
But there is no dispute that the red dragon is ranked No. 1 and the white dragon is at the bottom. This is clearly shown in their body shape.
The red dragon will be medium-sized (the size of a cheetah) when it hatches, while the white dragon will be small (the size of a puppy). In the same age group, the red dragon will definitely crush the white dragon.
What really makes the distance between the two is IQ.
The intelligence of a white dragon is not only that of a chromatic dragon, it can be said to be the lowest among all true dragon species. The intelligence of a newborn white dragon is similar to that of a wild beast, even lower than that of a kobold. Their hunting abilities and talents improve as they age, and by the time they reach adulthood, they are only on par with ordinary kobolds and not yet up to the level of normal humans.
Although there are exceptions, this is the case for most white dragons.
This also means that the dragon species that has the most conflict with humans, white dragons, is also the one that has been killed the most, but their number is still the largest.
Because of their low intelligence, white dragons will follow the breeding instinct of beasts. As long as they reach the teenage stage, they will mate and lay eggs, and they will leave them alone after they are born. The extreme environment (cold) where their dragon eggs are located makes it difficult for them to survive. They are not easily disturbed or destroyed, and their innate talents often make them the most powerful hunters around. The white dragon is only weak compared to the giant dragon. No matter how weak it is, it is still a giant dragon, and it also has Dragon Breath, at least among beasts, is invincible.
When their strength is limited and they are unable to cause trouble to intelligent life, they are still relatively safe.
Once they think they are strong enough and are driven by the dragon's greedy desire to attack intelligent life and prepare to collect wealth, they are often slaughtered.
Before the Auling Soul Tower was opened, Gavin could kill a young red dragon and an adult white dragon, but he really didn't take it seriously.
But if there is a person sitting on its back, that would be a bit unusual, especially if that person has a huge size, it would be even more unusual.
It was a frost giant.
Before Gavin could take a closer look at the frost giant dragon knight, a man and a horse were already galloping from the formation of Ritawen's light cavalry. Gavin naturally couldn't neglect it and hurriedly drove his horses to meet him. He is now riding an ordinary war horse, not a half-moon horse. With the development and use of her unique abilities, many times, she is unable to follow Gavin and perform her duties as a mount.
White horse, white robe, pointed wizard hat, holding a snow-white staff, snow-white hair and beard, the wrinkles on his face not only did not weaken his charm, but gave him a color of wisdom.
After meeting the other party, Gavin almost blurted out, "You don't call me Gandalf, do you?"
Of course this man is not named Gandalf, but Raymond, the ruler of Reitawen City and a quasi-legendary mage.
"Lord City Lord, please forgive us for coming uninvited." Gavin's attitude was sincere and friendly, "Please believe us, we are just passing by and there is absolutely no malice. If you are worried, we can immediately change the route and take you from a distance Shwetavon passes through at least 100 kilometers, but The Lord of the City should have seen our current situation. We built the road all the way from Darauma. If we can build it directly to Ruitawen, the Lord of the City will not be unaware of its commercial value. "
< br>His favorable impression of Ruitawen City did not come out of thin air.
It is true that this city now belongs to Amn, but ten years later, without a war, they voluntarily broke away from Amn and joined the Kingdom of Tethyr.
There must be many reasons, including the struggle for power within Amn, the re-emergence of Tethyr, which has brought tremendous pressure to it, etc.
If there is a chance, Gavin would still like to facilitate this matter in advance.
This is a large city with a population of more than 100,000. Cities with such a large population are rare in the interior and most appear in coastal ports.
The main reason is that it is an important trade transit city. A trade line called the Weihong Road passes through this place. This line starts in the west from Mulan, the second largest port city in Amn, and crosses The core hinterland of the entire commercial empire Amn, after undergoing final repairs in Retavon, passed through the Snowflake Mountains, entered the coast of the Weihong Sea, crossed the entire Tumis, and finally arrived at the Sea of Fallen Stars.
The 250-kilometer mountain road across the Snowflake Mountains is the most dangerous part of this trade route. Whether you are preparing to go east through the Snowflake Mountains, or you have just crossed over from the Snowflake Mountains to the west. Most caravan travelers will choose to stay in Ritavon for a few days to repair and supply supplies. The former is to prepare for the upcoming frequent battles and wait for more caravans to move together, while the latter is to replenish supplies in the Snowflake Mountains. consumption.
A kind smile appeared on Raymond's face, "I think Baron Gavin misunderstood. We are not here to drive you away, but to escort and welcome you. I have wanted to repair it a long time ago. A trade route to Darauma, but most of this trade route is not in our territory, and there is no one in Tethyr to cooperate. We have been thinking about something for many years, but you guys actually completed it in less than ten days. Okay, I'm afraid you just created history. The fastest road construction record in history, creating an unprecedented way of building roads.”
“I underestimated the capacity of the Lord of the City,” Gavin said sincerely, “Only the Lord of the City’s capacity. No matter what, we will build this trade road for you to the foot of Ritawen City. If nothing happens, this trade road will reach the Giant Plains along the Silminster Forest and cross here to Ivanso."
Since many things could no longer be hidden, Gavin simply revealed his plans to win more favor for himself.
“Good, good, good.” Raymond praised him profusely. “The Baron is an extraordinary person who does extraordinary things. If you really accomplish this, not only Ritavin will follow you. With the light, even the entire inland surrounding area will be revitalized, and countless villages and towns will be built as a result.”
“The Lord of the City is too proud. I just hope that you will not waste the fruits of our labor and send people to further repair this commercial road. The drainage ditches on both sides are indispensable."
"We will do this even if the Baron doesn't say it. "
Raymond is not that kind of academic mage who is rigid and doesn't know how to adapt.
His IQ and EQ are both online. When a quasi-legendary mage is also a seasoned politician, it is definitely a bit extraordinary.
It can not only give you a feeling of spring breeze, but also allow you to achieve your goals silently, while still having enough self-confidence.
Raymond made Gavin see what it means to be truly wealthy.
It is true that he only brought three thousand Ritavin light cavalry, but all the equipment they were equipped with were standard magic equipment, with at least +1 magic level.
Elf-style fish scale armor, beautiful riding bows, and unique swords are their standard equipment. All war horses are equipped with at least intermediate-level accelerating horseshoes.
Not to mention the professional level, if you are lower than level five, you will be embarrassed to join such an army, at least half of them are half-elves.
The Nott Guards Corps and Sidecar Corps that Gavin pieced together and improvised were almost like a beggar's regiment when compared with them.
Even the first heavy cavalry regiment of the Saradas family is a group of younger brothers in front of them.
Gavin has reason to believe that the heavy cavalry of the Saladas family will be completely defeated in a head-on confrontation.
Not to mention the kiting tactics that these light cavalry are best at, the heavy cavalry has no solution. Even in a head-on confrontation, as long as they avoid the most brutal frontal attack of the heavy cavalry, they will not be afraid of the rest of the melee, because they The armor's defensive capabilities are not much worse than those of heavy cavalry.
The heavy cavalry equipment of the Saladas family only reached the limit of mundane things. There is also magic on it, which will change the nature of many things.
The defensive power of magic heavy armor is definitely higher than that of magic light armor, while non-magic heavy armor is slightly inferior, or comparable to magic light armor.
Not to mention, there is a frost giant white dragon knight hovering above the head of this light cavalry.
One of his dives can cause the heavy cavalry's charge to collapse.
The aura of the adult dragon is so powerful that it is possible to miss when dealing with those professionals. It is absolutely impossible to deal with those war horses. Every time it passes, they will all enter a state of trembling or panic. , running around uncontrollably.
Then add another ice dragon's breath, which will definitely tear their formation apart instantly. At that time, it is the time for the Ritavin Rangers to attack.
Whoever tries to use group attack spells or tries to gather the army again will become the key target of the Frost Giant White Dragon Knight.
In addition, there is a quasi-legendary mage peeking at the side. After observing their configuration, anyone with a little war experience can imagine this set of tactics, let alone the organizers of this army.
This is the path the extraordinary army will take in the future.
With such an army in hand, let alone a civilian army of less than 20,000, they would have nothing to fear even if 20,000 truly elite troops came to the city.
This is why Raymond allowed Gavin and the others to march straight in.
Because this migration road built by the migrating army is indeed of great significance to Ritawen.
In fact, Reitawen's situation is very similar to Zalanda's. They rely too heavily on the road to Weihong.
Once any problems arise on this road, the impact on them will be fatal.
The six-member council of Amn has been passing through the neck of this trade road, Karitawen, and asked them to pay astronomical business taxes every year.
Ten years later, Retavin voluntarily threw himself into the arms of Tethyr, and there was another fatal inducement, which was that the road to Weihun was at Mulan, the terminal of Amn, led by a group of ogre wizards. The monster army captured the city, and the six-member council, which was locked in an internal struggle for power, was unable to take back the city for a while.
In this case, Ritavin can only find another way out. Tethyr, which has just completed its unification and is prospering, is undoubtedly the best choice.
Gavin and Zalanda dared to build the road all the way without communicating with Ritawen in advance. This was what they were looking for.
I didn’t expect that Ruitawen would have such terrifying military strength, and things would be easier to handle.
Raymond said he was here to greet Gavin and the others, but in fact, he was here to show off his muscles.
After showing off their muscles, apart from the one thousand Ritavin light cavalry hovering around, the remaining two thousand Ritavin light cavalry and the frost giant white dragon knights left.
From the beginning to the end, the Frost Giant White Dragon Knight was hundreds of meters in the air, acting as a background board that could be seen by others, but did not reveal his true face in Lushan in front of everyone.
This kind of situation that can be seen but cannot be touched makes people more awe-inspiring.
After arriving in Ritavin City, Gavin once again appreciated Raymond's wealth.
He just said it, and Gavin and the others were given a 30% discount on all Ruitawen's products, and the discount was subsidized by the municipal finance.
Isn’t this giving yourself money in vain?
How could Gavin be so polite? Not only did he purchase a large amount of migration supplies needed along the way, but he also sent people to Dragon Bay overnight to collect supplies that were in short supply in major cities such as Ivanso, Prolos, Taysil, and Ximen.
As long as Ruitawen has it and the price is right, they will eat it all on a large scale, directly turning the migrating army into a huge caravan.
"Lord City Lord, he bought out all the non-magical weapons and equipment in all the weapon shops. This is the list sent by the merchants."
"Lord City Lord, he has bought out all the stocks of all the car dealerships..."
"Lord City Lord, he has eaten up all the low-priced grains..."
" Lord City Lord, he ate up all the low-priced mules and horses..."
"Sir City Lord, there is a caravan station that was directly purchased by him..."
"Sir City Lord, he auctioned ten ghost cloaks at a public auction on the spot, and a total of them were returned. Funds: 280,000 gold coins.”
"Sir City Lord..."
"Sir City Lord..."
"Sir City Lord..."
Facing the bill that came up like snow flakes, Raymond was stunned. At first, I would ask with great interest, what did the Lord Baron buy? How much did it cost?
With more and more data, he no longer cares about these. He only cares about the final total amount and how much of his municipal financial subsidies will be spent.
He originally thought that Gavin could take out 20,000 to 300,000 yuan in cash, plus the goods he carried with him, and collect 20,000 to 300,000 gold coins, which would be quite amazing.
As for municipal subsidies, it’s nothing more than left hand and right hand.
After all, after a successful transaction here, those merchants need to pay business tax, and this business tax happens to be 30%.
But watching the money that was originally going to fall into your pocket leak out, it is also heart-breaking and painful.
I saw a municipal financial officer running in.
Raymond waved his hands a little impatiently and said: "Don't talk about the goods, just the total transaction amount. What is the total amount of his purchases now?"
"It's still 1.58 million." Municipal Government The finance staff replied without thinking.
“No increase?” Raymond reacted, “Then what are you doing?”
“Chief Financial Officer, sent me to tell the Lord of the City that some businessmen are gathering The supplies are ready to go north with the migration team. Do we want to intervene?" the municipal finance staff replied.
Business tax will only be incurred when trading in Ruitawen.
Once a large amount of goods are shipped away, it will be a potential loss for Ritavin.
“Go back and tell Carson, don’t be so short-sighted. In the short term, our tax revenue may be affected, but once this trade route is opened and more businessmen come from Dragon Bay, it will naturally bring us Get more tax revenue.”
Although he was scratching his liver and lungs with pain, Raymond looked calm and didn’t take it to heart.
Actually, he knows that this is the pain caused by the emergence of the new business path. Huge profits will have to wait until businessmen from the other direction hear the news and come in a steady stream.
“Wait a minute.” Raymond stopped the municipal finance staff who was about to walk out. “You ask Carson to come see me directly.”
"No, no, I'll do it myself." A chubby figure ran in swinging his short legs. It was Carson, the chief financial officer of Ritawen City.
While sending the municipal financial officer away, he complained endlessly: "Sir, City Lord, when you make financial commitments in the future, please discuss with me and don't make random mistakes. Open your mouth, do you know how much business tax we have lost by opening your mouth? Five hundred thousand, a full five hundred thousand.
This is still a direct loss, not counting the indirect losses, plus this. If some merchants take away the goods, we will lose at least 500,000 yuan in business tax..."
"Okay, okay, okay, don't count this kind of chicken laying eggs, eggs laying chickens, the cycle Fu Wuxi’s account, you calculated the total value of his purchase for me at the beginning to be half a million.
And, if it weren’t for this 30% discount, you think he would let his hands go and be unscrupulous here. A spree of acquisitions?
If I remember correctly, many of the goods are old stocks that have been accumulated for many years. Don't think I don't know, many of the goods belong to our municipal caravan.
If it was really such a loss, you would ask them to take action. How could they take action without your nod?
More than 1.5 million, of which 1 million is out-and-out cash. As the chief financial officer, you should know better than me how much you can help us put into stock. ”
At first Raymond just wanted to comfort his chief financial officer, but when the accounts were calculated, his heart was not as distressed as it was at the beginning.
(End of this chapter)< br>