Chapter 084 Chamber of Commerce Establishment and Town Upgrade
"Mother, I told you I won't marry that prince!" Nicole tilted her head to one side, her eyes slightly red.
"I'm not asking you to get married now!" Marissa straightened her head and forced her to look at her. "Besides, you can't jump out the window! It's too dangerous!"
The two looked at each other, and Marissa saw deep disappointment in her daughter's eyes.
The deep resentment, like a ball of fire, devoured Marissa.
Her heart was pierced. "Ever since I brought you back from the aquarium, you've been looking at me like this. Are you blaming me?"
"Why not?" Nicole said each word with pearls of wisdom. "You never had a happy marriage, so now you're going to ruin mine?"
"You!" Marissa subconsciously slapped her hard.
These words touched the deepest part of her heart, the most painful place.
The slap was so fast that it made Nicole see stars.
She gritted her teeth and looked at her mother, with only stubbornness in her eyes.
This look made Marissa increasingly panicked. "My...daughter, are you in pain?"
"You actually hit me?" Nicole suddenly laughed. "Mother, you've forgotten who comforted you and stayed with you over and over again when Father took a mistress! I love you the most in this world, but what about you? It's ridiculous. Back then, I would have been angry and heartbroken, and wanted to persuade you to break up with him, but you didn't. Now I understand, you did all this of your own accord!"
These words were like countless silver needles, constantly piercing Marissa's heart until her heart was riddled with holes.
She sighed, "Why are you talking about me? Let's talk about your business!"
"Are you worried that Prince Louis Vuitton is unfaithful? He wouldn't treat you like that! Although he occasionally has epilepsy, he is really good to you and he really likes you."
"In order to pursue you, he directly issued a contract scroll. If there is even the slightest betrayal, he will be struck by lightning..."
"Why can't you understand what I mean, Mother?" Nicole interrupted her, her smile becoming increasingly sarcastic. "The key to this matter isn't about others, but about you making the choice for me!"
"My ideal is to go into business and travel around the continent, rather than being confined to one place and being someone's wife!"
"Why do you only care about my body but not my soul?"
“…”
Marissa frowned. "You're young and don't understand the intricacies of this!"
"No, I've known everything since I was a child. Marrying the daughter of the Central Duke into the royal family will strengthen both sides' power, right?" Nicole's tone was full of self-mockery. "This is good for everyone, except me."
"You..." Marissa was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
In her impression, her daughter has always been domineering and spoiled, and she never thought that her daughter would think about these things.
Her voice deepened. "Daughter, this is the fate of being a noble. Women must marry, for the sake of reputation and family power. You are extremely lucky to be able to marry someone who truly loves you."
"If you really don't like him, mother can refuse him for you, but you must find a nobleman after all."
"At least before you turn 25, or you'll become a laughing stock among the nobles."
“…”
The more Nicole listened, the more she felt like a commodity, at the mercy of others.
What's even more tragic is that she knew what her mother said was true because her mother was a living example right before her.
It was obvious that her mother was a good businessman since she was young, but in order to consolidate the family power of the Western Chamber of Commerce, she gave up her childhood sweetheart and married her father.
She asked herself, she didn't have the "noble" quality of sacrificing for her family.
The sad thing is, the world is so big, where can she escape to?
Nicole's eyes gradually became moist. Having been a daughter her entire life, only she knew that she could never decide her own destiny.
Pride and arrogance are more like paper tigers, protecting her fragile heart when her mother cries late at night and her father never pays attention to her because of his preference for boys.
Whether she was running a business or doing business with Lin Muqiu, what she wanted was to gain a little bit of independence. Even if it was just a little bit, she could at least comfort herself that she was proud and her life still belonged to her.
But her mother's arrival was like a noose, slowly tightening around her neck until she couldn't breathe.
She spoke slowly, full of mockery, "Being a noble is actually worse than being a commoner in Ankang Town, living a happy and joyful life."
“Bang!”
Another sound, and her mother slapped her in the face.
There was no comfort, only the mother's extremely angry eyes.
Mother was really angry.
Nicole took a deep breath, rubbed her swollen cheek, and said nothing.
At that time, she wondered why Augustine was willing to live in a small town, but now she understood.
Only in Ankang Town have town rules been established, everyone is equal, marriage is free, and the townspeople belong to themselves to the greatest extent.
If there is no freedom, then there is no point in being a noble!
These words, like thunder from a clear sky, suddenly rang in her mind, stirring up a storm in her heart.
One sound became louder than the other, until it was as loud as thunder and almost shattered her eardrums.
She gave herself a fright.
*
"Are you sure you want to give up your noble status and settle here?"
Outside the city wall, Augustine looked at the bald man who came to register with some surprise.
Ever since the Lord announced the tightening of the settlement policy, the number of people coming here to settle down has been endless these days, and the number of people is rising!
Some people come to the city for a short tour and decide to settle down, while others come from afar and directly decide to settle down. But in a nutshell:
Ankang Town does have a strong attraction for them!
However, there are not many people who give up their noble status. This is the first one.
After another test, wow, this guy's swordsmanship is level 56!
The bald man pursed his lips tightly, his hands wet. "This, this, I'm not sure."
Augustine: “…”
He twitched his lips and said, "Then you can go to the back row and wait until you have thought it over."
The bald man said with a sad face, "I've lined up three times and still haven't made up my mind."
Augustine twitched his lips again, "Don't worry, when you become a resident of the town, if you have any troubles, the kind-hearted old mayor, Lord Kedero, will help you solve them!"
The bald man was sweating profusely and still hesitating.
The people in the back row couldn't wait any longer and started shouting:
"Have you made a decision yet? If not, let me go first!"
"Are nobles so great that they can waste everyone's time?"
"I'm also a noble. If you can't make up your mind, let me go first! There are so many beautiful buildings in Ankang Town, but you can't make up your mind. Is your heart made of cotton, so you can't knead it at will?"
“…”
Seeing that the pressure from behind was getting stronger and stronger, the bald man gritted his teeth and sneaked up to Augustine's ear.
Augustine shuddered and couldn't help but put his hand on the sword.
Is this person not here to cause trouble?
The man's voice was filled with tears. "There's an epidemic in my city, and my wife has unfortunately contracted it. We need a top-tier gold-grade potion, but gold-grade potions are only for the royal family... Is there really a pharmacist in Ankang Town who can treat it?"
"Please don't report me. I can't live without my wife!"
Augustine: “…”
My goodness, no wonder this man was hesitating for so long, because according to the law, no matter whether he is a noble or not, anyone with an infectious disease must be quarantined!
Fortunately, this person came to Ankang Town.
He patted the bald man's shoulder and said, "There are pharmacists in Ankang Town who can treat it, but there's no need to go to such trouble. After you settle down, go directly to the Civilian College. That building has the gold-level holy light healing effect."
"How much?" the bald man trembled. "As long as I have it, it's all right!"
"No money." Augustine twitched his lips. "Don't you understand these things when you come to settle here?"
The bald man felt as if in a dream and could not utter a word for a long time.
Shocked. Only the word "shocked" could express his feelings.
Although he was terrified, he decided to stay there forever.
After experiencing the brink of life and death, he finally understood: what could be more important than his wife's health?!
The team behind started moving again.
Augustine asked his guards to check each person one by one and provide settlement for those who met the settlement policy. If there were any uncertainties, they could contact him for resolution.
Until another nobleman came.
His highest level is swordsmanship level 15, which does not meet the requirements at all.
Augustine rejected it outright. "You don't quite meet the requirements. You either need to be above the intermediate level of skill, or have a special skill. Do you have any specialties?"
"Of course, I'm a great trader." The noble winked. "That's why I was able to make money, buy an ancient castle in the Dukedom, settle down there, and find a black market merchant to change my nationality, thus becoming a noble."
Augustine let out a long "oh" and suddenly realized.
Yes, if one is born into a noble family, how could one not have received training in swordsmanship?!
It turns out that he is an “illegal resident”!
He was a little puzzled, "You are willing to give up this status that you have worked so hard to obtain?"
The noble couldn't help but complain, "You don't understand! Being a noble isn't that great. It's just a good reputation! I don't get any real benefits, and I still have to pay for the castle's upkeep! The biggest problem is that prices in big cities are so high. I work so hard all day to earn a little money, but it's not even enough to live on. I can't even afford to get sick!"
"It's nothing like Ankang Town, where there's a public college and children don't have to worry about going to school, or worrying about getting sick and spending too much money! Without these two major expenses, saving money won't be that much harder."
"Plus, the town's facilities are so complete. If you want delicious food, there's a food court with staple food stalls. If you want to relax, there's a fish pond, a garden, and an aquarium. You can even buy a mount and ride around. There's also a guard patrolling the streets. The safety factor is so high!"
"The most important thing is, I'm a businessman! Ankang Town is going the tourism route, and they're planning to establish a chamber of commerce. The tax rate is also low, so I can really show off my skills..."
After saying that, he threw away all the business records of these years and threw the long note in Augustine's face.
"Stop." Augustine continued serving with a smile. "You've passed."
In the middle of summer, everyone kept talking about the good things about Ankang Town, and his ears were almost callused.
They don't feel tired, but he feels hot!
"Oh, okay." The man was still not satisfied, so he held his lips and left.
"Next." Augustine said expressionlessly.
The next one was the pancake maker, waving a rolling pin and ready to give Augustine a piece.
"Stop," Augustine said, puzzled. "Can I ask you guys why you didn't settle here before, but now that the settlement policy has been tightened, you've all come here?"
The pancake maker sighed. "Once I leave town, all my old customers will be gone. I have to wait and see. But seeing that the settlement policy has been tightened, I'm really worried that I won't be able to settle down with my skills, so I had to come here quickly."
Augustine was shocked.
My goodness, what kind of reverse stimulation is this!
Lin Muqiu, you are really amazing!
Others rely on recruitment to establish a chamber of commerce, but you rely on reverse recruitment. That's fine! Absolutely fine!
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