Chapter 1857 - 512: All Can Hear the Oracle, Even the "One Who Lost His Shoe"_3

"The Ryan Kingdom possesses the vast Golden Plain and has tens of millions of hardworking citizens. They grew up riding sturdy cows and eating full berries and potatoes. You tell me... such a strong kingdom, and it has only eighty thousand gold coins! You think I can't count!"

The population of the Ryan Kingdom is about over twenty million, with a land area of 1.2 million square kilometers.

Even if we omit the Twilight Province, which is engulfed in war, there's still nearly 700,000 square kilometers and over ten million living in the core areas counted as "statistical population."

With so many people, even if each one donated 100 copper coins, that would amount to over a hundred thousand gold coins!

How is it possible that they can't even come up with a mere eighty thousand gold coins?

One must admit, Theoden's mathematical abilities are sufficient, but this calculation is clearly off. Even ignoring the complex relationship between GDP and tax revenue and the loss of value in circulation, those eighty thousand gold coins are the surplus accumulated after income minus expenses, and this surplus is gradually decreasing.

More than the eighty thousand gold coins themselves, he should actually be more concerned with the "default deadlines of various levels of debt," those real deadlines.

Yet, Baron Wickton dared not remind him at this time, could only remain silent, bowing his head praying for Your Majesty's anger to pass quickly.

The King paced back and forth in the study, like an old lion provoked to anger, muttering curses incessantly.

"Saint Sis above, this gang that eats inside and destroys outside, the termites of the kingdom's assets, thieves, everyone is thinking about my money! And you, Wickton, I just praised you, and you hand me such a report! Even if a pig were sitting in your position, it wouldn't manage my treasury this way!"

Theoden was in disbelief, but more angry at the betrayal he felt.

In this kingdom, everyone is asking him for things, calculating their own interests.

Saint Sis above, why is his court filled with a bunch of refined egoists, is there not one selfless and devoted good person?

Where have the good people gone?

Facing the King's roar, Baron Wickton fell to one knee with a thud, not daring to argue, let alone point out the real issue.

If not for the repairs on this Royal Manor, if not for that money-losing Winter Moon Coup, if not for those myriad unexpected expenses... even if their finances were tight, it wouldn't be this tight.

The Ryan Kingdom is like a giant tightening its belt, and their belt is like a tightly stretched string that requires careful control of breathing rhythm to keep it taut continuously.

Yet, it is unknown who gave His Majesty this illusion that, in an era where even Transcendents cannot do as they please, they are one in a million exceptions.

But at present, saying these things holds no meaning anymore.

As a veteran fox who has struggled in the court for many years, Wickton knows it is never the truth that matters. If he doesn't pass the buck immediately, this blame will certainly be placed atop his head by His Majesty.

His mind turned quickly.

There are no political adversaries left to deal with around, so he can only find a more ethereal opponent, almost his instinct.

"Your Majesty, calm down... please calm down." Wickton raised his head, face full of loyalty and fear, "Undoubtedly someone stole your money, but I believe it wasn't any specific person, rather our... 'revenue structure' has revealed a huge loophole."

He carefully chose his meticulously woven terms, piecing together something unintelligibly profound behind words a King could understand.

Theoden's eyes indeed squinted, and his anger eased a bit.

Revenue?

It sounds intriguing, he intends to listen to the Minister's explanation.

Seeing the King's pacing stopped, Baron Wickton swallowed a mouthful of saliva, beginning to lay the groundwork for his carefully prepared strategy.

"In our Kingdom, those with the most land and wealth are the priests. They are first-level citizens, occupying the most fertile church lands, with the offerings of believers, yet only responsible to the deities in the heavens, not paying you even a copper coin tax, even taxing your commoners! This clearly is unreasonable!"

"Next are those nobles. They are second-level citizens, possessing fiefs and privileges, but when it comes to paying taxes, they are evasive, and during wartime, require you to reward them with large amounts of gold coins to maintain their loyalty, even demanding interest on loans from you! They are like dragons guarding the vault, only taking in but never paying out, which is why our silver coins are depreciating against gold coins!"

"Lastly, it is our only source of tax revenue—the cunning commoners and merchants, they aren't good people either, these fellows would rather hide money in wall cracks than bring them out to feed the soldiers protecting them."

Wickton made a heart-wrenching expression, which wasn't entirely a pretense. Undoubtedly, he truly loved this kingdom, his family and the Devalu family sharing honor and disgrace.

Otherwise, he certainly wouldn't sincerely offer advice to his Majesty from the heart.

"...But Your Majesty, owing to natural disasters and years of war, coupled with the exploitation layer by layer of various lords, this sheep has already been shaved bald. Even if we throw them into an oil press, a few drops of oil cannot be squeezed out, we must think of some way from the nobles and priests, have them bear the forgotten obligations."