Chapter Thirteen: Financial Problems

  Ye Feng lay on the soft couch, gazing up at the blue sky, with a few white clouds drifting lazily across it. The pretty maid kneeling beside him gently brought peeled fruit to his lips.

  He savored the fresh, juicy grapes. With just a light bite, the slightly sweet and sour flavor flowed down his throat all the way to his stomach. He was completely absorbed in this feeling.

  It's really a society where people prey on each other. Ye Feng suddenly felt an urge to write poetry in his heart. But after racking his brains for half a day, the most memorable one was just a sentence from that most famous poem: "You become a ghost, I'll be happy."

  A pair of delicate small hands gently massaged his head. Ye Feng felt that he was really too rotten.

  He comfortably almost whispered: "Oh God, don't let me become so corrupt that I'll be punished by heaven."

  Then, Tian Jian came.

  A tall figure blocked the sunlight, and a sarcastic voice came: "This world is really unfair, we're all busy to the point of exhaustion, while you're living a comfortable life!"

  Ye Feng raised an eyebrow and saw Oola hiding behind the man's back, winking and smiling mischievously as she greeted him. He said slowly: "The world is originally unfair. Otherwise, why are you more beautiful than most women?"

  Diana's icy demeanor suddenly melted away. A tight smile was squeezed out on her tense face, she took the long sword from her waist and placed it on the table, then sat down in the chair beside it. The maid next to her hastily handed her a cup of red wine. She took a sip, then let out a long sigh.

  Yefeng saw her open her mouth wanting to speak, and hastily took a step ahead saying: "How's the situation today?"

  Although he wasn't too concerned about Diana's situation today, in the past few days, this woman would grab him to compare swords whenever she had a chance. Then be defeated by him, and then fight again... Defeated again... He suspected that this woman might have SM tendencies.

  Diana leaned back, putting her feet up on the table and said: "It's not good. The common people are not doing well either. Most of Xinya are farmers, hunters and fishermen. They don't have much money."

  Ye Feng gazed at her slender and toned legs in front of him, slightly dazed. He hastily shifted his gaze away and asked: "What about those merchants?"

  Diana sighed and said tiredly, "Don't mention it, they're not doing well with their business either. I don't even dare to bring up the topic of collecting taxes. As soon as I do, they cry more bitterly than if their father had died. I'm so fed up that I'd rather give them another two."

  Ye Feng was taken aback and asked: "Didn't Niya say that Xiniya is the most prosperous port city in Dianhai?"

  "Diana said proudly: 'Of course, Xiniya is certainly the most prosperous city.'"

  Ye Feng sneered: "Is the prosperity of merchants going to go bankrupt soon?"

  Diana was momentarily speechless, seeing Ye Feng's ambiguous smile, and angrily said: "What are you smiling at? If you have the ability, go to the city gate tomorrow and collect taxes once."

  Ye Feng took a sip of red wine, rolled his eyes and said: "I'm not sick. Why give up on the good life and go to the city gate to eat bitterness? Besides, I don't have the right to collect taxes either."

  Diana turned her eyes and pulled Ora out from behind, saying: "Every noble has the obligation to inspect their territory, and Ora as the heir of the duke is no exception. You as his mentor have no reason not to help your own student, right? Ora, you go to the city gate tomorrow to experience life, how about it?"

  Oola raised her chin and said, "I'm not sick either." Then she and Ye Feng burst out laughing and high-fived each other. A series of complex and coordinated movements left Diana almost dizzy.

  Diana's face fell. She flexed her wrist slightly, saying calmly: "Alright. Aura, just in time, I still have some free time, accompany me to practice my sword skills and let me see the progress of your martial arts recently."

  Ou La clutched her stomach and said with a pained expression: "No way, big sister. I suddenly have a stomachache. You guys chat, I'll go to the bathroom first."

  He finished speaking and turned to run, Diana was quick-witted, stretched out her hand and grabbed the back of his neck. Her expression was strange, as if she had suddenly seen her younger brother flirting with a respectable woman. She looked at Ora with a half-smile, biting her teeth hard, afraid that she would laugh out loud, saying: "Really like some people, learning from them. In just two days, you've already learned to make excuses to run away."

  "Haha, it's really amazing, my stomach doesn't hurt anymore." Oola dryly laughed twice and seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, relaxed her stomach and said: "Alright, I know. Tomorrow I'll go to the city gate to help you collect taxes."

  Diana reached out and pinched his tender face hard, laughing: "This is a good kid, okay. You guys continue playing, I have something to do and will leave first."

  Ye Feng angrily pointed at Oola, picked up a grape and threw it over. Scolding: "Look at your little temper, letting a woman scare you."

  Ou La's face was bitter as he dodged and hid, sneaking a peek to see if Diana had walked far away before saying: "Big brother! You can beat her up, of course you can say that. When this woman was hitting me, didn't you see how ruthless she was? I reckon she vented all the anger she had towards you on me."

  Several maids heard his complaints and couldn't help but lower their heads, covering their mouths and giggling quietly.

  Ye Feng raised his eyes and gazed at the sky, speechless for a moment.

  "You won't refuse to help me, will you?" Oola thought of something and turned her head to look at Ye Feng, who was smiling wryly, and asked suspiciously.

  Ye Feng suddenly remembered that all of this was because he had just made a request to God, and it felt like he was lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I can help you, but you have to listen to me in everything."

  Oola was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly: "Of course! You're my teacher after all."

  Ye Feng raised a finger and said: "First, you go find me a few guards who look particularly ferocious, the kind that makes people afraid at first sight. Second, get me some colored ink and a few feather pens."

  "I'll make sure to complete the task!" Euler shouted and took off running.

  None of them noticed that the curtains in the second-floor duke's study moved slightly.

  Nina watched Diana walk out of the lawn and out of sight before she dropped the curtain. She went back to the desk, frowning and continuing to wrestle with the pile of documents on it. Although the Navy had returned to its base a few days ago, they still knocked Sinia for a ransom before leaving.

  In addition to the compensation for the defenders who were killed or injured during the pirate attack, the bonuses for those who made meritorious achievements in battle, the start-up funds needed for reconstruction, and the expenses incurred by the duke's banquet. All these added up far exceeded the current tax revenue of the territory, making the poor flower season girl see a big dollar sign as soon as she closed her eyes.

  Everyone has no choice but to think of ways to expand their sources of income.

  The next day, Diana arrived at the Duke's mansion early in the morning. As soon as she entered the door, she saw Ye Feng giving a passionate speech to several bare-chested and fierce-looking guards.

  "Listen up, you bunch of scum. Give me a more ferocious expression. Speak loudly, even when farting, make a hole in the ground. You're not guards now, but a group of rascals and hoodlums. You, yes you, stop looking around and give me a more ruthless gaze. My requirements for you bunch of trash aren't high, but at least I demand that with one glare, you can scare the shit out of those dead commoners. Do well, and I'll reward you handsomely."

  The crowd responded with a thunderous answer. Each of them had a fierce expression, their faces filled with murderous intent. They glared with bloodshot eyes and clenched their large fists. They paced back and forth in the room, as if they would strike at any moment if someone uttered a wrong word.

  Diana pulled Oola aside and pointed to the multicolored pattern on the guard's uniform, asking in a low voice: "What are they doing with a fish-shaped belt on their body?"

  Oola's face lit up with excitement as she swallowed her saliva, saying: "That is a dragon. Ye Feng said it was an Eastern Dragon. It has very powerful magic. Just like the tattoos that the barbarians of the North wear on their bodies, it can increase attack power and combat strength. If used well, there's also a 35% chance of adding fear magic effects to enemies."

  Diana frowned and asked, "What is he going to do?"

  Oola looked at her with some surprise and said: "Of course we're going to the city gate to collect taxes, wasn't it agreed upon yesterday?"

  Diana looked at those villainously dressed men with a hint of regret in her heart.

  Xinian City is located on the north bank of Dianhai, and the first great river in Normandy, the Balu River, which originates from the mainland's central sacred peak, flows through Xinian City after a long journey of nearly a thousand miles, emptying into the sea.

  It provided a rich source of water for the city's inhabitants while also bringing inland navigation to this region, almost radiating half of the empire. The Shuo River flows northward and can reach the imperial capital of Norman in just three days.

  And to the south of the city, the Dian Sea, located between three large continents, with Noman to the north, Mude to the south, and Aberdeen and Midara Kingdoms to the east. Therefore, it can be said that Dian is the most developed inland sea in the world for navigation. At the same time, this is also a paradise for adventurers, smugglers, and pirates.

  Every day, countless ships arrive in Xinya, and countless ships also leave here. The developed shipping industry has created the prosperity and excitement of Xinya.

  Xin'nia occupies this advantageous geographical location and is one of the most prosperous commercial trading cities in Dianhai. Yet, the annual tax revenue is surprisingly meager, barely enough to sustain a garrison of three or four hundred men. This has led pirates to covet this place, rising up to attack it, which is truly puzzling.

  Ye Feng, accompanied by Oola and several burly men who had been carefully selected, walked down the main street with an air of swagger, causing pedestrians to scurry out of their way at the sight of their intimidating attire.

  For a time, shops closed their doors and stalls shut down.

  Ye Feng walked out with a swagger, feeling extremely pleased with himself and very much like the Cow Demon King. The only thing that was slightly unsatisfactory was that he couldn't find any sunglasses, but he found a way to make up for this shortcoming - on each of the guards' faces, he drew two large black circles using black ink.

  It is said that later, this method was seen by the northern barbarians and thought it was good. From then on, those barbarians all painted two black eye circles on their eyes and gave themselves a mighty name - Azure Warriors.

  Diana was afraid they would cause trouble, but she felt it was too embarrassing to walk with them, so she had to pretend not to know them and followed far behind with a gloomy face.

  They went to the South Gate of Xiniya City, which was divided into two large gates for water and land. This time they went to the water gate where the boat was moored. The last time the pirates came to attack, they attacked the land gate not far from here. Although several days had passed since the great battle, they could still see the scars left by the previous battle when they passed through the land gate.

  When they arrived at the south gate, the gatekeeper had been waiting for a long time. Seeing them coming, the fat gatekeeper hurried to greet them.

  He stole a glance at the burly man behind Oola, and his heart was filled with misgivings, but he still had a smile all over his face, saying: "Welcome, welcome. Welcome, young master, to my place to inspect the situation."

  Ouyang nodded slightly and sat down at a table beside the city gate, without saying a word. Several bare-chested, tattooed guards stood behind him, puffed out their chests, and instantly appeared extraordinary, exuding an aura of majesty that was almost palpable.

  The gate official turned his head to look at the secretary beside him, saw that he had taken out the registration book and ink, arranged them neatly on the table, nodded to himself, and then shouted loudly: "Open the city gate, raise the water gate."