Chapter 49: The Temple District

A red sun rose in the east, spreading the first rays of morning light like silk. This clear and moving light flew through the Morning Glow, filling the air quickly. It passed over layers of buildings and fell upon the streets and alleys of Karada.

That playful sunlight ran in through the window glass. It gently touched George’s eyelids. Feeling the warmth, he opened his eyes. He slowly climbed out of the bedding made of silk fabric filled with velvet.

“Everyone says that a land of tenderness is the grave of heroes, but isn’t a land of wealth the same?” George, sitting by the bed, let out a sigh. Perhaps because things had been smooth for him in the past few years, he felt nothing. But this journey had cost George a lot of mental and spiritual effort. When he finally felt calm last night, he slept soundly in that soft bedding without waking up. This was the best sleep George had in recent years.

He recalled the last conversation between the father and son last night.

Viscount Bolerum asked with a serious face: “George, how much money can you directly use from your Territory right now without affecting normal operations?”

Hearing this question, George was confused: “Oh! Father, is there something that needs a large amount of money?”

Seeing that George did not seem to understand, Viscount Bolerum explained: “Actually, it is about the marriage alliance with those two empires. If this alliance fails, of course, nothing more needs to be said. But if it succeeds, no matter which country we ally with, as nobles who own Territories, besides gifts, we must also pay a significant tribute. Although it is hard to say if it will succeed or not, preparing early is definitely the right thing to do.”

“How much is that about? Do we need to use only Gold Coins? Can we use other valuable items?” George began to estimate the inventory in his Territory’s Vault.

Viscount Bolerum immediately gave his budget: “According to our House Bolerum’s rank, the tribute will be about 3,000 Gold Coins. The gifts, which are mainly art pieces, are also around 1,000 Gold Coins. For many Territories, paying such a large amount of cash or general equivalents at once is a real test of cash flow.”

“Father, for our current Territory, this is not a difficult sum to raise. However, to avoid being too conspicuous, can we use half Gold Coins and half gems? As for art pieces, I have no research on them. You will need to contact them yourself.” Hearing this, George immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Viscount Bolerum immediately became interested: “To be honest, I have not cared about the financial surplus in the Territory in detail for a long time. So, my lovely little George, can you tell me how much income we had last year?”

George looked down and thought for a while before answering: “As for the income balance, it is about 30,000 Gold Coins. Actually, besides some Gold Coins, various precious metals, and gem-based general equivalents, there are also some raw materials, food, or weapon s, which are items that are easier to hold value. Although I do not know how others are, I have not found that many Gold Coins myself.”

Viscount Bolerum said, “In four years, the financial balance has increased by three hundred percent. I really think letting you act as the Acting Lord was the most correct decision. But please give me some time to calm my shocked heart. See you tomorrow, my dear.”

“Good night, Father,” George said, deliberately yawning.

After exchanging various intelligence and thinking about problems all night, plus the fatigue of the journey, George washed up under the guidance of the servants and fell asleep quickly.

Putting aside these thoughts, George began his routine morning lesson. One must persist in everything, especially in cultivation. The result of working hard for three days and resting for two is often achieving nothing.

After breakfast, George and the three Squires immediately followed Knight Val to the Temple of the God of Justice to hand over this Flashing Gold evidence.

George had not been to Karada for nearly a year, but the scenery on this road was exactly the same as a year ago. It seemed as if time had frozen there, appearing unchanged.

The road was paved with thick gray stone slabs. Under the long-term footsteps of passing pedestrians, the sharp corners were worn off, and the roughness was rubbed away, making it smooth and round. The moss on the ditches on both sides added a bit of vitality to this old-fashioned and stiff environment.

The buildings on both sides of the road were mostly built with sharp corners, giving people a sense of hard beauty. The rough lines on the pillars, the prominent horizontal wings, and the building walls with no carvings at all. Although the details of each building were different, the overall consistent style gave Karada, the political center of the Duchy of Nohan, a bit of a military camp atmosphere.

The Temple District was located in the east of the Inner City. The closer one got there, the more the building style shifted towards religious styles. However, it was precisely this transition that allowed these two groups of buildings with different styles to sit in an Inner City of not very large area without looking out of place.

Everyone came to the front of the Temple of Tyl, the God of Justice. They saw three pointed-arch doorways on the front. Next to them was a row of statues of twenty-six heroes wearing all kinds of clothes. They were either heroes who did great deeds in the Church of Tyl, or church martyrs with noble ideals, or church scholars with profound influence. In the very center was a large circular window with a mosaic design, guarded by a small window on each side, just like priests and deacons accompanying a priest.

That tall and elegant three-leaf clover-shaped cloister had its flat roof supported by small columns. Finally, there were two pointed towers with ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. Together with their stone eaves, they coordinated with each other in the overall grandeur, displayed in five layers in front of George. Although crowded, it was not chaotic. Along with countless carvings, sculptures, and carved decorations, it suited its overall solemn and great nature. It could be said to be a large-scale stone symphony, expressing strong emotions of mystery, solemnity, and sublimity with excellent architectural skills.

The Holy Symbol standing on the pointed top of the Temple was exceptionally brilliant. The soft light it emitted became blurry and inconspicuous under the morning sun. But it was clearly different from the polarization effect caused by the air distorted by heat.

The scales in the center of the Holy Symbol represented the stance of fairness and justice. The crossed Longsword and Warhammer were not only weapons skilled by the god but also represented the force that existed to defend justice. The legal documents as the background were the guarantee to limit the force and ensure it was not used wrongly.