Chapter 361: Chapter 239: Conquest (Part 2)

Unconsciously, everyone’s attention was focused on Fang Zhen. They wondered what method this lord would use to resolve this unfair matter.

"My Lord, you make an excellent point. This is truly unfair to us vassals."

"If only Grand Duke Tarrenno were as reasonable as you, things would be so much better."

"What do you intend to do?"

Count Quentin naturally fell into the role of the perfect foil, voicing the questions and innermost thoughts of the local nobles present.

It wasn’t that Quentin was doing so consciously. Fang Zhen was simply guiding him so masterfully that the Count slipped into the role with ease, steering the conversation in the direction Fang Zhen intended.

"Heh, it’s quite simple," Fang Zhen said with a faint smile. "First, I must make one thing clear."

His expression suddenly turned grave as he said,

"Duke Tarrenno’s army and his personal Knights have pledged fealty to me as their Lord. They did this of their own accord, which means that, in a sense, I have inherited Duke Tarrenno’s authority."

"The debts you vassals owe are considered public debts. All the loan documents are currently held by my army. Even if Duke Tarrenno is dead, these documents remain legally valid. This is because the debt is not held by you as individuals, but by your territories, which were put up as long-term collateral."

"You all have legal advisors, I presume. You understand that I am not threatening you, but that the law does indeed have such provisions, correct?"

"Debts between territories do not automatically disappear with a change of Lord. You all understand this, don’t you?"

Hearing Fang Zhen say this, the faces of Quentin and the others fell once more.

’So much for that. We thought a saint had arrived, but it turns out he’s just another creditor out for our blood.’

"However..." Fang Zhen trailed off, looking at the crestfallen noble vassals, especially Count Quentin, whose expression was so miserable he looked like he was about to cry.

"However what?" Hearing the shift in Fang Zhen’s tone, Quentin’s hope flared anew, and he looked up at him.

"However, as I said before, I do not believe these debts are entirely reasonable," Fang Zhen said calmly.

"Therefore, I have made a decision. To those noble vassals who submit to my authority, I can promise that I will not hold them accountable for the debts they owe Tarrenno from the war."

"In other words, I am willing to forgive this debt completely."

Upon hearing Fang Zhen’s words, smiles returned to the faces of Quentin and the other nobles. If not quite beaming with joy, they at least looked immensely relieved.

Quentin and the others were on an emotional rollercoaster.

’They had expected a killer, but found a man of reason. They thought he was a Duke of Debt, but he turned out to be a Great Saint of Forgiveness.’

’To have their debts wiped clean... it was an incredible blessing.’

Fang Zhen watched them, then paused before continuing, "However, let me be perfectly clear. My promise of debt forgiveness is only valid for those vassals who acknowledge my position and authority."

"If anyone is unwilling to recognize my authority and position, well, I am no saint. They will have to repay every single Copper Rope they owe, with interest."

"The same goes for anyone who betrays me."

"And if someone doesn’t want to repay their debt with dignity, then I’ll help them find it."

The tone of Fang Zhen’s words grew increasingly stern and heavy.

At that, Quentin and the other nobles fell silent once more.

Fang Zhen glanced at them.

It was clear from their expressions that the nobles were weighing the pros and cons.

Fang Zhen was rather satisfied with the result.

After a moment, Fang Zhen’s voice softened, his tone less severe. "I know you have much to consider. And even if your debts are cleared, that only solves one problem."

"I have a better proposal."

"What proposal?" Quentin asked, almost instinctively.

"Come now, do you see these silver bricks?" Fang Zhen asked.

As Fang Zhen spoke, the gazes of Quentin and the others were once again drawn to the silver bricks on the table.

The silver Fang Zhen had bought would be called silver bars in the modern world, but they actually looked like bricks. Furthermore, the local system of weights and measures made them seem even larger to Quentin and his peers, so it was perfectly natural to call them silver bricks.

At the sight of them, the greedy look returned to the eyes of Quentin and the others.

Fang Zhen calmly pointed to the silver bricks. "Those who acknowledge my authority and position, and voluntarily become my vassals, will be granted a special privilege."

"Each one of these silver bricks on the table contains over a hundred times the amount of silver in a single Silver Rope, and their purity is far superior."

"Factoring in seigniorage, let’s value a single silver brick at one hundred Silver Ropes."

"In the Kingdom’s monetary system, one Gold Rope is worth twenty-four Silver Ropes. The deal I’m offering you is that for every one hundred Gold Ropes, you can exchange them with me for twenty-five of these silver bricks."

"What?" Hearing this, Quentin and the others were completely stunned.

’Could such an amazing deal possibly exist?’

Fang Zhen saw their expressions and knew this offer was somewhat beyond their comprehension.

In fact, in the history of Earth, banks as we know them didn’t exist for a long period of the Middle Ages. When bank-like financial organizations eventually appeared, they didn’t pay interest on deposits; they even charged service and storage fees.

In modern terms, this would be similar to a negative interest rate.

During the Middle Ages, geographical distances made it extremely risky for merchants to travel long distances with large sums of money. According to legend, the Temple Knight Order of the Crusades later established a bank-like service, using their military to guarantee the deposit and withdrawal of precious metal currencies like gold and silver in different locations.