Tax Collection

Thus, coming to Fantasy Paradise to have some fun whenever they had the chance was routine for the trainees of the Special Warfare Camp. Every so often, they would even save up money specifically to visit Azure Paradise, the most upscale establishment in Finley City!

However, after they had drunk too much and thoroughly enjoyed themselves, Fengyun used the excuse of going to the restroom to meet up with a maid.

Keeping watch on their surroundings, the two of them quietly exchanged a few words at a rapid pace and finished their conversation before long.

When others passed by during that time, all they saw was a young man teasing a pretty maid. Only after Fengyun had finished relaying all the intelligence he had gathered on the target trainees did he leisurely return to Room 8.

Yet when no one was around on the way back, a helpless bitter smile appeared on his face.

Though his life was now filled with wine, women, and pleasure, and his future seemed bright, even Dai Hui, who had adopted him, had gained the favor of his superiors in the Guard Legion and received quite a few hidden benefits because of Fengyun's outstanding performance.

He truly felt exhausted—mentally exhausted!

"They're obviously all trivial pieces of intelligence, yet they insist on making me collect and report them. They even claim it's to train my intelligence-gathering ability and help me familiarize myself with the work."

"Tch, they could have just said they wanted to keep something on me as a pledge of loyalty. With my background, would I even dare to resist?!"

When he reached the door to Room 8, Fengyun paused slightly and sighed inwardly. "The material life in Finley City is clearly a hundred times better than in the Monster Mountain Range. Yet compared to Finley City, life in the Monster Mountain Range makes me feel far more at ease!"

"Once I take on a few missions in Wushan Town and the surrounding area, meet Lin Lei, the protagonist who is the same age as me, and conveniently fulfill the Special Warfare Camp's mission requirements, I'll head back to the Monster Forest to hone myself!"

"That way, I can enjoy more peaceful days while also securing my position in the Special Warfare Camp."

"Who would have thought that the Monster Trial, originally meant as a punishment, would become my trademark in the Special Warfare Camp?"

"A year-long Monster Trial not only failed to hinder me in the Special Warfare Camp, but actually made my superiors appreciate me more. These target trainees have even shamelessly come to befriend me and invite me out for drinks, making intelligence gathering so easy that there's not even a shred of accomplishment in it!"

"Life..."

"If I stop considering trials in the Monster Mountain Range after joining the Special Warfare Camp, then even if I won't be kicked out of the camp in the future, the task of expanding my connections won't be easy."

After lamenting his own circumstances for a while, Fengyun put on his false smile once more, pushed open the door to Room 8, and resumed drinking and reveling with everyone.

Three days later, Fengyun arrived in Wushan Town with several tax clerks under the guidance of the local tax official to collect taxes.

Generally speaking, taxes were collected by tax officials sent level by level from kingdoms or duchies to the towns and cities under their jurisdiction. The Church itself did not participate in tax collection; it merely waited for the tribute from the kingdoms and duchies under its command.

However, to prevent those nations from harboring ulterior motives, the Church would also send people to accompany the tax officials on collection assignments. Throughout the process, the Church's personnel did not need to do any actual work. They only needed to verify the town's tax records and report them to the Church upon returning.

Such matters were usually handled by local missionaries or priests, but trainees from the Special Warfare Camp occasionally took part as well. Moreover, the Special Warfare Camp could be found anywhere that displayed the Light Church's influence.

This not only reduced the burden on the Church's clergy, but also allowed the Special Warfare Camp's trainees to receive ample training in every aspect while fostering a stronger sense of belonging to the Church.

That was why it was called the Special Warfare Camp rather than the Reserve Training Camp for the Ace Knight Order.

The tax official in charge of collecting taxes was named Henry. He was somewhat thin and frail. Though he was merely a Level 1 Warrior, he came from a good family and was quite shrewd. Through his family's connections, he had obtained a position as a tax official and ordinarily lived a carefree life.

At that moment, the five-foot-seven Henry chatted idly with Fengyun, first talking about which restaurants in the city served the best food, then about where nearby had the most beautiful scenery.

As they approached Wushan Town, he looked at the many newly repaired houses within the town and sighed. "Wushan Town really has suffered one disaster after another. I heard that not long ago, the Kailai Family's mercenary group was wiped out here over a treasure."

"Later, two important figures fought here and nearly destroyed all the houses in the town, causing many casualties as well."

"I heard the lord's family of this town used to be a great family, but the family declined and gradually fell into ruin. Still, for them to have declined to such a state, that claim of having once been a great family may simply be them trying to put on a good face!"

Fengyun gave the tax official an amused glance. If even the Baruch Family, the former Dragon Blood Warrior family, didn't count as a great family, then how many families on the entire continent could truly be called great families?

But he had no interest in discussing this with Henry. He had waited for more than a month, only summoning the tax official to collect taxes after receiving news half a month ago that a Saint Realm battle had taken place here. He had not come to listen to the tax official prattle on about such things.

"Let's go, Henry. It's getting late. Hurry up and finish the tax collection. If we dawdle any longer, it'll probably be dark by the time we return."

Henry immediately gave Fengyun a fawning smile, then urged his tax clerks to move quickly toward the Baruch Family estate.

Fengyun came from the Special Warfare Camp. If the person assigned to accompany the tax collection had been a local priest or missionary, there would still have been room to salvage things if something went wrong.

But for Special Warfare Camp trainees like Fengyun, who had come out to carry out missions, there was very little room for mediation once trouble arose, whether because of their age or their background.

People like this were the sort of people tax officials like Henry hated most, yet also could not afford to offend. Otherwise, he would not have spent the entire journey wearing a smiling face.

Just as they were about to reach the Baruch estate, however, Henry heard Fengyun say again, "The scenery around here is quite nice!"

"You go collect the taxes first. I'll go look at the scenery, then come check the figures with you once you're done."

Without waiting for Henry to react, a flash of white light flickered across his body, and he dashed far away in the blink of an eye. By the time Henry recovered and tried to stop him, Fengyun had already become nothing more than a retreating silhouette.

Watching Fengyun run toward Wushan, Henry shouted "Brother Yun" several times. When Fengyun showed no sign of slowing down, he cursed under his breath and led his tax clerks off to collect taxes.

On Wushan, Lin Lei looked warily at the figure behind him. "Who are you? Why are you following me?"

He had come to Wushan to hunt and feed the Little Shadow Mouse. The sudden appearance of someone whose identity he did not know made him rather nervous!