"Yes! Of course there is!" Delong smiled bitterly: "Many of the personnel of knight associations in various places are from the association. Those knight officials who are responsible for assessment have to eat, drink, and feed such a large number of people.
The Knights Association of the Mainland now has a total of more than 600 knights to support! These people's armors need to be repaired, right? Do their weapons need to be repaired regularly? And their war horses. As knights, how can they be without horses? More than 600 knights a year.
The cost of people is almost the same as that of a medium-sized knighthood! At least more than 30,000 gold coins are needed to barely survive! We can only spend our limited funds on feeding people... we really can't take care of horses! Sir,
You are also a soldier. You know, the cost of feeding a war horse for a year is more than feeding a person!"
Du Wei nodded involuntarily.
"In addition to the knights in the association, there are also some normal handymen from various associations. You can't expect those noble knights to sweep the floors and clean the windows in person, right? There are now a thousand of these people on the rosters of associations across the mainland.
Forty people, the annual expenses are about two to three thousand gold coins. Of course, these are already very few. We try to hire some cheap labor."
"I know that my reputation in the imperial capital is not good. Many people say that my buying and selling knight rank badges is a blasphemy to the spirit of chivalry, but there is nothing I can do about it." Delong frowned: "Sir, you have to maintain such a big air every year.
The cost is at least 100,000 gold coins! It can only barely feed everyone and keep this shelf alive! But where can I get 100,000 gold coins? The army only gives 10,000 to 20,000 gold coins at most every year.
.Thanks to the Prince Regent, the legality of mercenary groups is now open. Now more and more people apply for the knight level assessment every year, but the annual income in this area is only 40,000 to 50,000 gold coins. After all, I still pay the
A loss of more than 30,000 gold coins! Where can I get these 30,000 gold coins?"
When Delong finished speaking, he looked at Du Wei with a sincere expression, like a child looking up to his parents: "Sir, tell me, can I do it without buying and selling knight badges? Can I survive without being a clown?
"
Du Wei was completely speechless.
When Delong got excited, he suddenly hit the armor on his chest hard, with a strange smile on his face: "Sir, the armor I'm wearing now... looks decent, but you don't know,
In order to save costs and material expenses... This set of armor looks impressive. In fact... the iron plate inside is hollow! Not to mention using weapons, you can take a stronger wooden stick and poke it lightly.
hole!"
Du Wei: "..."
The headquarters of the famous Knights Association is located in the south of the imperial capital.
It can be said that judging from the area, it is quite consistent with the name of the "Continental Knights Association", one of the two major organizations in the mainland.
The headquarters of the Knights Association, the theme building is a square tower, with an open patio in the middle. Surrounded by a row of wide three-story buildings. The theme building is made of solid granite, which looks extremely solid, and
If in wartime, it also has very strong defensive properties.
And the area is quite large. If you ride a horse around the headquarters of the Knights Association, it will take about the time of a cup of tea!
For such a large piece of land, the price alone is already very valuable to the largest city in the mainland, the Imperial Capital.
What a pity. When Du Wei arrived at the famous "Continental Knights Association Headquarters", he was almost stunned by the scene in front of him!
Is this... is this a sacred place of solemn chivalry?
This...this is simply a vegetable market!!
In this square building, every wall facing the street has been opened, and the houses inside have been turned into various shops! There are shops selling cloth, gestures, jewelry, and food.
There are people selling handicrafts...and even vegetables!!
Du Wei's eyes widened and he pointed forward... The sound of shouting and selling came one after another. It was very lively.
There was no guilt on Knight Delon's face, but he smiled proudly: "Look, sir, we are here."
"This...this is..."
"This is our knight headquarters!" Deron puffed out his chest.
"I thought I saw a vegetable market!" Du Wei's voice was a bit unpleasant.
"There is no other way." Delong sighed: "This land and houses cannot be sold according to the law, so after thinking for a long time, I can only open up the wall facing the street and turn these houses into shops and rent them out.
"Sir, don't underestimate these rents. Many people in our Imperial Capital headquarters rely on these rents to support themselves!"
As he said that, he had already dismounted and led his old horse to the front.
What dumbfounded Du Wei and the many guards under his command was that the Delon knight walked over, as if he was at home like a fish in water, and kept greeting the shop owners, looking very warm and familiar.
"Ah! Uncle Anon, business is so good! Haha..."
"Aunt Sophie, this month's rent is due soon... Ah, okay, I'll send someone to collect it tomorrow."
"Boss Dick, this batch of cabbage looks quite fresh...ah, gave it to me? Thank you very much, hahahaha..."
Looking at the president of the Continental Knights Association, Du Wei suddenly remembered a profession he knew in his previous life: farmer's market administrator!
While Delong was greeting these vendors, he also took some cabbage, tomatoes and other things in his hand. He turned back and waved to Du Wei: "Sir, we are here, don't stand around, come in quickly."
After walking into the gate of the Knights Association, the sounds of hawking and shouting from outside were still coming. Du Wei's face was a little ugly. But Delong looked calm and threw away the food he had just touched casually.
A lame old man at the door said with a smile: "I cooked it in one pot tonight! Haha, I saved another meal today."
After hearing this, Du Wei's face looked very strange. The feeling in his heart was even more complicated.
After walking into the association's gate, Du Wei took a closer look at the patio as the thick wooden door closed behind him.
It's about the size of two football fields.
Obviously, in the glorious era of knights, such large open spaces were used for knights to practice martial arts, and most of them could also be used as racecourses. Unfortunately, now... simple wooden sheds have been built one after another.
"What are these wooden sheds for?" Du Wei frowned: "Are they for people to live in?"
"Living with people? Of course not." Delong smiled bitterly: "Sir, there are only six people in the Knights Association headquarters in the imperial capital now! But look, such a large Knights Association and such a large building can accommodate at least a thousand people.
! The six of us can live in any room we want. This wooden shed is not used to live in people, but... a warehouse. "
"Warehouse?" Du Wei was speechless again.
"It's the land, it's the warehouse." When Delong talked about this matter, he was beaming: "Thanks to the regent! Since he came to power, the imperial capital has become more and more prosperous, and businessmen from all over the mainland have gathered here.
Come to the Imperial Capital! But then the house prices and land prices in the Imperial Capital are rising! Think about it, with so many merchants coming to the Imperial Capital, there must be somewhere to store the large quantities of goods they bring! But the current housing prices in the Imperial Capital are so expensive! Warehouses
The rent has also increased several times! The businessmen were complaining. Under such circumstances, I had an idea. Don’t we still have a large area of open space here? It is idle anyway, so why not build a wooden shed and rent it out?
Working as a warehouse! I’m not evil at all! The rental price I offer is 30% lower than the market price!”
Seeing Delong's intoxicated face, Du Wei almost vomited blood.
Warehouse...warehouse!!
"Fortunately, we have these warehouses! You don't know that the annual repair costs of our current building depend on the rental income from these warehouses!" Delong smiled and tied the old horse to a pillar.
beside.
Du Wei sighed: "Your Excellency Delong, starting from tomorrow, you can ask them to return all the goods to these warehouses one by one. After all, we have to rebuild this place. This... is a bit unreasonable."
"Retreat? This... is not easy to handle." Delong was a little embarrassed, with a hint of smile hidden in his eyes: "You don't know that the goods here belong to the chambers of commerce of some famous and wealthy noble families in the imperial capital.
Yes! I signed a contract with them, and I can’t cancel it... Besides, I don’t dare to offend so many big shots.”
"You are afraid of offending others, but I am not." Du Wei said calmly: "Whose products are there?"
"No, these rooms are the weapons depot of the Warcraft family in Delan Mountain! The warehouses are full of iron ore! Ah, these rooms are the goods of Count Villa's Chamber of Commerce. They are some timber shipped from the south.
.”
Du Wei pointed to a wooden shed in front of him... This wooden shed is the largest in area, larger than the other ones combined!
Du Wei said angrily: "Where are these? Which company are they from?"
"This..." Delong smiled bitterly and glanced at Du Wei with a strange look in his eyes: "Grand Duke Tulip... The piles in this wooden shed are all your family's goods... I just had a business relationship with your family last month.
Mr. Zach, the general manager, has signed a contract. Because the rent I paid is cheap, Mr. Zach has rented this place for three years in one breath!!"
Du Wei: "..."
In Du Wei's heart, after all, it is the majestic Continental Knights Association! The two major organizations in the mainland that are as famous as the Magic Union! Even if it declines again, Du Wei never thought that it would be decadent to this extent!
He has naturally been to the headquarters of the Magic Guild many times. How majestic and majestic is it?
But look at this again...the headquarters of the Continental Knights Association?
Vegetable market? Storage warehouse?
At this time, Du Wei suddenly felt something in his heart. He noticed that there seemed to be a strange smile in Knight Delon's eyes.
In an instant, Du Wei seemed to suddenly wake up and understand something.
His expression returned to calm immediately, and he waved his hand, telling Lao Yan and the other guards behind him to retreat first.
Du Wei slowly walked a few steps, gently touched the simple wooden sheds, and suddenly said: "Knight Delon. I suddenly realized that you are really talented in business."
Delong smiled and said nothing.
"Actually... I've heard a lot of stories about you. To be honest, there's nothing good to say about you in those stories."
Delong shook his head and smiled: "I'm used to it."
Du Wei lowered his head and thought for a moment, frowned and said: "I think that you carrying the title of president of the association is really a drag and a burden! With your intelligence and talent, you are tied to such a trap.
What a pity it is to be on a rotten ship! With your wisdom, if you are willing to go to my family to do some commercial business management, it will not take long for you to become a famous big businessman. It is better than supporting such a broken ship here.
The airs must be a hundred times stronger."
Delong stopped talking.
Du Wei continued slowly: "I originally thought you were a corrupt villain and a worm in the Knights Association... But today I saw everything here. I understand... you don't hesitate to act as a clown,
But you are working hard to maintain such a mess... Mr. Knight Delon, please accept my sincere apology!"
As he said that, Du Wei lowered his head deeply.
The grinning expression on Deron's face disappeared.
When Du Wei raised his head, he asked: "Knight Delon. I am very curious... The Knights Association has been in decline for hundreds of years! Logically speaking, all this did not become like this in your hands! At least
When you were young, it was a mess! But back then, when you were young and promising, why did you choose to stay on such a sunken ship?"
Du Wei's voice was sincere, without any pretense.
Delong finally sighed, his eyes no longer looked cynical, but solemn.
Slowly, the president of the Knights Association spoke.
"My teacher is the former president of the Knights Association. He adopted me and trained me in everything... and the teacher had a total of nine disciples at that time. It's a pity. After the other eight grew up, they almost couldn't wait to escape from this ghost.
Place! What I must admit is... I also wanted to leave here back then! Because in my opinion, the so-called Knights Association has already been finished! There is no possibility of revitalization at all! But..."
Delong suddenly turned sideways, flicked away a tear from the corner of his eye, took a deep breath, and said slowly: "Before my teacher died, he held my hand and begged me to stay. Begged.
I inherit his mantle and will do my best to keep this stall going! Before his death, the teacher said to me: Although the knight's gun is gone, he firmly believes that there are still many people, and the chivalry spirit lives on in their hearts!
"
As he said that, he seemed to smile again, a little frivolously: "To be honest, I don't believe it! I don't believe there is any chivalry in this world! But I can't refuse the teacher's plea before his death! So...
That's why I stayed here, inherited the title of a ninth-level knight, the position of president, and became the leader of the Bare Knights... To this day, my hair has begun to turn gray... because, I promised
Pass the teacher! I promised him!"
Hearing this, Du Wei suddenly felt shocked!
"You...supported it too hard!" Du Wei sighed, and then without hesitation, he suddenly walked over, took Delong's wrist with both hands, and solemnly said every word: "Knight Delong! I
I have to say that you are the most respectable 'knight' I have ever seen in my life! Although the world sees you as a clown! But in my eyes, you are a noble knight! At least you kept your promise!
"
Yes, it's a promise!
Make a promise and keep it for the rest of your life!
This is the real knight!
Looking at Du Wei's eyes, Delong finally sighed and held Du Wei's hand tightly...