Singo, Mantou, Tiansheng Zhankuang, and Xiaye Qiuyu gathered once more at the central plaza. By now, they had shed the mocking moniker of the "Four Drudges," even stirring jealousy and indignation among quite a few players.
The peacekeepers were well-received enough. They merely cracked down on crime and illegal activity, effectively preventing greenhorns from being robbed blind by high-level rogues while upholding basic order throughout the City of Baator. Singo's job as a tax collector, however, was another matter entirely.
Throughout his tenure, Singo had thrown himself into his work, constantly drafting proposals and offering suggestions. He introduced a wide assortment of levies—property tax, income tax, guild tax, and more—many of which were officially adopted.
These proposals substantially boosted the City of Baator's fiscal revenue, and Singo took a handsome cut for himself, earning the glorious title of "Sing the Skinner."
The guild tax in particular required guilds to pay a hefty percentage of their collective earnings. Every guild despised him down to the bone, and players had even begun organizing mobs to corner him at his door.
Mantou, dressed in his full peacekeeper uniform, eyed Singo. "Holy crap, man. With all the heat you've drawn lately, you still dare show your face in the plaza? Aren't you afraid of getting assassinated?"
Tiansheng Zhankuang rubbed his bald head with a chuckle. "Didn't the guildmaster of Wangquan publicly threaten to smear you across the city walls?"
Folding his arms, Singo radiated sheer confidence. "Relax. I've already reached a 'Non-Proliferation Treaty on Taxation' with them. As long as I don't submit Tax Proposal Number Three, they leave me alone and pay their taxes like good citizens. Peace across the board."
His voice carried a tremor of excitement. "How about you guys? Did you meet the requirements for Faction Contribution? I'm sitting at thirty-one thousand."
"Say what?"
"Thirty-one thousand?!"
Mantou thought his ears were playing tricks on him.
Singo put on an air of nonchalant modesty. "I raised the City of Baator's tax revenue by six hundred percent in a single month. A haul like that is hardly undeserved."
Mantou clicked his tongue in wonder. "No wonder people are camping your doorstep. You're snatching food straight out of their mouths."
Xiaye Qiuyu chimed in, "I'm at 12,700 right now. I was leaning toward draconic bloodline sorcerer, but honestly, the half-dragon template looks too hideous. I've already reclassed to a level-three sorcerer instead."
Singo gave a dismissive scoff. "Heh. Aesthetics are worthless before raw power."
Xiaye Qiuyu glared at him, her brows knit in fury.
Tiansheng Zhankuang scratched his bald head, looking sheepish. "I'm a little afraid of heights, so I'll just buy the half-dragon transformation boon. A flying mount is out of the question for me."
Mantou gaped in disbelief. "Big bro, you're afraid of heights?!"
Singo could not resist ribbing him as well. "Where was this fear of heights when you swung that ship-cleaving blade to blow up an enemy mothership?"
Tiansheng Zhankuang rubbed his head with a goofy grin. "That was out in deep space! There was no ground beneath my feet, so I wasn't scared. But when we plunged into low Earth orbit and I saw the planet's surface rushing up, I was terrified."
Mantou was struck speechless.
After a brief pause, he said, "My contribution is at 12,500. It should be enough to purchase the Redscale Token."
Mantou's voice trembled with excitement as well. He had waited for this moment for far too long.
Singo produced the invitation he had prepared well in advance. The writing upon it still blazed like roaring fire.
"It's time—harvest time!"
"Let's go!"
...
The party retreated to a secure, private room and activated the mysterious invitation.
One had to admit Singo possessed remarkable foresight. The market price for one of these invitations on the black market had soared to nearly a hundred gold coins, and the vast majority were hoarded by wealthy guilds. For ordinary solo players, getting their hands on one was practically an impossible dream.
[Confirm use of Mysterious Invitation!]
The familiar flaming portal materialized, leading into the long, gloomy corridor. The four traversed it with practiced ease.
"Got your lines ready?"
"Yeah. I won't be reckless like you and lose favor for nothing."
"That was your damn fault to begin with!"
As torches flared to life, the mysterious half-dragon, half-human sorcerer appeared at the far end of the corridor.
Assuming his measured NPC tone, Cassius spoke slowly, "It is a pleasure to see you again, champions from the unknown realm. Have you completed the task I set before you?"
Singo stepped forward and replied with composure, "Yes, Lord Cassius. We have exposed the blood and tears shed by the tieflings, and I am certain those hypocrites will pay the price they deserve."
"You have done well."
Cassius gave a slight nod. Unable to discern the subtle glint in his golden irises, the group could only murmur their humble acknowledgments.
Mantou nudged Singo and whispered, "Hurry up and buy what you need. There's probably a time limit on this invitation."
Singo muttered scornfully, "Do you even know what maximizing profit means? You've got to flatter the faction leader if you want better payoffs on the next quest."
Even so, his hands were already pulling open the shop interface.
"Lord Cassius, I wish to purchase equipment."
"Hunting Longbow: grants an attack bonus against monstrous creatures; aiming at a foe applies Hunter's Mark, which increases accuracy and inflicts continuous bonus damage. Price: eighty gold coins."
"I'll take it."
Pained reluctance washed across Singo's face, but he pressed on regardless.
"Ring of Burning: weapon attacks deal additional stacking fire damage to targets. Price: forty gold coins."
"Bought."
Gritting his teeth, Singo continued, "Tremor Scalemail: increases armor class by three; when struck, has a chance to inflict the Tremor Static debuff upon the attacker. Price... one hundred gold coins."
"I'll take it!"
With both hands, Singo presented a bulging pouch of gold coins.
The pouch jingled with a metallic clinking that made his heart ache with every chime.
Accepting the gold, Cassius casually rummaged through a bag of holding and withdrew the three pieces of equipment, each glowing with magical aura.
"They are yours."
The players held their breath in awe. That was no mere magical aura; it was the gleaming brilliance of cold, hard cash.
Listening to the staggering tally, Mantou was utterly stunned. "Holy crap, Sing-dog, did you rob a bank? Where the hell did you get that much gold?"
Having pocketed the gear, Singo patted his now-flattened coin pouch and offered a strained grin. "You think getting this much gold is hard? A tax collector pockets a commission on every single excess coin brought in."
He pulled out the ring. "Here, take this. It's payback for the gear I sold off on you last time, plus interest for the favor score."
Ding—
With a crisp ring, he flipped the Ring of Burning through the air like a coin. Mantou scrambled frantically to catch it, terrified of scuffing such an expensive treasure.
"Over two hundred gold in total..."
"No wonder the guilds want your head on a spike. You're not collecting taxes; you're running a highway robbery racket!"
Mantou shook his head in amazement.
The Ring of Burning was nothing short of god-tier early-game gear for a fighter. A brainless stack of flat fire damage worked wonders on melee and ranged attacks alike.
Pinching the blazing ring with utmost care, Mantou could not help but think: *Sing-dog might have a trash temper, act like an arrogant prick, and never spare anyone's pride... but deep down, he's actually not half bad.*
Chapter 86