"But it's not yet tax season, my lord," a peasant cried pitifully.
Wildcat replied expressionlessly, "Because of the corpse invasion, protecting you requires great effort. We need more supplies. If you have objections, we can send you straight to hell."
Feld had tasked him with collecting taxes. If they were exposed, it didn't matter—they'd just plunder instead.
*After all, these aren't our people from Nightfall Territory. Who knows who's who?*
*Still, collecting taxes is safest. These slaves are weak fighters. If they clash with the militia, accidents are bound to happen.*
"We'll pay! The full amount!" The village chief gritted his teeth. He immediately ordered the villagers to bring out their livestock and hand over their grain. Then, with an ingratiating smile, he added, "And the young maiden the Baron requested—I'll offer her up as well."
*A maiden?*
Wildcat frowned. Baron Feld hadn't mentioned this—clearly, it was something Baron Bull wanted.
A slave soldier beside him opened his mouth to refuse, but Wildcat stopped him immediately. *If we refuse, wouldn't that give us away?*
"Fine. Take her back with us."
Soon, Oxhorn Village erupted like boiling water poured over an anthill.
Two oxen, four sheep, a number of chickens and ducks, five large carts of grain, seven gold coins, twenty-three silver coins, and fifty copper coins—the entire village was scraped clean to the bone. Wails and pleas echoed everywhere. A year's worth of savings vanished overnight, halved in a single night.
*Nobles are terrifying,* Wildcat thought with a silent click of his tongue. He himself had become a slave because he couldn't pay his taxes.
As for whether the villagers had evaded taxes—it didn't matter. This was just windfall gain.
"Holy crap, so much livestock?"
Feld was still directing slaves to move weapons and magical artifacts. In another bunker, he'd found the fog-dispelling lamps the bearded officer had coveted—three in total—along with a large quantity of magical potions, mostly for healing wounds. Their total value was incalculable, but certainly no less than 200 gold coins.
Despite such a massive haul, Feld still gasped when he saw the taxes Wildcat brought back.
Feld hadn't expected a small village to yield so much. The tax rate must have been terrifyingly high. Wildcat had only plundered one village, and twenty men could barely carry it all.
They even had oxen and sheep. It seemed he wouldn't lack meat in the Cursed Lands for a while.
The only thing that troubled Feld was that he had essentially raided a village.
*Don't be a saint. Survive.* Feld knocked on his own head. The advanced moral concepts from Huaguo didn't apply in this dog-eat-dog medieval world.
*When you're struggling to survive, why care so much? Only by living can you accomplish anything. Besides, Nightfall Territory lies right in front of Bull Territory, acting as a buffer zone. This "support" is what I'm owed.*
*Keeping my own people alive is the top priority!*
"Excellent. Each of you gets one silver coin," Feld said encouragingly to Wildcat, generously giving away others' wealth. "Once you've gathered one gold coin to give me, I'll grant you your freedom. You'll become free citizens of Nightfall Territory."
The slaves erupted in a tsunami of cheers. They felt true hope.
"My lord, let's go collect taxes from other villages!" Energized by Feld's "incentive pay," Wildcat's enthusiasm surged. His eyes gleamed as he fully embraced Feld's perspective, tossing any previous sympathy into the trash.
*Why should we Nightfall folk sympathize with Bull Territory villagers being plundered?
Feld clenched his fist. "Of course! Squeeze every last gold coin out of them! Aim to finish by tomorrow morning—we're pressed for time. Go! Keep posing as Bull Territory soldiers collecting taxes. I'll reward you handsomely."
But they had to move fast. Other cities in the Empire weren't cowards like Richard. They'd soon notice Bull Territory's crisis and send armies to purge the corruption. He couldn't afford to be caught by them.
"Uh, my lord, and also... this young girl." Wildcat pulled forward a girl in plain robes, about twelve years old.
*Do I look like some kind of pervert? Bringing me a loli!*
Feld's brain short-circuited for a second. He wanted to curse, but seeing Wildcat's fearful expression, he suppressed his anger and asked, "What's this about? Why bring back a child?"
"The villagers offered her to Baron Bull. I doubt it was for anything good. I didn't want trouble, but to avoid raising suspicion, I brought her back secretly. Punish me as you will, my lord."
"No punishment needed. That was quick thinking, Wildcat. You'll lead the guard squad from now on." Feld was grateful for his own patience.
The girl seemed ordinary, just somewhat pretty. After asking her a few casual questions, Feld decided to take her in. She already knew his secret—letting her go wasn't an option. Besides, sending her back would likely mean a hard life for her anyway.
The next morning, gentle sunlight spilled down. Ashina, hearing the cacophony of chickens, ducks, and oxen outside, fluttered her eyelashes and stretched lazily with a yawn.
The fatigue from yesterday's battle had vanished. Ashina felt she'd slept deeply and sweetly. The cushion beneath her was soft and carried a faint scent of gardenias—nothing like the damp, cold iron cage she'd known before.
*Ah, thank goodness the master chose me as his Chosen One. Lord Feld is truly a wonderful man.*
Her long, shapely legs rubbed together, making a soft, tempting sound. She really wanted another hour of sleep, but Ashina quickly got up. Feld had said they'd enter the gray fog this very morning.
"Did you rest well last night?" Feld asked as the lightly mature beauty dashed toward him, her bunny ears bouncing playfully. He nearly lost his composure. "No need to rush. I'm still planning our route."
"Very well, my lord. Please take your time." Ashina nodded, understanding only partly, and stood obediently to the side, waiting.
The Northern Province was vast. Once, it included prosperous cities and villages—Nightfall Territory among them. Now, it was corrupted, filled with monsters. At Nightfall's heart lay a once-thriving great manor, belonging to a female baron: Sophia Starnight. Her city, Starnight City, lay within sight of the manor.
"With my current strength, building a castle from scratch is pure fantasy. The best approach is to take the great manor first. Then, using it as a base, slowly reclaim Starnight City."
The map in Feld's hands was seven years out of date.
Back then, many pioneering knights, dreaming of reclaiming the North, had set off with servants and retainers, brimming with ambition. Few had returned. Those who stayed in the North forever had undoubtedly all become monsters.
*Probably turned into bosses or something—just great, adding to my troubles,* Feld silently complained. *So, the strategy sounds good on paper, but the risks involved are absolutely hair-raising.*