CHAPTER 58: VILLAGE ECONOMY

Gideon sat in the living room of the house, with Noelle and Silva sitting across from him. They had prepared tea and light snacks for him, perfect for a late-night bite.

Noelle still had no idea what Gideon was planning. It was useless for her to ask Silva, her daughter would not know anything either.

Luke had gone off under Gideon’s orders, leaving Noelle’s home to head to the tent where Norton and Liam were resting. From a glance, Luke already knew what Gideon intended to do tomorrow.

When he arrived at the tent, Luke found Norton and Liam relaxing while enjoying Norton’s wine. Luke’s arrival made their attention shift to the side. They stared at him in confusion.

"Luke?" Norton asked.

"Are you two free? Captain Gordon is requesting your presence at Noelle’s house," Luke answered.

"Noelle? What for?" Norton asked.

"Captain will explain more himself," Luke replied.

Curious about what Gideon wanted to discuss, Norton stood up from the cushion on the ground. Liam did the same, drinking wine without company didn’t feel right anyway.

In simple shirts and trousers, Norton and Liam walked down the main road of the village, Luke leading the way.

Nemora was a small village, so the distance from the tent to Noelle’s home did not take long.

After fifteen minutes of walking, they arrived at Noelle’s door. Gideon welcomed them inside as he stood up and walked closer.

Noelle and Silva looked panicked and shocked. She did not recognize who Norton was, but she did recognize the purple-haired man who came with him.

It was Liam Duncan, a viscount, unmarried, handsome, and the dream of many women. His good looks and gentle way of speaking had made many women fall for him, Silva included.

"Viscount Duncan?" Silva asked, and Liam smiled politely in greeting.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Norton asked, looking at Gideon.

"There is an arrogant baron squeezing taxes from the people to enrich himself. I need your help to bring him down," Gideon said firmly.

Norton went silent, then turned his head to look at Liam. Liam flinched when all eyes in the room turned to him.

"Me?" Liam asked.

"You’re the one who appointed the baron in the Mischo region. You should know who rules the southern border," Norton said.

"Tch. Damn Nozel."

Gideon agreed. What Liam said was true, Nozel was the baron who ruled the southern border.

With his authority, he showed arrogance and cruelty to the common people. It was uncomfortable and created an unstable situation.

"You want me to strip him of his title as baron? Then who would replace him?" Liam asked.

"I don’t know. How about him?" Norton asked, pointing at Gideon.

"Me?" Gideon asked, shocked.

"You need to get used to noble status first. Baron is the right step before His Majesty grants you something higher," Norton answered.

"Has His Majesty the King promised such a thing?" Liam asked.

Norton nodded. He had previously been summoned to the capital to receive this mission directly from King Moko.

The King had promised to raise everyone who contributed into nobility in the mission to rescue Princess Alanar.

But in reality, only Gideon’s team had truly carried out the mission to success. Norton had agreed not to claim credit for what was not his.

The report had already been sent to the capital, telling of how Princess Alanar was saved by Norton.

It was only a matter of time before Alanar was either brought to the capital or collected by palace soldiers.

"That’s amazing. If the King himself grants him a title, then the status he might be given could surely be—"

"Marquis."

"But which Marquis would he replace? North? East? West?" Liam asked.

Norton shook his head. That was fully the King’s decision, and Norton could not offer a specific suggestion. Perhaps Gideon had his own ambitions that might even catch the King’s interest.

No one ever knew what Gideon was truly thinking. His strategies and thoughts were hard to read.

As for this matter, it would be easy for Liam to strip Nozel of his baron title. However, deciding whether Gideon was the right choice to replace him was something that needed thought.

"I can strip Nozel, but are you sure he can do a better job than Nozel?" Liam asked carefully.

"Ha ha ha!"

"Are you seriously asking that?" Norton said, laughing at Liam’s caution.

Gideon looked straight at Liam. There were still doubts in Liam’s mind, things that made him not fully trust Gideon yet.

He gently patted Norton on the shoulder, making him stop laughing.

"If you don’t trust me, that’s fine. Giving a title as important as Baron must be done carefully," Gideon said.

He turned to Norton with a friendly look and a light smile. For now, he had no desire to become a baron. There were many other potential candidates besides him who deserved the position.

"I choose Master Gideon as Baron," Noelle said firmly.

"I do too," Silva added.

"Do you two understand the weight of responsibility you are placing on me?" Liam asked.

"We understand. That is why we are trying to help you," Noelle replied.

"And not just me. The entire village of Nemora will support Gideon as Baron."

Liam stayed quiet for a moment, glancing at Gideon and then back at Norton, who kept nodding in agreement.

If the people of the village knew Gideon better, then Liam had no choice but to accept what they wanted.

"Alright. Nozel will be stripped of his title," Liam said.

"I will summon him to Mischo and strip him there, maybe it will take—"

"You don’t need to do that," Silva interrupted.

"Why not?"

"Because Nozel will be here tomorrow," Silva said.

Liam was stunned. What kind of coincidence was this? But it was all Gideon’s plan. Gideon explained everything that had happened at Noelle’s house before Liam and Norton arrived.

Both nobles listened, then were surprised at what they heard. It was no wonder Gideon wanted to weaken Nozel tomorrow, since he had done something terrible.

"Taxes are inseparable from society."

"True. But we can choose not to raise them too high. This is about a village’s independence," Gideon answered.

"Independence? What do you mean?" Norton asked.

"Simply put, if a village has a business and that business does well, the profit can be used for village development and so on."

"Money circulation stays inside the village, creating jobs and preventing unemployment among working-age people," Gideon explained.

"Captain... your words are too complicated for them," Luke muttered.

"Ah, right. I got carried away."

"The point is, a village can grow strong if taxes and business work together," Gideon said.

Norton and Liam gawked, stunned by the information Gideon had given them, something they had never even heard of before.

"We don’t understand. What is that?"