Not long after the market crowd on Market Street dissipated, the sky gradually darkened.
The security team personnel on duty at the town gate yawned. He stuck his head out of the window and looked eagerly in the direction of the town's main street.
The eighth month's weather was really too hot. Enduring the stifling heat for an entire day at the duty post made him sleepy when the weather cooled at dusk. This current duty personnel couldn't wait to change shifts and get off work.
After waiting for some time without seeing anyone come over, this security officer grumbled, "Kelly and Sandy are always so slow. Changing shifts with them every time takes far too long. I've had enough! Hey, Jimmy, how about finding someone to swap shifts?"
Jimmy, who had just finished yawning, eyed his partner lazily. "Forget it. Whoever takes the shift would still take forever. We weren't timely either when we came at noon."
Previously, guarding the town gate was a coveted duty, especially during the late afternoon to midnight shift. Those lacking sufficient experience could only dream about getting such a chance.
But now, the duty of guarding the town gate was something no one wanted…
Standing monotonously at the guard post and unable to leave for many hours, prohibited from drinking, cursing at passersby, or behaving in a frivolous manner… What were gate sentries now? Wooden stakes?
While the new nauseating rules like no drinking, no harassing people, no extorting or blackmailing businesses and vendors applied to patrolling within the town too, at least there was the freedom to roam around and chat with familiar faces, unlike the boredom at the town gate.
Jimmy disliked being stationed at the town gate. When it wasn't his turn for this dreaded duty, he preferred wandering around the construction sites scattered throughout the town… There was nothing more satisfying than witnessing the gradual destruction, elimination, or transformation of the places he had once detested.
Occasionally, he would stroll through the alleys of the residential area, observing how the revelers and pleasure seekers cleaned the filthy gutters under the watch of the undead.
Jimmy detested the red-light district, the sex workers, and, even more so, the clients.
When he was young and ignorant, he harbored resentment toward his powerless father who squandered the family's livelihood on women. He remembered how his family survived on plain boiled potatoes for almost two months after his father's reckless spending. As he grew older and understood what had happened, the thought of using the same spoon as his father made him nauseous.
"Oh! Oh oh oh!"
His duty partner at the guard post suddenly pointed excitedly in the direction away from town. "Look, Jimmy, isn't that Simon and his gang?"
Jimmy quickly went to the window to take a look.
Indeed, on the town road, a crowd, kicking up quite a bit of dust, was approaching. Leading the way were several bold and daring figures—Simon and Allen's gang.
Yesterday, Jimmy and his partner were assigned the task of patrolling the town's main street and maintaining order. While wandering toward the northern residential area, they noticed the residents making a lot of noise and, upon inquiry, learned that Simon and his group had dared to start a business on credit with the new lord, and that was the talk of the town. Jimmy's and his partner's eyes had nearly popped out when they heard this.
The reactions of most neighbors were similar to theirs. Those closer to Simon advised them kindly to quickly apologize to Mr. Rex and return the fabric to avoid causing more trouble.
When Jimmy returned home after work that night, his wife told him that those few families had sought help from many people, gathered up a large group, and managed to transport the fabric out of town before noon.
Was business a walk in the park in these times?
And that was just local businesses. Recklessly bringing valuable goods to another place was even riskier. Aside from making enough profit, coming back alive was already considered a blessing from Lady Gold Coin. In any case, Jimmy didn't have much confidence in this venture succeeding.
However, at this moment… Jimmy was astonished to find that Simon and the others didn't seem to have been robbed or attacked. Although all 20 of them looked disheveled and worn, they seemed to be in high spirits. The little rascal, Benjamin, even waved excitedly when he saw Jimmy.
As they approached the town gate, Jimmy and his partner couldn't resist coming out from their post and peered curiously at the two steel-framed tricycles surrounded by the crowd…
Those tricycles, previously loaded with rolls of fabric, were now empty, the canvas covering the top flapping loosely.
"You guys, sold… everything?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.
"Hehe, yeah, all sold!" Simon, Allen, Caroline, and Benjamin approached, their faces beaming with wide smiles.
"You guys didn't encounter any trouble? Those outsiders didn't give you a hard time?" Jimmy's partner asked in astonishment.
"Of course, we did, but—ah, Dad, what's up?" Benjamin, eager to boast, was nearly about to spill the details when his father pulled him back via his collar and redirected the conversation.
Simon gave Benjamin a stern look, then chuckled as he said to Jimmy, "We need to go to the town hall. Catch up later." With that, he hurriedly led his contingent into town.
Jimmy's partner was curious and wanted to ask more but was hauled back to the post by Jimmy.
"I just wanted to ask how they resolved the trouble. Can't I just do that? You are so stingy!" protested Jimmy's partner.
"Forget it. They made it clear they didn't want to talk about it. Don't go annoying them." Jimmy waved dismissively.
Everyone knew that the undead fabric sold by the new lord could fetch a good price outside. But why hadn't anyone thought of engaging in the resale business? Was everyone foolish?
Since Simon and his group had found a safe way to sell the fabric, they certainly wouldn't be willing to share it with others.
Elsewhere, the four families were forced to join the "short-distance merchant caravan," and their summoned relatives didn't rush to disperse after entering the town. They also didn't engage in conversation with the curious residents they encountered on the way and hastily made their way to the town hall.
Rex, who had just returned to the town hall and hadn't caught his breath yet, heard that Simon and the others had come to pay for the goods, so he hurriedly emerged from his office.
Seeing more than 20 town residents standing in the courtyard, covered in dust, with many faces barely recognizable, Rex didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Just got back? There's really no need for such a hurry. Go home, rest up, and come back tomorrow."
The four youngsters smiled awkwardly but didn't abide by Rex's words… None of them had ever come into contact with so much money. They wouldn't feel at ease leaving it anywhere, afraid of losing it and resulting in an inability to repay the debt. Since they started the journey back, not a single one of them had dared take their eyes off the two tricycles for a second.
Seeing their nervous expressions, Rex quickly waved for two clerks to come over to count the money and settle the accounts.
The bottoms of the cargo compartments of the two tricycles were filled with copper coins, and they had covered the canvas loosely so as to pretend there was nothing inside. Their group had also tightly surrounded the two tricycles, fearing that experienced thieves might notice and cause trouble.
Rex had sold 30 rolls of fabric to the four youngsters, each measuring 60 meters. Due to the hand-cutting and retailing of the fabric by the meter, there might be some discrepancies in the cutting process. Rex, therefore, calculated each roll as 59 meters.
The four youngsters, along with their family members and relatives, toiled for two full days and one night, exchanging these 30 rolls of fabric for over 35,600 copper coins.
The circulating copper coins in the market didn't have a standardized weight due to the complex sources involving private minting by nobles and churches. Usually, a coin weighed around 10 to 13 grams, and they weren't pure copper, containing about two to three percent of other metals.
Even so, this amounted to over 300 kilograms of copper coins…
With so many copper coins escorted by 20 or so ordinary townsfolk, it was no wonder they dared not return home and directly made their way to the town hall.
The two clerks and Rex himself went to work. Using a box for counting copper coins (a tool specially designed for sliding coins along the internal track and stacking them in piles of ten or twenty), they counted the over 300 kilograms of copper coins. Rex, who was good at math, jotted down calculations on paper until it was pitch dark and lanterns had to illuminate the courtyard. Finally, the copper coins were split into two piles.
Pointing to the pile on the left, Rex said, "30 rolls of fabric, calculated at 59 meters per roll, amount to 1,770 meters. The price granted to you is 10 coppers per meter, totaling 17,700 coppers. Consider this pile as settling the fees for the goods."
The 20-odd townsfolk nodded in unison.
Pointing to the pile on the right, Rex continued, "The remainder is your profit. This stack amounts to 17,862 coppers."
The contingent of townsfolk stared blankly at Rex.
The figure was too huge, and they couldn't react.
"S-seventeen thousand…" Caroline mumbled in a daze, her voice dreamlike. "If converted to silver coins, it's over 170… If converted to gold coins, it's 17 gold coins—O Lady Gold Coin, have we earned 17 gold?"
"Yes." Rex nodded approvingly. "This is all your hard-earned money. You've done very well."
Caroline was utterly shocked. Beside her, Allen slumped to the ground limply…
Rex quickly reached out, grabbing Allen, who was disoriented by the windfall, to have a seat. He chuckled. "Alright, don't get too excited yet. Did you forget I'm still the lord? If your monthly income exceeds 1,800 coppers, you have to pay a high-income tax. Don't tell me you're planning to evade taxes right in front of me?"
The four youngsters shuddered and shook their heads vigorously, indicating that they wouldn't dare do such a thing.
"Ah!" Caroline suddenly exclaimed and covered her mouth with her hands.
"What's wrong?" Rex looked over.
"N-nothing." Caroline had a strange look on her face as if she wanted to laugh wildly but found it absurd as well.
Just a few days prior, Caroline had just told her mother that there were very few people who needed to pay this sort of high-income tax. Little had she expected she would have to consider paying these taxes now…
Rex was pleased to see these smart, brave, and young people earning money, but no matter how much he liked the idea of young people making money, he wouldn't be lenient when it came to collecting taxes. He immediately brought the youngsters back to earth and settled their taxes on the spot…
The new tax law in the Weisshem territory stipulated that when it came to personal income, a high-income tax of 6% would be imposed if one's monthly income exceeded 1,800 coppers.
If monthly or one-time income exceeded 3,000 coppers, the tax rate was raised to 12%.
If monthly or one-time income exceeded 10,000 coppers, the tax rate was 14%.
The four young entrepreneurs made a tidy sum of over 10,000. They fell squarely into the second tax bracket, requiring them to pay 12% of the profit. Without any hesitation, Rex took away 2,143 copper coins…
Seeing the faces of the four youngsters and their relatives paled as if undergoing immense pain, Rex half-jokingly remarked, "Are you regretting bringing all your income here? Had you known, wouldn't it have been better to hide some away?"
"N-no." Caroline forced a smile.
Rex chuckled lightly. "The goods were taken from here, and how much it can be sold for outside can be easily calculated to do the math. If the accounts are too discrepant, the clerks from the town hall will seek you to settle the sum."
The four young men suddenly straightened up. They had to be absolutely honest; after all, who among them could better Mr. Rex in arithmetic?
"With the taxes paid, this money is now your legitimate income. You figure out how to distribute it among yourselves." After giving them a bit of a scare, Rex continued, "I believe you've realized that doing business involves risks, and money isn't that easy to earn. Don't recklessly squander the money you've worked so hard to earn. Make sure to always leave some capital, and in the future, there won't be such a good deal of receiving goods before making payment."
"Got it." The four youngsters nodded obediently.
"Go home and rest." Rex waved them off. "Take a few days to seriously consider what to do in the future. Shirley, get them some bags to carry the money."
A group of people walked out of the town hall carrying bags filled with coins. The cool evening breeze blew against their faces. The people, who had just felt heartbroken about losing over 2,000 coppers to taxes, once more had joy splayed across their faces.
"Mr. Rex is such a good person. He actually extended credit for us to purchase the fabric and allowed us to earn so much." The youngest, Benjamin, couldn't contain his excitement.
"There won't be a next time. If we want to do this business, we'll have to fork out our own capital," Caroline said.
"Say, how about we don't split the money and continue doing business together? How's that?" Allen suggested.
The reactions of their family members were varied. Some agreed, while others felt uneasy that their own children hadn't received a share of the money. However, no one spoke up to interfere with the decision of the four young people.
These reactions weren't surprising. When the younger generation demonstrated abilities far surpassing their elders, especially in terms of making money, the elders would just be in awe of the younger generation.
These four youngsters hadn't only just dared to do business with Lord Rex on credit but also actually succeeded, earning money that their elders wouldn't make in a decade. Even if these family members and elders had contributed during the process, they wouldn't make any adjustments to the relationship and placed themselves in a subservient role.
This was quite a common phenomenon, especially in the lower classes.
The idea of a son or daughter who made a fortune but was still manipulated by their elders either existed only in novels or was due to the fact that the children who made a fortune didn't actually possess much talent, relying solely on luck. People who excelled in a particular field, turning their abilities into money, would never be weak enough to unquestionably follow backward-thinking elders.
Benjamin nearly let slip the business strategy they had devised when his father stopped him. The way his father intervened, just pulling his clothes instead of loudly scolding in front of others, was enough evidence of the reversal of the dominant relationship between father and son.
"The money still has to be divided," said Simon after contemplating. "Let's pay out the money to our relatives for their hard work, then divide the money. After that, we can discuss a capital everyone can accept, contribute the same amount, and continue this business."
"Alright, I support that," Caroline immediately agreed. "Next time, I suggest we not go to the villages we've visited before. Those people have already bought fabric, and even if we go again, they won't be able to make that much. We should go somewhere else to sell fabric."
"I feel the same way." Benjamin nodded. "We went to the villages south of Indahl this time. Next time, let's take a longer route and go north, shall we?"
Allen's eyes lit up. "Great. I know someone in a village north of Indahl. He's currently working odd jobs in a small tavern in the warehouse district of Indahl. We can have Bosha help deliver a letter to him, hire him for three days, and have him guide us when we go to the northern villages."
"Is this person reliable?" Caroline asked.
"Not really, but he isn't very smart… or rather, he's dumb. It will be alright as long as we don't let him know our objective."
The twenty-something people walked along Weisshem's main street, hurrying toward the northern residential area under the dim lights of some households. Along the way, only the voices of the four youngsters could be heard; their family and relatives followed quietly behind.
Allen's house was the most spacious, so they decided to go there first to split the money.
Along the way, an undead noticed the group and silently approached, escorting them for a bit until they entered Allen's house before it left.
Caroline looked back at the silently departing undead and said somewhat regrettably, "If only we could have the undead accompany us to sell fabric. With them around, who knows how much trouble can be avoided."
"You are dreaming too big, Caroline!" Benjamin mocked.
In the distance, Ou Huang walked away, silently contemplating with arms crossed.
Why do the NPCs of Weisshem not trigger any hidden quests no matter what I do?
Late at night, Caroline returned home under the protection of an uncle, two cousins, and an aunt. As soon as she entered the courtyard, Mrs. Winnie, who had been waiting eagerly inside, rushed out and embraced her daughter tightly.
Welcoming the relatives into the house, Caroline's second aunt, comparing her own children, sighed and said to Winnie, "Winnie, Caroline has really grown up and is so capable. She's the most capable among all our family. Even her uncles and cousins are not as competent as she is."
Caroline's uncle and two cousins nodded happily, fully agreeing with the aunt's praise for Caroline.
Caroline's uncle said proudly, "Winnie, you didn't see it with your own eyes. Caroline even dared to speak face-to-face with Mr. Rex. No wonder these youngsters dared to get the fabric on credit from Mr. Rex. Caroline is truly remarkable."
"Stop saying that. She hasn't even gotten married yet; she's still a child," Mrs. Winnie, covering her chest, said. "I haven't had a moment of peace since yesterday. These kids really make us worry… Caroline, you have to stay away from Simon and the others in the future. If you keep hanging out with them, how will you ever get married?"
Caroline didn't argue with her mother; instead, she placed the bag she was carrying on the table, opened it, and let her mother see the copper coins inside.
Winnie's nagging came to an abrupt stop.
After a moment of silence, a trembling Mrs. Winnie reached out to touch the coins in the bag.
"H-how can there be so much money?" Mrs. Winnie, who had been a housewife all her life, was shocked and looked at her daughter in fright.
"I earned this, Mom. Did you think I picked this up?" Caroline declared proudly. "We sold fabric to many villages south of Indahl and even made a deal with the estate servants. We've settled Mr. Rex's payment, paid the taxes, and distributed wages to Auntie and the rest. This money is all mine!"
Mrs. Winnie couldn't help but cast an inquiring look at her own brother, Caroline's uncle.
Caroline's uncle nodded, smiling broadly. "It's true, Winnie. The fabric was sold rather smoothly, and each of us got 200 copper coins—200!" As he spoke, he even opened his jacket, revealing the weighty inner pocket to Winnie.
Mrs. Winnie covered her mouth with her hand.
Just running about for two days and netting 200 copper coins was indeed a generous reward, equivalent to what others might earn in a week, assuming they could find work.
"Uncle, Aunt, I'm sorry we can only give you this much for now because the money we've received needs to be used as capital," Caroline tightened the bag and apologized. "Mr. Rex won't extend credit to us for fabric anymore. Next time, we'll have to pay for the goods ourselves. We need more fabric to make a profit."
Her uncle quickly said, "I know, Caroline, we all know. We're already satisfied with getting so much. How could we complain about it being too little?"
"That's right. Who are we to be picky? It's the fabric you got from Mr. Rex on credit, and it's you who found a way to avoid danger and safely sell all that fabric. Without you, we wouldn't have had the chance to encounter such good fortune," Caroline's aunt earnestly expressed. "If your uncle comes back next time, let him go with you. He'll be better than me."
Mrs. Winnie noticed that her brother and sister-in-law both showed considerable respect for her daughter, both in attitude and expression, and she couldn't believe it, covering her mouth with her hand once more.
Gazing at her daughter again, Mrs. Winnie suddenly realized that her daughter was indeed different from before… She was so confident, calm, determined, and even the dirt all over her body couldn't hide her radiance.
Mrs. Winnie took two steps forward and hugged her daughter tightly once again.
Her little angel had unknowingly grown so big.
Simon's family was the poorest among the four friends. His father hadn't been able to afford bricks and wood when renovating the house. The courtyard walls and the expanded bungalows were all made by asking rural relatives for help, and even the roof was made of bamboo and thatch.
When Simon returned with a bag of money, the whole family welcomed him in the yard like a hero.
After celebrating with tears and laughter for a while and sending away the relatives who had helped, Simon's mother, after closing the door, asked with concern, "After you left, I heard people on the street saying that there are often robberies on the paths to villages far away, and I was really worried… Did you have a smooth journey?"
Simon smiled and replied honestly, "We did encounter some trouble, Mom, but don't worry. We've worked in Indahl for many years and heard about such things a lot. Of course, we won't go unprepared."
"We didn't sell all the goods directly in the village. If we did, it would be strange if the people in the village didn't gather and rob us. We always hide the cart and fabric outside, choose a few people to enter the village, find those families with old people and children, and privately ask them if they want to buy cheap and good fabric. The quantity isn't much, and if they want to buy, they have to act quickly, or else we'll have to ask the next family…"