[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-335":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269981,4431,"Chapter 335: Dainya Town","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-335",335,"\u003Cp>“Crack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En locked the holy scripture to his belt with chains, letting it hang half-lowered behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the black dragon armor, paint was applied for the first time—musical notes and the sun’s holy symbol, painted over the right shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was subtle, but those who knew would not miss it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technically, a series of religious decorations and coatings were still needed, but Li En already felt it was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly acquired silver greatsword was sheathed on his back; its excessive length made it impossible to hang at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original Hero’s Sword was put away; this half-length greatsword delivered devastating power when wielded with both hands, perfectly suited to Lex’s decisive and agile fighting style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for a heavy-armored greatsword warrior like Su Er, this blade, half a man’s length, might be too short; with Li En’s physique continuing to grow, the day he could wield it as a one-handed sword may not be far off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Silver-refined coating, adamantine composite steel, starry silver edge on the blade, and the sword enchanted with ‘Resilience III’—no matter what demon or monster, one swing is enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dwarf craftsman said so, but the two hundred gold coins cost—back then, to old Li En, was an unimaginable fortune, enough to buy two sets of ancestral heavy armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, had this not been a small gift from Shaliman (commemorating the baron’s knighthood), he still would not have bought it—he’d have kept using the Hero’s Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that he had a domain, he was no longer a “jobless, incomeless hero.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In feudal times, taxes were always harsh, with several eras reaching seventy, eighty, even ninety percent (to the state).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The kingdom, in peacetime, levied roughly thirty percent on agriculture and small handicrafts, with trade taxes separate—already relatively merciful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En set his rate at around twenty percent—not because he sought novelty, but because low taxation was standard practice to attract settlers to frontier regions; with additional policies waiving labor service and religious donations, taxes might drop to half that of other areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En’s head tax was still pending, but trade taxes were already substantial—after all, frontier towns built around underground ruins existed for this very purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Getting paid while lying down always feels a little uneasy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he now lived the dream of a “parasite”—sitting idle as money came to him—Li En felt a pang of guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His moral standards, surpassing his era, made him utterly out of step with this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En took a deep breath and stood straight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once clad in heavy armor, its weight sank his dragonhide boots into the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wearing the Gauntlets of Might, his movements were as slow as a cart—now a true heavy-armored warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to before, he had grown a full cycle taller; the dragon vein was the source of his bloodline, and his body naturally matured with time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though his bloodline’s evolution had stalled, his flesh had still grown stronger on its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not far from becoming an adult dragon”—the standard for a young dragon is merely eighty dragon years; to many powerful beings, such a dragon is little more than a slightly larger lizard-like beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Li En, he felt clear gains in strength and physique, and knew he’d need new pants and clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s Baron Sudar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is he alone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On patrol?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clad in full armor, Li En walked silently through the town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this era, a noble’s duty was roughly to protect the weak—since he received money, he might as well do a little work to ease his conscience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The town before him already showed signs of prosperity: the Great Mirror Demon had become a portal between aboveground and underground, and streets radiating from it were lined with countless shops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Supporting adventurers, buying their acquired materials, treasures, and special goods—just these two industries alone were enough to make this small town rich beyond measure.\u003C\u002Fp>",654,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","45e41fc17a2d11fe9aa290ee70a81bed226fbfcc14139899c04255cce47640ed","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-336","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-334",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]