Chapter 321: Taming the Baron, a Money-Making Machine! (5800)

"Fitz Walker, that kid, finally arrived!" Cao Xing said excitedly.

Last night, this guy said he would come to find him today, but he didn't expect him to wait until after dark to arrive.

A smile curled on his lips.

Cao Xing approved Fitz Walker's application.

Soon, a thin, small figure sneaked into Cao Xing's territory.

As Fitz walked, he cautiously observed his surroundings.

He also noticed that this territory had expanded several times over compared to the last time.

A look of slight shock appeared in his eyes.

However, he was in no mood to pay attention to these things right now; he only wanted to quickly find that Bishop and ask for his help.

The other guards on duty, upon seeing Fitz Walker enter, acted as if they hadn't seen him and let him search the territory as he pleased.

However, a problem now lay before Fitz.

That was, the territory had grown so large, and there were many buildings inside.

Where was he supposed to find that Lord?

Just as Fitz was at a loss, a figure appeared before him.

"Fitz Walker, why are you so impatient?"

Upon seeing Cao Xing, this newly appointed young Baron immediately looked as if he had seen a savior.

He prepared to kneel down on both knees right away.

But then he remembered that they were outside the territory, and there was a group of Arctic People working nearby.

Fitz stopped himself from kneeling.

He hurriedly said, "Lord, I have come here this time because I have an important matter to discuss with you!"

Cao Xing nodded. He didn't ask what the matter was and simply said, "Follow me."

Soon, the two arrived at the tavern.

The fireplace in the corner radiated heat, and the wood crackled as it burned.

The warm yellow light illuminated the entire tavern.

Under the glow of the fire, Fitz was the first to put on his black-robed priest mask.

And Cao Xing also put on the red-robed Bishop mask.

The young Baron immediately knelt on both knees and bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Bishop!"

Cao Xing nodded slightly, "Speak, what is it?"

He deliberately pretended not to know.

And Fitz Walker, on the ground, began to pour out his grievances.

He told him about the white-robed priest finding him last night.

And explained to him that he had successfully inherited the title of Baron, possessed great power in this region, and could provide a lot of help to the Church, and so on…

After listening, Cao Xing's expression remained unchanged; he calmly nodded.

"I understand. The battle situation in Lake Doron City is tight, and they indeed need many personnel."

Hearing this, Fitz Walker's face stiffened.

But Cao Xing's next sentence made him see hope again.

"However, your side is equally important."

"I will contact the Seed of Light and tell that High Priest not to interfere with your operations here, allowing you to develop with peace of mind."

Fitz Walker was immediately overjoyed!

He said with a moved expression, "Thank you, Bishop! You are truly a Bishop full of foresight!"

"Only by not exposing myself can I bring more value to the Church."

"Please rest assured, I will definitely make great contributions to the Church in the future!"

After speaking, Fitz Walker took a box out of his backpack and revealed a golden corner inside.

Cao Xing's expression flickered for a moment.

"Fitz, what is this?"

The young Baron before him smiled flatteringly, "Bishop, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Cao Xing pretended to be reserved and pondered for a moment.

Then he said, "Very well, then I will accept it on behalf of the God of Light."

[Acquired: Gold Bar (1000g) * 10]

[Acquired: Freshwater Pearl (Gold) * 1]

…

Seeing the system notification, Cao Xing's expression flickered.

There were actually 10 kilograms of gold bars, which was worth over 500,000 crowns.

And although he didn't know the value of that [Freshwater Pearl], since it was of Gold quality, it definitely wouldn't be bad.

This kid was quite generous.

He nodded slightly, "You have a heart."

Fitz, upon hearing this, said with a smile on his face, "You are too polite, Lord. If you like it, I will send some to you every once in a while."

Upon hearing this, a smile also curled on Cao Xing's lips.

"Fitz, you are quite a smart man."

"Then, as a return gift, I will bestow something upon you."

Hearing this, Fitz was about to wave his hand and say it wasn't necessary.

But then he remembered that the last time this Bishop took out a strange object, it made him directly become an elite creature.

This time, perhaps there was something magical?

Under his expectant gaze.

He saw the Bishop before him suddenly take out a scroll from his backpack.

"Bishop, what is this?" Fitz Walker's eyes held confusion and curiosity.

Cao Xing didn't answer, with a faint smile on his lips.

[Do you wish to use the Soul Contract Scroll on Fitz Walker?]

[After use, this scroll will be forcibly signed with a 100% success rate, making his favorability or loyalty reach maximum value, and you can extinguish the other party's soul at any time, controlling their life and death.]

(Note: The contract target's level must be 10 levels lower than your own, otherwise the contract will fail!)

"Yes."

The next moment, the scroll in Cao Xing's hand disappeared.

Fitz Walker suddenly felt that his body seemed to have undergone some kind of change.

A sense of emptiness from the depths of his soul washed over him!

He even felt that his soul no longer belonged to himself!

It had been firmly grasped by the red-robed Bishop before him.

With a look of terror on his face, he looked at Cao Xing in fear.

"Bi… Bishop, what did you just do to me?"

Cao Xing narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, then asked, "Fitz Walker, this is the gift I mentioned."

"So now I ask you, between me and the God of Light, who would you choose?"

Hearing this question, Fitz Walker initially wanted to subconsciously answer the God of Light.

But the next moment, another figure involuntarily appeared in his mind.

"Bi… Bishop, why do you ask that?"

Cao Xing shook his head and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Just answer truthfully."

A look of struggle flashed in Fitz's eyes, then he said, "Although my faith in the God of Light is incredibly firm, if I have to choose, I choose you."

Hearing this answer, a smile also appeared on Cao Xing's lips.

Because this meant that Fitz chose to abandon his faith and trust in him instead.

The effect of the [Soul Contract Scroll] was indeed as domineering as described.

It directly made a cultist 100% obedient to him.

"Very good. From today on, everything about you will follow my arrangements."

"Including any contact you have with the Church of Light, you must report it to me, understand?"

Fitz's eyes held confusion, "What do you mean, Lord?"

Cao Xing smiled, "I will provide you with help, allowing you to possess stronger power and greater authority."

"Allowing you to rise through the ranks in the future, becoming a Viscount, a Count, or even higher!"

Hearing this, Fitz's breathing became rapid.

What was his purpose for joining the Church of Light?

Wasn't it just to use their power to gain greater authority for himself?

And now, this Lord was telling him that he could possess these without relying on the Church's power!

How could he not be excited!

And most importantly, he believed that the man before him had such ability.

Because he had indeed accomplished such things!

Fitz knelt down respectfully again, "Please help me, Lord. Fitz is willing to offer everything I possess to you!"

Cao Xing smiled and then took out a Boss-level Soul.

"Take this. This thing can help you take a step further."

Fitz received it respectfully.

Since his favorability had been forced to the maximum value, there was no notification of favorability increase this time.

And Cao Xing upgrading him was naturally because he wanted this kid to do things for him better.

Because he knew how to use the soul, Fitz Walker slapped it directly onto his body,

The aura on his body began to grow rapidly!

His breakthrough was very smooth.

Soon, Fitz Walker became a Boss-level creature, and his aura surged significantly!

This young Baron had a look of surprise in his eyes.

"I succeeded, Lord! I am now a Boss-level existence too!"

"Great! Even the Knight Captain in the Baron's mansion only has Boss-level potential!"

"And now, I also possess this level of potential. Before long, I might even surpass him and become the strongest in the Baron's mansion!"

Looking at his excited appearance, Cao Xing also smiled, "Then, from now on, you will continue to operate as a member of the Church of Light."

"Of course, you must absolutely not expose me."

"You must remember, I can give you power, but I can also take everything from you."

After speaking, he focused his mind.

A death-like sense of crisis directly enveloped Fitz Walker's entire body!

It felt as if his soul would be extinguished in the next second, and his whole body went cold.

Fitz knelt down directly, pressing his entire face against the ground.

He said in great terror, "Lord, Fitz will absolutely never have any disloyalty. Even if I die, I will not betray you!"

Cao Xing nodded and then withdrew that sense of oppression.

"Get up."

At this moment, Fitz recovered from that state of impending death, gasping for breath.

It took quite a while for him to regain his composure.

Then, with a nervous expression, he tentatively asked, "Lord, regarding the white-robed priest coming to find me tomorrow, how do you think we should handle it?"

In his heart, Fitz already knew that the Otherworld Lord before him was not a member of the Church of Light.

But for some reason, he didn't feel any resistance.

He was even willing from the bottom of his heart to choose to obey everything he said.

Cao Xing smiled, "If he comes to find you, you bring him out of the Baron's mansion."

"Leave the rest to me."

Fitz's expression flickered.

He roughly understood what Cao Xing meant.

He hadn't been clear about it before.

However, only now did he understand just how terrifying this Lord's strength was!

The aura on his body was countless times stronger than that white-robed bishop!

"I understand, Lord. However, if that white-robed bishop comes over, how should I contact you?"

Cao Xing heard this, waved his hand casually, and tossed him a [Small Communication Device].

"Take it. Once you learn how to use it, you can contact me."

As for the bug on the Shadow Cloak, Cao Xing naturally did not tell him.

He had placed this gadget in a very hidden spot, and it hadn't been discovered yet, serving as his second layer of insurance.

Fitz respectfully took it and learned how to operate it.

Then, he looked at Cao Xing with an excited expression.

Cao Xing continued to ask: "Fitz, tell me now, what rights does one have after becoming a Baron?"

Although he already understood some of it.

But in every world, depending on the kingdom's system, the rights these nobles possess vary.

Upon hearing this, Fitz gathered his thoughts and then told Cao Xing everything in detail.

It was about what he expected.

A Baron mainly possesses three types of rights: land ownership, military rights, and economic rights.

These three major rights include many things.

Simply put.

Land ownership means being able to levy various taxes within one's territory, including land tax, poll tax, trade tax, etc.

At the same time, it also includes the right to allocate the commoners within one's territory, and even the power of life and death over them.

The second item, military rights: a Baron can form his own knight order and soldiers, establishing his own armed forces. Of course, he has to pay for this himself.

As for the third item, economic rights, it includes trade monopolies, such as salt and iron industries. They can control the production and sales of goods to obtain lucrative profits.

There are also some political rights, such as being able to attend parliament when the King convenes it.

Of course, it must be some of the more important Barons.

Under normal circumstances, only Viscounts have this qualification.

Besides that, there are some other minor details, including inheritance rights, representation rights, command rights, and so on…

Cao Xing nodded after listening.

He now had a deeper understanding of the noble class in this world.

He continued to ask: "What is the annual income and expenditure of the Baron's estate?"

This question already touched upon the secrets of the Baron's estate.

An average Baron wouldn't even tell his confidants or family.

After pondering for a moment, Fitz said: "My father has been serving as a Baron in this area for almost twenty years, and many resource points have already been put into development."

"After deducting military expenses, agricultural production costs, and construction costs, there is currently an annual income of about 4.7 billion crowns."

Hearing this number, Cao Xing was shocked.

Good heavens!

Over four billion!

He had previously estimated a few hundred million a year; he had underestimated them.

A Baron has such a high income a year; no wonder these nobles are all filthy rich!

Fitz Walker added: "However, a portion of this income must be contributed to Count Boniar and Viscount Mordred."

"In the end, only about 40% remains in our hands."

Cao Xing's mouth twitched.

As expected, is it the same even in this world?

But it's not bad either.

There is still an income of about over a billion a year.

Moreover, it's not just income in crowns; there must be many other resource incomes, such as precious gems, mithril, and so on…

After 20 years of accumulation, the resources within the Baron's estate must be beyond imagination!

And now, this Baron is already under his control.

This means these resources are all his.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing could hardly hold back his laughter.

He continued to ask a few more questions, basically asking about all of the Baron's family assets.

And Fitz answered truthfully.

It wasn't until half an hour later that Cao Xing stopped asking.

Then, he asked the final question.

"My territory needs a lot of manpower recently. Do you have a way to help me get some?"

Fitz pondered for a moment, then asked cautiously: "Lord, do you just need people who can work, or do you need people with a certain level of combat ability?"

"As long as they can work, that's fine."

Hearing this, Fitz's face immediately lit up with joy.

"Lord, it just so happens that some time ago, my father received a batch of villagers from Baron Augustus's territory, totaling over two hundred people."

"Because they didn't pay enough taxes, the village was dissolved, and they were sold to my father."

"I was just worrying about finding a suitable place to settle them."

"If you need them, Lord, I will have someone bring this batch of villagers over in the next two days."

Cao Xing's eyes also lit up instantly.

"Very good, let's do that then."

Fitz nodded respectfully.

Then he tentatively asked: "Lord, are there any other questions?"

Cao Xing pondered for a moment and realized he had asked everything he needed to; there was nothing else for now.

"There is nothing else for now, but my territory will continue to develop, so you must remember to cover for me."

Fitz nodded quickly and said: "Understood, Lord!"

"Very good, you can go back now. If anything comes up, just remember to contact me."

Upon hearing this, the young Baron bowed respectfully and then left Cao Xing's territory.

Along the way, Cao Xing listened in for a while longer, and after finding no issues, a smile appeared on his lips.

"Very good, another hidden danger has been resolved, and a Baron has been completely brought under control!"

"Now I can develop with peace of mind, without worrying about being disturbed or taxed by those nobles again."

"Of course, the taxes that should be collected from other Survivors in this area will still be collected as usual."

"After all, the Baron's things are my things, so they cannot be wasted."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing's mood improved even more.

He glanced at the attributes of that pearl.

[Freshwater Pearl (Gold)]

[Quality: Rare]

[Bonus Attributes: Charisma +20, All Attributes +20]

(Note: Requires an Expert Blacksmith to inlay.)

…

"Oh? The attributes added by this pearl are actually more than the Black Diamond."

"In other words, this gadget is worth at least over a million crowns."

Cao Xing laughed; Fitz Walker was quite generous, casually giving away something worth one or two million.

He nodded with satisfaction.

Cao Xing walked out of the tavern.

On the way to the [Intermediate Mage Tower].

A 'buzzing' electrical sound rang in his ears again.

A moment later, a middle-aged man's voice sounded.

"Respected Lord, this is Yaskin."

Hearing this name, a look of surprise appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

After participating in the fishing competition at Anno River Village, Cao Xing had let Yaskin take over a hundred thousand crowns to develop in Merlind City.

He hadn't reported much progress recently.

Now that he was contacting him suddenly, there must be some progress.

Cao Xing asked happily: "Yaskin, how is the situation recently? How are you doing alone out there?"

Hearing this, Yaskin said with emotion: "Thank you for your concern, Lord. I am doing quite well out here."

"Merlind City is very prosperous, and the business model here is very mature. I have been staying in an inn recently."

"With the funds the Lord gave me, food and lodging are not a problem at all."

"However… no matter how prosperous the outside city is, it definitely isn't as comfortable as living in our territory…"

Cao Xing also smiled.

"By the way, Lord, I am here to report some things to you."

Yaskin said: "According to your instructions, I have been observing their business models in Merlind City for the past few days."

"Then, through some connections, I spent about 150,000 crowns and successfully leased a storefront."

"The location of this storefront is good, and the area is very prosperous; it should be good for doing some business."

"However, these 150,000 crowns are just the rent for one year. I am worried that the owner of this storefront will raise the price later, so I am still dragging it out and haven't signed the contract."

"If you have time, Lord, you can come to Merlind City and discuss it with him in detail."

After listening to Yaskin's report, a thoughtful look appeared in Cao Xing's eyes.

150,000 to lease a shop?

This is actually not bad.

In this way, he could go to Merlind City and do business himself.

In Cao Xing's territory, there are too many popular items.

Whether it's selling the weapons snatched from the Hunter camp to open a weapon shop.

Or selling Cloud Yak milk, or even Light Feather Chicken eggs to open a food shop, etc., all could earn a lot of profit.

You have to know, even Hilton, who has a very good relationship with him, would definitely offer a price lower than the market rate when coming to Cao Xing's territory to acquire these supplies.

Only by producing and selling them himself can he earn more profit.

So, taking over this shop shouldn't be a loss.

Of course, the specific situation still needs to be inspected on-site, observing the foot traffic near the shop and the situation in Merlind City.

However, although Yaskin has a relatively steady personality, he is not a stupid person.

He wouldn't do a losing business, so there should be no need to worry about the shop's situation.

Cao Xing replied: "Good, I know. I will go to Merlind City to take a look when I have time later."

"If you find other good storefronts later, you can also lease them first."

"If you run out of funds, come back to the territory and get money from Cao Yi, just say it's what I said."

After listening to Cao Xing's instructions, Yaskin respectfully replied: "As you command, Lord."

"Then I won't disturb you anymore."

…