Chapter 454 - 20: Visitors from the Empire
Yue Jinghua touched her neck, and just then, goosebumps crawled up her back as though someone had "greeted" her from behind.
"It must be those guys trapped in the Wanyi Array cursing me behind my back," Yue Jinghua murmured to herself, "It’s also time to let them out."
Being in the Wanyi Array for a full month, even good people would go insane.
As one of the instigators, Yue Jinghua was also eager to see the changes the Wanyi Array had wrought on everyone.
The first to come out was Feng Buhui; after a month of not seeing him, the sparkle in his eyes intensified, his already well-developed arms had become even more robust, and they were even thicker than Yue Jinghua’s waist. Looking at the Demon Mark on his hands, they protruded out, vividly red.
Looking at Qin Dongting, compared to a month ago, his originally somewhat delicate-skinned face had turned a tanned brown which, far from detracting from his appearance, added a few more points of rugged masculinity. His Mountain and River Fan, the fan’s body shimmered with a layer of amber-colored light, like gilded.(Refer to Milky Way Louis Koo and Chocolate Louis Koo, 23333)
The two female teammates, Shalman with a face full of smiles and Weiwei also looked refreshed and spirited, a stark difference from their pained expressions when they first entered the Thousand Swords and Ten Thousand Intentions Formation one month ago, the results of this month’s closed trial were clear to Yue Jinghua without saying.
In a few more days, it would be Lady Qingyan’s day to unveil the Ancient Hero Statue in central area of Five Saints Town.
After leaving for a while and returning to Five Saints Town, everyone immediately noticed that the situation in the town was vastly different from before.
There are increasing numbers of unfamiliar, various unidentified Mercenary Badges worn by mercenaries.
Some people, while dressed similarly to ordinary civilians, revealed a military background through their eyes and demeanor.
Then there were the assassins lurking in dark corners, ghostlike, and even more Pill Masters with Elixir Medicine Gourds hanging at their waists.
In Five Saints Town, the gathering of various factions has far exceeded Yue Jinghua’s expectations.
After returning to their residence, Yun Luo couldn’t wait to tell her that several major commerce guilds including Yunhu Commerce from the Imperial City had sent people to station in Five Saints Town.
Even some commerce guilds from Rui Song Federation had come from afar.
"In terms of strength, we wouldn’t be foolish enough to enter the Ancient Heroic Tomb to snatch the Ancient Hero Treasure, but once the treasure appears, we are also eager to purchase suitable treasures from others," Yun Luo was also eager for this occurrence of the Ancient Hero Treasure.
Yun Luo also shared some not-so-good news with Yue Jinghua.
The first was about the Divine Court; shortly after Yue Jinghua and others began their trial, several Cultivators of unknown levels from the core of Divine Court had entered Five Saints Town.
This means that the strength of the Divine Court had suddenly increased.
On another front, the Mercenary Branch urgently recalled its Five-star Mercenaries who were registered.
While the Divine Court and the Mercenary Branch were cooperating, the relationship between the two was indeed delicate; the closer their strengths, the stronger the chips they held when they fought against each other.
However, there was another piece of news that Yue Jinghua hadn’t anticipated.
From the Wo Hua Imperial City, several formidable officers from the Military Department had been dispatched to Five Saints Town.
"There might even be members of the Dragon Rider Team among them, and, as far as I know, there’s also a new Imperial Tax Officer in this group," Yun Luo sighed.
"Imperial Tax Officer? Could it be that they even want to collect taxes from the Ancient Hero Treasure? Not sparing even the wealth of the deceased, tsk tsk," Yue Jinghua, who in her previous life wasn’t particularly sensitive to numbers, was clueless about imperial taxes, especially after coming to the Canglong Continent and having the "account masters" Hong Ling and Hong Yao around.
She vaguely knew that in the Dragon War Empire, there were numerous sorts of taxes, a heavy burden apportioned on everyone from birth till death.
"Imperial Tax Officers, of course, won’t tax the dead; they aim for the living. You should know that in the Dragon War Empire, tax officers are also called bloodsucking zombies, especially for the rich and minor lords, the presence of an Imperial Tax Officer implies staggering taxes. You have forgotten, Fengdan County has transformed from a vastly impoverished county to a rich treasure land," Yun Luo frowned, trying to explain tax laws to someone utterly ignorant in these matters.
"It’s just taxation. I’ve always been a law-abiding citizen who pays taxes diligently. We should cooperate in the nation’s construction and seek progress together," Yue Jinghua dismissed it, believing taxation wasn’t necessarily bad, as it allowed her people to enjoy the protection of the Dragon War Empire, and after paying taxes, she could even apply directly to the empire for various subsidies or even request military support for development.
"Standard territorial taxation is thirty percent, but for counties that are consistently overdue on their taxes year after year, the highest tax imposed by the empire can be up to seventy percent. Unfortunately, Duke Mansion’s territory, Fengdan County, has failed to pay its taxes properly for five consecutive years," Yun Luo had just finished speaking when someone suddenly jumped up, shouting, "Where is the Imperial Tax Officer? I want to kill him!"
In truth, people with the same thought as Yue Jinghua were not a rarity within the Dragon War Empire.
Right now, sitting in front of the Imperial Tax Officer Niu Er was one of them, Lady Qingyan.
Inside Lady Qingyan’s mansion, the situation was also fraught with tension.
"Lady Qingyan, as a representative of the Imperial Ministry of Revenue, I, Niu Er, am immensely gratified that you could retrieve General Mo Lin’s body," like most Imperial Tax Officers, Niu Er was dressed in a dazzling golden uniform.
He was extremely fat, and from the front, it was nearly impossible to distinguish his head from his neck.
"Thank you for the concern from the empire and the Ministry of Revenue," Lady Qingyan suppressed her anger. When she had initially reported to the Imperial Military Department requesting ships and troops to search for Mo Lin’s body, it was the Ministry of Revenue’s officials that had obstructed her multiple times under the pretext of insufficient military funds, with Officer Niu Er among them.
"Now that General Mo Lin’s body has been found, perhaps we should also settle the matter of his inheritance tax. As you know, before General Mo Lin’s body was found, you refused to acknowledge his death using the excuse of ’no body, no death.’ Now that the body has been recovered, General Mo Lin is confirmed dead on duty. As a descendant of the Dragon Slayer Hero, fifty percent of the properties he left behind, including that piece of the Ancient Hero Treasure, must be turned over to the state," Officer Niu Er stroked his thin mouse-like whiskers at the corners of his mouth.
"!!" Lady Qingyan abruptly lifted her head, her gaze fixed sharply on Officer Niu Er.
She had long anticipated that the Imperial Ministry of Revenue had been coveting the Ancient Hero Treasure for a long time, and would never let it fall into the hands of others or any other powers.