Chapter 418: Chapter 193: The Unexpected Assassination

Compared to the previous methods, the advantage of imposing additional taxes is significant in terms of enforceability.

Of course, these methods can all be carried out simultaneously.

Thus, in this year’s Ice Sealing Month, many small kingdoms’ Royal Families coincidentally issued the same decree—to increase taxation. Not only was the proportion of taxes already in place raised, but new types of taxes were introduced as well.

With the intent to minimize impact on the common folks’ survival, the Royal Family introduced an additional tax of about ten percent on top of the existing ones.

However, although their intention was such, after the Royal Family led the way in raising local taxes, the lower and middle Nobles followed suit by adding another ten to twenty percent to the increased taxes to fill their own coffers.

When these taxes were compounded, it resulted in an unbearable heavy tax burden. Making the living unbearable, the cold winds of Ice Sealing Month seemed to grow even colder and more biting.

Many commoners and Low Rank Professionals, unable to bear the heavy taxation pressures, gathered at the Lord Mansion to petition, hoping for a temporary tax relief until at least next year when the weather warmed up.

But what greeted them was the Guard’s cold barrel of a gun and their brutal crackdown.

To survive, many were forced to flee with their families, while even more joined the various Resistance Organizations that had sprung up among the civilians, resisting the taxes with violence.

And regarding the chaos among the civilians, the Royal Family was infuriated, having sent the Mechanical Army several times to suppress these ‘rebels who disregarded royal law’.

There were successes in these battles, but for various reasons, they could never completely eradicate the Resistance Organizations, instead, their size only continued to grow.

In such a situation, spurred on by some people with ulterior motives, some local lower and middle Nobles did not reduce taxes, but instead increased them by another ten percent based on the original amount.

Their logic was as follows: If there are rebellions, it means that taxes are still not high enough, otherwise from where would they get the resources to rebel?

At the same time, in the aspect of Destiny hardly seen by anyone, the Net of Destiny of the Federation began to stir slightly, as if signaling some special omen.

.….….

Inside Silver Moon City, Anvis stood in the courtyard, looking up at the distant sky, as if he could see storm clouds approaching.

“A change is coming.”

After a while, he suddenly spoke out of nowhere.

“…Really? Do I need to prepare some rain gear then?”

Standing beside him, Leia looked at the clear, cloudless sky, puzzled.

However, the longer she stayed with Teacher Vio, the more mystical she felt her teacher was.

Brimming with profound knowledge, whether it was in Magic theory or Alchemy, Enchantment or any other Secondary Profession, he was deeply skilled.

Apart from having never seen Teacher Vio engage in battle, she almost felt as if her teacher was omnipotent.

Likewise, as now, Anvis also often did things that she couldn’t understand.

But over time, the girl grew accustomed to this, assuming that perhaps all Mid Rank Spellcasters were supposed to be this enigmatic.

“Changing times doesn’t just mean rain—”

With eyes half-closed, Anvis shook his head and didn’t explain further.

“Besides, you are now a formal Spellcaster; do not always cling to your former mentality as an ordinary person. Even if it really rains, we can use Magic Tricks to deflect it.”

“Also, have you finished purifying the phosphorous powder I told you about before?”

“That! Not yet…”

At the mention of this, Leia suddenly looked distressed.

“If there’s nothing, then what are you waiting for here?”

After sending the young girl back into the house, Anvis took out his pocket watch with a leisurely pace and glanced at the time.

On the watch face, inlaid with pale blue Star Radiance Diamonds, the exquisitely crafted Mithril hands pointed to 11:55.

Closing the watch cover, Anvis surveyed the withering winter courtyard, his gaze lingering on several shadows for a moment, and then he spoke again.

“So, what are you uninvited guests waiting for?”

As his voice faded, the air in the courtyard fell silent once again.

A slight whirlwind, carrying fallen leaves, blew through the courtyard, causing a thin mist hanging in the air to ripple, and nothing else seemed to change.

“There’s no need to try anymore, although this is just a temporary residence, it’s not a place that just anyone can enter.”

Glancing at the seemingly unchanged house behind him, Anvis spoke again.

Then, the wind gradually ceased, the dry leaves on the ground stilled, and a certain isolating force field suddenly enveloped the place.

Moments later, the shadows where Anvis’s gaze had previously paused, deepened in color. Dark figures flowed out like water, coalescing into several figures dressed in black.

At the same time, two figures took shape in front of the house behind him.

They had originally planned to quietly enter the house and take another target away. However, just as they were about to infiltrate, they were blocked by an invisible wall and could not enter.

The aura of magic power on these people varied between the Third and Fourth Rank, and one could sense a strong negative energy from them, suggesting they may have already claimed many lives beforehand.

Without saying anything, several people directly unleashed a variety of combat skills and spells at Anvis, intending to subdue him in one go and then forcibly break through the house’s defences to take away the other target, to prevent complications from arising during the night.

This place is the capital of one of the Federation’s Three Kingdoms, where even the captain of any patrol team is of the Fourth Rank, and capable of forming a joint attack formation with their team.

If their actions drew the attention of the Silver Moon City Guards, their mission would be declared a failure.

In mid-air, a fireball and a burst of Fighting Energy slash flew swiftly towards Anvis. At the same time, various binding and cursing spells encircled him directly.

Causing his head to spin, the flow of magic power inside his body suddenly stagnated, and the air around him froze solid as steel.

Two of the figures, who appeared to be of the Thief Profession, had already entered stealth, preparing to give Anvis a surprise backstab and kidney blow.

Seeing ‘Vio’ apparently unable to react in time to all incoming attacks, the group of figures in black breathed a sigh of relief, as if they could already foresee the outcome of the battle.

According to the description of the mission, the other party was merely an owner of an Alchemy Shop and had almost no combat records. Many suspected he was one of those scholars who relied on smashing people with the effects of various magic items and was not proficient in combat himself.

The best way to deal with scholars was to launch a surprise attack, rapidly break through the opponent’s Talisman defenses, and defeat the opponent before they could respond.

…

Watching the figures in the courtyard kill each other with indifference, ending up mutually annihilated, Anvis summoned a whirlwind with magic to sweep away the blood and charred smell from the air.

Although he was not clear about the identities of these people, with Vio’s current identity, the factor that could lead to assassins striking would be none other than the previously rumored Child of Destiny, Landon.

After refreshing the air in the courtyard, he opened the pocket watch in his hand, took another look at the time.

“11:59, there’s still time to have lunch before afternoon tea.”

Closing the pocket watch in his hand, Anvis turned to leave.

At the same time, the ground of the courtyard liquefied on its own, sinking the bodies of the several individuals within.

Next spring, the Silver Leaf Roses in the courtyard will most likely bloom even more brilliantly.