This is Frontier Town... No, Neverwinter
Edith stepped down the gangway and was stunned at the busy and orderly scene in front of her. Although she had already made all kinds of guesses before arriving, she found that she underestimated the city - the area of the dock area was more than three times larger than that of the capital, and it was crowded with unloading sailboats and cement boats. The ore and coal on the yard were piled up into a small mountain.
On the other side, a dozen or so paddle steamers were slowly leaving the trestle in a column, and many people were standing beside the embankment to see them off. All the people on the boat wore uniforms and stood upright along the sides of the boat, showing a fighting spirit that even Edith could feel—this kind of look used to only appear on knights who returned from victory, and these people have no doubts Neither are nobles.
In the center of the wharf is the gathering place of merchants, refugees, and migrants, mainly sailing boats of various kinds. In the entire dock area alone, the floating population is no less than a thousand, and such a bustling scene is dwarfed even by the capital.
"The pier is actually getting longer again," Victor said, "Does your Majesty plan to turn the entire river bank into a pier area?"
"Again?" Edith noticed the other party's words.
"At least last fall, the pier here wasn't this wide," he spread his hands. "Of course, not so many people."
"What are those levels doing, tax?"
"There is no entry tax here. You only have to pay tax if you sell things," Victor explained enthusiastically, "and you can't set up stalls in the city, all sales must be in the convenience market in the square area. Go ahead. Those men in black are equivalent to patrols in other cities, and they set up checkpoints to register their identities and clear the plague."
Not extortion and extortion? Edith winked at her brother, who nodded and took out his pocket to prepare some money.
"No no, Miss Conrad, I mean 'equivalent' to the patrol," the gem dealer smiled and waved his hand, "in fact, they never charge extra—I know it's hard to believe, but it is what it is , I was as surprised as you when I first passed the inspection. Come with me, merchant access is much faster. "
Just like what he said, after the man in black verified Victor's identity, he let all the group pass the level without asking for a single copper eagle.
"Next, I have to find a clean and comfortable hotel, and then go to the convenience market," he turned his head. "What are your plans, Miss Conrad? If you are not familiar with this place, I can help you."
"Thank you," Edith pretended to be grateful, pinched the corners of her skirt and slightly bent her knees, "You have helped me a lot along the way, this is enough... I will go to the city hall for help, where I should be able to find my relatives. information."
"It's just a little effort... It's my honor to get to know such an outstanding noble lady as you, please don't be polite."
After some shirk, Edith finally got rid of Victor's entanglement, and finally the businessman waved to her constantly when he said goodbye, saying that if he ran into trouble, he could go to the Holy Mountain Hotel to find him at any time.
"Sister, you are really welcome," Cole smacked his lips.
"Huh?" Edith glanced at him. "What should you call me?"
"Uh...cough, Ms. Edith," the duke's second son couldn't help but shudder, "are we going to find a hotel to stay too?"
"No, go to the castle to submit the documents first," she said without hesitation, "get in touch with His Majesty as soon as possible."
"But we don't have heads anymore..." Cole reminded in a low voice.
"Then it's the one without the head," Edith shrugged. "Remember the things I explained? Show your sincerity. The loyalty of the Kant family is not only represented by two heads."
And even if there was, it would probably be smelly long ago—it's not a good idea to present to His Majesty two disfigured heads, she thought, since the other party left the capital, everything has deviated from the predetermined trajectory.
What to do depends on the specific situation. Ultimately, the ability of the negotiator is the key factor that determines the outcome of the negotiation.
"Your Majesty, a group of messengers from the North is waiting outside the castle, hoping to receive your reception," Sean, the personal guard, walked into the office to report, "The leader claims to be the second son of the current Duke of the North, Calvin Kant, Cole Kant. Lord Barov has checked the vouchers and family crests, and they should not be forged."
"Northland?" Roland put down the design blueprint in his hand unexpectedly, "Isn't that Tifek's site? Did they explain their intention?"
"Yes," said the guard with excitement, "Sir Cole said that the Duke is willing to swear allegiance to you."
Take the initiative... Does it work? He frowned, this is really a hassle. From the original intention, he does not need the allegiance of a feudal lord, which not only does not help the development of the kingdom, but also has an impact on the current centralized system. Roland even hoped that the other party had a bit of luck and huddled in the territory, just waiting for him to sweep past. Only by completely crushing the old forces can centralization be successfully established.
However, it is not enough to not see it. The other party sent a group of envoys to make peace, but it was deliberately put aside. Spreading it out may make other nobles lose their luck and decide to join forces to fight. This is not a problem in the military. He is mainly worried that it will affect the people in the east and the north - Roland has regarded the kingdom's people as his wealth, and naturally wants to keep as many people as possible.
After thinking for a while, he nodded slowly and said, "Take them to the parlour, and call Barov together."
"Yes." Sean responded excitedly.
Judging from the look on the guard's face, he probably thought that as a result, only the eastern part of the kingdom was left without his own rule... Roland thought to himself, but sometimes things are not as simple as they seem on the surface.
And at the same time he made a decision.
No matter what, taking back the rights of the fief aristocrats is a principle that will never be shaken. This point must be accurately expressed to all the nobles to show their determination to reform the New Deal. If the rebel nobles dare to attack the people, they will pay a heavy price for it.
…
Walking into the living room, there were only two people in the messenger group sitting at one end of the long table. One of them should be Cole Kant, the second son of the Duke, and the other made Roland's eyes light up a little. She was a beautiful woman. It should be Sir Cole's deputy, but the momentum is more conspicuous than Sir himself.
Of course, in terms of appearance, witches are the most dazzling pearls, so Roland didn't care too much. After all, assistants in this era may also play the role of lovers or maids.
"Your Majesty, I greet you on behalf of my father," Cole respectfully stood up and saluted, and quickly expressed his intentions, "The Duke of the North has a gift for you."