Chapter 4

The old king was amused by Xia Zuoyi. This request was quite reasonable.

He softened his voice. "You only want to expand your territory, not gold coins?"

Xia Zuoyi's eyes shone like stars. He raised his head and asked in a childlike voice, "Will Your Majesty give me all of it?"

What would it matter if he did? Just as the old king was about to agree generously, Bass Riches spoke first.

He fixed Xia Zuoyi with a sharp look that could make a child cry. "Territory and gold are not a problem, but the Cogit Sea lies within Visas. Producing salt from seawater and selling it would also take place within Visas..."

"You should know that a gift presented to the king cannot merely be a sheet of parchment covered in writing."

A lord was a vassal of the king or a higher-ranking lord and was obligated to perform military service, pay tribute, taxes, and other duties.

Within his own territory, however, a lord was the highest ruler, enjoying administrative and judicial authority along with other privileges.

For example, he could establish courts and prisons, set up checkpoints, and collect taxes.

The territory of Visas had been directly granted by the king and was the king's vassal.

The king could enjoy the obligations owed by a lord, but he had no right to casually interfere in every matter within the lord's territory. Even when going to war, the king sometimes had to discuss borrowing troops with the lord.

As Minister of Finance, Bass Riches was well aware of the enormous profits involved in selling salt.

He wanted to control it, but he could not openly seek personal gain.

After all, Visas was not his vassal.

Xia Zuoyi took a step back under his gaze, tugging lightly at Judith's hem as he said softly, "I can give sixty percent of the profits from selling salt to His Majesty."

Bass Riches said, "As far as I know, Visas is remote and poor. Since you wish to expand your territory, why not exchange Visas with His Majesty for another wealthy city near the royal capital?"

Only if Visas became ownerless would he have a chance to obtain it.

Xia Zuoyi said, "But I only want Visas."

Bass Riches curled his lips, though the smile did not reach his eyes. "Count Desinia is quite clever."

"Thank you for the compliment." Xia Zuoyi pursed his lips shyly.

The old king waved Bass Riches aside and ordered an attendant to bring a map. "There seems to be only Par Mountain near Visas... How about making Par Mountain part of your territory and rewarding you with five chests of gold coins as well?"

Xia Zuoyi naturally agreed without hesitation.

The procedures for transferring the territory would take half a day.

The old king told him that he could first rest and enjoy himself in the royal capital. An attendant would personally deliver the documents later.

After Xia Zuoyi left the royal hall, Bass Riches said, "Your Majesty, the Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method is extremely important to Gadayat. If we can keep it under control, the kingdom's wealth will surely grow even greater. Why not take Visas..."

The old king interrupted him. "Desinia can be considered one of my juniors. He offered up the Seawater Solar Salt-Making Method, yet I would turn around and take back his territory. If word got out, people would say I was bullying a helpless child. Where would I put my dignity then?"

"Sixty percent of the profits is already quite substantial. Visas is my vassal, so naturally it is also my wealth. There is no difference in that, Riches."

Bass Riches concealed the emotions in his eyes and lowered his head. "Yes, Your Majesty."

After discussing state affairs with the king, he took a carriage back to his residence.

The butler had long been waiting at the entrance to attend him. After helping him remove his outer robe and bringing him a glass of wine, he asked, "My lord, you do not seem to be in a good mood. Is it because of government affairs..."

"Because of something I cannot control." Bass Riches stood by the window, his face dark.

The butler said, "It must be something very precious."

"You are right. I remember Komoy Fort is my vassal?"

The butler said, "Yes, Duke. The lord of Komoy Fort is Bevis Elliot."

Bass Riches turned and walked to the table. He took up a pen and wrote a letter, then sealed it with wax before handing it to the butler. "Have someone deliver this letter to Komoy Fort by fast horse. Give it to Bevis Elliot."

"Yes, Duke." The butler accepted it.

Xia Zuoyi naturally knew nothing of Bass Riches's secret plans.

He was currently wandering through the royal capital with Judith and Kelly.

The royal capital was indeed lively.

Aside from the still unpleasant smell and equally filthy surroundings, knights patrolled the city, while priests prayed in the temple of the Creator God.

Some commoners also knelt outside the temple with their eyes closed in prayer.

There were no churches or temples in Visas.

Curious about the Creator God, Xia Zuoyi entered with Judith and Kelly.

Nobles could enter the temple freely. No one would stop them.

The temple was primarily white and gold. Gothic stained-glass windows were set into the ceiling, their edges outlined with images of the sacred Divine Flower Belanka.

When sunlight passed through the stained-glass windows, the mottled colors reflected on the walls, creating a breathtaking sight.

Xia Zuoyi saw the statue of the Creator God standing beneath the dome, draped in a pure white robe, with loose hair and a compassionate smile. One hand held a divine flower, while the other rested gently upon it.

"I heard that miracles once descended upon the Western Continent. Judith, is that true?"

Xia Zuoyi withdrew his gaze from the Creator God. Recalling the novel's plot, he thought that with the halo of the Mary Sue heroine illuminating everything, the Creator God had seemed like nothing more than a background prop.

"Of course it is true."

A priest heard the question and turned to answer. After seeing that the person asking was a child, his expression softened. "Please do not ask such questions again. The Creator God is omnipotent."

Xia Zuoyi adopted an even more innocent tone. "Since the Creator God is omnipotent, if I pray to him for lots and lots of little gold coins, will he give them to me?"

The priest's face reddened. "How can you expect to gain something without working for it?"

"But you said the Creator God is omnipotent."

"If he will not give me money, can he give me the power to have all my wishes come true? Can he make sure I am always healthy and never get sick? Can he..."

"Please stop talking!"

The priest raised his voice, his face showing the stifled frustration of someone who was about to die of anger but could do nothing because the other party was a noble.

"Oh."

Xia Zuoyi pouted. The priest was no fun to tease.

With Par Mountain about to be incorporated into Visas, Xia Zuoyi could not help wanting to relax.

Behind the temple, a handsome black-haired youth could not help curling his lips. His golden eyes gleamed like shattered, brilliant morning sunlight. In his hand was a pure white nine-petaled flower—the Belanka.

"Your Holiness, we have obtained it." A knight in armor appeared behind the youth.

"Mm."

The youth responded indifferently. Only after the child he had been watching left the temple did he speak again. "Do you think the Creator God is omnipotent?"

The knight said in alarm, "Naturally, Your Holiness."

The youth chuckled softly, neither confirming nor denying it. "Let us go. We are leaving Gadayat."

"Yes."

Xia Zuoyi only went outside after hearing the noisy commotion beyond the temple.

Otherwise, he would have stayed to see whether he could anger the priest into tears.

Outside the temple, a noble was beating a slave.

The cause was a verbal offense.

Commoners gathered around, pointing and whispering. Merchants either cheered or could not bear to watch. Patrolling knights stood to one side maintaining order... No one intervened, and no one stopped the one-sided "murder" in the middle of the crowd.

The person about to be killed was a tall, muscular man.

He had thick light-brown hair, dark brown skin, and a scar on his right cheek. His bare upper body was covered in blood. Forced to kneel on the ground, he endured blow after blow from wooden clubs.

A young nobleman stood nearby, grinning maliciously. "Hit him harder! Have none of you eaten?!"

He seemed to want the man to suffer torture and pain before dying rather than granting him a quick death.

The beneficiaries of kingdom law did not include slaves.

Nobles possessed special privileges. Even if they killed someone in the street, they bore no responsibility, much less when the victim was a slave.

With a sharp crack, a club struck the man on the head.

Blood immediately poured down.

Half the blood dripped to the ground past his ear, while the other half ran down his forehead and into his left eye. His brown eye was dyed red, his vision blurred, yet his gaze still burst forth with a sharp, unyielding will.

He was like a wounded lion on the verge of death. No one could crush the pride in his bones. His back remained straight without the slightest bend, and even under humiliation, he still held his head high.

Just as his blood was about to stain the ground and form a "river," a voice came from the crowd. "Stop."

The young nobleman looked up and saw a child not even as tall as his thigh walking over. The child motioned for a knight to stop the beating.

"Who are you?" the young nobleman asked rudely.

"And who are you? Tell me your name before asking someone else's."

The young man raised his brows. "Nat Case."

Xia Zuoyi lifted his little chin. "Do you have a title?"

Nat Case scoffed. "My father is Marquis Marco Case. Naturally, I do not have a title yet. Do you?"

"I do."

"Count Xia Zuoyi Desinia. Please address me as Count."

Nat Case's expression stiffened.

He did not doubt Xia Zuoyi's words. After all, impersonating a noble was a capital crime.

Nat Case had heard his father mention the Desinia surname before. Old Desinia had died in an accident, and the title of count had been inherited by a six-year-old child.

At the time... he had been rather envious.

He had not expected to encounter him here.

Nat Case forced a smile. "Count Desinia... my lord, what do you need?"

Xia Zuoyi pointed at the man. "What crime did he commit?"

Nat Case sneered. "His crime was betraying his lord despite being a knight. He brutally murdered his lord's younger brother, violated the spirit of knighthood, and was sentenced to become a slave before being sold to Gadayat."

"Sold here? He is not from Gadayat?"

"That is right. He is from the neighboring country of Gaina."

Xia Zuoyi looked thoughtful. "Are you his master now?"

"So what if I am?"

Xia Zuoyi gave Nat Case a sweet, soft smile. "Big brother, can you sell him to me?"

It was a devastating blow.

Nat Case stammered, "N-no, he is only a slave. I can give him to you... Cough, two—two gold coins."

No, he could not give him away for free. At most, he could lower the price to the minimum.

Nat Case came to his senses at the last moment.

Xia Zuoyi sighed regretfully.

Two gold coins it was, then.

After all, he was about to receive five chests of gold coins. He was rich and generous, so he did not care.