Chapter 49: Absolute Darkness (2)

Chapter 49: Absolute Darkness (2)

When Kim Hyunwoo went out to the square, there were visibly a huge number of mercenaries and adventurers gathered.

Some with curiosity.

Others with distrust.

And still others, mercenaries and adventurers looking at Kim Hyunwoo with a variety of emotions.

Having glanced over them, Kim Hyunwoo, who had gone up to the podium prepared for use today, looked around and spoke.

Nice to meet you. Everyone, I am Kim Hyunwoo, the Lord of Lartania. I assume all of you gathered here are because of the opening of the Labyrinth in Lartania territory.

Seeing the mercenaries murmuring for a moment after his words, Kim Hyunwoo immediately continued.

To put it conclusively, that statement is true. All of you gathered here will be able to freely enter and exit the Labyrinth in Lartania for the next three days. Moreover, the items obtained inside will be entirely yours.

The mercenaries began to murmur immediately at Kim Hyunwoos words.

Watching them murmur for a moment, Kim Hyunwoo soon raised his hand to calm the mercenaries and spoke.

However, the Magic Stones you bring out are naturally the property of the Lartania territory, so a tax will be levied on the Magic Stones you carry out.

Kim Hyunwoo spread four fingers excluding the thumb.

40%, you will have to pay 40% of the Magic Stones you bring out of the Labyrinth as tax to our territory. But the rest of the Magic Stones? They are yours, of course.

In fact, charging 40% tax for mining Magic Stones in the Labyrinth of Lartania was almost absurdly usurious.

After all, it was the mercenaries who mined the Magic Stones.

But despite that.

40%, are you saying thats really the case?

Thats unbelievable

What a tremendous opportunity.

Good thing we came to the territory!

The mercenaries were already making a fuss as if they had obtained incredible luck.

The reason was that in this continent, which serves as the backdrop for Arteil, it was common for Lords to take exorbitant profits much like in the medieval times.

Thus, in a place where taxes naturally exceeded 60%, the 40% offered by Kim Hyunwoo was a tax rate that was enough to cause a stir among the mercenaries.

Above all, the reason why the mercenaries were already making a fuss was because of the price of the Magic Stones.

Even the smallest Magic Stones holds considerable value.

Originally, Magic Stones are sparingly distributed by Lords who can produce them exclusively.

This meant that even if the mercenaries obtained ten Magic Stones and paid four as tax, the high price of the Magic Stones themselves meant they would still make a considerable profit.

Therefore.

If you bring out the Magic Stones and take them to the reception desk right in front of the Labyrinth, we will return the Magic Stones to you after deducting the tax. If you wish to exchange the Magic Stones immediately, that can also be handled at the reception desk, of course, at the original price.

Ah, and just to be clear, please dont hide the Magic Stones to avoid paying tax. If its discovered that youve hidden Magic Stones, all mined Magic Stones will be confiscated, and you will be expelled from the territory.

Now, please feel free to enter and exit the Labyrinth from this point forward.

Kim Hyunwoo opened his mouth.

Simultaneously, the mercenaries began to move towards the Labyrinth of Lartania.

Allen, the leader of a small mercenary group of about eight people, had been hunting goblins on the first tier for hours.

Another one came out!

He picked up the emerged Magic Stones and opened his mouth with an expression of great excitement.

How many does this make now?

Its already the fifteenth.

Can I really be this happy!

Hans smiled as he handed over goods to the incessantly arriving mercenaries, even as he glanced at his wife who had come to the market to help him due to the shortage of hands.

Though his body might be tired, the money he had made over the past two days was similar to the revenue he had generated since he started doing business in the market.

Therefore, Hans smiled despite sweating profusely from the effort.

Not just Hans.

In fact, most of the merchants selling goods in this market were dealing with the mercenaries with happy smiles, just like Hans.

Thus, Hans, who was busily working without a moments rest, was very grateful to the Lord of Lartania even amidst all this.

If it werent for the Lord of Lartania, Hans, including the territorys residents, might not have survived, knowing that they are enjoying this happiness due to the power held by the Lord right now.

Indeed, the Lord might really be an Angel from Heaven!

Therefore, Hans was sincerely grateful to the Lord and worked hard.

Kim Hyunwoo, who had created this entire situation, was.

[Lord, the total sales within the territory have increased by 2800%. Thanks to this, the taxes collected from now on are expected to significantly increase]

Good. Has there been any increase in dissatisfaction among the territorys residents due to the tax collection?

[No, since the tax rate does not exceed 50%, dissatisfaction has not increased; rather, thanks to you, Lord, the territory has been revitalized, and happiness is at its peak]

[Moreover, the public order that you, Lord, were concerned about has not deteriorated significantly yet]

Is that so?

[The troops have not been upgraded to a higher level yet, but it is believed to be due to the accumulation of a lot of proficiency]

Indeed, accumulating proficiency in advance was the right answer.

Following Lorias report, Kim Hyunwoo looked at the resource window with a satisfied expression.

[Red Stones: 6800]

[Blue Stones: 17885]

[Gold Coins: 105211]

*[Quarterly Tax:

+1231]

[Magic Stones:

12842]

Wow.

Kim Hyunwoo unwittingly marveled as he watched the quarterly tax increase the more he looked at it.

1,231 Gold Coins might seem like a small amount compared to what Kim Hyunwoo currently had, but it was an incredibly high amount for a territory that had only an early 300 level of development.

Although Ive already spent nearly 10,000 Gold Coins converting a lot of Magic Stones.

Kim Hyunwoo smiled instead.

The rapidly accumulating Magic Stones were a great help in maintaining the citys Labyrinth.

Therefore, Kim Hyunwoo, who had been smiling for a while, called for Elena through the guards,

Now, after giving them a taste of it lets move on to the next phase.

He grinned and stood up from his seat.

And just as Kim Hyunwoo was standing up to prepare for the next task,

Sigh.

The Absolute Ruler of Darkness, with a look of anxiousness and hope in her eyes, was looking at the Lartania territory that had just come into view.