CHAPTER 387: CHAPTER 320: ONE MUST HAVE PRINCIPLES IN LIFE (HAPPY NEW YEAR!)_3

Although the craftsmen were not famous, the giant turtles of the Tayman Archipelago grew larger than carriages, and hawksbill shell material wasn’t particularly valuable.

But each piece of craftwork was worth a great deal. Enough to make those who offered gifts in line with the recipient’s tastes wince with the pain of parting with their money, yet they felt they had no choice but to buy.

Governor Byron might not remember the people who gave him gifts, but those who didn’t were almost certain to be noted in his little book.

With the Governor holding military and administrative power, and a Baron with strong local influence, no one dared to take such matters lightly.

Moreover, if receiving gold and silver represented greedy colonial bureaucrats, then accepting only artwork meant that one was... a collector with refined tastes!

Even the Kingdom’s high-ranking officials who heard about Byron’s preferences through informants couldn’t help but exclaim: Truly incorruptible, truly elegant.

As for the rumor that "the hawksbill shell shops seem to be the property of the Countess," baseless gossip, all baseless gossip.

Yet no one knew that even Byron himself was unsure if he had really accepted any bribes. After all, if he had accepted them, he hadn’t seen a single Gold Coin; if he hadn’t, his sister’s mood had been considerably good these last few days, and their small treasury had visibly swelled. One could only say he had received, yet not entirely received.

"Baron, congratulations! For my first visit, I heard that you appreciate hawksbill shell products and specially purchased one from the International Port. I hope you like it."

Byron pretended to be overjoyed as he took the hawksbill shell spice box handed to him by the nun in black.

"Thank you, Sister Teresa. I apologize for the trouble and expense."

The drawing room was hosting the last group of visitors: Sister Teresa, who now served as Archbishop of the Jamestown church, and Herman, a Quasi-Sword Saint and [Doppler Greatswordsmen], as her guard.

Traditionally, the Archbishop already held a position in the colonial city second only to the Governor himself.

After Byron secured his "exemption," Teresa returned with him to Royal Port. Brandon, the Armed Priest and her assistant, took up a post in the Irisflower Kingdom, which had also obtained the "exemption."

After the octopus Warship was destroyed, the coral disease did not vanish on its own.

In line with the established plan, the Irisflower Kingdom took over the mission from the Cardinal Archbishop. The vaccine was used to extensively clear up the remnants of the coral disease throughout the Bantaan Archipelago, earning them the "exemption" as well. This naturally led to an additional substantial treatment fee paid to Byron.

After exchanging pleasantries, Teresa hesitated briefly before broaching the main subject, "Governor, about the tithe you mentioned to me last time on Financial Street, isn’t the distribution ratio a bit... inappropriate?"

Upon hearing this, Byron’s expression became serious.

Speaking of the tithe, all colonial nations except for Hightins and the Irisflower Kingdom had welcomed the laymen from the Kingdom of Castile. Not only did the strictest traditional doctrine begin to be comprehensively implemented in these nations, but the intensity of collecting the tithe soared to unprecedented levels, even greater than issues regarding the faith. To call these individuals trained by the Kingdom of Castile missionaries was less accurate than calling them well-trained Tax Officers.

The Church decreed that every year believers must give one-tenth of the produce of the land, the fruit of the trees, and livestock to the local Church. This was mainly used to support Clergy engaged in religious activities and charitable works. There was never any talk of transparency in the accounts. It was never clear how much was used for charity and how much was used for support, except to the top echelons of the Church.

In the past, the tithe was not compulsorily levied in the colonies but was based on faith and voluntary principles. In the teachings of some sects, believers were even encouraged to donate more than 10% of their income or property to support the work of the Church and other charitable activities. Previously, faith primarily governed whether or not the tithe was paid; they took whatever they could get. Some contributed not a penny, while others donated all their possessions and spent their days begging with their families.

Now, however, things were different. Those laymen from Castile had already begun to measure land, count cattle, and review ledgers in various countries. The colonists were simply miserable.

By contrast, Hightins was far more flexible.

During the last stock market opening on Financial Street, Byron had already spoken with Teresa, who had to log in daily. He gave her two days to consider.

Seeing her still hesitant, he spread his hands and spoke frankly, "Technically, the tithe really should be paid. But the Church and the merciful creator wouldn’t want to see their own lambs and the shepherds who tend to them starving, right? I think a six-two-one-one split—six for the Church, two for His Majesty, one for me, and one for you—is completely reasonable. As long as the two of us agree, it’s a breeze to concoct a set of dual bookkeeping. We have the most professional accounting team that can guarantee a flawless execution, without causing you any trouble."

He stood up, poured a cup of black tea, and handed it to the nun, coaxing gently, "I believe one should have a bottom line in life; pride and faith shouldn’t come at the cost of money. Sister Teresa, don’t you agree? With that money in hand, you wouldn’t have to worry about making a comeback, would you? You could buy loyalty. I could also share some stock trading tips with you; maybe someday you’ll be able to pay off what you owe Pioneer Navigation."

Seeing her still in a moral struggle, the devil and angel on her head—representing desire and faith—battling to a bloody end, he casually threw down his trump card.

"It’s better than speculating with public funds..."

Teresa nodded resolutely, "I completely agree with your point of view."

Byron smiled easily and clinked his teacup with hers. "Pleased to be working with you."

Edward IV still thought that having clergy from religious orders firm in their faith and loyal subjects to counterbalance each other would be much stronger than appointing inherently greedy supervisors. He was utterly unaware that he was surrendering immense benefits to a stock market addict, a sworn enemy of the York Family. How could they not seize the opportunity to take a big bite? As for a sudden whim for an unexpected tax audit? The flare gun explosion case had something to say about that.

Soon, Byron saw off Teresa, who was ready to return to the stock market to flex her muscles after reaching an agreement, and Herman, who had been silent throughout.

Gazing at the colonial night, he nodded in satisfaction:

"It took ten days to straighten out the harvest and slowly get the estate on the right track. Now it’s time to see the true face of [Mother of Creation Lilith] at the Bloodthirsty Cult and to complete my [Ritual Blood Banquet Holy Grail] using the baronial title and the Fourth Order Blood of Transformation. To have a bottom line as a human, well... then I won’t be human anymore."