83: Chapter 83 The Queen Arrives in Person, Granting Half of the Empire's Tax Revenue

On the eastern official road, a burst of hurried hoofbeats suddenly exploded.

Rumble—dust billowed, and banners fluttered in the wind.

The players who were originally queuing up at the village entrance to give gifts, camping out for livestreams, or snatching moonlight grass quests all subconsciously turned their heads to look.

"Another big shot is here?"

"This formation doesn't look right!"

"Holy crap, it's the royal procession!"

At the end of the official road, a golden royal carriage was slowly driving down the road.

The carriage body was engraved with the Human Empire's royal crest, golden bells hung from its four corners, and it was guarded by eight heavy-armored knights in front and eight behind. Everyone's aura was formidable, and their hooves struck the ground with dull, heavy thuds.

Behind the carriage followed a seemingly endless line of cargo transports.

Cart after cart.

They were all sealed golden chests and material carts.

The village entrance instantly exploded into chaos.

"People from the Queen of Holy Light City?"

"It's not an envoy; it's the real deal!"

"Hurry and film! Record it!"

Over a dozen livestream screens lit up at once.

Countless players crowded to the roadside, their eyes shining.

The carriage stopped.

The golden curtain was lifted by a fair, slender hand.

The next second, a tall figure wearing a dark imperial robe slowly stepped down from the carriage.

Her features were cold and glamorous, her phoenix eyes sharp, and she wore an imperial crown. Her aura suppressed the entire scene into silence for a moment.

It was the Queen of the Human Empire, Su Ninghua.

As soon as she landed, her guards dismounted simultaneously and formed a neat formation.

Killing intent, pressure, and a sense of order were all fully displayed.

The surrounding players all gasped in unison.

"The Queen really came in person!"

"This is too exaggerated!"

"With this level of prestige, even the Queen has to visit Big Shot Lin in person?"

On the earthen slope, Lin Zhe looked calm as he watched Su Ninghua walk over slowly.

Lin Chen lay in his arms and blinked.

"Dad, her aura is so big."

Ling Xi stood to the side and also gently raised her eyes to look over.

Su Ninghua ignored the shocked gazes around her and walked straight to the earthen slope. Her gaze paused on Lin Zhe's face for a moment before she bowed her head slightly.

"Su Ninghua pays respects to Mr. Lin."

As the words fell.

There was another round of gasps at the village entrance.

The Queen. She actually lowered her head first.

Su Ninghua raised her hand and waved. "Open the chests."

Click! Click! Click! The convoy behind unlocked simultaneously.

A massive expanse of golden light instantly dazzled the players' eyes.

The ten large chests at the very front were packed full of gold coins.

The hundred carts behind were piled high with high-grade forging materials: mithril, refined iron, enchantment stones, beast bones, and fire-patterned steel. Cart after cart, they almost blocked half the road.

Su Ninghua's voice was crisp and decisive, without a hint of hesitation. "One hundred thousand gold coins. One hundred carts of high-grade forging materials. Consider it a birth gift for the little princess."

The entire crowd boiled over.

"One hundred thousand gold coins!" "One hundred carts of high-grade materials!" "The Queen is really here to give money!"

The livestream chat was going crazy.

Su Ninghua, however, acted as if she didn't see it and fixed her phoenix eyes on Lin Zhe again.

"Furthermore, I have two other matters for coming here today."

As soon as she finished speaking, the surroundings immediately quieted down. Everyone pricked up their ears.

Su Ninghua spoke calmly: "First, starting from today, all registered players of Luofeng Village, Fengyu Village, and Shiti Village will have their transaction taxes permanently halved when trading in all cities of the Human Empire."

Boom! The group of players instantly exploded.

"Permanently halved?" "The main city transaction tax is cut in half directly?" "Holy crap, how much money is that going to save in a year!"

Before everyone could digest this, Su Ninghua's second sentence dropped.

"Second, ten percent of the Human Empire's annual commercial tax revenue will be permanently allocated to the Falling Maple public treasury. To be used for player welfare."

Once this sentence was out, the whole scene went silent for a moment. The next second, it went completely crazy.

"Wh...what?" "Ten percent of the Empire's commercial tax?" "This isn't just giving money, this is handing over half the tax rights!" "Is the Queen crazy? No, it's that Big Shot Lin is too ruthless!"

The world channel directly exploded.

[The Human Empire is giving 10% of its annual commercial tax to Luofeng Village!]

[How is this even playable? The entire Empire is working for Falling Maple!]

[Big Shot Lin is awesome!!!]

Zhou Ming stood behind the crowd, his scalp tingling as he listened.

The officials would give money. The Elf Race would give resources. But to directly carve out ten percent of the Empire's tax revenue—this was no longer just a gesture of goodwill. This was binding the Empire's interests completely to Luofeng Village.

On the earthen slope, Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and she clapped her little hands. "This gift is good!"

Lin Zhe did not speak immediately, just watching Su Ninghua. This woman was very decisive. And very ruthless.

Just then, three inconspicuous figures in the crowd suddenly squeezed forward together. They were wearing ordinary player robes, heads bowed, looking completely unremarkable.

But a golden ripple flashed in Lin Zhe's eyes; he had long since seen that the malice values of the three were skyrocketing. The Remnants of the Three Clans. They had come to seek death.

As soon as the three squeezed to the front, a cold light flashed from their sleeves! Daggers drawn! The target was pointed straight at Lin Zhe! "Die!"

But they had only just moved. Swish! Swish! Swish! The three guards behind Su Ninghua had already rushed out simultaneously. Fast! Ruthless! Accurate!

One locked a throat, one snapped a wrist, one slashed horizontally with a blade. Puchi! The first person's throat was cut open on the spot, blood spraying wildly. The second person's wrist, along with the dagger, flew off; before a scream could escape, his chest was pierced by a spear. The third person just wanted to turn and flee, but a flash of blade light later, his head rolled two meters away.

The whole process took less than two seconds. Three corpses fell to the ground with a crash. Blood flowed down the dirt road.

The previously crowded and noisy crowd was instantly scared into backing away in a large circle.

"Holy crap!" "An actual assassination!" "It's the Remnants of the Three Clans!" "The Queen's guards are too ruthless!"

A few minor characters who had originally been harboring little schemes saw this scene, their faces turning pale instantly. They hurriedly put away all the miscellaneous things in their hands, not even daring to raise their heads.

From start to finish, Su Ninghua didn't even lift an eyelid. She only glanced coldly at the corpses on the ground, her voice as cold as ice. "Drag them away. From now on, any Remnants of the Three Clans who dare to step one foot into Luofeng Village will be killed on sight. To be an enemy of Luofeng Village is to be an enemy of my Human Empire."

As the last sentence fell, the surrounding players only felt their scalps tingle. Domineering. Too domineering.

The world channel went crazy. "The Queen has taken a side!" "Whoever touches Big Shot Lin is declaring war on the Empire!" "This is impossible to play, Luofeng Village's background has become even thicker!"

Only then did Su Ninghua look at Lin Zhe again. This time, the coldness in her eyes had receded significantly, replaced by a bit of unmasked inquiry and appreciation.

This man hadn't moved from start to finish. Yet the entire Luofeng Village, the entire Novice Area, and even she, the Empire's Queen, would subconsciously revolve around him. It was absurd. Yet terrifyingly real.

Lin Zhe finally spoke, his voice very faint. "I accept the gift. The conditions are also acceptable."

Just that one sentence. Su Ninghua's lips curled up imperceptibly. "That's good."

The next second, a system prompt rang softly in Lin Zhe's mind. [Ding! High-ranking human female character's strong recognition detected] [Third bond triggered] [Current progress: 5%]

Lin Zhe's gaze shifted slightly. The third thread had officially started.

And Su Ninghua, as if she had sensed something, saw the inquiry in her eyes deepen a fraction, but she didn't ask more. She was very smart. Some things didn't need to be exposed in a hurry.

Below the earthen slope, players were still frantically taking photos, recording videos, and spamming the chat. One hundred thousand gold coins, one hundred carts of materials, halved transaction taxes, empire tax rebates, the Queen killing people on the spot. Each one was enough to shock the server. Now, they were all squeezed into one chapter.

Lin Chen was so happy her little face was flushed red, and she hugged Lin Zhe's arm, saying in a milky voice: "Dad, little sister hasn't even come out yet, and we've already earned so, so much."

Ling Xi also gently stroked her lower abdomen, a smile on her lips.

And just as this scene of bustle and bloodshed had just intertwined and subsided. From deep in the northern sky, a distant yet extremely deep dragon roar suddenly came. Roar— At the end of the clouds, a crimson shadow flashed by.