Chapter 133 Even Monsters Pay Taxes

A light drizzle continued, and Brent wiped the mud off his face for the third time; his expensive calfskin boots were now covered in mud.

The tax collector, a viscount of the Lords of the Commonwealth, was now full of complaints: "Damn wilderness... even the air smells like animal dung!"

Behind him were five warriors disguised as caravan guards, their armor linings already soaked through by the rain.

"Hurry up!"

"If we ruin the gift for those beasts, well, we'll all be in trouble."

He coldly surveyed the outline of the wilderness through the rain.

The wooden crates loaded on the wagon did not contain any trade goods at all, but rather a "Tax Order for the Scaled Earth Road" stamped with a golden lion wax seal—its owner, Viscount Ironthorn, was eager to use the tax revenue from this trade route to fill his financial deficit.

The Lorthen Federation is a union of numerous duchies and kingdoms.

The Principality of Raymond, whose population is primarily composed of human citizens, is one such example.

Viscount Ironthorn is a noble lord of the Duchy of Raymond, famous for the abundance of Ironthorn magical plants in his territory.

The Scaled Earth Rift, a branch trade route in the Sel Wilderness, was opened up by his family and assigned to him during his coming-of-age ceremony.

Initially, Viscount Ironthorn didn't care about this side story and let it go unchecked.

However, in recent years, as his lifestyle has become increasingly extravagant and his children have grown up, and as their lifestyles have also become increasingly extravagant, his businesses have gradually become unable to support the consumption.

Viscount Ironthorn spent some time carefully examining the current state of all the businesses under his control.

Then he was surprised to find that the Lin Tu Lie Dao, a side trade route he had not paid much attention to, was unexpectedly prosperous, with many caravans coming and going, making it very lucrative.

So he continued to send people to investigate, and had his men disguise themselves as caravans and move around on the Lin Tu Lie Road.

As the information came together, he uncovered the truth.

It turns out that there was a behind-the-scenes lord whose true identity was unknown, who united the monster clans around the Scaled Earth Rift and allowed the Scaled Earth Rift to gradually develop under his rule and control.

After learning the truth.

Viscount Ironthorn had two choices.

First, we must wage war to eliminate the increasingly powerful monster clans and let the merchants know who the true masters of the Scaled Earth Rift are.

Secondly, he could pretend not to see it, allowing the behind-the-scenes lord to continue governing the Lin Tu Lie Dao, making it prosperous and developing, while he could also make money by collecting road taxes from passing caravans.

Viscount Ironthorn chose the second option.

He discovered this two years ago, but turned a blind eye, allowing the monster clan to control the Scaled Earth Rift for a whole year.

This is also the best way.

A steady and sustainable approach.

but.

Because his most favored eldest son was obsessed with magic and was very talented.

Just then, a top magic academy in Holden, the human empire, opened up its enrollment quota for international students.

In order to send his eldest son to the Empire's magic academy for further studies, under immense financial pressure and with high expectations for offspring, Viscount Ironthorn began to exploit his own businesses, even selling off a considerable number of them.

The cracked earth and scales reappeared in his field of vision.

After a year of steady, gradual growth, he decided to squeeze the monsters dry and levy taxes on the monster clans.

The road tax stipulated by the Lorthern Federation has a cap. Although there are many caravans, they cannot bring much wealth to Viscount Ironthorn in the short term. However, those monster clans are different. Theoretically speaking, as long as he has the means, he can take away all the wealth in their hands, and there will be no legal protection.

Leveraging one's network and resources.

Having confirmed that the mastermind behind the Scaled Earth Rift had no connection to the Lorthen Federation and no powerful backing, Viscount Ironthorn dispatched a tax collector to negotiate with the monsters first.

It would be best if the negotiations could be successful.

If he fails, the garrison along the trade route won't be easy to mobilize, but he hasn't been a viscount for nothing all these years; he has his own private army.

Let those ignorant and backward monsters experience the iron fist of the civilized world; that would also be a good choice.

As for the mastermind behind the unification of the monster clans.

Viscount Ironthorn did not take it to heart.

The fact that he doesn't dare to stand in the spotlight shows that he is not yet fully developed. If he were a very powerful monster, it would be even simpler; he could directly request the army from the Lorthen Federation to suppress and eliminate him.

Dark, leaden clouds blanketed the earth, and the air was gloomy.

Brent and his group, traveling in a disguised truck, gradually arrived at the cracked road. After driving slowly along the road for about half an hour, they saw a camp by the roadside.

The tax official narrowed his eyes slightly, waved his hand, and let the convoy approach.

When the lizardman chieftain lifted the animal-skin tent, Brent nearly recoiled from the stench.

The three-meter-tall creature, covered in scales and claws, scrutinized him with its amber vertical pupils, hissing with its forked tongue: "A new face?"

Despite being a monster, he spoke the Common Language quite fluently, pronouncing several words accurately. Although he still had a slight lingual quality, it sounded clear and not muffled.

Five human warriors stood silently behind him.

The tax collector straightened his chest, showing no fear of the monster on his face.

He introduced himself in a high-profile and proud manner: "The man standing before you is named Brent, the tax collector of Viscount Ironthorn."

The monsters looked at each other, but did not react.

Tax official? They don't understand that term.

Brent felt a little embarrassed and annoyed at being ignored. As a tax collector, he had always encountered fawning and obsequious smiles when dealing with people. He had never been ignored like this before.

He suppressed his anger, gave a soft snort, and explained again.

"The road beneath your feet belongs to Viscount Ironthorn."

“All passing caravans are required to pay road tax to Viscount Ironthorn.”

After a pause, the tax collector continued in a deep voice, "And you monsters who have profited through trade on the road must also contribute your wealth to Viscount Ironthorn!"

His tone was very firm.

But the lizardman's tail was even stronger, lashing out directly at the tax collector's chest, sending him flying like a broken sack, crashing into the mud, covered in filth.

The lizardman chieftain didn't understand terms like "road tax."

But the fact that it was sent here to trade with caravans proves that it's not stupid.

It understood what the tax collector meant—robbery!

If it weren't for the Iron Dragon Governor's strict order against indiscriminate killing, it wouldn't have been a tail lash, but a spear piercing the heart of the human in front of him.

"You, all of you!"

The tax official staggered to his feet, his face ashen.

The soldiers only then came to their senses.

Lacking experience in dealing with monsters, they hadn't expected these war lizardmen to attack them without warning. Now that they realized what was happening, they immediately stood ready and protected the tax collector behind them.

"Ignorant and barbaric monsters! Do you want to die?!"

The tax official coughed up blood and roared.

As he roared, two red lights appeared on the tarpaulin covering the truck, like a pair of eyes.

Rip! The tarpaulin was torn to shreds.

A humanoid metal construct, six meters tall at the shoulders and cast entirely from steel, appeared in the wind and rain. The raindrops struck its cold steel body, shattering it instantly.

It drew a massive steel sword from its back, its body glowing with runes, and its eyes gleamed red as it swept over the war lizards.

Alchemy Golem - The Fearless.

The tax official's true guardian on this trip.

The fearless one's massive, heavy body strode forward and stood at the very front.

The warrior lizards all sensed danger, their backs tensed, their long tongues lolling out and hissing. And some distance away from the tent, in the deeper shadows, some tall figures gradually emerged.

The heavily armored ogres, carrying weapons, appeared in the tax collector's field of vision.

The red light in the fearless man's eyes grew increasingly blinding, and the ogres and war lizardmen gripped their weapons tighter.

The tax official took a deep breath, suppressing his anger.

These damned monsters have no manners whatsoever! Rude, barbaric, damn it!

However, we cannot simply start a war like this.

The viscount hoped to resolve the issue through negotiation without bloodshed. They were not monsters; only at the last moment would it be necessary to tear off the veil of hypocrisy and resort to violence.

The tax collector looked at the lizardman leader who had injured him earlier and said coldly, "Bring over your higher-ranking leaders who are in charge behind the scenes. You stupid, lowly thing, you have no idea what you're doing! You can't take responsibility for starting this trouble!"

A violent glint flashed in the eyes of the lizardman leader who had been insulted.

This creature has always been dark and evil, warlike and ferocious, and is no pushover.

But when it saw the steel giant standing in the wind and rain, it felt fear and remembered some of the clan's rules and instructions, so it had no choice but to suppress its murderous intent.

The fact that they were able to bring an alchemical golem shows that this group is not simple; it's beyond its capabilities.

The War Lizardman leader uses a communication stone to contact his superiors.

The cold rain fell from the sky, and humans, monsters, and steel creations all waited silently in the rain.

(End of this chapter)