The cat immediately waved its paws: "No...... It's nothing! I just saw someone forcibly pretending to be ...... Ha ha! It's so interesting! ”

Arrow, who was in no mood to pay attention to the cat's sudden amusement for something, snorted and went back to bed.

But just as he closed his eyes and was ready to go back to sleep......

"Hey, the distribution of the production materials...... What the hell is it? ”

The cat, now staring at the big sapphire eyes, raised a paw and gently pressed it on the door of Arrow's head, and asked like a curious baby.

————

When he woke up, the entire Blood Swallow Town had also spent the night in tranquility.

Arrow yawned and got up, rubbing his sore neck a little from not sleeping comfortably and walked out the door.

The guild members were now up one after the other, and there was nothing to prepare for in this seemingly poor village, so everyone simply sorted themselves out.

However, the three of them, known as the fool trio, began to look at Arrow with a very suspicious and resentful look. Especially Coco, this little girl, with that kind of expression that seems to be completely shattered, Arrow is really angry and funny.

"Coco......"

"Humph!" Coco turned his head directly, looking like he was ignorant of answers, "Brother Guild is a very kind-hearted person, not such a cold-blooded and ruthless person!" Hum! ”

This girl seems to be too pampered, when will she take a rattan and whip it twice to see if it can solve the problem?

Arrow shook his hand, imagining how he felt when he held the whip in his hand.

After satisfying his imagination, he asked everyone to pack all their luggage, and he walked downstairs and shouted, "Boss? Is the boss there? Do we have a pre-booked ox cart? ”

It's a pity that just after getting off the stairs, the scene that appeared in front of him made Arrow completely stunned.

I saw that the door of the inn was open, and the innkeeper was now standing in front of the door, holding a big broom in his hand with a fierce face!

His daughter, Milk, is now hiding in the corner of the hall on the first floor, covering her face and seemingly sobbing secretly.

Outside the gate, the brave boy who had been beaten up yesterday was kneeling in front of the gate, and the swelling on his face had not yet had time to disappear, but he insisted on kneeling there.

"You me, do you hear me! You're not welcome on my end! ”

"Father-in-law! Please let the milk come with me! I'll take her out of Bloodswallow Town, and I'll take her to a place where there's no such bastard guy!" If you don't let me run away with her, she'll fall into the clutches of that terrible magician! ”

Clearly, the innkeeper had not changed in the slightest because of the boy's tenacity and bravery. He still held a wooden stick in his hand, looking very vigilant.

In fact, from any point of view, there is no reason for Arrow to continue to meddle in this matter.

Yes, from any angle.

This perspective doesn't just represent the owner of a guild, a little girl who owes money with a lot of debt. Even as the most basic and ordinary "human" identity, Arrow felt that he should not meddle now, but should let this matter gradually fade like this, let the innkeeper solve the problem himself, and then the mermaid song patted his ass and left now.

But......

Turning his head, Arrow saw the guild members next to him, who looked indignant.

Looking at the tension in Coco's eyes, and also watching Brad's fists clenched. Even the crisp tower, who has never shown any emotion, now shows a little pity.

The expressions on the faces of these members fully told Arrow that he, the president, might have countless reasons not to solve this incident, but as a person who has lost his heart of justice, he did not make a move, which in itself is a mistake!

Alas......

After all, ideological problems still need to be solved with thoughts.

Even if the combat effectiveness of these members is ten times and a hundred times higher than that of their own leader, but if there is a problem in their thinking, the stronger the power, the easier it is to go further and further down the wrong path.

As the president, it is naturally necessary for Arrow to pull these members back immediately when there is a problem in their minds to avoid more unfortunate incidents.

It was precisely because of this reason that Arrow could only sigh after all, stepped forward, gently patted the innkeeper on the shoulder, smiled slightly, and said, "It seems that things on your side are quite complicated, right?" Have we rented our guild's ox carts? If you don't have a rent...... Can you tell me what's going on now? ”

The innkeeper turned his head and saw Arrow's clean and beautiful face, and the original nervous expression on his face immediately relaxed. He exhaled slightly, his left hand tightly tugged on his daughter's hand, and after a slight hesitation, he finally spat at the young man kneeling at the door: "I'll tell you!" This matter is not negotiable! If you want to die, die by yourself! Don't come to harm my daughter! Don't even think about harming the people of our entire Blood Swallow Town! ”

With that, the innkeeper pulled the girl around and walked into the hall.

Seeing that her sweetheart was now kneeling outside the door, scarred all over, but with such a strong will, a slight sadness appeared on the girl's face. After being pulled back by her father, she once again covered her face and shrank into the corner, sobbing secretly.

And for his daughter's current state, the innkeeper had nothing to do, but sighed, looked very decadent, sat down on a chair in the hall, put down the stick, seemed to think of something sad, and secretly touched the tears in his eyes.

Elo glanced at the young man who was still kneeling outside the door, smiled slightly, and sat down opposite the innkeeper. The other members quickly formed a circle behind Arrow, all eagerly awaiting, waiting for the next conversation.

"So...... Can you tell me from the beginning, what is going on? ”

Arrow's voice was very gentle, and listening to such a soft voice, the innkeeper also slowly eased up. He took a deep breath, then raised his head, wiped his already reddened eyes, sobbed, and said—"O president of the mermaid's song...... Our town...... Blood Swallow Town...... Actually, it wasn't meant to be like this. More than a year ago, our town was like other small towns, there were some people living here, and although they were a little poor, they were generally living well, eating and drinking. ”

"But a year ago...... All of a sudden, things changed. ”

"The mayor of our town...... His name is Fresh Hammer. He's been doing this job for a long, long time, probably ...... More than twenty years, right? He has been the mayor of our town since the death of the previous mayor. And more importantly...... Fresh Hammer, he is a coincidence and an affinity for the magic elements of the earth. In other words, a magician. ”

Arrow nodded slightly, after all, he had passed through this town on his way to Pelican Town, and he knew that the leader of this town was an earth magician.

"The location of our Blood Swallow Town is relatively remote, although it can be regarded as a necessary road on the national highway, but our place is naturally short of water, and all the towns before and after are relatively far away, and there is no development."

"After Xian became the mayor of our town, he has always been thinking of ways to develop our town. However, although it is said to be development, in fact, it is to put it bluntly, it is to allow us to have better land to plant. ”

"He's a friend of the earth element, so every time the seasons change and it's time to farm, he uses his magic to reclaim our land. The land he cultivated would become so fertile that he would be able to grow a lot of food with only a small amount of water. It is precisely because of his approach that our town can barely survive. ”

After thinking for a moment, Arrow suddenly asked, "Then how much are your taxes?" ”

When it came to the question of taxes, the innkeeper sighed helplessly and said, "A long time ago...... Taxes are about 15 percent of the year's income. Ten percent of it was supposed to be turned over to the state treasury, and the remaining five percent he took as his reward for clearing the land. Back then, Xian often talked and laughed with us, and drank and chatted together, but gradually, he ...... Alas...... I don't know when the tax began to rise year by year, and last year's tax revenue has reached 50 percent......"

Arrow wasn't surprised by this.

He even sneered a little at the magician's willingness to charge only fifteen percent of the tax in the first place.

Collect 15 percent, hand over 10 percent to the state treasury, and keep 5 percent for yourself...... In other words, it was only when a small town had seventeen assets for agricultural work that the magician's income was just as much as that of an ordinary peasant.

But the problem is that Xueyan Town is not a big town, and there is not a lot of farmland around it. Therefore, as a magician, he probably doesn't get much more income in a year than a farmer at all.

With such a small income, combined with the unique "power" of powerful magic, it is strange that after a long time, the psychology will not be distorted.

In Pelican Town, for example, before Arrow's arrival, the mayor of Round Cheese would probably not have made much money if he really lived entirely on taxes. For the sake of such a small income, it is impossible for ordinary people to have a good attitude to manage the big and small things of the whole town, and to make suggestions. Now that I think about it, if it weren't for the hereditary position of the chubby mayor and the extra business income of his own at home, he must not have been able to do it for long.

And more importantly...... Round cheese is not a magician. And this fresh hoe is an authentic magician.

"Fifty percent in taxes?! That's a lot, isn't it?! ”

Coco couldn't listen to it anymore, and immediately jumped out with a frown, and said-

"Generally speaking, the tax revenue in our town is less than twenty percent, how can this earth mage have the audacity to ask for such a high tax?!"

Arrow stretched out his hand to stop the little girl, nodded lightly at the innkeeper, and smiled, "Please continue." ”

The innkeeper exhaled and continued, "That was more than a year ago...... Let me think...... At the end of 1301, on the day of the Holy Night Festival, he, as a magician, seemed to have gone to the capital to participate in something...... A gathering of magicians, right? Then, when he came back, he announced to us that he wanted the tax to be raised to 50 percent. ”

"You know, before this, our town's tax has reached forty percent, but since he has always had his magic supply, even if it is forty percent tax, our town can still tolerate it."

"But now it's up to 50 percent! This tax is so powerful that the people in our town can't accept it. ”

Looking at the innkeeper's angry appearance now, Arrow has some of his own little Jiujiu in his heart.

Fifty percent tax rate...... In fact, this tax rate can be regarded as a relatively normal tax rate for the entire Blue Bay Empire, no, and even for most regions on the entire continent.

For rulers, charging a tax rate of about fifty can make their lives very comfortable on the one hand, and on the other hand, it can also ensure that the people in their territory do not starve to death. Of course, the lords would not care whether the peasants' savings would decline further after so many taxes were collected.

"And then? You're going to fight? Arrow asked his own question.

The innkeeper hesitated slightly, but finally nodded.

He exhaled a breath and said with a very embarrassed look: "No matter how you say it, the tax rate of 50 percent is really too high...... While it's not like this kind of tax can't be sustained, and the mayor's magic can also make our crops grow better...... But when we suddenly heard about such a high tax rate, we were still a little angry. So at the beginning of last year, a group of young people went to the mayor of the town to theorize and demanded that the tax be brought back to about 30 percent. ”

Brad showed a look of approval and said with a smile: "What a brave man! I admire them. ”

Arrow gave him a blank look, and continued to face the innkeeper with a smile: "And what happened later? ”

innkeeper: "Later, they all died. At that moment, Brad, who was still smiling just now, seemed to have been immobilized all of a sudden, the smile on his face was stiff, and his eyes looked a little dull. After a moment of silence, the big man's fists clenched again, and the smile disappeared into a solemn expression that was slightly silent.

Arrow thought about it, and also put away the smile on his face: "What about later?" ”

The innkeeper sighed, a little sadness on his face, and said, "Those young people want to go to the mayor and ...... I don't know what kind of conflict they had with the mayor. When we got up one day, we saw that the five young men were buried in the earth and had lost their lives...... It was also from that time that no one dared to give advice to the mayor of the town. ”

"But that's not the end of it."

"After killing the rebels, the mayor was so angry that he announced to us in front of the whole town that he would no longer reclaim our crops because of our disobedience and betrayal."

He did what he said, and in the next planting season, instead of using his magic to clear the crops in our town, he made our land even more barren. Without exception, none of the plants that were planted survived. ”

"For the whole of last year, we didn't harvest any grains in Xueyan Town. But when it came time to pay the tax in the second half of the year, the mayor did not have any intention of letting us go, and still forced us to pay a 50% tax rate. If we refuse to pay our taxes, then he will personally come and demolish our house, smash the contents of our room, and take away what little savings we have left. ”

"After such a fuss last year, some young and strong young men in our town still couldn't bear it after all, and they left and fled. There are only a few people left who can't leave to continue to live in this town, living this kind of life that can die anytime and anywhere......"

With that, the innkeeper's eyes glanced again at his daughter in the corner. At this time, the girl was also secretly looking at the kneeling teenager outside the door, and after realizing her father's gaze, she quickly closed her eyes and continued to cover her face and cry.

And the young man outside the door seemed to be more determined after seeing the eyes of his sweetheart, and he was still kneeling outside so strongly.

Arrow exhaled, then nodded slightly: "Then boss...... Just tell me the truth, what you really think...... What is it? ”

The innkeeper's eyes suddenly dodged, but after a few moments, as if completely out of his mind, he nodded at Arrow, poked his head out, and whispered in Arrow's ear, "To be honest, I really don't want my daughter to go with that poor boy." If marrying the mayor can help our town get back to life, then I'...... I also think that this may not be bad......"

That being said, but when the boss's head retracted, Arrow stared into his eyes again.

Obviously, the boss's eyes dodged again.

For the town?

Ah, that's certainly a reason too.

But on the other hand, if the daughter marries the only mayor of this town with magical powers, does it mean that she will also rise to the rank in one go?

Of course, looking at the little hint of anticipation in the innkeeper's dodgy eyes, Arrow didn't pierce it. After all, this kind of thinking is normal, and Arrow has no intention of becoming a moral guardian.

"I see, I see."

Arrow nodded slightly, and the smile on his face continued to emerge—

"So boss, where is the ox cart we booked yesterday?"

The others were a little surprised to see that their president wanted the ox cart again after talking about it for so long. But the innkeeper smiled with a little relief and said, "My brother stayed in the next town last night. He's probably coming back today...... But don't worry, I won't be counting you for today's accommodation, I'm really sorry. ”

Arrow didn't care, he nodded, and told everyone to pack up their things again and go back to the second floor to rest. And he himself didn't care about the expressions on the faces of so many members behind him, and went upstairs by himself, playing an exemplary role.

Of course, this can't end there.

After all the members went up to the second floor with all kinds of careful thoughts......

"Do you think I'm too cold-blooded and ruthless, do you think I don't even think of a way to solve such a simple relationship between good and evil?"

In the room, Coco's emotions were the most excited. And when Arrow said these words, his eyes were looking at the young necromancer, with a gentle smile in his eyes.

Coco puffed out her cheeks, but didn't speak. But the crisp tower next to her seemed a little unbearable now, she stepped forward and said, "President, that ...... Although I have been a member of the Mermaid Song for a relatively short time, I think our guild should be a ...... Okay guild, right? We haven't heard the mayor's words yet, but if I really want to hold myself to the moral standards of a paladin...... I'm afraid...... There's really no way to just leave it alone and go to the capital as if nothing happened. ”

Arrow showed a look of indifference, and after thinking about it for a while, the smile on her face gradually eased, and she said, "What do you think is the most critical issue in this incident that happened here in Blood Swallow Town?" ”

Margaux raised her hand, looked at her fingernails, and said with a relaxed expression, "Do you need to say this?" Isn't it just a magician who relies on his magic power to oppress the little people here~~~"

Arrow's smiling eyes narrowed into a slit: "It's a pity, it's wrong~~~"

The corners of Margaux's mouth twitched violently, and she turned her head to look at her president with a very uncanny look.

Brad touched the back of his head, thought for a moment, and said, "This...... Isn't Margaux right? Isn't that obvious? What's wrong with that? ”

Now is not the time to continue pretending, Arrow said slowly, "The real problem that happened in Blood Swallow Town is not that a magician relies on his magic power to threaten the ordinary people here. Rather, it is the existence of a powerful means of production, using its absolute dominance in the means of production to force ordinary people who do not have enough tools of production to accept its leadership and obey its words. ”