Chapter 9: Fenlai City
The next day, Xinghui, wearing a genuine smile, followed Uncle Hilman to Fenlai City.
During their conversation yesterday, by relying on the phrase, "You also want to personally kill our enemy, right?", he had completely convinced Hogg and dispelled his impulsive thoughts — which, on the surface, were about revenge but were actually suicidal.
Yes, dying would have freed him from guilt and self-reproach, but there would have been no release or joy in revenge.
"Wait a little longer. After I kill our enemy, I'll come and accompany you, Lina."
Having resolved a hidden danger, Xinghui was truly overjoyed today. Even after traveling most of the day to reach Fenlai City, he was still full of energy.
Fenlai City was the capital of the Finlay Kingdom and also the Holy City of the Holy Alliance. The headquarters of the Light Church were located in the western part of the city.
Naturally, the west side was managed by the Light Church, while the east was overseen by the Finlay Kingdom, giving the monarchy a semblance of dignity.
Fenlai City covered a vast area, with a permanent population exceeding one million, making it a veritable super city.
Furthermore, since it served as both the royal capital and the Holy City, it concentrated a large number of royal nobles and the elite class of the Holy Alliance. Its prosperity was unmatched on the entire Yulan Continent.
"Not bad, not bad. As expected of a big city — finally a decent commercial street."
Arriving at the Champs-Élysées and seeing the clean bluestone pavement, the steady stream of carriages, and the large and small shops and entertainment venues displaying a dazzling variety of goods, Xinghui finally felt something familiar.
This was the smell of money.
Was making money important? Yes — very much so. At least for now, the Baruch Family was quite short on funds.
Currently, the biggest family expense was his younger brother Walton's tuition fees.
Similar to the Ernst Magic Academy, any forces from outside the Holy Alliance that wished to enroll had to pay high tuition.
The O'Brien Academy, where Walton studied, also charged extremely high fees for students from outside the O'Brien Empire.
With the Baruch Family's previous annual income of just over a hundred gold coins, it simply couldn't support this.
That tight income was also why the Baruch Family, a noble household, often had to sell heirlooms just to make ends meet.
However, Xinghui's arrival had brought many changes.
He updated planting methods, distributed new iron farming tools, and increased the farmers' crop yields.
Under the Baruch Family's name, they unified the collection and sale of grain from their subjects, trading directly with merchants to prevent residents from being exploited.
Merchants lost the small profit they used to gain by dealing with individual farmers but no longer had to go door-to-door. Large-scale transactions became convenient, fast, and stable.
At the same time, the Baruch Family implemented quality control for the grain being sold, preventing merchants from receiving mixed-quality goods.
After several years of effort, the Baruch Family's reputation was firmly established.
But Xinghui didn't stop there.
He had no interest in exploiting his subjects — how much money could really be made from taxes and handling fees anyway? The production of the territory was still limited.
Even though the family had invested in updating farming tools and taught farmers some feasible experimental techniques from his past life, that was the limit. Their income increased from one or two hundred gold coins to seven or eight hundred.
To expand production, Xinghui organized land reclamation efforts, started cooperative livestock farming, and set up high-quality handicraft workshops to diversify products and attract more merchant caravans.
Everything was developing smoothly, and the family's income continued to grow.
Now, including taxes and various dividends, the Baruch Family's yearly income had reached over two to three thousand gold coins — and was still climbing.
Even Walton's high tuition was soon to become a non-issue.
This was one of the reasons Xinghui had rushed to speak with his father. Without the pressure of tuition fees, he might not have gotten the chance before his father acted on his despair.
Still, while the family was short on money, that didn't mean Xinghui was broke.
His personal stash had a hundred or so gold coins. Looking at all the fancy shops, he felt the urge to try his luck.
Money gives a man courage. With money in hand, there's no fear in the heart.
He said a word to Uncle Hilman, asking him to wait a moment, and walked toward a weapons shop that looked promising.
But Hilman didn't have to wait long. Less than a minute later, Xinghui, who had entered the shop with his head held high, walked out muttering curses, looking thoroughly dejected.
"What's wrong, little Xing? Not buying a spear anymore?"
Seeing Xinghui's gloomy expression, Hilman couldn't help but ask.
To be honest, he was quite curious. A refined steel spear, even a high-quality one, should only cost a few dozen gold coins. That shouldn't have made the kid look like he'd lost his parents.
After all, he'd seen Xinghui negotiate with northern and southern merchants, closing deals worth hundreds or thousands of gold coins.
"The weapons inside were all enchanted, most of them inlaid with magic cores. The cheapest one cost at least ten thousand gold coins.
There was one spear that was seriously cool and awesome! But it was priced at two hundred and thirty thousand gold coins.
Sigh, after all these years, I've still only been playing in the kiddie pool."
Seeing the young man's frustration, looking more like a little adult than a kid, Hilman couldn't help but laugh.
He gave Xinghui a couple of pats on the head in comfort, and the two left.
Knowing the area well, Hilman found a clean inn, checked in with Xinghui, got some food, and rested.
Xinghui, for once, didn't train. The magic academy entrance exam was tomorrow — he needed to conserve his strength.
The next morning, Green Leaf Road, on the east side of Fenlai City, was bustling with traffic.
As one of the main thoroughfares in the city, it usually had very few pedestrians or carriages.
The reason was simple: the buildings on either side of Green Leaf Road were mostly luxurious mansions of royal nobles and powerful figures, as well as several iconic buildings belonging to the Kingdom.
The tallest among them was the Light Church's cathedral.
The Holy Alliance was composed of six great kingdoms and fifteen principalities, but these were only the surface rulers.
The real power that controlled the land was the Light Church!
The Pope of the Light Church wasn't just its highest leader — he was also the uncrowned king of the Holy Alliance.
The Church had the authority to appoint or dismiss the king of any kingdom within the Alliance!
So, even in the eastern district of Fenlai City, the tallest building was the Light Church's cathedral — a clear display of its supremacy.
But unlike usual, today the area outside the cathedral was packed with people.
Most of them were nobles, dressed in fancy attire. Carriages lined up, filling the square outside, and nobles gathered in twos and threes, exchanging polite greetings.