Chapter 216 A Brand New Era

"He just left like that..."

At the port of Thunder City, Baron Gus, sitting in a carriage, stared at the port with regret written all over his face.

Upon hearing the news that Mr. Colin was returning to the territory, he had planned to give the noble man a ride and thank him properly, but he didn't expect to miss him in the end.

Mrs. Marina got off the carriage with her frilly skirt lifted up, and there was also regret on her lightly made-up face.

Although Mr. Colin did not stay in her manor for a long time, that period was the happiest time in her years. She returned to her girlhood, and that pure and simple throbbing sprouted in her heart again.

She knew in her heart that it was impossible for the two of them to be together, but she still wanted to say goodbye to him properly. In the end, even her last wish could not be fulfilled.

Looking at the face that made her feel increasingly bored, she suppressed her resentment and complained.

"It's all your fault. You were fiddling with those gold coins all day and even missed such an important farewell! Where did you put the honor of the nobility? He is your savior!"

Gus blushed at this sentence and couldn't help but retort.

"You blame me? Would we have been late if you hadn't been fiddling with those accessories and putting that powder on your face?"

Saint Sis is above.

Why didn't he realize that this guy loved dressing up so much before! Hearing her husband's rebuttal, Marina's face turned red and her lips trembled slightly with anger.

"What are you talking about? Are you blaming me? Who do you think... I am doing this for..."

When she said this, she was actually only half confident.

However, some people are like this. The less confident they are, the more they like to ask questions and lose their temper.

Seeing his wife's angry reaction, Gus immediately regretted it, but for a moment he didn't know how to take back the water he had spilled, so he could only stand there stiffly with a stern face.

The two children sitting in the car couldn't bear it anymore. His eldest son George, who was only ten years old, had a serious face and spoke seriously like a little adult.

"Dad, you shouldn't say that to Mom. Keeping your appearance in good shape is the dignity of aristocrats. You always taught me this."

Isabel, who was only nine years old, also nodded her head and spoke softly.

"Yes, Dad, Mr. Colin is so handsome, it's normal for Mom to want to dress up. I also dressed up for a long time."

Marina glared at her daughter in panic, but soon realized that the child might not have thought that much and was simply expressing her feelings, and she was too sensitive.

Fortunately, Gus didn't realize anything was wrong, after all, nothing had happened. If thinking about it was considered cheating, then he had cheated countless times mentally and physically.

The expression on his face gradually softened, and Gus put his arm around his wife's shoulders and spoke soothingly.

"I'm sorry, dear, I shouldn't blame you..."

Seeing that the other party lowered his head first, Marina shook off his hand with a cold face and her tone became even colder.

"Don't touch me."

Gus withdrew his hand politely, smiling apologetically, trying to comfort his wife.

However, he didn't know that to someone who didn't love him, his humility and unreasonable apologies would only make the other person annoyed and feel that he had no appeal at all.

Marina looked at him with her chin up, suppressing the anger in her heart and pouring out all the complaints that she had suppressed for a long time.

"Do you look like a noble at all? Apart from the title and land left to you by your father, what else do you have? You rode the purest Highland warhorse like a donkey. You can't use a sword and can only hold a broken musket to show off... Even if all these don't matter, you can make more friends at the banquet, but what's the result? You're almost a clown! We are getting further and further away from the circle of nobles. Saint Sith, have you ever done anything a baron should do?"

Passersby on the street kept looking at him sideways, and the harsh whispers made Gus feel even more depressed.

He even had a feeling that even the seagulls in the sky were laughing at him.

"That's enough. I know I was wrong. Let's talk about these things when we get home, okay?"

Looking at her husband begging for mercy, Marina took a deep breath, calmed herself down, lifted her skirt and returned to the carriage.

After all, she was still a person who cared about her dignity, and it was impossible for her to curse without regard for her dignity like the village women in Yinsong Town.

Moreover, she also realized that something was wrong with her today. She was not like this usually.

What happened to him? Seeing his wife calm down, Gus finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, gave the coachman who dared not breathe a single breath a warning look, and then returned to the carriage.

"You're right, dear. We are too far away from the aristocratic circle... How about this? We can buy a house at the port of Thunder City. At least in terms of location, we can be closer to the upper class. You can also hold dances and tea parties when you have nothing to do."

Marina's eyebrows relaxed slightly, and although her face was still tense, it was not as stiff as before.

Gus calmed himself down and shouted towards the front of the carriage.

"Ollier, what are you doing sitting there like an idiot? Are you trying to make fun of me? Hurry up and get to the real estate trading hall!"

"Yes! Yes, sir!"

The butler and coachman sitting in the front of the carriage was startled by the sound, and hurriedly waved the reins in his hand to drive the carriage forward.

The land in Leiming City is all royal land, and house transactions are actually a very troublesome matter. In addition to reaching an agreement between the buyer and the seller, the Governor's Office's nod is originally required.

However, this situation has changed recently with the introduction of Edward's New Deal.

All citizens of Thunder City automatically obtained the right to use the land under their feet for 100 years.

This power was guaranteed by the Crown, and transfers and transactions no longer required the owner's approval.

The original transaction involving three parties has now become a registration process that only requires mutual agreement between the two parties.

Affected by this, the housing prices in Leiming City also rose sharply. The trading hall was crowded with people and the sound of inquiries was very lively.

After getting off the carriage, Baron Gus took a lot of effort to squeeze to the counter in the trading hall.

In order to show his capable side in front of his wife, he did not order his servants around, but chose to do it himself.

"Are there any houses for sale in Queens? I mean three-story detached houses. Don't push the old, shabby ones to me. I'm a baron of the principality!"

It was rare for aristocrats to come in person to buy a house, and the lady behind the counter was also startled. She quickly flipped through the booklet in her hand to help him check.

"There is only one house left that suits your status. It is located on the north side of Queens Road, with a construction area of ​​300 square meters. It has three floors and a rooftop terrace garden as you requested. The owner of the house is a timber merchant from the Remusa Chamber of Commerce Federation. The decoration style is quite tasteful..."

Gus said, tapping the table.

"I want this set. How much is it?"

"Let me help you take a look... the price is 20,000 gold coins!"

"How much?!" Gus' eyes widened.

Twenty thousand gold coins!

If it was a little more expensive, he could buy a hotel!

The lady sitting behind the counter looked at him nervously, afraid that she would disrespect the nobleman.

"Twenty thousand gold coins... Sir, due to His Majesty's new policy, the prices of houses in Thunder City have been rising recently. This situation has lasted for a month."

In fact, this house only cost 8,000 gold coins a month ago, but now the market is so hot that the supply of houses cannot meet the demand.

Seeing so many people wanted to buy it, the owner immediately doubled the price and then added a little more.

Looking at the noble gentleman with a painful expression on his face, she continued in a low voice.

"Or... I recommend the nearby Knight Road. There are also many houses that meet your requirements, and the people living there are all new rich people in Thunder City. Then there is the Andes family's manor, but there are no single-family houses there. They are all manors with relatively large areas. And because there is no listing, you may have to wait for someone willing to make a bid."

Upon hearing this, Baron Gus's face suddenly darkened and he banged his hands on the table.

"What are you talking about? You think I can't afford it?"

"No... I didn't mean that..." said the girl standing behind the counter tremblingly.

However, Gus was too lazy to pursue the rudeness of a servant. After regaining his face, he raised his chin and spoke loudly.

"Twenty thousand gold coins, right? That's it! Take me to see the house now. If there are no problems, we'll sign the contract right away!"

Twenty thousand gold coins was not a difficult matter for him, especially since he had recently made a fortune from Colin Mining's shares.

Everyone around him looked at him in surprise and whispered to each other.

Although they also came to buy houses, most of them only bought houses worth a few thousand or a few hundred gold coins.

Bathed in envious gazes, Baron Gus's vanity was greatly satisfied.

In the past, he always let servants do these things, but he didn't expect that low-level interests could be so interesting that the embarrassment and awkwardness he felt at the port before were made up at this moment.

"Yes, yes! I'll arrange it for you right away..." The lady behind the counter nodded in surprise, then quickly contacted her colleague and arranged for a salesperson in formal attire to trot over.

Gus waited impatiently as he picked up the cup on the counter and took a sip of the warm tea.

Looking at the endless stream of people, a thought suddenly occurred to him -

In just one month, the housing price has more than doubled. Why not buy more now? His Majesty Edward's new policy will not end tomorrow anyway.

With the determination shown by that gentleman, he will definitely push the reform to the end! Thinking of this, Gus' heart was burning with enthusiasm. He ordered the salesperson who came to his side to follow him, and then hurried back to the carriage.

Without waiting for Marina to ask him how things were going, he said with a happy look on his face.

"Honey, I have a great idea! The prices of houses in the entire Thunder City are rising. Since it is rising so fast, why don't we buy a few more houses? This is clearly gold rolling on the ground, and Saint Sis is giving us money for free!"

The salesman who had climbed to the front of the carriage and sat down quickly responded when he heard this, turning his head and smiling flatteringly.

"Sir, you have a really good eye! To be honest, guests of your status have already started planning. Just look at the street next to us. The houses on the entire street were bought by a certain count... Of course, I can't say which one."

There are only three earls in the Duchy of Campbell, and the ones closer to Thunder County are South Valley and Spinol. It makes no difference who they are or not.

Gus looked at his wife with great delight, raising his eyebrows to show off his taste.

However, looking at her husband with fiery eyes, Marina couldn't help but roll her eyes and groan and complain.

"You are such a miser, you are obsessed with money!"

Gus laughed but didn't care. He just stared at both sides of the street with his eyes, as if he was looking at a mountain of gold.

"That's right! I'm doing this for our family! George will go to Xuebang for further studies and learn powerful magic, just like the respected Mr. Colin... For his future, I have to prepare in advance!"

He missed the IPO of Colin Mining shares and did not get the fattest piece of meat, but fortunately, Saint-Sixth was kind to him and allowed him to catch up with the new policy of Grand Duke Edward.

He doesn't know how to run a factory, but buying a house doesn't require any technical skills, as long as you have money!

He couldn't miss this opportunity to make a fortune!

…

The real estate market in Thunder City showed signs of heating up, and all this seemed to be attributed to the respected Majesty Edward. For a time, the prestige of the royal family reached an unprecedented high.

If the shares of Colin Mining Company only "benefited" a small group of people, then this round of general rise in housing prices has even benefited ordinary people living in the suburbs.

The citizens of Thunder City have never loved their Majesty so much, so much so that those merchants who were complaining about the royal tax increase at the beginning of last year have changed their original views.

However, some knowledgeable people can see that Edward's new policy can only ignite people's enthusiasm for buying houses. What really pushes up the housing prices in Thunder City is the funds pouring in through the port of Thunder City.

What attracted them here at first were the diamonds in Mr. Colin's hands, then the shares of Colin Mining Company, and then the Ausland colony and the myth of endless wealth...

Starting from the initial charity dinner, this series of events together set up an elaborate scheme.

This game not only made Mr. Colin successful, but also brought success to a group of wealthy people including Andor and Baron Gus.

Under the phenomenon of money-making effect, countless people walked in willingly and took the initiative to become pawns on the stage.

Even though the lead dancer has left the stage, these skilled chess pieces still play their roles in accordance with the rules, pushing the stage play to a higher climax with increasingly passionate accompaniment.

And it’s just the beginning…

…

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

Just as Baron Gus was waving tens of thousands of gold coins to rush into the blue ocean real estate market, the Silver Pine Town in the distance was peaceful and tranquil.

Ever since Princess Irene came here, spring seems to have arrived right at the footsteps of that beautiful lady.

Adventurers began to enter the maze to explore the treasures of the underground world, and the farmers in the town also came to the fields carrying hoes.

The frozen stream began to flow again, and the air in the fields was not only filled with moisture after the end of the cold winter, but also mixed with the fragrance of green grass.

Old Abel stood at the edge of the field, rubbing his frozen red fingers clumsily, looking at the fields where the snow was melting, his heart full of anticipation.

According to his experience, a heavy snow usually leads to a good year.

Maybe this year he could make more pickled cucumbers and sell them in the city, so that he could get more copper coins from the citizens and not have to take advantage of other people's leftovers every time he went to the tavern.

Of course, the premise of all this is that he must do his job well.

That is to take good care of the lord's fields.

The reason why the respected Master Gus turned a blind eye to the vegetable gardens they cultivated wherever they could was all based on the premise that Silver Pine Town had a good wheat harvest.

But then again, he recently heard from adventurers in the tavern that the benevolent King Edward had issued a new decree, which, with the royal power as a guarantee, allowed lords to sell the right to use the land in their hands, and this right would not be violated by the lords.

When he saves enough money, maybe he can buy the land forever.

At that time it was entirely up to him what he wanted to grow, even all cucumbers if he wanted, and then pickles from them.

When he thought about how huge the fortune was, he couldn't stop smiling.

Maybe he could save enough money to buy a house for his eldest son in the suburbs of Thunder City and send his youngest son to the church school there.

Old Abel's neighbors gathered in twos and threes, looking eagerly towards the entrance of the town, chatting among themselves, waiting for the lord's servants to deliver the seeds for the spring plowing.

He always came at this time every year, and the master's servants should be here by about time.

However, what no one expected was that what they waited for so long was a group of sheep.

The clatter of horse hooves came from the main road, and a rider wearing light armor rode his horse in front of the crowd.

Looking at the tenant farmers with bewildered expressions on their faces, the soldier spoke loudly with an arrogant look and a sharp and ruthless voice.

"Listen! The respected Baron Victor Gus has decided to expand the ranch in Silverpine Town! This land needs to be replanned for raising sheep! From now until next month, you must move out of here! As compensation, you can take anything on this land at will, whether it's farm tools or iron pots, and the junk belongs to you!"

The tenant farmers who had been eagerly waiting were in an uproar. Their faces, which were originally full of anticipation, instantly turned into confusion and despair after they came to their senses.

Especially old Abel.

He seemed to be struck by lightning. He was stunned and stood there in a daze. His fingers, which he had rubbed warm, became cold again.

He didn't dare to meet the soldier's eyes, and could only look helplessly behind him, his eyes sweeping over the neighbors beside him -

Kasha, the widow who had just lost her husband, Tom, the lame carpenter, and young Billy... He saw his own expressions on their faces as if he was looking in a mirror.

shock.

despair.

And helpless.

There were whispers among the crowd, which turned into protests and sobs.

A strong man stood up, but then he crawled on the ground and said with fear in his eyes.

"Please wait a moment! Master, you want to turn this into a pasture, but...but what should we do?"

The soldier on horseback looked down at him and said.

"You are free. You can go wherever you like, whether it's being an adventurer or going to the city. Just don't beg in the town. You can do whatever you want."

Although tenant farmers are the lord's assets, the lord here no longer needs so much land.

To put it nicely, it means giving them back their freedom; to put it bluntly, it means letting them fend for themselves.

Anyway, there is a kind-hearted Princess Irene in Thunder City, right? She can even take in refugees from the Dusk Province, so she will not ignore her own people.

There was mockery written on the soldier's face.

Although more than a month had passed, he had not forgotten that the farmers had abandoned Master Gus and them and turned around to run away.

The man kneeling on the ground had despair in his eyes, but he could do nothing but speak with a choked voice.

"Master, we don't want freedom... Please let us continue to serve you! We can do other work, take care of these sheep, just give us a bite to eat and don't drive us away from here..."

"Yes, sir!"

"Please, Master!"

Others also knelt on the ground and begged, and Abel knelt down unconsciously, although he instinctively felt that this was actually useless. Those armored cavalrymen were obviously not here to negotiate with them.

Just as he thought, the soldier on horseback just sneered and said in a humiliating tone.

"Want to continue serving the master? Are you worthy? You should have thought about this day when you abandoned him and ran away. Thank him for his mercy. At least he didn't hang you in the square like those goblins!"

Gus actually had forgotten about this matter a long time ago. He raised sheep just to make more money. After all, the textile industry in Thunder City was booming recently, and wool had been in short supply for a long time.

However, although he was too lazy to remember the affairs of a group of servants, it did not prevent his men from remembering the shame at that time, and they always remembered to avenge this shame from these tenant farmers.

Those who dare to draw their swords against the strong are brave men, but it is clear that no one present is that kind of person.

Looking at the tenant farmers who seemed to have lost their souls, the soldier curled his lips and sneered.

"Of course, if you can grow wool on your body, you can stay."

The soldiers around them laughed, and even the horses they were riding snorted as if they were laughing.

Old Abel lowered his head like a dead person, unable to speak, and his mind was blank.

He can raise cattle and pigs, but he has never raised sheep.

What will happen actually?

Taking care of animals requires people, but not that many people are needed. The last chance will still be given to young people with nimble hands and feet and sharp minds...

Besides, the wise Baron Gus would not do things so carelessly, especially when it comes to money.

When the master imported these sheep from the eastern kingdom, he specially bought a few slaves who knew how to herd sheep.

Those slaves didn't cost much at all, it was just a matter of losing a few sheep...

After announcing the lord's order, the soldiers on horseback drove away the gathered crowd.

In fact, there is no need to drive them away.

The seeds for spring plowing have not been delivered, and these tenant farmers can do nothing but stare at the land.

At this moment Abel finally realized vaguely who His Majesty Edward's laws were protecting.

His eyes were blurred, as if he saw the familiar fields surrounded by fences, sheep replacing crops, and all his hard work coming to nothing...including the vegetable gardens he had secretly cultivated.

In the end he didn't know how he got home.

It was not until his sad-looking wife grabbed his arm with her rough hands and spoke to him in a tearful voice that he was awakened from his dream of pickles.

"Abel, what shall we do? Where shall we go if we have no land?"

"I have no idea."

Abel held a breath in his chest, but he finally let it out weakly and said with a wry smile.

"Maybe I can go to Thunder City to find a job? The adventurers in the town said there are plenty of jobs there. As long as you work hard, you won't die..."

He had been there several times and it was a nice place, but everything cost money and it wasn't cheap.

His wife seemed not to hear anything and just kept on nagging at him, as if he was the bad guy.

"How could they do this?! My father, my grandfather... our family has been farming for the Gus family for generations, how could they just say they don't want us anymore..."

Abel patted his wife's shoulder gently and spoke soothingly.

"At least... the master left us these farm tools, and those pots and pans, and he said we can do whatever we want with the things on the land as compensation."

He didn't know how much it could be sold for, but it should be able to be sold for some copper coins.

At least Master Gus didn't take these things away.

"Who wants this junk!" his wife screamed hysterically, wailing like a wounded beast.

The children in the room didn't dare to say a word. They kept their mouths shut and just secretly looked at their father who had suddenly aged a lot.

They didn't know what happened, they just felt like the sky had collapsed all of a sudden...

——

(Thanks to the leader "Dog in the North" for the reward!!!) (End of this chapter)