John and his party do seem to be a bit dusty at the moment. Except for a somewhat sturdy shoulder and two sturdy-looking horses, it was the same as the countless caravans passing through the village of Bies, seeking to rest.

The structure of the village is actually very regular, and it is easy to find a place to rest from the thatched huts of the peasants scattered between the farmland orchards and the pasturelands, and to the huts of some craftsmen and service workers in a cross in the center of the village.

Along the way, you can see everywhere the people carrying various boxes in their hands, the displays in the boxes are varied, most of them are agricultural and sideline products, out of the village, there is no trace of them in the field of vision. Although the whole village seemed to be leisurely and wealthy, to John's surprise, these people were all yellow-faced and thin.

Sophia was also visibly feeling a little strange, and a pair of eyes poking out from behind the curtain on her shoulder looked at the complex village. The surrounding residents seemed to be a little used to seeing this group, but they just kept their heads down and continued to walk.

When the "caravan" came down a small road to the central market square, they finally saw a different figure. It's a dozen soldiers in old-fashioned chain mail. Their weapons were very different from those of the soldiers who defended the Imperial forts, perhaps militias organized by the local consuls. Each of them carried a short bow that did not seem to be so powerful, and there were only five or six sparse feathered arrows behind the quiver.

"Stop, stop, stop, my dear, businessmen from afar."

Obviously, those soldiers also spotted John and the others, and the officers, who looked slightly more elaborately dressed, came up with a group of people like this.

Although they looked friendly, it didn't bode well to John.

"You seem to have traveled quite a bit, and the village of Biyes welcomes you very much." The officer selectively ignored John, who looked to be only a teenager and not very well dressed, presumably among the servants whom he had classified, and then said courteously to the shoulders of his entourage, "There is the best inn in Epirus in the village of Bies!" There are also some specialties that are unique to the area...... All in all, you're going to love it. So, what are you here for? ”

Sophia did not step off her shoulder, but replied to the officer in a languid voice in the sedan chair: "As you said, we are just repairing in the village of Bies, and we will send some goods to Combrigne, where we do business." ”

Perhaps because of the voice of the woman in the shoulder, the soldiers' eyes brightened a little: "Gombryne? If it's a caravan from the west, it shouldn't pass through here...... Are you the first to come to the village of Bijes? Gombrigne is still a long way from here. ”

"Our ship had some problems and had to dock at the edge of the port of Javel. If I had to say, this is our first time here. ”

John could even clearly see the swirling smile on the officer's face, but he quickly relented and said with a pretense of seriousness: "Ah, dear merchants, you can enjoy more comfortably in the village of Biyes by paying a small tax, and behold, the smell of fruit wine in the air is the best thing in the world." ”

For John, who was accustomed to court cuisine, this kind of thing was not of any interest, but he was curious to see what was going on with the tax.

"Taxes...... Sophia seemed to sober up a bit, "what kind of taxes?" ”

The officer could barely stop the smile on his face at this time: "You must be the first time to do business in Epirus!" In the empire, merchants had to pay a small tax to cross the border without a pass, and after that, they could move here unhindered. ”

"Is there this tax?" John turned to the side and casually asked the attendant beside him. Perhaps this was a tax name given by the local nobility, which was not the same as the laws of the empire.

"Your Highness, the tax revenue in the empire can't be collected by the militia of a village......" The attendant beside him replied in a whisper.

"Also, we need to check your goods, for the sake of the Empire's safety. But I'm sure it won't be any contraband, right? ”

It doesn't look good. This was the first impression that the group made on John. However, in the first requirement of not being in direct conflict. Sophia still smelled calmly: "So, how much is it?" ”

"Ah, a few hundred silver Heppalon coins. The equivalent value of goods, or gold and silver, can also be used for payment. However, the village of Biyes has always been hospitable, and after paying the tax, you can stay overnight for free at the village inn. ”

You know, at the end of the empire, no gold coins were minted, and gold coins were scarce in circulation except Constantinople, and the value of Heppapelon's silver coins was very high, and a caravan of this size, if business went well, would usually not make a total profit of more than five hundred silver coins. After the cost is removed, the asking price of this militia is purely the lion's mouth.

The silence on the shoulders did not seem to anger the militia. The officer seemed accustomed to the caravan's reaction: "Of course, this tax must be paid, and if there is no merchant's certificate, or if any illegal goods are found, the Archon will probably have to inquire for himself." It's a bit of a hassle, so you don't want to be in jail, right? ”

"John, give them money."

"Huh?"

"We'll just pay our taxes and just rest for one night in the village of Bijes."

Sophia on her shoulder didn't show her head, but John could imagine her smiling now.

The Heppapelon Silver Coin was relatively less popular within the Imperial Family. But if you pull out a few gold coins at this time, it will be too comedic.

When John took the money out of his linen bag, the sergeant's expression was visibly more exciting.

Because they didn't think that this group of relatively dilapidated looking caravans could easily squeeze such a rich amount of oil and water. Sophia is willing to give money, which only shows one thing - they are not ruthless enough.

But the words have already been said before, and it doesn't seem to look good to turn your face at the moment.

"Ah, you are the most popular guests of the Empire! The inn here is open for you at any time! The officer smiled and got out of the way, but smiled a little reluctantly.

"Brother?"

"Huh?"

After walking a long way, Sophia suddenly stopped her shoulder: "Tonight, be careful." ”

"I know, the appetite of that group of people, I guess it should be more than that."