Chapter 216 A Brand New Era
"He just left..."
At the port of Thunder City, Baron Gus, sitting on the carriage, stared straight at the port with regret written on his face.
After hearing the news that Mr. Colin returned to the territory, he originally planned to give this noble man a ride and express his gratitude, but he did not expect that he missed it in the end.
Getting off the carriage with her frilly skirt in hand, Lady Marina also had regret on her face, which she put on a little makeup.
Although Mr. Colin did not stay in her manor for a long time, that period was the happiest time for her in these years. She returned to the time when she was a girl again, and the pure and simple throbbing sprouted in her heart.
She knew in her heart that it was impossible for the two of them, but she still wanted to say goodbye to him properly, but in the end she couldn't even satisfy her last wish.
Looking at the face that made her increasingly tired, she held back her resentment and complained.
"It's all your fault, playing with those gold coins all day long, and even missed such an important farewell! Where have you put the glory of the nobles, he is your savior!"
Gus choked on these words and blushed, and couldn't help but reply.
"You blame me? If you hadn't fiddled with those accessories and put that powder on your face, would we have been late?"
Hence Saint Sis.
Why didn’t he realize that this guy loves to dress up so much before?
Hearing her husband's retort, Marina's face turned red and her lips trembled slightly in anger.
"What are you saying? Are you blaming me? Who do you think...I am for..."
When she said this, she actually only had half the confidence.
However, some people are like this. The less confident they feel, the more they like to ask questions and lose their temper.
Seeing the madam's angry reaction, Gus immediately regretted it, but for a moment he didn't know how to take back the spilled water, so he could only stand there stiffly with a sullen face.
The two children sitting in the car couldn't stand it anymore. His eldest son George, who was only ten years old, had a serious face, like a little adult, and said seriously.
"Dad, you shouldn't say that to mom. Keeping your appearance is the dignity of a noble. You always taught me this." Isabel, who was only nine years old, also nodded her little head and said Nuonuo.
"Yes, Dad, Mr. Colin is so beautiful, it's normal for mom to want to dress up, and I have been dressing up for a long time."
Marina glanced at her daughter in a panic, but soon realized that the child might not have thought that much, and was simply expressing her feelings. She was too sensitive.
Fortunately, Gus was not aware of any problem, after all, nothing happened in the first place. If he is cheating if he thinks about it in his mind, then he has already cheated countless times mentally and physically.
The expression on his face gradually softened, Gus put his arm around his wife's shoulders and said comfortingly.
"I'm sorry, dear, I shouldn't blame you..."
Seeing that the other party lowered his head first, Marina shook off his hand with a cold face, and her tone became even colder.
"Don't touch me."
Gus took his hand back with a smile on his face, trying to calm his wife's emotions.
However, he does not know that for a person who does not love him, his humiliation and unreasonable admission of fault will only make the other person feel bored and find him even more unattractive.
Marina looked at him with her chin raised, holding back the anger in her heart, she poured out her long-suppressed complaints.
“Do you think you have any aura of nobility? Apart from the title and land your father left you, what else do you have? The purest highland war horse has been ridden like a donkey by you. You can’t use a sword and can only hold up a musket to support the scene... Even if these don’t matter, you can make more friends at the banquet. It's good to be a friend, but what's the result? We are getting further and further away from the circle of nobles. Have you ever done something that a baron should do?"
The passers-by on the street looked at each other frequently, and the harsh whispers made Gus feel more and more depressed.
He even had a feeling that even the seagulls in the sky were laughing at him.
"That's enough, I know I was wrong. Let's talk about these things after we go home, okay?"
Looking at her husband begging for mercy, Marina took a deep breath to calm down, lifted up her skirt and returned to the carriage.
She is still a face-conscious person after all, and she cannot curse without regard for dignity like the village woman in Silver Pine Town.
Furthermore, she also realized that something was not right about herself today, which she would not normally be like.
What happened to me?
Looking at the lady who had calmed down, Gus finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, gave the coachman a warning look, who was too nervous to take a breath, and then returned to the carriage.
"You are right, dear, we are too far away from the circle of nobles... How about this? We buy a house at the port of Thunder City. At least in terms of location, we can be closer to the upper class. You can also hold dances and tea parties when you have nothing to do."
Marina's eyebrows relaxed slightly, and although her face was still sullen, it was not as stiff as before.
Gus calmed down and shouted towards the front of the carriage.
"Olier, what are you doing sitting there stupidly? Are you looking at my joke? Move quickly and go to the real estate trading floor!"
"Yes! Yes, sir!"
The butler and coachman sitting in front of the carriage was startled by the sound. He quickly waved the reins in his hands and drove the carriage forward.
The land in Thunder City belongs to the royal family, and house transactions are actually a very troublesome matter. In addition to an agreement between the buyer and seller, a nod from the Governor's Palace was originally required.
However, this situation has changed recently with the introduction of Edward's New Deal.
All citizens of Thunder City automatically obtain the right to use the land under their feet for 100 years.
This power is guaranteed by the Crown, and transfers and transactions no longer require the approval of the owner.
The original transaction involving three parties has become a matter of registration after both parties agree to each other.
· Affected by this, the housing prices in Thunder City have also skyrocketed. The trading hall is crowded with people, and the voice of inquiries is very lively.
Baron Gus got off the carriage and struggled to get to the counter of the trading hall.
In order to show his capable side in front of his wife, he did not order any servants, but chose to act in person.
"Is there any house on the market in Queens? I mean the three-story single-family house. Don't push it to me if you're old and shabby. I'm a baron in the principality!"
It's rare for a nobleman to come to buy a house in person. The lady sitting behind the counter was also startled, and she quickly flipped through the book in her hand to help him check.
"There is one remaining residence that matches your status. It is located on the north side of Queens Road. It has a construction area of 300 square meters. It has three floors and a terrace garden on the roof according to your request. The owner of the consignment is a timber merchant from the Remusa Chamber of Commerce Federation. The decoration style is quite tasteful..."
Gus knocked on the table and said.
"I want this set, how much does it cost?"
"Let me see for you... The price is 20,000 gold coins!"
"How much?!" Gus's eyes widened.
Twenty thousand gold coins!
If it were more expensive, he could buy a hotel!
The lady sitting behind the counter looked at him nervously, for fear of making the nobleman feel disrespected.
"Twenty thousand gold coins...Sir, because of His Majesty's new policy, the prices of houses in Thunder City have been rising recently. This situation has been going on for a month."
In fact, this house only cost 8,000 gold coins a month ago, but it cannot be maintained. Now the market is hot and the supply exceeds demand.
Seeing so many people wanting to buy it, the owner immediately doubled the price, and then added a little more.
Looking at the aristocratic gentleman with a pained face, she continued in a low voice.
"Or... I recommend to you the Knights Road next to it. There are also many houses there that meet your requirements, and the people living there are also the new rich of Thunder City. Then there is the Andes family's manor, but there are no single-family houses there. The western-style houses are all large manor houses, and because they are not listed, you may have to wait for someone willing to take action." Upon hearing this, Baron Gus's face suddenly darkened and he banged his hand on the table.
"What's this? Do you think I can't afford it?"
"No...I didn't mean that..." the girl standing behind the counter said tremblingly.
However, Gus was too lazy to pursue the rudeness of a servant. After regaining his dignity, he raised his chin and spoke loudly.
"Twenty thousand gold coins, right? That's it! Take me to see the house now. If there are no problems, we will sign the contract immediately!"
Twenty thousand gold coins is not a difficult thing for him, especially since he just recently made a fortune in Colin Mining's stocks.
Everyone around him looked at him in surprise and whispered in low voices.
Although they also come to buy houses, most of them only buy houses worth thousands or hundreds of gold coins.
Based in the envious gaze, Baron Gus's vanity was greatly satisfied.
In the past, he had asked servants to do these things, but he did not expect that vulgar taste could be so interesting, so that the embarrassment and awkwardness he had felt at the port were made up for at this moment.
"Yes, yes! I will arrange it for you right now..." The lady behind the counter nodded in surprise, and then quickly contacted her colleagues and arranged for a salesperson in formal clothes to trot over.
While waiting impatiently, Gus picked up the teacup on the counter and took a sip of the warm tea.
Looking at the endless crowd, a thought suddenly came to his mind -
The house price has more than doubled in just one month, why not buy more now?
Anyway, His Majesty Edward's New Deal will not end tomorrow.
With the determination shown by that gentleman, he will definitely push forward the reform to the end!
· Thinking of this, Gus felt hot in his heart. He ordered the salesman who rushed to him to follow him, and then hurriedly returned to the carriage.
Before Marina asked him how things were going, he said happily.
"Dear, I have a great idea! The prices of houses in the entire Thunder City are rising now. Since they are rising so fast, why don't we buy a few more houses? This is obviously gold rolling on the ground, and Saint Sith gave us free money!"
The salesman who climbed up to the front of the carriage and sat down quickly responded when he heard the words, turned his head and smiled flatteringly.
"Sir, you have such a good sense! To be honest, guests with the same distinguished status as you have already started to make arrangements. As for the street next to us, the houses in the entire street were bought by a certain earl... Of course, I can't say which one it is."
There are only three earls in the Principality of Campbell. The ones closest to Thunder County are Nanxi Valley and Spinall. It doesn't matter who they are.
Gus looked at his wife with a beaming look, raising his eyebrows and showing off his eyes.
However, looking at her husband with fiery eyes, Marina couldn't help but roll her eyes and groaned.
"You miser, you are really obsessed with money!"
Gus laughed, but didn't care. He just stared at both sides of the street with bright eyes, like looking at mountains of gold.
"That's right! I'm doing this for our family! George will go to Xuebang to further his studies and learn powerful magic, just like the respected Mr. Colin... I have to prepare in advance for his future!"
He missed the listing of Colin's mining stocks and did not get the most juicy piece of meat, but fortunately Saint Sith favored him and allowed him to catch up with Archduke Edward's new policy.
He doesn’t know how to run a factory, but buying a house doesn’t require any technical skills, as long as he has money!
He cannot miss this opportunity to make a fortune again!
…
The real estate market in Thunder City is showing signs of booming, and all of this seems to be attributed to the Honorable Majesty Edward. For a time, the prestige of the royal family has been unprecedentedly high.
If the shares of Colin Mining Company only "benefited" a small group of people, then this round of general increase in housing prices has even tasted the sweetness to ordinary people living in the suburbs.
The citizens of Thunder City have never loved their Majesty so much, so much so that the merchants who were still complaining about the royal tax increase at the beginning of last year have also changed their original views.
However, there are some people who understand that they can see that Edward's New Deal can at best ignite people's enthusiasm for buying houses. What really drives up the housing prices in Thunder City is the influx of funds through the port of Thunder City.
What initially attracted them here was the diamonds in Mr. Colin's hands, then the stocks of Colin Mining Company, and then the Osland colony and the mythical stories about endless wealth...
Starting from the initial charity dinner, this series of events jointly laid out a carefully planned situation.
This bureau has achieved not only Mr. Colin himself, but also batches of rich people including Andorra, Baron Gus, etc.
In the phenomenon of money-making effect, countless people willingly walked in and actively became chess pieces on the stage.
Even though the lead dancer has left the stage, these long-sleeved chess pieces who are good at dancing still play their roles according to the rules, pushing the stage play to a higher climax amidst the increasingly exciting accompaniment.
And everything is just the beginning...
………
Just as Baron Gus was waving tens of thousands of gold coins into the blue ocean real estate market, the town of Silverpine in the distance was peaceful and peaceful.
Since Princess Eileen came here, spring has come as if following the footsteps of that beautiful lady.
The adventurers began to enter the maze to explore the treasures in the underground world, and the farmers in the small town also came to the fields with hoes.
The frozen stream began to flow again, and the air in the fields was not only filled with the moisture after the end of the cold winter, but also mixed with the fragrance of green grass.
Old Abel stood at the edge of the field, awkwardly rubbing his frozen red fingers, looking at the melting snow field, his heart full of expectation.
According to his experience, heavy snowfalls are often followed by a good year.
Perhaps this year he can make more pickled cucumbers and sell them into the city to exchange for more copper coins from the citizens, so that he won't have to drink leftovers from others every time he goes to the tavern.
Of course, the premise of all this is that he must do his job well.
That means taking good care of the lord's land.
The reason why respected Mr. Gus turned a blind eye to the vegetable garden they cultivated at every opportunity was based on the premise of a good wheat harvest in Silver Pine Town.
But having said that, he recently heard from the adventurers in the tavern that the benevolent Majesty Edward issued a new decree, using the royal power as a guarantee, allowing the lords to sell the use rights of the land in their hands, and this right will not be infringed by the lords.
When he saves enough money, he may be able to buy the land under his feet forever.
At that time, it is completely up to him to decide what he wants to plant. If he pleases, he can even grow them all into cucumbers and then turn them into pickles.
When he thought about what a huge fortune it was, he was so happy that he couldn't open his mouth from ear to ear.
Maybe he can still save money to buy his eldest son a house in the suburbs of Thunder City, and then send his younger son to a missionary school there.
Old Abel's neighbors gathered together in twos and threes, looking eagerly towards the entrance of the town, chatting away, waiting for the lord's servants to deliver the seeds for spring plowing.
In previous years, I came here at this time, and the master’s servants should have arrived around the same time.
However, what no one expected was that they were looking forward to the stars and the moon, but what they were waiting for was a flock of sheep.
The clatter of horse hooves came from the main road, and a rider in light armor rode up to the crowd.
Looking at the bewildered tenant farmers, the soldier looked arrogant and spoke loudly in a sharp and ruthless voice.
"Listen! The Honorable Baron Victor Guess has decided to expand the pasture in Silverpine Town! This land needs to be rezoned for sheep breeding! From now until next month, you must move from here! As compensation for you, you You can take whatever you want on this land, whether it's farm tools or iron pots, the junk belongs to you!"
The tenant farmers who were looking forward to it were in an uproar, and their faces that were originally full of expectation turned into confusion and despair after they recovered.
Especially old Abel.
He seemed to have been struck by lightning. He was stunned and froze on the spot. His fingers that were hot when he rubbed them became cold again.
He did not dare to meet the soldier's eyes, and could only look helplessly behind him, scanning the neighbors beside him——
The widow Kasha who had just lost her husband, the lame carpenter Tom, and the young Billy... He saw his own expressions on their faces as if looking in a mirror.
Shocked.
Despair.
There is still helplessness.
Humblings spread through the crowd, then turned into protests and sobs.
A tough man stood up, then crawled on the ground and said with fear in his eyes.
"Please wait a moment! Master, you want to turn this into a pasture, but... what should we do?" The soldier on the horse looked down at him and said.
"You are free, you can go where you like, whether you are an adventurer or go to the city, as long as you don't beg in the town, you can do whatever you want."
Although tenant farmers are the assets of the lord, the lord here no longer needs so many fields.
At best, it means returning freedom to them; at worst, it means letting them fend for themselves.
Anyway, there is a benevolent Her Majesty Irene in Thunder City, right?
She can tolerate even the refugees from the Twilight Province, so she will definitely not leave her own people alone.
The soldier's face was filled with mockery.
Although more than a month has passed, he has not forgotten the fact that these farmers left Mr. Gus behind and they turned around and ran away.
The man kneeling on the ground had despair in his eyes, but he could do nothing and could only speak in a choked voice.
"Sir, we don't want freedom... Please let us continue to serve you! We can do other jobs, including taking care of these sheep, just give us a mouthful of food and don't drive us away from here..."
"Yes, Master!"
"Please, Master!"
Others also knelt on the ground and begged, and Abel knelt down unconsciously, although he instinctively felt that it was of no use. Those armored cavalry were obviously not here to discuss with them.
Just as he thought, the soldier on the horse just sneered and said humiliatingly.
"Want to continue to serve the master? Are you worthy? When you left him and ran away, you should have thought of today. Thank him for his kindness. At least he did not hang you in the square, like those goblins!"
Gus had actually forgotten about this a long time ago. He raised sheep just to make more money. After all, the textile industry in Thunder City has been in full swing recently, and the demand for wool has been in short supply a long time ago.
However, although he was too lazy to remember what happened to a group of servants, it did not prevent his men from still remembering the shame at that time, and always remembering to get this shame back from these tenant farmers.
The one who dares to draw his sword against the strong is a brave man, but the people present are obviously not that kind of people.
Looking at the tenant farmers who seemed to have lost their souls, the soldier curled his lips and laughed.
"Of course, if you can grow wool on your body, you can stay."
The surrounding soldiers laughed, and even the horses they were riding snorted, as if they were laughing.
Old Abel lowered his head, like a dead person, speechless and his mind went blank.
He can raise cattle and pigs, but he has never raised sheep.
What will happen actually?
· It takes people to take care of animals, but not that many people are needed. The last chance will be left to young people with quick hands and bright minds...
· Moreover, the wise Baron Gus will not do things so carelessly, especially when it comes to money.
When the master imported these sheep from the eastern kingdom, he specially bought a few slaves who knew how to herd sheep.
Those slaves didn't cost much at all, which was just a matter of missing a few sheep...
After announcing the lord's order, the soldiers on horseback drove away the crowd.
In fact, there is no need for them to drive them away.
The seeds for spring plowing have not been delivered, so these tenant farmers can do nothing while waiting here, they can only stare at the land in a daze.
At this moment, Abel finally vaguely realized who was protected by His Majesty's law.
His vision was blurry, as if he saw familiar fields enclosed by fences, sheep replacing crops, and all the hard work vanished...including the vegetable gardens he cultivated secretly.
In the end, he didn’t know how he got back home.
It was not until his sad-faced wife grabbed his arm with her rough hands and spoke to him in a crying voice that she woke him up from the dream full of pickled cucumbers.
"Abel, what should we do? If there is no land, where can we go?"
"I... don't know."
Abel took a breath in his chest, and finally spit it out weakly, saying with a wry smile.
"Perhaps go to Thunder City to find a job? The adventurers in the town said that there are a lot of jobs there, and as long as you work hard, you won't be able to survive..."
"He has been there a few times, and it's a good place, but everything costs money, and it's not cheap.
His wife didn't seem to hear, she just grabbed his arm and talked as if he was the evil person.
"How could they do this?! My father, my grandfather... our family has been farming for the Gus family for generations, how can they say they don't want us anymore..."
Abel patted his wife's shoulder gently and said comfortingly.
"At least... the master left these farm tools to us, as well as the pots and pans. He said that we can do whatever we want with the things on the land as compensation for us."
He didn't know how much it could be sold for, but it should be sold for some copper coins.
At least Mr. Gus didn't take these things away.
"Who wants these rags!" His wife screamed hysterically, wailing like a wounded beast.
The children in the room didn't dare to say anything, they all kept their mouths shut, and just peeked at their father who suddenly looked much older.
They didn’t know what happened, they just felt that suddenly, the whole sky collapsed...
(Thanks to the leader of "Dogs of the North" for the reward!!!)