The old King was amused by Xia Zuoyi, and this request is reasonable.

He said in a slow voice, “You just want to expand your territory, don’t you want gold coins?”

Xia Zuoyi’s eyes were shining like stars, he raised his head and said in a childish voice, “Will Your Majesty give it to me?” 

Why not give them all.

Just as the old King was about to give a generous promise, Bass Richards spoke first.

He stared at Xia Zuoyi with a sharp look that could make a child cry, “The territory and gold coins are not a problem, but the Cogit Sea is within the scope of Wissas, and the salt drying and sale of sea salt will also be carried out in Wissas…”

“You know, a gift to the King is more than just a piece of parchment full of handwriting.” 

The Lord is a vassal of the King or a superior Lord, and has other obligations such as military service, tribute, taxation and so on.

The Lord is the supreme ruler in his own territory, enjoying administrative and judicial powers and other privileges.

For example, the opening of courts and prisons, setting up checkpoints, collecting taxes, etc.

The Territory of Wissas is directly enfeoffed1 by the King and is a vassal of the King.

The King can enjoy the obligations of the Lord, but he has no right to interfere in all the affairs of the Lord’s territory, including war. Sometimes the King has to consult with the Lord to borrow troops.

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer2, Bass Richards knows the huge benefits of selling salt.

He decided to control it but can’t blatantly try to gain it for himself.

After all, the Territory of Wissas is not his vassal.

Xia Zuoyi took a step back as he watched him, his little hand holding the hem of Udit’s dress, and whispered, “I can give 60% of the profit from selling salt to His Majesty the King.”

Bass Richards said, “As far as I know, Wissas is remote and poor. Since you want to expand your territory, you might as well exchange Wissas for another rich city close to the royal city to His Majesty the King.”

Only when Wissas becomes an ownerless land can he have a chance to get it.

Xia Zuoyi, “But I only want Wissas.”

Bass Richards raised the corners of his mouth, but his smile didn’t reach the bottom of his eyes, “Earl Desinia is clever.”

“Thank you for your compliment.” Xia Zuoyi pursed his lips shyly.

The old King waved Bass Richards to stand aside, and ordered his attendant to bring a map, “There seems to be only Pal Mountain near Wissas… How about making Pal Mountain your territory and rewarding you with five boxes of gold coins?”

Xia Zuoyi naturally very much agreed.

It will take half a day to go through the territorial transition procedures.

The old King asked him to play and rest in the royal city first, and later an attendant would personally deliver the documents.

After Xia Zuoyi left the royal hall.

Bass Richards said, “Your Majesty, the method of drying salt in seawater is very important for the Gadaat Kingdom. If you take control of it, the wealth of the kingdom will certainly be more rich, not as much as that of Wissas…”

The old King interrupted him, “Desinia is considered to be my junior. He offered me the sea salt drying method, but if I turned my head and took back his territory and it was said that I was bullying a helpless child, where would I put my face3 then?”

“60% of the profits is already a lot, and Wissas is my vassal, which is naturally my property, there’s no difference between them, Richards.”

Bass Richards concealed his emotions deep in his eyes, lowered his head and said, “Yes, Your Majesty.”

After discussing political affairs with the King, he went back to his residence in a carriage.

The butler had been waiting at the door for a long time. He took off his coat and brought his wine glass, “My Lord, you don’t seem to be in a good mood, is it because of government affairs…” 

“It’s because of something that I can’t control.” Bass Richards stood by the window with a gloomy expression.

Butler, “It must be a very precious thing.”

“You are right.”

“I remember Fort Comoy is my vassal?”

Butler, “Yes, my Lord. The Lord of Fort Comoy is Beavis Elliott.” 

Bass Richards turned and walked to the table, took a pen, wrote a letter, sealed it with wax, and handed it to the butler, “Quickly send the letter to Fort Comoy and give it to Beavis Elliott.”

“Yes, my Lord.” The butler received the letter.

Naturally, Xia Zuoyi didn’t know Bass Richards’s secret plan.

He’s taking Udit and Kelly around in the royal city.

The royal city is bustling with noise and excitement.

In addition to the bad smell and dirty environment, there are not only knights patrolling the city, but also priests praying in the temple of the God of Creation.

Some civilians knelt outside the hall and prayed with their eyes closed.

There are no churches or temples in Wissas.

Xia Zuoyi is a little curious about the God of Creation so he walked in with Udit and Kelly.

Nobles can enter the temple at will and no one will stop them.

The main colors of the temple are white and gold. The roof of the temple is inlaid with Gothic glass windows, and the sides of the windows are outlined with the pattern of the holy flower belanka.

When the sun shines through the glass windows, the mottled colors are refracted on the walls, creating a magnificent scene.

Xia Zuoyi saw the statue of the God of Creation standing under the dome, wearing a white robe, hair scattered , with a compassionate smile, holding the holy flower in one hand and caressing it with the other.

“I heard that there was a miracle on the Western Continent, Udit, is that true?”

Xia Zuoyi retracted his gaze from the God of Creation, recalling the plot in the novel. With the shining halo of the Mary Sue heroine, the God of Creation seems to be just a background existence.

“Naturally it is true.” 

When a pastor4 heard this, he turned his head and replied. After clearly seeing that the questioner is a child, the expression on his face softened, “Please don’t ask such questions anymore, the God of Creation is omnipotent.”

Xia Zuoyi, with a more naive and innocent tone, said, “Since the God of Creation is so powerful, if I pray for a lot of small coins, will he give them to me?”

The pastor blushed5, “How can you get something for nothing.”

“But you said the God of Creation is omnipotent.”

“If he doesn’t give me a little money, can he give me the ability to do what I want? Can he keep me healthy forever? Can…”

“Please stop talking now!” 

The priest raised his voice, his face showing a sense of sorrow “because you are a nobleman, I can’t help but be pissed to death”.

“Oh.”

Xia Zuoyi pouted and couldn’t help teasing.

Pal Mountain is about to be included in Wissas, which makes him want to relax.

Behind the temple.

A handsome young man with black hair couldn’t help but curl his mouth, his golden eyes as radiant as the bright sunrise. He held a white nine-petal flower in his hand, which was belanka.

“Mian xia6, the things have been obtained.” A knight in armor appeared behind the young man.

“Yeah.” 

The boy answered faintly, and didn’t speak again until the child he was watching walked out of the temple, “Do you think the God of Creation is omnipotent?” 

The knight is terrified, “Of course, mian xia.”

The young man chuckled, noncommittal, “Let’s go, set out for Gadaat.”

“Yes.”

Xia Zuoyi heard the noise from outside the temple before going out.

Otherwise, he wanted to stay and see if the pastor would be annoyed by him.

An incident of a nobleman beating a slave is happening outside the temple.

The cause is a verbal collision.

The civilians gathered around and pointed, the vendors applauded or couldn’t bear to watch, the patrolling knights stood aside to maintain order…no one intervened, and no one stopped the unilateral “murder” among the crowd.

The man to be killed in the middle is a tall and strong man.

He had thick light brown hair, dark brown skin, a scar on his right face, and blood stains on his upper body. He was kneeling on the ground under the impact of the club.

A young nobleman is laughing badly at the side, “Use some force! Have you not eaten enough?!”

He seems to want the man to die after going through suffering and torture, and did not want to give him a good time.

The beneficiaries of the laws of the kingdom do not include slaves.

The nobles have privileges, even if they kill people in the street, they will not bear any responsibility, let alone a slave was killed.

There was a “bang”.

The club hit the top of the man’s head, and immediately, blood ran down.

Half of the blood drips down on the ground along the ear, while the other half slides down the forehead and flows into the left eye. The brown eyes are stained red with blood, and their vision is blurred, but they still burst out with a sharp and unyielding will.

He is like a wounded lion on the verge of death, his pride can’t be crushed. His straight back doesn’t bend at all, even if he is humiliated, he still has to hold his head high.

It seems a river of blood will flow into the ground. 

There was a cry from the crowd—”Stop.” 

The young nobleman raised his eyes, and saw a child who was not taller than his thigh approaching here and instructed a knight to stop the beating.

“Who are you?” the young noble said in a bad tone.

“Who are you? Say your name first before you ask others.” 

The young man raised his eyebrows, “Nate Case.” 

Xia Zuoyi raised his chin, “Do you have a title?”

Nat Case sneered, “My father is Marquis Marco Case so I naturally don’t have a title yet, do you have one?”

Xia Zuoyi, “I do.”

“Earl Xia Zuoyi Desinia, please call me Lord Earl.”

Nate Case’s face froze.

He didn’t doubt what Xia Zuoyi said, after all, pretending to be a noble is a capital crime.

Nate Case heard his father mention the surname Desinia. The old Desinia unexpectedly died, and the title of Earl was inherited by a six-year-old child.

He was… quite envious.

He didn’t expect to meet him here.

The corner of Nate Case’s lips twitched, “Earl Desinia… My, Lord, what can I do for you?”

Xia Zuoyi points to the man, “What crime did he commit?”

Nate Case sneered, “His crime is that he betrayed the Lord as a knight, brutally killed the Lord’s brother, violated the spirit of knighthood, after being convicted to become a slave, he was sold to Gadaat.”

“Sold it? He is not a Gadaat?” 

“Yes, he is from the neighboring country Gaynor.” 

Xia Zuoyi is thoughtful, “Are you his master now?”

“So what.”

Xia Zuoyi gave Nate Case a sweet smile, “Brother, can you sell him to me?” 

A critical hit.

Nate Case stammered, “No, it’s just a slave. I’ll just…cough, two, two gold coins.”

No, can’t give it in vain, can lower it to the lowest price at most.

Nate Case woke up at the last minute.

Xia Zuoyi regretfully sighed.

Two gold coins are just two gold coins.

After all, he’s a man with five boxes of gold coins, he’s rich and doesn’t care about it.

Translator’s Notes: