Chapter 014: The Cunning Magistrate

After entering the city, Li Zhan instructed Ruoyan to first take Wang Hui to the craftsmen’s workshop, then to accompany Zhang Feng to the medical hall for a thorough treatment, and finally to join Zhao Ming and the Fisherman for a trip to the market to see if there were any urgently needed supplies for the tribe.

The missionary, his spiritual energy utterly depleted, looked as deflated as a punctured ball. Li Zhan, pleased with the missionary’s performance in the forest, intended to reward him. He told Ruoyan to exchange some coins at the silversmith’s later and give them to the missionary so he could find himself a tavern to eat and drink.

After issuing these instructions, Li Zhan handed the pouch of gold to Ruoyan and made his way directly to the magistrate’s residence.

Walking briskly and, following Xiao Zhang’s earlier directions and confirming with a few passersby, Li Zhan soon arrived at the entrance to the magistrate’s residence.

After identifying himself and explaining his purpose to the gate guards, Li Zhan was led to the guest hall, at which point the guard withdrew.

Inside, all the player tribe leaders within Danyang County had already assembled, with only Li Zhan missing. Magistrate Fei Tong, bearing an expression of arrogant superiority, sat in the main seat, with an old man of sharp features beside him. The leaders sat in two rows before Fei Tong, their faces solemn. Li Zhan’s sudden arrival caused Fei Tong and all the tribal leaders to fix their gazes on him at once.

Unperturbed by the attention, Li Zhan calmly approached, clasped his hands to Fei Tong, and said,

“Li Zhan, leader of the Yanhuang Tribe, greets the magistrate.”

Fei Tong squinted at Li Zhan, scrutinizing him for a moment before asking in a measured tone,

“I wonder why Leader Li is late?”

Though Fei Tong did not ask Li Zhan to return the courtesy, Li Zhan was unimpressed by such airs—after all, Fei Tong was nothing more than an NPC destined to be swept aside by the players, so why act so high and mighty? From the moment he saw Fei Tong’s arrogant face, Li Zhan had found him disagreeable; now, he simply straightened and let his hands fall to his sides, replying coolly,

“I was delayed by some matters.”

Fei Tong’s brow furrowed at Li Zhan’s lack of deference, and he pressed further,

“Oh? I’d like to hear what matter could possibly be so important?”

Li Zhan’s expression remained unchanged as he replied,

“Naturally, it was something significant.”

Fei Tong’s tone sharpened,

“Significant? Is my meeting more important, or your significant matter?!”

Li Zhan let out a light laugh,

“I cannot say which is more important, but I have a question for the magistrate: which is more important, your meeting, or a human life?”

“You—!”

Fei Tong realized that if he answered Li Zhan’s question, he would fall straight into the trap Li Zhan had set. His face flushed with anger, and he was momentarily speechless.

The other players watched with mixed expressions—some surprised, some admiring, some indifferent.

Li Zhan had not expected any player to come to his aid; he was confident that, since this was a game, it could not mimic reality so closely as to permanently cripple a player for contradicting an NPC. Logic had borne this out for him, time and again.

The silent standoff continued until a player sitting near the hall’s entrance stood and, after sizing up Li Zhan with exaggerated surprise, said,

“Ah, isn’t this the leader who saved people this morning? That was truly dangerous—the boat overturned. I wonder how those fishermen are doing now?”

As he spoke, the player winked at Li Zhan.

Li Zhan recognized that this player was trying to help him out and was grateful. Seeing the name “Crooked Carrot Stick” above his head made him want to laugh, but he continued smoothly,

“I’ve just come from the medical hall. The doctor said they’re all fine.”

Crooked Carrot Stick clicked his tongue in admiration.

“To save so many and still be so composed—I’m truly impressed.” He turned to Fei Tong, clasped his hands, and said, “Magistrate, Leader Li was truly delayed because he was saving lives. Please, forgive him this once.”

Fei Tong now found himself in a bind—he couldn’t very well punish someone for a few words of disrespect, not when he would need the help of these tribal leaders should Danyang’s safety ever be threatened. Crooked Carrot Stick’s words were reasonable, and so Fei Tong could only snort, “Just this once!” and let the matter drop.

Li Zhan gave a small bow in thanks before following Crooked Carrot Stick to an empty seat beside him.

Once seated, Li Zhan took a quick survey of the assembled tribe leaders—seventeen in all, himself included, mostly male, with only two female players present.

Fei Tong cleared his throat and continued the meeting:

“The surrounding counties’ tribes are developing quickly, yet here in Danyang, progress is slow. As leaders, you cannot shirk your responsibility in this.”

“As for the head tax, I will say no more—each tribe must submit ten units of grain per villager per month. Any who resist or conceal their population will bear the consequences themselves!”

“As for conflicts—including wars—between tribes, the authorities will not interfere; this is part of the natural process of free tribal development. However, if you choose to become a direct vassal of the county, then when attacked by other tribes, you will receive military protection from the authorities.”

“All tribes, whether free or direct vassals, must devote their full strength to defend Danyang County if it comes under attack by outside forces. Any tribe that does not participate will be erased from Danyang—no exceptions!”

…

With that, Fei Tong stood and left for the inner chambers. The floor was then opened to the tribe leaders for questions, while the old man with sharp features—acting as secretary—answered on behalf of the authorities.

“I’d like to ask: what obligations come with the military protection offered to direct vassal tribes?” one leader inquired.

Nearly everyone was curious, and the room fell silent as all strained to hear the answer.

The secretary, pitching his voice high, coughed twice and replied,

“As a direct vassal, half of all your tribe’s production goes to the authorities. Any construction, research, or manufacturing project using more than fifty resources must be reported to and approved by the authorities before proceeding.”

A ripple of consternation swept through the hall—under such terms, a direct vassal was little more than a colony.

Amid the murmurs, another tribe leader stood and bluntly asked,

“The magistrate blames us for slow development. If that’s the case, why not lower taxes? With lighter taxes, we’d naturally progress more quickly.”

The secretary chuckled drily,

“Don’t count on pies falling from the sky. Lower taxes? That’s impossible.”

The tribe leader grumbled and sat down. Then a tall leader rose and asked,

“The magistrate says the authorities won’t interfere in disputes between free tribes. But what if a tribe from another county invades? What will the authorities do then?”