63: Chapter 63 The Empire Discusses Cooperation? First, Give Players Tax Exemption

The sun at the village entrance shifted bit by bit.

Three hours, three full hours.

Wang Su, an official of the Human Empire's Ministry of Rites, stood until his back was drenched in sweat, yet he didn't dare utter a single word of complaint.

In front of him, the Shadow Elder, who had been beaten to a pulp, was still slumped on the ground moaning, the blood on his legs nearly congealed. The Silver Dragon Guard of the Dragon Race stood with arms crossed, their expressions cold. The Paladin from the Heavenly Realm held the gift box even more steadily, not even daring to let his gaze wander.

Finally.

The rule light screen above the village entrance vibrated slightly.

[Human Empire Envoy, Entry Permitted]

Wang Su perked up, immediately straightened his robes, and led the officials behind him quickly into the village.

As soon as he reached the earthen slope, he first gave a deep bow.

"Wang Su, Minister of Rites of the Human Empire, greets Mr. Lin and Archon Lin."

After speaking, he waved his hand.

Ten heavy wagons behind him opened their chests simultaneously.

Clatter!

The golden light was blinding!

Chests of gold coins were stacked neatly, with the imperial ritual seal affixed to the large chest at the very front. Behind them were rows upon rows of high-grade forging materials—Refined Iron, Mithril, Enchanted Crystals, Beast Bones, and Fire-Patterned Steel—piled up like small mountains.

The surrounding players immediately erupted.

"One hundred thousand gold coins?"

"Holy crap, and a hundred wagons of materials!"

"The Empire is really going all out this time!"

Wang Su kept his posture very low, his voice exceptionally respectful.

"This is the greeting gift His Majesty ordered me to bring."

"Furthermore, the Empire wishes to cooperate further with Luofeng Village."

"The trade route from Luofeng Village to Holy Light City has already brought significant profits to both sides. The Empire is willing to take another step back and open exclusive trade routes between Luofeng Village and all main cities of the Human Empire."

"From now on, Luofeng Village's goods entering the Empire will be exempt from all tolls, and merchant caravans will be given clear passage."

"Potions, armor, enchantment scrolls, and daily necessities from various imperial cities can also be delivered directly to the Third Beginner District."

"If this deal is successful, both sides will benefit in the long run."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eyes of the surrounding players lit up.

It wasn't just one Holy Light City.

It was all the main cities of the entire Human Empire!

If this really went through, how wealthy would the resources of the Third Beginner District become?

But Lin Zhe didn't speak.

Lin Chen sat in Ling Xi's arms, swinging his little feet, and looked at Wang Su while speaking in a childish voice.

"You want to cooperate? Sure."

A look of joy appeared on Wang Su's face.

"Please enlighten me, Archon."

Lin Chen raised a small finger.

"First, all players under my jurisdiction will be exempt from all taxes on consumption and transactions in all cities of your Human Empire."

Wang Su's expression stiffened.

Before he could recover, Lin Chen had already raised a second finger.

"Second, every month, the Empire must send ten thousand bottles of Intermediate Life Potions to Luofeng Village's public warehouse."

"To be distributed to players as benefits."

The area around the earthen slope fell silent for a moment.

The next second, the players simply boiled over with excitement.

"Tax exemption?!"

"Tax exemption throughout the entire Empire?"

"And ten thousand bottles of intermediate health potions every month!"

"Little Archon Lin is awesome!"

Sweat broke out on Wang Su's forehead on the spot.

The first condition was already heavy enough.

The second condition was a literal drain on resources.

As a Minister of Rites, he truly didn't dare to make such a decision immediately.

He gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty.

"Archon Lin, these two conditions... are of great significance."

"This old official is willing to go back and report to Her Majesty the Queen, and will provide an answer as soon as possible."

Lin Chen blinked and gave a childish "oh."

"So you can't make the decision."

Wang Su's expression became even stiffer.

"This old official dares not deceive you, it truly requires—"

"Then let's pause for a bit."

Lin Chen didn't wait for him to finish at all and gave a casual wave of his small hand.

Buzz—

A pale golden rule light pattern instantly swept across the eastern trade route.

The next second, a regional announcement popped up.

[Regional Announcement: Luofeng Village—Holy Light City trade route temporarily closed for 1 hour]

The surrounding players were all dumbfounded.

"Closed?"

"Why was the trade route suddenly closed?"

Wang Su's pupils shrank, and his heart sank.

Almost simultaneously, a low-ranking official from an imperial merchant caravan came running from the eastern official road, crawling and scrambling, his face pale.

"Lord Wang! This is bad!"

"The eastern trade route was just cut off!"

"We have a caravan returning to Holy Light City after collecting herbs from Fengyu Village. It's stuck halfway. All teleportation nodes are grayed out. Since the transport time is interrupted, several wagons of moonlight grass and freshly picked medicinal herbs are losing quality!"

"Based on the current rate of loss, we'll lose at least hundreds of thousands of copper coins!"

Boom!

Wang Su's head buzzed.

Hundreds of thousands of copper coins!

And that was the loss for just one hour!

If Lin Chen didn't nod his approval, wouldn't all the new trade routes the Empire opened in the future be stopped whenever he pleased?

He finally truly understood.

This wasn't a request for cooperation.

This was the Lin family deciding whether or not to let the Empire have a seat at the table!

Wang Su didn't dare delay any longer. He hurriedly stepped forward half a pace and bowed deeply.

"Archon Lin!"

"This old official was muddled just now!"

"These two conditions, the Human Empire agrees!"

"We agree to all of them!"

"Please restore the trade route immediately. This old official is willing to sign the contract on the spot!"

Hearing this, the blood of the surrounding players rushed to their heads in excitement.

"They agreed!"

"Hahaha, the Empire has bowed its head!"

"Hundreds of thousands of copper coins an hour, who could withstand that!"

Only then did Lin Chen nod his small head in satisfaction.

"That's more like it."

He raised his hand and beckoned.

A golden contract scroll unfurled out of thin air, suspended in mid-air.

[Cooperation Contract]

[1: Registered players of Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, and Shiti Village shall be permanently exempt from taxes on consumption and transactions in all cities of the Human Empire]

[2: The Human Empire shall supply 10,000 bottles of Intermediate Life Potions to Luofeng Village's public warehouse every month]

[3: The exclusive trade route between Luofeng Village and all main cities of the Human Empire is officially opened]

[4: The contract binding rules are in effect; no breach of contract is allowed]

Wang Su took just one look, immediately bit his fingertip, and pressed his blood onto it.

"On behalf of the Empire, I sign!"

Buzz!

The contract ignited with golden light and was instantly bound.

At the same time, the eastern trade route lit up again.

[Regional Announcement: Luofeng Village—Holy Light City trade route has been restored]

Immediately following, a new server-wide announcement burst forth.

[Server-wide Announcement: Luofeng Village has reached a new cooperation agreement with the Human Empire]

[Registered players of the Third Beginner District shall be permanently exempt from taxes on consumption and transactions in all cities of the Human Empire]

[The Human Empire shall supply 10,000 bottles of Intermediate Life Potions to Luofeng Village's public warehouse every month]

[The exclusive trade route between Luofeng Village and all main cities of the Human Empire is officially opened]

At this moment, the entirety of Luofeng Village simply exploded with excitement.

"Permanent tax exemption!"

"Ten thousand bottles of intermediate health potions!"

"In the future, we won't have to pay taxes when doing business in the Empire's main cities!"

"Big Shot Lin is awesome! Little Archon Lin is awesome!"

When Wang Su looked up, his back was already soaked.

But he didn't dare feel the slightest dissatisfaction; instead, he let out a long sigh of relief.

At least the contract was signed.

The Empire had managed to establish this connection.

Lin Chen gave another gentle wave of his small hand.

"Alright, your business is finished."

Wang Su immediately bowed again.

"Many thanks, Mr. Lin. Many thanks, Archon Lin."

He respectfully retreated to the side, not daring to say another word.

And just as he stepped down, the Silver Dragon Guard of the Dragon Race, who had been standing at the back, finally raised their heads.

Those eyes, with their faint vertical slits, fell coldly upon Lin Zhe.

He took a step forward, his silver armor clinking softly.