Weilan.

A country fair in a southern coastal county.

In an inconspicuous corner of the market, a large group of farmers gathered in a circle, and whispers of suppressed passion continued to be heard from the center of the circle.

"You know, a relative of mine went to the White Sturgeon Island. He told me that the pearls on the White Sturgeon Island are cheaper than stones, and people use the pearls to soak in water and drink!"

The speaker was a middle-aged man dressed as a tourist businessman.

"Hmm~~~"

The crowd exclaimed.

"He also said that farmers on the White Sturgeon Island have an endless supply of cheap fertilizers, and the potatoes they grow grow very fast, with nearly 2,000 kilograms per acre!"

"Wow~ How can we finish this?" someone exclaimed.

"Of course I can't finish it."

"So not only do we not have to worry about food, we can also sell them for money. One kilogram of potatoes can be exchanged for 10 copper coins, 1,000 kilograms is 6 gold coins, and as long as the island farmer reaches adulthood, he can get two acres of land!"

The farmers immediately started to plan.

Those who calculated quickly came to the conclusion: "If a family has three adult laborers and there are two crops of potatoes a year, then one crop is 18 ogg, so two crops would be almost 40 ogg, right?"

Someone immediately said, "Your calculation is wrong. One crop is enough for the whole family to eat. The second crop can be sold, so it is far more than 40 Ogg, at least 50 Ogg."

"Whose family has only three laborers? Aren't there usually five or six laborers?"

"Can all these potatoes be sold?"

"Of course. Even if the market doesn't want it, the lord will buy it at the market price, whatever he can get."

"Can the lord be so kind? It's good that they don't collect taxes!"

"They're still collecting taxes. Our lord won't let us grow potatoes at all. He forces us to grow damn tobacco. My kid is crying with hunger every day!"

The traveling merchant immediately said, "The Lord of the White Sturgeon Island is different."

"People say that nothing is more important than having enough food, so the land should be used to grow food first."

"Only when there is enough food, even enough to last for the next two or three years, can we grow something else. If it is the other way around, it would be evil heresy!"

"That's a good thing to say. Anyone who can say that must be a good lord!"

"Yes, yes, it would be great if our lord was like this."

"Bah~ That vampire, I hate him so much"

The farmer who was speaking glanced around and immediately added: "Dig him to death with a hoe!"

Another southern location.

late at night.

A large tobacco factory in a southern county, with a large house for workers to sleep.

After a day of hard work, the workers did not sleep.

In a narrow, dim, low room filled with the stench of sweat, feet and all kinds of inexplicable smells, a group of people listened attentively to a young worker speaking.

"Did you know that the factory on the White Sturgeon Island only needs to work 12 hours a day, which is 3 hours less than us!"

"Then they must make a lot less money than us."

A worker said, thinking he understood.

The young worker glared at him with disdain: "You know nothing!"

"A distant cousin of mine works on the White Sturgeon Island. He asked someone to write back to tell me that the lowest-paid job on the island pays 1 kron a day, and includes three meals a day, breakfast and lunch, and a full half-hour for meals!"

When these words were spoken, everyone looked shocked.

"Working 12 hours a day, and having an hour and a half to eat is too luxurious!"

"Will the factory owner be willing?"

The young workers looked like they were really ignorant.

"Of course the chief lord wants us to work 24 hours a day, but the lord of the white sturgeon island won't let us."

"There are clear laws on the island that workers must not work more than 12 hours a day, must be well fed, have adequate rest time, injuries and illnesses must be treated, and whipping is not allowed!"

"Once a factory owner violates the law, he will be severely punished immediately!"

"Crash~~"

The workers, whose clothes were dirty and smelly and whose bodies were skinny, listened with eyes that lit up.

"Is there really such a good lord in the world?"

"Even if the lord is good, but the factory owner has no money to make, won't the factory have to close down?"

"Yes, yes, yes. If the factory closes, no one will make any money."

The young worker spread his hands.

"I don't know about that, but our Lord Forlan just bought a new carriage. I heard that it cost more than three thousand ogres. His original carriage was only bought a year ago, and it was still brand new."

After these words were spoken, the workers fell silent.

The young worker added: "My cousin said that the factory owners on the islands are far less impressive than this."

"Of course, their lives are better than ours, but they all come from ordinary families and know that life is not easy."

"Let alone buying new carriages one after another, even buying new clothes requires careful calculation. It hurts to spend an extra penny."

Everything is afraid of comparison. One worker gritted his teeth and said: "So, our factory owners in the south are vampires!"

"Not only a vampire, but also a demon!"

"My father died years ago, and I wanted to take leave to attend the funeral. But Sir Forlan said that my father's death had nothing to do with me. I wanted to punch his father to death, and then ask him if it had anything to do with me?!"

The workers began to verbally attack the factory owner.

Dawn City, Harbor District.

The sun sets, the sky quickly darkens, and the nightlife in the harbor area officially begins.

In the calm Storm Bay, the beautiful Phoenix ships lit up their lights.

The harpist played the lyre, and beautiful dancers with charming figures and seductive clothes danced vigorously on the spacious deck.

Gentlemen of both generosity and generosity came aboard.

Once the boat is full, the Phoenix will move slightly away from the dock and drift in the bay, allowing the gentlemen to enjoy a taste of paradise on earth in safety and comfort.

"Weigh anchor and leave the port~~"

As the sailor shouted, another beautiful Phoenix ship carrying guests left the dock.

On the upper deck, singers and dancers performed hard and the spectators were immersed in the performance, but the scene in the cabin below deck was completely different.

Men and women were sitting on neatly arranged chairs.

From their clothes and manners, it can be seen that everyone has a good upbringing and social status.

Each of them was wearing one or two magical instruments, which showed that they were probably all mages.

But almost everyone has a depressed look on their face, which shows that everyone is dissatisfied with their current life.

At this moment, everyone was holding a beautifully bound album in their hands, and at the innermost side of the cabin was a small stage where a well-dressed man was giving a speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to tell you that this is a war that concerns the fate of Weilan!"

"If the North wins, Weilan will be completely free from Aaron's control, and the status of civilian mages like me will rise significantly."

"Baron Rosen of the northern white sturgeon island is a kind and generous lord, a wise and enlightened wizard, and a brave and powerful fighter!"

"He is promoting a new system of citizen participation in politics on the island!"

"As long as you are a resident of the island, no matter what your background is, whether you are poor or rich, whether you are a noble or a commoner, as long as you have enough ability, you can participate in all the affairs of the island. Bloodline is no longer an obstacle!

"The Lord Admiral of the Island Navy, he is only an honorary knight of the Shire. Everyone knows what an honorary knight is, it's just a bone given by the noble lord to the watchdog!"

"Master Alonso from the Magic Department was once framed and even imprisoned in Jialai Mine Prison. Everyone thought that he would be in poverty for the rest of his life, but now his laboratory has received an investment of up to 100,000 Oggs!"

"On the island, there is also a great Ring of Truth. It is a purely experimental creation that cost one million Oggs to build. It can convert lightning into pure force."

"If you think about it, you will know how much the baron of White Sturgeon Island values ​​magic ability and how much he ignores bloodline!"

As these passionate words were spoken, the male and female mages carefully flipped through the albums in their hands.

Various creations of the White Sturgeon Island are printed on the album.

There are black stone battleships that cut through the waves, magnificent rings of truth, and even detailed content on "The Island Citizens' Participation in Government System".

All these things made the civilian mages present feel greatly excited and even shocked.

Someone in the crowd asked loudly: "Will the Baron really do this throughout the whole of Veran?"

The person asking the question was wearing a black gentleman's suit and holding a very nice crystal staff in his hand. It was obvious that he was a wizard with considerable abilities.

The man giving the speech on the stage answered decisively.

"meeting!"

Someone else asked: "Why would he do this? It won't do any good to the lord."

"Because the Baron not only wants to take Weilan away from Aaron, but also wants to make Weilan powerful!"

"So powerful that it can dominate the entire alliance, so powerful that it can roam the seas, oceans, and even the sky of the world!"

"The Baron said that Weilan is not the Weilan of the nobles, nor is it the Weilan of Aaron, but the Weilan of all Weilan citizens!"

"Oh~~~"

Some arrogant words made the audience feel their hearts beating fast.

The speakers on the stage were also very passionate.

"Masters, White Sturgeon Island has the best warships in the world!"

"Only five ships destroyed the Storm Fleet No. 1 consisting of 20 warships, without causing any damage to our side!"

"White Sturgeon Island also has the largest fishery in the entire Weilan, producing countless pearls and countless seafood every year, which can greatly enrich the Weilan people's dining tables."

"There are countless fertilizers stored on the White Sturgeon Island, which are enough to increase the yield of Weilan's farmland by at least twice, so that Weilan will no longer have to rely on the food supply of the Wit Continent!"

Someone shouted, "That's impossible! All the farmland belongs to the earl, and they don't allow people to grow crops!"

The speaker on the stage immediately raised his arms and waved his fists, like an angry man swinging a hammer.

"Then make those greedy and foolish earls disappear!"

"And this is precisely the greatness of this war, because it will truly change the fate of every Welan citizen!"

"Everyone, it all depends on our choice whether to continue to be enslaved by these greedy people who call themselves counts but are actually vampires, or to stand up and sweep them into the dustbin of history!"

Someone else shouted again: "But we have no weapons! We can't defeat the counts!"

"The Earl is a noble, but most of his warriors are commoners!"

"Their parents and brothers are also mostly civilians. They work for the Earl only because they can't find a better way out."

"Let them see a better way, then they will not be the earl's lackeys, but Veran's warriors!"

"Perhaps you think this is impossible, and it is indeed unrealistic now, but when the Island Baron's army moves south and when the Black Stone warships approach, all of this will become a reality!"

"Brothers and sisters of Weilan, whether you will seize the opportunity in advance and contribute your own strength to the establishment of New Weilan, or wait passively and helplessly accept the ordinary fate, it all depends on your choice."

Respectable men and women listened to these words, some with thoughtful faces, some with eager eyes, and some with excited hearts.

But no matter what, the minds of every civilian mage were greatly affected.

Secret speeches like this were happening all over Weilan.

Not only in Dawn City, but also in all the major southern counties.

A large number of voices can be heard not only in the respectable places in the city, but also in factories, and even in the most despised rural areas.

A bottom-up trend of thought is gradually surging in the south of Weilan, just like the water flowing at the bottom of a pond. It looks calm on the surface, but it is almost boiling at the bottom.

The central idea of ​​the trend is: 'The Baron is the best lord. If you want a better future, you must support the Baron!'

But thoughts are just thoughts. Apart from sparking various discussions, there has not been much actual action yet.

After all, the south is wealthy and everyone can barely get enough to eat.

If you can eat your fill, you won't have much motivation to change.

First, it's human nature, and second, I'm worried that the more I change, the worse it will get.

It was against this backdrop that a diplomatic ship from Kao slowly sailed into the Storm Bay of Dawn City.

This official ship is very large, over 80 meters in length and more than 20 meters in width. It is obviously a converted warship.

The ship was flying the Black Rose flag representing the royal family of Kaa, and below the deck were two levels of gun ports with 60 cannons.

A group of soldiers wearing dark red uniforms and gorgeous feathered top hats were stationed on the deck.

Anyone with insight can tell at a glance that this is clearly the Blood Moon Knights who protect the royal family of Kao.

In other words, a member of the royal family of Kaa came aboard this diplomatic ship.

As one of the three major kingdoms of the Natural Alliance, although Kao is not very powerful at sea, it is a first-class land power.

At the peak of his power, he once pinned Aaron and Levinder to the ground and beat them, forcing both sides to cede land at the same time.

Even just twenty years ago, the kingdom's most elite Red Moon Knights had joined forces with Aaron's Ninth Lion Legion to defeat the Glorious Empire at the Giant Fortress, causing the Glorious Empire to not dare to start a war for twenty years.

The royal family of such a powerful land kingdom actually came to visit Dawn City in person. Naturally, the news spread like a whirlwind throughout the entire harbor area in an instant.

Everyone in the harbor area was curious and wondered what the royal family of Kaa was doing here.

As the diplomatic ship slowly approached the shore, in the luxurious cabin at the top, Prince Kao, Ryan, who was nearly 40 years old, was standing in front of the porthole, silently gazing at the prosperous harbor of Dawn City.

He had an honest face, a medium build, and was wearing a gorgeous but restrained black velvet suit. Anyone who saw him would think he was a gentle and kind person.

In fact, everyone who had come into contact with him, from dukes and marquises to personal attendants, all thought so.

But at this moment, in a foreign harbor, Prince Ryan was standing alone in the cabin, his gentle face showing a hint of gloom.

He was almost 40, and his father was clearly dying, but somehow he got significantly better and was even able to walk on his own.

He knew at a glance that his old father would probably not die within ten years.

The prince's dream of inheriting the throne was shattered, and he could only sigh silently at his aging face in the mirror.

"Third brother and sixth sister must be very bored too, right?"

This thought made Ryan feel better.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and the voice of the trusted confidant, the fourth-ring peak arcane master, Lofamir, came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, the ship has docked."

Ryan nodded: "Follow the plan, spread the news and make sure as many people as possible know about it."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lofamir took the order and left.

Prince Ryan shook his head, threw the unpleasant thoughts out of his mind, and thought about the plan in his mind.

Looking at Chenxi Harbor again at this time, a smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Mother's plan is really cruel. Now Aaron is going to lose Weilan completely, haha~~"

Aaron, without Veran, is like a lion who has lost most of his territory and is only one step away from desolation.

(End of this chapter)