Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 565 Judgment
"How's Chloe? Busy lately?" Hughes asked with a grin, looking at the diary on the judge's seat.

"Ha, so you just send me wherever you're busy?" Chloe replied irritably.

She didn't know why, but she always felt that she was busier after she died than when she was alive. When she was alive, she could work hard when she was tired and fall asleep as soon as she was sleepy. But after she died, without a body, she didn't feel much even after working overtime for several nights in a row.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible, Chloe, you have to believe me! I absolutely didn't target you, I absolutely didn't deliberately assign you particularly tiring work!" Hughes said confidently.

This wasn't just him making things up. Before, in Castel, he only needed to manage a small island. Now that things have expanded, Bloodharbor, Castel, and the future North all require manpower and effort to manage.

This was even after the prince had helped him with a significant portion of the miscellaneous tasks.

“Sometimes I think the feudal system did have its advantages; at least these miscellaneous tasks could be delegated to others,” Hughes sighed.

"So you're just dumping all the work on me now!" Chloe's tone grew increasingly unfriendly.

"How can that be the same? The feudal system not only assigned you work, but also power. I've only assigned you work, but not land."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Chloe laughed bitterly. "One day I'll lead the Inquisition to rebel against you, storm Castel, and seize the Bird's Throne!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Who did you learn all this from?"

Nini's newspaper.

Hughes silently withdrew his gaze and turned to the case file: "Alvarez is going to deliver his verdict today, right? How do you plan to sentence him?"

Alvarez's situation is rather unique, or more accurately, the most unique in the North, which is why Hughes came here in person today.

Although in theory he would not interfere with the court's decisions, as a lord he had the authority to offer advice.

He has never delegated this power. Countless facts have proven that if a supervisory body is set up outside the judicial system, the judicial system will become a mere formality and will be quickly rendered powerless. Therefore, he has no choice but to personally review such important cases.

"This is indeed a bit troublesome. The harm he caused wasn't significant; in fact, he provided us with considerable help. I plan to refer to previous precedents and ultimately sentence him to a minor offense. Do you understand?"

Generally speaking, the sentences for minor offenses are not long, which is a minor issue.

One key point is that bail is possible for minor offenses.

When Hughes revised Castells' constitution, he was actually quite conservative on the bail system, allowing bail only in a few specific circumstances.

Castells was neither short of money nor did he need to compromise with certain classes within the court. Chloe, who presided over the court, had fewer weaknesses than Nora. Therefore, Castells' justice system was actually quite pure. It may not be able to achieve impartiality, but at least it was truly moving in that direction, rather than going backward.

At least in this era, it is far more advanced than any other power.

“His situation is rather unique, and I have an idea.”

Alvarez walked into the courtroom with a nervous expression.

He had heard many people talk about how terrible this place was. Many lords in the North had been sentenced, some of whom were even his vassals, and all of them had complained to him about it.

What a place it is, where the dead judge cases for the living, what a disrespect for the honor of the nobility; in short, it's not a good place.

But when he personally stepped into the courtroom and sat in the judge's seat, he found it surprisingly not bad.

At least everyone seemed reasonable, and they even carefully read aloud to him what crimes he had committed, what legal provisions were used to base the judgment, how each crime would be judged, and what factors might lead to a lighter or heavier sentence. In short, after listening for a while, he only had one feeling:
Clear and understandable.

To his shame, he considered himself to be quite kind to his people, but he always lacked patience when it came to issuing judgments.

Not only does he not inform the criminals of the reasons for their sentences, but he sometimes even fabricates legal provisions based on his own likes and dislikes.

Fairness? The Duke's word is fairness!
"Based on the aforementioned decrees and your conduct during the expedition, I, in the name of the Castel Tribunal, hereby declare that all of Alvarez's lands in the North, except for those used for residence, are confiscated and belong to Castel!"

"Your property still belongs to you, but it must be used in accordance with the requirements, the specific requirements of which are detailed in the judgment."

"Alvarez, is there anything else you'd like to say?"

At this point, Chloe usually doesn't give the condemned a chance to speak. This is partly to maintain the dignity of the courtroom, as she is reading out a verdict, not negotiating with the other party.

Secondly, those who are brought to trial are mostly guilty of serious crimes, and very few, like Alvarez, escaped sentencing.

Yes, Alvarez was not ultimately sentenced to imprisonment, which was Hughes's suggestion.

Chloe originally intended to confiscate most of Alvarez's property and sentence him to a period of imprisonment, but Hughes offered a completely new plan.

He planned to use Alvarez's influence in the North to get him to lead the investment in the North's development.

Castells had historically operated under a system of distribution based on need, with a low level of currency circulation. This was mainly because Castells was isolated overseas and operated as a completely independent economic system.

But things are different now. Castells is preparing to spread his influence across the continent, which requires him to have more interaction with the world, at least economically.

If Castells wants to attract talent from Blood Harbor and beyond, he needs to offer attractive compensation packages. Money doesn't just appear out of thin air. Blood Harbor alone is manageable, but if the entire North is included, without a proper economic cycle, Castells will be constantly sending resources to the North.

It is difficult to sustain.

Military expansion can be very profitable, but Castells ultimately prioritizes industrial development. If he were to allow war to sustain itself, the end result would simply be another empire, with its war machine running but unable to stop.

This is the last thing Hughes wanted to see.

Therefore, he planned to develop the North, but he couldn't let Castells pay for it for nothing.

Since you, Alvarez, are a beneficiary of the North's development, surely contributing some money shouldn't be a problem?
As one of the three Grand Dukes of the North, if he can take the lead and encourage other unconvicted nobles in the North to contribute their assets, future development will proceed much more smoothly.

Given Alvarez's sensibility, he probably wouldn't go against Castells's will, would he?

Hughes thought with satisfaction.

"I have a problem with this! I disagree!" Alvarez stood up excitedly and slammed his fist on the table in front of him.

"Why won't you sentence me? I'm going to Castells!"

(End of this chapter)