Chapter 335: Danya Town

"Crack!"

Li En fastened the holy book to his belt with a chain, letting it hang half-suspended behind him.

For the first time, paint was applied to the black dragon armor: the holy symbol of musical notes and the sun, painted on the shoulder of his right arm.

It was not obvious, but anyone who knew their stuff would absolutely not miss it.

In theory, a series of religious decorations and coatings were still needed, but now Li En felt it was enough.

The newly acquired silver greatsword was inserted into the scabbard on his back; the overly long blade made it impossible to hang at his waist.

The original Hero's Sword had been put away; the one-and-a-half-handed greatsword, wielded with both hands, possessed tremendous power, perfectly suiting a decisive and agile fighting style like Laina's.

However, for a greatsword-wielding heavy infantryman like Sul, this half-person-long sword was perhaps a bit short; with Li En's body continuing to grow, the day it became a one-handed sword might not be far off.

"Silver-alloy coating, mithral composite steel material, and an Astral Silver blade edge; the blade body is enchanted with 'Resilience III'. No matter what demon or monster, it's a one-sword strike matter."

That was what the dwarf artisan said, but with a construction cost of a full two hundred gold coins, for the Li En of the past, it was an unimaginable sky-high price, enough to buy two sets of heirloom heavy armor.

In fact, if this were not a small gift from Miss Shaliman (commemorating the Baron's investiture), he still would not have dared to buy it, making do with the Hero's Sword.

But now that he had a territory, he truly was no longer a "unemployed, income-less hero."

Taxes in the feudal era were always quite harsh; across several eras, they reached seven, eight, or even ninety percent (given to the state).

In this regard, the Kingdom, during peacetime, levied an average of around thirty percent on agriculture and small handicrafts, with transaction taxes calculated separately, which was already relatively benevolent.

And Li En set his rate at around twenty percent; this was not because he was being unconventional, but attracting other residents to frontier regions with low taxes was already a custom. If combined with policies reducing corvée labor and religious donations, the tax burden might even be only half that of other places.

Li En's poll taxes and the like would have to wait, but transaction taxes were already substantial, after all, the frontier town of the underground ruins existed precisely for this.

"Earning money while lying down always makes one feel a bit uneasy."

Although he had achieved the long-dreamed-of "parasite" life, sitting and waiting for money to be handed to him, Li En actually felt he couldn't quite accept it.

One could say that a moral standard surpassing the era made him out of place in this time.

"Hoo."

Li En took a deep breath and stood upright.

After donning the heavy armor, the weight caused his dragon-hide boots to sink into the earth.

With the Giant Strength Gloves on, his movements resembled a slow-moving truck; he had become a true heavy-armored warrior.

Compared to the past, he had grown a size larger; the Dragon Vein was the source of his bloodline, and his body naturally matured with time.

Even though his bloodline's evolution had recently stalled, his body had naturally become even stronger.

"Not far from an adult dragon, it seems." The standard for a young dragon was merely eighty years of dragon-age; for many strong ones, such a dragon was probably just a slightly more powerful lizard beast.

But for Li En, he could feel a distinct increase in strength and physique, sensing that his pants and clothes would need to be prepared anew.

"My lord..."

"It is Lord Baron Sudar."

"Why is he alone?"

"Patrolling?"

Armed and armored, Li En walked silently through the small town.

The so-called obligation of nobles in this era was probably to provide protection for the weak; since he had taken the money, he might as well do a little work to ease his conscience.

The small town before him already showed signs of prosperity; the unfolded Great Mirror Demon had become a portal for travel between the surface and the underground, and the town streets centered around it were filled with numerous shops.

Providing assistance to adventurers and purchasing the materials, treasures, and special supplies they acquired; currently, just these two industries were enough to make this small town feast to its heart's content.