Chapter 15: Take over the territory and create profits
Golden Lion Kingdom.
Warm ocean currents bring rich fisheries and trade to the southern provinces, and the beautiful Agate River flows through the central plains to irrigate large areas of fertile soil.
In the northern provinces, snow-covered mountains stretch and tower, and frost-covered coniferous forests stand on the barren land.
The sunshine is weak, the air is fresh and chilly.
The noble boy held an owl in his arm and stood on the hill, overlooking the village at the foot of the mountain.
Morning Frost Ridge.
A frontier barony built on the cliffs of mountains and facing the cold wave.
At the foot of the mountain, a silver-white stream flows through the village. Most of the farmhouses are stone huts that are warm and fireproof. Fences guard the village, and pine and fir forests stand outside the village. Farther away, the Jueling Mountains with their majestic snow-capped peaks stand majestically. Through the mountains lies the icy northern border and the vast ice sea.
Phokas sat on the carrot and rode quickly into the village to convey the news of the lord's arrival to the local official and regent.
After a while, the militiamen let them go, but their eyes as they looked at the carriage were still full of hostility.
Horse hooves trampled on the stone road in the village, and the road to the lord's mansion was empty.
The farmers stayed behind closed doors, and there was a strange silence in the village.
It wasn't until the carriage stopped in front of the lord's house and the lord got off the carriage that the villagers dared to open the crack of the door and peek secretly. When the guarding girl beside the lord turned her head, they quickly closed the door again.
"It seems that the locals are very unfriendly to you." Gray said.
"A new lord means unknown tax laws, and everyone will always feel uneasy."
Yeats understands this feeling very well. Morning Frost Ridge is already poor enough, and the new lord is notorious. The youngest son of the earl.
Thanks to his predecessor’s scandalous manipulations, Yeats’s reputation has a negative value. If there is another stringent tax law, peasant riots will be a matter of minutes.
Gray seemed to have thought of something, and his expression became a little serious: "Let me state in advance that I am just a guard and will not help you suppress the peasants like your vassal knights."
"You seem to be worried about my conflict with the local farmers?" Yeats glanced at Gray.
"I don't think you are the kind of lord who has no vision." Gray said softly, "At least, you are different from the nobles I imagined."
Yeats smiled.
"The cold wave is coming. No matter nobles or commoners, humans or beasts, they are all equal when facing the cold wave."
Gray was slightly startled, and she looked at the silver-haired boy. Walking towards the back of the Lord's Mansion, I felt that the figure seemed to be particularly tall and straight.
Equality?
Gray shook her head and followed Yeats's steps. She said clearly that she was younger than me, but her words seemed to be very profound.
The Lord's Mansion is in disrepair and is covered with dust. At least there is an office room.
There is a fireplace in the center of the room, with orange flames dancing.
A handmade wooden table is equipped with ink bottles and quills, a high-backed chair is placed, and several heavy books are placed on the bookcase.
Yeats sat down at his desk, held the quill in his hand and looked at it, listening to the official Derek's story.
"Lord, Chenshuang Ridge has been waiting for you to take office for a long time. I believe that under your wise leadership..."
Derek is an old man who served as the librarian of the royal capital in his early years. Having experienced high-ranking officials, I know that these nobles always like to listen to flattery.
Yeats interrupted his flattery.
"Just tell me the current situation in Morning Frost Ridge, Derek."
According to the character of his predecessor in his memory, Yeats said in a cold and authentic tone:
"I need to know the current population, taxes, expenditures and major industries of Morning Frost Ridge. Don't tell me that as a regent, you didn't even prepare this document when I took office?"
Derek Muddy Something strange flashed in his eyes, he arched his back and said in a more respectful tone:
"Of course I am prepared, Lord Lord, please wait a moment."
Not long after, the servant pushed Yeats's eyelids jumped as he walked into the office carrying a cart full of large account books.
Well, it seems that the next few days will be spent on these ledgers!
"I will personally review these later. Now, I want to ask you something, Derek."
"Lord, feel free to ask questions, and I will tell you everything you know."
"Cold Wave "How much do you know about this?"
"Lord, the cold wave will come every year, and it will trigger a corresponding magic wave. In previous years, when the magic wave hit, the royal family would send special guards, but this year, we still We haven’t received a clear reply about sending troops,” Derek lowered his head.
Yeats's bony fingers tapped on the writing table. "How big is the magic wave caused by the cold wave?"
“The scale is not certain. For example, the scale of the demonic wave last year was relatively small. After we cooperated with the Imperial Guards to repel the demonic beasts, the day when the snow melted soon came.”
< br>"Snow melting?"
"Cold wave is always accompanied by heavy snow. At that time, heavy snow will cover the morning frost ridge. Generally speaking, when the snow melts and the sun rises, it means that the cold wave has passed."
“What about the Orcs?” Yeats asked, “I heard that the Orcs will also take advantage of the cold wave to invade the northern provinces?”
"To be precise, it's not just the cold wave. The orcs will invade the northern provinces when food is in short supply."
Derek said: "But in recent years, the number of orc invasions has been relatively reduced, and the cold wave has also It will threaten the orcs, and they also need to deal with the cold wave. "
More than twenty years ago, the Golden Lion King led the cavalry across the Jueling Mountains, attacked the tribe like a divine soldier descending from the sky, and captured the Black Castle in one fell swoop. The great victory in the battle shocked the barbarians.
Having said that, the king is seriously ill, and the orcs are likely to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble. The combat power of these barbarians is much stronger than that of goblins, jackals and the like.
Yeats was thoughtful and nodded: "You go down first and wait for my summons."
"As you command, Lord." Derek bowed respectfully.
The bonfire was burning warmly. Yeats opened the heavy document, looked at the densely packed small words, and rubbed his eyebrows.
Paper in this world is very expensive. In order to save paper, the fonts should be as small as possible.
At times like this, it would be great if there was magic like seeing ten lines and photographic memory.
There is no magic, only refreshing lemon black tea.
Yeats held hot tea, sipped it, and read the document.
According to the documents, Chenshuang Ridge has about 5,500 acres, more than 200 households of farmers, and a population of about 800.
The population of the wealthy barony is catching up with the small towns, but the population of Morning Frost Ridge can only be regarded as an administrative village. The entire village can support at most one knight who has stepped into the extraordinary.
Before the cold wave comes, some farmers are bound to move away. The remaining two hundred farmers are the bottom line Yeats can accept...
Night falls.
The snowy owl parked in the corner of the room woke up and opened its eyes.
Seeing Yeats' solemn expression, it tilted its head and did not disturb him.
“The main industry in Chenshuang Ridge is a copper mine. Most men go to mine, while women raise chickens, feed sheep, and make cheese at home. There are only a few farmlands in the village to grow wheat and cabbage, and the food is fish, black Mainly bread.”
Yeats murmured to himself: "More than half of the taxes collected are spent on the operation of the copper mine. The balance of payments is already very difficult. If we want to develop further, we must first find a way to generate income."
For a time, Yeats could think of two ways to generate income.
One is to give the formula and production method of the new healing potion to a group of villagers, and let the villagers make the potion and sell it to the chamber of commerce.
In the setting of "Phantom Wings", the common healing potion formula is wheat plus blue mountain flower.
However, this kind of healing potion requires the producer to have a good understanding of the material ratio, which makes it difficult to get started.
However, as long as butterfly wings are added to wheat and blue mountain flowers, and special processes are used, the difficulty of making the healing potion will be greatly reduced, and the efficacy will be improved.
This method can only obtain short-term profits, and the formula and process will soon be cracked.
However, it was enough to alleviate urgent financial needs and establish Yeats's initial prestige.
Think of this.
Yeats wrote down the recipe for a new healing potion on parchment, as well as the specific production process.
This production process is not explicitly mentioned in the game.
But medicine and food come from the same source, and the spirit of food and food is connected by analogy, which also gave Yeats corresponding knowledge of potions.
As for this second method of generating income.
The money has to be taken from the pockets of the nobles who pursue their appetites.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating the deep eyes of the silver-haired boy.
He opened the Necromancer's production guide and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
"Mold...cheese...this is it!"
(End of this chapter)