Alien world

Chapter 1750, Section 383: Olmedo Visits Montreal Hill

In the etiquette department, there was a rustling sound of newspapers being turned.

"What happened to the losses in Liberty City? I don't remember the Chaos Cult going to Liberty Street?"

In Minister Eurydice's office, he put down his newspaper and asked the assistant standing by the door.

The assistant, who was in his early thirties and considered young and promising, replied, "They said that the carriage transporting financial statements was intercepted by chaotic cultists, who then stole it and burned it."

"What a coincidence?"

Minister Eurydice chuckled: "Our little neighbor is asking us for compensation."

His assistant understood immediately: "There's nothing new under the sun."

Whether or not the champion warlock receives any compensation is up to the tax officials.

Minister Eurydice, feeling completely at ease as he saw nothing amiss, continued flipping through other newspapers, his expression gradually turning sour.

The Thirteen Supreme Kings are always the focus of attention, just like the conflict between the Kingdom of Paem and the Elven Court last year. When something like this happens in the Empire, lords and politicians from all over the country are talking about it.

Wilhelm, as always, ignored everything outside. He would offer a few comments on most of the Middle-earth, but in the South, he would mainly use sarcasm and ridicule, commenting on the Empire: "When barbarians are no longer barbaric, even their last shred of courage has disappeared."

What? You're asking if there are fewer rats in the south? That's not the same!

……

While Minister Ori was in a bad mood because of these gloating fellows, the Treasury next door was forced to get busy.

The attack by the Chaotic Sect was originally unrelated to them, but then Freedom Street announced that its April financial statements were missing.

The champion warlock is a shrewd businessman. Liberty Street has been established for less than three years, and its monthly revenue has never been less than 30,000 gold dollars, ranking among the top in the entire Montreal Hills, even surpassing the commercial streets of many wealthy and aristocratic neighborhoods.

Without financial statements, Liberty Street decides how much tax revenue is collected in April...

The Imperial Treasury had no choice but to send a team of tax officials to investigate.

The leaders, Sack and Moni, greeted them.

"Where is Annan Reeves?" the imperial tax collector asked bluntly.

"Lord Annan is not here. After the ancestor entrusted the Golden Skull Bracelet to Lord Annan, he disappeared without a trace. However, Lord Annan said that if anyone is looking for him, they should go to the ancestor. Sirs, are you here on behalf of the ancestor to retrieve the Golden Skull Bracelet?"

Having made thorough preparations and seized the initiative, the tax officials, who were ready to question the person in charge, could no longer maintain their composure. With ancestral figures and the golden skull bracelet mentioned, how could they dare say anything?

After exchanging glances, the middle-aged tax officer leading the group coughed lightly: "No, we're here to inquire about the missing financial statements."

"I have fully informed your department of all the relevant information. Are there any further questions?"

"Don't you have any spare copies of the financial statements?" the middle-aged tax officer asked.

The person in charge, Sack, gave a wry smile: "Who would bother preparing two copies? We've always sent the monthly financial statements to the Ministry of Finance first, where you calculate the taxes, and then we send them back to Liberty City for verification. Who would have thought we'd run into the Chaotic Cult and have them stolen from us? We can't find them anywhere..."

As luck would have it, the Knights were in charge of investigating this matter... the very same Knights of Commander Olin who lived with the old man and traveled in and out of the city with Annan.

The result was naturally nothing.

The leader, Sack, cursed, "How could the Chaos Cult be so evil!"

"How about this," the middle-aged tax official compromised, "we can calculate the tax for April based on the revenue from previous months."

“This… isn’t appropriate… monthly income fluctuates; it might be less this month and more last month… I’m not saying I’m afraid of giving too much; the Empire has taken such good care of us, so it’s only right that we pay a little more tax. But setting this precedent could easily lead to a series of problems…” Sak said hesitantly, while Moni, standing beside him, played the stern face at the opportune moment, “According to the Empire’s tax law, when taxes are lost due to the Empire’s fault, the Empire shall bear the full responsibility. Therefore, April’s taxes should be reduced or exempted.”

That's how it's written in the Imperial Law, but even with one less tax revenue, the Ministry of Finance ultimately bears the burden of everything.

Realizing that Liberty Street had come prepared, and with the right timing, location, and people all there, even the tax officials that the merchants feared were helpless against him, and could only swallow their anger.

They turned and left, but only one young man remained standing there like a spear.

“Newman, what are you still standing there for?” The middle-aged tax officer turned around.

“I’m going to stay here and wait for Annan Reeves,” said the tall young man named Newman.

He wasn't wearing a tax officer's badge, and given that he had been standing at the back, he was just a trainee tax officer.

“He won’t show up,” the middle-aged tax official said.

Even Minister Eugene guessed it from reading the newspapers; how could they, as the parties involved, not know?

Logically, the loss was caused by the Chaos Cult, which is the Inquisition's responsibility, so they could hold the Inquisition accountable... but no one dared to go.

On the left is Annan Reeves, who clings to the powerful and refuses to yield to reason, while on the right is the courtroom, which no one wants to deal with. The Treasury Department is caught in the middle and is in a very uncomfortable position.

"Since he's willing to wait, let him wait here. Freedom Street isn't short of one more person."

Everyone looked toward the person who spoke, a woman with a golden braid like wheat ears tied in front of her forehead, dressed in a men's aristocratic suit, with a pair of silver-rimmed glasses on her nose, and her blue eyes behind the lenses were very impressive.

"Who are you?" the middle-aged tax official asked, making a guess.

"Ormedo, the deputy city lord of Free City."

"Hello, we've heard so much about you."

People who enjoy listening to stories tend to overlook the companions of legendary figures, but they don't.

Olmedo, the former lord of Breeze City and Annan's most capable assistant, had long been on many people's desks.

Olmedo's arrival didn't change anything, and the tax officials had no choice but to leave, leaving only the trainee tax official named Newman standing there.

"Annan might really like you."

Olmedo approvingly remarked, "He'll probably say that young officials are eager to make a name for themselves. Good lad, interested in coming to Liberty City?"

Newman's expression was strange, but he still pursed his lips and said, "I am an Imperial citizen, and I am loyal only to the Empire."

Olmedo didn't say anything more; after all, she wasn't Annan. She returned to Sack's office.

With such a major incident occurring in the Empire, and Annan disappearing without a trace after leaving that day, Olmedo had no choice but to come in person.

"Still no news from Annan?" Olmedo asked Moni.

Moni, who had just returned from the Knights, replied, "No, Miss Olin said that Lord Annan did not go to see her. Passersby said that he seemed to have gone to the Court of Judgment."

The courtroom... Wasn't Annan full of resentment towards them?
“Sak, go to the courthouse and ask them where Annan is.”

This guy, could he have gone and gotten involved with the Chaos Cult...?

(End of this chapter)