Uppsala, a medium-sized city in the east of the Icelandic country of Atland.
Woo woo woo …
Even though it was the last month of spring in other parts of the continent, this land was still in winter. The cold wind blew the snow that had not melted from the eaves and treetops, causing people's faces to hurt.
"Stop it! Stop it! The king's, the church's, and the feudal lord's. I've already paid my three taxes on the window and fireplace. You can't take away my precious porcelain! "
An old man wrapped in a worn-out sheepskin roared miserably, but he could not stop the ferocious soldiers and the skinny tax official in the lead who smelled faintly of sulfur.
The neighbors on the street carefully poked their heads out. They could not bear to see this, but even if there were a few young people who were filled with righteous indignation, they did not dare to do anything.
Because none of them could avoid the old man's experience!
The natural environment of the Atland Kingdom was harsh. About 30% of the territory in the north was within the polar circle. The remaining areas were mostly cold all year round, and agriculture and animal husbandry were not developed.
Not to mention that they did not ride on the steam industry at all. The characteristic striped cloth produced by the handmade workshops was also severely impacted by the tulip industry.
Although they were once a maritime country that followed the Shilius Empire in exploring the outside world, they had declined greatly in recent years due to various reasons.
Especially after the death of the older generation of "Kingdom Guardians", the fate of the Atland Kingdom was no longer there.
The peak military force that supported their bloody shadow over the coastal waters of the continent for four centuries had disappeared.
Now, only a Titled Knight, "Bloodthirsty Wild Hunter" was left to support it alone.
If it were not for the survival of the vicious and the navy that they barely maintained, this country would almost fall out of the list of powerful countries on the continent.
Besides.
The Atlanders believed in the "Frost Breath" Goddess Skati. Her holy abode was located at the end of the world in the northernmost part of the kingdom. It was also the deepest part of the Eternal White Land, the origin of all the cold waves in the northern hemisphere.
As a nature deity, this goddess was as indifferent as her [Divine Title]. She was like a cold northern wind that watched the world and rarely interfered with the progress of the human world.
Only the "Church of the Frost Breath" used the goddess's name to fight against the secular rulers.
These characteristics caused the people of the Icelandic Kingdom to be valiant, but at the same time, there were also many remnants of feudalism in the kingdom. There were still many feudal lords and their private armed forces.
In other words, the king had to collect taxes, the church had to collect taxes, and even the feudal lords had to collect taxes!
For example, the "window tax" and the "fireplace tax" that the local lord was levying.
"Window tax": the basic fee for all houses was 20 coppers (converted), and if the number of windows was 10 or more, 40 coppers.
Fireplace tax: 10 Fords per fireplace, collected every six months. In other words, a normal family with only one fireplace would have to pay at least 20 Fords per year.
There were many more bizarre taxes than these two. For example, the "fat corpse tax" stipulated that the coffin used by the deceased had to be 58 centimeters wide, and a tax of 50 Copper Forres per centimeter would be levied.
All kinds of exorbitant taxes covered every aspect of the people's lives.
What was even worse was that the same tax had to be paid to three different people three times, causing the citizens to complain incessantly.
Furthermore, because the "fireplace tax" could only be counted by entering the houses of the residents, tax officers and soldiers had to go door to door to collect taxes.
In the process, the "tax" belonged to the feudal lord, but the extra gains belonged to … them.
Rulers like Elvin and Levina who had self-restraint and knew how to implement "wealth redistribution" to ease social conflicts were in the minority.
Most of the royal families were better at using violence than benefits to rule the people.
It could be said that most of the time, everyone was just competing to see who was worse.
The autocratic rule of the king, the rigidity of the political system, the disregard for human rights, the corruption of the government, the economic recession, the high unemployment rate, the poor lives of the people …
The ruling class had been in power for a long time, the lack of reform, the lack of transparency in the political and economic distribution, and so on. This had become a chronic disease not only in Atlan.
Especially now that the "Tulip Alliance" had taken over the sea, the flying scissors were quickly entering the water, and even the pirates were having a hard time.
Unable to plunder from the outside, they could only strengthen the exploitation of their own people, and Atlan had gradually fallen into a vicious cycle.
Looking at the soldiers who were recklessly robbing the residents during the tax collection, it really looked like the end of a dynasty, the collapse of order, and the precarious situation.
"Creak! Creak! "
In this oppressive and numbing atmosphere.
A tall and burly young man who had the appearance of both an Atlan and a Koyak stepped on the snow on the ground and walked into this indescribable city.
The young man wore a clean and decent hunting outfit, shiny leather boots, and a longsword at his waist. Although he did not wear any noble's coat of arms, he looked like a different kind of person from the poor commoners.
The city gate officer who was used to treating people according to their preferences did not even collect his entrance tax.
"This place is unexpectedly … rotten."
Elvin's fifth disciple, Bach, stepped into his father's hometown for the first time in his life, Atlan, a country with pirate genes.
However.
Ever since he received his teacher's mission and set foot on this land, Bach was greatly disappointed in this so-called homeland that he had never been to before.
Although it was much better than the Koyak people who also lived in the New World's polar circle.
However, it was far inferior to the former Shilius colony, let alone the civilized and wealthy Gallot Duchy.
This made Bach, who came to the Source Continent for the first time, feel disillusioned.
"Hmm?"
Under the guidance of the [Mental Network] that he sent out in advance, after walking through a few streets, his ears suddenly twitched.
He heard a destitute bard in tattered clothes reciting a poem in a place sheltered from the wind at the corner of the street.
There was nothing wrong with the bard, but what made him stop and listen was the bard's singing.
The gist of it was:
"All the suffering of the people is because of the dictatorship of the monarch and the monopoly of the nobles.
In the "Lowland Republic" in the south, the people have the right to choose their own leaders. The country's leaders must serve the people and not lie on the people's backs to suck their blood.
Not only can the people eat and wear warm clothes, but they can also enjoy the loans and subsidies from the government, giving them a chance to rise above others …
If an elected leader is not qualified, the people have the right to change … Only when we unite can we have our own happy lives … "
Words of this sort were mixed in with the story.
In the end, even if no one rewarded him, his expression did not change.
He took off his hat and bowed to every yearning audience. He said, "'The Office of Democracy and Freedom of Atlan' wishes you well!"
His tone seemed to contain some kind of [Bewitchment] power, making people involuntarily believe what he said.
The crowd dispersed again. Only Bach stood in the same place, deep in thought.
"This is the [Democracy Fighter] in the [Faceless] intelligence report? Is the Lowland Republic targeting Atlan?
This broken place is really full of demons.
Forget it, this has nothing to do with me. It's more important to complete the teacher's mission. "
The "World Currency" plan in the mortal world did not affect the two mid-term goals that Elvin had set:
Explore the unknown behind the door of the "World's End" and the [Mobius Ring] that might be hidden there; explore the space sealed by the "Purgers" and the [Wheel of Caterpillar] that might be hidden there.
If he wanted to go to the world behind the door and obtain the "ultimate secret" of this world, if he did not pass through the door guarded by the "Golden Nation", it was very likely that he would be completely lost in the storm belt.
So.
Ever since he returned from the "Muria Civilization" exploration, Jeros had set off to search for the remaining [Golden Compasses].
Only when the thirteen Golden Compasses were gathered could the door to the endless ocean "Folcus" be opened.
At the time of the latest message, Jeros had collected a total of seven compasses, plus one in Elvin's hands and one in Olivia's hands.
Now that they had nine compasses in their hands, they were not too far away from collecting all of them.
There was also one that he clearly knew about …
As his thoughts churned, Bach had already arrived at a somewhat chaotic street under the guidance of the [Mental Network]. He saw a group of soldiers and tax officers who were collecting taxes from house to house.
With just a glance, he could not help but frown deeply.
Although Bach's main profession path was physical, he had also received the corresponding witchcraft knowledge from Elvin as a [Sorcerer].
When he stood downwind, his sharp sense of smell had automatically captured the scent of the thin tax officer.
"Sulfur? A … Devil from the lower realm? "
At this moment.
"Ah —!"
A slightly immature girl's scream pierced through the street.
Immediately after, he heard a soldier who was "collecting taxes" in a house shouting excitedly.
"Hahaha, boss, look! The poor guy who lives here actually has a compass. It looks like it's made of pure gold! "
"Shut up, what poor guy's collection? This is obviously stolen goods! Take him away! "
Ding Ling Clang …
"Ah! Let me go! "
The mixed-blood youth's eyes narrowed dangerously.
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