When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#465 - The House of 200 Pounds

"Of course not." Sharrett said, between laughter and tears, "Redemption tickets are used to offset taxes."

The so-called redemption tickets had actually been popular within the Salvation Army for some time.

Back during the Blood and Sweat Long Road, Horne had used remote land deeds in one hand and redemption tickets in the other to motivate the soldiers.

Back then, the Gulag Papal State didn't have money but had resources, so it used redemption tickets as temporary currency.

These land deeds basically became annuity subsidies and free housing, while the redemption tickets were mostly bought back by the Papal State in cash.

Especially after confiscating large amounts of cash from those monasteries, a wave of repurchases made the original thousands of old players of Gulag rich overnight.

With the rise in prices, the thousands of artisans who migrated from Jeanne d'Arc Fort also benefited a bit from the war, but not as much as the old players.

To ensure the smooth operation of the workshops, Hilov proposed a system of renovating redemption tickets, which was unanimously approved by the Senate.

Redemption tickets are clearly marked with denominations of 1 dinar, 5 dinars, 20 dinars, and then there's the 1 gold pound denomination, but that's the largest denomination.

The city hall charges taverns a high consumption tax for goods priced higher than the set standard, especially luxury goods.

The purpose of redemption tickets is to offset taxes.

According to the senators, the Holy Path advocates thrift, and these goods are so expensive, it's wasteful, so naturally, you need to redeem your sins.

So, if you obtain redemption tickets from the laborers, your sins are gone, and naturally, you don't have to pay the punitive consumption tax.

This way, merchants and shopkeepers are motivated to collect enough redemption tickets to offset the high consumption tax.

This means that when commodity prices are not too different, the cost of living for artisans and laborers in state-owned workshops is reduced.

This is equivalent to secretly completing a subsidy from the wealthy class and the Papal Palace's consumption tax to the middle and lower classes.

It's just hard on the foreigners and sojourners, but they won't be staying for long anyway.

Prices are not high near the docks and in the countryside, and if that doesn't work, they can live in the countryside, it's just that prices are high in the core area of the town.

If foreigners can find work, the workshops will issue them redemption tickets; if they can't find work, they don't have to work in the city every day, so high prices naturally have no impact.

"I see," Aslai said with a realization, but then he asked with confusion, "What if you receive so many redemption tickets that you can offset all taxes? Do you refuse to accept them?"

"You can't do that. If you refuse to accept redemption tickets, do you want the Cheka to knock on your door in the middle of the night and ask you if you're pious?" Sharrett said vividly, imitating the tone of those authentic old Autumn Dusk Islanders.

"Wouldn't that be a complete loss?"

"Not a complete loss. If it doesn't work, you can take the redemption tickets to the supplier to sell goods. If that doesn't work, you can save them for next year or sell them to other merchants."

According to the policy set by Hilov, the Papal Palace has a deposit for the issuance of redemption tickets. If there are too many redemption tickets on the market, it will also conduct repurchases to stabilize them.

The amount of redemption tickets issued each year will increase or decrease according to the consumption tax of the previous year, and the printing of large denomination redemption tickets is strictly controlled.

After listening to Sharrett's explanation, Aslai looked at the tavern in front of him unwillingly, and said hatefully, "When I have my own workshop, this damn tavern won't get a penny from me."

"Okay, okay." Sharrett urged Aslai, "Let's go back quickly, it's so hot, the meat will spoil."

The two returned to Insula, and Aslai was arranged to live in the same room as Sharrett.

Aslai registered with the centurion, while Sharrett found the aunt in the cafeteria, handed her the eggs, peas, and meat, and asked her to help process them.

The cafeteria, the Insula courtyard, and the overall cleaning work are all handled by these widowed elderly people, or some people with difficulties finding work.

Generally speaking, each Insula has a shared cafeteria and several outdoor stoves on the first floor.

Since taking Jeanne d'Arc Fort and alleviating the shortage of supplies, the Papal Palace no longer forcibly requires everyone to eat together.

You can either cook yourself on the stove, or pay a meal fee to the cafeteria and let them help you cook, which is definitely cheaper than outside taverns.

But the taste, well, it can only be said to be average.

When Aslai put his handprint on it and everything was taken care of, Sharrett, who had already helped him carry his luggage upstairs, had been waiting impatiently.

"I asked Aunt Sally to stew meat soup for us, but we have to wait a while. While we're at it, let's go to the public bathhouse in the official residence square for a bath." Sharrett smiled and took out a dinar, "My treat, to welcome you and wash away the dust."

"Take a bath? I'll just rinse off in the river." Since learning that prices are high on Autumn Dusk Island, and their few coins won't last long, Aslai has become stingy.

"You can't say that." Sharrett stuffed the silver coin into his pocket. "You just came out, you should take a hot bath to get rid of bad luck.

I'm telling you, that bathhouse was left over from the ancient El era, let's experience the life of the ancient El people.

Besides, His Majesty is going to hold a rally in the Truth Cathedral tomorrow to talk about the work problems of us refugees, you don't want to go there with unkempt hair, do you?"

After several persuasions, Aslai was a little moved, he coughed lightly twice: "In that ancient El bathhouse, are there, um, skilled women..."

"No way, it's explicitly prohibited by law." Sharrett quickly shook his head. "Even if there were, we can't afford it...

If you want to, wear some cool clothes, go to the Beastkin laborers' camp for a walk, and you don't have to spend a penny, they might even give you money."

"Go away." Aslai punched Sharrett, scratching his itchy back. "I'm not a casual person, where is that bathhouse, let's wash quickly, don't let the meat burn."

Taking Aslai, and saying hello to the head of ten households who was dozing off at the door, the two turned right and walked towards the direction of the official residence square.

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

"It smells so bad." Just walking near the alley, Aslai couldn't help but cover his nose.

Sharrett also covered his nose, he looked around, and saw several sewage workers, who were uncovering a fir plank, holding wooden sticks and fiddling with something.

Enduring the nausea and walking forward, Sharrett almost had his breath taken away by the stench, and after briefly asking a few sewage workers, he walked back.

"The slime climbed from the lake to the sewage ditch, went upstream, and blocked the drain, we can't pass through this area for the time being, we have to take a detour."

"Are there many slimes here?" Following behind Sharrett, Aslai pinched his nose and asked.

"This was originally a swamp, do you think there are many slimes?" Sharrett said dejectedly, "Do you know why no one lives on the first floor here? When it rains, those little slimes run everywhere.

But the centurion chatted with everyone at the dinner table yesterday, saying that they might build a ring-island dam in the future to prevent lake water from coming onto the island during the rainy season... Aslai?"

Sharrett was still explaining to Aslai, but as he spoke, he couldn't feel any footsteps beside him.

Looking back, four or five meters away, Aslai was standing blankly, staring at the front in a daze.

Sharrett was furious, rushed up in a few steps, and slapped Aslai on the back of the head: "What the hell are you looking at? If you don't go, the bathhouse will change the water."

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

Unlike the Insula where they lived, in front of them were a dozen row of three-story villas.

Well-fired small black tiles are closely arranged, which can well 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 gable roof, and the front is a decorative gable, with sculptures of gears or saint stone carvings.

The exterior walls are mostly made of red bricks, and the corners are made of white stone, using different colors of mortar and bricks, and some houses will appear in a deeper brown or textured tan.

White or light gray stone is also used to decorate key parts such as door and window frames and arched entrances.

The windows of these townhouses are mostly large windows, mostly designed in a vertical rectangular shape, and the grid layout is usually 6×6 or 8×8.

The window frames are made of wood and painted with dark paint, such as black or dark green.

The oak front door will be painted with black-red or dark green paint, which is generally related to the identity of the owner, and the door will also be equipped with exquisite iron door knockers or copper door ornaments.

"Live in these houses, are you crazy?" Sharrett dragged Aslai forward, as if looking at it more was a sin.

"This is the residential area north of the official residence square, where the families of martyrs, officers, and senior priests live, how can we afford to live there?"

"How much money?" Aslai asked relentlessly.

"Priceless." Sharrett stared at him with wide eyes, "It's only distributed here, not sold.

If you really want it, there is another residential area south of the official residence square, only a little worse than here, 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 the wealthy merchants of Jeanne d'Arc Fort before it even started construction." Sharrett pinched his neck, pushed him forward, and tried to dispel his thoughts.

"Sooner or later one day..."

"Okay, okay, don't talk in your dreams during the day."

That's 200 gold pounds, you have to earn five or sixty years without eating or drinking, how can it be something that ordinary artisans like them can afford.

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