Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 335 The Town of Dania

"Crack!"

Rean chained the Holy Scripture to his belt, hanging it halfway down his back.

The first painting began on the black dragon armor, with musical notes and the holy symbol of the sun painted on the shoulder of the right arm.

It's not obvious, but those in the know will never miss it.

Logically, a series of religious decorations and coatings would be needed, but Rean felt that was enough for now.

The newly acquired silver large two-handed sword was inserted into the scabbard on his back, but its excessive length prevented it from hanging at his waist.

The original Hero's Sword was sheathed, and the greatsword, which was half a hand's length long, was incredibly powerful when swung with both hands, making it very suitable for Lex's decisive and agile fighting style.

However, for a heavy two-handed swordsman like Sull, this half-person-long sword is a bit too short. As Rean grows larger, the day when it becomes a one-handed swordsman may not be far off.

"With its silver coating, adamantite-infused steel construction, and astral silver blade, the sword is enchanted with 'Toughness III,' making it capable of taking down any demon with a single strike."

That's what the dwarven craftsman said, but the price of two hundred gold coins was an astronomical sum that Rean in the past would never have dared to dream of; it was enough to buy two sets of family heirloom heavy armor.

In fact, if it weren't for the fact that it was a small gift from Suliman (to commemorate the Baron's investiture), he still wouldn't have been willing to buy it and would have just made do with the Hero's Sword.

But after acquiring territory, he was no longer a "careerless hero with no job or income".

Taxes in feudal times were always quite high, with several eras seeing 70%, 80%, or even 90% going to the state.

In terms of the kingdom, during peacetime, agriculture and small-scale handicrafts account for about 30% on average, with transaction taxes calculated separately, which is already relatively benevolent.

Rean set the tax rate at around 20%, not because he wanted to be unconventional, but because those pioneering areas attracted other residents, and low taxes were already the norm. If some policies were added to reduce labor service and religious donations, the tax rate might even be only half that of other places.

The head tax and other taxes for Rean's side will have to wait, but the transaction tax is already quite high, since that's what the front-line towns of the underground ruins do.

"The feeling of getting money just by lying down is always a little unsettling."

Although he was living the "parasite" life he had always dreamed of, sitting around waiting for people to give him money, Rean felt a little uneasy about it.

It can be said that his moral standards, which were beyond the reach of his time, made him out of step with the times.

"call."

Rean took a deep breath and stood up straight.

After donning the heavy armor, the weight caused the dragon-hide boots to sink into the ground.

Wearing the super-powerful gloves, he moved as slowly as a truck, becoming a true heavy-armored warrior.

Compared to before, he had grown taller. The dragon vein was the source of his bloodline, and his body naturally matured over time.

Even though the bloodline evolution has recently stagnated, the body has naturally become stronger.

"It seems that it is not far from becoming an adult dragon." The standard for a young dragon is only eighty years old. To many powerful beings, a dragon of this level is probably just a slightly stronger lizard behemoth.

But for Rean, he could feel a significant increase in strength and physique, and he felt that he needed to prepare his pants and clothes again.

"My lord."

"It is Lord Sudar."

Why is he all alone?

"On patrol?"

Donning his armor, Rean walked silently through the town.

The so-called duty of the nobility in this era is probably to provide protection for the weak. Since they have received the money, they do some work to put their minds at ease.

The town before us is already showing signs of prosperity. The unfolding Mirror Demon has become a portal between the surface and the underground, and the town streets centered around it have a large number of shops.

Providing assistance to adventurers and acquiring their materials, treasures, and special resources—these two industries alone are enough to make this town incredibly wealthy. "Seems alright."

Rean noticed that the other side of the town was the area where they had fought the Ulda Bull Demon.

Today, it is a lush land of life. Mushrooms, vegetation, and crops are ripening at an absurd rate and quickly becoming the town's food supply.

"It seems we don't need to purchase from higher-ups anymore."

This doesn't seem like a big deal in the short term, and the food there isn't expensive either, but this is on the premise that the "Mirror Demon's" teleportation is still free.

Rean learned from Dania that this situation probably wouldn't last much longer.
Considering the strength of the Dark Elves, my previous support was free assistance, but now that we've been operating this long-term and you're profiting from it, isn't it reasonable for me to charge you?

"Hopefully the delivery fee won't be too expensive."

Afterwards, the little mirror spirit will charge a rental fee, while the big mirror spirit will charge a teleportation fee. Considering that the existence of these divine beings will consume the power of the mirror woman, this is actually reasonable.

Since even the gods have put in the effort, they should at least pay some maintenance fees.

The problem is, how much do they want to charge?

Dania certainly hoped to charge less, but the underground church composed of dark elves had a different idea. Strangely enough, in this respect, the gods themselves had no say, and they would not interfere with such "details" at all.

"Those greedy bastards are actually planning to charge 25% of the goods as a toll." This is what Dania has been complaining about these past two days. For those high-ranking dark elf priests from the underworld, they have no intention of thinking long-term; they just want to make as much money as they can.

This also illustrates from one perspective just how important "religious" personnel are. The reputation, propaganda, and even the future of a deity may very well have nothing to do with the deity himself, but rather depend on how the people below him act.

"Ultimately, it might be a base price plus commission model where a large amount of goods and materials are delivered at a base price with a commission.

Rean favors Dania because, despite her constant complaining and grumbling, she can actually be quite ruthless.

She established an "earthly church" with hardly any dark elves, which was clearly a move to establish a separate court.

Next, they might just expel those dark elf priests who think they've gained power.

She didn't have time to waste on those underground elves; if they really squeezed money out of her teleportation fees, the entire exploration plan might be ruined.

Rean is doing alright because the dock area and this town are physically connected. If we really raise the teleportation fee, I can still earn the toll fees from passing through, and I don't have to spend much money on my own cargo transportation.

Maybe you can charge tolls over there, while I can develop my business at a lower cost.

“How about choosing a site here for the new church?” Rean looked at an open space, the light of the glowing moss shining on his feet, but he couldn’t feel any warmth.

"No, you chose the Solar Realm, so you must be in a place with plenty of sunlight."

Rean originally planned to establish the new church in his own town and had even started looking at potential sites, but was told that he might have to return to the dock area.

"Furthermore, once the church headquarters is captured, it can be declared the end of this deity's missionary work. Are you sure this place will never be captured?" The God of Drama spoke more practically, stating that the church headquarters was not only the face of the deity, but also the anchor point of divine power between the deity and the main plane.

The holy book in Rean's hands is the current anchor point, and it will likely be placed at the church headquarters later, never to be moved until a desperate situation arises.

"I am not sure."

The town of Dania looks quite nice, but no one is sure it will never fall, and the fall of the earthly headquarters of a god's church is a very serious matter.

When the future of his "church" was mentioned, the usually silent deity became more talkative (mainly because the sound of his heart would affect Rean's state).

"But the people here yearn for the light. They will become excellent believers."

For the "gods," Rean's foundation was much better than expected; this population of over ten thousand was far higher than the minimum "faith starting line" of five hundred.

Rean looked at the busy crowd. Perhaps, let them become the first "territory guards".

"Although we can't establish a church headquarters, setting up a paladin order and recruiting a group of paladins shouldn't be a problem, right?"

(End of this chapter)