Chapter 262: Construction of the Wizard Tower (Part 2)
"Sorry, we do not provide lodging services here. If Sir Lucien needs, he can spend thirty silver coins at the Pink Fairy Club in Gien Town. I'm sure Lady Sara would be happy to arrange someone to relieve your loneliness," Veronica sarcastically stated. Young Lucien was embarrassed by the mockery, but the royal knights laughed it off, not taking it personally. Veronica's meaning was clear: sightseeing was welcome, but male overnight stays within the wizard tower were not.
Of course, this certainly did not include a certain someone. When everyone reached the staircase door connecting the sixth to the seventh floor, a massive iron door blocked everyone's way. Veronica tapped her high heel on the floor and turned around: "Thank you for the visit, ladies and gentlemen. Today's tour ends here. The seventh and eighth floors are my private areas, please head back."
The knights understood that private areas were not suitable for visits and began to disperse. Ryan also intended to leave, but Veronica immediately grabbed his arm.
"My dear, it's them. Come with me."
"Wait!" Teresa, seeing that the knights were indeed dispersing, hurriedly spoke: "I want to go too."
Veronica's brow furrowed, but then, thinking of something, she agreed with a smile: "Alright, Trovick, you come along too."
Teresa quickly followed behind as Veronica opened the iron door. The luxurious private area had a red carpet leading the way, with semicircular arches for entrances, windows, and columned galleries. The floor depicted an elliptical shape resembling Earth, adorned with animal and plant patterns, while the dome symbolized stars moving in the same direction as the sun, made from golden brass plates.
"Morgiana also wanted to visit your wizard tower, but after considering many factors, I decided it was best not to invite her," Ryan said as he ascended the stairs, hands behind his back, smiling at Veronica: "I can't imagine Morgiana's reaction upon seeing your decoration."
"What reaction could there be? If I had nothing to do with you, her first reaction would probably be to tie me to a stake and burn me, right? Oh, right, I'm not afraid of flames," Veronica chuckled: "Dear, you did the right thing. Remember to keep protecting me!"
Ryan gave a wry smile, and seeing Teresa still confused, he began to explain the reasons to the witch.
Morgiana, as the Lady of the Lake's spokesperson and first Chosen in the mortal world, wielded immense power in this kingdom as a religious leader. She also had a significant disdain for mages within the kingdom, especially male court wizards employed by dukes. Many court wizards often locked themselves in their attics, drowning their sorrows in wine, their complaints about the Lady's witches abound.
Now, Ryan's territory hosted twenty Grail Knights and several Lady's prophets. If Morgiana were to visit Veronica's wizard tower, at least a few prophets and no less than eight Grail Knights would accompany her for protection. Not only were these individuals powerful, but they also followed Morgiana's commands to the letter. Ryan was genuinely worried about the Lady's witch's sudden actions, who knows if Veronica's tower violated any of the thousands of pages of laws?
"But I think you have the ability to calm Morgiana down, my dear. With women, you always have your ways," Veronica said with a teasing smile.
Teresa was still somewhat confused, but Ryan and Veronica moved on from the topic as they arrived at their destination.
Veronica's private space included her personal magic workshop, bedroom, living room, dining room, study, and bathroom. When the Garland Witch opened her bedroom door, both Ryan and Teresa were impressed.
Veronica's bedroom wasn't large, decorated with brown wallpaper, tapestries, and landscape paintings across its twenty square meters. The room's warm tones were complemented by cherry wood cabinets and furniture near the door, an exquisite vanity, a beautiful floor lamp, and a dwarf-made fireplace.
Opening the glazed windows revealed beautiful countryside views: Ryan's stables and vast fields to the left, the clear waters of the Chinon River and the majestic Jia Bone Mountain Range to the right. From the windowsill, one could see Ryan's earl's castle, and beyond the lush hills lay the road to Winfort, the capital of the duchy, shrouded in fog towards the direction of the Lady's tower.
"How beautiful," Ryan remarked, his gaze then falling on the bed in Veronica's bedroom, suddenly smiling: "I like this bed, always have."
"I like it too," Veronica flirted back, referencing the bed she brought all the way from Skyreach Fortress to Ryan's land. The bed, reinforced with fine redwing wood, was large and soft, holding many of Veronica's fond memories. The Garland Witch clapped her hands: "Alright, Trovick, you've seen everything there is to see. Now, please leave us. It's time for Ryan and me, and don't touch my bed!"
Teresa was about to touch the bedsheet but stopped at Veronica's words, her brows furrowing. However, knowing it was best not to argue with Veronica in front of Ryan, the witch simply sat down on a chair: "Such a luxurious wizard tower, Veronica. I think you won't need to leave this place anymore."
"That's none of your concern, Trovick. Mind your own business. By the way, when do you plan to return to your council? Don't keep your mother waiting!" Veronica retorted, sitting on Ryan's lap and deliberately kissing him on the mouth: "Stop disturbing me and Ryan, will you? I'm begging you."
"You!!!" Teresa was provoked to anger again.
"Alright, alright, ladies," Ryan finally spoke up, hugging Veronica tightly before gently letting go and standing by the window, his tone calm: "I have something I want to discuss with you both."
Hearing Ryan's words, both witches knew he had important matters to discuss. Veronica kicked off her black heels, her long, slender legs wrapped in black silk exuding allure as she lazily sat on the bed: "Speak, my dear. You must have encountered a problem, right?"
"Ryan, what's wrong?" Teresa turned her head, her black glasses with butterfly patterns shifting as she looked at Ryan by the window.
"I have a few plans. First, I plan to reduce taxes across my entire territory. The serfs' lives are too hard," Ryan said gravely, his gaze stretching beyond the window: "I need to lower taxes to boost their morale."
The view was filled with fields and prosperity, serfs toiling in the midsummer wheat waves.
"This means you're challenging the existing 'nine-tenths tax system,' my dear," Veronica immediately realized something, furrowing her brow: "Dear, what do you plan to do? If you're going to tamper with taxes, it means you're declaring war on the majority of the kingdom's nobility, and your territory will also face instability."
"Ryan, be cautious about taxes. Even as the Lady's Champion, this will provoke opposition from the nobles," Teresa also cautioned:
"You must be careful."
"So, we must tread carefully," Ryan frowned, sharing his thoughts with Veronica and Teresa: "Those who clear farmland in the forest, lords who diligently farm for over five years, pay taxes on time, and serfs whose family members have been promoted to sergeants will enjoy tax reductions. Their taxes will be reduced from one-seventh to one-sixth. How about that?"
The new earl knew that altering Brittany's tax system, which had been in place since the kingdom's founding, would shake the foundations of rule. He couldn't discuss this with his knights, steward, or tax officers, as they would undoubtedly oppose. His only confidants were Veronica and Teresa.
"No way!" Veronica immediately objected: "Ryan, you must not touch the one-seventh tax. If you don't want to face condemnation and hostility from the entire kingdom, never touch this tax. If you want to die, come to bed quickly and leave me a child; then you can go hang yourself."
"Exactly! Ryan, don't touch this tax. Think about it, most of the kingdom's serfs are under the 'nine-tenths' system. Duke Francois's 'seven-tenths' system already subjected him to massive criticism and pressure. Francois is a descendant of Arthur and a Grail Knight, yet he faces such immense pressure. If it were you, with your shallow roots in this country, you couldn't do it, Ryan," Teresa softly said: "You must not."
Ryan turned from the window, feeling the pressure from the entire society and class.
Neither Veronica nor Teresa belonged to the noble class. Their standpoint was for Ryan's benefit, yet even they were against his idea.
One could imagine the intense opposition Ryan would face if he convened a meeting with his knights.
"Ryan, remember, don't think reforming the tax system is easy. You would make countless enemies within the kingdom. If the kingdom reduced taxes from one-seventh to one-sixth, how many ranger knights would lose their positions and stipends, how many royal knights would go bankrupt?" Veronica earnestly added: "You would be making enemies of all the kingdom's knights!"
Ryan nodded slowly, sighed, and sat next to Veronica, asking softly: "Then let me think again... Or perhaps we can change the approach. Let's switch from the one-seventh tax to a fixed tax, based on the standard production rate of the farmlands. We can invite the Church of Mercy and the Church of Justice to ensure fairness, setting a general standard. If the serfs can pay the corresponding tax according to this standard, the rest is theirs. If they can't, we'll tax them based on one-seventh. How about that?"
"You mean, a fixed levy, where more work leads to more gain?" Veronica motioned for Ryan to hold her.
Ryan embraced Veronica, his hands caressing her smooth legs, enjoying the tender feel. Veronica let him, her eyes filled with affection. She thought for a while before nodding: "If that's the case, you'll face much less opposition. On the surface, the knights' interests wouldn't be harmed, and with your current prestige from defeating the Blood Red Duke and being newly ennobled, you indeed have the capability to achieve this, but... dear, you don't really have that much sympathy for serfs, do you?"
"Heh~ How could I?" Ryan thought to himself that he came to this world to fight Chaos, not to engage in charity and land reform. Improving serfs' living standards and unleashing productive forces was necessary, but as he said before, the main force against Chaos were the knights and nobles. These weakly faithful serfs, if nurtured, would only serve as guides for Chaos and the undead.
Certain theories aren't universally applicable. This world, with its gods and Chaos, isn't materialistic but idealistic. Allowing serfs to realize their value was Ryan's ultimate goal.
"Also, I plan to issue an order: all bandits and outlaw gangs within the territory have one month to surrender en masse. Depending on the situation, I'll either pardon them or reduce their sentences. If they don't come forward by then... heh heh," Ryan smirked.
"This idea is excellent. Bandits and outlaws are quality manpower. Ryan, with your current reputation in the kingdom, the outlaws wouldn't dare confront you," both Veronica and Teresa agreed on this point.
"Lastly, I plan for all infantry in the infantry brigades to enjoy a partial reduction in miscellaneous taxes. After serving as my soldiers for two years, they will be exempt from furnace tax, mill tax, and woodcutting tax. Sergeants and ranger cavalry will additionally be exempt from hunting tax and marriage tax," Ryan added, encouraging serfs to enlist eagerly.
War wasn't just about knights; infantry was equally indispensable.
The issue of miscellaneous taxes was minor, entirely up to Ryan, so the witches had no further comments.
"Let's proceed with this plan!"
...
Old World, Southern Realms, Tilea, Miragliano.
Emperor, Kiliman, Fugen, and Kaul were strutting down the streets of Miragliano, attracting surprised glances from many passersby. However, that was all. They assumed these individuals were either bishops or guards from some religious sect or perhaps high elf visitors.
Miragliano, the City of Art, was the capital of the Kingdom of Tilea, renowned in the Old World for its architecture, fashion, art, painting, opera, and tourism. Here, countless artists and singers rooted themselves, while merchants, wizards, and mercenaries formed the core rulers of the Kingdom of Tilea. They checked and balanced each other, collectively creating Tilea's current prosperity.
Despite the departure of the high elves, this metropolis, famous for over fifteen hundred years, maintained its former prosperity.
However, due to Tilea being composed of countless city-states and a free trade environment, corruption was rampant. The city's thousands of churches worshipped hundreds of strange deities, many of which were unheard of. The Chaos Gods, after simple disguises, could receive open worship here. Elves, dwarves, and even mutated subraces roamed the streets freely, unmanaged. Murder and theft occurred every second on the streets, and some even openly sold heretical books and ornaments without interference.
Thus, Emperor and his companions moved freely through the streets. The Lord of Mankind's black hair fluttered in the summer breeze, with Kiliman and Fugen flanking him. The ultimate warrior prototype, Kiliman, discontentedly remarked: "Father, this city, despite its prosperity, is too chaotic."
Emperor didn't respond to Kiliman's comment but instead stopped.
"Look there, Kiliman, Fugen. Tell me, what do you see?"
Kiliman and Fugen looked up to see a pig sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and snorting "hurrhurr," advancing under the protection of numerous elite mercenaries.
"A pig wearing a crown?" Fugen asked in confusion: "Are they worshipping some false god?"
"No, that's the elected Prince of Tilea by the city-states' council. It has been in power for nine years," Emperor stated calmly.
Update! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
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