"Master, there's the smell of blood." Just as Lin Li was feeling puzzled, Norfeller suddenly frowned.
Norfeller was a true high-ranking Vampire. His life, power, and everything else came from blood, so he was naturally more sensitive to it than ordinary people. Since even he said there was the smell of blood, then there must be blood somewhere in Black Clouds Town …
"Where?"
"Church Square."
"Come, let's go."
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Li had already released the Levitation Spell. With the support of the Levitation Spell, Lin Li swept towards the direction of the Cathedral Square like a gust of wind. The study of more than 10 core magical laws in the past month had indeed brought him countless benefits. A simple Levitation Spell was actually as fast as lightning in his hands. Fortunately, no one saw it at this time, or else they would have been scared half to death. How could an Archmage-level Levitation Spell become a Legendary-level Flight Spell? Was this something that a human could do?
Lin Li controlled the Levitation Spell that was comparable to a Legendary-level spell, and instantly flew above the Church Square. The scene in the square surprised Lin Li. It was not a very spacious square, but there were almost a thousand people squeezed into it. This was Black Clouds Town, not the prosperous capital Alanna, nor the Chaos City Jarrosus that was crowded with 18 forces. It was just a remote town near Doland, and there were only about a thousand households in the whole town. This meant that almost every household had someone there.
"Hurry up, don't dawdle. Those who should pay, pay, and those who should go home. If you delay my dinner, you're going to suffer next month!" The voice that came from the crowd sounded muffled, as if someone's nose was severely stuffed.
Lin Li looked down in surprise, and saw a burly man in his thirties with a long table in front of him. On the table was a large wooden box, and the burly man was cursing loudly as he placed silver coins into the box. The townspeople formed a long line in front of the long table, and under the loud curses of the burly man, they handed the silver coins over one by one …
At first, Lin Li thought that it was the tax officer.
In fact, it was no wonder that Lin Li thought so. In recent years, the border of the Felan Kingdom had been getting more and more chaotic, especially this year, where the two human kingdoms of Felan and Ledin had fought a few battles. Although they were all small-scale armed conflicts, under the current circumstances, even a fool would know that these two kingdoms would have a war sooner or later. War and taxes were always linked, so the taxes this year were especially heavy. Lin Li had only stayed in Black Clouds Town for a month, and had already seen the tax officer's carriage twice …
But on second thought, something was not right — how could those tax officers dressed in black riding carriages be so cool? Look at this person, he had a pair of small triangular eyes and a fierce-looking face. As he cursed loudly, his spittle flew all over the place while his legs were placed on the table. At a glance, he really had an air of elegance and style. He was even more eye-catching than any tax official!
"Damn it, all of you are so stingy. If not for us, the Syer Bandits, protecting you all these years, would your crops have grown so well? "Of of Sys, your business, your business? How could your children grow so big? " I'm only taking a little bit of money, yet you're making excuses. Do you have any conscience? "Let me tell you, our boss said that the prices of goods have been rising recently, and the expenses are higher than before. From next month onwards, each family will have to pay 50 silver coins more. You Scum, you better prepare the money as soon as possible, and don't dawdle like today!"
After the burly man's endless complaints, Lin Li finally understood the ins and outs of the matter. It seemed that this fellow was even cooler than the tax officer. Other tax officers would more or less have to rack their brains to think about what they should use to collect taxes, but this fellow did not even have to think about what to do. He could just collect as much protection fee as he wanted!
Lin Li had never been a fan of things like protection money, so he slowly descended from the sky. Just as he was about to talk to the burly man, he suddenly heard someone calling his name.
"Felic, why are you here?"
Lin Li turned around, and saw a white-haired old man. "Good evening, Uncle Salatt."
This old man named Salatt was Lin Li's new neighbor. He was in his fifties, and ran a blacksmith shop next to Lin Li's house that did not have much business. He relied on farming tools to make a living. In a small place like Black Clouds Town, most people would not change their farming tools even once in a few years, so Salatt's business was naturally quiet. His son had been idling around in Doland since he was a teenager, and had been dreaming of becoming an Adventurer to make a fortune. He had been hanging around in Doland since he was a teenager, and had not become an Adventurer, but had become a lowly land gangster. He had not made much money in the past few years, and had instead relied on Old Salatt to help him. Since his business was not doing well, and his son was not doing well, Old Salatt naturally led a hard life.
However, despite his hard life, Old Salatt was known to be a good person in Black Clouds Town. Lin Li, for example, had been taken care of by Old Salatt when he first moved to Black Clouds Town. Old Salatt would ask about his well-being, and he was as warm as a family member. Until now, if Old Salatt made something delicious, he would not ask this young neighbor to share it with him. Even someone as thick-skinned as Lin Li could not help but feel embarrassed at times, and was always thinking about whether he should find a chance to repay this kind old man.
At this moment, Old Salatt had an anxious look on his face. "Felic, tell me quickly, why are you here?"
"Hehe, I went out in the day, and just came back. Then, I realized that there was no one in town …"
"Sigh, you're really …" Old Salatt sighed, and his wrinkled face was filled with anxiety. "Why did you come back? Can't you just stay outside? Why did you have to come back at this time? Sigh, this is going to be troublesome …"
"What's wrong, Uncle Salatt?"
"Don't ask so much first …" Old Salatt looked around, and pulled Lin Li to the side. He pointed at the forest opposite the Church Square. "Felic, do you see that? Yes, yes, yes, it's beside the forest. There's a small path there. Before the Vampires find you, run out of the town and hide there. Come back when it's dark … "
"What Vampires?"
"That's them!" The old man pointed at the center of the crowd, where a burly man was collecting money with his legs crossed. "They're from the Syer Bandits. These Vampires collect a lot of money from the town every year, and they even say that it's the price for protecting us. Pfft, these damned Vampires, it's good enough that they don't harm us, and we're counting on them to protect us …"
"You pay them just because they collect money?"
"What can we do if we don't? They're all armed, how can we fight them?"
"What about the militia in the town, and Doland? Black Clouds Town is under Doland's protection, right? Has Doland never asked about this?"
"The militia can't fight them. There are only a few dozen militia in Black Clouds Town, and their weapons are outdated products from decades ago. The Syer Bandits have more than a thousand men, and they're one of the best in the Breezy Plains. How can a few dozen militia with outdated weapons protect Black Clouds Town? As for Doland, I've heard that Castellan Andrew and the boss of the Syer Bandits are very close …"
"I see …" Lin Li nodded, and did not say anything else.
"Alright, Felic, I've told you everything you wanted to know. You'd better take the small path. You might not know this, but besides collecting money, these Vampires often kidnap the young men in the town to join them or become their slaves. You've seen my kid, right? If not for the fact that I'm afraid he'll be captured by these Vampires, why would I watch him fool around in Doland?"
The old man's face was filled with anxiety as he spoke. If it was possible, he did not want this young neighbor to get hurt. Although they had not known each other for a long time, Old Salatt had always treated this young man like a nephew. Compared to his disappointing son, this young man was like the other end of the spectrum. He was humble and gentle, and always had a polite smile on his face. Even a lowly blacksmith like him was treated with respect, and would occasionally ask him about forging when he dropped by his blacksmith shop.
Who could bear to see such a young man get captured by the Syer Bandits, or lose his life under torture, or be brainwashed into a murderous bandit?
"It's alright, Uncle Salatt. Don't worry, I won't be captured by them …" Lin Li naturally knew what Old Salatt was thinking, and after comforting him gratefully, his gaze landed on the burly man behind the long table.
He had to admit that collecting protection fees was a strenuous task. There were more than a thousand households in Black Clouds Town, and 50 silver coins per household would add up to more than 50,000 silver coins. It was no wonder the boss of the Syer Bandits wanted to raise the price next month …
"Alright, you bunch of damned misers, hurry up! Don't dawdle over there. If you delay my dinner, I'll skin you alive!" Russell cursed loudly as he shook a few silver coins in his hand, making a 'ding ding' sound.
Lin Li pursed his lips, and was about to tell this fella that he might not have time for dinner when there was a commotion outside the crowd.
"Let go of me, you bunch of bastards, let go of me!"
A few armed bandits were escorting a young man to the center of the square. This young man looked to be in his twenties, and his features were very similar to Old Salatt's!
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