"It seems that my nominally dear father really loves me very much." William sneered.
He looked at Old Gretel with cold eyes and said, "Tell me, how do you spend the winter?"
"This..." Old Grete hesitated.
William smiled contemptuously and said, "There are only a few rows of wooden fences in the whole village. If there are really lizardmen, they can't stop their attack anyway. Tell me, how did you spend the long winter? I won't blame you.
you!"
"...Baron, let me tell you." Old Gretel just thought for a moment and said, "It's Patras City!"
"The city of Patras? The city of Viscount Green?" William said with a thought in his heart.
This is his neighbor!
The small village of Nisei is surrounded by dark forests and shadow swamps on both sides to the northwest. Going east is the Cordillera Mountains. There is a river flowing under the mountains. The villagers usually use water from there. These are all within his territory.
About a day and a half's walk south is the territory of Viscount Grien, where the city of Patras is located!
"Yes, Lord Baron!" Old Grete said cautiously.
"Oh, so it was the people from Patras City who protected you in the past?" There was no emotion or anger on William's face.
"Yes, Lord Baron!" Old Grete's attitude became more respectful, fearing that William would be angry if he didn't pay attention.
"How does the city of Patras protect you? Send a team here every winter to protect you?" William asked again.
"No, Lord Baron." Old Grete smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"How did that protect you? Tell me quickly." Old John looked ugly and took the initiative to urge William.
Old Gretel did not answer, but looked at William.
"Speak directly. Stop hesitating." William said coldly.
"Yes, Lord Baron!" Old Grete's heart suddenly shivered, and he bowed slightly and said, "We pay a fee to Patras City in exchange for being able to spend the winter in Patras City."
"How much do you pay?"
"One pis gold coin for each person." Old Grete replied.
"One pis gold coin per person?" Old John shouted loudly after hearing this. This was much harsher than the advice he gave William.
"Yes, Master John. If you don't have gold coins, you can exchange it with the harvest from the field, 25 bushels of rye per person. After paying the entry fee, less than 30% of our annual harvest from the field is at our disposal.
.So we are no longer able to afford your 40% land rent." Old Gretel had a sad look on his face.
"And if we can't enter Patras City in the winter, we will become fertilizer for the surging lizardmen!"
"It's not like no one in the village has ever thought about using the village's defense to resist the lizardmen's attacks. But when they come back every spring, they are no longer seen. The village is also destroyed and needs to be rebuilt."
"Lord Baron, we cannot stop the lizard people's attack! Only the city of Patras is the only safe refuge!"
Old Gray spoke out in a fit of anger.
All the villagers were looking at William, waiting for his decision.
William was silent, his face looking like a volcano about to erupt.
Old John and the others were also silent. They did not know that the situation in this territory was so complicated.
After a while, William suddenly laughed, "So, do I also have to pay to enter Patras City to take refuge?"
"Lord Baron, we really can no longer afford even a little tax." Old Gretel did not answer William's question directly, but emphasized his own difficulties and said.
William finally understood why the principality had not collected taxes here? Why was the village of Nisei, a small village where no taxes were collected, so poor that they were no different from serfs?
In fact, they are the serfs of Viscount Green of Patras City!
Instead of him, William Odyssey's subjects!
Even if he chooses to take refuge in the city of Patras in winter, then he will also be the serf of Viscount Green!
Viscount Grien is so awesome! For nothing, he has a group of serfs to work for him, and he hardly has to pay anything! William sighed in his heart.
But Viscount Green's power was based on William's pain.
William asked himself, would he be willing to beg another person to take over the property that originally belonged to him every year?
Are you willing to watch your territory go through a cycle of reconstruction and destruction every year?
Are you willing to live under someone else’s roof?
In fact, there is no need to ask, William's subconscious has already given him the answer!
He did not come to this world to be a turtle.
William's eyes became firm, as sharp as an eagle, and he looked at all the villagers who were also looking at him, the lord.
The villagers' eyes were full of hope.
A sunny smile burst out from the corner of William's mouth, "I'm so sorry! I won't ask for a penny more for the 40% land rent, but I won't ask for a penny less either! Not a penny less!"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves!
The villagers' eyes became frightened, but no one dared to speak for fear of being fined!
The atmosphere was oppressive and uncomfortable.
If William still collects taxes, they will have no way of survival at all. Even if they don't eat or drink, the remaining harvest will not be enough to enter the city of Patras.
"Lord Baron, for the sake of divine destiny, please don't let us never see you again after winter! We are your loyal servants, your plows and horses, and your territory needs us to cultivate.
"Old Gretel still wants to save it.
"Yes, my subjects! I have never doubted your loyalty!" William chuckled, "And, this winter, I will stay here!"
"Lord Baron..."
"Lord Baron..."
Old John and Old Grete said in unison. The same words, different tones, expressed different meanings.
Old John was worried about William's safety, but Old Grete didn't believe William's decision.
"Lord Baron, perhaps I should tell you how dangerous the small village of Nisei will be after the heavy snowfall? It is a beast that can swallow countless people."
"I thank you for your kindness, Old Gretel, but the harvest of 40% cannot be less!"
"After the harvest moon, after paying enough taxes, if you still want to leave the village and go to the city of Patras, I will never stop him! Of course, his fields will be distributed by me to other people who stay. Moreover, if I
If you find someone running away without paying enough taxes, haha, winter is here, and the beast in the dark forest is also hungry! I think it will entertain those lovely guests well. Of course, I really don’t want to see that scene
.”
William said coldly.
The villagers' hearts were filled with chills.
"And I will stay here and work with the villagers who are willing to stay here to build a small village of Nisei that truly belongs to us!" William suddenly said.
As soon as these words came out, all the villagers looked in disbelief. They couldn't believe that William, a so-called nobleman, would risk his life to stay here.
"Lord Baron, you will regret it!" Old Grete said after a moment of silence.
"You will never see that day!" William looked at him firmly and said.
"Lord Baron, this is exactly what I hope for!"
Old Gretel went back and stopped talking.
William's stern eyes swept across all the villagers and said, "Give up everything and leave, or stay with me! Those who leave will be cast aside, have nothing, and die in poverty, but those who stay will receive glory that he could not imagine before.
A wonderful life!”
Without the harvest from the fields, they will starve to death.
But if we stay, the long winter will take away many lives!
All seventy-three households in the small village of Nisai are faced with a difficult choice.
However, William was not done yet.
"There is still one month left before the Harvest Moon. You have enough time to think about this matter!"
"But before the final moon arrives, I have a new task for you!"
William took out a golden wild grass and showed it to all the villagers.
He picked this up casually in the corner of the house this morning.
"Does anyone know this kind of grass?" William asked the villagers.
The villagers were all thinking about whether to leave or stay in winter, and few responded to William's question.
William's face darkened, and he shouted loudly, "Isn't there anyone in the entire small village of Nisei who knows this kind of grass?"
The villagers were frightened and quickly raised their hands to show that they knew.
More than half of the villagers raised their hands one after another.
This is a common weed that can be found everywhere, and the villagers have an impression of it.
William nodded and said, "My fellow citizens, I need you to find this kind of grass for me. The more the better!"
"Yes, Lord Baron." The villagers replied weakly.
Seeing this situation, William was not angry. Instead, he smiled slightly and said, "For every hundred grasses as a bundle, I will buy every three bundles with one Puer copper coin."
The villagers' eyes suddenly opened as big as a bell, and they looked at William like hungry wolves looking at a little lamb.
This kind of grass can be found everywhere, in forests, fields, and beside houses. You can pull out hundreds of them just by pulling them out.
Three hundred of these useless weeds can be exchanged for one copper coin.
Five copper coins could buy the worst black bread, the kind mixed with bran, sawdust and a small amount of rye flour, which could last a man three days.
In other words, as long as you pull out five 300 weeds, you can get three days of food.
What's more, they all have strong confidence that the number of weeds they can find is far more than this amount.
This is extremely attractive to the villagers of the small village of Nisei, who have always been below the poverty line and have been exploited by the city of Patras.
William was very satisfied with the hungry eyes of the villagers, and added fuel to the fire, saying, "First come, first served. If the quantity is enough, I will stop purchasing. Go ahead!"
The villagers screamed and ran away, except for a few households walking leisurely.
Among them are the Addams family and the old Gretel family.