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Chapter 273: Starry Night (3)
Defense Tax.
It was a tax collected by the only elected Strongest Sword on the Korean Peninsula, and its rate was 6.8%, identical to the excess support rate at the time of the Strongest Sword’s election.
A characteristic of the defence tax was that it was automatically levied only on additional income that exceeded the “minimum expense amount” set by the tax system.
And it was collected daily in installments.
Therefore.
“What, what is this?”
“Do they start collecting taxes as soon as they arrive?”
The Strongest Swords were understandably astonished.
They were already paying tribute for defence, and now they had to pay the defence tax as well.
Especially since the Strongest Swords, having significantly higher incomes than ordinary citizens, would pay a substantial amount in defense taxes.
Being individuals overseeing entire regions, their basic income far exceeded the “minimum expense amount.”
“Isn’t this essentially double taxation?”
“We already pay defense fees, and now defense taxes too?”
As the Strongest Swords in Seoul voiced their anger while wielding their weapons, the orcs surrounding the tower bared their teeth.
“Silence!”
“Is it so begrudging to pay your brothers?”
“Greedy beings.”
The Strongest Swords did not back down and raised their swords more threateningly, instantly turning the situation into chaos.
“What, you bastards?”
“Unbelievable.”
“Yeongwoo, what is all this? Where did these guys come from?”
In response, Yeongwoo calmed the situation with a single statement.
“Australia.”
“…?”
-…!
The Strongest Swords of Seoul hesitated, taken aback by the unexpected place name, while the orcs, whose new home on Earth was Australia, looked sentimental.
“From now on, Northern Australia is an Orc Autonomous Region. Everything has already been discussed. No objections will be accepted.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“An Orc Autonomous Region…?”
Simply, it sounded like they had sold Australia to the orcs.
At least to those unaware of the full context, it could only be interpreted that way.
“Yeongwoo, what are you talking about? Why is Australia an Orc Autonomous Region?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Jeonggu asked, and Yeongwoo pointed to the top of the towering structure.
“We will soon engage in a large-scale war with China. And for that, we need very fast transport routes… which these brothers have provided.”
“…Brothers?”
Jeonggu’s gaze turned to the giant red-footed orcs.
Given how Yeongwoo acted, it seemed he had already made all the arrangements with the orcs.
He had formed an extraordinary bond with the previously unknown orcs in just one day.
“You must have had your reasons, but do you think people will accept this?”
“….”
At his father Jeonggu’s words, Yeongwoo looked up at the sky again.
“As I said before, no objections will be accepted.”
“…What?”
“Without the brothers, we couldn’t have built this road so cheaply. They did what no human could do.”
“What exactly did they do?”
At his father’s question, Yeongwoo touched the surface of the towering structure with his palm.
“Life.”
“…?”
“Each tower contains the life of a brother. Nearly a hundred brothers have already died….”
As Yeongwoo spoke, a faint beam of starlight shot out from near the top of the tower.
“Even at this moment, the brothers are sacrificing themselves. So, no one can object to the rights to this road and the northern Australian autonomy.”
This was Yeongwoo’s way of stating that he, the Strongest Sword of Korea, would personally handle any objections.
“That’s absurd.”
“No matter what, you just gave Australia to the orcs?”
Even so, some Strongest Swords couldn’t easily accept this, prompting Yeongwoo to take drastic measures.
“In exchange, I will immediately suspend the collection of defense fees in Seoul.”
“Oh…?”
“Really?”
The mood shifted instantly.
In a world where karma was directly linked to survival, eliminating a fixed expense was a welcome change.
“Yes. Thanks to the road laid by the brothers, my operational range will expand significantly from tomorrow. So, I can collect the defense fees overseas instead of in Seoul.”
In fact, he was already extorting considerable money from China.
“Oh….”
“Great idea.”
“As expected… globalization is the way.”
The Strongest Swords in Seoul unanimously supported this decision.
In contrast, Gwanak Strongest Sword Jo Sangik, with his background in public affairs, was focused on something entirely different.
“Um… Yeongwoo?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“These towers that your brothers built, do they serve as the pillars of a high bridge?”
“That’s correct.”
“If one of these pillars collapses, the entire road might become unusable.”
“That’s uncertain, but it would definitely make using the road very inconvenient if one of the mid-passages were broken.”
As Yeongwoo said this, Jo Sangik nodded and suddenly started walking towards the tower.
The orcs blocked his path with threatening looks.
-This is our sacred ground.
-No one but a brother may enter.
Jo Sangik looked up at the orcs and smiled faintly.
“I don’t intend to enter the tower. I just want to demonstrate something that might happen someday. If you allow me.”
He then looked at Yeongwoo, realizing that the Strongest Sword had command over the orcs.
So Yeongwoo said,
“Sure, I don’t know what it is, but go ahead and demonstrate.”
Trusting Jo Sangik’s wisdom, he permitted him to proceed.
The orcs glared at Jo Sangik but stepped aside, and soon he stood right in front of the tower.
“How many of these towers are going to be built worldwide?”
“At least several hundred, maybe over a thousand.”
“As I thought. You won’t be able to guard all those towers.”
“That’s correct.”
At this point, Yeongwoo seemed to understand what Jo Sangik intended to do.
“Then, excuse me for a moment.”
As expected, Jo Sangik rolled up his sleeves and suddenly grabbed his weapon with both hands, looking as if he was about to strike the tower.
-What, what is he doing!
-Human!
The orcs were startled and widened their eyes, but Yeongwoo’s command froze them in their tracks.
“If it truly is sacred ground, the blade of one who doesn’t shine will not be lifted.”
-Ah…!
A line from the heart.
The red-footed orcs, moved by the words from their human brother Jeong Yeongwoo, stepped back in admiration.
And in that moment.
Whooosh!
Jo Sangik swiftly swung his curved sword.
Towards the pillar of the high-speed transport route, which was the sacred ground of the red-footed orcs.
Thud!
A resounding impact echoed through Gangnam.
Both the orcs and the Strongest Swords watched with wide eyes.
Because.
'Was Jo Sangik always this strong?'
‘What’s this… I can feel the shockwave.’
This act was not just a test of the tower’s durability but also a display of Jo Sangik’s own martial prowess.
A kind of announcement, or a warning, that there was someone potentially stronger than Oh Yeonhee within the Seoul Alliance.
‘…This guy.’
Sure enough, Oh Yeonhee, who had briefly dreamed of filling Jeong Yeongwoo’s void, clenched her teeth.
Jo Sangik’s ‘full swing’ was an undeniable provocation towards her.
Of course, it also served as a thorough durability test.
“My goodness, this is incredible.”
As Jo Sangik withdrew his sword, the tower’s surface remained unscathed.
Despite all the training and strengthening Jo Sangik had undergone since Jeong Yeongwoo’s appearance, he couldn’t leave a mark on this tower, or rather, the ‘sacred ground.’
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“With this level of durability, it seems other strong figures from abroad won’t be able to topple the towers either.”
Yeongwoo summarized the demonstration, and Jo Sangik nodded.
“I expected as much, but it appears the towers are built to be indestructible.”
In reality, his arms were now trembling from the exertion.
However.
“There is no such thing as ‘indestructible’ in this world.”
Then, as Yeongwoo drew his sword, everyone in the hall took a step back.
Jeong Yeongwoo’s display of power was rare and highly anticipated.
At the same time, everyone hoped that even Yeongwoo wouldn’t be able to scratch the tower.
If the tower remained intact, they could still regard Yeongwoo as someone just within reach.
However.
Swish!
With a light swing.
Slash!
Yeongwoo left a visible scratch on the tower’s surface.
“What?”
“What is this?”
"……!"
“......!”
The scene was enough to embarrass Jo Sangik, who had swung his weapon with all his might.
“If there’s someone out there at a similar level to me, it would be possible to destroy this bridge,”
Yeongwoo remarked briefly.
Then he added,
“So, we need to find that person quickly and kill them. We can’t let the sacrifices of my brothers be in vain.”
As usual, Yeongwoo’s words were crazy.
“......!”
Hearing such a demonic line from Yeongwoo for the first time in a while, the people of Seoul were left speechless.
But their surprise didn’t last long, as the moment for tax payment, which had swept the entire planet, also finally arrived here.
Whoosh!
―Commencing tax collection.
With a brief notification, a tax bill appeared in everyone’s view, and for Yeongwoo:
―It is an honor to see you again, Master of the Bastard, Dragon Slayer, Jeong Yeongwoo07!
Tax Officer Kubu appeared, slicing through the air.
―Today’s final tax amount is 7,380,000, including the acquisition tax, and the total is 13,280,000 Karma.
|Calculated Tax Amount: 16,420,000
-Acquisition Tax: 13,110,000
|Deductions: Single Parent Household, Dependents
|Final Tax Amount: 7,380,000
-Acquisition Tax: 5,900,000
*Acquisition Tax Payment Deadline: 23 hours 56 minutes
This included the acquisition tax for the weapon encyclopedia he obtained through the chairman.
A total of 13,280,000 Karma.
He would have had to pay a hefty amount close to 30 million without the deductions.
‘It’s not yet an enormous amount of tax.’
However, not all business activities were immediately reflected, so today’s tax might just be the tip of the iceberg.
“Let’s pay it all today. The more taxes we pay, the closer we get to owning shares.”
At Yeongwoo’s words, Kubu blinked his large eyes rapidly.
―Yes, I will process it as you instructed.
Shortly after, a slight chill ran through Yeongwoo’s body.
Whoosh!
*Available Karma: 85,212,500
His Karma balance decreased to 85 million.
‘I’ve practically bought 13.28 million Karma worth of Earth.’
But today’s asset change didn’t end there.
―Defense funds for the Korean Peninsula amounting to 78,967,105 Karma are awaiting receipt for today.
“What, that’s for just one day?”
78.96 million Karma.
It was more than enough to cover today’s taxes, including the acquisition tax.
‘Am I really making 78.9 million just by sitting around?’
Of course, this was national funds, requiring a separate ledger, making it somewhat cumbersome.
However, considering the national sentiment seen in the Strongest Sword election, any reasonable outcome would likely be accepted, no matter how bizarre the investment.
‘I’ll definitely show the value of our hard-earned money.’
While Yeongwoo made this vow internally, he also had a clever thought.
‘Wait a minute. If the national income rises, there’ll be more tax revenue, right?’
Especially since the defense tax is collected from excess beyond the minimum necessary living expenses.
In other words, higher living standards would mean more defense taxes from citizens.
“Ah…!”
Having this deep realization, Yeongwoo quickly turned around.
Two figures immediately caught his eye.
Songpa’s Oh Yeonhee, the traditional strong figure of Seoul.
And Gwanak’s Jo Sangik, who had ties with him since his early days in Seoul.
‘This task would be better suited for the former deputy minister who handled national affairs.’
Their expressions revealed mixed feelings as Yeongwoo alternated his gaze between the two.
“Do you have something to say?”
Jo Sangik asked, sensing something.
In response, the only elected Strongest Sword of the Korean Peninsula, Jeong Yeongwoo, announced his first domestic project.
“Starting tomorrow, we will survey the entire Korean Peninsula. Deputy Minister, you will take full charge.”
“A survey of the Korean Peninsula... what do you mean exactly?”
Jo Sangik cautiously inquired about the Strongest Sword’s intentions.
However, as the only elected official, Yeongwoo saw no need to hide his motives.
He didn’t even bother to sugarcoat his words.
“If there are still those across the eight provinces who haven’t distributed the Golden Ratio, severely discipline them to contribute to the public good.”
“...?”
“Improving the lives of our people! That is the first task of our Seoul... no, Korean Peninsula Alliance.”
Unbeknownst to everyone, the Korean Peninsula Alliance had been inaugurated for the people.
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