CHAPTER 68: FIRST WORK OF BARON GIDEON

***

Two days later.

The Baron’s Manor.

As promised before, Gideon stood in front of the south gate while gathering the villagers. All the workers, women, the elderly, and even children gathered to hear the information Gideon was about to deliver.

This wasn’t just any information. He had already explained that the new tax scheme would soon be put into effect.

Because of that, they all came simply to know how much their taxes would increase under the new Baron’s leadership.

Luke, Lena, and Lyra stood behind Gideon. Viviene stood alone in another area, near a bulletin board on the manor wall that was covered with black cloth.

The night before, she had already written out the tax scheme on the bulletin board, then covered it and ordered the gate guards to watch over it through the night.

This morning was an important day, because the villagers would finally know how much money they had to pay.

"Thank you for coming here. I am glad that the chaos two days ago has settled down," Gideon declared.

"The injured villagers have gone home. They just need full rest before they can return to their usual activities," Gideon explained.

"There are two reasons why I called you all here. This is about taxes and sanitation."

"It’s better if we focus first on the monthly tax," Gideon continued firmly.

He turned his head. Viviene noticed his eyes on her. As an experienced woman, she knew exactly what had to be done when it came to matters of governance.

Viviene would do her best to make the villagers’ lives far better than before.

"I am Viviene. I will explain briefly about the new tax scheme," Viviene said.

Some of the villagers still disliked her. They thought all of Nozel’s followers should be eliminated, including Viviene and her two children.

But Gideon showed mercy by letting her live. That was because Gideon still considered her useful for helping him manage the government.

"The new tax scheme includes income tax and housing tax, just like before," Viviene said.

"That’s the same thing! Are you planning to squeeze us dry too, you damned harlot?" shouted one man, expressing his unease openly in front of everyone.

Seeing a man dare to speak out loud encouraged many others to raise their voices as well. They began voicing their worries that the taxes might be the same or even higher than before, since they did not yet fully trust Gideon as Baron.

The crowd grew restless again. Soldiers rushed forward to secure the perimeter. Gideon kept his eyes on Viviene, signaling her to continue her explanation.

Viviene took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She was ready with her idea. She was also ready for whatever consequences she would face.

She grabbed the black cloth and pulled it away with force, revealing the details of the tax scheme written on the bulletin board.

The villagers fell silent, all at once shifting their attention to read what was written there.

Viviene stepped closer to Gideon for protection, still a little traumatized after the chaos that had happened on Gideon’s first day. But inside the perimeter, she was safe.

The villagers read, calculated, and spread the information by word of mouth until even those in the back rows knew. Gideon kept watching their reactions, so varied and scattered.

"In short, if one family has three members working, then all three must pay an income tax of fifty copper, with two options: collective or installment," Viviene explained.

"That is the income tax."

"Housing tax is different. The burden is not only carried by the head of the household, but by all working members of the family together."

Gideon explained further. The villagers understood the scheme: fifty copper for income tax and fifty copper for housing tax, with the housing tax allowed to be split among working members of the house.

"This isn’t bad," said one of them.

"True! This is far better than Nozel’s policy."

"Finally, low taxes!"

Some villagers smiled, then turned toward Gideon, clapping and cheering his name. Not just one, but many joined in the cheer, and Gideon was pleased with their response.

"Looks like everything is going well, Captain," Luke said.

Gideon smiled, gave him a quick glance, then nodded in agreement. It was an unexpected response, but he was glad the villagers had no objections to the new tax scheme.

"Thank you, Lord Gideon," Clark said, standing tall in front of the soldier perimeter.

The man stepped forward with the other villagers, facing Gideon. Not only did they bow their heads, but Clark and the others knelt and prostrated, feeling Gideon had come as their savior.

"The idea for the tax scheme came from Viviene. She is the one who proposed it, not me," Gideon said.

Clark lifted his head, then turned toward Viviene. Standing firm and full of respect, Clark bowed again, this time to thank Viviene.

The woman was startled, not knowing how to respond. The villagers’ perception of her shifted from hatred to goodwill.

That was all because Viviene’s tax scheme had lightened their burdens. They no longer had to pay heavy taxes to the Baron. 50 copper was an ideal number for them, since their monthly income reached two to three gold coins.

"I-It’s fine. I promise to make up for all my mistakes. This is the beginning of my redemption," Viviene added.

"Please, don’t hate me anymore."

Clark smiled. After what Viviene had done, it felt impossible for them to keep hating her. He would help her repair her image among the other villagers.

The first problem was solved. Gideon stepped forward to discuss the second matter. He turned back, calling Luke and the others to come and stand with him.

Clark and the villagers looked at them. Gideon introduced each member of his team to the villagers, explaining their expertise. The villagers were amazed and impressed.

"The second basic problem: cleanliness, health, and sanitation!"

"Several large trash bins will be placed at certain points in the town to make waste disposal centralized. I want the villagers to stop littering."

"My soldiers will patrol the village, making sure the area stays clean from garbage. If any villager is caught throwing trash carelessly, I will not hesitate to punish them!" Gideon declared firmly.

"We understand, Lord Baron," the villagers answered together.

Gideon nodded. Cleanliness and such matters could be handled by the villagers with help from the Baron’s soldiers. He moved on to the next topic, health.

He introduced Lena, the best doctor who had saved two races from extinction. With her ability to identify illness, find its causes, and prepare medicine against disease, she became the central figure for the villagers’ health.

"She will work with the village alchemist in a clinic that I will build. Every family will have a schedule for routine check-ups. You must obey, or you risk falling ill," Gideon said.

"We understand."

After Lena, Gideon moved on to Luke and Lyra. Their focus was sanitation and clean water.

Yes! To support the best health, the area had to be free from garbage and supplied with clean water. Gideon did not yet know how many wells the village had, but he knew more were needed, ideally one well for every two families. If possible, one well for each family.

"We’ll dig more wells. Then we’ll run lines so everyone has access to clean water. That way, whenever your hands are dirty, you won’t need to go back to your house to clean them," Gideon explained.

"It seems there is a lot of work to be done, Lord Gideon," Clark said.

"If you do not like the changes I am making for this village, then you are free to leave!"