Silvermoon Manor.

Victor leaned back in his chair, playing with the scorpion tail bead Sylvia had given him, and a brand new letterhead was pinned to the writing table in front of him.

The style and material of the letterhead are the most ordinary parchment scrolls, and the handwriting and fire paint seals on them exude a sour smell, and this smell does not dissipate until the ink and fire paint have dried, and then the letterhead can be called a parchment scroll.

In fact, Victor didn't have to be so careful, Bishop Pero took away the copy of the letterhead, and even if the two scrolls were damaged, the notice signed by the lord and the bishop was pasted in front of the church door, and the notarization before God had taken effect, and the church would never deny it.

The notarization before God is a product of the New Covenant of Light, which refers to the nobility entering into a contract in the presence of the Lord of Light and overseeing it by the secular servants of the Lord of Light. The notarization of God has the highest priority and is sacrosanct, and in case of violation, the Inquisition of the Church will directly intervene in the execution of the contract.

For lords and nobles, notarization before the gods had little practical effect. Aristocracy valued credibility, and treachery would bring shame on the family, even if it was a verbal promise. However, the emergence of the Divine Notary marked a great victory for the Paladins in the power struggle, occupying the dominant position of the Church, and the overall strategy of the Church also changed, and it began to actively participate in the internal affairs of the lords and nobles, and strive to expand its influence.

Therefore, the notarization before the gods was resolutely resisted by the lord of the White Tower, and was treated negatively by the lord of Sasang, so it can be said that there were few responders. In just four years, Victor held two notarizations before the gods, which can be called a wonderful flower among the lords. In particular, the content of this notarization before God and the object of the conclusion are unique.

There is only one core clause of the Randalls' pre-divine notarization: all freedman families who contribute to the construction of houses in Randall become registered citizens of Lord Randall, and the Randalls swear not to infringe on their private property and are supervised by the church.

Victor originally wanted to write that the property of the registered citizens was protected by Viscount Randall. Bishop Perrault, however, considered this to be redundant, since protection and devotion were the responsibilities of the lord and the populace, respectively. Victor offered to pay a deposit to the church, and Bishop Perot said very domineeringly: No.

Non-aggression, non-protection, and non-need means that the Randall family cannot arbitrarily deprive the freemen of their property for generations, and the registered citizens have suffered losses due to natural and man-made disasters, so what should be done and what should be done, and the lord must not be allowed to compensate the people. If the Randalls break their promises, the Church naturally has the power to intervene.

Victor was stunned for a long time before he realized that he had made another mistake.

The reality is that in this era of gods and knights, the powerless mortals are of course the lowest. All the wealth in the realm belongs to the lord, including the house, not to mention that the human race is always in a state of war, and it is reasonable for the lord to collect wealth to defend against foreign enemies, even the mortals themselves admit this. Victor's claim that protecting the property of his people is completely flattering to the blind and is purely self-inflicted.

Perhaps, some lords will think that Viscount Randall is poor and crazy, and he does not hesitate to put a shackle around his neck in order to extract the money of the freedmen.

If Victor really thinks so, and treats the lords as idiots, then he is a fool himself.

Sylvia's acquiescence and Bishop Perro's appreciative look before leaving proved that neither the lord nor the church's top brass lacked political wisdom, and in their eyes, the Randall family's notarization of gods was very much in line with the actual needs of the Pioneer Lord. Viscount Randall used the golden sign of the church to attract the population and squeeze wealth by the way, which was a very clever means.

The so-called yoke is actually the declaration and self-restraint of the lord, which is a rare quality. Victor is not the first self-disciplined upper-class figure, nor will he be the last, the most famous of them is the founder of the Church of Radiance, the first Pope Enoch.

The Radiant Code prohibits the Church from holding secular power and from engaging in commercial trade. It is precisely because of Iraq's self-restraint that the Glorious Church has endured and given Victor an opportunity.

Victor's political wisdom may not be as good as those old and spicy lords, but after all, he comes from a world of information explosion, and in terms of knowledge, he is a few streets away from the lords. Victor's pre-god notarization is not just as simple as sucking money and attracting people, he also has a long-term consideration.

There are also outstanding characters among the freedmen, who are rich, capable, knowledgeable, and have immeasurable connections, they may be the second son of a village chief, or the cousin of a soldier, or the cheap brother-in-law of a sheriff, these are all things that Victor needs. The problem was that they did not dare to go to the pioneer collar, they were afraid of being stripped of their wool.

Under normal circumstances, the lords do not infringe on the property of the freedmen, but there are still cases of scheming among the freemen, let alone the pioneer lords? Now Randall's notarization before the gods is enough to dispel the concerns of the freedmen.

According to Victor's vision, with the guarantee of the church and the public carriage, the wealthy freedmen would rush to Randall to buy a house, and they usually did business in Yehliu City to make money, and settled in Pinghu Town to spend money. This will not only boost the economic growth of the Rand Territory, but also the network resources of the Free Folk will also be used by Victor.

The public carriage is the most critical part of the whole plan!

The door of the study was pushed open, and a graceful figure walked in with a scent of incense.

"Honey, I'm coming. Alice said with a sly smile.

Victor frowned and said, "Why are you here?

"I just went to the shower and changed my clothes. Alice chuckled and spun around and said, "Is it pretty?"

Victor's eyes lit up, Alice was originally beautiful and moving, and after carefully dressing up, she was even more glamorous, her burgundy hair was coiled in a lady's bun, revealing a beautiful neck and delicate collarbone, slender feet stepped on a pair of delicate high heels, a black spider silk long skirt, a low-cut, corseted waist, and an open back design that showed the beautiful curves and smooth skin to the fullest, the skirt was four pieces of translucent tulle, with her turning, the corners of the skirt were flying, and the two snow-white slender legs were directly exposed to the air, like a blooming black iris.

See-through, backless, vacuum, heels, and learned to walk catwalks...... Isn't it almost time to have stockings? Looks like I've let a devil out......

Alice walked with sexy and enchanting steps, her breasts and long legs looming in the thin silk skirt. Victor felt the urge to have a nosebleed, but said, "How do you have this dress?"

"It was given to me by Madame Judy, and now the ladies wear it like that. Alice said coquettishly, "My lord, you haven't answered me yet." ”

"It's pretty good. As soon as Victor finished speaking, his face suddenly changed, and he asked, "You don't wear such clothes at the balls of the Buryat family, do you?"

"This is the privacy between noble ladies, how can you wear it at the ball?" Alice suddenly understood that her husband was jealous, and secretly rejoiced at the same time, and said flatteringly: "Sister Judy specially instructed me to wear it for adults to see, if you like it, she will also wear it for you." ”

Victor breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm going to talk to you about business, not for you to tempt me." ”

"It is my duty to serve you. Alice sat directly on Victor's lap, put her arms around his neck, pursed her delicate red lips and said, "Alina and Lilia are both by your side, only I keep going back and forth between Wild Willow City and Silvermoon Manor, and I may not be able to meet you when I come back." My lord, can you find someone to take my place?"

Lilia is in power, and the Alina sisters don't have the slightest envy, they only care about being jealous, not about fighting for power and profit. Aristocrats are naturally superior, not to mention Lilia, even Nelson seems shy in front of the Alina sisters. As a noble lord, Victor does not need to worry about his subordinates usurping power at all, and the forces of the entire human world maintain his authority and rule. However, he must involve Sister Alina in the affairs of the realm, otherwise the House of York will send men to join House Randall in advance.

"No, I can't. Victor slapped Alice's plump buttocks lightly and asked, "How's the family's jaggery and carriage business?"

Alice didn't dare to make a mistake, and said: "In the past two days, the caravans of several big families have snapped up 500,000 pounds of jaggery, and the shop income is 1,500 gold soles. The market for horse-drawn carriages is very average, only 18 carriages were sold this month, and the income was 540 gold soles. ”

"Raw sugar is now a strategic commodity, and it is normal that it is in short supply. Victor nodded and said, "I will immediately send 12 million pounds of jaggery to Yeliu City, of which 10 million pounds will be reserved for Marquis Sophia's share, and the remaining 2 million pounds can be sold, but the price will rise to 12 copper soles per pound." Also, remember to leave a 200,000-pound share for vendors, but don't allow them to raise the retail price in the market. ”

"Brown sugar is a strategic commodity, great!" Alice cheered and asked, "What is the price of the share of raw sugar left for Madame?"

"Ma'am?" said Victor blankly, "Sylvia didn't tell me to buy jaggery." ”

"Oh, it's the Marquis Sophia. Alice quietly stuck out her tongue and quickly corrected.

Victor was slightly distracted, in this hierarchical society, ordinary people can never shake the status of nobles, and there are differences between nobles, although he and Sophia have irreconcilable conflicts of interest, Sophia still has a decisive influence on the Randall family, if Victor has an accident, no one in the Randall family will dare to disobey Viscountess Sophia, of course, Sophia must give up the marquis title as soon as possible and join the York family, otherwise Sylvia will kill her with her own hands. If something happens to Sophia, nothing will happen to Victor.

Victor suddenly felt a trace of pity and admiration for Sophia, a woman who insisted on independence and maneuvered among the major forces, which was tantamount to dancing on a tightrope and falling into the abyss if she was not careful. And this is almost an inevitable outcome, the king's support for the chamber of commerce is not to create a rich and rival business aristocracy, large chambers of commerce have money but no strength, like a fat pig to be slaughtered, there is no possibility of survival.

As Sylvia said, it is difficult for the nobles who do not choose a side to move an inch. Victor was full of arrogance at the beginning, and after touching a full bag, he didn't immediately find a backer. Sophia could have hugged the queen's thigh, although she would lose most of her wealth, at least she could keep her position, but she did not hesitate to break with the queen to stand on her own, and now there is no way out. Victor really doesn't know, Sophia put himself in a desperate situation because of greed or stubbornness, anyway, he himself is not unsuccessful, he would rather die of fierceness, in the end he is just a little person like a weed, find a piece of land, you can grow a grassland, chasing the tide and tenacious.

"My lord, did I say the wrong thing. Alice said with a slight twist of her delicate body.

Looking down at the stunning stunner that Sylvia had given him, Victor's heart moved. Sylvia doesn't care about a vase man, and with her mind and wisdom, it's impossible not to see Sophia's plight, and the reason why she helped Sophia get rid of the queen's control is to wait for Sophia to be cornered before taking her under her command.

The royal family wants to harvest the wealth of the Chamber of Commerce, and the York family wants to absorb a grand knight. Sophia has a natural influence over the Randall family, and I have the same influence over her chamber of commerce. With the help of the power of the Chamber of Commerce, building a smuggling network will get twice the result with half the effort!

Thinking of this, Victor immediately changed his mind and ordered: "In a few days, let the steward of the Chamber of Commerce of Marquis Sophia come to Pinghu Town, and I will personally meet them." ”

"As you wish, my lord. ”

"One more thing. Victor nodded and said, "I have placed orders for the construction of carriages to the villages. You can buy some high-quality mahogany and copper ingots in Yehliu City, which will meet the needs of building 20 large passenger and freight carriages, 40 medium passenger and freight carriages, and 80 small passenger and freight carriages. ”

"So much?" Alice was taken aback by Victor's generosity, and said, "My dear, the carriage is not easy to sell in the first place, and the family-designed carriage for passengers and goods is not in demand at all. ”

"If you want to get rich, you must first build roads. "It's common knowledge that everyone on the planet knows. But it's not enough to have roads, you also need to have transportation. Horse-drawn carriage is the world's most important means of transportation and a very important fixed asset. The poor could not afford to buy a carriage, and even if they could, the wealthy freedmen did not buy it, but rented it, because the lords often requisitioned the carriages in their territories in order to meet the needs of transportation in their territories, and the freedmen generally did not want to return their carriages. Therefore, only vassals and nobles in the realm would buy carriages, and the lords could also ride horses, while most of the self-owned people could only travel on two legs.

Randall designed a passenger and cargo carriage, which can carry both people and goods, the large carriage can carry 40 people and 2 tons of cargo, the medium carriage can carry 30 people and load 1.5 tons of cargo, and the small carriage can carry 20 people and 1 ton of cargo, the design of the carriage is very complex, sturdy and durable, and the production cost is much higher than that of ordinary carriages.

However, the superior people do not ride in horse-drawn carriages for both passenger and freight purposes, and their capacity is not as high as that of traditional freight carriages. No one wants to buy such an expensive and impractical vehicle except Randall for his own use.

Victor designed the carriage entirely to meet the needs of public transport, which was still an unexplored piece of virgin territory.

Public transport is of a public welfare nature and is destined not to be too profitable, but the economic benefits and potential social impact it creates are difficult to estimate.

Suppose a villager catches a yellow sheep and eats it. Now with a public carriage, he can take the sheep to the town to sell, and use the money he earns to buy supplies, including jaggery, and pray at church. In this way, the villagers made money, the coachman made money, the tavern owner bought game, which was equal to money, the lord received taxes, the church got faith, and of course the Randall family made money.

This is just one aspect of Victor's development of public transport, and his real purpose is to smuggle with the public transport network.

Public transport has many benefits, but it has not been developed for a long time, mainly because of two major factors. First, the transcendent nature of the knightly aristocracy caused a serious division in society, with lords competing with each other for knightly bloodlines, and not considering the needs of commoners at all. How could they invest in the low-cost public transportation business because they were not even willing to grow kidney beans in order to earn their wealth? Second, the Church had the ability to develop public transportation, but they were restricted by the Radiant Code from engaging in any commercial trade. (Why?) The knight disagrees.) The Chosen One had a large population, many city-states, and a thriving trade, and the knights knew very well that the church could not be allowed to control trade. The church used to lend money to free people, but when they found it showing signs of bankruptcy, they immediately forbade it.

These two factors were the objective conditions for Victor to eat crabs first. He asked John Sr. to sell horse-drawn carriages in Yehwillow City in order to plan the development of public transportation. However, the investment in public transportation was too great for Victor's financial resources to realize this idea, so he set his sights on the freedmen.

The freedmen were at the bottom of society, their fixed assets were very easy to be remembered, and now that the church was escorting them, they could confidently and boldly engage in the business of public transportation. However, public transport was after all cheap, and the freedmen were willing to carry some goods in order to make more money, and these goods were of course protected by the Church. The influence of the priest was quite great, and the sentry soldiers did not dare to risk offending the priest to seize the public carriage, which facilitated smuggling.

Victor does not have the ability to control all the public carriages, he only needs to master the public transportation network of smuggling routes. Victor had instructed Hammer to find suitable freeman traders to build a public transportation network in their designated territories through partnerships, and the church and lords would naturally facilitate it. Even so, Victor needs to invest a huge amount of money, but it is worth the cost.

With the black market as the terminal, the mountain villages as the stronghold, the public transportation as the channel, the light and dark lines, the villain hyena as the cover, and the mercenary group to provide force support, can Victor's business empire be formed. This business empire is not just smuggling, it has the potential to attract many forces to join it and make it grow, and Victor has to keep it firmly in control.

Of course, there will be people who will challenge Victor's position in the process. Victor has the first opportunity, sitting on the alchemy tower, and what is there to fear in the face of challenges.

"Just do it. Victor commanded lightly.