Chapter 10: Port
The passage of time seemed to have sped up. Of course, this was but an illusion, altering the perception of time from the point of view of those officials.
At the end of the day, with their walnut-sized brains, they decided to go on with the plan of wiping out the money they possessed while simultaneously moving the tax collection date to an earlier period. The tax this month was also increased.
Though on the surface, it seemed as if the village was slowly being developed for the well-being of the villagers, the truth was much harsher.
Villagers like Loyola, who could barely meet the necessities of living, had to work 4 to 7 hours extra. Such people only got 2 to 4 hours of sleep daily during this dark period.
Seeing the condition of his mother, Shiro could only hide his tears.
"Why wasn't I born 10 or twenty years ago? I could've helped my mother."
There was another strange feeling being developed within this little child. At first, he couldn't identify this feeling, however, as time passed, he slowly understood it.
The feeling inside him was flames... Flames of burning rage...
Those damned officials!
From what Sera had told, the image of those respectable officials had long been portrayed as villains in Shiro's mind. Villains who deserved much more than a painful death.
Shiro felt as though his heart was stabbed by a poison-laced dagger multiple times when he saw the condition of his mother.
Dry lips, almost dead-looking eyes, rough skin, and bleeding feet...
No one would want to see their mother in such a condition. At least not Shiro.
"Mother... Where are you going?"
Loyola froze. Giving a forced smile, she said, "I'll be back soon."
Shiro puckered his lips, not questioning her anymore. The sun had already sunk. After having a very small portion of bread, she was going to go out. Coming for dinner meant one thing: she was going to be out for a very long time.
"Sera... Take care of your brother..." Saying this, Loyola left with a lot of sea shell ornaments.
'Just a few coins more...' The increased amount of tax took a big toll on her family. All the savings and the money she earned in this past month would be used to pay this tax, which was going to be collected tomorrow.
Just a few coins... Just a few more coins...
Selling these many ornaments was proving to be a hard job. Her main customers were lower-class women just like Loyola.
They couldn't afford to buy real ornaments. So selling them such beautiful sea shell ornaments at a very cheap price was the only feasible idea.
But now that even those poor women had to pay a hefty amount of tax, forcing them to come out at night and work with their husbands.
Some of them were even forced to become street girls...
If not for Mornil's help, I also might've become like them...
Giving out a deep sigh, Loyola walked towards the high-end streets. The people who lived here could at least afford the basic necessities. They couldn't be compared to those rich ones living outside of this island like those local officials, but they were better off than most of the poor ones.
The women living on high-end streets wouldn't be interested in those sea-shell ornaments. After saving for a few months, they could buy expensive ones.
'I'll just have to convince them...'
.
.
.
Late into the night, many local officials were still awake. Though they each had a lavish house on the island, currently, their eyes looked duller and dead.
They dreaded as their eyes fell on the huge ship bearing the mark of Sea Federation.
Kervan... A Tier 3 Sea Official was here to visit them.
The ranking system within the Sea Federation was quite straightforward.
Local officials were the lowest-ranking officials, while the highest were Tier 6 Sea officials.
Local officials were a powerless bunch with authority over just a small area. Tier 1 Sea officials had a stronger domain but not better than those local officials.
It was from 2nd tier onwards that the power of real authority started.
To even become a tier 2 Sea official, one would need to have some kind of magical power. Tier two and tier three were considered the lower authorities while tier 4 and tier 5 were considered to be the higher authorities.
As for tier six? Only 8 of them existed. These 8 were infamously known as the 8 heads of the Sea Federation.
Not drifting away from the topic, Kelvan, a Tier 3 Sea official, was here to visit them.
An obvious death sentence...
The ship, which had finally stopped within the port, now looked even more beautiful up close.
'Just looking at this shabby port, he'll slap us to death.' The feeling of dread intensified within their hearts. One month wasn't enough to make this port more refined.
A figure appeared from the exit, walking down the ladder. He possessed a round face with a small mustache; however, his body was lean, making his appearance look funny.
He wore a well-tailored suit and held a cane in his right palm, his fingers wrapped around its handle.
This wasn't Kervan... Most probably his assistant.
Judging from the complex tattoo on top of his eyebrow, he was probably an assistant Arbitrator from the Anti-pirate Federation.
Suddenly, the local officials turned stiff. They didn't even dare to breathe.
The second man who emerged from the exit was tall with a strong build. A metal gauntlet covered his left arm, while there was a huge grey metal spike held by his long fingers in his right one.
His skin... Well, it just didn't look healthy... They weren't just pale; they looked infected, completely grey.
Such a dominant aura...
F*ck, I can't breathe!
"So y'all built this port?" The man's deep voice entered their ears, giving them a headache and almost inducing a heart attack.
Stay calm! Stay calm!
He'll plummet us to the ground!
Even my limbs won't be found!
I'm dead meat!
But contrary to what they'd expected, a smile appeared on this man's face...
Don't smile! You look even scarier!
F*ck! Are those dragon teeth? Are you gonna gobble us up alive?!
"Good job, it is quite the refined port."
"..."