Chapter 820: 543 Chapter, Harsh Bone Tax_2
However, seeing bow and arrows protruding from the wall, they had no choice but to retract their steps.
They could only curse under their breath, “Crude humanoid beasts.”
Baccarat assessed the situation, “Let’s go, let’s follow the river and see if there’s another way around.”
Xu Haide nodded and led his men to follow Baccarat eastward along the riverbank.
As they walked, their expressions grew increasingly grim.
Even though they had exited the fortress’s vicinity,
on the opposite bank, a group of Tauren continued to accompany them.
Their gaze fixed intently on them,
as if they were watching thieves.
ℕ○𝕧G○.c○
The people walked, the Tauren walked; when they stopped to eat, the Tauren also stopped.
This was damn ridiculous…
It was clear they weren’t allowed to cross the riverway, as more than ten pairs of bovine eyes stared intensely at them.
It was as if the moment they stopped watching, these people would steal something precious from the orcs.
Time slowly passed by.
By late afternoon, they still hadn’t made any discoveries.
Forget even seeing skeletons, they hadn’t even seen a wild beast.
Instead, they had been scrutinzed by the Tauren all along the way.
The discomfort in their hearts was immense,
like they had swallowed flies.
“Let’s go back,” Baccarat said helplessly.
The men nodded and turned to go back, not until they had left.
Looking back, the Tauren were still there watching.
They seemed uneasy.
“Those Tauren, are they sick in the head!” someone cursed.
“It feels targeted towards humans; maybe we chose the wrong time,” Baccarat suggested.
“A whole day wasted.”
The men grumbled and hastened their return.
…
Back at the Rose Tavern.
The faces of the men were very sullen.
The day had been cold, and they had obtained not a single piece of intelligence.
Moreover, at the border fortress, the Tauren had sufficiently frustrated them.
Talking to them was utterly fruitless.
All they had planned was to investigate a few matters, but the Tauren not only refused to let them pass but also watched them like criminals.
The two groups walked on opposite sides of the river.
The Tauren occasionally emitted provocative sounds.
Bang!!
Xu Haide slammed his fist onto the table and cursed angrily, “Those damn beasts are doing this on purpose, clearly obstructing us, not intending to let us pass.”
Dealing with the northern undead had always been Xu Haide’s advocacy.
It was also his opportunity to compete for the Archbishop’s position.
Having finally gotten this chance to investigate, he came with absolute confidence.
However, they had been thwarted by those Tauren.
“Don’t worry, we still have plenty of time. Let’s buy a few horses tomorrow, circumvent them, and take a look beyond those Tauren,” Baccarat suggested.
Since there was a living creatures fortress nearby, it was unlikely that undead were present.
But their task was to investigate the undead, and despite their suspicions, they needed a thorough investigation.
“Okay, let’s set off early tomorrow.”
Baccarat thought for a moment and added, “No, let’s leave two people in town to gather more intelligence, while the rest of us head out of the city to continue tracing the undead.”
“Alright, that’s settled.”
After discussing their strategy, the men began to eat.
Meanwhile, the bar owner at a nearby counter wiped tables while deep in thought.
…
The next day, early in the morning.
Xu Haide returned with a frown.
Seeing his expression, Baccarat asked, “What happened?”
Xu Haide said perplexedly, “Yesterday, I saw stables selling horses, but when I went there this morning, they had all been sold.”
“Who bought them, such coincidence?”
“The owner said a caravan bought them. Apparently, their horses had all fallen ill and died, and they urgently needed horses to transport their goods, so they bought all the horses in the city,” Xu Haide explained.
Another member of the church suggested, “Why don’t we borrow a few horses from the City Lord’s estate? No matter what, the City Lord’s estate should have horses.”
“No, our mission is to proceed covertly; we can’t let the people here know we came,” Baccarat immediately rejected the idea.
At that time, the owner of the tavern came over.
With a full-faced smile, he asked, “Oh, are you gentlemen planning to go out?”
“Yes, do you know where we can buy horses for the journey?” Baccarat asked.
The owner responded, “Aren’t there any for sale at the stables near the east gate?”
“They are sold out there. Is there anywhere else we can buy them?”
“Sold out? That’s not good. The city has strict regulations now. Apart from the stables on the east side, it’s not allowed to sell horses privately,” the owner explained.
“I see, that’s how it is.”
“Where do you want to go? If not, I can arrange a guide for you. You can take his carriage, although it will be a bit more expensive.”
The group’s eyes lit up upon hearing this.
They thought this was a good idea since the guides knew the area well.
They could also inquire if there were any Undead around.
The group whispered among themselves and quickly agreed, “That sounds great, please arrange it for us, money is not an issue.”
“Alright, where are you heading?”
“We’d like to visit the north, the Orc territory for a bit.”
“Oh dear, the Orc territory is not safe. I need to ask around if someone is willing to go. Not sure though,” the owner said while wiping his hands with a burlap, “Let it be. I’ll send you a message by the afternoon. If it works out, he can take you there tomorrow morning.”
“That would be fine.”
The owner left.
The group discussed for a while and decided to leave the city and continue walking north.
To check out the situation.
…
Meanwhile
At this time, Fang Hao had just woken up.
After washing up, he stepped out of his room.
He had just descended the stairs.
When he saw the Gold Eating Queen – Amanda, already sitting in the lobby waiting.
Undead, needing neither sleep nor rest, always had ample time.
She sat there holding her scepter, silently staring ahead.
Giving off a sense of loneliness.
Hearing the sound of someone coming downstairs, Amanda looked up.
“Lord Fang Hao!” Amanda stood up to greet him.
Fang Hao felt that she was especially polite today.
“Good morning, Amanda.”
“Good morning, my lord.”
Fang Hao walked down and sat beside Amanda.
“Amanda, is there something you need?”
Amanda straightforwardly said, “Doujin brought back news from the ‘Great Cemetery of Odys’ last night.”
Doujin is the captain of the Skeleton merchant team.
Amanda had been very concerned about the current situation in the Anglina Kingdom.
So, Fang Hao had Doujin use the Trade Alliance to gather some information about the situation there through trade routes.
It appeared they now had some valuable information.
Otherwise, Amanda wouldn’t have come to him directly.
“What’s the situation over there?” Fang Hao poured himself a glass of water.
“Just as I suspected, the former Anglina Kingdom no longer exists. Odys has turned commoners completely into slaves, implementing a harsh bone tax. This tax caused living creatures to not live past 30 years of age, after which they are forcibly transformed into Undead soldiers and enlisted into the army,” Amanda explained.
Fang Hao’s eyebrows furrowed.
He was aware of the bone tax.
Not living past 30 was indeed quite terrifying.
People barely reached adulthood and didn’t even get to enjoy a few good years before being turned into skeletons.
“Is this information accurate?” Fang Hao was somewhat skeptical.
“It came from the Skeleton merchants, and moreover, Doujin also verified it with Goblins in the Trade Alliance, so we can be certain of its reliability.”
Goodness, the Skeleton King Odys truly is a ruthless figure.
The people living on his side couldn’t even make it to 30.
But Fang Hao was also curious why Odys was so eager to convert his troops.
Although living creatures and Undead had minor frictions over the years, it hadn’t escalated to the point of a power struggle.
Could he be planning something?
Such stringent bone taxes and accumulating military forces surely pointed to a war plan.
“What do you suggest, Amanda?” Fang Hao looked at Amanda.
“I want to reclaim our former territories and establish a new Anglina Kingdom, my lord. I hope you can help me save the descendants of the people of Anglina,” Amanda said as she kneeled on one knee, her tone earnest.