CHAPTER 228: CHAPTER 228: THE COLLECTOR

Joul Burticker rested his chin on his knuckles as he looked out to the road outside.

He was a young and promising Collector of the Royal Treasurer but was unfortunately assigned to a not so favoured area of the kingdom to collect.

Scalize was a golden egg but the Baron there worked directly with the Royal Treasurer so Joul couldn’t take any cut in it.

The rest of the town surrounding Scalize was pitiful. Mucktown, Rugtown, Slanktown. Even the names of these towns sounded poor.

The best they could do was pay around sixty to seventy silver coins each quarter. 60-70 silver coins weren’t cheap. It actually could fix a few families of commoners for years.

But for noble, and high nobles, 70 silver coins were simply the equivalent of a few premium purchases.

Around Joul’s cart was a group of armored knights on horses. He alone got twenty knights going with him as body guard. Their mission was to protect the Collector and the cart of coins behind him.

The coin cart held silver coins. As for the valuable gold coins, Joul always kept them inside a small chest close to him.

A knight approached the window. "We’ve arrived at Mucktown, my lord."

Joul waved his hand lazily. "Just tell Germort to give me the coins and we can go."

"Understood, my lord!"

The commander of the knight nodded his head and pointed to two of the knights in the group.

The two marched forward in their horses. The gate of Mucktown was weirdly abandoned. No guards were there at all.

Suddenly, the two knights stopped. They felt a burn on their cheeks as the mark of servitude shone.

"What’s wrong?" The commander shouted.

The two knights looked at each other and then turned their heads back.

"There is a powerful witch up ahead, commander. They are at least a Witchling."

"Oh?" Joul said, "Little Germort finally ascended?"

The commander approached the gate of Mucktown. He also had a mark of servitude. However, his was much bigger and covered the entire face.

"No. Not Germort. This Mana is different. It is a different witch."

The commander closed his eyes and connected to the mark to use its power. He sensed the magic in the area then opened his eyes again. "There was no other Mana Core in the near distance. Germort isn’t here or he was killed."

Joul stepped down from his carriage and looked at the place. He noticed that the gate was unusually clean. Usually, the grass would be unkempt and the ground was covered with mud.

The front of the gate was nicely filled with even grass. Mud and debris were swept away.

"Whoever the new witch is, they sure seem to obsess about cleanliness. Are they dangerous?" Joul said.

The commander nodded. "They are. But to us, that witch meant nothing. We can even go face to face with a Lesser Witch."

"Good. I am assured then. Let’s go inside. I want to meet this new witch."

The carriage rolled into Mucktown as the riders tightly surrounded it, ensuring Joul’s safety.

The scene inside Mucktown was even more bizarre. Commoners ran back and forth, carrying wood logs and pushing stone carts. Many new houses were in the progress of construction, showing its inside and the unfinished wall.

"Building houses right in the middle of winter? Are these people crazy?"

Joul said. The commander of the knights also had the same question. He couldn’t see the special type of clothing these people have on their body. A unique design that kept their body warm but still allowed them to do proper work.

They would still need heating if the temperature went lower later in the evening. But at least they were able to work during the day.

The group arrived in front of the Bailiff’s manor, where Gigi was standing and waiting for them already.

She bowed to the carriage and invited Joul in.

"Our lord is expecting you, Collector."

Joul observed Gigi. He quickly noticed the good condition her body was in and the very high-quality piece of clothing. A clear skin with a very healthy body. It didn’t look like the usual skin and bones of Mucktown that Joul was familiar with. And that dark single piece dress, Joul had never seen a better craftsmanship before.

Siderius had transformed this town a lot in the last few weeks.

Snow started to fall and the temperature went colder.

"My knights need somewhere to rest." Joul said.

"Certainly, Collector. The butler is here to guide your knights to the stable. The carriage and cart can be parked in the courtyard."

Joul nodded then turned to the commander. "Your men can rest. Pick two to go with us inside."

The commander nodded and dismissed his men. He picked two of the best warriors to go with him and Joul inside.

Joul was in the middle while the commander and the two knights formed a triangle around him.

They arrived at Siderius’ office.

"The Collector is here, my lord!" Gigi said.

Siderius nodded. His eyes were still lingering at the parchment on the table without looking up.

"Prepare the guest room for our guest, Gigi." Siderius said.

"Yes, my lord!" Gigi smiled then bowed to Joul before went away.

Joul was rather surprised at how disciplined and formal she was. She was trained with proper etiquettes and gestures. It made the entire image of Mucktown jump up a level in Joul’s eyes.

"So. You must be the new witch." Joul sat down across Siderius. "Did Germort assign you this position? Where is he?"

"Germort is six feet under the ground." Siderius said.

Joul’s brow furrowed. The knights stayed in place but their alertness was dialed to the highest, ready to protect Joul at any time.

"How did he die?"

"I killed him."

Siderius bluntly said. He rolled up the parchment on the table and placed it next to a big stack of rolls.

Siderius seemed very focused, calm, and unpredictable. He was very different from the easy to read Germort.

Siderius placed his chin on his knuckles while smiling at Joul.

"You know killing a high noble is prohibited by the Royal Court, right?" Joul smiled back. Siderius piqued his interest. He wanted to know more and he wanted to know why Siderius was so calm.

"Killing without a reason is prohibited. I killed him because of a reason. There’s a difference."

"Why did you kill him then?"

"He killed my mother. So I burned him on the stake for all to see."