Chapter 463: The 200-Golden-Pound House

"Of course not." Sharette said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Indulgences are used to offset taxes."

The so-called indulgences had actually been popular within the Salvation Army for a long time.

During the Long Road of Blood and Sweat, Horn once held a remote land deed in one hand and an indulgence in the other to motivate the soldiers.

The Gulag Papal State at that time had no money but had supplies, so it used indulgences as temporary currency.

These land deeds were basically turned into pension subsidies and free housing, while indulgences were basically bought back by the Papal State in the form of cash.

Especially after confiscating those monasteries and obtaining a large amount of cash, a wave of buybacks made thousands of old players who had played Gulag at the beginning of the game rich overnight.

As prices rose, the thousands of craftsmen who migrated from Jeanne d'Arc also benefited from the war, but they were still not as terrifying as the old players.

In order to ensure the smooth operation of the workshop, Shilov proposed to revamp the system of indulgences, which was unanimously approved by the Senate.

Indulgences were clearly marked with prices ranging from 1 dinar, 5 dinars, 20 dinars, and then there was also a denomination of 1 gold pound, but that was the highest denomination.

The town hall would charge pubs for goods with a unit price higher than the set standard and impose high consumption taxes, especially on luxury goods.

Indulgences were used to offset taxes.

According to the elders, the holy way advocates frugality, and the unit prices of these commodities are so high that extravagance and waste must naturally be atonement.

Then, if you obtain indulgences from the workers, your sins will be forgiven and you will naturally not have to pay punitive consumption taxes.

In this way, merchants and shop owners would have an incentive to collect enough indulgences to offset the high consumption taxes.

In this way, with little difference in commodity prices, the cost of living for craftsmen and laborers in state-owned workshops is reduced.

This is equivalent to secretly completing the process of the wealthy class and the Papal Palace using consumption tax to subsidize the middle and lower classes.

It's just hard for outsiders and migrant workers, but they can't stay for long anyway.

The prices in the countryside near the dock are not high. If all else fails, just live in the countryside. It's just that the prices in the core area of ​​the town are high.

If outsiders can find a job, the workshop will give them indulgences. If they can't find a job, they don't have to work in the city every day, so high prices will naturally have no impact on them.

"I see." Asrai suddenly understood, but he was confused again, "What if I receive a lot of indulgences, which can be used to deduct all taxes? Should I refuse to accept them?"

"That won't do. If you refuse to accept indulgences, do you want the Cheka to knock on your door in the middle of the night and ask you if you are pious?" Sharet said vividly, imitating the tone of those authentic old Qiumu Island people.

"Wouldn't that be a waste?"

"It's not free. If it doesn't work, you can take the indulgences and sell them to suppliers. If it doesn't work, you can keep them for next year or sell them to other merchants."

According to the policies formulated by Shilov, the Papal Palace has a guarantee for the issuance of indulgences, and if there are too many indulgences on the market, they will be repurchased to stabilize the situation.

The amount of indulgences issued each year will increase or decrease based on the consumption tax of the previous year, and the printing and issuance of large-denomination indulgences will be strictly controlled.

After listening to Sharrett's explanation, Aslai looked at the tavern in front of him unwillingly and said bitterly: "When I have my own workshop, this damn tavern will never get a penny from me."

"Got it, got it." Sharet urged Asrai, "Let's go back quickly. The weather is so hot, the meat won't go bad."

The two returned to Insura, where Aslai was being arranged to live in a room with Sharet.

Aslay registered with the centurion, while Sharet found the aunt in the cafeteria, gave her the eggs, peas and meat, and asked her to help process them.

The canteen, the Insula courtyard and the overall cleaning work are all run by these lonely elderly people, or some people in difficulty who cannot find a job.

Generally, each insula has a shared canteen and several open-air stoves on the first floor.

After taking over Chateau Joan of Arc and alleviating the shortage of supplies, the Papal Palace no longer forced everyone to dine together.

You can cook it yourself on the stove, or you can pay some money to the canteen and ask them to help you cook. Anyway, it is definitely cheaper than going to the pub outside.

But the taste is just so-so.

By the time Asrai put his fingerprints on the document and everything was done, Sharette, who had already helped him carry his luggage upstairs, was already getting impatient.

"I asked Aunt Sally to make the broth for us, but it will take a while. In the meantime, let's go to the public bathroom in the square to take a bath." Sharet smiled and took out a dinar. "I'll treat you to a welcome dinner."

"Take a shower? Just go to the river." Ever since he learned that prices on Qiumu Island were high and their money wouldn't last long, Asrai started to become stingy.

"You can't say that." Sharette stuffed the silver coins into his pocket, "You just got out, at least take a hot bath to get rid of the bad luck.

Let me tell you, that bathhouse is a relic from the ancient Aiel period, let's experience the life of the ancient Aiel people. Besides, your Majesty will hold a meeting in the Cathedral of Truth tomorrow to discuss the work problems of us refugees, you don't want to go there with your hair unkempt, do you? "

After several persuasions, Aslai was somewhat tempted. He coughed twice and said, "Is there a woman with skills in the Gu'er Bathhouse..."

"No, the law prohibits it." Sharette shook his head quickly, "Even if there is, we can't afford it...

If you want to wear some cooler clothes and go to the camp of the beastmen laborers, you don't have to spend a penny, and they might even give you money."

"Go to hell." After punching Sharet, Aslai scratched his itchy back, "I'm not a casual person. Where is the bathhouse? Take a shower quickly, or the meat will get mushy."

Taking Aslai with him, they said hello to the head of the ten households who was dozing off at the door, then they went out, turned right, and walked towards the official residence square.

Since the official residence square is still under renovation, they can only walk through the streets on both sides and enter from the alley at the back.

"It stinks." As soon as Aslai walked near the alley, he couldn't help covering his nose.

Sharette also covered his nose. He looked around and saw a few sewage workers who were lifting a piece of fir board and fiddling with something with wooden sticks.

He walked forward while suppressing his nausea. When Sharette opened his mouth, he was almost suffocated by the stench. After asking a few sewage workers a few questions, he walked back.

"The slime crawled from the lake to the sewer, swam upstream, and blocked the drain. We can't get through here for the time being, so we have to take a longer detour."

"Are there a lot of slimes here?" Asrai asked, pinching his nose as he followed Sharet.

"This is originally a swamp. Do you think there are a lot of slimes here?" Sharette said gloomily, "Do you know why people don't live on the first floor? When it rains, the little slimes run around everywhere.

But the centurion told everyone yesterday when we were chatting at the dinner table that we might need to build a dam around the island to prevent the lake water from reaching the island during the rainy season... Aslai?"

Sharet was still explaining to Asrai, but as he was talking, he no longer heard any footsteps around him.

Looking back, I saw Aslai standing in a daze four or five meters away, staring blankly ahead.

Sharet was so angry that he rushed over and slapped Asrai on the back of his head: "Where are you? If you don't go, the bathhouse will change the water."

Aslai touched the back of his head which was in pain, glared at Sharrett, and then pointed at the houses in front of him and asked, "Why can't we live in these houses?"

Unlike Insura where they lived, what they saw in front of them were a dozen three-story townhouses.

The well-fired small black tiles are arranged closely, which can effectively protect against rainwater and cope with the rainy season in August and September every year.

These black tiles extend from the slopes on both sides to the top of the wall, forming a classic double-pitched roof, and the front is a decorative gable with sculptures of gears or stone carvings of saints.

The exterior walls are mostly made of red bricks, with white stone corners. Different colors of mortar and bricks are used. Some houses appear darker brown or textured tan.

White or light grey stone is often used to decorate key areas such as door and window frames and arched entrances.

Most of these townhouse windows have large panes, mostly vertical rectangular designs, using a grid layout that is usually 6×6 or 8×8.

The window frames are made of wood and painted in dark colors such as black or dark green.

The front door made of oak is painted black-red or dark green, which is usually related to the status of the owner of the house. The door is also equipped with exquisite iron door knockers or copper door decorations.

"Are you crazy to live in these houses?" Sharet dragged Asrai forward, as if it would be a sin to look at him any more.

"This is the residential area to the north of the official residence square. It's where the families of martyrs, officers and senior priests live. How can we afford to live here?"

"How much?" Asrai asked relentlessly.

"Priceless." Sharette looked at him with bulging eyes, "It's only distributed here, not sold.

If you really want it, there is a residential area south of the official residence square, which is only slightly worse than this one. Do you know how much it costs?"

"I don't know, how much?"

"The cheapest one is 200 gold pounds, and you can't even buy it. It was bought by a wealthy businessman in Joan of Arc before it was even built." Sharette pinched the back of his neck and pushed him forward, trying to dissuade him from the idea.

"Sooner or later..."

"Alright, alright, stop talking in your sleep during the day."

That's 200 gold pounds. It would take to years without eating or drinking to earn that. How could a group of ordinary craftsmen like them afford it?

However, Sharet stood behind Asrai and did not see the stubborn look in his lowered head.

(End of this chapter)