As the people in the tavern were talking about these things, an old voice said, "You guys are still too young."
Xiao Chen looked back and saw an old man with a white beard, holding a wine glass, sitting at a small table next to the tavern. The old man had gray hair and deep wrinkles on his face, but his expression revealed a shrewdness. He looked at the villagers with disdain, as if he looked down on their views.
"Father Anlock, what story are you going to tell next?" asked the tavern owner.
"You said that this territory started to become like this since Parges? I have said it a long time ago, it has been like this many years ago. The Fengwen family has always had a tradition of producing weirdos, but the father of the previous lord Parges did not do so, and only started to use these old methods when he came to Parges." Old man Anlock said solemnly.
"Nonsense, right? Why have I never heard you talk about this before?" everyone asked in confusion.
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you'll know it if you pay attention. Didn't you notice that when the canal was dug, there was an old canal underneath the new one? That public warehouse...wasn't the house an old one before it was used as a warehouse? It wasn't remodeled much, so how could it be so suitable for use as a public warehouse? And the weapons and armor of the Warriors, there are many old things, where do you think they came from?" Anlok took a sip of beer and said, "I didn't tell you before because what's the point of telling you? But today I feel comfortable looking at this young man, so I told him when he asked me."
"You mean, there were lords who did the same thing as Baron Pargus before?" Xiao Chen asked.
Father Anlok said, "I am the oldest in the town and I know more. Most of the people here have parents and even grandfathers who were not born and raised here. Many of them are refugees recruited by Pargus."
He touched his ear, which had a protrusion that was sharper than that of an ordinary person. "My ancestors have elven blood, so they live longer than ordinary people. They are now over a hundred years old. When I was a child, Pargus's grandfather was the lord here. Many of the things he did were similar to those of Pargus."
"Then why was it not implemented when Pargus's father was in charge?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Well, how can common people like us know what the nobles are thinking?" said Father Anlock.
The tavern owner said, "Dad, I've heard you brag that you used to be the accountant for the Baron's father. If something happened to the previous generation of the Feng Wen family, would you still not know about it? But is what you said true? If we continue like this, will we not be able to maintain the good life of a generation?"
"Hehe, this seemingly good life is the most fragile. It can be destroyed for a simple reason. For example, a war with a nearby lord, a disaster that killed many people, a shitty order from the kingdom, or... an heir who doesn't know how to manage it." Father Anlock looked a little gloomy, and he sighed: "But it's normal to think about it. If your father left you a very rich territory, the grain was full of warehouses, and the cattle and sheep couldn't eat it all, why would you work hard like your father? Pargus's grandfather spent 30 years to make this place rich, and his father spent only 10 years to squander the family fortune after his grandfather died. He was not a bad guy, and he was very generous to the people, otherwise the Fengwen family would not have maintained a good reputation. But a lord who spends lavishly but doesn't think about how to make money will always make the territory poorer and poorer.
Oh, by the way, it's not just him, his wife is the same. Pargus's father relied on his wealth when he was young to marry a famous beauty in the noble ladies' circle, but this beauty is also a big spender. A large amount of the territory's wealth was used by them on paintings, sculptures, jewelry and other things. "
"But what about the wealth of the people?" Evans asked. "They should have accumulated a lot of wealth in the good days before. I heard from my father that when he was first recruited by Lord Pargus, this was a very poor territory. Many houses were empty and no one lived there."
Father Anlock shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If you were on a ship and it was about to sink, and you could swim, would you stay on the ship or run away?"
"Of course, run away." People around said one after another.
"That's good. Those residents who are capable, talented, and have some family background have already found ways to leave when they saw that the situation was not going well. At that time, most people were freemen, and the lord had no choice but to leave. However, the more people left, the more difficult it was for the territory to survive. In a few years, the previous baron had to sell his property to make a living. Did you know that many merchants in Suero were here one or two generations ago? It was those residents who left at that time who united to do business and then made it big."
"So Paglas is different from his father again?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Pargus... I taught him arithmetic before. This child has not had a good life since he was ten years old. At that time, the old baron's family had declined. They were often in debt, and the surrounding nobles and wealthy merchants would send people to collect the debts. Later, the old baron couldn't hold on and died of illness. Not long after, his mother also died of illness. He was forced by the creditors and had no choice but to sell all the remaining things in the family and go to the capital to work as a knight's squire in the home of a friend of his father. Later, he fought against the empire and earned some military merits. Pargus later returned to the territory and began to govern this place. Many of your families were recruited by him at that time and moved here."
"It seems that what follows is a story of a young lord using the methods passed down from his ancestors to revive his family?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Yes, it's normal to want to go back to your grandfather's old ways after being fed up with poverty and humiliation, right?" said Father Anlock. He wanted to add a few more words, but at this moment the door of the tavern was pushed open. Two men dressed as warriors came in.
"They are from the Warriors." someone whispered.
An older warrior asked, "We heard that there are strangers here asking about the territory and the baron. Didn't the baron say that no one is allowed to talk about things here casually? I heard you guys telling stories outside and it was very lively. What's going on?"
The people in the tavern looked at each other, not knowing how the conversation started.
Just when the warriors were about to question these people, Xiao Chen stood up and said, "Actually, they told me the story because I asked too much." (To be continued)