Three days passed very quickly. After Faras used three times the rent, the three carriage drivers happily sent the Leisi team to Elmida City. Faras also ended her misfortune in Ryan's eyes.
Luxury vacation trip.
Hermida is a city located at the foot of the Hengduan Mountains. It is surrounded by rich mineral resources, especially copper mines. The output is very high, equivalent to almost one-tenth of the entire empire's annual output.
The surrounding area of Hermida City seems to be very desolate, without the prosperity of Alpha City at all. Its low retaining walls and rough roads give people a very bad first impression of it.
The entire city of Hermida is mainly divided into two areas, the business district in the middle of the city and the surrounding slums. The city is not very big, with a population of more than 30,000, and this population also includes the miners who work in the mines all day long.
, although maybe the next moment, they will die due to a mining accident; but at this moment, they are still alive.
The carriage arrived at the south gate of Hermida City and was stopped by the soldiers guarding the city. Faras, who was sitting in the first carriage, got off. She explained to the soldiers guarding the city the identity and identity of her party.
Intention.
Among the soldiers guarding the city, there was a guy who looked like a leader. He stared at Farasi's chest obscenely, but found the junior magician badge worn on Farasi's chest. Seeing this badge, Obscene
The little leader forced a smile on his face and tried his best to fawn over Farasi.
After all, magicians are very rare in the entire continent of Islar, and even have a special status. If a junior magician like Faras teaches a civilian a lesson, as long as no one is killed, no one will do it.
Go ahead and take care of it. Even if you really kill someone, as long as the person who died is not a powerful guy, at most the Magic Guild will come forward to reprimand the magician who killed the person, and it will probably just be a few hasty words.
.
The wretched little leader did not dare to cause trouble. He just pointed at the city lord's decree posted on the side of the city gate and asked Faras to pay the various taxes and fees stipulated.
The taxes in this Hermida city are really high. Just to enter the city gate, you have to pay an entrance fee of 10 silver coins per person, and a carriage costs 20 silver coins. Even Allen's two wind wolves
As a pet, I paid a pet entry fee of 5 silver coins per pet.
All this made Ryan shake his head on the carriage. Alfa City, which ranked seventh among the imperial cities, was so prosperous, with a large number of people coming in and out every day, and no fees were charged in this regard.
Although Ryan is not very familiar with business, he has stayed in Alpha City for a while and has some understanding. The Lord of Alpha City only issues various orders to give more benefits to merchants and promote the flow of merchants.
It has contributed to the prosperity of the city and received generous rewards from the prosperity of the city.
This kind of city in front of us squeezes the passersby so much. I wonder if anyone would be willing to come here?
The carriage drove slowly into the city, moving slowly on the bumpy ground. Ryan looked out the window of the constantly shaking carriage, looking at the low houses on both sides, the dirty ground, and smelled something in his nose.
There was an indescribable fishy smell, and it seemed that even the entire sky in Hermida City was gray.
The carriage finally passed through the slums and brought Faras and his party to the central business district of Hermida City.
In the middle of the business district is a large square. The ground is paved with huge stones. Compared with the roads in the slums, it is like heaven and earth. Its area is even similar to the square in Alpha City.
, although the total area of Hermida City is less than one-tenth of Alpha City.
A rather luxurious residence stands in the north of the square, which is in sharp contrast to the messy streets and low-rise houses just now. There are many soldiers with long guns standing guard around the mansion. Ryan estimates that this should be Ermi
The residence of the Lord of the City.
There were no particularly conspicuous buildings in other directions of the square, just some very ordinary shops. Ryan saw a hotel that looked pretty good in the south of the square.
The carriage took Faras and his party directly to the door of the hotel. Three brand-new carriages stopped at the door of the hotel, and a very thin old man in his fifties hurriedly came out.
Seeing a lady wearing a magician's robe stepping out of the carriage, the skinny old man greeted him very warmly, with endless compliments, and brought Faras and his party into the hotel. As for the carriage and driver outside, of course there were
Guys entertain.
Under the arrangement of the skinny old man, the members of the Leisi team sat around a table in the hotel lobby, preparing to have a meal. The skinny old man stood aside respectfully, with a smile on his face all the time.
However, Ryan always felt that the smile on his face was strange. No matter how he looked at it, this skinny old man had a striking resemblance to Allendo's two wind wolves that smelled of barbecue.
Farasi took the menu from the hand of the skinny old man. She looked at the exquisite menu carefully and prepared to order. Unexpectedly, Farasi, who had spent extravagantly along the way, was still shocked by the prices of the food on the menu:
Just roasting a whole goat of Tarun costs 10 gold coins, a portion of barbecued beef takri also costs 4 gold coins, and even the cheapest refreshing juice costs 20 silver coins.
The angry Faras threw the menu at the skinny old man and asked him to call the hotel owner.
The skinny old man's smile did not diminish at all. He took the menu, pointed at himself with the other finger and said, "I am the owner of the hotel."
Faras pointed at the menu on the skinny old man and said, "Is your hotel too expensive? A glass of refreshing juice at the Imperial City Dream Bar only costs 10 silver coins. It is the most luxurious place in the country."
The expression on the face of the skinny hotel owner immediately changed, and the grin quickly turned into helplessness. This speed made Alando, who had always had absolute confidence in his speed, unable to match it, and he sighed in his heart.
The skinny hotel owner sighed and said: "Oh, business is not easy to do these days. This distinguished lady, you must be from a noble family and have been accustomed to the world since childhood. I believe that many noble people are from your family.
My guest. How do you know the suffering of our common people?"
At this point, the skinny innkeeper seemed to squeeze out tears from his eyes. It was a tear, because it only rolled in his eyes for a while, and then went back.
The skinny hotel owner changed his tone of pride and said: "Look at my hotel, its decoration is the best in the entire city of Hermida. Except for the residence of the city lord, who dares to compete with me in this entire city?"
Compare?"
At this point, the skinny hotel owner changed his tone: "As for the price on the menu, to be honest, I can't make much money at all. Why not just have this cup of refreshing juice, even though I charged you 20
Most of the silver coins have to be used to pay the city lord's various taxes. After deducting my costs, I only earn a few silver coins per cup."
Red patted Faras on the shoulder and signaled the latter not to be angry. He said to the skinny old man: "Why are the things here so expensive? Aren't you afraid that others will never come again after coming here once?"
The face of the skinny hotel owner was unpredictable. He quickly showed a helpless look and said to Red with a wry smile: "What do you think I think? There are endless taxes here. You have to pay every month after you are born.
A head tax, no matter what you do, you have to pay the tax, you have to pay it for eating, you have to pay it for sleeping, you have to pay it for bathing, you have to pay it for going to the latrine. In my hotel, I have to pay tax for hiring waiters, and I have to pay it for cleaning every day.
Pay a health tax. All the food sold here has to pay a large amount of tax. In fact, if you calculate it this way, you spent 1 gold coin. I'm afraid I will only have less than 30 silver coins left in my hands. After removing it,
I already have costs, but I don’t have much profit left.”
Reid asked strangely: "Why does the city lord charge such a heavy tax?"
The skinny innkeeper said: "The regulations of the empire are that the city lords in each place must pay a tax to the imperial capital. In addition, each city lord decides everything about his own territory, except that the amount of tax collected cannot exceed the amount paid.
The amount of tax paid to the empire and nothing else matters."
Faras interjected: "The empire does have such a regulation, but it specifically adds the restriction that 'the amount of taxes collected by the city lord himself cannot exceed the amount of taxes paid to the empire'. According to your statement, the taxes collected by the city lord privately here are
, isn’t it far more than that?”
The skinny innkeeper shook his head and said: "No. The city lord is not a fool. There is only one profession in this city that does not charge taxes, and that is miners. All miners who work in the copper mines owned by the city lord do not have to pay any taxes.
.”
Red and Faras looked at each other and were surprised by the city lord's actions. The skinny old man added: "So the city lord's annual tax is not much, because this city is almost full of miners who work for him for free."