Eileenburg (4)
Ailian was very simple-minded. There weren't many servants at Ailian Castle, and everyone performed their duties diligently; there was never any scolding or beating. Most of the servants at Ailian Castle were hired by Ailian's parents from various places. They were older than Ailian and had watched her grow up, cherishing their young mistress as if she were their own child. Ailian Castle itself produced its own flowers; every morning, flower girls would wait at the castle entrance to sell various kinds of flowers—this is the origin of the "Flower Seller's Song." The gardener, Anglu, was a boy of about ten years old with long, slender fingers, who arranged the flowers quickly and skillfully. Ailian Castle also had a large forest. Mi didn't know how Ailian Castle possessed such a large territory in Sun City. Every now and then, the forest would be tidied up, with some large trees cut down to maintain space for saplings and ensure unobstructed forest paths.
"How does Ellen Castle maintain its daily expenses?" Mi asked this seemingly simple nobleman. Ellen Castle does not hold banquets, and Miss Ellen is not picky about food. She is only particularly happy when Mi cooks. Mi could not think of any major expenses for Ellen Castle.
“You’ll have to ask the housekeeper.” Ailian looked at Mi with suspicion. “Do you need money? I’ll have Xiaowei give it to you. By the way, your salary, the housekeeper must have forgotten about it again. I’ll tell the housekeeper right away.”
Ailian fled from Mi's room like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on. Mi shook her head, turned and looked out the window. Under the blue moon, the mimosa trees looked as if they were draped in a veil, beautiful and dreamlike.
Ailian ran to Xiaowei: "Xiaowei, do I need to pay Mi's salary?"
"What's wrong, Miss?" Xiaowei asked, looking at Ailian pacing back and forth. "Miss, what's wrong? What happened?"
“Mi seems to need money, so I’ll give her more this time,” Ailian said, watching Xiaowei turn to leave. She followed Xiaowei, asking repeatedly, “Xiaowei, what are Ailian Castle’s expenses? Where do the funds come from?”
"Why is Miss so concerned about this?" Xiao Wei brought out a wooden box containing Jin Deli: "Miss, please give this to Miss Mi."
"Is that all?" Ailian opened the box and looked inside; there was half a box of Jindeli.
"Miss, please take these first. If it's not enough, there are more here." Xiao Wei stepped aside, and there was a shelf on the wall filled with various boxes. This was the storeroom of Ailian Castle.
“Miss, you receive a noble allowance from the King, fifty gold derry coins a year—a truly unparalleled honor.” Xiao Wei pointed to the gold coins in the box: “These are brand new gold derry coins issued this year. Shall I go ask Miss Mi if she needs silver derry coins?”
“No, no, I’ll take it to her.” Eileen picked up the box and walked out. “Tell me, how does Eileen Castle maintain its daily expenses?”
“Miss, you’ve forgotten, we have gardens, forests, and lotus lakes. Any one of them produces enough for Ailian Castle to use.” Xiaowei smiled as she looked at Ailian, who was covered in rice paste. “The Queen even lent you 20,000 gold dries. Ailian Castle is well-off, Miss, don’t worry.”
"Why did the Queen come to borrow money?" Ailian had never heard of this before.
"This was lent out by the old master." Xiaowei thought of the special pass issued by the Queen. Could it be that the master had foreseen this day?
"Never mind, just let me know if anyone wants to borrow money in the future." Ailian sighed. "Xiaowei, what's the use of money?"
Xiao Wei looked at her young mistress and said, "Those are for other people; they're useless to you, Miss." The produce from Ellen Castle has always been in high demand. While royalty and nobility have their own gardens, they always come to Ellen Castle to order flowers. Especially after Mi arrived, the flowers at Ellen Castle bloomed exceptionally well, just like their mistress, and the steward brought in more than ten flower girls.
The trees in the forest and the produce of Lotus Lake had long been reserved by the royal family and nobles, and the rest were bought up by well-informed wealthy merchants. There were also herbs in the forest, which was another major source of income for Eileen Castle. Eileen Castle was not short of money; its biggest expenses were Eileen's clothes and performance costumes, and she also supported an entire band.
In Sun City, every noble family had its own private band, and the entire city was a scene of constant revelry, with crowds of people attending banquets everywhere. If it weren't for Queen Angelis's prohibition, every street in Sun City would be filled with drunkards. Now, with the organizers of the balls and the taverns responsible for managing these people, the streets have been quiet for over a decade, and young women can walk safely outside.
“Here you go.” Ailian placed a box of gold in front of Mi. “This is the noble allowance the King gave me this year.”
Mi looked at the box that Ailian had taken out. When she opened it, a layer of golden light dazzled the eyes. There were about a dozen gold coins inside. "Is this all the subsidies a nobleman receives in a year?"
"Only? Is this too little?" Ailian reached out and fiddled with the gold coins, the clinking sound of them jingling pleasantly. "This is quite a lot for me. Noble allowances range from a few to dozens of gold coins, and this is all I get in a year. Ailian Castle's expenses are covered by its own revenue. Xiaowei said our expenses are sufficient. Would you like to see the ledger? I'll have the steward bring it to you." Ailian said, standing up to leave.
Mira stopped Ailian: "I was just asking."
Ailian held Mi's hand: "It's okay, you can know everything about Ailian Castle. I'll go find the butler. Do you want to manage Ailian Castle for me?"
“I’m not interested.” Mi pressed Ailian down to sit. “You rarely have guests here, so your expenses are low. How do other nobles maintain their expenses?” Mi thought of the lavish banquets at Earl Aldrich’s mansion, the kitchen piled high with food, the wine cellar doors always open, and huge candles illuminating the mansion. Were all of that obtained from selling longevity seeds?
“Nobles have fiefdoms,” Ailian said. “You’ve never been outside the city, have you? The larger estates outside Taiyang City are all fiefdoms of nobles.”
Mi recalled that before entering Taiyang City, there was a vast plain between Xingcheng and Taiyang City, with almost no high mountains to obstruct the way. Every so often, there would be a fairytale castle or town. The fields were filled with golden wheat, and herds of cattle and sheep grazed on the green grasslands. Each castle was hidden in the woods, and it was only in the towns that things became a little more lively.
"What about ordinary people?" These lands are all fiefdoms of nobles; how do ordinary people make a living?
“Nobles are responsible for supporting the people on their fiefdoms,” Ellen explained. “I, on the other hand, will support everyone in Ellen Castle.” Ellen proudly raised her head, looking at Mi with sparkling eyes, as if to say—now I support you too.
"I mean ordinary people. Aren't there ordinary people outside Sun City?"
"You mean citizens?" Ailian looked at Mi. There were four types of people in Sun City. One type was the nobles. The king's family were all nobles. Nobles had fiefdoms and their own produce, and they had to support the residents of their fiefdoms. These people had no personal freedom, and the rest of the population was supported by the nobles. They had to work for the nobles until they grew old.
While the elite of Suncity appear to be primarily nobles, there's another group whose status even surpasses that of the nobility: adventurers. Adventurers are few in number, but they employ a diverse array of followers—from noble children and citizens to servants sent by nobles. Once someone becomes an adventurer's follower, their status changes; if they commit crimes, the adventurer is punished along with them. Although the status of adventurer followers is lower than that of nobles, it's still higher than that of citizens. They possess wealth and are key members of Suncity's extravagant lifestyle.
The third type of people are citizens. Citizens of Sun City can own property in Sun City. They are the largest part of the population of Sun City, and citizens can be found in all walks of life.
The fourth type of people are foreign merchants and hired laborers. Foreign merchants need the protection of nobles or adventurers to settle in Sun City, and they also need to rent houses from local citizens. Hired laborers also need local guarantors to enter Sun City, and most of them live in inns that only offer one bed.
Mi was able to enter Sun City safely not only because she had Marigold coins, but more importantly, because she had a pass issued by Lord Nora of Mai City, who was her guarantor. Mi only then realized that entering Sun City was unregulated; the city guards and royal guards only patrolled within the city and checked passes. If you were found without a pass, there was only one place waiting for you—the Citadel.
Most citizens of Sun City are artisans, while some choose to work as small merchants, traveling between the villages outside the city and Sun City. This is the greatest benefit their citizenship provides. Another source of income for citizens is renting houses. Citizens of Sun City love houses, and any available houses are quickly snapped up.
Nobles were forbidden from purchasing property in the city of Sun City, except for castles, thus vying with citizens for residency rights. Looking at Fried's cramped quarters and then at the vast estate of Eileenburg, Miranda realized for the first time that this decree made sense.
Most of the major merchants in Sun City are from out of town. Before the Sea Kingdom imposed its restrictions, the Sea Kingdom had the most ships traveling to and from the Flower Kingdom, with a dazzling array of seafood and jewels. These merchants still enter by sea, bringing all sorts of goods. Although the trade taxes are high, as long as they operate legally, they are protected by Sun City's laws. With the added protection of a noble, they have nothing to worry about. The merchants love Sun City's environment, and the adventurers often possess valuable items, attracting a large influx of merchants and even more adventurers. All adventurers must register with the Adventurers' Guild. If an adventurer fails to register and impersonates another adventurer, there's only one place waiting for them—the Borderlands.
Suncity is a city where different social classes live together in a distinct yet harmonious manner. Outsiders are concentrated in the east, a region jointly managed by the royal family, the Adventurers' Guild, and the Suncity defense forces. Adventurers and nobles reside in the north, while most citizens live in the west and south. The east is home to Suncity's largest commercial street, a hub of luxury shops and dens of iniquity. Gambling dens, brothels, and restaurants are intertwined, each occupying several streets. This is the most complex area, where local bullies and powerful outsiders frequently clash, and regardless of victory or defeat, they are all eventually arrested and sent to the citadel.
Only now did Mi realize how fortunate she was. She had killed three people in Sun City: once the royal family cleaned up the mess; once the Adventurers' Guild solved the problem; and the last time, Lady Aldrich was a cunning and manipulative woman who dared not show her true colors. Having been in the Flower Kingdom for over a year, Mi had seen it all. The only thing that still attracted her was the long-lived species. What could possibly grant someone eternal life? Sometimes Mi wondered if long-lived species could even be considered human. Shouldn't they be considered human only if they experienced birth, aging, sickness, and death, and were subject to greed, anger, ignorance, and desire?
Ailian watched Mi drift off into a daze, tracing Mi's face in the air with her finger. There was a small mole there, so cute. She loved Mi's absent-minded state; at that moment, Mi couldn't see anything Ailian did. Ailian quietly climbed into Mi's bed. She discovered that as long as she fell asleep in Mi's bed, Mi wouldn't wake her, letting her sleep until dawn.
Ailian burrowed into the quilt, squinting at Mi in front of her. Her heart was pounding. She wanted to shout to Mi, "I am the longevity species. The one in front of you is the longevity species you've been looking for. You don't need to go anywhere. As long as you're with me, I can give you anything you want."
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