Rose Empire

Chapter 16: Layers of Malpractice 

"Miss, should we purchase some grain to distribute to those who don't have enough to eat?" 

Although Renee was just a maid of the Mellerfeld family, having grown up alongside Charlotte, she had never experienced famine and could hardly imagine what it would be like to be desperately hungry. The extreme poverty she witnessed today truly shocked the girl. 

"We will definitely need to purchase grain, but Renee, under what pretext should we provide it to these people?" Charlotte, riding on her horse, asked in return. 

Renee was momentarily stunned, not yet grasping the issue. 

Charlotte explained, "Those who don't have enough to eat might be tenants of a knight or serfs of a manor owner. They are not my subjects at all. No matter how poor they are, it's not my place to take care of them." 

There are no subjects on my land. 

This was the first problem Charlotte needed to address. 

Under the feudal knight system, every knight in the Ruan Bay Viscounty was Charlotte's vassal, but the commoners and serfs on the knights' lands were not Charlotte's subjects—they were the private property of the knights. Legally, only the people on the private lands of the Viscount of Ruan Bay could be considered Charlotte's subjects. The private property of the knights, whether they starved to death, died of poverty, or were beaten to death by their lords, was none of Charlotte's concern. 

So, did the Ruan Bay Viscounty still have private lands belonging to the Viscount of Ruan Bay? Apart from the castle that Charlotte secretly bought back, there likely were none. Before Basilic could no longer afford to eat in his later years, he must have already sold off all the ancestral property. 

Perhaps there were still some barren lands left unsold in some remote corners, but those lands were probably uninhabited. 

"No land, no people—how is the young lady supposed to govern?" 

Under Charlotte's reminder, Renee also understood the crux of the matter, and then her concern shifted to Charlotte. In the girl's heart, the young lady was clearly far more important than those commoners and serfs. 

"Don't underestimate your young lady. Such a small difficulty won't hinder my steps." Charlotte smiled lightly, then tapped her horse's sides with her feet, and the horse beneath her began to trot briskly. 

Renee and the guards hurried to follow. 

Upon returning to the castle, Charlotte was met with an unexpected visitor. 

"Greetings, Viscountess Mellerfeld. I am Fado, the chief pastor of the local church." A tall, thin man dressed in a faded pastoral robe pressed his right hand to his left chest and gave Charlotte a slight bow. 

Charlotte was somewhat surprised because she had not yet sent anyone to inform the local church of her arrival. She hadn't expected the pastor to come to her on his own initiative. 

However, Charlotte did not hesitate at all and immediately smiled and returned the greeting to the pastor named "Fado": "Good day, Chief Pastor. I am delighted that the first distinguished guest I meet upon arriving at my territory is a shepherd of the Lord." 

The reception room inside the castle was still being cleaned, with dust flying everywhere, so Charlotte simply had temporary tables and chairs set up in the desolate garden to entertain Fado. 

Renee, understanding the situation, brought tea and pastries for the guest—things she always kept on hand precisely so that the young lady would not be caught unprepared when suddenly needing to receive guests. 

"I originally planned to send someone to invite you, Chief Pastor, after the banquet was prepared. I didn't expect you to arrive so early, which truly honors me," Charlotte said, inviting Fado to sit down. 

"No, no, you flatter me too much..." Fado quickly waved his hands, appearing to be the one who was truly overwhelmed by the honor. 

Fado had seen Charlotte's convoy entering the territory while he was picking vegetables in the fields. Seeing the scale of the convoy and the purple leopard emblem on the carriage, Fado knew that a significant figure had arrived. This area was close to the Green Plains Duchy, and even the lowest slave should understand what the purple leopard emblem signified. 

Thus, he hurried back to the church to bathe and change his clothes before coming to the castle to pay his respects. 

Due to the slow information transmission of the times, Fado actually did not know that the Ruan Bay Viscounty had a new ruler. It wasn't until he arrived outside the castle and stopped a servant to ask that he learned the daughter of the Duke of Green Plains had been enfeoffed as the new Viscountess of Ruan Bay. 

Fado was just a rural clergyman. The only noteworthy experience in the first half of his life was probably catching a distant glimpse of Archbishop Metlan Contao during his studies. Facing someone as noble as the daughter of a duke, Fado couldn't help but tremble. 

However, Fado did not expect that Charlotte Mellerfeld was not difficult to get along with; on the contrary, she treated him with great respect, which made Fado feel incredibly honored. 

"Please just call me Fado. I really can't bear your honorifics," Fado finally said after Charlotte addressed him as "Chief Pastor" once more. 

Charlotte smiled lightly and acquiesced: "Alright then, Pastor Fado. Have you been preaching at Ruan Bay Church for many years?" 

"I completed my pastoral studies at the Holy Radiance Cathedral at the age of fourteen and was sent to the Ruan Bay Viscounty. It's been over ten years now," Fado answered truthfully, as there was nothing to hide. 

"Then Pastor Fado must be quite familiar with the local situation?" Charlotte asked. 

"I should be fairly familiar," Fado nodded, somewhat unsure of what Charlotte was getting at. 

"That's great," Charlotte smiled and asked, "On my way here, I noticed that many fields nearby have been left fallow. I find it strange—why are so many fields left uncultivated? Has the land here become unsuitable for growing grain? Could Pastor Fado enlighten me?" 

"I do know about this!" Speaking of this topic, Fado suddenly became somewhat emotional. "How could the land be unsuitable for growing grain! Your Excellency, if you travel further north in the territory, you'll see that the northern knight territories are still cultivating their lands. It's mostly the southern knight territories that have abandoned their fields! Your castle is located in the south, so naturally, you see many fallow fields." 

"Ah? Why are the southern knight territories unwilling to farm?" Charlotte asked, looking puzzled. 

"Because farming simply isn't as profitable as doing business," Fado explained. "These years, the Sokaians have been constantly at war and need to build many warships. So, the southern knights have been selling shipbuilding timber from the Quake Forest to Sokai and importing pearls, coral, and fish glue from Sokai to sell in the Green Plains Duchy, making quite a bit of money..." 

The Ruan Bay Viscounty is a crossroads. To its east and northeast lies the Green Plains Duchy, to the northwest is the end of the Kempay Mountains, to the west is the Kingdom of Lessaray, and to the south is a bay—Ruan Bay, from which the viscounty gets its name. 

The shape of Ruan Bay somewhat resembles the Suez Gulf from Charlotte's past life memories. Like the Suez Gulf, Ruan Bay is very long and narrow, with the narrowest point possibly just over ten kilometers wide. Unlike the Suez Gulf, the land connected to the Eagle Continent is not another continent akin to Africa but a peninsula—the "Sokai" that Fado mentioned. 

The Sokai Peninsula has no unified nation but is instead a collection of city-states frequently at war with each other, which has given rise to a thriving mercenary industry. Sokai mercenaries are a "well-known brand" even on the Eagle Continent, and even Jose Mellerfeld had warned Charlotte about the dangers of "mercenaries from the southern city-states." 

However, it seems that the shipbuilding industry on the Sokai Peninsula is also quite developed. 

"The trade routes only pass through the southern part of the viscounty, so they've been monopolized by the southern knights. The northern knight territories can't engage in trade and are still farming honestly," Fado concluded, his tone carrying a hint of grievance. 

Charlotte could more or less guess why Fado felt aggrieved. Fado was able to come to the castle so quickly, so his church was likely also in the "south." However, his worn pastoral robe indicated that he was probably quite poor. It seemed that the southern knights had collectively excluded Fado from their business dealings, which was why he was so emotional and aggrieved. 

"Why does doing business require abandoning farmland? Business doesn't interfere with farming, does it? The knights don't need to farm themselves—don't they have serfs?" Charlotte asked, still puzzled. 

"Why farm when you have serfs? Selling them to Sokai to fight or to the Quake Forest to cut trees is much better. The land here doesn't yield much anyway," Fado said matter-of-factly. 

Charlotte nodded. She now understood why there were only a few households left in the villages on her territory. It seemed that not only the serfs but also the villagers had nearly been sold off by the knight lords. 

"Thank you, Mr. Fado, for enlightening me." 

"It's a small matter. Honestly, you could have asked anyone for this information," Fado said. 

"Mr. Fado, you mentioned that you studied at the Holy Radiance Cathedral, so you must also be a student of Archbishop Contao," Charlotte suddenly added. 

Fado quickly waved his hands: "I only attended Archbishop Contao's sermons. I wouldn't dare claim to be his student." 

The Holy Radiance Cathedral is located in Platinum City and is the largest cathedral in the Oran Empire. The coronation ceremonies of the Oran Emperor and Empress are usually held there. It is also the main cathedral of the Lune Diocese, the domain of Archbishop Metlan Contao. 

Fado had indeed attended Contao's lectures. Metlan Contao would give a monthly sermon at the Holy Radiance Cathedral for all clergy, which was an "open class" that anyone could attend. Pastoral apprentices in the Lune Diocese had to go to the Holy Radiance Cathedral to receive the "Canon" and pastoral robes to become official pastors. When Fado went to Platinum City at the age of fourteen to complete this process, he coincidentally encountered one of Contao's "open classes" and attended it. 

Thus, Fado's claim that he completed his studies at the Holy Radiance Cathedral was somewhat embellished. 

Charlotte, however, did not delve into the exaggeration in Fado's words but instead gave Renee a meaningful look: "Coincidentally, I am also a student of Archbishop Contao. It's truly fortunate to meet another distinguished disciple of Archbishop Contao in such a remote place." 

Renee, understanding the hint, brought over a cloth bag and opened it, handing its contents to Charlotte. 

Inside the exquisite silk bag was nothing but a tattered "Canon." Given its condition, it probably wouldn't sell even at a flea market. 

Yet, upon seeing this ragged "Canon," Fado, who had been relaxing in the congenial conversation, was so startled that he stood up abruptly. 

"Please forgive my earlier discourtesy." After carefully examining the neat and beautiful annotations on the "Canon," Fado, disregarding his status as a shepherd of the Lord, gave Charlotte a respectful ninety-degree bow.

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