Blackwater Valley, in the castle’s meeting hall…
Pastor Abraham was sitting upright, and Knight Shimmer stood silently beside him.
Levi sat opposite the priest as Knight Fred stood by him. Levi was on guard, and his trepidation was easily caught by the priest.
“Sure enough, he is just a boy,” the pastor murmured to himself.
“Baron Levi!” the priest greeted him grandly. “I am here to purchase Blackwater Valley.”
In this era, the Church rules over everything. The priest’s bluntness is no surprise; annexations like these were common.
One of the easiest ways for the Church to acquire land is to target weak nobles.
Hearing this, Knight Fred’s complexion changed as he glanced at Levi.
Levi remained silent as he stared straight at the priest.
“Two thousand gold coins—twice what I gave to the heirs of the Stone Bear and the Frost Wolves. The Church remembers your father, so it is only appropriate if I pay a greater amount.”
This amount of money is enough for both Levi and Knight Fred to live comfortably for their entire lives.
“A remote land like this is destined to fail, frankly speaking,” the priest continued. “It is wiser to let the Church oversee this land.”
Pastor Abraham simply smiled as he finished. He was confident that the unknown, cowardly, “prodigal” son would not refuse his offer.
However, Levi had no reason to accept the offer today either. He could easily get two thousand coins with his forging. He wasn’t desperate; in fact, he was content.
Besides, there is intangible value tied to Blackwater Valley—his people, his satisfaction, and his father’s only gift that was left.
“My apologies, Pastor Abraham,” Levi shook his head. “The Snyder family has lived here for over two hundred years. Every brick and tile in this place is coated with our family’s blood, sweat, and tears. What about my people? I can’t possibly abandon my people.”
Knight Fred heaved a sigh of relief.
His father has already lost the Land of Tulips and the Land of Storms. He absolutely cannot lose his ancestral land.
Moreover, if Levi were to become stronger one day, he could easily reclaim the Land of Tulips and the Land of Storms—it was under his name anyway. It was justified for him to come and reclaim his lands.
If he were to sell this land to the Church, it would belong to the Church. If he wanted it back, he had to buy it from them or start a war.
Both options are unfeasible.
“Oh, are you sure?” Pastor Abraham asked with a smile.
Pastor Abraham tapped his foot under the desk repeatedly. He didn’t expect the young baron to reject his offer.
“If your purpose is to take away my family’s territory, then forgive me, but I refuse. My people will refuse as well.”
If he didn’t have a territory to call his own, how could he function? How could he practise his breathing method? He wouldn’t have a source of income, nor would he have a place to call home. Two thousand gold coins is simply an insult.
“Well, we can discuss that at a later date,” the priest smirked. “Now, the taxes owed by your land…
…you have three territories under your name, all of which are required to pay taxes to the Church. After your father’s death, we gave the Land of Tulips and the Land of Storms maximum tax incentives for his sake, but we have always turned a blind eye to the Blackwater Valley…
Baron Levi: According to regulations, the Church can collect taxes without a retrospective period for all territories that are under the light of the Loving Father, regardless of whether the Church has previously taxed them…
In short, even though the Church has not taxed Blackwater Valley for the past two hundred years, we have the right to come and collect it,” the priest smiled, his tone evident.
“We’ll pay the taxes,” Levi smiled but sneered in his heart. No matter how great his father was, there would always be rats looking for scraps to eat.
He couldn’t refuse to pay taxes either; he wasn’t strong enough to do so, and rebelling against the authority of the Church was a death sentence.
The Church is composed of monasteries, churches, clergymen, and intricate networks scattered throughout the country, and they employ the Radiant Knights to defend the Church.
A powerful force composed of hundreds of qualified Knights and seven Great Knights: the invincible vanguards of the Church will crush everything that stands in the Church’s way.
‘No matter,’ Levi calmed himself. ‘I have a proficiency panel. As long as I am alive, becoming strong is a certainty.’
Besides, he knew Pastor Abraham was showing him grace, no, mercy, by allowing him to pay taxes rather than let them annex his land.
“Oh? Well, here is the total amount of taxes owed by Blackwater Valley. In view of your father’s great contribution to us, we have exempted a huge amount of taxes owed as well as the late payment fee. Hence, all you have to do is pay the principal amount,” Pastor Abraham handed over a tax bill from his robe.
Levi took the bill, and the corners of his eyes couldn’t help but twitch on their own.
‘1000 gold coins…’
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