On the Seven Towers

Count Carlos had a courtyard here, which served as a temporary residence for tax collectors when they came to collect taxes. However, the courtyard was too small to accommodate so many people, so Chen Hansheng had to rent a nearby hotel for caravans.

Brown bread, bacon and boiled beans, a large group of people crowded between long narrow tables and benches to eat a typical local lunch. Chen Hansheng found the owner of the hotel and inquired about the local situation.

"Sir, it turns out that about 50% of the land around here belongs to the earl, and the other 40% belongs to Baron O'Farrell. Count Carlos is not the lord of the baron. The baron is loyal to Parsasso, the Duke of Greenwood City in the south. Lanas. But last year, the earl and the baron made a deal and sold all the land to Baron O'Farrell. "

"Obviously, the king's ministers don't know." Chen Hansheng said.

"It means that this transaction was carried out in private and was not reported to the royal capital." Calanda said, "The most likely reason is that the count does not want this matter to be known there. For example, the money will be used to purchase weapons or recruit army."

"Isn't he afraid of being discovered?" Chen Hansheng asked.

"The king has no time to take care of this kind of remote place, how could he be discovered? Even if he is discovered, just say that he failed to report it in time." Kalanda explained.

"You know these twists and turns better. It seems that your empire is not much better."

"Aristocrats and nobility are both carved from the same mold."

"What kind of person is Baron O'Farrell?" Chen Hansheng asked the boss again. Seeing the other party's hesitation, he took out a golden ax and pushed it in front of the boss, "Don't worry, your words will not spread out of this room."

The boss looked happy. This gold coin was worth two days of booking fees. He put away the golden ax respectfully, and then said to Chen Hansheng: "The Baron is over sixty years old. He is a member of the Solanas family in Green Forest City." , Speaking of which, he was the uncle of the Duke of Parsa. In the early years, he was just a knight. You know, the kind of knight who was everywhere in the noble family and could not inherit the title. Later, he went to the battlefield to fight against the empire. The lucky one not only came back alive, but also earned the title of baron. He had started living here more than ten years ago, and the largest house in the town belonged to him.

The Baron is a very stern man. He always says that people here need to be disciplined and cannot learn the rules without killing a few. Whipping of villagers was a common occurrence. Also, he never tolerated tax arrears, and not just one or two people were beaten to death and hanged by him because of this. "The boss lowered his voice and said, "When the earl sold the land to the baron last year, he wanted to sell the serfs as well. But those mud-legged people refused to do anything. They knelt on the ground all night and begged the person in charge. So they were all taken away by the stewards later. "

"Are the taxes here heavy?" Chen Hansheng asked.

"Of course it's heavy! At least half of the golden ax you gave me will belong to the baron. Door tax, room tax, employment tax, magic crystal tax, fire tax, mule tax, and many other taxes under special circumstances. If I tell you about it in detail, I won’t be able to finish it until the end of the night.”

"Wait a minute, I didn't understand? What's door tax and room tax?" Chen Hansheng wondered if he heard it wrong.

"Opening tax is required when a shop opens. Calculated according to the size of the door, my hotel will be charged an opening tax of six silver coins every month. Didn't you find that the hotel door is a bit small? Because it is too big. You have to pay double the money.

Room tax means that you have to pay several taxes for how many rooms you have in your home. Although each tax is five copper shields per month, it is not too much, but there are many rooms in hotels.

Of course, I have to pay extra tax for hiring helpers. Fortunately, my son and daughter don’t have to pay. There is a saying among us hotel owners that only by having more children can we make a lot of money.

Magic crystal tax means that if you use magic crystal lighting in your room, you have to pay tax. Fire tax is charged on lighting a fire to cook or to warm a room.

The mule and horse tax depends on how many mules and horses the family has..." The boss came one by one, which was an eye-opener for Chen Hansheng and others.

"These do not include the offerings to the natural temple and the eight days of monthly labor."

Chen Hansheng knew that the worship in the natural temple was essentially the same as the tithe on the earth, and one-tenth of the income had to be given to the temple. In this way, the hotel owner's income has really been exploited, and there is not much left.

"Free folk like me are better off. Half of the harvest of those serfs has to be handed over directly to the baron, and then they have to pay various taxes. You have to know that the surrounding lords can confiscate so much. They receive up to four It looks like it's done. Then there's the work. The serfs have to do regular work for the baron for ten days a month, but how can the baron make it so easy for them? There are always various errands, and it's rare that they don't work for fifteen days. time."

Days like this can be described as dire and hot. He has the potential to cause trouble. Chen Hansheng thought to himself. He then asked: "Do you know what the baron's strength is, how many troops he has at his hands, and how many masters he has?"

"Sir, we little people don't know about this kind of thing. But the Baron has five sons and two daughters. Last year, he just held a banquet to celebrate that his fourth son became an intermediate warrior. It is said that several sons He taught me all the skills himself, and recently it was said that he was preparing a grand banquet to celebrate his beloved little daughter’s official becoming a magic apprentice of the Red Lotus Tower.”

"Red Lotus Tower? What kind of magic tower is that? I've never heard of it before." Glade interrupted.

"I know that the two most famous magic towers in the southern part of Montenegro are the Red Lotus Tower and the Thousand Thoughts Tower, and the Red Lotus Tower is the closest to us. They seem to be good at fire magic."

"Tsk, elemental magic." Glade curled his lips. In his opinion, elemental magic, a common commodity, is far from the various rules involved in the seven towers.

"We can't underestimate these people. Although the baron is a small noble, you see, just asking a few questions has already involved a thousand threads of relationship." Chen Hansheng said, and he asked the boss: "Then what are his remaining sons and daughters doing?"

"I only know that the baron's second and third sons are not around. I heard that they seem to be in some army. The eldest daughter has married, married to Baron Suarez in the east." The owner of the inn said.

Chen Hansheng asked some more questions before sending the boss away. He said to his companions: "The situation here is much more complicated than we imagined before we came. We need to discuss how to start."