Chapter 146 Driven to Despair

Bright Era 146, Main Text of the Bright Era, Chapter 146: Driven to Despair

Lin Qi and Longcheng strolled leisurely, with measured steps, until they reached the front gate of Number One, Saint Glory Avenue. Hearing those tax officials solemnly state the names of those two taxes, the two of them nearly doubled over with laughter. It turned out that fellow Titian was indeed no law-abiding citizen; those two taxes were truly a stroke of genius.

As the son of the Empire’s Deputy Prime Minister, Titian naturally wielded immense influence within the imperial civil service, and countless officials eagerly sought to flatter him. As the nephew of the Empire’s Minister of Finance, Titian exercised terrifying control over the empire's tax departments; even the chief tax official of the Imperial Capital’s Tax Bureau was someone Titian had personally appointed—the father of one of his mistresses.

Therefore, the appearance of these tax officials here was only natural.

Last night, Lin Qi had already told Titian that since Elham and his companions seemed to be plunging into a financial crisis, they should kick them while they were down before that massive trouble was resolved, completely draining their already withered purses. They would create trouble for them—all sorts of trouble—forcing them to bow their heads to Titian.

If they refused to bow to Titian and instead chose to leave the imperial capital, Lin Qi would be more than happy to see it happen. Uncle Bao and Auntie Lily’s combat prowess out in the remote wilderness was not something ordinary people could match. Furthermore, out in the wilderness, there were no pesky Dragon Riders or Bronze-caps to get in the way, allowing Lin Qi to easily eliminate this group of men and women harboring malicious intentions toward him.

The grand gate of Number One, Saint Glory Avenue, slowly opened, and a handsome man clad in black robes poked his upper body out from the crack. This man was the mage who had previously used frost-attribute divine spells at the Green Rose Hotel, as well as Thorin, Elham’s chief mage.

Giving the tax officials a cold glare, the chill radiating from Thorin's entire body made the officials shiver involuntarily.

"What are your business here?" Thorin's voice was as icy as his expression.

The leading tax official said in a low and dignified tone, "We belong to the Imperial Capital Tax Bureau, and we are here specifically to levy a special sanitation tax of two thousand gold coins and a greening tax of one hundred and twenty thousand gold coins from you. That comes to a total of one hundred and twenty-two thousand gold coins. Please pay the taxes immediately and do not waste our time."

Clearly, Thorin was stunned. He stood frozen in place with a stiff expression for a long moment without moving. After a long while, Thorin stammered, "What? What special sanitation tax? What greening tax? What are these things? Are you joking?"

The tax official said with stern majesty, "This is absolutely no joke, young man. We ask that your master promptly pay the taxes. Otherwise, the Imperial Capital's local court will file a lawsuit against you for violent tax resistance, and you are likely to find yourselves in serious trouble."

Thorin's lips turned an ashen white, and he barked sharply, "I have never heard of any special sanitation tax or greening tax! Throughout the entire Western Continent, such taxes have never been heard of!"

The tax official looked sternly at Thorin and said flatly, "Young man, these are new taxes just formulated by the Imperial Tax Department yesterday. It is winter, and the snow is very thick. The workers hired by the Imperial Capital Municipal Administration have maintained the cleanliness and hygiene of Saint Glory Avenue, leaving not even a speck of snow on the ground. The special sanitation tax is meant to supplement their wages and benefits."

Snorting coldly, the tax official sternly declared, "With such a long Saint Glory Avenue kept spotless the entire winter, are you expecting the imperial treasury to cover this expense for you? A special sanitation tax of two thousand gold coins per household—every resident on Saint Glory Avenue must pay this tax."

Thorin was bewildered. It actually sounded quite reasonable; not only Saint Glory Avenue, but even the dozen or so branch roads connected to it were swept impeccably clean without a single speck of snow. To accomplish this during the freezing winter of the Western Continent, in ghost-like weather frequently swept by blizzards, required a tremendous investment of human and material resources by the municipal administration.

Levying this tax was indeed quite logical.

Having received a closed, elite education since childhood and having never witnessed the dark and treacherous schemes of human hearts, Thorin asked blankly, "Then... what about the greening tax?"

The tax official smiled reservedly. Seeing Thorin's expression, he knew that this fledgling had accepted the explanation of the special sanitation tax. The rest would be even easier to handle. He put his hands behind his back and said indifferently, "As for the greening tax, the entirety of Saint Glory Avenue... specifically, Number One and Number Two Saint Glory Avenue back onto the All-Nations Botanical Garden. Obviously, the botanical garden has essentially become the backyard of your two households!"

Thorin was stunned once more. Did that sound reasonable too? The backyard of Number One Saint Glory Avenue was directly connected to the All-Nations Botanical Garden, and the ancient trees on both sides intertwined their branches and leaves, completely indistinguishable from one another. Usually, standing on the balcony of Number One Saint Glory Avenue, a glance out revealed the boundless, lush greenery of the botanical garden—a truly pleasing and magnificent view!

"So, do you understand? To keep these trees evergreen through the winter, the empire must also invest a massive amount of funds. As the two residences—Number One and Number Two Saint Glory Avenue—that enjoy the benefits of the All-Nations Botanical Garden, you must pay the greening tax! You must pay taxes for the greenery results you enjoy!" The tax official smugly tapped his boot heel with his cane, smiling so hard his eyes narrowed into slits.

Just as Thorin was at a loss for what to do, the gate of Number Two Saint Glory Avenue suddenly opened, and an impeccably dressed, dignified elderly gentleman slowly walked toward them, escorted by several guards. Approaching the tax officials, the old man pulled a stack of gold notes worth one hundred and twenty-two thousand gold coins from his pocket and handed them to the tax officials, saying, "I heard that the Imperial Tax Department is levying a special sanitation tax and a greening tax? As citizens of the empire, we must lead by example and support the empire's correct decisions."

The old man nodded and smiled, "These two taxes should have been levied long ago. My lords, please mail my tax receipt to my office later. You know the address of my office, don't you?"

The old man smiled and nodded at Thorin, then, holding his head high like a proud old rooster, slowly walked away amidst the throng of guards.

Thorin was completely dumbfounded. This old man had actually taken the initiative to pay the one hundred and twenty-two thousand in taxes, which clearly proved that those tax officials were not lying; the empire had indeed begun levying these two special taxes. But damn it, where were Elham and the others supposed to find one hundred and twenty thousand gold coins right now?

Yax and Lingnuo had lost all of their funds, and this matter was still kept strictly confidential—they hadn't mentioned it to a single soul.

What should they do? What on earth should they do? Should they ask their family for help? Heavens, how would their other brothers and sisters, as well as their competitors, look upon Elham and his faction? Having left home only a few days ago and already reduced to such a state, they would never be able to lift their heads again.

Yet, that was one hundred and twenty-two thousand in taxes!

Thorin's head throbbed heavily, and he said powerlessly, "Please wait a moment. I, I will go... I will go inform them."

Behind a cluster of flowering trees across the street, Lin Qi was laughing so hard he could no longer straighten his back.