Ashen Dragon

Singo, Mantou, Natural War Maniac, and Summer Night Autumn Rain gathered once again in the plaza. They had shed their nickname "Black Slave Team" and even caused resentment among some players.

The Security Officer wasn't too bad, as he only detained illegal and criminal activities, effectively preventing rookies from getting robbed blind by senior thieves while maintaining basic order in Barto City. However, Singo, the Tax Officer, was a different story.

During his tenure, Singo worked diligently, often offering suggestions for various taxes such as property tax, income tax, and guild tax, many of which were adopted.

These recommendations significantly increased Barto City's financial revenue, earning him a substantial share and the glamorous nickname "Xin Papi."

Particularly the guild tax, which required guilds to pay a higher proportion of taxes on their collective income. This made each guild bitterly hate him, with some even waiting to ambush him at the gates.

Mantou, dressed in his Security Officer uniform, eyed Singo: "Damn, with all the trouble you've stirred up recently, you're brave enough to show up in the plaza. Aren't you afraid of getting assassinated?"

Natural War Maniac rubbed his bald head and chuckled, "Didn't the guild leader of Royalty threaten to paint you on the city walls?"

Singo crossed his arms confidently, "No worries, I've already reached a 'Non-Expansion Tax Pact' with them. I won't submit the new Level Three Tax Plan, and they won't bother me. As long as everyone pays their taxes, we can live in peace."

His tone grew a bit excited, "How about you guys? Have you met the faction contribution requirements? I've got thirty-one thousand now."

"How much?"

"Thirty-one thousand?"

Mantou initially thought he had misheard.

Singo pretended to be nonchalant, "Increasing Barto City's tax revenue by 600% in a month, it's not excessive to have this level of contribution."

Mantou clicked his tongue in appreciation, "No wonder people want to ambush you. You're practically stealing food from their mouths."

Summer Night Autumn Rain said, "I have twelve thousand seven hundred now, but I'm leaning towards becoming a dragon vein sorcerer. However, I find the half-dragon template too ugly, so I've switched to becoming a Level Three sorcerer."

Singo scoffed, "Ha, aesthetics mean nothing compared to strength."

Summer Night Autumn Rain furrowed her brows in anger.

Natural War Maniac awkwardly admitted, "I'm a bit afraid of heights, so I'll just take the semi-dragon gift. I don't need a flying mount."

Mantou was surprised: "Dude, you're afraid of heights?"

Singo couldn't help but tease, "How come you weren't afraid of heights when you were smashing people's motherships with your battleship cleaver?"

Natural War Maniac rubbed his bald head, laughed, and said, "That was in outer space. Couldn't see the ground when looking down. But when I fell into low Earth orbit and saw the planet's surface, it was quite scary."

Mantou: "..."

He was silent for a moment, then said, "My current contribution is twelve thousand five hundred. It should be enough to buy the Red Scaled Token."

Mantou's tone was quite excited as well. He had been waiting for this moment for too long.

Singo took out the invitation he had prepared long ago, with the handwriting still like blazing flames.

"Now it's—harvest time!"

"Let's go!"

...

The group arrived in a secure secret chamber and used the [Mysterious Invitation].

It could be said that Singo had foresight, as the price of this invitation in the black market had soared to nearly a hundred gold coins and was mostly in the hands of wealthy guilds. It was almost impossible for ordinary scattered players to obtain it.

[Confirm using [Mysterious Invitation]!]

Again, it was the familiar flame portal and the long, narrow, dark corridor. The four were already well-practiced.

"Got your lines ready?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to be as reckless as you, wasting favorability points."

"That was your fault!"

As the lanterns lit up, the mysterious half-dragon, half-human sorcerer appeared at the end.

Cassius, adopting an NPC tone, slowly said, "I'm pleased to see you all again, warriors from the unknown realm. Have you completed the tasks I assigned you?"

Singo stepped forward and answered calmly, "Yes, Lord Cassius, we have unveiled the dusty tears of the Tieflings. I believe those hypocrites will get what they deserve."

"You've done well."

Cassius nodded slightly, and the crowd couldn't discern the meaning in his golden eyes, so they all agreed repeatedly.

Mantou whispered, "Hurry and buy stuff, this invitation likely has a time limit."

Singo snorted, "Do you know nothing about maximizing benefits? Stick to the faction leader, and you can profit more in the next quest."

Though he said this, he opened the store template anyway.

"Lord Cassius, I'd like to purchase some equipment."

"Hunting Longbow, enhances attacks against beast-type creatures, and while aiming, it can mark enemies with a Hunter's Mark that increases precision and deals continuous extra damage, priced at eighty gold coins."

"I'll buy it."

Singo showed a somewhat pained expression but continued anyway.

"Ring of Flames, adds additional stackable flame damage to your weapon attacks, priced at forty gold coins."

"Bought."

Singo clenched his teeth and continued, "Trembling Scale Armor, adds three additional armor points and grants a chance to apply [Trembling Static] to enemies when attacked, priced at… one hundred gold coins.

"I'll buy it!"

Singo handed over his bulging money pouch with both hands.

The jingle from the bag made him wince in pain.

Cassius accepted the gold coins and casually rummaged through his dimensional bag, pulling out the three pieces of equipment shimmering with a magical aura.

"They're yours now." Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire

Everyone held their breath as they watched. This wasn't just a magical aura; it was practically the glow of money.

Mantou, hearing these numbers, was stunned: "Damn, Singo, did you rob a bank?"

"Where did you get so much gold?"

Singo, having obtained the equipment, patted his thin wallet and forced a smile, "This wasn't that hard to get."

"Tax Officers receive a commission on additional tax revenue they collect."

"Here, for you, as compensation for the gear I sold you last time. Including the favorability points debt."

"Ding—"

With a crisp sound, he tossed the [Ring of Flames] across like flipping a coin. Mantou scrambled to catch it, worried that the precious item might get damaged.

"Altogether, it's more than two hundred gold coins..."

"No wonder the guilds want to hunt you down. You're not just a Tax Officer; you're practically robbing people."

Mantou clicked his tongue in amazement.

The Ring of Flames was practically divine gear for warriors in the early stages, adding brainless flame damage, usable in both close and long-range combat.

But handling the ring glowing with fiery light carefully, Mantou thought: "Though Singo has a stinky temper, loves to show off, and never saves face for anyone... he's barely pleasant to deal with."