Kayal, leaning on his cane, exuded an aura of venerable sanctity. He needed this aura to build momentum, allowing him to represent a leader who could reassure ordinary citizens. As a leader, you might be incompetent, you might not need to know everything, you might not need to be good at judging people, but you must have a deep inner resolve and cultivate a strong sense of composure.
Otherwise, if you, as a leader, are flustered, laughing, scolding, and completely transparent, what right do you have to lead your subordinates? All your authority would be lost!
Kayal might be as gentle as the sun, but when he became majestic, he would melt the wings of shameless people who tried to get too close to the sun, sending the impudent plummeting to the dust.
Entering the residential area, the streets were filled with large tables. Besides the lively people, many were more concerned about their livelihoods. Under the fair oversight of the Merchants' Guild, merchants from afar were arguing heatedly over the unique products of Red Leaf Ridge.
Kayal was not a fool; he scoffed at the idea of making a fortune through specialty products and pirated goods in many power-struggle novels. This method had two flaws: even with money, it was only their own money. Would they rely on this to make money while their citizens starved? Would they always be commoners? What good would all that money do then? To raise an army? To make money? To conquer? If wealth isn't held by the people, then soldiers are just militias equipped with gear; if wealth isn't held by the people, making money is just a monopoly; if wealth isn't held by the people, conquest is still just that same broken land!
How foolish!
Would Kayal be so foolish?
Of course not!
Apart from military inventions, civilian inventions—no matter which one—once invented by Kayal and his disciples, would be directly reported to the Contribution Department. Although it was just a gesture, a leader who wouldn't even do superficial work was truly pathetic!
These patent-like items could only be exchanged by citizens and nobles. Of course, only nobles from Red Leaf Ridge qualified; what kind of birds were nobles from other territories? Who cared about them!
Citizens and nobles were the most trusted by Kayal and Grand Duke Andrei. Entrusting them with operations not only prevented leaks, but also because of a special rule: each person could only choose one industry to invest in and build factories. In other words, even if more and more people became citizens, nobles, or even marquises due to their merits and contributions, their inventions and creations would also increase, and industries would multiply. Those who made a living from these would naturally generate technological innovation. Just like now, Grand Duke Andrei's personal guard, Leyton, exchanged his contribution points for the construction of a fishing ground. He now earns a fortune daily just from the fishing ground, and no longer needs his salary.
Like those old officials who first followed Grand Duke Andrei, such as Guens, as an old-fashioned man, he always believed that food was paramount. He invested in farms, and his large tracts of farmland accounted for about two percent of Red Leaf Ridge's annual output.
Others also invested in various ventures. The advantage of this was not only that it united the people, but also that recipes, materials, methods, and production processes were less likely to be leaked. It also allowed wealth to be stored among the people. Even with the abolition of agricultural tax, Red Leaf Ridge's various taxes, solely from the prosperity of its facilities, were sufficient to cover all expenses—don't forget, they still had seventy to eighty thousand free slave laborers!
Although the slaves were nearing the end of their term to gain a happy life, it was clear that their contributions had been sufficient! Red Leaf Ridge's infrastructure was already established. Facing a Red Leaf Ridge with a solid foundation and the support of its people, no one could break it from within!
Watching the people and merchants argue heatedly over transaction prices filled Kayal with great satisfaction. A transaction required four people to be present simultaneously: the buyer, the seller, the seller's Merchants' Guild, and an impartial official from Red Leaf Ridge!
In such a situation, being able to argue rationally in front of the Merchants' Guild and officials not only showed that the people had a basic sense of legality, but also represented the government's deep-rooted image of being close to the people. It was a good thing for the people to be able to fight for justice with justice.
Seeing the figure ahead, Kayal's eyes lit up, and he quickly pushed through the crowd to catch up. Amidst the revelry, dining, and trading, even seeing Kayal, people wouldn't swarm him, allowing him to move through the throng.
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Nero declared that life without Octavia was incredibly joyful. Octavia had been completely brainwashed by her mother—that disgusting, malicious, petty, and insidious Empress Agrippina.
Octavia's heart was completely bound by those rigid, inflexible Roman rules. After being managed by her for two days, Nero could finally roam freely and play as she pleased.
Because there was a female knight here who looked exactly like her, even after removing her cloak and veil, no one mistook her for the child of Claudius. Instead, they would smile at her with respect. This feeling was unprecedentedly good.
Just as she was enjoying the market, greedily breathing in the air of freedom, she was suddenly embraced from behind. The firm arms were as hot as burning coals, making her feel as if she was melting.
Her earlobe was sucked, and she, soft as noodles, had no resistance whatsoever as she was dragged into an alley... A large hand climbed onto her chest, gently kneading. Those magical hands, hot as a furnace, slipped inside her clothes... And that annoying fellow kept exhaling hot breath into her ear, his seductive voice like that of a legendary enchantress, bewitching hearts: "Say, Artoria, was the excitement of becoming a woman yesterday really that great? You even changed clothes to come out and play?"
The large hand roamed restlessly. In this alley, the two were like lovers in a passionate embrace, pressed tightly together, not afraid of being discovered.
To be honest, it was Kayal who was most surprising now! In just one night, he had transformed from a boy into a man, and Kayal was now filled with a mature, teasing, and alluring aura. This was fatal to some women, like a mandrake, beautiful but highly poisonous.
Not to mention the current active seduction.
In fact, Kayal was also unable to stop himself. The blushing Artoria was too much of a contrast to her usual serious demeanor. This kind of contrast moe was incredibly enticing, and Kayal couldn't resist, which is why he embraced her in public and dragged her into the alley to tease her. This stimulating feeling, akin to an illicit affair or car sex, made Kayal unable to stop.
You can't afford to hurt a teenager in puberty, you really can't afford to hurt him!