novelraw Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
Chapter 101 : Chapter 101
Chapter : 101
The influential figures of Figueres city were all worried.
The arrival of a new ruler was always difficult.
He might raise taxes at the drop of a hat.
He might infringe upon their autonomy.
He might ignore customs and act as he pleased.
Especially if that new ruler was a war hero from a foreign country.
Therefore, the city council decided to prostrate themselves before this new ruler.
First, they would weather the storm.
Even if they got all their rights back later, for now, it was right to bow. That's what they thought.
But what happened?
“I intend to recognize all of the city's autonomy.”
“What…?”
“As long as you fulfill your duties, I will not interfere in your affairs. I will recognize the city's customs, the city's autonomy, all of it.”
“A-are you serious, Your Excellency?”
At my words, the city's influential figures stared at me with wide, dumbfounded eyes.
They had forgotten all about being rude.
“Baaaaah! You insolent fools. How dare you look at my lord like that! Baa.”
“Ah! I-I apologize, Your Excellency.”
“I understand. My proposal was that shocking.”
I looked at them magnanimously.
At that, they seemed quite moved. Of course, I was just planning to make a show of generosity with an influence I couldn't maintain anyway.
“However, there is one thing I cannot concede.”
“Yes? What do you mean…?”
“It’s nothing much. In the domain I rule, I have unified all administrative standards and accounting. I intend to enforce this in Figueres as well. What do you think?”
“Ahem, ahem. Well, of course, you must do that, Your Excellency.”
In another way, it was a declaration that he would monitor the city's administration and audit the flow of money.
But the members of the city council thought that was perfectly acceptable.
How could they oppose this when he was maintaining all their other rights? And inwardly, they had another thought.
‘Isn't this just to establish discipline? How could His Excellency look at the ledgers and administrative forms? He’ll get bored and give up soon enough.’
The administrative documents were complex and difficult even for them. But a noble? And His Excellency, who goes to battle every day?
Therefore, the members of the city council didn’t think much of it.
Of course, this was exactly what I had been aiming for.
‘I’ll have to deploy Treasurer Palmer here as well and train a large number of administrative officials. If they have control over the budget and administrative system, it will be difficult for them to act arbitrarily.’
If I knew everything about the related matters, I could easily control the city council from acting arbitrarily or cheating on taxes.
“Yes, very good. I look forward to working with you. In fact, I probably won't be coming here often.”
“Please trust us, Your Excellency! We will be loyal to your trust.”
In any case, thanks to this major compromise of mine, the atmosphere in the city and the city council was very good.
“The new Lord seems to be very different, don’t you think?”
“I heard he is someone who loves and respects the culture of the city very much.”
“That's right. I heard from a merchant living in the city of Tulung that he is the epitome of reasonableness.”
There were already council members and influential people showing high favor like this.
“He's more lenient than I thought, isn’t he? Different from the rumors.”
“I know, right? After all, it would be difficult to rule this city from afar without our help, wouldn't it?”
“Hahaha. That’s right. So we can just act as before, right?”
“What do you mean? Don’t tell me?”
“Yes. We can just embezzle a moderate amount. I was so scared that I filled out the ledgers diligently.”
“Didn’t you hear? He said he would look over all the accounting books and administrative forms. You’ll get in big trouble if you do that.”
“You fool. How can a noble lord look at what even we can't? We just need to do it in moderation.”
There were also those who acted as if they had guts the size of a mountain.
Of course, these gutsy bastards became a very good example. For me to establish discipline in this city.
After a few days of comparing the accounting books and the taxes that came in, I immediately notified the city council and punished them.
“I saw some shady business. Will you spit it out now or die? In the name of daring to mock the city and me, I will confiscate your property.”
“???”
The council members and the influential people who had been summoned were shocked.
‘How did he know?’
They had not expected a noble from the outside to grasp the internal affairs so quickly. Only then did the council members and the city’s influential figures realize.
This…
The Margrave of Bellua was not as easy to deal with as they thought.
***
The city's affairs were as tedious and uninteresting as ever.
Looking at administrative documents, reviewing various proposals, and verifying the accounting.
Thanks to that, the goat beastman Bishop Marco, bored, went out to the city square to preach—which should be read as, collect money.
Magician Agpiel also slipped away, saying I was asking him to do administrative work.
In the end, only the loyal knight Biden was by my side.
“Hmm… I don’t know about these things, my lord. Wouldn’t Treasurer Palmer know better?”
Although he wasn't of any help. Still, the time spent like this was quite fruitful.
Because I was able to get a rough grasp of Figueres.
“As I understand it, the hygiene in the slums is very poor.”
“Th-that’s right, Your Excellency.”
“Therefore, I will renovate that area and install public baths.”
“B-but the city’s finances…”
“The city’s finances? As I understand it, there is quite a bit left. I believe it is perfectly feasible.”
“……”
Thanks to me being so well-informed, the city council became speechless.
But what could they do?
I, the ruler, had ordered it to proceed. In the end, they allocated a budget and began the slum renovation project.
-Tiriring!
[You have improved the city's cleanliness through an active public health project. Support from the slums will rise, and your name will spread throughout the city.]
[Notification: The city's sanitation level increases.]
[Notification: The probability of an epidemic spreading in the city decreases.]
[Notification: The support of the city's citizens increases by a certain amount.]
On top of that, when I started distributing various foods to the poor for publicity, the effect soon became apparent.
The people of the slums praised me for providing them with clean water and a place to wash, while some influential people complained that I was taking credit with the city council's assets.
They subtly began to belittle my work, saying that I was also a foreign monarch.
“What! Aren't they truly ungrateful wretches, my lord?”
“That’s right, human lord. This is why you shouldn’t be nice to city folk.”
“Baaaaah! My lord, you must show them what's what. Baa!”
It was only natural that my vassals were angry when they heard that. From their perspective, the greed of the city's influential people was too excessive.
But as someone who had lived in the modern era…
‘Well, that can happen.’
How could they be happy when they thought their own interests were being infringed upon?
And for them, the fact that the precious surplus funds of the city council were being used for the slums must have been very displeasing.
The slums were, literally, slums.
Their perception was that they were bugs that parasitized the city.
But there was a reason why I had renovated the slums and filled their stomachs.
I was planning to make good use of the overflowing manpower in the slums.
By taking advantage of the strengths of this hot coastal city of Figueres.
***
“Uh… you mean you’re going to make salt?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm. Your Excellency, salt is certainly a profitable commodity, but here, it consumes a huge amount of firewood, so it’s not profitable.”
“That’s right, Your Excellency. Unlike where you are from, wood is scarce and very expensive here.”
“It’s cheaper to buy salt from the rock salt mines inland.”
When I told the people of the city council that I was going to make salt, they all showed troubled expressions.
In their hearts, they wanted to oppose it outright, but since it was me, they were trying to put it as gently as possible.
“Hmm, I know your concerns well.”
I knew what they were worried about.
During this period, there were two ways to obtain salt.
Either by mining it from the ground or by extracting it from the sea and evaporating it with fire.
Both were labor-intensive and extremely difficult, but at least mining it from the ground was much better than extracting it from the sea and evaporating it with fire.
First of all, the price of wood firewood used as fuel was enormous.
Unless the price was too high due to the lack of nearby rock salt mines, there was no need to do so.
But I knew a way to overcome this very well.
“What if there was a salt production method that didn’t require firewood?”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“Hehe. There are no rock salt mines near this city, Your Excellency.”
At the words of the council members, I shook my head.
That wasn't what I was talking about.
“That’s not the method. I will use the vast sea and tidal flats.”
“The… sea and tidal flats, you say?”
At my words, the faces of the council members contorted. It seemed they thought I was doing something strange again.
But I continued without batting an eye.
“Yes, the sea and tidal flats. I will build a huge reservoir in the sea and produce salt.”
“??”
“?!”
I wonder if they even know about sun-dried salt?
In Korea, it was mainly made in Shinan, and in Japan and China, sun-dried salt had been used for a long time.
And in medieval Europe, the world that [Pangea Universalise] followed, sun-dried salt was also produced. In the famous Republic of Venice.
As far as I know, Figueres has a very similar topography to the Venice region.
“Is that even possible?”
“It is. So don't worry and proceed. No, I will proceed with this with my own money for now. If it succeeds, I will accept your investment.”
“Ummm… if you insist, we won’t stop you.”
“That's right. Give it a try.”
That’s why I was confident.