Chapter 380 is now open! (Super long chapter! Extra chapter for the leader “WERobin”!)

Under Bruno's rule, the Principality of Idar possesses unique executive power on this continent.

As soon as the order to form the Ministry of Defense of the Principality of Idar and build the Alhambra Palace was issued, all departments and institutions involved in the relevant matters in the entire Principality of Idar took action at the first opportunity.

First, the Idar military.

After being appointed as Idar's Minister of Defense, Sara Colen immediately selected a small number of key personnel from the Idar CIA and Idar's navy, army, and air force to form the prototype of the Idar Principality's Ministry of Defense.

The payment of soldiers' salaries, the organization of various units, the deployment of weapons and equipment, the evaluation of military ranks, the formation of reserve forces and the recruitment of soldiers, and even the operation of the Idar Arsenal and the management of the Idar Humanistic Care Laboratory...

All of the above matters related to the national defense construction of the Principality of Idar are the responsibility of the Ministry of National Defense.

Today, the Principality of Idar is indeed internally stable and developing steadily.

However, the situation outside the principality is changing rapidly and may change at any moment, so... this requires the Idar army to continuously expand its troops and improve its combat effectiveness.

The existence of the Ministry of National Defense allows generals such as Sam Layton to save themselves from daily trivialities and devote all their energy to training troops and practicing tactics.

While Salen Coren was busy setting up the Idar Ministry of Defense, the construction of the Alhambra Palace began to proceed in an orderly manner.

The Idar Finance Department began to approve funds, while the Government Affairs Department and the Urban Planning Department began to prepare for the demolition and compensation of houses to resettle the people who originally lived within the construction area of ​​the Alhambra Palace.

As for the refugees who were originally responsible for building the Venetian Arsenal, if they have found a reliable livelihood in the Merlin District, the Idar Immigration Administration will be responsible for their local resettlement.

But if they still cannot find a suitable source of livelihood, they will begin to migrate to the city of Idar in batches under the arrangement of the staff of the Relocation Bureau and participate in the construction of the Alhambra Palace.

Not only that, due to the close relationship between the Alhambra and the Idar military, unlike the construction of previous wonders, the Idar military and Idar CIA agents also participated in the construction process of the Alhambra.

Of course, in addition to supervising the progress of construction, they will also put forward their own needs to the chief engineers of the Principality of Idar and point out the parts that need to be corrected in the original drawings.

For example...

The Alhambra needs to allow the Griffin Riders to land.

The Idar CIA needs to set up an independent office inside the Alhambra Palace to achieve timely communication with the Ministry of Defense of the Principality of Idar, or even change the internal structure, remove unnecessary luxurious decorations inside the palace, and reserve part of the space as a safe house, or reserve office space for other departments that have not yet been established.

In short, with the groundbreaking of the Alhambra Palace, the city of Idar was obviously more lively than in previous days.

The eastern end of Jingshi Road has become a huge construction site, and because the Alhambra Palace almost lies across Jingshi Road, this east-west road had to change direction near the Alhambra Palace.

The influx of a large population made the streets of Idar bustling, and more and more city walls were demolished due to the expansion of the city.

If you look down from the sky, you will see that there is a large gap on the city wall of Idar in almost every direction.

But……

Bruno was not worried, and neither were the Idar people living on this land.

There are no robbers or bandits here, nor are there any rebels or wars.

Idar soldiers had already kept the enemy thousands of miles away, and no enemy army could break through the heavy blockade and reach the most core territory of the Principality of Idar.

The defeat of the Odins greatly strengthened the confidence of the Idar people. In addition, the people's lives were getting better and better under Stuart's rule. The people were also loyal to the Principality of Idar and full of respect for the Idar soldiers.

so……

When Justin Lucio finally passed the Stranglethorn Vale customs and saw the city of Idar in the distance, although there was no protection from the towering city walls, his heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally calmed down at this moment.

The Territory of Idar, located in the eastern part of the Norman Empire, can be said to be a must-pass place for merchants traveling between the Kingdom of Basel and the Norman Empire.

Justin Lucio was a merchant traveling between the Norman Empire and the Kingdom of Basel.

As a traveling merchant, his job was to sell the goods of the Kingdom of Basel to the Norman Empire, and then bring the specialties of the Norman Empire back to the Kingdom of Basel.

In short, it is to make money by reselling goods.

Since traveling between the two countries often takes a long time, and the long distance greatly increases the possibility of encountering accidents, the risks involved are also extremely high, so...

Most of the merchants engaged in this trade were civilians without the protection of the nobility.

Most of them came from ordinary civilian families and became businessmen by chance when they seized opportunities.

However, it is precisely because of their shallow roots and lack of background that these ordinary merchants cannot compete in the market with the white gloves under the protection of the nobles, nor can they get involved in any low-risk and high-profit industry.

Therefore, they could only make money by reselling and accumulate their own wealth at the risk of being robbed by bandits.

Justin Lucio could be considered the top civilian businessman of this era! Not only did he own several fleets, but he also employed a large number of drivers and guards. With his accumulation bit by bit, he had accumulated a considerable amount of wealth over the years.

However, since he had no background, even if he accumulated a large amount of money, he could only bury it deep underground. He was always trembling with fear and dared not make it public.

Because Justin Lucio knew very well in his heart that with just one word from the noble lord, the money he had worked hard for most of his life would be gone forever.

therefore……

After Justin Lucio witnessed the tremendous changes that had taken place in the Principality of Idar in the past two years, he felt restless deep down.

From a dilapidated little town far on the border to the magnificent giant city it is today.

The strength that the Principality of Idar now possesses is enough to compete with many powerful forces on this continent.

If Justin Lucio had not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that in just two years, the Idar Territory could have undergone such earth-shaking changes!

But for Justin Lucio, that's not the most important thing.

The Principality of Idar is the only noble territory in the entire continent that has clear regulations on commercial taxation.

At Bruno's request, the Principality of Idar formulated a clear tax policy, standardized the taxes that merchants needed to pay to the principality, and clarified the rights and obligations that merchants had.

As long as you do not violate the laws and regulations of the Principality of Idar and do not evade the taxes you should pay, even the most ordinary civilian merchants can live a stable life on the land of the Principality of Idar!

In Justin Lucio's opinion, or for all civilian businessmen, nothing is more attractive than a stable social life and clear rules and regulations!

so……

This time when he came to the Principality of Idar, Justin Lucio was not going to leave! The chaotic situation in the interior of the empire had dealt a heavy blow to the business travel between the two countries.

As the army of Second Prince Reiz gradually advanced, even the southern part of the empire, where the front line had been relatively stable, had become a mess.

You know, the refugees who are starving and cold, and the defeated soldiers fleeing from the battlefield, don't care about the guards in the civilian caravan. As long as they can survive, they can do anything! It is for this reason that the business environment in the interior of the empire has deteriorated sharply. If Justin Lucio doesn't want to risk his life, then he must stop his caravan.

"Everyone, please stop for now. I'll pay you the wages for the past few months..."

Looking at the city of Idar which was already in sight not far away, Justin Lucio stopped his caravan.

Hearing this, the guards and coachmen all came over.

In fact, they did not make any money on this trip, and it could even be said to be a losing business.

Most of the goods in the caravan were looted by the influx of deserters and refugees when they reached the center of the empire.

Even though the caravan guards fought hard and many of them were injured, it was of no avail.

If it were someone else, they might refuse to pay wages on the grounds that they were losing money, but Justin Lucio, who came from a commoner family, knew very well how difficult life was for these people, so he would not deliberately withhold their wages.

In fact, it is precisely for this reason that Justin Lucio has been able to grow bigger and bigger with his good reputation and become one of the few civilian vendors who owns several fleets of cars.

And the most important thing is that Justin Lucio has now become a citizen of Idar. In the Principality of Idar, maliciously withholding workers' wages will result in a high fine!

Besides, for Justin Lucio, such a loss is something he can fully afford.

Except for the fleet in front of us, the rest of the fleet had already been sold by Justin Lucio, and the relevant personnel had also been properly resettled.

Justin Lucio's wife and children had already immigrated to the Principality of Idar with all their belongings and put down roots in this land.

As for the guards and coachmen in front of him, they can be regarded as the last group of people around Justin Lucio.

"Master Justin, thank you for your gift. The God of Light will surely bless you!"

"Master Justin, if there is any more work in the future, just tell us!"

The drivers who received their wages bowed and expressed their gratitude to Justin Lucio.

After dismissing the laborers and guards who followed him, Justin Lucio returned to his residence in Idar before sunset.

Justin Lucio's house is located in the DC district of Idar, near the Baths of Caracalla. It is considered one of the best houses in Idar.

Mrs. Lucio was already waiting at the door, greeting her husband who had come from afar.

"I should have known better than to make this last trip. I encountered some problems along the way and lost a lot of money."

After a long separation, when Justin Lucio saw his wife and children again, in order to avoid unnecessary worries, he simply mentioned the swordplay he had experienced.

"I'm glad you came back safely. Our family has accumulated a lot of money over the years, and our business in Idar City is gradually improving. You don't have to run around anymore. Just stay in Idar Principality."

Mrs. Lucio carefully wiped the sweat from her husband's forehead and said with some concern.

Different from the requirements for refugees to immigrate to the Principality of Idar, if foreign merchants want to obtain the Idar Citizen Identity Card issued by the Idar Public Security Bureau, they must provide a certain number of jobs for the Principality of Idar.

Therefore, in order to obtain immigration permission, Justin Lucio gave his wife a large sum of money so that she could buy shops in Idar and recruit workers, so that his family could obtain Idar citizenship.

When Justin Lucio, exhausted, slumped down from the dining table, Mrs. Lucio had already prepared warm coffee and freshly baked white bread for him.

"This is……"

Looking at the cup of dark brown liquid in front of him, Justin Lucio seemed a little confused.

"This drink is called coffee, and it's something unique to our Principality of Idar!" Seeing this, Madam Lucio said quickly, "It tastes a little bitter when you first drink it, but if you taste it carefully, you can taste an extremely mellow sweetness."

Seeing his wife's confident look, Justin Lucio picked up the cup of warm coffee and chuckled, "It's been less than half a year, and you've already started to call yourself an Idar?"

"call……"

Mrs. Lucio added a little sugar to the coffee, so it didn't taste bitter at all, which surprised Justin Lucio.

The taste is mellow and rich, with a slight bitterness followed by the unique sweetness of coffee. At least... Justin Lucio likes it very much.

"Indeed... not bad..."

"Of course!" Mrs. Lucio looked up and said proudly.

"But... since this business has stopped, I should find something to do. Otherwise... wouldn't I just be living off my savings? You've been in the Principality of Idar for about half a year. Have you found any business opportunities?"

He tore off a piece of white bread and put it into his mouth, a hint of worry showing on his face.

During Justin Lucio's business days, Mrs. Lucio not only gave him advice, but also provided him with great help and acted decisively and efficiently. Otherwise, he would not have been at ease letting his wife come to the strange land of the Principality of Idar alone with their family and children.

Therefore, Justin Lucio did not hide anything and asked directly.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Lucio showed a trace of confusion on her face: "Didn't you give me some money to open a few stores in Idar? If our store hadn't provided enough jobs, how would we have obtained citizenship?"

"It's just a few shops. Even if there are more, how much money can you make every month?"

Although Justin Lucio had already made up his mind to take root in the Principality of Idar, he still spoke nonchalantly.

after all……

Although traveling for business is very risky, the profit that can be obtained from a trade trip is definitely not a small amount.

And to be honest, Justin Lucio never thought about how much profit he could make from the shops in Idar City. As long as he could break even, it would be enough.

Because his original purpose was actually very simple, which was to employ more people and provide enough jobs so that his family would be qualified to immigrate to the Principality of Idar.

Hearing this,

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Mrs. Lucio raised her head proudly and said seriously:

"It's true. I've earned more than thirty gold coins in just this month."

"Well, not yet...wait, how much did you say?"

Justin Lucio's voice suddenly changed.

I can earn more than thirty gold coins a month, so if you calculate it this way...

That’s nearly four hundred gold coins in a year!

Such profits are comparable to the profits from running a caravan! With similar profits, one is traveling in a foreign country with great risks, while the other is staying safely in the Principality of Idar. It is obvious which of the two businesses is better! Seeing the surprise on her husband's face, Mrs. Lucio reaffirmed:

"That's right, I can earn more than thirty gold coins a month!"

"How could there be so many?!"

"Do you know how much money an Idar civilian can earn in a month now?" Mrs. Lucio did not answer, but asked back.

"A few dozen copper coins?" Justin Lucio said a number that he thought was very high.

"Eighty or ninety copper coins. The monthly salary of many ordinary people can even exceed a hundred copper coins!" Mrs. Lucio said seriously.

"How is this possible?!"

At this moment, Justin Lucio was completely shocked.

If a civilian could earn one hundred copper coins a month, that would be one thousand two hundred copper coins a year, equivalent to sixty silver shillings, or three gold coins!

As a traveling merchant, Justin Lucio knew clearly that in other noble territories, an ordinary civilian could get a salary of thirty copper coins per month, which was already considered good! However, the salary of civilians in Idar could reach three times that of other noble territories, or even more!!! "At first, I also thought it was an impossible thing, but... this is indeed the current situation of the Principality of Idar."

Madam Lucio paused for a moment before continuing, "The war in the interior of the empire has caused more and more refugees and merchants to pour into this land. The presence of refugees will bring a large amount of labor, and the arrival of merchants will bring a large amount of money to this land."

"And Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar, earned a lot of money from the nobles through various means, and then organized refugees to build roads and bridges and create wonders."

"But... I don't know why such a significant change has occurred, but the Principality of Idar seems to have developed a discipline that specializes in studying such issues, and Your Excellency the Duke calls it 'Economy'."

"economy?"

"That's right." Mrs. Lucio nodded affirmatively.

Although Justin Lucio had often passed through the land of the Principality of Idar before, his understanding of the Principality of Idar was certainly not comparable to that of his wife who had lived here for more than half a year.

Therefore, after a detailed conversation with his wife, Justin Lucio gradually understood the current situation of the Principality of Idar.

But……

The more details he learned, the more he was amazed at Bruno Stuart, Duke of Idar.

Before this, he only saw that the Principality of Idar had a powerful army, a growing population, an increasingly high status in the Norman Empire, and was able to stay out of the chaos of the empire.

But when he heard more and more news about the Principality of Idar from his wife, Justin Lucio finally realized that the military strength and institutional norms of the Principality of Idar were only one aspect, and what he had previously known was only the tip of the iceberg of the Principality of Idar.

During the reign of Duke Bruno Stuart of Idar, the most significant change that took place in the Principality of Idar was actually the lives of ordinary people.

From starvation and cold to a stable and prosperous life, in Justin Lucio's opinion, no noble territory in the world could undergo such a huge change in just two years.

but……

The Principality of Idar overturned Justin Lucio's cognition, because... this noble territory located in the eastern part of the empire really did it! The surge in people's income will certainly cause an increase in the price level to a certain extent, but this increase was controlled by Bruno within a certain range.

The food supply is sufficient and the market supply and demand are stable.

As people began to have more money in their hands, the goods available for Idar people to buy and choose from were also gradually increasing.

In terms of daily wear, civilians no longer have to guard a tattered coarse cotton coat as a family heirloom. They can buy reasonably priced and high-quality clothes in the department stores of the Principality of Idar.

In terms of food, in the Principality of Idar, white bread is no longer exclusive to the nobles. Hardworking civilians can also buy freshly baked white bread through their own efforts.

In terms of living environment, the streets full of sewage and stains have long disappeared, replaced by clean and tidy streets and the goal of each community to create a civilized community in Idar City!

New clothes produced by the Idar textile factory, special snacks that appeared near the Caracalla Baths and on the streets of towns, mosquito coils, soaps, daily necessities, newspapers and other reading materials...

During this period, all the changes that took place in the Principality of Idar were seen by the people and had a profound impact on all aspects of social life in the entire Principality of Idar.

"So... relying on those few shops, I can actually earn more than thirty gold coins a month..."

Although he had accepted this fact, Justin Lucio felt an inexplicable sense of frustration in his heart.

He didn't know why he had such a feeling in his heart.

But everything that the Principality of Idar presented before his eyes left him dumbfounded, and he was speechless for a moment.

If he was shocked by everything about the Principality of Idar at the beginning , then after his wife described everything about the Principality of Idar to him in detail... the feeling in Justin Lucio's heart could no longer be described by the word "shocked".

As if she had seen the imbalance deep within her heart, Mrs. Lucio continued:

"Not all stores can generate such huge profits. Our three stores are all located near Idar Avenue and Idar Department Store. There is a huge flow of people in the area, so we don't have to worry about sales and profits."

"It's just... there is one thing I'm not sure about, and I can't make up my mind, so I still need you to make the decision..." After her husband gradually regained his composure, Mrs. Lucio pondered for a moment and then spoke in a deep voice.

"What is it?"

"Buy a house! And a villa outside of Idar!"

…

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

The new house mentioned by Mrs. Lucio is actually the "Noble Manor" located northwest of Idar City.

Just as Bruno had imagined, although the name of this real estate project was called "Noble Manor", its actual target customers were all the big businessmen who had moved to the Principality of Idar.

The main reason why Bruno attracted Idar nobles such as Count Dale and Count Bailey to live there was not to make money, but to hype!

Being neighbors with nobles and being neighbors with businessmen are definitely two completely different concepts.

so……

Since they could sell the land to the nobles at a price of 15 gold coins per square meter in the wilderness, then when the land was officially put on sale, Riverside Real Estate would definitely be able to sell it at a high price of more than 20 gold coins per square meter! In other words, if Harley Santa Cruz, the person in charge of Riverside Real Estate, was not a fool, then as long as he followed Bruno's strategy step by step, the sale of this noble manor would definitely be extremely popular!

In fact, many businessmen have been eager to make a move, including Justin Lucio, who had just arrived in the Principality of Idar.

It has been a week since Justin Lucio came to the Principality of Idar.

During this week, he not only personally visited the store that had been run by his wife, Mrs. Lucio, but also, like most Idar people, got into the habit of reading the latest issue of the Idar Daily.

During this period, the name "Noble Manor" has always been a frequent guest in newspapers.

In fact... advertising slogans like "waterfront residence", "peaceful and comfortable life", "beautiful garden", "private territory" and so on are not very attractive to Justin Lucio.

But there was one sentence that left a deep impression on Justin Lucio - living as neighbors with nobles and imagining future life.

Human beings are very complex creatures.

Before Justin Lucio came to the Principality of Idar, he was always worried that his wealth would be coveted by greedy nobles, and he was always afraid of the power of the nobles.

But it cannot be denied that while everyone is afraid of the nobles, they all want to have some connection with them, as if they want to prove their own extraordinaryness.

The stable social environment of the Principality of Idar and the "noble manor" built by Riverside Real Estate just provide them with such an opportunity.

Although in the Principality of Idar, the aristocratic families other than the Stuart family have long lost their former power and status, and are unable to interfere in the decision-making and operation of the principality.

However, the nobility still holds an extraordinary status in people's hearts.

The nobles care about their dignity as nobles, and these merchants who see hope in the Principality of Idar also want to regain their dignity and obtain a status similar to their wealth and abilities.

For the vast majority of businessmen, the simplest and most brutal way to gain status and respectability is to establish a relationship with the nobles.

So... becoming neighbors with noble lords naturally became a common idea in the minds of many businessmen, including Justin Lucio.

That is why, when the news that the villas in the noble manor would be officially put on sale today came out, all the big businessmen in the entire Principality of Idar heard the news and rushed here.

Naturally, many of them came here with the intention of joining in the fun and broadening their horizons, but there were also quite a few businessmen who sincerely wanted to pay for the villas.

What's more... the title of "living next to the aristocrats" is more for hyping up prices and increasing attractiveness. The future appearance of the aristocratic manor depicted by Riverside Real Estate has already made many people feel itchy.

If it was not built well, how could noble lords like Earl Dale and Earl Bailey buy property in such a remote place?

so……

On the day when the Noble Manor was officially put on sale, Justin Lucio, who had been impatient for a long time, brought his wife to the sales office of the "Noble Manor" in the XC district of Idar.

No more today, have a nice weekend!

(End of this chapter)