Chapter 353: Life Under the New Regime (1)

The distant Taiping Star Region.

As the Empire's theoretical rear area.

Although it is far less vast than the Eastern Star Region, it is near Terra and was once the primary expedition target of the legendary Sun Lord 'Makarious'.

It has always been one of the Empire's relatively most stable star regions.

Of course......

This situation lasted only until Tairen launched an attack from here.

With the prolonged stalemate among Tairen, the Empire, and the Xisi Beastmen.

The condition of the Taiping Star Region, compared to other regions, is not much better.

If there is any advantage, it may be that Xisi's initial choice was to completely repel Tairen, then return to Alert Star to stalemate with the Dead Spirits.

This made the Taiping Star Region the first area under the galaxy's eye to return to overall stability.

As the first star region fully controlled by the Empire, the Empire's new policies after Xisi's reforms were first implemented here.

At this moment, a Nest City satellite so remote that the Empire has assigned it only a number and no name.

In the distant sky, one can still occasionally see transport aircraft ferrying chitinous wreckage to orbiting merchant ships.

A massive biological titan still leans beside the Nest City, its body covered in cutting flames, ready to fully disintegrate it and send it to the Orc planting world.

Dead mortals are being burned en masse; in worlds ravaged by Tairen, planetary governments dare not turn the dead into starch, only watching with regret as this high-quality starch turns into black smoke and drifts away.

Against this backdrop, with half of the distant area collapsed, in front of the Nest City clearing that leans on a huge biological titan.

U'Erkan, clad in a tattered thin hemp robe, squeezes into the densely packed crowd also wearing hemp robes.

His bewildered, numb, ignorant eyes stare blankly at the gray‑robed official shouting atop the Nest City city gate.

Then, listening to the official speak continuously, his mood swings like a roller coaster.

"Therefore, according to the will of the First Saint, Divine Emperor, and Ma Xiang, effective immediately, the tax quota must be increased across the board by thirty percentage points compared to before."

The official, hoarse and exhausted, even with a megaphone, fears the mud‑legged crowd below cannot understand.

Upon hearing the thirty percentage points, U'Erkan's face shows no terror, but greater confusion, curiously looking at those beside him before lowering his voice:

"What does this increase of thirty percentage points mean?"

U'Erkan asks this question, while the fellow hemp‑robed civilians beside him stare with the same bewilderment, whispering to each other.

After all, that brief sentence from the official presents three questions to U'Erkan and other Empire's lowest‑class civilians.

"What does 'increase' mean?"

"What does 'thirty' mean?"

"What does 'percent' mean?"

Thanks to the Empire's terrible internal governance, ignorance has almost become the consensus among its lowest‑class civilians.

After all, any algorithm exceeding ten fingers leaves the vast majority of mortals in bewilderment.

It wasn't until a few 'intellectuals' in the crowd translated the official's 'astronomy' into words the civilians like U'Erkan could understand that panic began to spread rapidly.

U'Erkan anxiously watches the increasingly restless crowd, while the local PDF desperately grabs weapons to try to keep the crowd as calm as possible.

He merely wonders what exactly happened to cause his neighboring coworkers to fall into such great terror.

Hasn't Tairen's alien form already been completely eradicated by the Empire's mighty fleet?

Until a neighbor beside U'Erkan figured out what it meant, turned around, and directly took a portable starch sack, placing it before U'Erkan.

"In short, before we only had to hand over three bags of starch each day, now we must hand over four!"

The neighbor looks terrified, and U'Erkan, finally understanding, also suddenly widens his eyes.

The difference between three and four bags seems minor, but for U'Erkan's daily wages, that extra bag is the lifeline food his whole family depends on.

Now they're going to take that bag of food away too?!

U'Erkan dry‑swallows, feeling despair slide down his throat into his heart.

Then, with heavy breathing, amid terror and despair, U'Erkan glares with a flash of madness deep in his eyes, fiercely staring at the lofty planetary official.

At that moment, two Astat soldiers clad in Ceramic Steel Powered Armor—one blue, one gray—lift the official off the city gate and, in front of U'Erkan and the other civilians, hammer him into pulp on the spot!

Then, seemingly not satisfied, they turn and, having deliberately twisted their orders, force every official along the line to kneel in a row before the gate, stretch their necks, and publicly decapitate them with chain‑saw swords.

The dispatched Extreme Warriors and Harbingers even refuse to waste explosive shells on these insects.

Seeing the Divine Emperor Angel publicly blast the officials who casually threatened them, U'Erkan and the other civilians, after a brief shock, quickly fall silent.

Besides not knowing why those officials were killed, the presence of armored Extreme Warriors and Harbingers quells any desire for rebellion, however great, in U'Erkan and his peers.

They can only, under the Extreme Warrior's warning of a sweet date and a big stick, quiet down and continue to watch.

Until the Extreme Warrior and Harbinger first kill the insects to their satisfaction, then the Extreme Warrior steps forward, takes the megaphone:

"Taxes will indeed rise, but not on the basis of your existing contribution quota."

"Instead, all miscellaneous taxes are abolished, retaining only the Empire's tithe for increase!"

"The tax amount will no longer be a fixed quantity, but a percentage based on your actual income."

The Extreme Warrior explains carefully; although U'Erkan and the others do not understand, the Warrior has anticipated this, and soon an official translates the meaning into language they can grasp.

Seeing the row of bleeding official corpses at the gate serves as a warning, and the still‑alive officials finally summon an unprecedented level of vigilance.

Soon, U'Erkan and the others realize the tax is no longer taking what they already have; after preserving enough starch, it is levied according to the new increased rate.

At the same time, taxes are no longer paid daily but monthly, based on each individual's actual situation.

Upon hearing this, U'Erkan and the others finally sigh in relief; after roughly understanding, their original terror and resentment swiftly turn into disbelief and excitement.

They stare with blazing eyes at the Extreme Warrior and Harbinger on the gate, and after the Harbinger and Extreme Warrior finish speaking, they step forward and utter something that leaves U'Erkan and the others speechless.

"Additionally, everyone's taxes are temporarily not required to be paid."

"Because the local Nobility have already paid everyone's taxes up to two hundred years ahead!"

"Of course, they did so 'voluntarily'!"