in the name of the queen.

Chapter 145: Don’t be so extreme, okay?
Governor's Palace, Count's Office.

The door was closed, Roland and Stanley sat opposite each other on the sofa, and Sif sat behind the desk.

Stanley is not an ordinary person. He was once the deputy leader of the Royal Knights. He also ran a large-scale chamber of commerce and had a convenient intelligence network.

He also knew that Count Sif was the Queen.

Since he was applying for the job for the Queen's sake, it was natural that Sif should take the lead.

Roland gave the leadership of today's conversation to Sif. He would not interfere too much. He was only responsible for keeping an eye on Stanley and preventing him from taking risks and attacking Sif.

Although the possibility is almost zero, you still have to guard against it.

He could feel that Stanley's strength had improved a lot compared to before, and his eyes were less sinister and more thick.

In such a small space, Stanley is still a bit threatening.

Sif understood Roland's eyes.

If she can keep up with Stanley, then she also has S-level potential.

He cleared his throat and said helplessly: "Thank you Your Majesty for forgiving my crime and for retaining some of my property so that I can come overseas safely."

"The Governor should know that I wanted to hurt you in Xiaosonglin and wait for an opportunity to escape. It's not that I don't even care about my family's life and death, but they are not my family."

There are some things you cannot say even if you mean well.

Looking at Sif's clear eyes, Stanley's newly ignited anger disappeared.

Stanley was obviously surprised.

It's better to be a queen with a simple mind.

Sif suppressed her thoughts of gossip and said softly: "Congratulations on being reunited with your family."

Stanley picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said shockingly, "There is no such thing as a governor-general. This place has almost become the territory of the Samaritans."

At this point, Stanley's expression was a little unnatural, and he obviously didn't want to talk anymore.

Facing Stanley, who had a calm expression and gentle eyes, and could not see any flaws, Sif picked up the teacup and took a sip, deciding to say hello first.

He originally thought that Sif was a puppet in Roland's hands, a standard vase, but he didn't expect that she was so familiar with the situation in the jurisdiction.

Because Her Majesty the Queen was asking if he was okay.

"Last year it was 390,000 pounds." Sif replied instantly.

Thinking of Roland's decisiveness in turning against him, Stanley was still a little frightened.

Of course he couldn't be comforted, after all, the old emperor was not dead in theory.

That's fine, it's better to serve the powerful queen than to work for a powerful minister.

"After the events of the Knights, my previous family was completely cut off from me, and I was finally able to face reality and find my real family."

He really couldn't be angry.

Sure enough, Sif's sadness disappeared instantly.

Under the desk, her little fists were clenched, and her palms were slightly sweaty.

As a successful businessman, he has seen too many people of all kinds, but this is the first time he has seen such clear eyes.

This was an important test given to her by Roland.

"My opinion?"

As the deputy governor of the governor-general's jurisdiction, she was familiar with these basic data.

"Mr. Stanley, long time no see. How are you doing?"

If the information he gave was not useful enough, he would have died in the Knights' cell.

If you feel sad, then work.

Sure enough, Stanley, who had been calm just now, changed his face slightly, veins popped up on his forehead, and his hands that were casually resting on the side of the sofa were clenched unconsciously.

He coughed lightly and turned to the topic, "Your Majesty, can the interview begin?"

Actually asked him if he was okay?
Stanley instinctively thought that Sif was mocking, and raised his head in annoyance.

Sif frowned slightly and asked softly: "Mr. Stanley, don't be alarmist. I want to hear constructive speeches."

Stanley knew so much about the ways of the world, he could see through Sif's dejection at a glance.

Perhaps thinking that Stanley could find his family, but she was an out-and-out orphan, Sif's expression was a little depressed.

Stanley thought silently.

As expected of you, Sif. How can such a beautiful girl have such a vicious mouth?

It doesn’t take long to find that work is even harder.

"My Lord Earl, do you know that the three overseas provinces, oh, sorry, are now called the Viceroyalty. Do you know how much tax they pay to the empire every year?"

Roland almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

She cheered up and asked calmly: "Mr. Stanley, I would like to hear your views on the current situation of commercial development in the governor's jurisdiction, as well as your thoughts on future development."

If Mr. Stanley applies for other positions, he may only have an A rating. If you apply for a position in the business field, you are a potential S-level talent.

Since the Queen is a sensible person, he did not hold back and said directly:

"It's not 390,000 pounds, but a rebate. Last year, the imperial finance spent about 2.1 million pounds on stability maintenance, military expenditures and administrative expenses in the three provinces. After deducting taxes, there was a rebate of more than 1.7 million pounds."

Sif said calmly: "Of course I know this. This is also the reason why those short-sighted politicians are clamoring to abandon the overseas provinces."

The corner of Stanley's mouth raised slightly, and he asked in a deep voice: "Has your Majesty ever thought about why the poorest province in the mainland can guarantee a small surplus, while the three wealthy overseas provinces are bleeding the empire?"

"Military expenditure? Stability maintenance? There has been no war in the three provinces in these years. Although these expenditures are considerable, they are not to the extent of losses."

Sif's breathing was a little rapid, and she asked in a deep voice: "Then why do you think it is?"

"It's very simple, if there are rats in the granary, there will be no food left. I'm not talking about official corruption, but the Samaritan merchant alliance that creates a monopoly under the protection of officials."

"Monopoly?" Sif's eyes lit up.

Stanley cleared his throat and prepared to start the lecture.

It is not easy to monopolize the new concept of popular science for the queen who has no basis in economics. This is also the confidence for him to seek his own interests.

He wants to expose the elaborate disguise of these greedy Samaritans.

"Your Majesty, the Earl, may not have heard of monopoly. Let me think about where to start."

"No, I know. And I've seen it with my own eyes."

Sif gave Stanley a very brief lesson before Stanley started class.

Using the price increase incident that Roland encountered at the Alchemy Alliance as an example, she briefly recounted the lessons Roland had taught.

Stanley's eyes widened.

Seeing his surprised look, Sif raised the corners of her lips proudly and gave Roland a slightly proud look.

Roland was very happy, but he couldn't hold back his laughter.

Seriously, this is a talent recruitment site.

He coughed lightly and reminded Sif to do business first.

After a long time, Stanley finally woke up from the shock. He was impressed by Sif's ability, put aside his thoughts of showing off, and said modestly:
"My lord, the Earl, has such a deep understanding of the causes and harms of monopoly. I admire him from the bottom of my heart."

"No, I only have a superficial understanding." Xif said modestly, but couldn't hide her smile.

"Now that you know the monopoly, it will be much easier. The issues in the Governor-General's Territory are complex and involve many factors such as politics, culture, ethnic groups, commerce, and security, but in the final analysis it is still a matter of money."

"As long as you get enough money, you and the Governor can realize your ideas."

Stanley's position was very correct. He never talked about other fields, only how to make money.

The same is true.

Money can solve most problems.

Problems that cannot be solved by money are often more terrifying than lack of money.

Sif's eyes lit up, "Mr. Stanley, what do you have in mind?"

"It's very simple, take care of the granary and catch the rats."

Stanley's eyes flashed with coldness, "Businessmen are all profit-seeking. It's normal to like money. I like it too, but the Samaritans are too greedy. They don't have a long-term vision at all. Everywhere they go, I always want to squeeze out the local oil and then leave like locusts, leaving a mess on the ground.”

"Their presence will destroy the entire environment and this should be called"

When Stanley was thinking about how to describe it accurately, Sif answered for him, "What they are destroying is the business environment."

"Business environment? Your Excellency, the Earl said it well."

Stanley looked at Sif a little more eagerly.

He was initially a little uneasy about coming to seek refuge with the Queen, fearing that she would not be accepted, or that the Queen was too stupid and was completely Roland's puppet.

But he had no choice.

The Samaritans destroyed everything for him.

Without the instigation of his Samaritan wife, he might not have been so crazy as to eat from the emperor's bowl.

The last few years have been a nightmare.

His wife's betrayal freed him completely.

This is not only a personal feud, but also a business competition.

As we all know, a simple business war does not involve so many tricks, it just means finding a way to kill the opponent directly.

Relying on the protection of officials from the three provinces, the Samaritans have squeezed out local merchants in Sussex and the three provinces in the past few years, and suppressed foreign merchants. This has long been a source of outrage.

No matter how the market expands, only a few will be able to eat meat.

When the Samaritan finished eating the meat, what did the others eat?
If we don’t get rid of the greedy rats, how can there be food in the granary?

Stanley talked eloquently about the collusion between the Samaritans and officials from the three provinces to exclude other merchants. As well as the sin of Samaritan businessmen making excessive profits through monopoly and completely destroying the market order.

What he said is true, and there is no need to discredit it at all.

“Samaritans are particularly good at packaging themselves as spokespersons for hard work and wisdom through increasingly developed media.”

Stanley sneered: "Hardworking? A joke! If hard work can make you rich, farmers in the countryside and female workers in textile factories must be very rich."

These words brought back unpleasant memories for Roland. He coughed lightly and reminded Stanley not to expand the topic casually.

"Mr. Stanley, we must believe in the progress of human civilization. Whether it is the past era or the future, hard work is an excellent quality."

Stanley quickly stood up and apologized to Sif, "Your Majesty, I was too extreme. Please don't take what you just said to heart."

Xif was silent for a long time and said quietly: "Although what you said is unpleasant, it is all true."

She looked at Roland with some discomfort and murmured:

"Roland, will the future you talk about really come?"

"Yes, I promise!"

Roland, who had seen the light, was very convinced of this.

But he didn't say anything yet.

The three people sitting here are all remnants of the old era, and their ships will probably not exist in the new era. Roland decisively stopped this increasingly dangerous topic.

"Leave the worries of the future to the future, we focus on the present."

"As Mr. Stanley said, we need money, and it's an astronomical amount. Since the Samaritans took money that didn't belong to them, let them spit it out."

Sif bit her lip and said word by word: "That's my money, these damn rats!"

"Mr. Stanley, please tell me how we should deal with these rats."

Stanley thought for a moment and said slowly: "We in Sussex are a country governed by the rule of law. Naturally, we must use legal means to punish them. We should first promote anti-monopoly legislation, and then use anti-monopoly laws to break up these rat companies and dismantle their Alliance, let them spit out what is not theirs.”

"It's too slow! Roland, tell me." Sif was a little dissatisfied with Stanley's method and directly motioned to Manfenzui to speak for her.

Roland cleared his throat and said with a smile: "It is not easy to formulate new laws. Cabinet ministers must be persuaded to agree, and then approved by the parliament. When we do not have absolute power, this requires an exchange of interests, and the price is too expensive."

"It will take a long time for new laws to be passed and implemented, and we can't wait."

"They must be handled within the existing legal framework."

Roland thought for a moment and said slowly: "Samaritan merchants like to stick together. Let's find a way to gather them all in Hansa and catch them all in one fell swoop. Just..."

What crime is good?
The crime of bribery will involve officials from the three provinces and is not conducive to unity.

The Queen has already pardoned them, and it would be inappropriate to pursue them further.

This definitely won't work.

Then look for their crimes in business.

Such as unfair competition, damaging the business environment, or stepping in with the left foot first.

While Roland was pondering, Sif was already a little impatient.

“What nationality are these Samaritans now?”

"Well, they have no motherland and do not join any mainstream country. They claim to be the people of the ancient country of Samaria."

Sif tapped the table, stood up and paced back and forth, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Get them to Hansa and start a holy war!"

"Huh?" X2
Stanley and Roland looked at each other, both a little confused.

Sif snorted softly, her eyes burning with fire.

"At the beginning of the new calendar of the Magic Era, the countries that overthrew the Magic Empire signed the Old Heresy Convention, and the contracting countries were obliged to launch a holy war against the old heretical beliefs."

"The Samaritans are the remnants of the old era. For more than a thousand years, they have never been willing to actively integrate into the new era. They still miss the glory of the past and believe in heresy. They deserve to die!"

"Launching a jihad to kill these greedy rats and collect their ill-gotten gains is the sacred right given to us by the convention."

Sif held her head up proudly, her whole body glowing with dazzling light like the goddess of revenge.

Stanley looked at Sif in astonishment, his back feeling slightly cold.

He suddenly felt that he was not extreme.

Looking at Sif's fanatical eyes, Roland coughed lightly and reminded:
"It is okay to launch a jihad, but it must be targeted at Samaritan merchants. There is no need to affect ordinary Samaritans."

Even with the perfect reason of holy war, Roland still could not accept indiscriminate massacre.

Expanding the war goal will make the war completely out of control, leaving the Sussex Empire standing in a moral depression.

Sif looked at Roland softly and nodded.

"Of course I understand. Do you think I want to kill people indiscriminately? We are a civilized country, and even jihad has a bottom line."

"The targets of the jihad should be those with assets of more than 500 pounds."

Sif said calmly: "It may be unjust to kill all the Samaritans who have assets of more than 500 pounds, but if you kill nine out of ten, some fish will definitely slip through the net."

Roland acquiesced to her standards.

In this day and age, earning five hundred pounds through hard work is simply a fantasy.

Stanley's understanding of Sif was refreshed.

Sif had previously pardoned his crimes and left part of the settlement expenses, giving him a chance to survive and allowing him to acquiesce in her simplicity and kindness.

He finally understands now that people will change.

After staying with Roland for a long time, the pure and kind queen has changed a long time ago.

He didn't know that Roland was wrongly accused this time.

This was entirely Sif's idea, and this was the first time he had even heard of the Old Heretic Convention.

After all, the last time such an excuse was used to launch a jihad was more than 700 years ago.

Sif is different from Roland. In her early years, she was positioned as an idle earl and received a systematic aristocratic education.

She was very aware of some important unknown events.

Seeing that the atmosphere at the scene was a bit solemn, Sif stopped continuing the topic and asked with a smile:

"Mr. Stanley, I highly recognize your talent. What position do you want to hold?"

Stanley smiled and shook his head and said: "Although His Majesty pardoned my crime, after all, I have been stained with disloyalty, and it is inappropriate to hold a government position. I hope to become a royal merchant and gain some convenience."

"Is it just to get some convenience?" Sif was a little curious. Is it just for this benefit that Stanley took great risks to attend the meeting and spared no effort to demonstrate his abilities?
Stanley stood up and said sincerely:
"Lord Earl, after I left the imperial capital, I reunited with my real family, and my mentality has changed a lot. Now I just want to provide a prosperous life for my family."

"not enough."

Sif said calmly: "Wealth is not enough. You also need identity and status. Think about these Samaritan merchants. If they are targeted, no matter how much wealth they have, it will be useless."

"This" Stanley hesitated.

Sif's attitude just now really made him understand this.

Wealth alone is not enough, just as it was difficult for those Samaritans to integrate into mainstream society no matter how much wealth they had.

"Roland, you are the Governor. What position do you think Mr. Stanley is suitable for?"

"I have an idea. Government officials cannot do business. We also need agents. Mr. Stanley is the most suitable. At the same time, we can hire him as a senior consultant."

Sif understood instantly.

Government officials are not allowed to do business ≠ Big businessmen are not allowed to serve as royal advisors.

Roland extended his right hand to Stanley.

"Mr. Stanley, hunting operations require a lot of preparation, and we need your help even more."

Stanley quickly stretched out his hand and shook it with Roland.

When leaving the Governor's Mansion, Stanley always had an indescribable subtle feeling.

Because he heard about the incredible plan, he just made a soul oath and swore allegiance to Sif.

He knew very well that his interests were again tied to the Sussex royal family.

Originally, I just wanted to gamble on the Queen and Roland's power and make some profit for myself, but I didn't expect that the harvest would be so rich.

Thinking of the past when he was controlled by his ex-wife from Samaria and had sex with her, Stanley's eyes gradually became sharper.

Her Majesty the Queen is not only well-informed, but also has Roland's assistance, so she will definitely achieve great things.

This ship is definitely not to be missed.

Damn rats, it's time to pay.

After sending Stanley away, Sif, who had been giving advice just now, suddenly withered.

Her eyes were wandering, not daring to look at Roland, and asked softly: "Did I do something wrong again?"

"That's not true, but we must be careful when dealing with Samaritan merchants. We have to find out their strength, design traps, and complete the hunt."

"You, you don't object?" Sif was a little surprised.

"Why do you object? I don't agree with the indiscriminate killing of ordinary people, but it doesn't mean that I can accept the Samaritan businessmen hollowing out the foundation of the country."

Roland said categorically: "Sinners are sinners, and civilians are civilians. We must distinguish. We can even blame the experiences of ordinary people in Samaria on these rats."

Sif breathed a sigh of relief.

Roland was right.

The purpose of cleaning up the rats is to regain the granary, not to vent their anger and kill.

"To deal with these rats, in addition to mastering accurate intelligence and accumulating strength, we must also make good use of public opinion tools."

No one has launched a jihad for seven hundred years. Sussex suddenly comes to do this. What do other countries think?
They will not approve of your jihad, and they may even add insult to injury and spread the word about Sussex's targeted massacre.

Hunting operations must be fast, accurate and ruthless.

Military action must be fast to end the fighting before other countries can react.

This is not easy.

The Samaritans made money everywhere but were not slaughtered. It was not because the rulers of various countries were kind-hearted, but because they were powerful.

Since the destruction of their homeland, the Samaritans have become almost obsessed with wealth and force.

They have mercenary organizations all over the world, powerful private soldiers, and killers. They use various shady means to threaten those in power and protect themselves.

In many countries, kings and governments are the rulers under the sun, but the Samaritans are the underground rulers in the darkness.

They are everywhere.

The Samaritans are very powerful in grouping. Even if they can knock out some merchants in a short time, it will be difficult to stop the counterattacks of other Samaritans.

This is probably the reason why monarchs of other countries are unwilling to break up with them.

After all, these monarchs cherish their lives and have families.

But Sif is different.

She has no family, is alone, and has only the pressure of survival.

She needs money to arm herself, lots and lots of money.

Even if they wanted revenge, who were the Samaritans going to seek revenge from?
Find the missing emperor and kill him again?

Thinking of this, Roland finally understood why some people were worried that young people would not get married.

Young people with strength and power but no family can easily go to extremes like Sif.

This is really
That's great.

Roland almost laughed out loud. After all, he had no family.

Just after he laughed twice, his expression froze.

Well, that’s not something to be proud of.

Seeing Roland's stiff expression, Sif was a little surprised.

"Roland, what's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, I just thought about how to fight the public opinion war."

"Are you planning to build a newspaper?" Sif's eyes lit up.

"The news agency must be built, but it will take time. I plan to ask Mr. Rupert to help open overseas branches for The Sun."

(End of this chapter)