forest kingdom

In the memories of many people of the Ice Kingdom, winter has always been the most comfortable season.

The long, cold winters are neither cruel nor dangerous or hopeless for the children who grow up in this land.

Winter is a time when you can sleep comfortably and sit on a small bench next to the table to eat rice and sweet bread.

Eating meat is still the privilege of adults, especially fathers.

The children were not sitting close to the table, but about one meter away, and the stools they were sitting on were also shorter than others.

At this time, you can watch the pork, chicken or fish cooking in the pot, and then eat the white rice, bread and potatoes in your bowl.

The poorer children wore dirty animal skins that the adults did not wear, and in their dirty hands or in the bowls they held were only boiled potatoes and beans. The pots contained potatoes and fish, or cabbage and fish, which were for the adults to eat.

Children who are a little better off wear cleaner clothes, and may have discarded sweaters, woolen trousers and jackets that others don’t wear, and they can eat bread.

The adults ate chicken and eggs, and there were also salted fish and cabbage on the table.

Children in ordinary families can wear clean sweaters and trousers in the cold winter near the New Year. Because they go to the bathhouse regularly to take a bath, their bodies will be relatively clean.

Children in such families can eat bread and rice, and can also share meat, vegetables and eggs with their mother and sisters.

On the table where the adults sat, there would be stewed pork, cabbage and vermicelli, as well as potato wine, which was always available every year.

These are locals who have lived in the ice land for more than ten years. Before eating, they thank the great prophet and the star god for their gifts.

Children from wealthy families must have parents who are craftsmen or soldiers.

There are many people in these families who served as soldiers or craftsmen with their fathers, and there are at least three or more stable staff members in a family.

So the food and clothes were better, and the children would sit at a table alone, fighting over the chicken and pork given by the adults, and if they were not satisfied, they could ask for more eggs and bread.

The adults were not in a hurry to eat beef and mutton, as they would eat these on a regular basis. Most of the time, they just drank and chatted, making laughter and shouts that were ignored by the children.

The food in noble families was better. In addition to stews, there were also stir-fried dishes and cold dishes on the table.

The most sumptuous meal was definitely the table at the prophet's house, where there were so many delicious dishes that the children and women couldn't remember them all.

In the bustling port of Dum, sailors and merchants from all over the world began to drink and chat.

A few familiar drunkards sat drinking and bragging near a dirty table with bottles of wine and seagull meat.

"The women on Red Skirt Street are really good. The second mate took us there today. When I got on the bed, as soon as she started to yell, I could smell mutton."

The drunkard next to him said with a smile: "Is it a different taste? You got the wrong taste."

"No! I asked her, and she said she had mutton soup for lunch." The drunkard angrily said, "The prophet takes too good care of them! They make more money in a day than we make in a month!"

The red-nosed drunkard said, "That's hard-earned money."

"Are they working harder than us?" The drunkard sailor clenched his fists in anger. "When I have nothing to do, I still go to the dock to unload cargo, but I still don't earn as much as they do! These damn foreign women!"

"Hahaha, let's drink." The red-nosed drunkard picked up his glass and drank.

The others laughed at the angry sailor, but they also agreed with what the drunkard sailor said.

Because of the prophet's extra care, the prostitutes who made money from them and other men could spend it openly. They could go to the street to buy clothes that ordinary women could not afford, and they could buy sweets and limited pies that others were reluctant to eat.

These women even went into the tavern with a handful of copper coins to spend, laughing and provoking the poor men.

Dum Port is not very big, and people’s perception of rich people is very simple.

He is so simple that he would kill people for money when he sees it.

Fortunately, the men in the Ice Land are even more afraid of the Prophet's rules. Many of them are already heads of families. Even single young men are well aware of the Prophet's power and terror, so they dare not disobey the Prophet's orders.

When absolutely protected, the group that serves others all day long also has the spiritual needs of enjoying and being served.

The businessmen and women who made money began to frequently stroll around busy streets or commercial districts, spending the huge wealth they earned easily.

The conflicts and questions soon reached a slight breaking point, which was resolved by a group of temporary sailors who had just arrived.

Three sailors killed a prostitute and stole her beautiful clothes and necklace, as well as more than two hundred copper coins they had just earned that day.

The sailor was soon killed by the sheriff and hanged on the dock, but people didn't care about the lives of the sailor and the prostitute at all, they were talking about the prostitute's money.

Two hundred copper coins is an astonishing fortune in the Land of Ice, especially when accumulated in one day.

The monthly salary of a frontline soldier is not even this much!

Lawrence quickly rushed from Oak City to Dum Port and checked the detailed records of the case in the Eternal Night Lighthouse.

The dead sailor and the prostitute did not attract Lawrence's attention. He was also shocked by the money the prostitute had earned through hard work in a day.

"Why so many?"

Lawrence asked the governor here, Rao, and the number was beyond Lawrence's imagination.

Abnormal income and wealth will cause a series of problems and accumulate conflicts.

Rao explained carefully: "They concealed their income. At first, they said it was one copper coin per time, but in fact, after someone went in, they would constantly deceive those men to enjoy better services and pay more money."

Lawrence quickly understood the tactic.

"It was my arrogance and excessive kindness that led to my misunderstanding of these people."

Lawrence admitted that this incident was his own fault, and continued: "Normally, it is impossible to calculate how much money they earn, nor can we ask them to pay a specific tax rate."

"This incident has also had an impact on the rest of the people at the port. I can imagine that many people are dissatisfied."

Lawrence thought for two or three seconds. "I think they will definitely give part of the money to the nobles behind them, and part of it to us. They won't have much left."

"But it is much more than many people out there. This wealth will bring disaster."

Lawrence said: "From now on, their working hours must not exceed five hours! And they must take ten days off every month!"

"And..." Lawrence had to change the image of these prostitutes, and quickly said, "I allow them to donate money to the monastery! And I will record it!" (End of this chapter)