Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 382 Poaching

The monk's eyes shone brightly, while Jadi was taken aback, then frowned slightly:

"You're not planning to increase the population by buying slaves, are you?"

After all, he was a druid, and he disliked the forced and distorted practice of the slave trade.

"The slave trade is indeed evil, but it's like the dark side and reflection of society; it's hard to eradicate no matter what. Wouldn't it be much better to be a dignified and protected citizen than to be a slave?"

"But if you increase your purchases, the other party who profits will also expand their capture channels accordingly, and in the end you will still be encouraging their evil deeds."

Now it was Mr. Zhang's turn to remain silent. After a moment, he nodded in agreement with Jadi's point of view. But in private?

If there is no buying and selling, there will be no killing. So why don't I just do a double-cross and wipe out both the slaves and the slave traders in one fell swoop?
After all, how can it be considered a transaction if you don't pay?

Jady couldn't possibly have imagined these wicked ideas, and she couldn't understand why the female druid, full of evil intentions, was still pleased that she had advised a misguided mage.

"When I said 'buying people,' I didn't mean buying slaves."

Zhang Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking to himself that he almost fell for your trick, even though he did have that intention himself.

"What do you mean?"

The monk pointed towards the direction of Riverside Village:
"them!"

Then, before Jady could speak, he spoke again:
“I’m not talking about buying their personal rights; I mean, asking them to move to my territory.”

"Would she be crazy to go with you?"

Jadi was puzzled and looked at the mage with a questioning gaze:
"As the saying goes, it's hard to leave one's homeland! Besides, things have improved in the last two years."

"Oh right, I also have to thank you Flame Fist for lending a helping hand back then, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to handle that group of giant insects by myself."

The female druid's smile was both sweet and wicked, making Master Zhang roll his eyes, feeling as if he had shot himself in the foot.

"What if I promise them twice the current area of ​​arable land? Even if reclaiming new land is a bit of a hassle, with your help, it won't make much of a difference, right?"

"That's also..."

"I will cover all the moving and relocation costs, plus additional compensation."

"this…"

"What about taxes? I remember the agricultural tax rate in Baldur's Gate was close to 50%?"

"Well, Bode's main income comes from maritime trade. Agricultural taxes are lower than in other city-states. For example, the tax rate in Tasel seems to be close to 70%."

“I only take 30% of the harvest from my people, and I buy their surplus grain at market price. If the price is too low, I will raise the purchase price as a subsidy to prevent farmers from being hurt by low grain prices.”

Jady, who had been resting her chin on her hand listening to this guy make empty promises, suddenly brightened up when she heard the phrase "cheap grain hurts farmers," and her expression became serious.

She had been in this village for several years, and the situation varied from year to year, but no matter how the harvest was, she could only barely make ends meet.

Needless to say, during bad years, even in good years, all that was left was more stored grain, enough to fill one's stomach; there was no hope of further improvement. Faced with the female druid's confusion, Master Zhang had no choice but to change the subject slightly, explaining market supply and demand theory and the actual manipulation of the market to Jadi, who had no background in economics.

After hearing this explanation, the female druid truly felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had shone through. All her previous confusion melted away like snow under the scorching sun under the apt metaphors of the invisible and visible hands.

The monk's final pronouncements, in particular, struck her like a thunderbolt.

"It is precisely because those noble lords who should have acted as reservoirs, using their own size and ability to regulate and mitigate the invisible hand of market laws, not only failed to fulfill this responsibility, but instead took the opportunity to manipulate prices and make huge profits, that is the fundamental reason why the working class can never change their situation through so-called hard work."

"After all, have you ever seen a slave rise to become a master through so-called hard work and struggle?"

The mage's last meaningful words struck Jadi like a bolt of lightning, making her slightly dizzy and even a little cold.

She refused to think about it any further!

Zhang Yuan, on the other hand, stopped talking and wisely shut up. The two looked at each other and remained silent.

The mage spoke first:
“I am unwilling and have no need to make empty and hypocritical promises, or to flaunt how noble I am. I am simply saying that when I have the meat, I don’t mind those who follow me sharing a sip of soup.”

"Then I really thank you on their behalf!"

Jady rubbed her forehead with her hand and said somewhat uncertainly:

"Even if what you say makes sense, they may not understand it, let alone follow you to such a far north place."

The monk nodded:
"Indeed, so I don't expect them to understand. Just seeing the favorable terms I offered is enough. Besides,"

As he spoke, he pointed at the female druid:
"Isn't there still you?"

"Me?" Jady pointed to herself and smiled wryly.
"You really overestimate them. I don't think they'll obediently listen to me the moment I open my mouth."

Don't underestimate yourself; your significance is far greater than you think.

The monk paced back and forth in the room, his tone gentle yet his words resolute:
"This area between the Chongsa River and the Sharp Tooth Forest is not a treasure trove. Although it has the advantage of river irrigation, so you don't have to work hard to water your farmland, the Sharp Tooth Forest is full of wild animals and even monsters. You must know this all too well."

Jady seemed to recall some unpleasant memories and nodded with lingering fear.

"Furthermore, although I am not knowledgeable about farming, based on the data you gave me before, the yield per unit area in their Riverside Village is more than 40% higher than the average in the Bode region in the same year. I don't think that's something those villagers could have done."

Zhang Yuan clasped his hands behind his back and spoke eloquently, displaying the demeanor of a wise and courteous man who had visited a hermit's cottage three times. He effortlessly cited various data he had previously collected, leaving the female virtues both vaguely understanding and impressed.

"Wow, I'm actually this amazing!"

After careful thought and analysis, I suddenly realized, "I'm awesome!"
Jady slapped her palm, feeling rather smug, upon reaching this conclusion.

Well, seeing that the other party was getting into a good mood, the mage smiled as well:
"So, they will definitely take what you say seriously; that's the final and most important factor."

Jadi nodded, but then suddenly felt something was off, and it took her a moment to realize:
"Wait, if you move them all to your place, what am I supposed to do?"

Thank you to Mo Mei Wu Feng for the monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)