Chapter 405 Ransom!
"Gabi, tell me! What price are you willing to pay to redeem your master!"
Although Gervis was a little helpless for not getting any rich spoils, he still had an important hostage in his hand, and the other people in the castle probably added up to more than 100 people, so the ransom should be able to bring a considerable amount of money.
"Butler Gabi, I have to remind you in advance that there are thousands of people in our group. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer, even if I am not angry, I can't guarantee what will happen to the others at that time."
"Sir, two hundred gold coins! I can do the bidding of my master and pay you two hundred gold coins to redeem my young master!"
Gabi didn't get nervous when she heard Gervis' threat. Instead, she thought for a moment and said to Gervis respectfully.
"200 gold coins?"
Gervis couldn't help but look up to Gabi. This butler was very trusted by Baron Bob. Two hundred gold coins were the annual tax revenue for a baron of ten thousand people. Butler Gabi quoted the price without even frowning and made the decision for his master!
However, these 200 gold coins could not satisfy Gervis' appetite, as he had hundreds of small nobles on his side.
"Butler Gabi, this price is too low!"
"Sir, 200 gold coins are just the ransom for the young master."
"If you can move the things in the castle, I think my master is willing to give you another 20 gold coins as a reward."
"As for the people in the castle, sir, there are currently 96 people in the castle. We are willing to pay 3 gold coins to redeem them!"
"223 gold coins? That's too little, Butler Gabi. We have three to four thousand people outside the city, including hundreds of nobles. Do you think they would care about one or two gold coins?"
Gervis was very pleased with the transaction method proposed by Gabi. If he looted all the miscellaneous things in the castle himself, not only would they be worthless, but he would also need to send someone to send them back to the City of Glory first. It would be better to cash them in directly with gold coins like he was doing now.
As for the population, the same principle applies. As long as you have gold coins, the slave traders will deliver the goods directly to your door.
As for Gabi, Gervis was considering whether he should tie him back to the territory. He thought this guy was quite capable and could help him manage the territory.
Although Vivian was literate, Gervis didn't really think that Vivian could do a good job as a political officer.
"Sir, the ransom for a noble's offspring used to be 200 gold coins. I dare not give you less than a cent!"
In this world, it is a common practice for both sides of a war to redeem each other's prisoners of war. After so many years of exchanging experiences, people have summed up the ransom amount for redeeming nobles of each level.
As Gabi said, 200 gold coins is about the same price for a baron's son like Babette.
If it is the eldest son heir, it may be more expensive. If it is the second son, the price may be lower. It depends on the specific situation, but the price basically fluctuates around 200 gold coins.
If Gervis had captured Baron Bob of Kalundborg this time, he could at least get a ransom of 500 gold coins. If the baron's cultivation level was higher, such as mid-level silver or high-level silver, it would even be no problem to increase it to 700 or 800 gold coins.
The ransom for a viscount lord can start from thousands of gold coins. As for the earl, no earl has ever been captured, so there is no standard to judge.
However, based on the ransoms of the following titles, the ransom for an earl's captive would start at a minimum of five or six thousand gold coins, and even tens of thousands of gold coins would not be uncommon.
After all, most of the current earls are golden knights, and only a few are as eager to inherit the title as Gervis’s cheap wife.
"Butler Gabi, that's just an estimate based on the usual price. It took us a lot of effort to capture Kalun Castle! And there's no loot in your castle!"
Gervis shook his head and said disapprovingly
"Humph, what great strength? It's just relying on a large number of catapults. There's no chivalry at all!"
Bang!
Babette, who was pressed on the sofa, felt a little indignant after hearing what Gervis said and muttered softly.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Pat, who had sharp ears, heard it and hit him hard on the abdomen with the scabbard of the sword, making a crisp sound.
"Oh, Master Babette, I would have forgotten if you hadn't reminded me! My fifty trebuchets fired all night, and their service life has been shortened by a lot of time. These losses must also be taken into account."
"How about this, Butler Gabi? I won't ask for much. Let's set the ransom at 2,000 gold coins! This way I can give an explanation to the hundreds of nobles outside and ensure that you and the castle are safe."
Gervis stated what he thought was a reasonable ransom, with an air of making a fortune.
When Gervis finished speaking, the hall fell into silence in an instant, and you could hear a pin drop.
Not to mention Gabby and Babette, even Fatty Pat and Bertram both widened their eyes. They didn't expect that Gervis's lion's mouth was so big.
"You're dreaming! 2,000 gold coins, even the Viscount can't ask for that price! If you don't want to let us go, just say so!"
Babette was a young and inexperienced person. She was the first to react and stood up from the sofa excitedly.
Boom!
This time Pat no longer hit him on his armor, but directly on his head. In an instant, the poor child Babette sat down again, covering his head with his hands.
"Sir, the price you mentioned is too high. We don't have that much gold coins even if we are willing to pay."
Gabi was helpless. Gervis was the most special noble he had ever met. Although other nobles asked for high prices, they were still within a reasonable range and within their means.
But Gervis's request of 2,000 gold coins was simply an exorbitant price.
2,000 gold coins, that's about 10 years' tax revenue for a baron of 10,000 people.
Gabi estimated that if her master heard the price, it would be better to have another son so that he could still have a fat and fair heir ten years later.
"My Lord, 300 gold coins, this is the limit of what I can offer! What do you think?"
Butler Gabi asked carefully.
Gervis said nothing and just shook his head.
"400 gold coins!"
"Ike, let the people outside come in and move the things! The lampstand on the wall is also made of copper. We can knock it down and take it away to recover some of the losses."
Gervis remained unmoved and instead began to explain things to Ike.
"800 gold coins! Sir, this is really the limit. If it exceeds 800 gold coins, I will not be able to explain to Master Bob!"
Gabi's palms were sweating. He heard that the tone of the young noble in front of him did not sound fake, and he knew that four hundred gold coins really could not satisfy him.
So Gabi gritted her teeth and gave a final price.
"Sir, if you still can't accept this price, then I have no other choice. I can't save the dignity of the castle. I can only repay Master Bob with my death!"
"800 gold coins?"
Gervis looked at Gabi's expression and knew that this was Gabi's limit, but it was a little less than he expected.
The 2000 gold coins he mentioned was of course an exorbitant price, but his real expectation was 1000 gold coins.
Although the price was still very high, he and his companions had not gained any benefits in the castle, so of course they could only extort money from the hostages and the castle.
"Butler Gabi, I have a request regarding the payment of gold coins, and that is that I need to get the ransom within ten days!"
Gervis finally agreed. He decided to grab whatever he could get now. If Mayeye City was conquered by the Principality of Jean, Baron Bob would probably become a prisoner.
"this……"
"My lord, the Duchy of Alban and the Duchy of Jean are currently at war, and it is not safe to transport the gold coins!"
Gabi was a little dumbfounded. How could the Principality of Jean and the Principality of Alban possibly pay gold coins when they were still at war?
In the past, only after the war was over would the two sides open up special communication channels to complete various matters related to the exchange of prisoners of war.
The noble in front of them wants to trade now. Even if they are willing to pay, how can both parties ensure the security of the transaction?
(End of this chapter)
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