I, the wizard, the foolish Buddha.
Chapter 251 Pride and Prejudice? I'm Really Not a Slave Trader
Chapter 251 Pride and Prejudice? I'm Really Not a Slave Trader
Outside the harbor town, Roland looked at the new magic carpet in his hand with surprise.
Although Roland had not practiced the Path of the Black Abyss, he had read dozens of books on the Black Abyss while in the Straw Tower and had a good understanding of the Black Abyss's philosophy.
In addition, he was exposed to the truth in the lower world all day long, so after chatting for a while, he understood.
However, he only had a partial understanding of it, so he just instructed the senior to modify his magic carpet.
After the senior student made the modification, the whole picture changed again.
Roland glanced at his Alaye Notebook:
[Path of Truth: Shepherdess of the Black Blood I]
[Current: A glimpse into the path (Level 0)]
[Attribute: Holy/Shadow]
【characteristic:
1. Purification +2, All Magic Resistance +2, Requiem +2
2. Deterioration +2, Magic Effect +2, Mutation +2
3. Blasphemy +1
【Effect:
1. The probability of advancing to the second-level wizard +2.5%;
2. The probability of advancing to the second-level wizard +7.5%;
3. Probability of advancing to the second-level wizard +2%;]
Roland was pleasantly surprised.
Black Blood. This is a path created from three paths!
The senior sister really has something good in her hands!
Not to mention the probability of advancement, it is already 2% now. After I comprehend the first and second levels, and continue to discuss with my senior, then the possibility of advancement will increase by another %.
As for blasphemy
According to Roland's understanding of Black Abyss Magic and the detailed notes in the book, it can be understood as a more powerful but polluting form of magical penetration.
Once curse, weakening, or dot magic has a desecrating effect, the enemy's condition will quickly deteriorate.
Moreover, this is a power from hell, a more powerful corrosive force. It is effective against those who are protected by gods, and even against those gods who rely on faith to ignite the divine fire.
These things protected by the gods may be immune to many conditions and even magic, but this effect has little effect on blasphemous magic.
Once those magical objects with sacred properties are desecrated, their effects will be greatly reduced.
If Roland's blasphemous power were higher, he could even directly defile a pseudo-holy sword.
The demon in this revised version of "The Shepherdess and the Devil" was originally the demon of the abyss, but now it also has the magic of hell.
Roland was happy here, but the senior sister was secretly distressed.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for me to learn from others. One day in the future, I might have to ask openly as a student.
How can I maintain my dignity in front of Roland?
Catherine was overthinking it. Roland wouldn't act like a superior mentor just because he could teach her something, just like she did.
He would just take advantage of the opportunity to play all kinds of tricks on Lady Catherine.
During the conversation, everyone had unknowingly entered this port city.
It was the first time that Roland had seen so many people in a town in this world—it was said that there were more than 70,000 residents here!
And only local registered residents are counted, not floating population and a large number of unregistered residents!
So the actual population of this city may be over 100,000.
If there were only a few hundred thousand people before the time travel, Roland would have said, "The population of the small country town where I come from is much larger than this."
But in this large seaport, Roland deeply realized how big a city with a population of over one hundred thousand people was.
The buildings in the city are arranged like fish scales. Standing on a high slope and looking forward, you can see thousands of buildings connected to the sky!
The entire city is divided into four major areas. Straw Town isn't small, but two or three of them combined wouldn't be as big as this one!
If it weren't for the large number of floating population here and the small number of permanent residents, this city would be twice as big!
The terrain at the city entrance was higher. Roland stood there and looked at the ships in the distant harbor. The large and small ships in the harbor and on the sea were like stars!
He estimated the distance. It would probably be more than ten or twenty miles from here to the port!
Wizards and mortals live together everywhere in the Twilight Territory, especially in the harbors. As a result, the productivity of the cities is very high, and the cities are extremely prosperous.
The architecture here is very interesting, in the style of Gothic Revival. Among the people walking on the street, many respectable gentlemen are wearing vests and tailcoats.
The outfit is based on dark tones and is paired with trousers, linen shirts and exquisite bow ties.
A word suddenly popped up in Roland's mind - the era of political involvement!
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Napoleon, sailing battleships, steam trains, and some court ladies who were unwilling to give up their bustles and maintain the Loloque style.
Roland couldn't help but sigh to Catherine, "Over two hundred years, doesn't it feel like the world has changed so much?"
Catherine sighed, "It's changed a lot. I remember a few hundred years ago, the popular clothing in the South was simpler. I think the 'silhouette style' was popular. Now you don't even see newsboy caps anymore."
Roland was stunned after hearing this.
Roland didn't know much about silhouette style, but he knew that newsboy caps were a 20th-century garment, right?
It’s more than a hundred years later than the era of political involvement!
It's been two or three hundred years, how come we're getting older and older?
Roland suddenly remembered something Catherine had said before, and he thought to himself, "Piano. This guy knows pianos. So, pianos existed in the time of Alexandra two or three hundred years ago?"
In fact, the Battle of the Walls took place tens of thousands of years ago. The Steam Age appeared thousands of years ago, but then it reverted to the Middle Ages, and it kept going back and forth between the Middle Ages and the Steam Age.
For wizards, some tech trees aren't essential. Magic can satisfy all of this. Mystery, on the other hand, defies logic, so many civilizations' tech points are invested in the study of "chaos systems."
The technology Roland was familiar with wasn't very important to the magical civilization. The technology trees were too different.
The people in Black Sail City were dressed in a variety of styles, and there were quite a few sailors wearing tricorn hats, long-buttoned coats, and pistols hanging from their bodies.
Roland also saw a witch with a wrinkled face and a big hooked nose at a fortune-telling stall on the side of the road. She was telling a pirate's fortune.
A Blood Lord told Roland that there were people from both the north and the south here, but most of them were outsiders—those without shoes, carrying or pushing things, or covered in dirt were locals.
Or rather, local mortals.
Roland sighed. "These people are living quite well. The wizards have brought endless wealth here. Look, even the kids on the street have pants to wear."
Catherine suddenly turned around and looked at Roland. She seemed very shocked. "What do you mean? When you were a child, did I say that little Muggles in the secular world didn't wear pants?!"
Roland said seriously, "Lord Count Catherine, pants are very expensive. How can a farmer afford to buy them? It's not so bad back home, but in the neighboring village, only those who go out to buy things wear pants. Who would wear so many clothes when working in the fields? They'd get damaged."
Catherine was stunned for a long time, then sighed and said, "Magic should be popularized. The South is doing much better in this regard."
Roland pulled her towards a nice-looking store and said, "Stop talking nonsense. We look like people from ancient times when we walk around here dressed like this. Come on, let's buy some new clothes."
He said he was going to buy clothes, but in fact Roland was planning to look at the styles and then pick out a blood-stained robe or something like that and modify it.
But after entering the door, Roland had the idea of buying a few more sets.
I casually walked into a store and was surprised to find that the clothes inside were all very high-end. There were all kinds of styles, including various southern costumes. These clothes were very suitable for wearing as daily clothes in the south.
Roland thinks that just walking into any store is classy - but this is actually a survivor bias.
Or perhaps Roland is now quite knowledgeable and his horizons are no longer comparable to those of the little sword-wielding attendant back then.
So he felt that the store was very good, and it was really good.
So he thought he was just walking into any store, but in fact he had chosen a very upscale and noble store.
However, this store looks like it was newly opened, so there are not many people. This store has indeed been opened not long ago, but the main reason why there are few people is that not many people dare to come in.
Roland saw some costumes of the Southern Paladins.
There were many types, one of which was a classic retro style, somewhat close to the medieval feeling. It reminded Roland of the knights at important festivals attended by cardinals.
It seems that the knights and monks in the south also wear this kind of classic retro style clothing or ceremonial armor on certain occasions.
One type is a gorgeous knight's uniform with a long row of buttons, breeches, and long boots. The head can be topped with a bicorne or a high-topped feathered hat. It is suitable for carrying a sword or a musket.
Roland felt that the shape of this knight's uniform was a bit like a tuxedo.
His feeling was correct. The tailcoat evolved from cavalry uniforms, and its original purpose was to make riding more convenient.
Because the front hem of the coat was rolled back and pinned, revealing the pattern underneath, it unexpectedly looked very beautiful and elegant. As a result, the tailcoat gradually became a fashionable and proper gentleman's attire, no longer existing as a professional cavalry uniform.
Not long after, the owner came over in person.
These guests were obviously nobles, including masters, ladies, maids and knights.
These people are obviously big customers.
The owner invited them directly into the inner room.
This room is quite chic and spacious, and the sofas are all new.
Roland and Catherine sat on the sofa, and their followers either stood behind them or sat on the sofa next to them.
There were five or six shop assistants and two models in the room. These seven or eight people, plus the owner, were dedicated to serving Roland and Catherine.
Some people served tea, some showed Roland exquisite picture albums, the owner specifically explained to Roland and the others, and some specially prepared clothes that Roland liked. The beautiful or handsome professional models would wear the samples for Roland and Catherine to see.
It's like a fashion show.
Roland couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "So this is how rich people buy clothes. Fortunately, I didn't ask the boss to take the clothes off for me to look at just now."
This is a self-deprecating statement. There are no clothes hanging on the walls outside, not even a few pieces. It looks more like a salon than a clothing store.
Roland was secretly shocked by the lives of the rich, and the shop owner was also secretly shocked by the noble lord.
Because he couldn't understand the value and material of the clothes the gentleman was wearing. He couldn't even understand the handkerchief that the lady had just used to wipe the gentleman's face!
He used to be a professional tailor!
Not to mention this master and lady, even the maids and knights are not ordinary nobles. Their dress and temperament are extraordinary, and they exude the demeanor of a superior, intentionally or unintentionally, and each of them is like a queen!
And this group of elegant female nobles are the entourage of the newlyweds!
This is no ordinary big customer!
Listen to the advice and eat your fill. The owner had originally not wanted to open a shop like this here, after all, the items were too expensive. It didn't seem right to open it in a place like the harbor. But judging by the customers who've come in these past few days, the northern "magicians" are truly rich!
They all use gems as money!
I heard that back home they're planning to use something to replace the 'silver penny'?
Paper! Use paper instead!
The masters in the church are simply crazy about sucking blood!
After looking at the album for a while, Roland asked, "Just now on the street, I saw some gentlemen wearing top hats and those round, black lenses. What are they called? They're not monocular, they're binocular."
The owner suddenly realized something and said "Oh" and quickly asked the clerk to go outside and buy a few sets of sunglasses.
Roland picked one and played with it for a while, finding it quite novel.
Roland had seen a lot of sunglasses, but these were very retro. They were small, black, and round. At first glance, they looked like the kind of dandy boy he was.
It reminded Roland of the foreign sunglasses in Justice, My Foot.
Roland asked, "How much does this cost in the South?"
The shop owner looked at the clerk who had just gone to buy something with an inquiring look.
The clerk smiled subtly and said, "Sir, the pair you have in your hand is quite expensive. It is made of the finest quartz. It usually costs eight shillings."
Roland took out eight Twilight Silver Dollars. The shopkeeper took a look at the silver coins and said hurriedly, "Sir, these are silver dollars, and they are large silver dollars. One is worth four silver shillings."
The shopkeeper knew that Roland didn't understand the currency of the south, so he explained it to Roland.
In the south, where wizards and mortals lived together, they did not use the Philosopher's Stone as currency—their alchemical technology was not advanced enough, and they did not have the Philosopher's Stone to make a Philosopher's Stone.
Therefore, using energy currency such as the Philosopher's Stone as currency is a very, very luxurious thing for them.
They regarded the Philosopher's Stone as a strategic material.
The currency in the South was mainly silver and copper. There were also gold coins but they were rarely circulated.
The currency was divided into gold pounds, silver shillings and copper pence.
1 gold pound = 20 silver shillings = 240 copper pence.
The gold pound was originally exchangeable for one pound of silver, but now prices have skyrocketed and one gold pound is worth far less.
The silver shilling also represents about 1g of silver.
Twilight's silver dollar is of very good quality, weighing about 4.5g and containing 92% silver. It is also very finely made, so one of Twilight's silver dollars is worth 4 silver shillings.
After hearing this, Catherine was stunned for a long time. She asked, "Such fine quartz is only sold for two silver dollars?"
Last time she sent someone to Nangang to buy one for fun, and the maid said that the man asked the butler for more than twenty magic stones.
The difference between the two accounts is more than a thousand times!
Mistress Catherine was coaxed by the servants!
However, it was common for the lord to be deceived by his servants. Everyone would turn a blind eye. Even the most loyal female servant could be a major embezzler, secretly working for the lord to gain benefits!
Therefore, although the people around the lord are aware of these things, they will not take the initiative to point them out. After all, it will offend people too much and will also harm their own interests. The waters in this castle and the palace are very deep.
After hearing what Catherine said, Roland was also dumbfounded. He pointed outside and said, "My sister, these sunglasses are expensive enough at eight silver shillings, and two silver dollars!
You know, the clothes that the common people out there wear cost only two silver dollars. Is that right, sir?"
Roland looked at the shop owner.
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Yes, sir. Common people's clothes are generally 6-13 shillings - that's the price of shoes.
If you buy a pair of good boots alone, you will pay 10-12 shillings. Shoes are more expensive than clothes.
As for the more upscale gentleman's clothing or women's clothing you see outside, it usually costs around 1-3 gold pounds, and horse clothing is over 10 gold pounds. It's more than times more expensive than ordinary people's clothing."
Roland said, "So, Miss Catherine, an ordinary piece of clothing is worth 2-3 dollars, and these sunglasses are worth two silver dollars, which is quite expensive. Just as expensive as the boots."
Catherine asked curiously, "But sunglasses are luxury goods, are shoes too?"
Roland was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "Catherine, places like the port are deeply influenced by the South. There's no racial distinction between Muggles and wizards. People all know some magic, factories are being built, and productivity is very high.
Workers might earn 40-80 gold pounds a year, and maids might earn to gold pounds a year. Everyone could afford to spend a dozen shillings on a decent set of clothes.
A well-off family would grit their teeth and spend a few gold pounds to buy two decent sets of men's and women's clothing to socialize in some high-end occasions. If they had a little more money, they might spend an extra 5 pounds to buy a second-hand silver pocket watch.
Therefore, for southerners, shoes are not really a luxury item, even boots are not considered a luxury item. They can only be said to be daily necessities that are a bit expensive.
But for many places in our eastern interior, for the people under your rule, shoes are a luxury!
Even clothes and bedding are luxuries!
Because everyone could save a few silver dollars a year, or a dozen silver shillings a year, which was considered good.
Not to mention the country people, 1/2 shilling can buy 4 pounds of bread, and the money for a pair of boots or a suit of clothes is enough to buy 80 pounds of good bread!
The farmers who grew wheat could not afford bread. Black bread was for the rich peasants, and ordinary people ate porridge.
The money for a pair of shoes can keep the whole family full for a long time.
For most people in this world, being able to eat a full meal is their lifelong pursuit.
Mercenaries were considered wealthy, but they were also "poor." Shoes and clothes were also valuable to them.
When we went to suppress bandits in the past, we would definitely take away the shoes and clothes of the prisoners and then escort them away to exchange for money.
After the robbers caught someone, they would strip him naked before killing him.
When knights and lords rewarded their servants, they always gave them old quilts, old clothes, and old sweaters.
These things are wearable and warm, allowing the family to live a respectable life. They're also more practical than gold and silver. In our inland areas, even if you have silver dollars, you might not be able to buy much clothing. The productivity is there. Muggles, unlike wizards, struggle to make a set of clothes—someone in the family has to work. Without one person working, the children might starve to death.
But things are very contradictory. If we have one less piece of clothing, everyone can have enough food to eat and one more person can survive.
But if there was one more piece of clothing and one more quilt, the child at home might not have died this winter.
Therefore, if the lord rewards you with an old quilt or an old sweater one day, it is a blessing from heaven!
There's no need to worry about these things getting old. After all, we wear clothes to survive, not to look good. So what if they're a little dirty and worn?
Therefore, all cotton and woolen fabrics are more practical hard currencies than gold and silver, and are currencies that can be worn and used.
If we encounter a disaster, selling these sweaters and quilts will help our family get through the disaster."
After listening to this, Catherine sighed for a long time, and then she asked curiously: "So, why do the robbers take off people's clothes before killing them?"
Roland said, "Because the clothes are stained with blood, they are worthless. When the robbers kill people, they bleed them. It is easier to bleed the living people so that the meat can be sold."
Catherine was stunned: "Selling human flesh?"
Roland said, "Yes, Miss Catherine. There are many places like this in the inland.
To be precise, human flesh is sold as beef.
Because if you know how to cut it, the human flesh will look almost the same as beef.
99% of people have never eaten beef in their lives, so they can't tell the difference between beef and human flesh when they put them in their mouths.
There is a black-hearted lord who uses human flesh as beef to reward his subordinates. After all, the value of cattle is much higher than that of humans.
A healthy slave cost only 4-6 silver dollars, cheaper than clothing. And they were not picky eaters. When a slave was no longer useful, they could be slaughtered and eaten for their meat, thus making it a good use of their waste.
A cow costs over 20 silver dollars, and it's picky about food and hard to keep, requiring meticulous care. Cows are precious, so we can't bear to use them like slaves, and we can't bear to kill them.
Therefore, most of the beef sold on the market, and I mean the beef sold at the lower levels of society, is actually not beef. It’s human flesh.”
This time the owner was also dumbfounded.
What kind of business had this gentleman previously run? Was he a slave trader? Otherwise, how could he know so much?
He didn't know this was something Roland had heard. Of course, he had also encountered similar things when he was doing missions with mercenaries on the way to Daocheng Town.
But more knowledge comes from the Valeria mercenaries, who have traveled all over the world and know many stories.
In Roland's impression, only the people of Valeria lived a good life, while the people around him were so poor that they had no pants to wear.
It’s the same in every country; this is the way it is in this era.
In this medieval era, there were many black-hearted lords who treated people like sheep.
Catherine was deeply shocked by what Roland said about the inland things.
She had never paid attention to these things before.
She looked out the window at the prosperous and fashionable streets, thinking about the Muggles, lords and wizards under her rule, and she couldn't calm down for a long time.
The south is so prosperous, but the east is so dark and barbaric.
In her previous life, she had never paid attention to worldly matters. She had a lot of passion, but in the end, nothing had changed.
Even if I succeeded then, I'm afraid that the human species and the wizard species would still be separated and would still be two separate species. Nothing would change.
That will never happen this time.
(End of this chapter)
You'll Also Like
-
Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor
Chapter 230 1 hours ago -
I, the wizard, the foolish Buddha.
Chapter 439 1 hours ago -
Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.
Chapter 315 1 hours ago -
Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.
Chapter 184 1 hours ago -
Anime: Fight Sukuna at the beginning?.
Chapter 394 1 hours ago -
The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again
Chapter 345 1 hours ago -
I reforged the glory of the magic ring in Middle-earth
Chapter 149 1 hours ago -
Daqin Zhentiansi
Chapter 508 1 hours ago -
Hexagonal God
Chapter 631 1 hours ago -
Yin Shou Shu
Chapter 211 1 hours ago