Relief Efforts: The Rogue's Gambit (2)

Among the throng of refugees, a dozen or so corpulent figures had, at some point, squeezed their way in. Fat-headed and big-eared, their faces gleaming with grease, they were clearly not sufferers of the disaster, yet there they were, collecting relief funds alongside the genuine victims.

What's more, they weren't collecting from the soldiers distributing silver coins, but *from the refugees themselves*!

These swine were collecting taxes!

Damn it! Refugees had to pay taxes on *relief funds*? What kind of twisted logic was that? Du Chen's temper began to simmer.

Just then, a fat Count bellowed, "Hey, you! Take out the silver coin you're hiding in your pocket! These are *my* taxes!"

The refugee he addressed was a young woman, clutching an infant. She bowed deeply, pleading, "Esteemed Count, my home is gone, and my husband died in the flood. I beg you, please allow me to keep this one silver coin, so I can buy some food for my child. You know, a babe this small cannot possibly survive on hard, dry black bread every day!"

As she spoke, she knelt, and the child in her arms let out a mournful wail.

"No, I require my taxes!" The fat Count's icy gaze fixed on the woman. He had seen countless such pitiful wretches feigning destitution. Commoners paying taxes to nobles – this was the divine right of things! Besides, his own estate had been ruined by the floods, and he needed these tax funds to recoup his losses!

He harrumphed, urging the woman, "Do you intend to defy taxation?"

"I wouldn't dare, but..."

The surrounding refugees could no longer bear to watch. "Esteemed Count!" one cried out, agitated, "This money is for us to rebuild our homes!"

"I need this money to rebuild *my* home!" the fat Count thundered.

*You* need to rebuild your home? Your tents on the southern beach have frames of pure gold! The crowd erupted in fury. Even those who had already paid their 'taxes' out of ingrained deference to nobility now roared, "Count, we need to rebuild our homes!"

Public anger was not to be trifled with. The refugees surged forward, surrounding the corpulent man!

"You dare incite rebellion!? Hmph!" The Count recoiled several steps in alarm, but after glancing at the soldiers stationed near the refugee camp, a cold smile spread across his face.

Thump! Thump!

The soldiers, acting in concert, pounded the butts of their spears against the ground. At this display, the refugees' spirits crumbled; they lowered their heads dejectedly and dispersed. How could mere commoners dare defy a noble's command?

A few of the bolder refugees stole glances at the massive communal stove, a thought flickering within them. Perhaps, just perhaps, if they didn't have the daily black bread to rely on, they might actually dare to fight this damnable Count to the death.

But with daily black bread still available, they couldn't bring themselves to sacrifice their lives.

Du Chen gritted his teeth. These bastards, rich yet utterly devoid of benevolence! In his previous life, as a child begging on the streets, Du Chen had suffered no end of torment from such people. Witnessing this now, he felt an overwhelming urge to slap them senseless!

Approaching Norton, Du Chen asked in a low voice, "Uncle, who are these people?"

Norton, too, had seen them, yet he wore a look of calm indifference. Even Steve, though showing a hint of discomfort, didn't display any strong indignation; to them, such matters were simply the natural order of things. "They are also refugees!"

"They are *refugees*?"

"Indeed. Their estates were all swept away by the floods. Er, you could call them 'noble refugees,' I suppose!" Norton remarked, a touch of mockery in his tone.

"You're asking about their tax collection, aren't you, Third Young Master? This is permissible under Imperial law. They are entitled to dictate the taxes for the commoners within their own territories. While I, too, disapprove of their actions, legally speaking, as long as they declare the tax rate for their territory's commoners to be 'ten-tenths'—that is, a full surrender—they are entirely within their rights, protected by law, to seize the relief funds you've distributed to the refugees."

A wicked fire ignited in Du Chen's heart. These scoundrels weren't just undermining his good deeds, they were outright nullifying them! Yet legally, they had every right to do so! Du Chen had no right to interfere!

Du Chen refused to be resigned. In his past life, ever since he mastered the art of thievery, he had never let a single rich person who dared to bully him get away unpunished!

Now, these refugees were effectively the cauldrons for Du Chen's cultivation of the Precious Lotus Scripture. If they were being bullied, wasn't that tantamount to disrupting Du Chen's acts of benevolence!?

After a moment's thought, Du Chen suddenly smiled. If the law couldn't punish these scoundrels, then he'd just have to resort to extra-legal methods.

He strode quickly to the side of the tax-collecting Count, a smile on his face. "Oh, esteemed Count, may I inquire your name? And do you, perhaps, reside in a place such as this?"

"By the Battle Gods, you are a Divine Scion! There's no need to call me Count, just Abdu will suffice." Abdu, recognizing Du Chen as a Divine Scion—a noble among nobles—immediately plastered on a fawning smile.

"Oh, no, we don't reside in such... squalid conditions. My friends and I are staying on the beach, about five miles to the south, look, right there!" He pointed in a direction. "My servant just informed me that you were distributing relief funds, so I came to observe!"

Du Chen looked south. Five or six miles away was the beach, and on it, a luxurious encampment could be faintly discerned. Compared to this refugee camp, that encampment looked like a seaside resort!

It seemed that while these nobles had suffered great losses, they weren't exactly on the brink of starvation, forcing them to exploit refugees!

Du Chen's fury intensified. Meanwhile, the lotus on his backside stirred restlessly, the third bloom on the verge of opening. Heaven knew what strange phenomenon it would unleash.

Suppressing the lotus on his rear with his inner strength, Du Chen chuckled, "Ah, my apologies, a grave oversight on my part! I should have paid my respects to you noble sirs first. Are you free now? Perhaps you could introduce me to the other distinguished gentlemen?"

"Oh, of course! My friends will be absolutely delighted, for they are about to make the acquaintance of a Divine Scion! Please, follow me!"

After a quick word with Steve and Norton, Du Chen chatted amiably along the way with Abdu, arriving at the "resort" on the beach. Watching them leave, the refugees saw their gratitude toward Du Chen transform into blank bewilderment.

Alas, it seemed all nobles were the same.

Still, Lord Francis helping them rebuild their homes was something... at least he was far better than those vampires on the beach.

Upon entering Abdu's opulent makeshift tent, Du Chen's heart bloomed with delight after a single glance. Compared to the treasure hoards within a noble's actual estate, these tents were pathetically crude—practically undefended against a master thief like Du Chen!

Damn it, you bastards think you can be rich and heartless? I'll steal every last thing you own!

If the law couldn't punish them, then illegal means it would be!

Punishing evil *is* upholding good!

After a leisurely 'tour' through the tents on the beach, making the acquaintance of many 'noble refugees,' Du Chen emerged from the "resort" with a cheerful grin.

He hadn't touched any large items, but countless small treasures—pearls, agates, diamonds, and the like—had vanished into his possession...

"Heavens! Where's my diamond necklace? That's fifty gold coins worth of jewelry!"

"By the Battle Gods, my cat's-eye gem!?"

He had barely walked a short distance before wails erupted from the "resort." Du Chen's heart swelled with satisfaction. This particular act of 'benevolence' was the most gratifying he'd ever performed. Damn it, not only did his backside feel good, but his heart felt even better!

Though spurred by momentary indignation, this act of 'goodwill' was full of obvious flaws. But Du Chen wasn't worried. He was a Divine Scion. Even if the stolen goods were hidden all over him, who would dare search a Divine Scion without concrete proof!? Did they not fear the Holy Church's execution pyre?

Over thirty pieces of precious jewelry were stashed on his person, yet Du Chen's appearance showed no irregularities whatsoever—concealing stolen goods was, after all, a fundamental skill for any master thief.

For instance, a diamond the size of a quail's egg was tucked into his crotch without impeding his stride, a technique known as 'Three Eggs,' or 'Crotch Hoard.' It was with this very trick that Du Chen had once concealed the sacred artifact, the Ramhorn Warhammer, in its metallic sphere form, within the grand cathedral.

Another example: a necklace, adorned with several rings, was wrapped around his arm, completely hidden beneath the voluminous sleeves of his robe. Unless someone deliberately pulled up his sleeve, it was undetectable. This technique was known as 'Golden Serpent's Embrace'...

"Damn it all to hell, these jewels alone are worth over a thousand gold coins! These greedy bastards, rolling in wealth, still stoop to exploiting the refugees' meager funds. They're absolutely asking for a beating!"

He cursed all the way, occasionally glancing back, anticipating the 'noble refugees' to catch up once they realized their losses. He already had his excuses prepared.

Suddenly, the wails from the "resort" vanished, as if Du Chen's ears had abruptly gone deaf; all sound ceased.

No, there was still a sound—a very peculiar 'hissing' sound.

In the distance, waves churned on the ocean, and the tide surged dramatically.

A pungent, brain-stinging stench wafted over. Even without the keen nose of a Shieb, Du Chen smelled it distinctly.

The atmosphere was eerily strange.

The itching and tingling sensation from the lotus on his backside intensified. Du Chen funneled all his inner strength into suppressing this love-hate sensation. Then he turned, gazing intently back at the "resort."

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the "resort," "Help me!!"

A colossal, monstrous beast erupted from beneath the "resort" grounds. Its elliptical head was a vibrant emerald green, adorned with golden eyes and verdant scales, and it was easily the size of a war-bull. A dark crimson, forked tongue, over two meters long, flicked from its mouth.

And that was just its head...

A truly massive python!