Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

"It's not enough to just lose money!" Charles said with a smirk on his face, "I also want to take off your arm, Ambside, do you think it's okay?"

"Okay!" Haiwen rolled up his sleeves as he said - Haiwen has no way out, if he fails, he may even lose his life - in this case, why bother about an arm?

Big Charles laughed loudly, "Bring your pen and ink! Your Honor, I have to see you write it yourself!"

"No problem." Haiwen took the servant's quill, scribbled out a contract, and signed it.

Immediately, the two set off to go to the baron's castle.But Haiwen had to ask the smiling cat to come out first, so he asked the servant to invite the smiling cat, and after a while, he saw a fat cat reeking of alcohol walking out on catwalks. "Damn, what a bitch!" he said, tightening his belt. "Come on, my lords!"

Immediately, the three of them got on their horses, and Big Charles specially brought five guards before they officially set off.It takes about an afternoon to walk from here to the Baron's Castle, and I guess I have to stay there at night.Before he left, Haiwen sent a servant of the Charles family to deliver a letter to his home, saying that he would not go back at night.

A group of people left Mustang Town and walked through hills, bushes and a piece of saline-alkali land; the autumn was crisp and the red leaves were blowing with the wind, the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, and the smiling cat happily sang an ugly song; Know what Haiwen's way of making money is.But Haven kept silent - it's not that he didn't want to say it, but he couldn't say it. If he told Charles that he wanted to build bridges and roads, or engage in small factory production, then Charles would have to turn around and go home.

At dusk, the group finally arrived at the baron's castle.There are more than ten villages and towns under the command of Baron Croso Dia in Mustang, among which Xihe Town is the largest, followed by Mustang Town.With more than [-] mu of land, he is considered rich among barons, and it is precisely because of his wealth that he can live in the castle.

The baron's castle was built of huge bricks and stones, as high as a three-story building, and there were several archers standing in the tower above.The land of the castle is surrounded by a wooden thorn fence, and there are about one or two hundred families living in it, which can be regarded as a small town.The town is free to enter and exit, but civilians are not allowed to ride horses on the street, so a group of people led the horses; Charles cursed and gave the horses to the servants to lead, and walked ahead with his hands behind his back; Smiley Cat bought from the stalls on both sides while walking. Snacks, such as dried fish, nuts, and bargaining with an old man with cataracts for a few copper coins, Haiwen couldn't see it, so he bought a big bag of food for him to hold.

It was dinner time, and there was smoke everywhere, and the smell wafted from the kitchens of taverns and hotels.While eating snacks, the smiling cat muttered: "How about we have a meal before we go." He stuffed a handful of nuts into his mouth, "Have a meal, soon." He swallowed the nuts and stuffed them again. Go in with a slice of sweet cheese.

Haven ignored him and walked straight to the baron's castle.

The inner wall under the castle was much higher than the outer wall, and there were barbs on the needle-punched stakes; there were two strong men in chain mail guarding the door, and Hai Wen stepped forward to explain his purpose, but the man turned towards him. He shook his hands and said, "I want to see Goddess Vitana smile at me."

The goddess Vitana is the woman on the back of the coin.So Haven gave the guard two silver coins, and the two guards stuffed the money into their pockets, and one of them went to the castle to send him a message.A few minutes later the gate opened and the group entered the castle.

They handed over their horses to the guards and entered along the stone path.The gates of the baron's castle were open, and the stone-bricked floor was covered with moss, and there was a cold, damp air inside, like a cold catacomb.The more you walked into the castle, the more obvious the atmosphere was. Haiwen looked around and found that there was a layer of rust and oil spots on the oil lamps on both sides, and the red tapestry on the wall was curled up, and the bottom was blackened. The servant's face was numb, wandering around the castle like a machine.

This is clearly not a good place.He thought to himself, numb and rotten, lifeless at all.

Charles' guard stayed at the door on the first floor, while Haven, Charles, and the smiling cat followed an old servant with white hair and hunchback to the second floor of the castle.Passing through the dark and sunny corridor, they came to the door of the restaurant.Dim yellow light came out through the crack of the door, and someone was talking in the room.The old servant coughed heavily at the door, and then said, "My lord, they are here."

A hoarse voice came from inside: "Let them in."

So the skinny old servant pushed open the door panel which was thicker than him, and the three of Haiwen walked into the house.I saw a long table in the room, with a lot of food on it, as well as candlesticks and flowers for decoration.The baron sat at the end of the table, holding his glass, watching the three of them.At this time, Haven heard Big Charles scream: "You!"

He followed Charles' gaze and saw another person behind the candlestick.

And he knew this person.

The man was wearing a white woolen sweater and black tie, neatly dressed, with a clean beard, and was cutting beef with elegance.

"Brother, Your Honor, what a coincidence! You are also here as guests?" Little Charles stuffed a piece of beef into his mouth and said with a smile, "The baron's beef is delicious, do you want to try it?"

Chapter 24: Auction

Chapter 24: Auction

Big Charles suddenly became furious and shouted, "Why are you here?"

Little Charles just smiled and said, "Brother, don't talk about our affairs outside, this is the baron's domain. You—" he raised his brows, "—please respect yourself!"

Hearing this, Charles had no choice but to restrain his emotions. He bowed and saluted the baron, and said, "My lord!" Glared at him, but he just sneered.

Baron Mustang waved his hand and said, "Sit down and talk. Little Char is right. You must try this beef. Unfortunately, I have a bad appetite and can't eat." He took a sip of his wine while talking.

Can't eat but drink?Haven looked at the baron——Bronco Baron "Croso Dia" was a short and thin old man.He wore a loose robe--it was not so much he who wore the robe as the robe wore it, which was too large to hold him in it like a great sack; and he had a great gray beard , the beard fell down on his slumped face, making his face look as long as a donkey.

Baron Mustang is a lazy and incompetent person. In Haiwen's impression, this person has no ability or ambition, and just wants to guard his own territory and live a comfortable and even corrupt life.He doesn't care about the life and death of the people under him, he only cares about how much money he can make, and the official positions under his command can be bought and sold at will, only to see who offers good conditions.

The three of Haven sat down, and neither he nor Charles was in the mood to eat, but Smiley Cat grabbed a roast chicken and began to bite; Haven poked Smiley Cat with his elbow to show him to behave; Disapproved, continue to eat chicken.

No one spoke, only the sound of knives and forks colliding with plates, and the sound of smiling cats pursing their mouths remained in the air.

Haiwen realized that he wanted to break the embarrassment, so he said, "Master Baron, my housekeeper sent you a letter a few days ago, did you read it?"

"I didn't see it." The baron put the goblet on the table, and gestured for the waiter behind him to refill the wine.

This old thing. "Then let me tell you." He kept smiling, "The mayor of Mustang Town died suddenly a few days ago, and now the position of mayor is vacant. I, Haven Ambside, think I have some skills, Can manage this mess well, so I recommend myself to be the mayor of this town."

The baron stared at Haven, while Charles Jr. sneered and remained silent.The baron's throat was wriggling like a date stone under the dry skin, and he made a hoarse voice: "Why do you?"

"With my wits and my determination, I think I can bring Mustang to..."

"Don't talk nonsense!" The baron knocked on the table, "Make an offer!"

"I have the support of Master Charles." Haiwen stretched out his hand to invite Charles, and said, "The brother of Charles, the richest man in the town, split up the family. The Brunei Charles next to me owns more than half of the family property, and is the rightful owner of the Charles family. He He has promised to sponsor me, and with his sponsorship, I think I can be a good mayor."

Little Charles said quietly at this time: "Brother, you really did this."

Big Charles turned his face away, and said in a weird way: "Don't talk about our family's affairs outside! You, please, take care of yourself."

"Who gave you 'our family'? I don't have your brother." Little Charles turned dark and stopped talking.

At this time, the baron let out a dry laugh, and said, "Please don't quarrel, I have something to ask Your Excellency Ambleside." He stared at Haven with a pair of withered yellow eyes, "You said that Big Char sponsored you as a mayor?" Long, well, how much does he want to sponsor?" The baron took a sip of the bloody red wine, and greedily smashed his mouth, "Can I see Vitana's smile?"

"Of course, my lord." Haven pointed to little Charles with his chin, "Let's be honest, how much does he pay?"

The baron stretched out five fingers, which represented five hundred gold coins.These five hundred gold coins are not too much.But if you take into account the productivity and price level of this era, the price is not cheap.Rich people don't take five hundred gold coins seriously, but poor people can spend months on a single gold coin.

Haiwen nodded, and said to Big Charles, "Let's give out six, and each of us will have half?"

"Okay," said Big Charles, "we'll make six."

Little Charles immediately slapped the table and said, "Ten!"

Not to be outdone, Charles shouted, "Twelve! I will offer eight, and you will offer four!" Hai Wen could barely afford four hundred gold, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

Little Charles' face darkened, and he said, "Twenty!"

Big Charles' face twisted, and he jumped up, saying, "25! I'll give you [-]! You'll give me [-]!"

The two brothers fought, but the baron laughed.Haiwen thought to himself: Big Charles is powerful, but Little Charles is not bad either. Although this guy suffered from the division of the family, he still has a lot of properties, some of which are outside Mustang Town, and it is said that they are in Eagle Head City. There is also a big brothel and a ranch here. God knows how much money this guy has hidden?

"thirty!"

"35!"

"forty!"

"45!"

As a result, the price at the mayor's auction went up, all the way up to ten times the original price, that is, fifty, five thousand gold coins.This was already the highest price paid for the mayor of Mustang Town in history. Both Charles and Charles were out of breath, blushing, staring, their teeth clenched, as if they wanted to eat each other.Baron Mustang, on the other hand, was already bursting into laughter. He drank two glasses of wine in a short time, and his shriveled face seemed to be a little hotter.

Both Charles and Charles stopped at the figure of fifty, and no one would--can't add more, they couldn't afford it.Anyone with a little sense knows that a wild horse mayor is not worth so much money.The air became quiet again, the only thing that remained the same was the sound of Mr. Smiley Cat gnawing meat.He pursed his mouth and rubbed his fingers, eating with great joy.

"You two!" Haiwen couldn't help but said, "It's almost there."

The Baron frowned at this moment, and said, "Don't! Don't be the same. Since you want to fight, you have to win or lose. Don't you think so?"

Haiwen said: "My lord, we can't afford to pay further, we can add some other conditions." He gestured to little Charles with his eyes. Little Charles has always been a rational person, and now he has regained his former calmness and said : "Then let's set the price at [-] gold coins - if I become the mayor, I can increase the tax revenue by [-]%."

This figure is not a small sum of money.Yema Town has had difficulty collecting taxes over the years, because when the local law collects taxes, it is not based on percentages, but has a guaranteed value.Haiwen remembers that in the past dynasties in China, there was about "ten taxes and one tax", that is, 10% land tax.The better one is the one-fifth tax, but there was also a tyrannical government like the Qin Dynasty that was close to the two-tax-one, and even later in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, various donations were said to exceed 100%. Of course, that kind of tax cannot be collected. .

Now the guaranteed minimum tax in Yema Town is very strange. It is calculated according to the average output value of the land—that is to say, no matter whether you are in a good year or a bad year, you have to collect 30 catties of grain per mu of land.Referring to our own farms, which can produce up to 100 catties per mu of land, this tax has exceeded 30% of normal farmers' income.And here, the mayor collects taxes for the baron. First, he has to scrape off a layer of oil and water, and 30% becomes 35%. After that, the mayor asks the landlord to collect taxes, and the landlord has to pick up another layer, and it becomes 40%—— Shareholders have basically nothing left.In a good harvest year, they can barely survive, but in a bad year, a large number of people will starve to death.

But tenant farmers and self-cultivating farmers are considered good, at least they can still survive, and there may be surplus grain in good years.The serfs under the command of the farmer were even more miserable.They are people who have signed a contract of sale. No matter how much they cultivate, they can only get a small ration and a pitiful salary in the end. Some serfs even have no salary.These people are not free people, they are slaves, and they are livestock in the eyes of the landowners.

So adding 10% tax would kill people.

The baron laughed when he heard this, and said, "An extra [-]%? You couldn't get it in previous years, so where will you get the [-]%?"

Little Charles also laughed, and said, "My lord, have you forgotten how our family was born?" Haiwen snorted coldly——Charles' family was born as a usurer, and they were talking about rent collection in Mustang Town. Two, no one dares to say number one.

Hearing this, the lord laughed loudly, and said, "That's it! But I've made an agreement, and you will be responsible for the accident. This tax thing is not my idea." He pointed to little Charles, The heavy ring pressed against his slender finger, "It's your bad idea!"

Little Charles nodded and said nothing, and at this moment Charles Big also said, "We..."

"Wait a minute." Haiwen interrupted, "My lord, a [-]% tax increase is enough to crush the people in Mustang Town."

The baron said with a smile: "What does that have to do with me? Little Charles has guaranteed it. He must have an idea."

"His idea is not as good as mine." Haven said.

The baron asked him: "What do you think?"

"One year." Haiwen held up a finger, "I will increase the tax by [-]% compared to now, and increase by [-]% in two years. Do you think it will work?"

Chapter 25: Night Talk in the Rain

Chapter 25: Night Talk in the Rain

The flame of the oil lamp was flickering, and the dim light on the baron blurred his silhouette, making him look thin and dry; the meat on his plate was barely moving, but the wine had gone down a lot-he took another big gulp now , Then shook the glass and said: "Did I drink too much, or did you drink secretly?" He spread his hands and laughed, and the others laughed too.Only the Smiley Cat didn't smile. He stared at Haven and stopped chewing endlessly.

Haiwen also laughed, and said, "I'm not joking, my lord, I really have a way to double the tax revenue of Mustang Town."

"Tell me," said the baron.

"I have a way to get through the economic lifeline of the town, and I have many ideas for making money." Haiwen poured himself a glass of wine, "Don't worry about this, I won't make money by extorting money—in fact, I can make money that way. Not much. The poor man only has a few copper coins, and you kill him, and you can't get more. You might as well accept my five thousand gold coins and wait for me for a year. If it is done, you have If you spend a lot of money, Wild Horse Town can become your new wallet; if not..." Haiwen patted his arm, "I will mortgage all my property to you, including my arm."

The baron put down his wine glass and scratched his beard with his nails, "Little Charles, what do you say?"

"My lord, they are talking nonsense." Little Charles sneered, "Do you think this is possible?"

The baron grinned and said, "I don't care if it works or not, anyway, he said he would mortgage his property and an arm. Now it's your turn, what do you say?"

Little Charles' complexion darkened. He moved around on the chair and looked sideways at Hai Wen, as if he was trying to figure out what He Wen was thinking; After all, Haiwen is a person who died once, and his courage is much higher than this profiteer.

"I..." Little Charles gritted his teeth tightly, and big drops of cold sweat flowed down the ferocious wrinkles on his face; Big Charles' face was not relaxed, and he wiped his sweat with his sleeves from time to time; Haiwen put his hands flat on his lap , sit up straight, smile without saying a word.

After a long time, Charles Jr. said, "My lord, let me ask you, what if your lord fails to deliver after a year? Is he still the mayor?"

"Of course he's going to leave." The baron took a sip of his wine, then smacked his lips twice, "and he has to leave his property and an arm."

Little Charles laughed after hearing this, and said, "Then I'll just wait for him for a year. It's not too late for me to buy the mayor again after a year."

The baron laughed loudly, then threw the cup to the ground excitedly, and said, "Deal! Haven Ambleside, and Brunei Charles! Both of you, bring the five thousand gold coins as soon as possible. When will the money arrive?" , when will you take office!"

Haiwen stood up and saluted, "Thank you, my lord!" However, Charles remained in his seat for a long time, and his lord asked him, "What's the matter? Do you want to go back on your word?"

Big Charles groaned hesitantly, "Five thousand gold coins..." He gave Haiwen a hard look, "...I can't get it out for a while, so I have to get it together."

The baron waved his hand and said, "There's no rush, you'll take office as soon as you get the money. Anyway, the later the money comes, the shorter the new mayor's term will be."

Dare to start counting the days now?Haiwen sneered in his heart, this guy is really too greedy, he really cannibalizes people without spit out his bones.Haiwen then said: "How about this, Lord Baron, I will give you the money in half a year, but I will pay an extra [-] gold coins in interest. I will not lose you a penny. But I have to take office tomorrow - I will take office The sooner it happens, the better it will help us get rich, right?"

The baron thought for a while and said, "Then do as you say." After finishing speaking, the baron glanced out of the window and said, "It's getting late, so you can rest in the castle overnight. I'm having breakfast tomorrow morning, all three of you They are the pillars of my subordinates, it is not easy to come here, I have to treat you well."

The three thanked the baron.Then the baron got up and left the table, and the three of them also stood up; the smiling cat saw that everyone was about to leave, and put some food into his bosom before leaving.

After going out, Haiwen and others turned left, Charles Jr. turned right, and they separated.When Haven walked into the shadow of the next corner, Big Charles suddenly grabbed him by the collar and knocked him against the wall.

"Five thousand!" Big Charles shouted at him, stretching out five trembling fingers, "Five thousand! Just buy a bullshit mayor! What a fucking good thing you did!"

The smiling cat was leaning against the wall and snickering. Haiwen glared at the useless bodyguard, and then said to Charles, "It's not my fault. If you want to blame, blame Manto Charles. If he didn't fight us , and definitely won’t cost so much money.”

"Fuck you!" Big Charles threw Haven against the wall, slamming his back.It hurts.

Charles the Great sighed, and said, "No wonder wizards always say that gold brings disaster, and gold brings disaster! I didn't believe it before, but now I believe it! My father used to trade gold for silver, spices and porcelain, but after so many years, he didn't believe it." I haven’t had any disasters; it’s damn good, I exchanged all my silver for gold a few days ago, thinking that the shiny gold looks good, but it’s a bloody bad luck! I inherited the family business for a few days, and this property is about to let me It’s all over! Ambside, you said you want to make a fortune together? I want to ask you, what did you use to earn these five thousand gold coins?”

"I'll have to wait until I get back to Mustang Town, Master Charles. Anyway, we are both prosperous and we are all damaged, so you don't have to worry. To deceive you is to deceive myself."

"Okay!" Charles spat on the ground, cursed and left.After that, Haven and the smiling cat went down to the guest room led by the servant.The two of them lived in a room with the windows open, and the wind at night was a bit cold and mixed with a smell of rain.It was probably going to rain at night, Haiwen thought so, and closed the window.The smiling cat went to bed without taking off his clothes, and started snoring after a while.

Afterwards, he asked someone to fetch hot water for a wash, and then went to bed early to rest.By then, it was raining outside the window, and the sound of the rain accompanied by lightning and thunder roared outside the window, but the purring of the smiling cat was not so noisy in comparison.As a result, Haiwen's consciousness gradually drifted away, and gradually fell into dreamland.

The storm is raging and shows no sign of letting up.

Between half asleep and half awake, he vaguely felt something.In an instant, a golden light flashed in front of his eyes, and then there was a thunderclap. The sound seemed to be right next to his ears, and Haiwen was awakened immediately.As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw someone standing in front of his bed. He woke up instantly, and was about to call the smiling face cat, but saw another lightning strike.

The electric light illuminated the face of the person in front of the bed in an instant. The person had a round face with small eyes and a stubble chin. Isn't that just a smiling cat?However, the smiling cat stopped smiling at this moment. He looked at Haiwen with cold eyes, standing there like a stone sculpture in the rain.

"You..." Haiwen felt chills all over his body, "What are you doing?"

"Haven Ambleside." The smiling face cat's voice faded from the frivolity and humor of the past, and it was as hard as a murder knife. "I have something to tell you."

Hai Wen asked, "Is there anything you can't say tomorrow?"

"Because you may not be able to live until tomorrow." He slowly pulled out the knife, and the knife surface was like a mirror, reflecting Hai Wen's own eyes.The lightning and thunder outside the house are tearing the night, and the cold light of the sword inside the house is tearing Hai Wen's heart.

"This is strange." The traverser who died once sat up from the bed and looked at the non-smiling cat. "I hired you as a bodyguard, but you want to kill me? Why?"

"Because I planned to kill you from the very beginning, not only you, but also the mayor of Mustang Town."

"why?"

The smiling cat sneered, and said, "Do you need a reason for a ranger to punish rape and eradicate evil? Besides, I heard that the mayor has a few bottles of expensive wine hidden in his house. I really want to taste it."

"But I've already turned my back on evil. If you kill me, the people of Mustang Town will lose an excellent mayor."

The smiling cat said with a straight face, "It's not funny." Lightning lit up his cold face again, and then thunder roared, like the low roar of a beast before it attacked.