Chapter 34 Discussing Affairs: This is not a job for a human being. ...
“If a new contract needs to be signed, then contact us to discuss and sign it. Shouldn’t a plan be prepared in advance for something this important?” East said calmly.
“But Your Majesty, the merfolk are not satisfied with the conditions we have proposed.” Krass looked troubled.
"Do you know why?" Easter asked aloud, while communicating with the system in his mind, asking if it could investigate the reason, not the superficial reason, but the deeper one. There must be other forces behind this, otherwise, after so many years of peace, why would they bother his small country?
"They demanded an additional 30% of the funds compared to previous years, and that magic crystals be provided; gold and silver cannot be substituted," Kras replied.
Easter looked at Edwin, "Mr. Wilson, what is the current state of the court's finances?"
“Your Majesty, you should know that the Kingdom of Ramon did not arrive empty-handed,” Edwan sighed.
East almost laughed in anger. If he hadn't met Randall Green, he might have believed Edwan's words to some extent. But he believed that, given Randall's character, he wouldn't stoop to stealing from someone else's national treasury. Some loss was to be expected, and it wasn't necessarily related to the person at the very top. It's impossible for anyone below not to have any greed.
"Is that you don't have enough money?" With players around, Ist doesn't lack magic crystals. He could easily take them out if he wanted to, but he didn't want to be taken advantage of. Putting aside how much convenience the route brought to the country, the first to get rich would definitely be the pockets of those sitting below.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Edwan looked at Ister with sincere eyes.
A smile crept across East's lips. How could someone be so shameless?
“Mr. Wilson, I have only one question: if the sea route is blocked, who will be more affected?” East asked not only Edwan, but also others. His eyes swept over them, and he straightened his sleeves. “In the end, everyone knows the truth of this matter. Why make things difficult for me? I, the king, probably know more about how much money is in the national treasury than you do.”
“Your Majesty, do you mean…” Edwin’s eyes sharpened, “Do you intend to relinquish control of the shipping route?”
Easter tapped his knuckles on the table. "Let me see the contract."
Kras respectfully handed over the contract.
Everyone noticed that His Majesty the King's personality had changed drastically after his trip. He was more assertive and domineering, and more unscrupulous and ruthless in his dealings with people and matters. Was it just because of those summoned creatures? Not necessarily. Perhaps it was his true nature.
Clas stole a glance at Ister. Hmm? Does their King have a beauty mark on his face? His eyes were momentarily dazed, but when he came to his senses, he met Ister's eyes. Ister's clear and gentle crimson eyes revealed indifference. Clas could no longer recall the question that had just flashed through his mind, and hurriedly lowered his head.
Easter looked at the characters written on the parchment, pressed his fingertips against it, and asked, "Can't we talk anymore?"
That's what East says, but having a sea route is very helpful for development. Putting aside everything else, just consider this: on land, merchants have to face monsters that can appear out of nowhere, while at sea, there are merfolk to deal with the monsters in the sea, which saves a lot of effort. In addition, compared with land routes, there is a big difference in the distance and time required to travel by sea, so sea routes are undoubtedly better than land routes.
“This is the result of the talks,” Claes replied. “Initially, they wanted to add 50%.”
East had only one thought in his mind: he wasn't going to bother acting anymore.
"Your Majesty, shall we increase taxes?" It was tax official Eagle Evans who spoke.
Easter rubbed his temples. He sincerely hoped that his tax collector was either sent by someone else or wanted to harm him, rather than that his tax collector came up with the idea himself.
Ister managed to hold back, but the little fireman sitting behind Ister perked up and couldn't help but chuckle. To prevent players from getting too bored, there would be simultaneous translation of the dialogue in the council hall, with exceptions for certain parts that shouldn't be translated, and these were limited to the council hall only.
Isterio glanced helplessly at the four little firemen behind him, then turned back. "Mr. Evans, I hope you're just telling a joke to lighten the mood because the atmosphere is too oppressive." Otherwise, with the monster seal loosening and people's hearts already restless, increasing taxes would be tantamount to trying to destroy a country. He was still having the system research the tax issue, thinking of making certain changes to reduce taxes, while his tax officials wanted to increase taxes. Wasn't that a joke?
Igor wanted to say something more, but Ister raised his hand to stop him. "Let's solve the route problem first, and we can talk about the tax issue later." He needed to discuss a feasible plan with the system before presenting it. In addition, he needed to make some preparations in advance. Throughout history, too many people have benefited from taxation, so it wouldn't be easy to change it. If this were his personal fiefdom, it would be fine, but the problem was that he hadn't been completely sidelined, let alone had his own fiefdom.
“Your Majesty, there is another matter to be discussed today,” Eagle insisted, “that this year’s crop yield is predicted to be reduced, by at least 20% compared to previous years.”
East opened his mouth, swallowed the anger rising within him, and asked in his mind, "System, didn't you detect this?" War, monster threats, unstable domestic government, surrounded by foreign enemies, plus reduced crop yields, wow! This is definitely a death trap.
[Host, the farming methods in this world are too backward. It's almost the end of the year,] the system explained, [I have no analysis of crop yields in this world, and written records are unreliable, as you know. I can only predict that this year's harvest will be very, very poor. In any case, it cannot be compared with Earth. I'm not talking about modern times, but ancient times. There's no comparison at all. I wanted to discuss solutions to the poor harvest with you on the night of the coronation.]
Easter stroked the system's fur, ignoring his embarrassment, and calmly said, "It's too late." The system's first two sentences implied the same thing: the harvest season is basically in summer and autumn, so by any measure, it's too late. "Therefore, a shipping route is absolutely necessary." Easter could roughly guess what this situation was all about. Trying to take his secret stash? Just kidding. Perhaps there were deeper motives, or maybe it was just a simple test. He was overthinking it.
The system acknowledged his suggestion, but he dared not voice it, fearing the host would punish him. After all, the host had reacted that way when he suggested selling the silk; if he were to actually voice his suggestion, his clone would be doomed.
Easter regained his composure. "Gentlemen, what are your thoughts? Have you considered how to resolve the current predicament?"
“Your Majesty, my suggestion just now…”
“That’s a good point, let’s not talk about it anymore.” Ister didn’t even let Igor finish speaking, glancing at him indifferently. If it weren’t for the fact that this country still needed these scourges for the time being, the first thing he would do after his coronation would be to get rid of them. It’s a pity that he doesn’t have enough power, a pity that he lacks talent, what a pity.
"Your Majesty, it depends on whether you can make up your mind?" Edwan smiled like a cunning old fox.
Easter grunted in response, indicating that he wanted to hear if he could speak in a human language.
"Port Manhattan"
Easter's voice turned cold. "Mr. Wilson, watch your words." Even if King Easter has little power, the country still nominally belongs to him. And the most important part of this is Manhattan Port, because the king's control over Manhattan Port is even greater than that of the capital. The people sent to guard Manhattan Port are the most loyal to the country, obeying only the king. If it weren't for Randall, the situation in Manhattan Port would be unpredictable. Everyone was fortunate enough to be saved; Easter wouldn't be foolish enough to let go.
“Your Majesty, the treasury does not have that much money,” Edwan reminded him.
East chuckled. "If I were to pay for it all myself, would this route only be available to those I authorize?"
"Your Majesty, do you have so much wealth?" Edwin asked. "Besides, even if you do have so much wealth, what about the supplies the merfolk need? Can you provide them all by yourself?"
“They won’t mind as long as you pay enough; it just depends on whether you’re really willing to do what I’m saying,” Easter said.
The twelve palace officials who were about to carry out the attack couldn't help but exchange glances, their expressions not very pleasant.
Easter watched quietly with a smile on his face; he wasn't the one in a hurry.
“Your Majesty, it’s lunchtime. We can continue our discussion this afternoon. After all, it’s such an important matter that we should be even more careful,” Edwan said.
East nodded. "I hope you can give me a satisfactory result. Please go ahead."
The doors to the council chamber opened, and the twelve court officials withdrew in an orderly fashion, leaving only Easter on the main seat and the four little firemen beside him.
After everyone had left, Easter relaxed his shoulders and back. This was too much work; it was not something a human being should be doing.
…………
While Ister was exhausted, Areper seemed to be having a great time. Well, no, he was actually enjoying watching the players fight monsters. Standing high in the trees, he clearly wasn't trying to hide, but both the players and the monsters seemed blind and didn't notice Areper's presence.
The quack quack is leading the players in an ambush of two monsters that are standing close together. Since the day of Ister's coronation, the players have noticed that their strength has increased. Judging from their level, they are about to reach the level where they can choose a class. However, this does not mean that they can fight monsters one-on-one.
The croaking bird looked around and felt a chill in its skin. Could it be that some demon was lurking in the shadows?
Areber raised an eyebrow, finding it interesting. As the battle unfolded, the smile on his lips widened further. The contrast between the adorable little firemen and the ferocious monsters was simply too much to bear.
Arip didn't see the whole thing. When he arrived at another spot, he sensed the location of the little fireman and immediately noticed the fiery red fireman. It was brave, fearless, and skilled in combat.
Areber lingered there longer, and only after witnessing the monster's defeat did he leisurely move on to the next spot with the small fire figures.
Dark clouds loomed, but the rain had stopped. Arip looked down at the little firemen with a puzzled expression. They weren't fighting; instead, they were gathering grass into their baskets. Arip was certain that it was all grass, devoid of magic and not food.
Arip was lost in thought. These were indeed intelligent beings, and they should have their own civilization. How interesting, Mr. Rabbit had really brought him a lot of surprises.
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