'Gotta get it~'

Rosen rode out of the south gate of Silvermoon Castle in his newly purchased carriage and headed south along a muddy country road to his knight's domain.

He wasn't going to bother with the territory, but news from Crescent Town made him think of something that might happen in the future.

Rosen had a vague feeling that if Vopos didn't get this thing done and let the count down, then it might fall on Chapolais.

And if Uncle Shapole goes to Crescent Town, he will definitely come to him for help.

With his current status, of course, he can find a reason to shirk, but he is not ready to push.

In Whitehorse, he said that he would greatly repay Chapole's kindness.

As a gentleman who talks about credibility, you either don't say it, and you will do it when you say it.

Another consideration is that if there is chaos in Crescent Town, it will be a storm center, which is very dangerous, but if it is operated well, it can also soar into the sky with the power of the storm.

At that time, not to mention his status, he also helped the Count solve big problems. With the count's character, he will definitely be rewarded vigorously.

Then since you plan to speculate again, you naturally have to lay out in advance.

One of them is to get acquainted with the affairs of the lord.

But now, he feels like he's underestimating the difficulty of going to the countryside.

Although the new carriage also used Thureau levitation, the road conditions on the country roads were too bad, with a pit here and a bump there, and if you go a little faster, you can't stand it.

"It's a rough road."

It's still in the plains, and if it's in the mountains, it's impossible to go.

It is also foreseeable that when this trip returns to Silvermoon Castle, the newly purchased carriage will have to be overhauled.

Fortunately, the road is not far, 15 miles in a straight line, and about 30 miles after a detour.

Departing at 7 a.m., we will walk through the southern suburbs and around the hill of red leaves, which is less than 100 meters high, and there will be a large plain with extremely gentle undulations.

Follow a riverside path with a small river less than 10 meters wide, and walk all the way for 3 miles, and you will come to an intersection with a dilapidated street sign covered with mold in the center of the road, indicating that the village of Philland is on the right of the turnaround.

Seeing that he was about to reach the ground, Rosen asked the coachman, "Joey, have you heard of the village of Fielder before?" ”

Joey is a coachman hired in the city, in his thirties, loyal and honest.

He smiled innocently: "I've heard of some, it used to be very good, so there are quite a lot of people in the village." But in recent years, it has not worked, and many people have only one pair of pants for four or five people in their families. Whoever goes out wears it. ”

Rosen was stunned: "I remember that the village is full of free people, how can they be so poor?"

"I heard that it is because the river in the village is blocked, and the water often rises, and when it rises, the road out is flooded, and I like to flood the crops, which can rise more than a dozen times a year."

"Is it the river out there?"

Lawson pointed to the creek on the side of the road.

"Yes, that's it. You see, there was a light rain yesterday night, and the river has risen so much, if it rains a little more, the water will rise again. ”

Lawson turned his head to look at the river and found that the water was indeed sharp and yellow, and the river was less than half a meter from the shore.

"Isn't there anyone thinking of widening the river, or building embankments?"

"Of course I did. But if you want to do it well, you need a lot of money to buy tools and materials. Who can afford to pay for it? ”

"It used to be better, but in recent years, the lords of Silvermoon Castle have become more and more concerned about the life and death of the peasants, they only know how to harvest. Master, it's me who is too talkative! ”

Rosen waved his hand: "It's okay." ”

Soon, the carriage drove through a road that was almost muddy, and on several occasions the wheels got stuck in the mud.

If it hadn't been for Rosen's spell to lift the carriage out, the carriage wouldn't have been able to go.

It hurt him so much that he didn't feel like a knight in a carriage, but a man who carried a carriage.

Finally, after passing this muddy field, I saw a big tree in the distance, and the canopy of the big tree stretched out, covering thousands of square meters of land.

With the trunk of the big tree as the center, there are circles of thatched huts in a total of more than a dozen circles, about 300 or so, corresponding to the 367 households in the data.

It was close to noon, but none of the shacks had smoke on them.

Rosen asked, "Don't you eat lunch in the village?" ”

Joey shrugged: "It should be eaten, like eating a few cold potatoes or something." ”

"But certainly not firewood. There is a lot of rain in spring, and the firewood is not good for making a fire, in addition, the firewood has to be cut in the mountains, and the quantity is also limited, so it has to be saved. ”

Rosen understood.

Think about it, there is only one pair of pants, why do you want to make a fire and eat hot food?

After the carriage entered the village, a bunch of bare-bottomed children came out of the corner, running after the carriage curiously and fearfully.

Rosen took a look and found that no matter how much boy or girl there were no clothes.

The children, with thin and thin bodies, seem to have big heads.

His body was full of mud, his hair was a mess, and his faintly visible skin was frozen dark red, but he didn't know the cold.

Faces can also be seen at the door of each shack and behind the window.

There are pants at the door of the station, but there are no pants behind the window.

I could faintly hear the buzzing of the chatter, but I couldn't make out what was being said.

Coachman Joey shrank back in fear: "Master, you have to be careful of these villagers, they are so poor that they dare to do anything."

Rosen also felt a lot of greedy gazes, and knew that he was negligent, and with a single thought, he had a constant trigger-type resistance force field for himself and the coachman.

"Go to the clearing under the tree in the center of the village, the butler I sent should be waiting for me there."

"Okay~"

The carriage drove quickly and slowly under the big tree.

This is the center of the village, and the villagers are a little richer, at least they have clothes on them.

Of course, it is very shabby and full of layers of patches, even multiple layers.

The only person in the crowd who appeared to be somewhat well-dressed was Barbas, who was just 25 years old, hired by Rosen for a 35-kroner annuity.

He was dressed in a black butler's robe, with short lean haircuts, dark skin, and a thin build, but he had a shrewd and capable face.

As soon as the carriage stopped, he hurried over to greet him, ignoring the mud on the ground, and at the same time commanded the villagers loudly.

"Hurry up, spread the prepared leaves and hay on the ground, pave a way, and don't let the lord step on the mud on the ground!"

A dozen or so thin-looking male villagers in ragged clothes immediately ran up and spread fresh blades of grass under the carriage all the way to the wooden steps of a small two-story wooden building.

When the road was paved, Lawson opened the carriage door and stepped out of the carriage.

I have to say that Babas's move is very satisfying to him, he really doesn't want to step on the mud, and he doesn't want to cast spells because of this.

Standing on a makeshift carpet of grass, Lawson looked around at the surrounding villagers.

I just glanced at it, but I didn't speak yet.

Babas immediately waved his hand away: "What are you doing around the lord, retreat!" Get out of the way! They are covered in fleas, do you want to pass them on to the lord? ”

The villagers immediately walked briskly and retreated more than ten meters, and then looked at Lawson timidly, with a deep awe in their eyes, but also a trace of longing.

Rosen looked at it and understood a little, and he was prepared.

As soon as the thought moved, some copper clen automatically flew out of the money bag that had been prepared in the carriage for a long time, and flew towards each villager, each of whom was divided into 20 grams.

"Reward you, and then."

When the villagers were overjoyed, they knelt on the ground and shouted words of gratitude, despite the sludge on the ground.

Things like, 'Long live the lord, the lord is in good health, and the lord is a good man with a safe life'.

Lawson ignored it, and after rewarding the butler Babas with three silver clays, he stepped on the grass carpet and walked into the only wooden house in the village.

The butler Babas, who had been rewarded and his face was full of joy, followed Rosen a few meters away, like a pug, and almost wagged his tail.

And the reason why he flattered Rosen as a lord so diligently was because he was born in Silvermoon Castle and knew very well that Rosen's status was noble.

He can decide the fate of himself and his family in the future with one sentence, and the benefits that leak out of his fingers can make his family eat and drink without worry, and live a fairly decent life.

And if you anger him, you will lose your job at least and lose your life at worst.

On the other side, Lawson went to the wooden building and tried to find a place to sit, but found that both the tables and chairs were dark, dirty, greasy, and the air was full of the rotten smell of wood.

It is possible to sit, and he is not picky, but the clothes on his body cost him 20 crowns, and they are ruined if they are greasy.

So, I had to stand.

"Babas, you've been here for half a month, and you have a full understanding of the basic situation in the village, right?"

Babas immediately nodded, "Yes, Lord Lord."

"Tell me about it."

Babas immediately began to detail the situation in the village of Filand.

"At present, there are 379 households in the village, with a total of 1,552 people, of which 1,261 are between 12 and 50, 763 are men and 502 are women."

Rosen listened carefully: "There are so many men, why?"

"Two reasons. First, some of the beautiful women have married and left the village of Philand. Second, some of the people who died in childbirth also died. ”

Rosen understood: "Go on."

"In today's villages, gold can only be obtained by selling grain, meat from poultry and livestock, and game from the fields and forests."

"In addition, some silk and hemp are planted in the field, which can be spun into linen, but there are no looms in the village, so we can only sell raw hemp."

"All in all, if you use a loose tax of 4%, you can make a profit of about 200 crowns a year. If the tax is 60%, it will be more profitable, but doing so may cause the villagers to flee or even revolt. ”

"Also."

Rosen listened in silence until Barbas finished speaking, and then he spoke, "Is there a way to change the situation?"

Babas hesitated, but nodded.

"Dredging the river, building irrigation canals, filling in the roads out of the village, and building a few public toll facilities, such as a water-powered mill and a textile workshop, should make a big difference in the village of Filand."

"At that time, the tax will also increase significantly in a year, at least 700 crowns, and maybe 1,000."

"So, at least how much does it cost?"

"If it's an ordinary level, you can do without money and be exempt from taxes for two years. If you want to improve the specifications of the project and use stone to build, you can be tax-free for two years at the same time. There is also a gap of 1000 crowns. ”

After speaking, he was afraid that Lawson would be angry, so he lowered his head and explained urgently.

"Of course, after this money is spent, there will be no need to think about follow-up maintenance for at least thirty years, and it can also show the virtues of the lord very well."

"There is no need to worry about labor, as long as there are enough tools and materials, and a lunch is provided, the villagers can requisition it for free."

Rosen had already understood

He, the lord, basically doesn't have to do anything, as long as the taxes are lighter and he doesn't command blindly, ordinary people in this world can live their lives well.

But the status quo is generally that as long as you don't die, you will squeeze to death.

And among all the words of Barbas, the one that touched his heart the most was the five words 'the virtue of the lord'.

Another main purpose of his visit was to earn the reputation of this virtue.

Looking at the group of villagers outside the wooden house, who were not even as good as savages, Rosen said: "Then the tax exemption will be three years, and the rest will be done according to what you say."

After a pause, he added: "Water roads, public facilities, all built of stone."

"Huh?" Barbas couldn't believe it.

Lawson didn't want to stay in the dark and damp wooden house, and walked to the steps outside the door.

"Go and call all the people in the village, and then announce my orders."

"Yes, my lord."

The butler Babas happily called someone to go.

There are many reasons why he is happy: First, such a big project will definitely make some oil and water through his hands.

Of course, I don't dare to make too much money, after all, the lord is a wise mage.

Second, if the village of Filand is done, he will have a much better life in the future.

After some running, the villagers of Filand quickly gathered in the clearing of the big tree.

Babas reported softly: "My lord, all the people in the house who have pants are here, the men who don't have pants are here, and there are a lot of shameless women and children. In total, about 1,300 people came. ”

That's a strange description.

Rosen said, "Next, I will say a word, and you will shout for me."

It's very tiring to shout loudly, it hurts your throat, and this rough work has to be done by your subordinates.

"Introduce me first."

Barbas let go of his throat and shouted.

"This is the new lord of the village of Philander, Rosen. Morality. Sir Filand, who is also a very powerful Divine Seal Mage. Highly respected in Silvermoon Castle, he has also killed hundreds of ice dwarf invaders on the battlefield of Moonlight Town, and has been personally received by the Count many times! ”

As soon as he was introduced, the villagers looked at Lawson with a lot more awe and less greed.

"Say my orders again."

"The lord said that everyone's life is too hard, and he feels very sad for his kindness and generosity, so for the next three years, all taxes will be exempted!"

"Let us cheer for the merciful, generous and generous lords!"

The order was a real and great benefit, and the villagers immediately cheered loudly.

"Let's talk about engineering."

"The lord also said that the flooding in the village is too bad, the roads are too bad, and there are no mills and weaving mills, and he is ready to contribute a lot of money to improve the situation!"

"That's a thousand gold coins!"

'Whoa~'

The villagers were stunned, this was a huge investment that people could not have imagined.

'Puff~Puff~Puff~'

Almost all the villagers fell to their knees on the dirt floor and loudly praised the new lord with all the good words they could think of.

Rosen waved his hand at the villagers in response.

At this point, the matter is finished, and everything that should be known is known.

Rosen didn't bother to stay in this dirty, no-even sleazed village of Philand.

He looked at Babas, "Let's go, take my car back to Silvermoon Castle, go to the city to hire craftsmen, and hire some warriors to maintain law and order."

If you want to do a big project, you must handle a lot of money, and he is a little afraid that his butler will be killed by greedy villagers.

The butler Babas was immediately flattered: "My lord, I will ride a horse or donkey back, and I will not dirty your carriage."

Lawson used a 'low-level cleansing technique' on him.

"No problem now."

Not very clean, but at least it won't stain his new carriage.

Babas's waist was straight, and his face was full of pride, because being able to sit in the lord's carriage was a rare dignity for a steward.

He couldn't help but shout at the villagers again.

"Villagers of Filand, you have a truly good lord, and good days are ahead!"

(End of chapter)