Chapter 567 - 566: Nobles of the Northern Lands

Chapter 567: Chapter 566: Nobles of the Northern Lands

Colin had braced himself for cold stares, but after seeing Old Yaxi, the villagers seemed to relax and went back to their own business.

Old Yaxi drove the oxcart to the small square in the center of the village.

He stopped the oxcart and hung a wooden sign with prices drawn on it from the side. Nearby villagers, carrying their charcoal buckets from home, came over to buy some.

Colin glanced at the wooden sign and noticed the prices were a little cheaper than in the last few villages.

He said, "Goodbye, Old Yaxi."

Old Yaxi smiled and waved at him. "Goodbye, mighty Adventurers. Have a wonderful day."

At that moment, the two Guards who had just been posting a notice nearby saw Old Yaxi and immediately walked over. One of them said menacingly, "You still haven’t paid your taxes, Old Guy."

"Taxes? I seem to remember I already paid," Old Yaxi said with a smile.

"The taxes went up recently," the Guard continued. "Hurry up."

"But I don’t have the money right now," Old Yaxi replied, still smiling as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

The Guard shouted in frustration, "Stop making excuses! We want the money now!"

Just as Colin was about to speak, a few nearby villagers stepped forward. "We can scrape together some money," one said. "We’ll help him pay."

"Old Yaxi sells his charcoal for less," another added. "That’s why he’s short on money."

With that, the villagers actually took out their coin purses and started pooling a few coppers.

Old Yaxi was apparently quite popular in this village, for so many people to be willing to help pay his taxes.

As this thought crossed his mind, Colin looked to Old Yaxi and asked, "Why do you sell your charcoal so cheaply?"

"I have nothing left, sir. This way, at least everyone can live a little better," Old Yaxi replied with a smile.

Just then, three people in hunting attire on large horses charged toward them from the distance.

Once they reached the crowd, the leader reined in his horse, making it circle on the spot as he shouted, "What’s going on here?"

"We’re collecting taxes, Lord!" the two Guards immediately stood at attention.

Colin sized up the leader.

The man wore a short outer robe over a woolen tunic, with wool trousers and polished Beast Hide boots. Colin figured he was most likely the local Lord.

"And what are these Adventurers doing here? A Half-Orc mongrel and a Half-Demon." The Lord gripped the riding crop in his hand. "We don’t welcome your kind here. Get out!"

"Sir, they are very capable Adventurers," Old Yaxi said, stepping forward to speak for Colin’s group.

"It’s not your place to decide if they’re good Adventurers, peasant," the Lord sneered. He then turned to the two Guards. "If anyone doesn’t pay their taxes, throw them in the stocks!"

This domineering display made everyone flinch. No one dared to provoke the imperious Lord.

Of course, the small group of Adventurers was an exception.

Ale crossed her arms and said, annoyed, "No wonder there are so few novels about Knights lately. It’s people like you who are ruining their reputation."

"That’s right. I hate you," Orelia added, mustering her courage.

The Lord glanced at their gear. "I can see you’re skilled in a fight, but governing a territory is not your strong suit. This is none of your business!"

With that, he tightened his grip on the reins, preparing to leave.

Just then, Kase muttered, "Albert was one of the more reasonable human Chiefs, at least."

"He’s an excellent nobleman," Colin said.

"Albert? How dare you..." The Lord, hearing this, looked back again. "Wait. Are you the Foreigners? The Adventurers who slew a dragon and crushed an entire Orc Tribe?"

At these words, all the surrounding villagers turned to look.

They couldn’t tell which Adventurer was more capable, but the frosty mist rising from the Magic Items worn by Colin’s group said it all. Normal Armor and weapons didn’t emit cold vapor.

A Dragon Slayer Squad, here in a tiny village like this!

"I’d say we’re rather distinctive," Colin said calmly.

"I apologize for my earlier rudeness. But the taxes must be paid, regardless. We have to prepare for the hardships of the coming winter. Not even the Weston Clan can change that."

"This was already settled," Colin said. "The villagers were going to help Old Yaxi cover his taxes. If you hadn’t shown up, we’d probably be gone by now."

"In that case, would you care to stay the night at my castle? By the way, I am the local Baron, Peter Yanushovich."

’Come to think of it,’ Colin thought, ’the name Piotrawin means "Peter’s Land" in the Northern Language.’

As he thought this, Colin gently tugged on Ale’s arm and said, "That won’t be necessary. We have urgent business, so goodbye for now."

The young woman crossed her arms, glaring resentfully at the mounted Baron. Colin suspected she was about to give the man a "lifelong, unforgettable memory."

Fortunately, reason prevailed. Ale silently moved to stand behind Colin.

"Goodbye again, Mr. Colin." Old Yaxi gave him the same kind smile he had when they first met.

"Goodbye again."

With that, Colin led the others away, guiding Big Hoof Treasure toward their destination.

And with that, the commission was officially complete.

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[Commission: Escort the Charcoal Seller]

[Rating: 3 (Mortal)]

[Reward: 150 Skill Level Points]

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The quest wasn’t any more difficult than Colin had expected.

Dealing with the Owlbear hadn’t taken much effort to begin with, so it was natural for the quest to have a low difficulty rating.

As he received the Skill Level points, he once again allocated them to his Armor Skill Proficiency.

This brought his Armor Skill Proficiency to Empowering Armor (Expert) 2747/4000.

The rest of the journey was relatively peaceful.

As they traveled the road, they could see the Witch’s Hammer Mountain Range far in the distance.

The massive, extinct volcano towered in the distance. It looked much closer than it had from the ship, but even after several days of walking, it only felt a little nearer. The party was nowhere near entering the mountains; they were still a long way from the foothills.

Eventually, the villages they occasionally spotted disappeared completely. The road beneath their feet slowly gave way to a game trail or, in some places, just an easily traversed patch of grassland.

As the party pressed on, Colin and his companions officially entered the Witch’s Hammer Mountain Range.