novelapdf Chapter 705 - Visiting the in-laws: Ancient City of Kalina (Part 1)
Chapter 705 - Visiting the in-laws: Ancient City of Kalina (Part 1)
After staying for about 5 days with my in-laws in the Tilden household, I had no choice but to leave since there are still other upcoming in-law visit to complete. It wouldn’t be fair to the other households if I do not spend the same amount of days with them. I also have to deal with the other families that wronged my husbands.Just like before, I arrived at the Ancient City of Kalina after about more than half a day of travelling. I opted to travel through the night this time so I can arrive by dawn the next day, just in time for most stores and offices to open for business. I chose arriving here at an earlier time than my usual visits because I want to observe the businesses under the Cassia household which were mostly stores that sell written materials much like the bookstore that Quest manages back in the other city.
As usual, I made a official yet discreet visit to the Duke’s household then went to the office to do the necessary audits. Since I already have some experience doing it in Kareen, it was easier to complete what I had to do this time.
After reporting for my first day at work, I immediately went off to find a decent inn to stay in near the busiest part of the shopping district, I simply put down some of my so-called "luggage" which are technically empty bags filled with air and a bunch of useless items. It was necessary as a prop to show that I am a tourist at least.
After checking in, I immediately went back down to the reception desk on the first floor of the inn then started asking questions that a usual tourist may ask. I had to have witnesses that saw me with an image of someone clueless about this city. I mostly asked about the best restaurants, places to buy souvenirs and snacks from and where most of the shops with good priced items are located. I also asked if there was a curfew set or if there are certain people I have to be careful or stay away from.
Currently, I look just like any young student who just came for a short vacation in between semesters from school so the middle aged woman who turned out to be the owner of the inn was more open to sharing everything she knew about the city. In her words, "You have to make most of your life while you are young!" so she was just so happy to help me out. She even gave me insider information that was not included in the report that I got from Quest. Well, nothing beats asking a local auntie who has been living in this city all her life.
She shared to me that the area where we were currently in was mostly under the control of the Earldom of Cassia. It was surprising since it is quite near the main household of the duke. It just goes to show how deep the roots of this shady family has gone.
She also said that most of the businesses here. one way or the other, are connected to the said family. They were either owned directly by the main branch of the family or the families of the husbands or wives who have married members of the Cassia family. It turns out that relatives from other branches have also started dabbling with business since they have quite a strong backer.
Based on the information I got from Quest, cases of preferential treatment to their family members and cronies were wide spread especially when it come to business permits. They have also dug through some secret documents that proved that none of the businesses connected to the Cassias ever paid taxes properly. The taxes they avoided may come in small amounts, even almost unnoticeable, but if you multiply it to the total number of businesses that get this particular "family discount", the amount is just staggering especially when you count the number of years that they have been receiving this preferential treatment.
The saddest part about all of it is that it affects the amount of budget that can be used for the benefits given to the common people. The money that was supposed to be paid by those businesses should have been used in treating people that were sick but could not afford medical treatment or medicine and those that need support so that they have something to eat.
On the other hand, since the members of the Cassia household that are in government positions give preferential treatment to their own family members, they unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) killed some small time businesses owned by the common people. Just with the "family discount" alone, it would be hard for the others to compete since they had to pay taxes and other fees faithfully while the Cassias don’t have to pay the same.
In those secret documents, there were also traces of instances where the members of the Cassia family stole or copied business ideas and closing out smaller businesses that are doing well by force (either by paying them off or sabotaging the business itself). For those that fought back for their rights, they were wrongfully accused of plagiarizing business ideas from the Cassia family.
Since the Cassia family controls most of the government positions especially in the business and financial areas, it is as simple as altering business registration and establishment dates or destroying registration documents to make it happen. Throughout the years that they were part of the nobility, they were able to create a whole system of fraud and theft that was supported by the earldom itself.
As for their main and longest running business of selling written documents and manuscripts as they are quite proud of their family having scholarly ancestors, the amount of shady things that they have done couldn’t even worse. It all started with the so called scholarship or sponsorships for less fortunate students as well as the procurement of original books and documents whose copies will be resold.