novelraw Chapter 413: Tax Ruling and Payment
Chapter 413: Tax Ruling and Payment
Night Owl silently departed, while Li Wei fell like a feather, falling very slowly. Therefore, he could also see that in the distant west, in the suspected direction of the Great Snow Mountain, a golden light surged into the sky. It seemed the treasures buried within were being taken away.
Simultaneously, he also saw squads of Ability Users under the Frost Duke being taken away.
As well as massive quantities of mutant creatures being taken away—those flying in the sky, swimming in the sea, and growing on the land. Even all Two-Star and above trees were chopped down and taken away.
Li Wei felt as if he were dreaming, watching all of this happen helplessly right before his eyes, yet completely without any methods to intervene.
The King of Locke's legions arrived. The Duke of Weir's legions arrived. Or rather, they weren't legions, but massive numbers of Four-Star Artisans, Five-Star Artisans, Butchers, Hunters, Fishermen, and Woodcutters. They recklessly and wantonly plundered and excavated upon this planet, not even letting go of Four-Star and above mineral deposits.
The only places that weren't plundered were Li Wei's territory, as well as the surroundings of Riverside Fortress and Black Mountain Fortress, plus Hathaway's territory, the Small City Base, and the surroundings of Base 349. Roughly 900 square kilometers of land were left for him.
Illegal territory is still territory. The other party followed the rules very strictly, leaving Li Wei with absolutely no points to pick on or find fault with. Because the other areas weren't your territory, people could take whatever they wanted however they wanted.
It was acceptable enough. So don't harbor resentment in your heart. You're already a Four-Star Lord and a Substantive Viscount, what more do you want?
Just like this, Li Wei felt he floated in the sky for at least a day. It wasn't until the King of Locke's plundering legions withdrew, and the Duke of Weir's plundering legions withdrew, that he finally landed on the ground.
It was worth mentioning that during this kind of plundering just now, Night Owl didn't even have the qualifications to enter and plunder.At this moment, the Radiation Storms outside the territory had indeed diminished, decreasing by more than tenfold. Ordinary people could even go out to enjoy the breeze now.
Haha!
And at this moment, within the territory, two men were already waiting for him. One he didn't recognize, but whose gaze was as majestic as a male lion's. The other he recognized; it was that unkempt and scruffy large man.
To think, ah, he was actually a trusted confidant of the Duke of Weir. And even more unexpectedly, this trusted confidant was actually the boss of the Taxation Department.
Tsk tsk, it seemed there was nothing wrong with it either.
At this time, that unkempt large man stepped forward with a chuckled greeting, enthusiastically grasping Li Wei's hand.
"Li Wei, we meet again. Let me introduce him to you. This is Dai Wang, the Minister of Taxation from the Royal Capital. And I am Wang Ercao, the Chief Taxation Officer of the Weir Province Taxation Department. We are very honored to preside over the third stage of your Task Settlement for you. During this stage, we primarily account for and calculate all the profits and revenues you generated during this City Building Pioneering Mission, and levy taxes upon you according to the laws of the Kingdom. You don't have any objections to this, right?"
What objections could I have?
Of course I won't have any objections whatsoever.
"Please rest assured, Milords, I will fully cooperate." Li Wei also wore a face full of smiles. And at this time, that Royal Capital Minister of Taxation, Dai Wang, without saying a single word, took out a miniature clock. It was round and bulging, actually quite cute.
"Let's go, to the Temple! First, we shall rule upon whether this tax collection item is accurate and precise in the name of the Gods. Li Wei, rest assured, we are not corrupt and embezzling officials, we will not exploit and oppress the common people like fish and meat on a chopping block. Everything naturally follows the rules."
That Dai Wang spoke a profoundly meaningful sentence, then took the lead to head towards the Temple.
Hehe!
Li Wei smilingly accompanied these two to the Temple. Here, that Minister of Taxation, Dai Wang, also sized things up, his gaze ultimately landing upon Temple Knight Mark. He clicked his tongue twice; unknown what meaning that held?
Subsequently, he didn't waste words. Placing that round and bulging miniature clock in front of the Temple, a golden light was seen surging into the sky.
Readily, even more golden light descended. Within these golden lights were strings of numbers and frames of images, displaying all of Li Wei's actions, all his revenues, and all his expenditures since entering this Pioneering World. Ultimately, they converged and summarized into several lines of information.
[The Nine-Star Temple subordinate to the All-Heavens Lord Alliance is currently conducting a ruling!]
[Ruling complete. The tax calculations this time are legal. The tax collection process is legal. Permission granted to proceed with tax collection.]
[Dai Wang, Minister of Taxation of the Locke Kingdom, and Wang Xiaocao, Chief Taxation Officer of the Weir Province Taxation Department, hereby swear: the tax collection process absolutely harbors no selfish motives, and absolutely contains no corrupt practices or perversions of the law. All criteria and standards are executed in compliance with the divine oracles of the Gods and relying upon the Constitution of the Locke Kingdom. Now announcing the tax revenue data.]
[Pioneer No. 11, Li Wei, entered the current world one year and eight months ago. During this process, he adhered to the guidance of the City Building Pioneering Mission, now successfully completing the mission and accumulating merits to become a Substantive Viscount and a Four-Star Lord. Over this process, he cumulatively earned 1,000,000 Standard Gold Coins as income. The Freemen under his command have accumulated 120,000 Standard Gold Coins in their hands. The Baron and Advisors under his command have accumulated 200,000 Standard Gold Coins in their hands. The grand total is 1,320,000 coins!]
[He currently possesses one Level 1 City, four Fortresses, one Vassal Barony Territory, 190 square kilometers of legal territory, and 800+100 square kilometers of illegal territory. He possesses three Three-Star Magic Wells, one One-Star Mage Tower, two Three-Star Taverns, one Three-Star Temple, one Three-Star Enchanted Blacksmith Workshop, one Three-Star Magic Potion Preparation Workshop, and one One-Star Enchanted Tailor Workshop. He has 450 Professional Soldiers, and a total population of 5,128 people.]
[All the above fixed assets have an evaluated valuation of 4,000,000 Standard Gold Coins. The grand total is 5,320,000 Standard Gold Coins. According to the Kingdom Constitution, a Substantive Viscount needs to pay 25% King's Tax and 5% Duke's Tax. The specific tax amounts are 1,330,000 gold coins for King's Tax, and 266,000 gold coins for Duke's Tax.]
[It has been detected that he possesses King's Tax reduction preferential policies. Among them: selling Four-Star Wheat yields a 5% tax reduction. Completing special missions yields a 5% tax reduction. Selling Universal Gold Cards yields a 5% tax reduction. The total King's Tax reduction quota is 15%. He needs to legally pay 532,000 Standard Gold Coins; it has already been deducted in real-time.]
[It has been detected that he possesses Duke's Tax reduction preferential policies. Selling Three-Star Wheat yields an 18.5% tax reduction. 5% is legally deducted this time. The remaining preferential quota is 13.5%. He does not need to pay Duke's Tax.]
[Friendly Reminder: From this day forward, October 20th of every year shall be the tax payment day for Li Wei's territory. He needs to hand over 25% of his annual income to pay the King's Tax, and 5% for the Duke's Tax. But note: the baseline for this tax collection starts from the 5,320,000 Standard Gold Coins.]
[Namely, if Li Wei's territory revenue in the second year is 100 gold coins, then he only needs to pay 25 gold coins for King's Tax and 5 gold coins for Duke's Tax. But in reality, based on the most foundational Humanistic Care, once the total value of gold coins Li Wei earns in the current year is lower than 30,000 coins, it will be entirely tax-exempt.]
[Friendly Reminder: If, during this process, Li Wei executes a Cross-Border Mission, and thus might require three years before returning, then only the normal revenue within his territory will be calculated. His revenue from the Cross-Border Mission will solely be taxed based on the number of times, rather than taxed annually. Simultaneously, based on the difficulty of the Cross-Border Mission and his status, he will only need to pay 10% King's Tax and 1% Duke's Tax.]
[Tax payment complete. This process is fair and just, reasonable and legal. The All-Heavens Lord Alliance stands as guarantor for this.]
—
So that was it. Five hundred and thirty thousand Standard Gold Coins, ah, gone with just a 'swish'.
At this time, that Royal Capital Minister of Taxation nodded towards Li Wei, and withdrew with a 'swish' sound. Only that unkempt and scruffy large man remained. He smiled at Li Wei, "The third stage of the Task Settlement concludes here. However, there is still the fourth stage. This one requires the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a settlement for you. After all, you originally belonged to the organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. You also have a hidden reward. That is the hidden reward for ranking number one on the Pioneering Scoreboard, it doesn't belong to the part of the City Building Mission. Better than nothing, right? Little Brother, let us meet again if fate destines it."
Having said this, this unkempt large man also departed. And a moment later, a figure walked out from the Tavern in the Main City. It was precisely the current Chief Internal Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs—Chu Wushuang!
If there hadn't been the subsequent City Building Mission, then no matter how exceptionally well Li Wei performed in the Pioneering Mission, he would still only be a minor general within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
But now that he had become a Substantive Viscount, belonging as a direct subordinate member of the Duke of Weir, the Ministry of Internal Affairs naturally couldn't manage him anymore.
However, the procedures were right here; the hidden rewards that should be given must be given.
At this moment, Li Wei immediately revealed a smile akin to the warmth of spring, stepping forward to warmly and enthusiastically welcome him. "Lord Chu, I have finally met you in person. You truly live up to your reputation, ah!"
The muscles on Chu Wushuang's face twitched. He probably endured it for a good long while. "Lord Li, in fact, now I should be the one greeting you. I am merely a Baron, a Three-Star Lord, I cannot compare to you, a Substantive Viscount and Four-Star Lord. In fact, if you were willing to come to this Ministry of Internal Affairs, I would be willing to abdicate and yield to someone more virtuous and worthy immediately."
"Haha! It's not to that extent, not to that extent. Lord Chu, since you've come today, don't be in a rush to leave. Let's go to the Tavern and have a few drinks?" Li Wei enthusiastically invited. To be honest, he was still a bit unaccustomed to it. He also hadn't thought that a Substantive Viscount and Four-Star Lord would possess such a lofty status.
"Many thanks for Lord Li's kind intentions, but I'll pass on this. I came here today because there are two matters I wish to hand over and exchange with Lord Li. The first matter is the hidden reward of the Pioneering Mission. Of course, Lord Li, who currently has abundant wealth and imposing momentum, might look down upon it, but the procedures are here; it still must be delivered to you."
As he spoke, Chu Wushuang handed over a Six-Star Ascension Item Card. Goodness me!
This hidden reward was truly excellent.
It was practically equivalent to the reward of a single Cross-Border Mission.
After Li Wei happily and cheerfully accepted it, Chu Wushuang only then continued speaking. "The second matter is regarding the Novice Missions. Presumably Lord Li also knows, Novice Missions have consistently always been conducted at Kakh City. But not long ago, Kakh City was subjected to a sudden assault by a legion of Barbarians. Therefore, right now the Ministry of Internal Affairs urgently requires a Four-Star Territory to provide a venue for the Novice Missions. And currently, the relatively suitable one is Your Lordship's territory."
"If you are interested, our Ministry of Internal Affairs is willing to sign a one-hundred-year contract with Your Lordship. And then place one-third of the newly graduated novices of the Weir Province for the next one hundred years at your place to undergo examinations and assessments. How do you view this?"
"Oh? Academy-graduated novices? Not other novices?"
Li Wei blanked out for a moment.
"Yes, the examinations and assessments for Academy-graduated novices are relatively easier, and there won't be too massive of turbulent waves. It is a business transaction practically guaranteed to earn a profit without losing. The specific conditions for this are: conduct an assessment once every two years, thirty teams each time, with five initial novices per team. The timeframe is two years. Subsequently, five to ten people will be added, but at most there will be no Professionals exceeding Three-Star intervening. The price given by our Ministry of Internal Affairs is 10,000 Standard Gold Coins per batch of assessments. Your Lordship only needs to arrange a few hundred Freemen to act as indigenous NPCs to cooperate in the playacting and it will be fine."
"The mission plots, which are the exam questions, can be authored by Your Lordship, or randomized questions. In short, there shouldn't be any problems, because there is still the final round of rulings by the Temples of the All-Heavens Lord Alliance, ensuring no bizarre or outlandish questions appear."
"Additionally, as the Invigilator, you need to penalize the cheating words and actions of certain novices undergoing the assessment, which is commonly known as an NG..."
(End of this chapter)