Arthur walked into the town of Noel in a welcome from the mayor and hundreds of residents.

The fat mayor named Larkin was indeed a shrewd fellow, and not only personally led people to greet him, but also specially organized hundreds of residents to welcome him at the gate of the town.

And under Larkin's intentional publicity, Arthur's deeds have long been spread throughout the town. His lord is the hero who assassinated the orc prince, and the joy and respect on the face of each inhabitant is from the heart.

For the first time, Arthur had a fluttering feeling, it turned out that becoming a nobleman and lord would really be addictive!

The town of Nuel belonged to the king before, and there was no lord, so there was no lord's mansion for the time being, and Arthur and José and other entourages were invited to the town hall by the mayor of Larkin.

The entire territory of the town now belongs to Arthur, and Arthur can choose any place he is satisfied with to build the Viscount's House. Before the Viscount's Mansion was built, he could only temporarily live in the town office, and the sensible Larkin vacated his room for Arthur.

After a gracious reception, sending off the welcoming guests and settling the accompanying warriors, Larkin went to Arthur's room alone.

The point is only now really beginning, and until then, Arthur is happy with everything about Larkin.

After pouring a cup of tea for Arthur and himself, Larkin began to tell Arthur in detail about the situation in Nuel, from the population, the land, the mines, to the local customs and etiquette.

Arthur listened quietly, without commenting in between.

"It's not too early, so I won't disturb Lord Viscount's rest. Tomorrow I will take you around the town, you choose a satisfactory place, I can organize people to build you a mansion, the town has collected more than 600 gold coins in addition to the necessary expenses in addition to the necessary expenses, enough to build you a very magnificent viscount mansion. Larkin said before getting up to leave.

Arthur looked at Larkin with a smirk and didn't speak.

Larkin was suddenly a little embarrassed, not knowing whether he should get up and leave.

"I was ready to keep you on as mayor before then, but unfortunately you lied in the end. Arthur said lightly.

"Lord Viscount, I have not told half a lie before. Larkin hurriedly explained.

"Then tell me, how much should a medium-sized viscounty pay in a year, and how much is Nuel Town?" Arthur hit the nail on the head.

Arthur, a mercenary, was very sensitive to money, and when His Majesty Stredger gave him a viscount fief, he calculated how much gold he would earn in a year.

In the Isaac Kingdom, for commoners, five or six gold coins can meet the living needs of ordinary people's families for a year, and an income of ten gold coins a year is already a rich family. For the nobility, a knight without a fief can earn twenty or thirty gold coins a year, and a baron with a village fief can earn about a hundred gold coins a year.

And the nobles who have reached the level of viscount, depending on the size and barrenness of the fief, will have a tax income of seven or eight hundred to two or three thousand gold coins a year. Arthur's territory is medium in scale, and there are mines, inns, trading houses and other businesses, and it is estimated that the annual tax revenue will not be too bad without two thousand gold coins. Even after deducting the salaries and necessary expenses of the public servants in the town, the surplus income will not be less than 1,000 gold coins per year.

It had been more than a year and a half since Arthur had been officially canonized as Viscount Jiayong, and Larkin said that the town's income was only more than 600 gold coins, and it was obviously a big problem.

Larkin's sweat immediately flowed, "I'm going to bring over the account books of the past two years, and I don't dare to move a cent of the territory income since you were canonized." ”

Arthur waved his hand, "I don't look at the books, just an explanation of why my realm earns less than other viscounts. ”

Larkin immediately grimaced.

"Since you don't have a reasonable explanation, I can only look it up myself. Arthur's voice had become a little cold.

Larkin wiped the sweat from his head, "Lord Viscount, the income of the territory has indeed decreased significantly in the past two years, and I didn't dare to tell you that the reason is that I don't want the adults to get into trouble when they first arrive in the territory." ”

"Looks like you're still kind, give me an explanation first, and I'll judge whether or not to get into trouble. ”

Larkin breathed a sigh of relief and began to say slowly: "There is a small iron mine in our Nuer Town, although the output is not high, but the iron ore produced is of high quality, and even the things produced by several weapons stores and trading houses in the town are also quite famous in this area, and the tax revenue in the town is more than two thousand gold coins every year. Our town of Nuel is next to the Earl of Milne's domain, and all the iron ore and iron products sold in the town to the inland areas pass through the Earl of Milne's territory. The Count has added an extra layer of tax to us, and a layer of tax has been added to what is sold into the town from the county, and after two layers of tax in and out, there is not much left in the town. ”

"Oh?" Arthur was surprised, he thought that Larkin had embezzled with the people below, but he didn't expect that there was such a joint among them.

"Has the Earl of Milne always taxed the town of Noor?"

Larkin hesitated, "No, it wasn't long after the king officially canonized the town to you that he started collecting taxes from the town?"

Arthur frowned slightly, it seemed that the other party was deliberately coming at him.

"Do you just let them collect taxes on the town's estates for such a thing that is not in line with the rules of the kingdom?" asked Arthur.

Larkin's face was bitter, "I once went to visit the Earl, but the Count didn't even see me. I also went to the city of Guru, which I had jurisdiction before, to complain, but the city lord's palace said that after the territory was canonized to you, it was a dispute between nobles and no longer under the jurisdiction of the city lord's office. Several trading houses in the town have also joined forces to resist, but the Earl of Milne has 500 private troops, and our town's security team is less than 50 people, and armed resistance is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg. ”

Arthur tapped his fingers on the armrest of the seat without speaking.

The kingdom of Isaac stipulates that noble lords with fiefs can raise private armies. The kingdom stipulates the maximum number of troops that nobles at all levels can amass, and as long as the nobles can afford to raise them, the kingdom will not interfere with how many they can raise. For example, the four field legions of 100,000 people under the four princes of the kingdom have the nature of semi-private armies. The marquis can raise a maximum of 5,000 private troops, the earl can raise a thousand private troops, the viscount can raise 200 private troops, and the baron can only raise a maximum of 20 people.

The nobles were allowed to raise private armies to maintain law and order in the territory, and the kingdom was to fight abroad, and the nobles had the obligation to send troops to participate in the war, and the military salaries, weapons and equipment were all borne by the nobles. For example, in the previous war between the two clans, half of the 200,000 inland reinforcements were the guards of the major cities, and the other half were the private armies of the nobles.

"I suppose there must be some misunderstanding here, now that you are in office, I suggest that you pay a visit to the Earl of Milne with a gift, and that the misunderstanding be resolved." ”

Arthur suddenly looked up and smiled, "You have made a detailed list of the taxes that Milne has collected from my ground in the past two years, and I will take them with them to visit him." ”