CHAPTER 227: CHAPTER 202 TAXATION, FARMLAND, AND INSTITUTIONS

In just a month, Garoce has accumulated a terrifying amount of wealth for Lin Ke over the past two years.

He even spent a million to purchase a Space Ring to store these massive amounts of gold coins.

"But with so much money made, how come you’re only a level ten [Merchant]? Isn’t your core trait ’Wealth’?"

Every month, Garoce helps Lin Ke earn so much, yet he ends up at this low level?

"Young master, I was helping you earn money, and the ideas weren’t mine, so the feedback I received was minimal." Garoce looked quite satisfied: "Young master, don’t feel it’s slow, not everyone is as dazzling as you, as if you’re a star in the sky."

In Garoce’s view, being able to level up once or twice was already impressive, given that only someone like Lin Ke could lead people to such advancement.

Lin Ke then gave instructions regarding the store, especially about the newspaper.

"Have you found the right people for the newspaper? Those professional [Authors], [Writers] and the like."

Having some foundation is better than none, otherwise, he’d have to bring in editors or reporters himself, which would be tiring.

"Young master, to be employed as an [Author], one has to be a noble, which is extremely hard to recruit..." Garoce said, then changed his tone with a smile, "But upon hearing that Lin Ke was hiring, I managed to recruit a fallen noble, who was a Level 2 [Author] and a Level 5 [Painter]."

"Oh? Not bad." Lin Ke slightly nodded, "When will they arrive here?"

"They should arrive in two months." Garoce estimated, "They were recruited through the store’s bulletin board."

"Good." Lin Ke said, "Regarding ’Lin Ke’s Store’, if funds are sufficient, it needs to be split into three stores, and then there’s the issue of materials for building the city..."

He began to explain in detail with Garoce.

...

In the Month of Sprouting, when all things rejuvenate.

Azanen suddenly declared a reform of all tax collection methods.

In the past, the tax collection from manors by lords was extremely arbitrary. In times of plenty, lords could take as much as they pleased.

Some territories even had landing taxes, air taxes, and other unfriendly taxes for farmers and merchants.

For example, a landing tax meant any merchandise dropped on the ground while passing through the territory belonged to the lord, who could claim it at whim.

The air tax, or wind tax, meant that anyone who breathed in the territory was obligated to pay taxes based on how much air they consumed from entry to exit...

In summary, these bizarre tax laws were countless!

And Lin Ke, using the name of Viscount Azanen Garoce and Count Linke’s name, officially announced a new tax law.

That is the Fourteen Tax.

Any intelligent life in the Azanen Domain, in the Lava Swamp, whether human or other races, must pay taxes once engaged in production and consumption.

But the tax rate isn’t arbitrary, it needs to be uniform.

That is, collecting four out of ten.

If you cultivated a field, producing a hundred kilograms of grain, you must pay forty kilograms in taxes!

If in the past life, Lin Ke dared to create such a system, he would be ousted immediately.

However, now, Lin Ke was directly called "the foolish benevolent lord."

This is the era of lords!

What right does an ordinary farmer have to dispose of their produce? Not having it all confiscated is already fortunate.

Keep in mind, the subjects are also part of the lord’s property.

The lord’s viewpoint is quite reasonable, even the subjects find it reasonable: as my property, why shouldn’t I collect some grain from you? Annoy me and I might just take you, and kill your parents and siblings for entertainment.

Very cruel, but very real.

Some territories instill from a young age in their subjects that the lord is their everything.

So, when the news of Lin Ke enforcing the Fourteen Tax system was released, some nobles who frequently paid attention to Azanen started discussing.

Linke Azen, the rising star of the kingdom in recent years, known for his wisdom, benevolence, and fearlessness, a noble with the glory of ancient aristocracy.

But now, in the eyes of some nobles, that benevolence might need a "foolish" prefix before it.

Foolish benevolence!

A lord, master of the domain, everything in the territory belongs to the lord!

What good is creating a self-deceptive tax system like this?

Especially when Lin Ke announced that the first decree of his newly built city "Great Wilderness City" was "Private property is sacred and inviolable," the nobles sneered even more.

Private property? Sacred and inviolable?

What a joke!

"That wise child may have lost his mind during these two years of slumber."

A comment from an independent noble from the Abyss, which garnered quite a few noble followers.

Some nobles mocked, some lords laughed as well.

An elderly and conservative Legendary Professional expressed regret, who was also one of the Grand Dukes of Gula:

"That count, after all, is just a child, children are always kind and benevolent, but when he finds his castle’s treasury empty, he may change his mind."

"Indeed, a lord’s wealth isn’t the private wealth of those lowly subjects, what nonsense." A biting noblewoman unabashedly ridiculed at some banquets.

Of course, there were different voices among them.

For example, the newly noble southern Marquis, that incredibly powerful Lord Giant Sword, expressed a different opinion in the Abyss.

"You can’t comprehend the wisdom of Linke Azen, much of the intelligence in my book ’Giant Sword Army Law’ comes from Lin Ke, I believe I mentioned it in my book."

Count Giant Sword... no, Marquis of Giant Sword’s voice was powerful, as a strong, influential noble with land and a private domain, his voice carried more weight than those ordinary lesser nobles and ladies.

Especially since the book ’Giant Sword Army Law’ helped Count Giant Sword successfully transition into the ’Grand Marshal’ profession, making him incredibly powerful.

No one anticipated that this book actually originated from Count Linke!

Most of those nobles expressing their opinions hadn’t read Marquis of Giant Sword’s new work, so they had no idea about this.

"Anyone who has read it knows how wise Lord Linke is, there must be a deeper meaning to his actions." The renowned [Merchant] Count Akel also voiced support for Giant Sword.

Thus, the entire Gula Kingdom’s nobility began to argue fiercely over this matter.

But, those are the nobles.

The fortunate common people, ordinary folks, and some professionals who heard Lin Ke’s decree, were ecstatic.

Fourteen Tax!

Out of ten, only four in taxes!

And...

And private property is sacred and inviolable!

Private property.

Private...

How desirable this is!

That year, in various territories’ cities, the store called "Lin Ke’s Store" was split into three, with one called the "Bulletin Board."

Many local lords’ announcements and strange happenings in the kingdom were published there.

Local lords, hearing this was the enterprise of Lin Ke and Princess Rica, were happy to cooperate.

Thus, many people enjoyed coming here at seven o’clock every evening to watch, and those who couldn’t understand listened to others explain.

Lin Ke’s Great Wilderness City decree was published here as a strange happening.

And naturally, the common people started yearning for the legendary Great Wilderness City where only Fourteen Tax was required to be paid.