Morata was dumbfounded by Leo's question, and after holding back for a long time, he said unwillingly: "But—"

"But what!" Morata's successive pushbacks clearly aroused the anger in Leo's heart, and the young bishop squinted slightly, and began to seriously consider whether he needed to remove the deacon Morata, who was supposed to be his right-hand man, on the first day of his tenure. www.biquge.info Although it is true that the position of deacon is not something that Leo can remove, but if the situation in front of him is used as an excuse to make trouble, no one can find fault with Leo's removal of Morata, right?

Morata seemed to have made up his mind, and after a soft sigh, he said to Leo with a smile on his face: "Before you take your anger out on me, I think I need to tell you about the current expenses of the Diocese of Varna. As a deacon, Morata is in charge of the daily operation of the diocese, and the daily operation is of course inseparable from money, so the financial power of the diocese of Varna naturally falls on Morata's head, so he is naturally the person with the most say in this regard.

"Oh? Tell me about it. Leo said, "Judging from my room and the carriage, I don't think it's too bad, right?" At the mention of the carriage, Leo involuntarily glanced at the earth-based wand in Morata's hand.

"On the contrary, everything went terribly." Morata shook his head, the expression on his face was obviously not beautiful: "Your predecessor, Bishop Cunningham, was a lascivious and lascivious fellow. He served as the Bishop of Varna for five years, during which he embezzled almost all the money in the diocese to enjoy a luxurious life comparable to that of the great nobles, and now there is not even a single copper plate in the parish treasury. Oh yes, you saw that angel statue at the entrance of the church, right? Bishop Cunningham got it last year, and he still owes the sculptor three hundred gold coins. ”

"This—" Leo's expression was obviously a little surprised, but after thinking about it, Leo had a vague feeling that what Morata said should be the truth. If nothing else, the room in the church, which was as grand as that of a noble family, and the carriage behind it, which was broken in a deep pit, cost a lot of money, and if you add the luxury of daily life, it is indeed a very large expense.

"What about the necessary expenses on weekdays?" Leo asked, curious.

"Well, the preachers in the villages below certainly don't care about it, so they can only let them figure out their own ways, as for the people in the church." Morata suddenly showed a somewhat embarrassed expression on his face, and his tone of voice was a little uncomfortable: "That, ahem, haven't you been to the back of the church yet?" ”

"Not really." Leo replied.

"I think so," Morata obviously felt rather embarrassed to say this, so he quietly lowered his voice: "We planted some vegetables, vegetables and fruits in the open space behind the church, and also managed to get some chickens and ducks to raise privately, and the income from weekdays was sold in the market, but we could barely make ends meet." ”

"You-" Leo pointed his finger at Morata, speechless for a long time, "You actually raise livestock in the church?" "No poultry or livestock of any kind are allowed in the area of the church, as is known to almost everyone on the continent. However, this guy in front of him actually opened a farm directly in the backyard of the church! This can no longer be described as audacious.

"Your Excellency, we are forced by the situation." Morata shrugged his shoulders helplessly and said, "If it weren't for the income obtained from this to maintain the necessary expenses, when you entered the Varna Cathedral today, it is estimated that there will only be two people, me and Pastor Lothar. ”

"Okay." Leo couldn't help but reach out to his forehead, and a feeling of defeat welled up in his heart. It was clear that the deacon standing in front of him was not a regular fellow, and since he was able to raise a nest of chickens and ducks at the risk of being burned at the stake in the backyard of the church, it was completely understandable that he would sell the magical equipment from the dead heretical magician for money. Anyway, if there are more lice, it doesn't itch, and no matter how many heads are charged, it is impossible for a person to be beheaded twice, right?

"So now my parish of Varna doesn't even have a copper plate?" Leo asked.

"That's right." Morata added: "And there are three hundred gold coins in arrears." ”

"・・・・・・" Leo was silent for a moment, and then asked, "How much is the annual religious tax of our diocese?" "The religious tax is a special tax in the Spani Empire, and all religious taxes will fall into the hands of the organs of the church at all levels, and it is the most important source of income for the organs at all levels of the church.

"Last year's tax was four hundred and twelve gold coins, my lord." Morata replied.

"What? So little? Leo's eyes widened involuntarily, in this case, wouldn't there be only a hundred gold coins left after paying off the three hundred gold coins owed?

"That's true." Morata showed a helpless expression: "Presumably, your lord should have a preliminary impression of Varna City, with all due respect, how can a territory with such a small city as its capital collect how much tax?" ”

"That's right." Leo nodded in agreement, and then asked, "So under normal circumstances, how much should it cost to maintain the normal operation of the entire Varna Parish?" ”

Morata was obviously prepared, and quickly quoted a figure: "If you include repairs, replacements, maintenance, and the salaries of all kinds of personnel, the minimum standard is two hundred and fifty gold coins." But since the activities of the whole diocese have almost completely stopped for five years, I estimate that it will take at least one hundred more gold coins, that is, three hundred and fifty gold coins, to achieve the goal. ”

"Three hundred gold in arrears, plus three hundred and fifty gold in necessary expenses, so we need at least six hundred and fifty gold in income this year, right?" Leo's eyelids began to flutter.

"That's right, sir." Morata nodded.

"But our income is only four hundred gold coins a year!" The expression on Leo's face became more and more ugly: "That means there is still a gap of two hundred gold coins!" ”

"Yes, sir." Morata nodded again.

"Twenty silver coins are enough for a family of three to live comfortably in the city for a month, and if you save a little, it is not a problem to support three months. But twenty silver coins are worth only one-fifth of a gold coin! Where do you tell me to find you two hundred gold coins!" Leo almost roared.

"That's why I sold these two things, Lord Bishop." Morata gently shook the two pieces of magic equipment in his hand: "This wand can be sold for at least five hundred gold coins, and the value of the magic necklace is even higher than that of a magic wand, I don't think it is a problem to sell eight hundred gold coins at all, so that we can get an income of 1,300 gold coins, and two hundred gold coins will no longer be a problem for us, my lord." That's right,"

Morata paused suddenly, and glanced at the pit behind Leo very deliberately: "With this money, I can guarantee that you will soon see a better carriage than the original one." ”

The phrase worked.

"Sell! Sell, sell, sell, sell! Leo patted Morata's shoulder hard and gritted his teeth.

"As you wish, dear Bishop." With a triumphant smile on his face, Morata put the two pieces of magical equipment into his arms, then stretched out his fingers and pursed his lips and whistled very loudly, then shouted in a direction outside the alley, "Come here, everyone!" ”

Looking at the fox-like smile on Morata's face, Leo suddenly had a thought in his heart: "Did I lie to this guy?" ”