"Not only do all the nobles have to pay, but no one dares to play any tricks," Ryan said meaningfully. "This tax is paid by everyone voluntarily, and it's forcibly collected."
Alfred thought for a moment, considering the unique culture of the knightly kingdom and the differences between the Empire and Bretonnia. He quickly came to a conclusion. "Could it be... the tithe of the Lady of the Lake Church?"
"Haha~ That's right, it's the tithe of the Lady's Church," Ryan laughed, nodding repeatedly as he looked up at the gloomy sky. "No one dares to shortchange or evade this tax. Everyone pays it seriously, from the direct descendants of the first knight king, Duke Bastogne, down to the smallest nobles in the remote mountains of Carcassonne. They all diligently pay the tithe, so the income of the Lady's Church remains stable regardless of the kingdom's prosperity or decline."
"The Lady's Witch, Morgiana, uses this money to train the Lady's prophets and pay for the upkeep of the Grail Knights. They also build new shrines and churches and set aside a portion to relieve disaster victims. Since it's the Lady's money and under her supervision, no one dares to deceive or cut corners. Whatever is due is paid," Ryan said softly. "This is why Bretonnia has endured for a thousand years."
"No one in the Empire, not even Emperor Karl-Franz or Grand Theogonist Volkmar, can achieve this," Alfred sighed.
Ryan and Karad exchanged knowing smiles. Bretonnia might lag behind the Empire in many ways, but that didn't mean the entire nation had no redeeming qualities.
When it comes to the collection of church tithes, the Church of the Lady of the Lake has truly instilled a sense of duty in all nobles.
They have no choice—Morgiana, the Lady's Witch, can bypass the royal court and directly punish nobles. She can unilaterally revoke noble titles, turn knights into frogs, or send Grail Knights to seize them directly.
Because of this, the nobles sometimes not only pay their tithes dutifully but even pay extra to ensure there are no issues.
Merchants follow suit. Those doing business in Bretonnia know better than to cross the Church of the Lady of the Lake. For example, Ryan's subordinate, Oliver, has donated generously to the church. With Oliver leading by example, the merchants have learned that while making money is important, so is donating, or the Lady won't be kind.
After sufficient donations and tithe payments, Ryan managed to "persuade" Morgiana to give Oliver's trading company a plaque reading "Proud Taxpayer." With this plaque, Oliver's dealings with the nobles of the knightly kingdom became much smoother.
In a sense, this resembles a tax farming system. Ryan was well aware of its many flaws, but there was no other choice. Until the Church of the Lady of the Lake trained officials to collect taxes, this was a temporary solution.
With the Lady's supervision, there was no need to worry about nobles and the wealthy constantly finding ways to evade taxes. Therefore, Ryan never dared and would never consider touching the tithe, as it would mean jeopardizing his strongest base of support, losing the Lady's favor, and allowing nobles to become dishonest in their tax payments.
"Each year's tithe is a grand spectacle," Karad said with a rare smile as he recalled the event. "Carts of grain are delivered to the churches, handed over to trustworthy Grail Knights or Lady's prophets, who store it. When there's a shortage or disaster, they distribute it to the peasants, ensuring their survival."
"Moreover, our dwarf friends from the Angrund Clan have taken on numerous water conservation and irrigation projects. The peasants no longer need to draw water from the river, and I must say, I admire those dwarfs." Karad continued, "With advanced farming tools, the work is much faster."
"Oh? Even our esteemed Grail Knight Karad visits the countryside to see how the peasants live?" Ryan teased.
"I've been through the Grail Quest myself; it's not like I'm unaware of the common people's hardships," Karad grumbled, shrugging as rain soaked his sleeves. "I just don't know how to solve these problems. Our kingdom has stood for a thousand years, and now that you're here, I'm glad. I support you."
Ryan sighed softly, his gaze fixed on the banks of the Reik River. "All I've done so far is alleviate the conflict between nobles and peasants. I haven't truly solved the kingdom's problems at their root."
"Indeed," Alfred agreed, eager to hear more. "My friend, tell me, how do you plan to completely solve Bretonnia's issue with serfdom?"
"Completely solving it is impossible," Ryan shook his head helplessly. "It's like solving the problem of the rich paying taxes—it's a global issue. Generally, as long as the wealth is legally and reasonably obtained, there's no reason to forcibly demand they share it with the poor. But at least, I've thought of one solution."
"What is it?" Alfred and Karad were both intrigued.
"The serf emancipation purchase system," Ryan said, lifting his head.
"Serf emancipation purchase system?" Alfred pondered. "You mean serfs can pay their lords to buy their freedom and become free men?"
"That's the gist of it," Ryan nodded, his expression unchanged. "Of course, I need to discuss the specifics with Lady Morgiana and the dukes, but this is necessary. Only by opening up a path for the serfs to rise can we unlock productivity."
"At the same time, I'm planning to promote some of the old guards to knights. After the Battle of Nuln, many of the old guards distinguished themselves. I plan to promote at least thirty of them to knights." Ryan gently stroked the rain-soaked wooden railing, speaking earnestly. "It's time to establish these rules."
"Yes, recruiting serfs as conscripts or semi-professional infantry, then promoting them to sergeants, and finally selecting the best to become old guards, who can then be promoted to knights," Karad said, stroking his goatee. After careful consideration, he nodded repeatedly. "Good! Given that these soldiers are battle-hardened, the knights won't oppose it much. Your old guard has followed you through countless battles and earned numerous honors. Promoting them to knights will face little opposition from the kingdom's upper nobility, and you'll have the support of all the soldiers."
"You always think things through so thoroughly, my friend," Alfred smiled broadly, realizing the wisdom in Ryan's plan. "With a path to nobility, at least the serfs will have something to aspire to."
"It's not that simple. We'll discuss everything when I return to Mousillon and convene the dukes," Ryan shook his head. "By the way, Alfred, when do you plan to marry that Norse woman?"
"What?!" Alfred was startled, stammering in response. "Why... why are you bringing this up? Ingrid and I are innocent; nothing has happened between us!"
"Nothing happened, yet you keep her by your side and even took her to meet Grand Theogonist Volkmar?" Ryan teased. "Don't lie to me, Alfred. I know you too well."
"Being single means I retain the right to pursue any lady of my choice," Alfred muttered, scratching his golden hair awkwardly. He didn't fully agree or disagree, mumbling that there was no rush and that he'd see how things went. His indecision made Ryan and Karad chuckle.
"And you, Karad!" Ryan immediately turned to Karad. "The Lady made you a Grail Knight, not a bachelor!"
"I'll let nature take its course," Karad's smile froze on his face. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "After everything that's happened, it's hard for me to muster any passion."
"...But you're the last direct heir of your family. Someone needs to inherit your title, right?" Ryan also smiled bitterly, knowing Karad had been through a lot. "Besides, Devonshire can't be without a godmother, can it?"
Karad could only nod in agreement. "I'll keep your words in mind, Ryan. I'll be more mindful in the future."
"Good, that's all I can ask," Ryan said, realizing that they were all adults now.
"Get some rest, Alfred, Karad."
"Yes!"
...I'm the marriage pressure line...
"Ryan Macador, kill him, my chosen champion! Unforgivable, intolerable!"
"He killed mine too!"
"It's all your fault, all your fault! If you hadn't sent Ku'gath to disrupt my plans, I would have succeeded by now!"
"Shut up! It's all your fault!"
"I find his actions amusing. Defeat is so entertaining, especially when you fools start blaming each other. It's simply intoxicating. Let's have more of this, oh ho ho ho~"
"Get out of here, you addict!"
In the realm of Chaos, a fierce argument was raging.
Just like the never-ending war in the Chaos realm, at this moment, Khorne's Bloodfire Legion, led by his first Daemon Prince Kabandha, was invading Tzeentch's Crystal Labyrinth. Meanwhile, Tzeentch's forces, led by the Eternal Watcher Sartorial, were assaulting Nurgle's Garden of Decay, which had fewer defenders because Nurgle's Rot Legion was attacking Slaanesh's Palace of Excess. Slaanesh's army, led by the Keeper of Secrets, had been battling Nurgle's forces in the Valley of Creation for a long time, with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
As their subordinates waged war, the four Chaos Gods were discussing their
next move.
"Ryan Macador is a great threat. We must eliminate him!"
"We should bless an Everchosen to lead our armies and destroy the world!"
"The greatest blessing? How exciting!"
"Archaon? No, he is indeed an extraordinary champion, but he is not yet trustworthy. He still lacks something." A thick fog billowed from Nurgle's realm. "I propose that my new champion, the Plague Doctor Festus, take on this task."
"No! Absolutely not! You wish!" A furious voice roared. "This task should go to Valkia! Only she can accomplish this great mission!"
"Valkia? Everyone knows she's your wife, Khorne!" A sharp, sarcastic voice screeched. "I think my champion, the Tzaangor, is the only one who can bring these cowardly southerners to their ultimate end!"
"Hmm~ How amusing. Then I propose that my champion, Prince Sigvald, would gladly accept this task, hee hee~"
The Chaos Gods argued for a long time, unable to reach an agreement. Each one insisted on their own champion, dismissing the others.
At that moment, the sharp voice suddenly noticed something. "What is that?!"
"It's the Pale Queen! That coward!" The mature, sultry, and strange voice scoffed. "That coward always sneaks in like this, stealing one or two elven souls before I notice, and then scurries away like a scared dog. What a despicable thief!"
"Hmph!"
The argument in the Chaos realm continued, their voices gradually fading into the distance, until all was swallowed by darkness. Suddenly, there was a violent plunge into the endless void, where everything twisted and warped, with the horrors of the warp obscuring the horizon.
"Hu!" The dark elf Olica suddenly woke from her dream, gasping for air. Ryan's personal maid felt her heart pounding rapidly, so fast that even though she was breathing hard, she still felt suffocated. "Huh~ Ah, huh huh~ Huh ah~"
Olica took several deep breaths to calm herself. She found herself lying on a soft bed, wearing a white nightgown and white velvet stockings. Her black hair hung over her shoulders and back, and she noticed her back was soaked with sweat.
Her amber eyes darted around the cabin as she wondered where she was.
Slowly, her memories returned. She remembered that her master was on his way back to Bretonnia, and she was in a cabin on a passenger ship, due to arrive in Mousillon in about two weeks.
"Olica, what's wrong?" Ryan, noticing her sudden awakening, quickly approached, draping his coat over her delicate shoulders and holding her close, gently stroking her back. "It's okay, I'm here. Did you have a nightmare?"
"Master~" The dark elf leaned against Ryan's chest, breathing deeply to steady her heartbeat, then quickly said, "Something bad has happened, Master. Your actions have drawn the attention of the Four Chaos Gods!"
"They've set their sights on you!"
_________________________
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