Second Meeting

Singo, Steamed Bun, Born Battle Maniac, and Xia Ye Qiuyu Yu reunited in the square. By this time, they had shed the nickname "Black Slave Four-Person Group" and even aroused the resentment and dissatisfaction of some players.

The Peace Officer were alright; they only caught illegal and criminal activities, effectively preventing newbies from being robbed out of their homes by skilled thieves and maintaining basic order in Bator City. But the Tax Officer in Singo were a different story.

During his tenure, Singo worked diligently, frequently offering suggestions and proposing various taxes, including property tax, income tax, and Guild Tax, many of which were adopted.

These suggestions effectively increased the financial revenue of Bator City, and he himself received a considerable share, earning him the nickname "Xin the Skinflint".

In particular, the Guild Tax requires guilds to pay a higher proportion of their collective income in taxes, which makes them extremely resentful and some even start to block the entrance of guilds.

Steamed Bun, dressed in a Peace Officer uniform, stared at Single: "Damn, you've been making such a big fuss lately, and you still dare to show up in the square? Aren't you afraid of being assassinated?"

The Born Battle Maniac rubbed his bald head and chuckled, "Didn't the president of the Royal Authority threaten to paint your portrait on the city walls?"

Singo crossed his arms and said confidently, "It's alright. I've already reached a ' Tax Non-Proliferation Agreement ' with them. I won't submit a new tax plan number three. They won't bother me. They'll pay their taxes normally, and everyone will live in peace."

His tone was somewhat excited. "How's it going? Have you all reached the required Faction Contribution? I'm at 31,000 right now."

"Take the young master?"

Thirty-one thousand?

At first, Steamed Bun thought he had misheard.

Singo said Yun Danfengqing, "Increasing Bator City's tax revenue by 600% within a month, that's not an unreasonable contribution, is it?"

Steamed Bun clicked his tongue in admiration. "No wonder they blocked your door; you're stealing food from their mouths."

Xia Ye Qiuyu said, "I am currently at 12700, but I prefer the Dragon Vein Sorcerer. However, I feel that the half-dragon template is a bit too ugly, so I have now switched to a level 3 Sorcerer."

Singo scoffed, "Heh, looks are nothing compared to strength."

Xia Ye Qiuyu was so angry that her eyebrows stood on end.

The Born Battle Maniac said embarrassedly, "I'm a little afraid of heights, so I'll just buy Half-Dragon Transformation Blessing; I don't need a flying mount or anything like that."

Steamed Bun asked in surprise, "Big brother, you're afraid of heights?"

Singo also jokingly remarked, "When you were wielding Battleship Severing Blade and blasting someone else's mothership to pieces, how come you weren't afraid of heights?"

The Born Battle Maniac touched his bald head, chuckled, and said, "Back then in outer space, I couldn't see the ground below, so I wasn't afraid of heights. But when I fell into near-Earth orbit and saw the surface of the planet, I was still quite scared."

Steamed Bun:"."

He paused for a moment before saying, "My current contribution points are 12,500, which should be enough to buy the Red Scale Token."

Steamed Bun's tone was also quite excited; he had been waiting for this moment for far too long.

Singo took out the invitation he had prepared beforehand; the handwriting on it was still as fierce as a burning flame.

"Now is the time to reap the rewards!"

"Set off!"

The group arrived at a safe, secluded room and used the [Mysterious Invitation].

It can only be said that Single was indeed prescient. The price of this invitation on the black market has been inflated to nearly 100 Gold Coin, and most of them are in the hands of wealthy guilds. It is almost impossible for ordinary casual players to obtain one.

[Confirmed use of the Mysterious Invitation!] It was the familiar Flame Teleportation Gate and the long, dark corridor, which the four of them knew very well.

"Are all the lines ready?"

"Well, I won't be as reckless as you and lose favor points for nothing."

"That wasn't your doing!"

As the lights came on, a mysterious Sorcerer, half-dragon and half-human, appeared at the end.

Keosius, adopting the tone of an NPC, slowly said, "It's a pleasure to see you all again, warriors from the unknown realm. Have you completed the tasks I assigned you?"

Singo stepped forward and calmly replied, "Yes, Lord Keosius, the blood and tears of the Tiefling have been exposed, and I believe those hypocrites will pay the price they deserve."

"You did a great job."

Keosius nodded slightly, but no one could discern the meaning in his golden eyes, so they could only agree repeatedly.

Steamed Bun whispered, "Hurry up and buy things. This invitation should have a time limit."

Singo scoffed, "Don't you even know what maximizing profits means? Only by clinging to the Faction Leader can you profit in the next mission."

However, despite saying that, he still opened the store template.

"Lord Keosius, I would like to purchase some equipment."

"Hunting Longbow, provides a bonus against monsters and applies Hunter Mark to enemies while aiming. This mark increases accuracy and deals additional damage over time. Price: 80 Gold Coin."

"I bought it."

Singo looked rather pained, but continued speaking.

"Burning Ring: Your weapon attacks deal additional stackable fire damage to enemies. Price: 40 Gold Coin."

"I bought it."

Singo gritted his teeth and continued, "Quivering Scale Armor, adds three armor points, and has a chance to inflict the [Quivering Static] effect on enemies when attacked. Price... 100 Gold Coin."

"I'll buy it!"

Singo presented the bulging money bag with both hands.

The money bag was making a painful "clinking" sound.

Keosius accepted the Gold Coin, casually rummaging through them, and pulled out the three pieces of equipment that shimmered with magical light from his Dimensional Bag.

"They are yours now."

Everyone held their breath and watched intently. This wasn't magical light; it was practically shimmering with the glow of money.

Steamed Bun heard these numbers, he was even more dumbfounded. "Holy crap, Xin Gou, did you rob a bank?"

"Where did you get so many Gold Coin?"

After receiving the equipment, Singo touched his empty wallet and forced a smile, saying, "This little bit of Gold Coin isn't hard to get?"

"Tax Officer receive a commission every time they receive extra taxes."

"Here you go, this is compensation for the equipment I sold you last time, and it also covers the difference in our relationship points."

"Bite--"

With a crisp sound, he casually tossed the [Burning Ring] over like a coin toss. Steamed Bun hurriedly caught it, afraid that this valuable item might be damaged.

"That adds up to over two hundred Gold Coin..."

"No wonder those guilds are hunting you down. You're not acting as Tax Officer, you're practically robbing people."

The Steamed Bun were amazed.

The Burning Ring is arguably the best early-game item for Fighter, as it adds fire damage without any issues and is useful for both melee and ranged combat.

However, he carefully held the ring that was shimmering with flames, thinking to himself, "Although Xin Gou has a terrible temper, likes to put on airs and act arrogantly, and never gives anyone face, he is still a passable person."