Lux's Magic Penetration Rod

No one in Xiongdu paid much attention to the increase in trade taxes, but when the news spread to the north and was spread under the guidance of the intelligence team, many northern lords became slightly dissatisfied.

If we raise taxes on grain exports today, will we also raise taxes on fur imports tomorrow?

This kind of behavior of directly promulgating policies to attack the Northern Territory through the Noble Council, taking advantage of the fact that the Northern Territory nobles cannot be permanently stationed in the capital, is clearly bullying no one in the Northern Territory court!

We are the kingdom's barrier!

The products in the north are poor, and after finally getting some income, the royal family jumped out to pick peaches...

When the Nobles Council caused trouble before, we Northern Nobles never got involved. Instead, after the Noxian invasion, we were the first to respond to the king's call!

Of course, it's just dissatisfaction.

Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys - Count Laxana was the one who was slapped. Although everyone felt a little bit hurt by others, they were not willing to stand up for Forsbarrow.

Rather than worrying about Count Laxana, these nobles were more concerned about whether Fosbairo, who had to pay heavy taxes, would take back the right to use Xinfu Port.

If you use yourself to save others... if your income needs to be greatly reduced, Count Laxana is likely to find other ways to make up for it!

This is not what they want to see!

Then, amid all the unfounded speculation, Fosbairo issued an invitation to a banquet.

As we all know, Count Laxana has a clear purpose for every banquet he holds - so, after receiving the invitation to the banquet, the nobles in the north rushed to Forsbarrow in person to attend the banquet without any hesitation. .

After all, at the last banquet, Laxana shared part of the profits of Xinfu Port with the "United Northerners". The nobles who have tasted the sweetness will definitely not give up this opportunity!

As a result, Xinfukang is about to welcome a lot of big shots just like a year ago!

……………………

This year's Xinfu Port is a bit more prosperous than last year - or in other words, this port city now has a rare fireworks atmosphere.

If last year's Xin Fukang looked more like a well-designed real estate model from a height, then this year's Xin Fukang, when viewed from a height, looks like a world of sensuality.

Immigrants from all over the northern border work and live in their own way in this port city. They bring different northern customs, and these customs can only be fused in a short period of time, just like the various customs in Xinfugang. They speak average dialects and can barely understand each other.

As soon as it gets dark, the workers on the dock get up early, eat something simple, and start the day's work.

On the docks, cheese with oatmeal bread is a very popular combination. Oatmeal bread without gluten is cheap and tastes quite hungry. Although the cheese made from Erniuk milk has a slightly subtle taste, it will not taste good if it is added with salt. , sprinkle some spices, but it quite meets the needs of these workers.

For these heavy workers, heavy oil and heavy salt is the diet that best meets their needs!

The best match for these two foods is the specialty salt tea of ​​Forsbarrow.

The so-called salt tea is not a special kind of tea, but tea of ​​poor quality due to wind, waves, accidents or other reasons during long-distance transportation.

Since a considerable part of these tea leaves are soaked in sea water, after the tea bricks are forced to dry, they are often mixed with salt grains in the middle, and the brewed tea tastes a bit like the "taste of the sea", hence the name salt tea.

As a defective product, the price of salt tea is quite cheap - it will cost extra to transport it elsewhere, so it is better to sell it on the spot in Xinfukang Port, or simply give it to the porters in Xinfukang Port. As part of the wages!

The dock workers also need these tea leaves very much. Although the seawater-soaked tea leaves have a subtle taste, they don't care. Anyway, this stuff is large and filling, and it can also help digestion...

You know, the price of Forsbarrow vegetables is not cheap. For workers, even salt tea can make them go to the toilet more pleasantly, feel better, and be able to work better at night!

No, before the sun has risen, they have already started queuing up under the big lighthouse.

The berths at Xin Fook Port are limited, so the cost of berthing is quite high. Since berthing fees are charged in sections, they are most expensive during the day and cheaper in the morning and evening. Therefore, these porters can often earn more if they work the morning and evening shifts. some more.

Not long after, a strong sea man held a flag and shouted loudly in Demacian with a strong Shurima accent.

The wages were good, and there was also a salt and tea subsidy. This unlucky guy's ship encountered a storm and was sucked into the whirlpool. If it hadn't been for the protection of the snake mother, he would have been buried in the sea.

This unfortunate and slightly lucky shipwreck made his tea leaves wet by nearly a quarter, but even so, he still made a profit, and it was a huge profit. Therefore, the ship just fell into When he got to the berth, he began to greet the porter in Demacian, which he was half familiar with.

The flag waving in his hand means that he has registered the employment conditions with the port management clerk of Xinfu Port. If he does not pay, his ship will be directly seized and auctioned.

This kind of management method is quite rare for people in the north, but if Tarik was here, he would be very surprised, because in Shurima, many port cities have similar management methods.

Under the loud shouts of the Shurima businessman, the dock workers lined up and came to his berth, stepped on the pedals and carried the goods out of the cabin one by one, and sent them to the dock warehouse rented by the other party.

After confirming that all the goods had been moved out and the quantity was correct, the Shurima businessman paid the porter's wages and locked the warehouse door before returning to his ship - now he wanted to Drive the ship out of the port, and under the guidance of the clerk, anchor in a place offshore that does not block the waterway.

The berth fees at the pier are really horribly expensive. Fortunately, Xinfukang is very efficient. Otherwise, the berth fees alone would be enough for him to drink a bottle!

Fortunately, I heard from the clerk in charge of the pilot that Xinfook Port is expanding the port and will open a passenger terminal in the south. Although it is not on the canal waterway and is inconvenient for the transportation of bulk commodities, it is relatively close to the residential area of ​​Xinfook Port. Ships that have unloaded their cargo can berth there.

Moreover, if the clerk was not bragging, a large ship repair shop would be built at the passenger terminal over there. He also specifically told the businessman that if he knew a reliable shipbuilder, he could introduce him to Forsbarrow. The salary in Fukang is very high...

The businessman still trusts the clerk. Although Xinfu Port is a new port and the northern trade is also a new route, the management here is quite formal, which is similar to the Xiongdu Route and Dornhold Route he visited in the past. Not the same thing at all.

Although the management costs of Xinfook Port are very high and the berth fees are scary, they are really professional. Even if they cannot compare with Pi City Pier, at least they are managed by professionals.

But Xiongdu Port, Dornhold Port...

He didn't understand at all why those guys who knew nothing about business could become the administrators of the wharf, and they really missed such a good deep-water port in vain!

……………………

After Lux opened up its trade share and Xinfu Port welcomed immigrants, the port's throughput increased sevenfold in the past year.

Although most of the goods were briefly stored in the warehouse for a period of time, they were transported along the canal to other places in the north via smaller cargo ships or flowed to Freljord via Forsbarrow. , but even if only a little bit remains in Xinfukang and Xinfucheng, it is enough to bring about earth-shaking changes in these two cities.

Many products with luxury attributes, after careful inspection, will be chosen to open stores in Xinfu City - this is the most important trade node in the entire northern border of Demacia, even if Count Laxana herself does not like to buy it. But opening a store here is far better than accepting inexplicable exploitation elsewhere.

Count Laxana is a big shot who abides by trade rules, but nobles elsewhere may not.

Therefore, in the DC area of ​​​​Xinfu City, there is a commercial area dedicated to selling high-end products and undertaking high-end customization, and Lux's "New Castle" was also built in this area.

This white castle has a very strong Demacia style. Whether it is the tough lines or the tall main body of the building, it is very obvious that it is "white and big".

The northern nobles who were invited here could hardly suppress their admiration when they saw this castle for the first time.

No wonder Count Laxana has always seemed very frugal in the past. It turns out that this is where all the money was spent!

You know, for normal nobles, building such a high-standard large castle is quite expensive.

The main body of the castle can require the civilians under its rule to perform labor, but at least you have to take care of the food.

The design of large castles also requires hiring famous experts at high prices and supervising the entire process.

Inside the castle, all the decorations must be matched. If there is any incompatibility, it means that the owner of the castle is trying to make himself fat. It is the same as wearing knock-off goods. It is a most embarrassing thing. .

In addition, many castles in the north must be built with military purposes in mind (such as the castle in Mithril City), and supporting gardens, rockeries, small artificial lakes and rivers must be prepared...

To build a castle, it often takes not three to five years, but ten to eight years!

It has not been that long since Xinfu City was completed, so the construction of this castle has been stepped up, and the cost will be even higher!

Therefore, in the eyes of other northern nobles, most of the money Count Laxana made from northern trade was probably spent in this castle!

After entering the castle, these northern nobles became even more convinced of this idea.

Look at this heavy one-piece gate, it needs a tree as big as it needs to be!

Look at this heavy carpet, woven with a newly designed pattern!

Look at this exotic decoration, it’s a treasure at first sight!

Look at the luminous pearls on the dome, one costs a lot of money!

Look at the paintings on the wall, the paints and colors are so distinctive!

Look...

Look...

For these northern nobles, Count Laxana's new castle is a castle made of gold. It is a great building that can represent the heritage of the nobles!

But what they didn't know was that the cost of building the castle was actually much lower than they imagined.

The main construction was undertaken by the Dharma Master and took about two months.

The material of the carpet is Erniuk wool, woven on a handloom.

Luminescent pearls are actually just pebbles that have been enchanted.

The painting was the work of a senior student and Sona carefully selected it.

Foreign decorations are cheap and just add a little decoration.

Generally speaking, this castle is not a "noble building with historical heritage", but a new building that incorporates magic. It's just that the nobles in the north have not thought of it yet - normal Demacians see Gao Gao The dome is inlaid with round luminous stones, and you don't even think about enchanted pebbles!

However, although this castle is a cosmetic project, it is still quite meaningful to this banquet.

Because it once again emphasized to the northern nobles that Earl Laxana was one of their own.

So much so that at the end of the dance, when Lux expressed that she would continue to "unite the North" and was willing to share part of the Freljord fur trade, no one realized the hidden purpose behind this.

Then, when Lux implicitly stated that "Xiongdu has some disrespect for the northern nobles" and hoped to form a joint mission to directly participate in the decision-making of the noble council, the nobles present thought for a moment and all They all expressed their approval.

This is not only because they are short-handed, but more importantly, it is also beneficial to themselves - they do not expect the aristocratic council in Xiongdu to give them any benefits, but at least they must ensure that the other party will not be the same as this time. Cut flesh from yourself.

The second month after the banquet, the [Northern Delegation] composed of a large number of direct descendants of the northern nobles was formally established and then arrived in Xiongdu.

This delegation did not meet the status requirements to join the Noble Council, but when they arrived in the capital and expressed their wishes, with Jarvan IV hoping to appease the North and other nobles hoping to strengthen their own forces, they Still, he successfully entered the House of Nobles and became the representative of the North.

It seems that the turmoil is about to disappear due to the efforts of many parties. The royal family has increased taxes, Lux has consolidated her position as the talker in the north, and the nobles in the north have their own voice channel and can generate additional income. Others The nobles' voice in the noble council has also become much stronger...

Everyone seemed to get a satisfactory result.

Except for Shyvana who has been stranded in the capital.

From the perspective of this humanoid dragon, His Majesty King Jarvan IV seems to be a little too enthusiastic towards him.

Kalya’s Little Classroom·Xinfukang Expansion Plan:

Xinfugang has been slowly expanding since it was built. However, the main force in the expansion is no longer the Dharma Protector, so the expansion speed is not fast.