Chapter 209: Twenty-fourth Episode: Chapter 1 (1/2)

Chapter 209: Twenty-fourth Episode: Chapter 1

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The scenery changed with the times. The whole journey was uneventful. Perhaps this caused O'Neil Andrew Morisette to find it a little strange. It was difficult to comprehend that he had arrived in Vielonna – no assassinations, no traps, no unexpected incidents. At the dawn of the 6th day of the 3rd month in the year 801, when the Imperial Prince saw the Don River, upon which he had not laid eyes in ages, rippling with a dense green and spreading out over the avenue before him that was scattered all over with fresh flowers, his gloom, misgivings, and loneliness vanished into thin air.

The United Government of the Five Southern Provinces issued an announcement for the arrival of His Highness the Prince. The citizens of Vielonna flocked to the streets and welcomed O'Neil Andrew Morisette like the way they welcomed heroes, great men, and even emperors. The Fifth Region of the Guards, which was responsible for guarding the city, deployed a large number of soldiers to maintain the order of the city. However, on some of the landmark road sections, following the arrival of the Prince of the Empire, the people who revered heroes created a lot of trouble. They used flowers to obscure the vision of the knights and used crazy ear-piercing cheers and shrieks to disrupt the audiovisual of the guard team.

Oscar loved scenes like these. He believed that no one in the world disliked them. When the world had thousands upon thousands of people cheering for you, even the devil would break into a slight smile.

The Imperial Prince rode his black, giant horse and made his way through the crowded streets as if he were taking a stroll. In accordance with the prior arrangements, Oscar and his hero forces would turn off at the suburbs toward the south of the city and, from there, enter into the urban area. However, the Military Intelligence Bureau's man in charge of the south ultimately still gave up on this arrangement in the morning. Janin Sherman was taking into consideration the security aspect, or perhaps it was His Highness the Prince who could not wait to see his wife's huge cavalry troop and directly used the National Highway to the north of the city to pass through the ancient city walls until they came to a halt at the public square in front of the Serevan Palace.

The welcoming group formed by the southern aristocracy waited on the steps in front of the palace. They were like the elder members of ancient Rome, lined up in a triangularly shaped formation, waiting for dictators such as Caesar and Nero to reprimand them. O'Neil Andrew Morisette only played his own role. He did not say anything additional, but instead only stuck to the script hurriedly produced by clerk Paul and Viscount Jawock. He properly bragged about the people of the South and the noble crowd of the land.

As a result – the audience went even wilder. Not knowing whether it was the person taking the lead (most likely to be arranged in advance), the southwest corner of the square broke into the national anthem, then it was the southeast corner that responded. Within half a minute, ”To Celebrate Emperor Wu's Recapture of Emmonson and Dobb” became the chorus of thousands of people, accompanied by the sounds of the knights shaking their spears and pounding their shields. The whole Vielonna was caught up in this hysterical frenzy.

Oscar saluted to the fanatical people of the south six times, one after another. This made him a little impatient. After all… no matter how jubilant and heartwarming the scene was, one would get tired of it if they saw too much of it. In addition, the His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil did not return victorious but was backstabbed and driven out of the house by his Empress wife.

However... Oscar still had another wife. When the southern aristocrats and government officials at the scene crowded him toward the huge palace doors, all the people were smiling mischievously, and even the court attendant standing beside the palace doors acted the same. Two attendants with odd smiles opened the huge doors for the prince.

And then…

The hall was deserted, with only a lady in a full-length dress, her body swaying and her hands holding a massive bundle of Narcissus, standing alone there. Oscar didn't utter a word, but in his heart, he gave a gentle Ola.

He ambled slowly toward Sasha, whom he yearned for night and day (hopefully he really did think about her), but... he hesitated a while. When he turned around, he swept an attentive gaze over the boisterous southern nobles. The man whom he had met in the grotto did not seem to be among the crowd.

Facing the clueless southerners, the Prince of the Empire suddenly smiled and then he closed the huge doors of Serevan Palace from the inside!

The great nobles who were hindered outside the door cried out, feeling that they did not deserve that. To deal with them, General Murat and a unit of fully-armed knights were already using their shields to block the palace doors. The nobles asked in puzzlement, ”what is Our Highness doing? Many important matters are waiting for him to deal with!”

Murat shot a look at them derisively. ”However you did it with your wives, that is how His Highness does it!”

The crowd, suddenly coming to a realization cried, ”oh,” but there were still people who muttered, ”but it's morning!” These words naturally got them endless pairs of rolled eyes.

O'Neil Andrew Morisette had never been a Taoist scholar. When the huge doors closed, he ran toward his wife who was as pure and beautiful as Narcissus. The next moment, Sasha and her husband ran into each other. They cupped each other's faces and the strength of their whole bodies was channeled into their closely intertwined lips.

The countless palace doors that led to the Serevan Palace's circular hall closed one after another, leaving only the married couple to engage in a passionate kiss in the vast space. It was not known who ripped off the other's clothes first, in short, once lust was ignited, there was no going back. The fierce momentum was like the Don River during the rainy season. Following the man's heavy breathing and the woman's gentle moan, the lovers, who were set ablaze by the flames of passion, intertwined and rolled around among the magnificent clothes scattered all over the ground.

When the intense foreplay and craving for each other's saliva had reached a certain degree, the fierce entry took place! Oscar encircled his wife's waist tightly. Sasha arched her back and wrapped her thighs securely around her husband. At the very first moment of the entry, Oscar did not move. He stroked Sasha's hair and face with his palm. The wife said to her husband, ”you're back... that's great!” Oscar did not answer. He buried his head in his wife's chest, and then with his heart set, he entered and entered and entered...

***************

Entering the winding corridor of the Hall of Mirrors at the back of the palace meant that one had arrived at the Serevan Palace's inner hall. This was not the workplace of the master, but the main place of daily living. Being able to pass through the winding corridor to enter the inner hall of the Serevan Palace which had a more than hundreds of rooms indicated that the master treated one as a family guest, not an outsider who could easily be sent off with bureaucratese and false pleasantries.

Passing through the Hall of Mirrors, cutting through the showroom full of oil paintings, it's unfortunate that... what greeted the guests was another Hall of Mirrors. However, the function of this Hall of Mirrors was not as simple as for decorative beauty. The knight who was responsible for guarding the inner hall had to determine here whether the guests were a threat to the host family. The people with identity and status hated to be groped by the callused hands of the soldiers. However, considering what O'Neil Andrew Morisette experienced in the city of Dulin, those who were willing to come here to see the Prince of the Empire had yet to complain about the routine body searches.

Ultimately, this Hall of Mirrors was connected with fifteen double-doored rooms, four of which had no other exits, in other words, a dead end. There were six rooms with only one exit. In other words, it was to leave the uninvited guests with very uncertain prospects for a way out. There are three more rooms that were accessible from all directions. It connected to the stairs, the garden, the maid's house, the living room and the basement. The last two rooms... one was where the King of Assassins lived while the other one was where the Black Devil was staying. In other words, they were options that would lead to certain death! If O'Neil Andrew Morisette were interested in the guest, he usually would not let the attendants lead the guests into the last two rooms.

The gardens underwent a fierce competition under the spring sun. The scent of the Hoilland-breed orchids filled the place. The roses that did not emit much scent used its colorful flower buds to compete with them. The labyrinth tree walls in the Faran garden were growing wildly. The flowers and plants outside the labyrinth were distributed into neat and symmetrical geometrical concepts. The center of the concepts was embellished with marble pavilions, sculptures, fountains and a rippling pond with bluish green waves.

Within one of the pavilions, the Governmental Affairs Chancellor of the Southern Government, and Philip, who had yet to lose his young spirit in his middle age, could be found. Count Goolean amusedly eyed His Highness the Prince who was yawning incessantly. Oscar noticed the smile on his old friend's face and he could only gesture with his hands helplessly.

”I'm old... useless... I tire after moving about a little and fatigue after deliberating over matters…”

”Seriously, forget it you...” Philip gave a furious ”hmph”. ”If you are old and useless... then should those who are my age just go to hell?”

Oscar laughed. This joke was just too cold, ”Let's talk about this!” His Imperial Highness the Prince spread his hands toward the brains of the Southern Government, ”I'd like to apologize to you, Philip! I didn't know that letting you serve in this position would cause your two elder brothers and one younger brother to be removed from the government. Their shrewdness and capability in handling local affairs speak for themselves. This is a loss for both South Government and me.”

Philip forced a smile and shook his head, ”Your Highness, as a friend, I can accept your apologies, but this is really none of your business! Take Tadross, my elder brother for example. Previously he was responsible for the Finance Department in the Burton Province. If you think about it, if a family has a child in governance and another child managing finance, it'll be weird if the Southern Government was not in a mess.”

”I believe in the Gru Goolean Family's reputation and the lofty devotion to their work!” Oscar gave the other an indulgent look. ”Have Tadros, your elder brother, come and find me for a chat. I have an official post to hand over to him.”

Philip nodded with excitement, and at least his brother would no longer complain to him about not having anything to do in life. The official post that O'Neil Andrew Morisette personally arranged would definitely be of utmost importance...

***************

”Ola... the guests are here!” Oscar stood up from his seat and the spring breeze brushed against the hem of his clothes and the young man's braids fluttered slightly.

The Marquis Glenn Alpré cautiously bowed, cautiously introduced himself, and cautiously took his seat in the high-backed chair beside the prince under the invitation of the Southern Government Affairs Chancellor.

Oscar was immensely disappointed. This was not the person whom he had seen in that extremely weird dreamland.

That person was intelligent and alert, had a gentle face, his eyes had a kind of familiarity to them and the rays of light was enough to cause one to lose themselves in them. But this… this old man before him? How could Marquis Glenn Alpré be an old man with graying hair at the sides? This was just too odd!

”Your Highness... is there something on my face?” Marquis Alpré gauged the young Titan Prince in astonishment.

Oscar averted his head in disappointment. This was also not ”Alpré” voice. The Marquis Alpré in his dreams was fluent in speech and had a deep, full and pleasant voice.

”Sir, are you sure… we have never met before?”

”I'm sure!” The old man nodded his head and he looked over at the Government Affair Chancellor next to him. ”My Lord, presumably Count Goolean has already mentioned to you about the suggestions I announced at the House of Lords.” Oscar turned towards the Southern Chancellor dubiously, ”Philip, what motion? Have you mentioned it to me before?”

Philip Goolean rubbed his chin awkwardly. ”My Lord, that motion... it was a motion that was overruled unanimously because its contents exceeded the ability of the Southern Government to make decisions, and... if the matter were judged as it stood, the Marquis Alpré's motion is indeed a far-sighted development plan, but the Marquis' vision was a little ahead!”

Oscar frowned, ”A far-sighted development plan… overruled unanimously?”

The Southern Government Affairs Chancellor just shrugged. It could be seen that his saw personal assessment of the plan was not as high as he had just described,”I think… it's best if I let the Marquis explain his ambitious vision!”

Marquis Glenn Alpré waved his hands in an unconcerned manner. He fished out a scroll and spread it out on the table before the prince.

Oscar assessed the most distinct handwriting on the scroll, ”The Direction of the Empire's Southern Central regions and the Southeast Border's five years Development Process Description and Initial Evaluation Report”.

The southern central region of the Titan Empire was the habitat of affluent farm owners and great aristocrats who passed on the crop industry for generations. This region was situated deep into the mainland, at the heart of the Empire, right next to the southern economic zone where the commodity economy flourished. Historically, Narcissus County, which was plagued with misfortunes, relied long term on the crop industry foundation of the area and most of the southern workshops also depended on the supply of raw materials in the area, especially the meat, fur provided by the animal husbandry industry and the paddy and grains that the crop industry supplied.

A large-scale investment in such a populous and affluent area in the south-central region was considered completely unnecessary by many Titan aristocrats, especially in the eyes of some of the great merchants. The production base of agricultural land in the south-central part of Titan was the fruit of a lifetime's accumulation. It was so perfect that the segregation system of each household was handed over to the nobility in charge of the land to divide them up into detailed interest zones, and it also provided adequate clothing and food to the self-cultivating farmers and the free citizens within the city. Actually, to put it frankly, the people could not find any areas that needed to be developed because the economy of the self-sufficient rich farmers was the main socio-economic relations in the region. Even locals do not wish to change anything and the southern men who thought themselves to be very smart admittedly appeared a little extra.

We seemed to have never understood the organizational form and interest structure of the Titan Empire farmland system. This was because… every single administrative province's farmland systems in Titan and subsequently the resulting taxation mechanisms were not completely the same. In accordance with the original simple of human production principle – the different arrangements of the land system depended on the level of transaction costs in different regions.

When we discuss the issue of the land system, it would inevitably involve the method by which the system can only be formed and who would benefit from this system being formed. On the one hand, we should pay attention to the rationality of the system. As long as the majority of the groups benefited from this system framework, then this system was stable. And if this system could also coordinate and balance the relationship between different interest groups, then this system was lasting, effective, and sustainable.

On the other hand, transaction costs should be considered. This should be the most pressing issue of the southern aristocrats, and huge merchants, and even the small and medium-sized merchants. This was because – the provider of the land system was the government, and specific to the region was the noble class that owned lands regardless of how the land system changed. To a large degree, it was under the interests demands of the government and noble class to improve and revise this system.

On the issue of transaction costs, the real problem the South was facing was that the land controlled by the merchant class was not lesser than that representing the noble class' government. However, the merchants did not possess the legitimacy of occupying these lands, and their identities could only appear on the land in the form of investment. This was because the forming of Titan's farmland organization had only three ways. One was possession by the country, namely, possession by the Emperor secondly was possession by the nobles, based on the conferring system's noble head and hereditary areas and the third was possession by the families of self-cultivating farmers. According to the rules set in the Titan Codex, the land owned by the cultivators could not exceed one percent of the maximum amount of land possessed by the local aristocrats.

Thus, in other words, we could say that aside from the three types of landowners, the prerequisite for the merchant class to possess a huge amount of lands was to exchange it for the benefits that came from the land in the form of investment and an enormous transaction cost. This method had already created a serious realistic threat to the economy of the self-sufficient rich farmers and farmland policies that the nobles monopolized. Some areas had emerged one after another including excessive surplus productivity causing fertile lands to be left unused, the severe flooding of open production causing the monotonous structure of products, the intense differentiation of the income of the cultivators causing the small-scale family economy to experience a huge bankruptcy and other situations.

Therefore, after the above exposition, we could find that the current agricultural land system had affected the economic stability of the region! As the number one consumer group of Titan's south, the merchant class must increase product prices while paying high transaction costs. As prices of products increased, it would inevitably cause the entire market to repeat production on high-valued products. The continuous emergence of repeated production ultimately caused a portion of the self-cultivating farmers to get rich quickly. As for the other group of self-cultivating farmers… unfortunately, the repeated production created a massive excess of products. This eventually led to the substantial decline in the price of the products during the harvest period, causing those small household economies that made those products for a living suffer a huge bankruptcy.

At this time, the merchant class would pour out even greater capital into the bankrupt families of self-cultivating farmers and occupy the lands in the form of investments and change the small-scale family economy with weaker power into a centralized, standard-scaled, more productive large workshop farm economy. The former self-cultivating farmers would then be reduced to ”workers”. The emergence of the new term ”workers” meant that the initial split of the Titan Empire's feudal farmland system that had lasted for nearly a thousand years had occurred and was heading towards disintegration with a speed of a thousand miles daily.

Of course, as the highest-ranking landowners, at the same time the noble class exercised their rights to possess and utilize the lands on the basis of traditional production, they also created immense wealth accordingly in the lands of the merchant class that harbored envy in their hearts. Therefore, the people with insight among the nobles began carrying out large-scale workshops and engaged in huge farm economies that were more conveniently than the merchants. The convenience here referred to the right of distributing the lands and all other rights and the possession of the convenience of manpower.

Compared to the convenience of the nobility, the merchant class still had to pay high transaction costs for occupying land at the same time the competition appeared. In order to meet the changes of the ever-increasing production and supply-demand relationship, and more so to ensure that they continued to receive benefits in their competition against the noble class, the merchants could only further plunder the lands and destroy the self-sufficient traditional family economy. At the same time when they plundered land from the hands of the bankrupt self-cultivating farmers, they gathered as far as possible the cheap labor necessary to expand production.

Perhaps... after hundreds of years, a certain human thinker would explain from ”the primitive accumulation of capital” about the merchant class and how the noble class, which had a slow transformation in commodity transaction, used the land and pressured the working people. However, in the Church's Harvest Year, at Titan's south-central region, the economy of the affluent little farmers were facing the crisis of disintegration mainly due to the unreasonable production relations and all transactions under the control of this production relationship built on the foundation of an unreasonable agricultural land system.

”Wake up... Your Highness!”

Oscar was startled abruptly! He shot a look of gratitude toward the southern Government Affairs Chancellor who was nice enough to wake him. ”Oh gosh... what are the people talking about? What economy? What relationship? What farmland?” the Imperial Prince grumbled in his heart. In the end, he turned toward Marquis Glenn Alpré, whose face was filled with embarrassment. The old looked very shrewd and wise, but this was in comparison to O'Neil Andrew Morisette who knew nothing at all.

From how a majority of the southern nobles saw it, ”The Direction of the Empire's Southern Central regions and the Southeast Border's five years Development Process Description” was a type of provocation toward the Empire's farmland system that had been abided to for close to a thousand years , it could even be described as a kind of satire.

The supreme ruler of the Empire recorded the nobles' possession and control over the lands in the sacred creed of the file in the form of written legislation. It was this community that formed the basic conditions for a united Empire. The existing agricultural land system was no longer able to coordinate the interests of some people under this system. However, believing in traditions, the people of the system were not happy to see such a change. They were afraid of the land planning in ”The Development Process Description” and the immigration measures shaking the foundations of their own hereditary fiefdoms and self-governance.

However, it was only natural that the new land planning and immigration measures were simply part of the slightly more significant content in this plan.

The even more important moves in the plan were the requirements for the government roles and regulations for government investment.

According to Marquis Glenn Alpré's initial evaluation of the budget, the plan to open 12 new provincial roads in the south-central region, build six national highways on the southeast border facing Narcissus County's inland, the port city of Italia, and the western coastal area of ​​Slovenia would cost approximately 15.9 billion golden Tis — with a quarter of the project and 39.7% of the investment completing in the duration of five years.

”Am I dreaming again?” O'Neil Andrew Morisette stared at Marquis Glenn Alpré, who was speaking frankly with assurance. He had no idea how old man's mind was calculating these things, he only knew that even the Emperor of the Empire could not fish out that many Golden Tis to repair roads and occupy arable lands... to do the things that Oscar could not understand at all...

”Your Highness...” the old man grudgingly yet stubbornly lifted his head. ”This is through scientific calculations...”

”No, no!” Oscar shook his head again and again. ”It's not science! It's not science at all! The science I know is all truths that have undergone numerous tests. However, the series of development plans that you suggested is absolutely not practical. Do you know that how much the Empire's annual income is? Do you know how much is the annual fiscal deficit of the Empire? Even if you don't plan to get help from Dulin, according to the situation of the United Government of the Five Southern Provinces actual income and expenditure, let us not discuss the merits and drawbacks of this plan. I only ask one question – who can afford it?”

”Your Highness...” Marquis Alpré smiled as if he had gotten away with his evil schemes. Even his age spots and wrinkles on his face that resembled scars flashed with brightness under his smile.

”I know someone who can absolutely afford it!”

”Who?” Oscar frowned as he opened his eyes wide. Ola, 15 billion Golden Tis! If there were such a rich man in the world, then the young prince would definitely like to see him.

”You must have heard of the Kingdom of Slovenia in the Balgan Peninsula...”

Without regard to the fact that the Prince of the Empire and the Southern Government Affairs Chancellor were exchanging looks of dismay, the only remaining great poet of the Titan Empire, with a smile of exultation that resembled a profiteer, blurted out.