Translator: Cinder Translations
...
After leaving the church in Frand Port, Paul hurried back to Alden Town.
As soon as he returned to his office, he hadn't even settled into his seat when he immediately ordered his chief of the Administrative Council, Ford, and the Minister of Intelligence, Cecil, to be summoned.
"My lord, what happened?" As soon as the two entered Paul's office, they felt that the atmosphere was not quite right; the earl seemed to be in a bad mood, so they spoke carefully.
"Gentlemen." Paul settled into his chair, intertwining his fingers on his abdomen, speaking in a rather somber tone.
"I inadvertently heard some unpleasant news in Frand Port."
What unpleasant news?
Old Ford remained calm, but the intelligence chief felt a chill down his spine. Could it be that some critical technology had been stolen, or military secrets leaked?
His mind raced through the recent work circumstances, trying to identify any mistakes.
It seemed to be something he had not uncovered; surely, the one responsible for intelligence wouldn't have to face the lord's wrath.
Paul's next words eased his anxiety a bit.
"Some of our soldiers who sacrificed themselves in battle have had their families treated unfairly back home."
Cecil sighed in relief; that was no longer within his responsibility.
Now it was old Ford who became tense.
"My lord, I swear to the heavens, the Administrative Council has provided generous compensations for every family of the fallen soldiers, exactly as you instructed."
Paul waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not questioning your work, but..."
He explained to the two the situation he encountered in the church in Frand Port and then solemnly issued an order to the intelligence chief: "Cecil, I command you to investigate the situation in Taldor Village within a month. I cannot tolerate the families of those sacrificed soldiers being bullied by others."
Old Ford and Cecil nodded heavily. "Rest assured, my lord, we will get to the bottom of the situation there."
"Alright, you may go. Give me a result as soon as possible."
"Farewell, my lord."
Just as the two turned to leave, they were suddenly called back by Paul.
"Wait, I just remembered something."
"What else can we assist you with?"
"I want to understand the living conditions of the clergy, especially those of lower rank."
Paul recalled the attire of that priest, Hershey.
Old Ford and Cecil exchanged glances; why was the earl suddenly interested in such matters?
"From what I know, the clergy generally lead quite comfortable lives. For example, Anderson, Morrison, and that Volor in Frand Port, but the Hershey I met looked rather impoverished."
"That's not surprising, my lord," Old Ford explained. "A priest merely overseeing a village church won't have much wealth."
Paul asked, "So, these country priests don't earn good pay?"
Old Ford replied as a matter of course: "That's natural. The church has a clearly defined hierarchy. Although the rural clergy are the frontline collectors of tithes, they don't retain much, especially since most have families to support."
"Hm? Most of them have families?"
"Yes, they marry and have children."
"Is it so rare for them to remain single and dedicate themselves to their calling?"
Ford shook his head. "Even complete devotion doesn't improve material conditions, so a level of seventy percent devotion is sufficient."
"Why not? From what I know, wouldn't such individuals gain better promotions within the church?"
"Haha, my lord." Old Ford wore a mysterious smile and quietly explained to Paul.
"Theoretically, yes, but most rural priests come from commoner families and essentially stop progressing there. As for higher positions within the church… those noble families also arrange good futures for their younger sons or illegitimate children who don't have inheritance rights. For instance, the Hershey you just met is said to come from a noble family."
A thought crossed Paul's mind: perhaps these lower clergy could be a force to rally?
With that in mind, he looked at the intelligence chief. "Cecil, I have another important task for you."
"Please command me, my lord."
"Conduct a covert investigation into the living standards of all clergy within our territory, categorizing them into three levels: upper, middle, and lower, and provide detailed information, including the proportions of each level."
Cecil was momentarily taken aback. What did the earl need this information for? But he habitually agreed, knowing the earl must have his reasons.
Paul then turned to Ford, the chief of the Administrative Council and Minister of Finance, and asked, "What do you estimate our fiscal revenue will be next year?"
Old Ford recalled the available data and summarized, "My lord, considering the taxes from Alden, Byerldine, and Emden, along with the various industries managed by the Administrative Council, I estimate we can reach around 120,000 Aldor silver coins."
120,000 silver coins? Paul stroked his chin in thought. If he also accounted for the economic revenues from various forests, farms, factories, mines, and shops operated by the Grayman family, it might total around 250,000 Aldor silver coins.
He remembered a post he saw in his past life that estimated the income of rulers in medieval Western Europe. It indicated that the English king's annual income in the first half of the 14th century was about 60,000 pounds, equivalent to roughly 400,000 nomismas. One nomisma gold coin was valued at approximately 54g of silver, while the Aldor silver coin in this world contained about 24-25g of silver. This meant that the English king's income during that time equated to over 860,000 Aldor silver coins. Therefore, the wealth at Paul's disposal as an earl was roughly equivalent to a quarter of that of a 14th-century English king?
TL: Nomisma was the ancient Greek word for "money" and is derived from nomos meaning "'anything assigned,' 'a usage,' 'custom,' 'law,' 'ordinance,' or 'that which is a habitual practice.
That thought was quite exhilarating.
Of course, regarding how to distribute and use the taxes collected from Byerldine, Paul certainly needed to hear the opinions of his ally, Malon Ganard, who remained the lord of Byerldine. However, his ally had always supported Paul's decisions.
Seeing Paul lost in thought, Old Ford and Cecil were puzzled. The earl had first inquired about the living standards of lower clergy and now about the territory's fiscal revenue—what was he planning?
They both thought of one possibility: could the earl be considering giving money to those lower clergy?
Haha, that's impossible! If that were the case, wouldn't that be just burning money?
They dismissed the ridiculous thought from their minds.
Author's Note:
(Checked, in the first half of the 14th century, the annual income of the English king was 60,000 pounds. A British earl's minimum annual income was 1,000 pounds, while the wealthiest Lancaster earl's annual income reached 12,000 pounds, about one-fifth of the king's income. At that time, one pound contained 279.936g of silver. The protagonist, originally owning an earldom, also managed Byerldine and annexed a territory far exceeding a typical earldom in Emden, plus the economic revenue generated from various industries developed using new technologies, achieving an annual income that could reach twice that of the Lancaster earl in the first half of the 14th century should not be excessive. However, I did not check the area and population of the Lancaster earl's territory, so the setting isn't very precise, haha!)
(End of the Chapter)
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