This is the Frontier Town...... No, Neverwinter?

Edith walked down the gangway and looked at the busy and orderly scene in front of her, and couldn't help but be dumbfounded. www.biquge.info Despite all the speculations she had made before she arrived, she found herself underestimating the city—the docklands, more than three times the size of the royal capital, crowded with unloading sailboats and cement ships, and a hill of ore and coal in the stockyards.

On the other side, more than a dozen paddle steamers were slowly leaving the trestle in a column, and many people were still standing by the embankment to see them off. The men on board, all dressed in uniform and standing straight along the sides of the ship, displayed a fighting spirit that even Edith could feel—a look that had previously only been seen on the returning knights in victory, and none of them were undoubtedly nobles.

In the middle of the wharf is a gathering place for merchants, homeless people, and migrants, mainly sailboats of all kinds, and people are separated by a group of men in black after disembarking, and they are required to line up to pass the checkpoint. In the entire dock area alone, there are more than 1,000 floating populations, and such a prosperous scene is dwarfed even by the royal capital.

"The dock has actually become longer again," Victor stammered, "is it your Majesty's intention to turn the entire riverbank into a dock area?"

"Again?" Edith noticed the other man's words.

"At least last autumn the pier wasn't so wide," he said, spreading his hands, "and of course, there weren't that many people. ”

"What are those checkpoints doing, are they taxed?"

"There's no entry tax here, you have to pay the tax only when you sell something," Victor enthusiastically explains, "and you can't set up a random stall in the city, all sales have to be done at the convenience market in the square area." The men in black are the equivalent of patrols in other cities, and they set up checkpoints to register their identities and clear them of the plague. ”

Isn't it blackmail and blackmail?Edith glanced at her brother, who nodded, and pulled out her pocket to prepare some money.

"No, Miss Conrad, I mean, 'the equivalent' of patrols," the gem merchant smiled and waved his hand, "in fact, they never charge extra - I know that's hard to believe, but it's true, and I was as surprised as you were when I first passed the inspection. Come with me, the merchant passage is much faster. ”

As he said, after verifying Victor's identity, the man in black let the group pass through the checkpoint without asking for a single bronze eagle.

"Now, I'll have to find a clean and comfortable inn, and wander around the convenience market," he said, "what are your plans, Miss Conrad? ”

"Thank you," Edith said, pretending to be grateful, pinching the corners of her skirt and bending her knees slightly, "You've helped me a lot along the way, and that's enough...... I would go to the town hall for help, where I should be able to find news of my loved ones. ”

"It's just a gesture...... It is my pleasure to meet such an outstanding aristocratic lady as you, please be welcome. ”

After some prevarication, Edith managed to get rid of Victor's entanglement, and finally the merchant waved at her when he said goodbye, saying that if he was in trouble, he could always go to the Holy Mountain Hotel to find him.

"Sister, you're so popular," Cole smacked his lips.

"Huh?" Edith glanced at him, "what are you supposed to call me?"

"Uh...... Ahem, Lady Edith," the second duke shuddered, "shall we also go find a hotel to stay in?"

"No, go to the castle first and hand in the paperwork," she said without hesitation, "get in touch with Your Majesty as soon as possible." ”

"But we don't have heads......" Cole reminded in a low voice.

"Then let's say there are no heads," Edith shrugged, "remember what I told you, and show your sincerity, the loyalty of the Kant family is more than just two heads. ”

And even if there were, it would have been stinking for a long time - it was not a good idea to offer it to His Majesty with two rotten heads that were not human, she thought to herself, since the other party left the royal capital, everything had already deviated from the intended trajectory.

What to do depends on the specific situation. Ultimately, it is the competence of the negotiator that determines the outcome of the negotiation.

"Your Majesty, a delegation of emissaries from the Northlands is waiting outside the castle, hoping to be received by you," Guard Sean reported as he walked into the office, "The leader of the team claims to be Cole Conde, the second son of Calvin Conder, now Duke of the North. Lord Barov has already checked the vouchers and family crests, and they should not be forged. ”

"Northland?" Roland unexpectedly put down the design drawings in his hand, "Isn't that Tifeko's territory, do they have any intentions?"

"Yes," said the guard, his face excited, "Sir Cole said that the Duke is willing to pay your allegiance. ”

Active...... Efficacious, he frowned, this is really a troublesome thing. By his intent, he did not need the allegiance of a feudal lord, which would not only not help the kingdom develop, but would also have an impact on the current centralized system. Roland hoped that the other party would have a hint of luck and shrink into the territory, just wait for him to sweep over. Only by completely crushing the old forces can we successfully establish centralized power.

However, it is not possible to see it, but the other party sent an envoy to make peace, but it was deliberately left aside, and spreading it might make other nobles lose their luck and decide to join forces to fight. This was not a military problem, and his main concern was that it would affect the people of the East and the Northlands, who already regarded the people of the kingdom as his wealth, and naturally wanted to keep as many people as possible.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded slowly, "Take them to the living room, and call Barov with you." ”

"Yes. Sean replied excitedly.

Looking at the expressions of the guards, I probably thought that in this way, the entire territory of the kingdom would only be left in the east and not under his rule...... Roland thought to himself, but sometimes things aren't as simple as they seem.

And at the same time, he made a decision.

In any case, the right of the fiefdom nobility to be reclaimed is an unshakable principle, and this must be accurately expressed to all nobles in order to demonstrate their determination to the reform of the New Deal. If the rebellious nobles dare to attack the people, they will pay a heavy price for it.

......

Walking into the parlor, there were only two members of the envoy group sitting at one end of the long table, one of whom was supposed to be the second son of the Duke, Cole Conde, and the other made Roland's eyes light up slightly—it was a good-looking woman, who seemed to be Sir Cole's deputy, but her momentum was more striking than that of Sir Cole.

Of course, in terms of appearance alone, witches are the most dazzling pearls, so Roland didn't care too much, after all, assistants in this era are likely to play the role of lovers or maids.

"Your Majesty, I greet you on behalf of my father," Cole stood up respectfully and saluted, quickly indicating his intentions, "the Duke of the North has a gift for you. ”