Chapter 211: Beware of Succubi

"I, I, I will eat properly!"

Looking at the incoherent Erin, Luo Yan smiled and handed the spoon back to her, then nodded slightly and exited the room with Theresa.

It seems the stimulation of being fed was still too strong for Princess Erin Campbell.

Luo Yan couldn't help but think of the cat he raised.

If it were Sarah, she would probably bite it in one go.

"Mr. Kelin."

Noticing the gaze shooting from the side, Luo Yan looked at Theresa and said in a gentle tone.

"What's wrong?"

Theresa hesitated for a while, then opened her mouth, weighing her words.

"Do you have a marriage contract in your hometown?"

Luo Yan didn't remember having this persona, but always felt this sentence was familiar.

Had someone asked before?

"No, why?"

Theresa nodded and said.

"Forgive my presumption, I just feel that a noble like you should be very popular whether in the Imperial court or in the colonies of the New World."

Really?

Perhaps.

Luo Yan felt that every demon he met since he was a child wanted to eat him, but after a long time, he found that it was just a subconscious reaction of different species, and later he let it go.

"Maybe, but I spent most of my time in the ivory tower, so I didn't pay close attention to other people's thoughts."

"Is that so." Theresa's eyes told Luo Yan that she didn't believe what he said.

Luo Yan nodded with a smile.

"Yes."

Silence between the two.

Theresa wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if she should speak for the young lady, so she could only close her mouth.

Luo Yan naturally knew what she wanted to say, but he had no reason to clarify for her, so he calmly enjoyed this quiet time.

The two stood at the door for about twenty or thirty minutes.

Hearing the sound of putting down the plate behind the door, Luo Yan estimated that Erin should have finished eating, so he put his hand on the doorknob.

"That... beware of succubi." Theresa, standing on the other side of the door, suddenly said this out of the blue.

"...?" Luo Yan cast a puzzled look at her, but the latter didn't give an explanation, instead moving her gaze away.

Beware of succubi?

He almost thought he had returned to the Demon Capital.

"Sorry, just a book I read a long, long time ago, uh, it's a novel..." Theresa's voice grew smaller and smaller, embarrassed to the point of wishing she could find a crack in the ground to drill into, "Please forget it."

A novel?

"Lend it to me to see next time." Luo Yan said casually.

"If, if I can find it..."

That voice was already too small to hear.

It seems it wasn't a book that could be borrowed casually.

When Luo Yan pushed the door and walked into the bedroom, Erin, sitting on the bed, was elegantly wiping her mouth with a napkin, and the food on the side tray had been eaten clean by her.

Actually, there wasn't much cream mushroom soup, mainly that basket of bread was enough for two people.

Noticing Luo Yan's surprise, Erin showed an embarrassed expression and said softly.

"Did I eat too much? Actually, I don't usually eat this much, I even wanted to leave some for you just now..."

Looking at her whispering explanation, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile and said in a gentle tone.

"Your body is recovering, it's only right to eat more; as for me, don't worry, I'll go to the kitchen to solve it in a while."

Erin gave a soft "Hmm" and muttered softly.

"... Speaking of which, I haven't said thank you to you yet; this time it's thanks to you that Baron Guss could be saved from the Demon King's army."

"Where are you talking about, it's my honor to share your worries."

Pausing, Luo Yan continued with a smile.

"How is it? Do you feel better?"

Erin nodded with a red face, a warm and healing smile appearing on her face.

"Hmm... I feel much better after eating."

It seems the consumption of using the Light of Eulogy was not small, but it could be restored with proper rest.

But to compare with Gold with Bronze power, this ability is too bugged.

Can only say it's worthy of being the chosen one of God.

It seems his understanding of the chosen one is not deep enough.

"Sleep for a while after eating."

"Hmm..."

Erin lay back on the bed obediently and crawled into the quilt. Her hands pinched the edge of the quilt, revealing only those emerald eyes, like stars in the night sky.

Today was probably the day she said "Hmm" the most, and usually, she played the role of the commander, never expecting that the feeling of having someone to rely on would be like this.

Perhaps it was the feeling of peace of mind, perhaps it was the sleepiness after a full meal, her eyelashes gradually began to fight, and before long, she sank into a dream amidst a restrained yawn.

Looking at the defenseless, quiet sleeping face, a smile curled at the corners of Luo Yan's mouth, and he reached out to cover her with the quilt.

He admitted that his understanding of the chosen one was still too shallow, but it seemed this didn't prevent him from turning this "quasi-hero" into his own person.

"Sleep peacefully."

He said softly, then picked up the tray and left the bedroom, and quietly closed the door for Miss Erin.

Looking at the guard standing at the door, Luo Yan said softly.

"Leave it to you, I'm going to the kitchen."

"Hmm, leave it to me." Theresa performed a knight's salute and nodded loyally, seemingly having digested the previous embarrassment herself.

Luo Yan nodded to indicate, then walked through the corridor and down the stairs, left the guest villa, crossed the garden to the main building, handed the plate to the flattered servant, and then ate something casually in the kitchen.

Just as he elegantly put down the tableware and wiped his mouth, urgent footsteps came from outside the door.

"Mr. Kelin! You finally appeared, Saint Xisi is above, I have been looking for you!"

The person who came was none other than the owner of this manor, Baron Guss.

Luo Yan cast his gaze at him, only to see his face full of panic, as if he had lost himself in his manor.

"... I just went to Princess Erin's place to ask about her situation, is there anything you need me for, Mr. Guss." Although he probably guessed the cause of the matter, Luo Yan still asked.

Sure enough.

Following that face full of surprise, the noisy voice also rushed in.

"Good news, great good news! Your company's stock price has risen back! And it doubled 20 times in one day! My servant wrote to me, saying that the citizens of Lei Ming City are crazy, and the price per share has been bought to 20 gold coins by them! Saint Xisi is above, this is too crazy, you can't let those pieces of paper be more expensive than diamonds!"

Looking at Baron Guss's exaggerated expression and body language, Luo Yan couldn't help but smile and put down the teacup in his hand.

"I don't care much about that kind of thing... but, I'm glad to bring you a good mood today."

"Haha, my mood is indeed great now!" Baron Guss was excited, his face flushed, his breathing rapid, as if he had run a long distance.

The servant on the side looked at him nervously, fearing that the old master wouldn't catch his breath and faint.

Luo Yan looked at the Baron with a smile, as if watching a funny comedy, and at the same time, his faith power was silently growing in the praise that didn't spare compliments.

Surprising.

This guy who neglected exercise and didn't even awaken his transcendent power was actually Silver-tier!

What a waste.

At this time, a majestic voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Baron Guss, what good thing made you so happy, tell me about it, and let me be happy too."

The person who came from outside the door was Grand Duke Edward.

The servants in the tea room immediately saluted this noble monarch, including Baron Guss, who was in high spirits, and also quickly restrained that presumptuous smile and performed a noble salute respectfully.

"Your Majesty, it's the stock of Kelin Mining Company! Now the price per share has risen to 20 gold coins! You might not know what this means, simply put, there is a company in Lei Ming City now, and its value is 2 billion gold coins!"

When he first heard 20 gold coins, Edward didn't take it seriously, until he heard the back, he almost choked on a mouthful of saliva.

"2 billion gold coins?! Did you get the unit wrong?"

Looking at the wide-eyed Majesty, Baron Guss showed a confident smile on his face and said with certainty.

"Your Majesty, I can swear to Saint Xisi! Every word I say is true! If you don't believe it, you will know when you go to Lei Ming City and take a look."

Edward looked at Kelin, who was sitting not far away, seeking verification, hoping to get a more reliable answer from the latter.

Noticing the Grand Duke's gaze, Luo Yan smiled faintly and said calmly.

"Baron Guss doesn't quite understand the concept of market value, but it roughly means this. Currently, Kelin Mining Company has only publicly issued one-tenth of the stocks, equivalent to 10 million shares, and the recognized value of these stocks is currently 200 million gold coins. As for the remaining stocks, they have not been issued as publicly circulating tickets... after all, the funds raised so far are enough for us to do many things, and we don't need more for the time being."

"Exactly! Mr. Kelin explains it clearly!" Baron Guss nodded quickly, with a bright smile on his face.

Edward was dazed for a long time, then immediately asked.

"Then whose hands are these stocks in?"

Luo Yan said with a smile.

"One-third are in the hands of the citizens of Lei Ming City, one-third are in the major banks in the port area of Lei Ming City, and the rest were bought by merchants from other places. Their origins are diverse; some are nobles of the Kingdom of Ryan, and some are from other cities along the Whirlpool Sea."

"Then gold? Whose hands is the gold in?" Edward asked about the most concerned question again.

After all, that's 200 million gold coins!

Equivalent to 2000 tons of gold!

Let alone the national treasury of the Campbell Principality, even the national treasury of the Kingdom of Ryan might not have so much money!

Looking at his monkey-urgent appearance, Luo Yan said with a smile.

"Of course in the bank of Lei Ming City."

Hearing this, Edward finally breathed a sigh of relief, at least no big ship transported this gold to other places.

Otherwise, the wealth accumulated by the Campbell Principality for hundreds of years would be robbed overnight.

But think about it.

Even if he felt from the bottom of his heart that the ordinary citizens of Lei Ming City were a bunch of idiots, at least Mr. Andes, who worked for him, was a smart man, and would definitely not let people cheat away real gold and silver with a few pieces of paper.

Looking at Edward, who was instantly relieved, Luo Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip.

These feudal lords think about problems mostly directly, nothing more than land and gold.

Edward is actually a bit smarter than them, having recognized the importance of industry, but still hasn't jumped out of his own limitations and doesn't have an accurate concept of finance.

But this can't blame him.

No matter how smart a person is, it's impossible to imagine things they haven't seen out of thin air, and they can only rely on intuition.

That stiff smile softened at a speed visible to the naked eye, like the snow gradually melting in the Silver Pine Forest.

Restoring the decency and elegance of a noble, Edward walked to the opposite side of Luo Yan and sat down, saying with hot eyes.

"Mr. Kelin, what do you plan to do with so much money? I don't mean to pry into your privacy, just out of curiosity, if it's inconvenient, please pretend I didn't ask."

Anyway, he is the owner of this country, and he can know it by sending someone to the bank later.

Luo Yan naturally wouldn't fail to see the thoughts already written on his face, smiled faintly, and said.

"Most of it is used to develop the colonies of the Kao Continent. I will use this money to purchase some industrial products and transport them to the New World to exchange for resources there, such as textiles and steel tools that are urgently needed locally. Besides that, this money will also be used for local prospecting and mining businesses to further expand the output of resources, especially searching for high-value diamond mines. Not only that, I will also place orders with the shipyards of the Campbell Principality to build the largest ocean-going trade fleet in the Whirlpool Sea, open up routes from the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea to the New World, and expand the trade volume between the two sides."

Although he was bragging, Luo Yan didn't lie; he really planned to do this, and even started arranging for people to do it.

The citizens of Lei Ming City would soon be able to see relevant news in the "Lei Ming City Daily," he just picked out these nice words in advance, and it just so happened that these words were exactly what Grand Duke Edward loved to hear.

And not just Grand Duke Edward, Baron Guss, standing on the side, also listened with a heart full of fire.

Textiles and steel tools!

Although there were no iron mines in his territory, there was plenty of land, whether it was cultivated land or uncultivated land!

If part of the land was transformed into a pasture to produce wool, it would definitely be much more profitable than farming!

Just when Baron Guss was calculating in his heart, Grand Duke Edward was also having similar ideas.

It's just that his pattern was much larger than the Baron's, seeing not just that little wool industry, but the ocean outside Lei Ming City.

Listening to the magnificent blueprint displayed in front of him by Mr. Kelin, his eyes were full of hot light, and his excitement was full of spirit.

"... That's really great! The timber of the Kingdom of Ryan is the highest quality in the entire Os Continent! Not only that, we have the most advanced power machinery factory, even the Imperial Royal Shipyard has to place orders with us."

"What I fancy is exactly this point," Luo Yan's face carried a smile, and he continued calmly, "To tell you the truth, when I first came to Lei Ming City, I was shocked by the industrial heritage here, and this is also the thing that makes me feel the most regrettable."

"Regrettable?" Edward was slightly stunned, and opened his mouth subconsciously, "Is there any place that makes you feel dissatisfied?"

"You misunderstood, I am not dissatisfied, I just feel sorry for you."

Luo Yan shook his head gently, looked at the puzzled Grand Duke Edward, and said in a voice with a hint of melancholy.

"You have the most advanced power machinery factory, and rich natural resources, and even according to my understanding, the spark of industry was the first to burn on your land. However, in the years I studied in the Academy, I have only heard of the fame of the Imperial Royal Shipyard, but have never heard of the name of the Lei Ming City Shipyard, until I stepped on the land of the Kingdom of Ryan did I hear of it."

This was not his regret, but it was indeed the regret in Grand Duke Edward's heart.

Edward pondered for a long time and sighed.

"There is no other way, after all, the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea is too far from the New World, and the share we can get from the Empire's ocean-going trade is limited. And nobles like you, I'm sure, would rather invest in the Empire's ports; to you, we are ultimately just friendly nations."

Luo Yan shook his head and continued.

"I don't think this is the core reason, Imperial nobles don't mind investing in friendly nations, we are all servants serving Saint Xisi, and should be inseparable."

Edward asked curiously.

"Oh? Then what do you think is the reason?"

Luo Yan smiled and said.

"According to my humble opinion on the road of study, I found that any territory where people are forced to rely on land for a living mostly struggles on the line of food and clothing, and often a large piece of land can only support one or two wealthy classes. But on the contrary, those city-states that do not rely on land mostly live well, and often there are wealthy people wearing brocade and silk all over the street."

Edward pondered for a long time and said.

"This situation does exist, but I think it's too far-fetched to relate the reason for people's poverty to land."

"Your Majesty, you misunderstood, I am not saying that the reason for people's poverty is land," Luo Yan shook his head gently and continued, "What I want to say is that the same person, if he is a self-sufficient farmer, the things he produces all year round may only be enough for his own food and clothing, and then waste the rest of his time in the tavern, listening to adventurers bragging. But if he is a citizen of Lei Ming City, the value he produces can not only satisfy his own food and clothing, but also support one-third of a professional soldier."

"If we can liberate those farmers from the fields from their idle lives, drive them from the farmland to the factories in the suburbs, you can imagine what a terrifying force this is. They will be as cheap as self-sufficient farmers, but only consume products that are just enough for food and clothing, and then produce huge wealth for your Principality."

"Imperial craftsmen will not be your opponents at all, and even the poor ghosts in the colonies will not be, after all, since they are willing to take a boat to sea, it shows that they have a little pursuit of life, and it is very difficult for us to persuade them to give up the butter on their bread for the glory of the Kelin family. But those tenant farmers, I dare to bet that most of them don't even know what butter is, because the tenant farmers of the Empire are the same. They will become an invincible army, leading the factory owners to sweep the entire Imperial market for you!"

"I believe that by then, you will not complain that the Empire occupies too much share of ocean-going trade, but will thank the Emperor for his wise decision to bring you a heaven-sent opportunity. After all, we use the same currency, are in the same market, which is equivalent to being completely undefended against you, and you can absorb the wealth of the entire Whirlpool Sea to your heart's content." "As long as you are willing to make a small change first."

Looking at this blueprint unfolding in front of him, Edward couldn't help but hold his breath.

If the same words were spoken to him by someone else, he probably wouldn't take them to heart, but this was Mr. Kelin, whom he had long admired.

Even if it was just for the sake of 200 million gold coins, he had to carefully consider the weight of these words.

That might be true.

At least it was worth listening to.

"Then Mr. Kelin... what exactly is the change you are talking about? We can't drive those people into the city."

"That would be too rough," Luo Yan shook his head and said with a smile, "We have more elegant methods, for example... you can modify the tax law of land tax, changing the clause of paying tax by the nominal owner to paying tax by the actual user."

Edward shook his head and said.

"These are meaningless, those tenant farmers don't have a penny in their pockets, and in the end, it's still borne by the nobles."

No errors, no omissions, read it all at once!

Although he looked down on those mud-legged people from the bottom of his heart, it didn't mean he didn't understand them.

On the contrary, he not only understood them, but his understanding of them was even precise to how many copper coins they had in their pockets.

Luo Yan had already guessed he would say so, so he continued with a smile.

"So this small change will not cause any opposition from anyone, right? Because for the nobles who actually use the land, there is no difference."

Edward showed a look of interest.

"And then? You definitely wouldn't do a meaningless thing."

"Yes," Luo Yan nodded with a smile and continued happily, "The first bill is just paving the way for what we are going to do next. Since the person paying tax is the user of the land, then next we will allow the nobles to voluntarily give up this obligation. For example, allow nobles to sell the actual right to use the land while retaining their titles, and the laws of the Principality will guarantee the rights and interests of the actual users, not to be infringed upon by the owners."

When he heard this sentence, Edward fell into deep thought.

If the first law was just itchy, then this law had already begun to touch the soul of the Campbell Principality.