"Five hundred thousand... too little?"
Charlotte couldn't help but raise her voice.
Quasimodo nodded:
"Yes..."
"Master, you don't know that when I was still involved in the operation of the manor ten years ago, the funds transported from the territory every month were at least 1.5 million gold tana."
Charlotte: …
Good job!
One million and a half a month...
Annual income of tens of millions
This is not Blue Star’s RMB!
If we really compare them based on purchasing power, one quintana is roughly equivalent to one thousand to two thousand yuan on Blue Star, which is a monthly income of more than two billion yuan if rounded off...
And this is not revenue, it is real money transported to the manor.
so funny!
If this kind of income were in the Blue Star Country, they would be considered one of the top giants in the country!
Of course, there are extraordinary powers in the world of Miriam.
The monetary system here is still different from that of Blue Star.
But even so, the Castel family can indeed be said to be rich enough to rival a country!
Of course, money is not everything.
For the first-level extraordinary people of Stars, money is still very important, but after the second-level of Silver Moon, money is just a number.
They have so many ways to make money that they will care less about money and more about something extraordinary that is more precious than money.
However, the value of many extraordinary things cannot be measured by money.
Even if it is possible, there is often no demand for it.
"Master... I was already very surprised that he could spend all the family's treasury for so many years. Now it seems that not only did he spend a huge amount of money to buy various magical materials for the evil ritual, but also the funds delivered to the manor have been decreasing in recent years."
Quasimodo said in a deep voice.
After hearing his words, Charlotte nodded slightly.
Although 500,000 quintana already made her quite surprised and satisfied, as a lord, no one would complain about having too little quintana in his pocket.
After all, everything costs money, and training extraordinary people also requires money.
"Don't worry, let's talk about it after we return to the manor."
Charlotte glanced at Baron Sharon, who had been silent since he met her and seemed to be worried about something, and said thoughtfully.
The carriage drove back to Castel Manor in a grand manner.
After entering the manor, Baron Sharon, who had been silent all the time, looked around and finally couldn't help but speak again:
"Miss Charlotte, I heard on the way that something happened to the family? The old lady... is gone?"
Charlotte was not surprised that Baron Chalon knew what was happening in the manor.
The changes in Castel were no small matter in Boulder. Although the caravan must have left Castel a month ago, as long as they rested on the way, they would likely hear about the happenings in the manor from other merchants or local residents.
However, it is obvious that the other party's knowledge is quite limited, and it is estimated that they have only heard some information from hearsay.
Thinking of this, Charlotte's eyes darkened slightly, revealing a sad expression:
"Yes, my grandmother... is dead. She was bewitched by the Blood Demon Cult and eventually died in an evil sacrifice."
"Did the old lady really fall? Did she turn into a blood demon? Miss Charlotte... I know it will be painful for you to mention this, but... as a noble of the territory, I still need to ask you clearly, what exactly happened in the manor?"
Baron Chalon asked solemnly.
Charlotte glanced at Sebastian who was standing beside her. Sebastian nodded, stepped forward, and said elegantly:
"Sir Sharon, this is a long story..."
As he spoke, Sebastian told the other party everything about Countess Castel.
After listening to Sebastian's story, Baron Sharon's expression gradually became serious.
After a long silence, he sighed:
"I didn't expect something like this to happen. Lady Charlotte, please accept my condolences..."
He naturally changed his address to Charlotte to "My Lord".
After saying that, he looked at Sebastian's typical elf appearance again and couldn't help asking:
"I was very concerned just now. I don't think I have seen you next to Lady Charlotte before. May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Sebastian, the butler of Castel Manor and Miss Charlotte's loyal servant."
Sebastian smiled.
"Sebastian?"
Baron Chalon was stunned.
Soon, he widened his eyes again and jumped up almost subconsciously:
"Wait? Sebastian? The Fire Spirit? You're the president of the Rose Society?!"
Sebastian smiled slightly:
"That's me."
"But as the president of the Rose Society, an underground gang, why did you become Miss Charlotte's housekeeper?"
Baron Sharon frowned, his expression showing a hint of vigilance and hostility.
The nobles have always looked down upon the gangs. Even though Sebastian was very powerful, he still did not like them and was even more wary of them.
"Of course it's because the Rose Society has always been a peripheral force of the Castel family, and I have always been a secret servant of the family. It was only after the Countess got into trouble that I came to the manor to serve the master."
Sebastian said as a matter of course.
"Will the Rose Society be a peripheral force of the family?"
Baron Sharon's frown deepened.
Obviously, the news of the Holy Judgment in the past two days had not spread too far, and Baron Sharon did not know about it yet. This was probably due to the fact that the Holy Royal Court deliberately downplayed the news. After all... a failed judgment was not something worth publicizing.
Baron Sharon looked at Charlotte, who nodded slightly in approval. The baron from the territory hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded to Sebastian with a frown:
"I see."
After telling the other party about the recent status of the manor, Charlotte asked about the status of the territory indirectly, wanting to see if the other party would take the initiative to talk about the transportation of funds.
However, what she got in return was the other party's official response that "everything is fine in the territory."
Charlotte glanced at Quasimodo, who immediately understood.
He stepped forward and asked respectfully:
"Lord Sharon, I looked at this month's inventory and the funds delivered to the manor... Is it much less than before?"
"Too much less?"
Sharon was stunned.
He picked up the manifest, looked at it, shook his head and said:
"No, it has been this amount for the past two years."
"But I remember that the funds sent by the territory every month were around 1.5 million quintana, and sometimes even exceeded 2 million."
Quasimodo frowned.
Sharon was silent for a while and sighed:
"That was many years ago. Things are different now."
"Why? Did something happen in the territory?"
Quasimodo demanded.
Sharon glanced at him and did not answer. Instead, he saluted Charlotte and said:
"Lady Charlotte, can we... talk alone?"
Charlotte raised her eyebrows, her eyes passed over Quasimodo and Sebastian, and she nodded slightly:
"Can."
…
One after the other, Charlotte and Baron Chalon entered the manor study.
As soon as he entered the study, Baron Sharon couldn't help but ask:
"Lord Charlotte, does the territory know about the family's affairs?"
"Quasimodo has sent word to the territory, and has summoned several viscounts and barons to come to Boulder."
Charlotte replied.
Then, she looked at Baron Chalon again:
"But... I haven't received a reply yet."
Baron Sharon's expression suddenly became a little embarrassed.
He coughed lightly and explained:
"Lord Charlotte, you don't know that there were several conflicts between Castel Territory and Vlad Principality last month. The magic tower used for communication was damaged and has not been repaired yet."
Vlad's Principality
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.
The Principality of Vlad is one of the twelve duchies of the Crescent Kingdom and a neighbor of the Earldom of Castel. Its relationship with the Principality of Bold has always been delicate.
For a long time, the County of Castel, an enclave of the Principality of Bold, has been in constant conflict with the Principality of Vlad due to commercial competition and territorial disputes.
"The magic tower for sending messages is broken? Are you saying that the territory may not have received the message yet?"
Charlotte asked, frowning.
"Probably."
Baron Chalon thought for a moment and answered.
What a coincidence
Charlotte's frown deepened.
She thought for a moment and continued:
"Let's put the summons aside. What about the monthly funds that Quasimodo mentioned? I heard that the territory's business has been booming in recent years, and the silver mine has been producing continuously. Why is the income less than before?"
Looking at Charlotte's immature appearance, Baron Sharon sighed and said:
"Lord Charlotte, you probably don't know the structure of the territory's income, right?"
"I know a little bit. 70% of the income comes from the Castel Silver Mine, 10% comes from taxes on vassals, and 20% comes from taxes on demesne and commercial income."
Charlotte said.
After hearing her answer, Baron Chalon sighed:
"Yes... 70% of the territory's income comes from silver mines, especially the associated mithril mines in the silver mines, which account for the vast majority of the income."
"But the part of the associated mithril mine that the family was allocated... is on the verge of exhaustion."