King
Chapter 1189 - 1189 193 Cleansing

1189: Chapter 193: Cleansing 1189: Chapter 193: Cleansing “Honored Robert, what is this about?”

Hudson asked, puzzled.

As the honorary Marshal of Moxi Duchy, he still held some prestige.

In the Capital Dapes City, there was also a Marshal Mansion belonging to Hudson.

Though he might not visit it more than once in several years, the mansion maintained its dignity without compromise.

In this regard, the Moxi People did a commendable job.

It also indirectly proved that the Moxi Government’s purse was still quite full.

By contrast, the Alpha Kingdom government was much stingier.

To save expenses, things like the maintenance of official residences had to be paid for out of their own pockets.

Thank goodness that the high-ranking officials were not living on salaries alone; otherwise, the little money dispensed by the government wouldn’t even cover the regular maintenance costs of the mansions.

Of course, this is not to say that the salaries of officials in the Alpha Kingdom were low, or that the government was corrupt and incompetent; it was simply because the kingdom’s finances were depleted after the great war, and there was temporarily no money for salaries, let alone for mansion maintenance.

Lower bureaucrats had families to support, and no one dared touch their salaries; thus the higher-ups’ pay was put on hold.

This included a host of high-ranking individuals, starting with King Caesar IV, who were all creditors of the finance ministry.

This debt became a habit, and Hudson, since becoming a Kingdom Marshal, had never received his full salary, except during wartime.

Under normal circumstances, the Kingdom Government should pay Hudson thirty thousand Gold Coins a year for his salary, various subsidies, and residence maintenance costs.

In reality, Hudson could only collect 300 Gold Coins from the Kingdom Government annually, which was exactly one percent of the amount due, leaving him at a loss for words.

Without a doubt, this was a precise figure calculated by the finance ministry.

It was enough to cover a bureaucrat’s family expenses and maintain the dignity of lower nobility.

Without any major incidents, one could normally save up a hundred and eighty Gold Coins a year.

Officials who earned above this figure had their salaries withheld by the Kingdom Government for various reasons, while those below received their full pay.

Even the king’s annual pension could only amount to this much, with the remaining hundreds of thousands being a debt.

It was an old tradition.

After every major war, there would be a wave of unpaid salaries.

Only this time, it has dragged on a tad longer.

Hudson held no hope for back pay.

Even if the Kingdom Government had a surplus, they wouldn’t make up for it.

There was no way around it; centuries of accumulated debt had become an untouchable, vast figure.

So much so that Hudson often regretted internally why he had handed over the revenue stream from selling inherited knowledge to the Moxi People.

If it had been given to the Kingdom…

But let’s not assume that.

Given the attention on the Alpha Kingdom, if the government had a huge amount of unexplained funds, they could turn the Continent upside down in an investigation.

Having just returned from the auction, Hudson was utterly confused to find that everyone from the Kingdom who came to the auction was now crowding at his doorstep.

“Marshal, the Moxi Duchy might be targeted.

The sudden appearance of the Followers of the Evil God may not be a coincidence.

The transformation of the Fox Girl into an elf points towards the manipulative traces of major powers from behind the scenes.

With such an incident occurring, it is estimated that the Moxi Government is no longer in the mood to continue holding the auction.

We would like to ask for your help in initiating some deals, to privately trade a portion of Potions and Alchemy Items with the Moxi People.

If possible, we implore you to help facilitate a relationship so that we may visit Master Kembery’s laboratory.”

Robert’s analysis in the first half startled Hudson; he thought this group of old fellows were about to plunge back into the fray.

Thankfully, these people, although they cared about politics, didn’t care much.

If this group of elders also jumped into politics, the Kingdom would be in an uproar.

The subsequent suggestion to visit the laboratory was clearly audacious.

Normally, whatever power discovered Master Kembery’s laboratory would keep it a strict secret.

If it weren’t for the good relations between the two countries, such an impudent request could get them escorted out of the country by the Moxi People.

“I can help broker the deal for you.

However, I won’t get involved in the specifics of the transaction.

You felt it yourself at the auction venue.

Anything from Master Kembery does not come cheap.

Whatever you plan to buy next, the price is for you to negotiate.

The matter of the laboratory might be a bit troublesome.

Involving Master Kembery, the Moxi People would never intentionally release any information without a thorough investigation, perhaps hundreds of times over.

Even if Master Kembery’s legacy were hidden in the laboratory, the Moxi People would’ve already taken it.

What you would see now are the already many times sifted-through laboratories, making it hard to find anything new, and it might even provoke suspicions.”

Hudson tactfully declined.

He had no problem acting as an intermediary.

By increasing the number of buyers, he could sell more Potions.

Private transactions were different from public auctions; they could sell the same Potions to different buyers at high prices under the guise of limited editions.

Hudson naturally didn’t mind assisting in a win-win situation.

But the laboratory was a different matter.

Although he had been there himself, it did not mean just anyone could enter.

Favors are not to be squandered indiscriminately.

The main attraction of this auction was already based on deception.

If these old folks were let in and by some mischance, the masquerade was exposed, revealing that the Potions didn’t originate from Master Kembery’s hand, the trouble would be significant.