After waiting for the carriage to move forward for a while, Alfonso crossed his arms and said to Huggins, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Before you left Twilight City, you should have known about a textile brand in the city called Liliel, right?"

“I know it’s a brand created by Queen Mary. What does that have to do with what I’ve seen?”

Huggins shrugged: "Hold on, I haven't gotten to the point yet. Lillie's brand success has made many merchants in Twilight City see the business opportunities in it."

"Business opportunity?"

“You don’t know? Liliel’s textiles have become highly sought-after items, whether in the North, the Eastern Holy City, or the Southern Empire.” Huggins pointed to the well-tailored clothes he was wearing: “A men’s suit that costs six gold coins in Liliel’s shop can sell for twelve gold coins when shipped to the Papal States.”

Alfonso asked, puzzled, "How could this be?"

"Do you remember those paintings His Majesty once gifted to Queen Mary? Those paintings from heaven."

"I remember."

"It was those paintings that sparked the Renaissance wave in the city. Artists of different styles and schools found inspiration in this city and applied these inspirations to actual commerce and life, including textiles... Therefore, on the one hand, the success of the Liliel brand, and on the other hand, the added value brought by the Renaissance, made the textile industry a major pillar industry in Muxi City."

Alfonso grew impatient: "You've said so much, but you still haven't addressed why some citizens are begging in the streets."

“My friend, have some patience,” Huggins said with a smile. “I continued… Previously, the Knights of Twilight repelled the Southern Empire, securing the western sea routes and allowing merchants to expand their trade through maritime transport. All these factors combined directly led to the rapid rise of the clothing and textile industry; the rise of the industry, in turn, created a shortage of textile raw materials such as flax, ramie, jute, and wool; and the demand for these raw materials directly resulted in the scarcity of a rare resource—land.”

Alfonso frowned and repeated, "Land?"

Huggins leaned back and exhaled softly: "That's right. Without enough land, there's no way to grow hemp or raise sheep... However, because Muxi City is near the sea, it doesn't have much vacant land available. Therefore, the city's merchants have turned their attention to farmers who own farmland."

Alfonso shook his head: "The merchants seized the farmers' land?"

"The word 'seize' is inaccurate; it should be 'purchase.' Due to His Majesty's previous decree, anyone who engages in agriculture outside the city for a certain number of years can not only obtain citizenship but also permanently own the right to use the land. Therefore, farmers have absolute control over the land." Huggins drew back the curtains, watching a group of men and women in splendid attire gathered together, discussing animatedly: "Merchants, through commercial alliances and trade guilds, have driven up the prices of seeds, livestock, fertilizer, and tools, while suppressing the selling price of traditional crops, all in order to acquire land from farmers."

"During last year's wheat harvest, a ton of grade three wheat was purchased for less than four silver months in Muxi City. Listen to that, four silver months! In Silver Ring City during wartime, that amount wouldn't even buy a sack of wheat bran!"

Alfonso frowned: "What did those farmers do afterward?"

"Some farmers thought the prices were too low and preferred to store their produce at home rather than sell it. As a result, the stored produce slowly rotted and eventually became worthless. Some farmers banded together, wanting to charter a ship or a fleet of vehicles to transport their products out to sell, but the ports and post stations controlled by the major merchant guilds refused their requests. Others were eventually forced to sell their land to merchants."

Hearing Huggins' words, Alfonso gritted his teeth and asked, "Is the cabinet turning a blind eye to these things?"

Huggins replied with a wry smile, "The cabinet has tried to intervene, including proactively purchasing agricultural products, building temporary agricultural storage facilities, and warning and punishing merchants who acquired land. The cabinet has done all of these things. At the height of the conflict, Prime Minister Emerson even attempted to enact a bill banning land sales."

"Then what?"

"The decree failed to pass in either the Cabinet meeting or the expanded council of knights. Prime Minister Emerson was furious about this in his office and later fell seriously ill."

Alfonso found it strange: "Lord Emerson was granted power by His Majesty, so why didn't his proposed bill pass?"

"When the Knights of Twilight previously dispatched troops to Lone Rock, the Prime Minister bypassed all cabinet members and, using the methods of a wartime cabinet, forcibly passed the war bill. This event aroused dissatisfaction among the vast majority of cabinet members and honorary knights. Many people accused Emerson behind his back of exercising dictatorship and seizing royal power. After that, the Prime Minister became extremely cautious in handling affairs and dared not make decisions on his own anymore. Therefore, he also dared not act arbitrarily on this bill prohibiting land sales, and chose to listen to the opinions of cabinet members and honorary knights."

Alfonso clenched his right fist and slammed it on the floor beneath his seat, saying indignantly, "Are we just going to stand by and watch those merchants seize the land?!"

Huggins sighed: "Academics need businessmen's funding to publish their works; researchers need businessmen's support to purchase experimental equipment and pay assistants' salaries; artists need businessmen's money to build studios and hold solo exhibitions; even the cabinet's public spending depends on taxes paid by businessmen."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!