"Could it be that that family and those soldiers were working together to scam me?" Jason thought to himself.
Kalida stood up directly and said to everyone, "Let's go. Now that everything's clear, wearing these ragged clothes is making me miserable. Let's hurry back!"
Minster also stood up, patted Jason on the shoulder, and said, "I hope, Deputy City Lord, that next time you won't believe others so easily. There are all kinds of rumors—true and false alike. Don't let them cloud your eyes."
It was obvious they all thought Jason had been messing around and wasting their time. How could Jason possibly take that?
Unwilling to lose face, Jason said to them, "Wait. I can take you to see the family that was taxed that day. That will prove I'm telling the truth!"
"The people you found?" Marifu immediately shot back. "Who knows, maybe they've already been bought off. How can we trust that?"
"Exactly! That has no persuasive power at all!" Oger chimed in from the side.
With them saying that, even Jason himself felt it was hard to argue.
Minster wanted to help Jason, but at this moment, even he felt somewhat powerless.
"Ai~ what are you all doing?" Kalida said with a smile. "Is the Deputy City Lord really that kind of person? Since he brought it up, let's go take a look!"
"What?" Jason couldn't help but feel shocked. He never expected that the person least likely to support him would actually do so. It made Kalida even harder for Jason to read.
"City Lord, I don't think this is necessary at all!" Marifu said nervously to Kalida, repeatedly signaling at him with his eyes. He knew that if this matter were exposed, Kalida would definitely dump all the blame on him. Tampering with tax records and pocketing the excess—those were capital crimes. Marifu tried to persuade Kalida so anxiously that sweat poured down his face.
Kalida grinned, glanced at Jason, and said, "My little brother just took office. We should give him some face, shouldn't we?"
"Alright! Since the City Lord has said so, let's go take a look!" Minster stepped forward and said. "Deputy City Lord, we'll trouble you to lead the way."
Although Jason couldn't figure out what Kalida was up to, he wasn't willing to waste this opportunity. He immediately led everyone toward the household that had been taxed that day.
When they arrived at the door, Jason went straight up and knocked.Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Is anyone home?" Jason shouted loudly.
"Who is it?" A woman's voice came from inside. Not long after, the tightly shut door creaked open, and a woman poked her head out through the crack.
After glancing at Jason and the others, the woman immediately recognized Jason. When her gaze shifted to Kalida, her body trembled uncontrollably, clearly terrified.
Seeing how nervous she was, Jason smiled and said to her, "You don't need to be afraid. We're just here to verify something."
The woman slowly opened the door and asked Jason, "May I ask what you want me to verify, sir?"
"I just want you to talk about the day I came to help you drive away those tax-collecting soldiers, and about the fact that you were being taxed once every month. I need you to tell them."
As he spoke, Jason gestured for Minster and the others to come closer and listen carefully.
Marifu's face was already drenched in sweat. He stood there motionless, calculating in his mind how he might explain himself later.
"Lord Marifu, what are you doing just standing there?" Minster turned around, saw Marifu sweating profusely, and asked him. "Are you feeling hot?"
"Uh…" Being questioned like that made Marifu even more nervous. He hurriedly wiped the sweat from his face and waved his hand at Minster with a forced smile. "I haven't been in very good health lately—just a bit weak and prone to sweating. Lord Minster, there's no need to worry."
"You'd better tell the truth," Kalida said with a faint smile as he looked at the woman.
The woman nervously swallowed and deliberately avoided Jason's gaze. "This lord must be mistaken. I've never seen you before, sir. I also don't know anything about the things you mentioned."
Hearing her words, Jason was completely dumbfounded. He anxiously said to her, "Hey, hey! You have to have a conscience! Aren't you just lying through your teeth? How can you say you've never seen me? I was the one who saved you that day!"
The woman shook her head. "Really not. Sir, please think carefully. Perhaps you're the one who remembered it wrong."
"Remembered it wrong, my ass!" Jason was getting anxious. He never expected that the woman would suddenly change her story at this moment. Only then did Jason finally understand why Kalida had supported him and insisted on coming here—Kalida must have already bought this family off long ago.
Jason could only glare at Kalida unwillingly, yet there was nothing he could do. This time, Jason had truly made a fool of himself—he had practically slapped his own face.
Marifu, who had been sweating nervously just moments ago, instantly regained his spirits after hearing the woman's words.
"Hahahaha~! Deputy City Lord, you've got nothing left to say now, do you?" Marifu said smugly. "If you just wanted us to accompany you on a stroll through the streets, you could've said so! Why go through all this trouble, right?"
At this moment, Marifu was indescribably pleased with himself, waving his hands about so flamboyantly that it was impossible not to notice him.
Jason said impatiently, "Lord Marifu, didn't you say you weren't feeling well? Looking at you now, could it be you've suddenly developed epilepsy?"
"Hahahaha!"
Kalida and the others burst out laughing in unison.
"You…! Deputy City Lord, just because you're in a bad mood doesn't mean you can take it out on me!" Marifu shot back.
When it came to verbal sparring, Jason had never lost in his previous life as long as he wanted to curse someone out. He was just about to roll up his sleeves and go head-to-head with Marifu when Kalida stepped forward and said, "Alright, that's enough! I'm already very tired. Let's all hurry back and rest."
With that, Kalida turned and left. Marifu glared fiercely at Jason before following after him.
"Deputy City Lord, Lord Minster, I'll take my leave now. Farewell!" Oger greeted the two of them and then also departed.
"Don't take it to heart. There's still a long road ahead," Minster said, patting Jason on the shoulder. "The waters of Sagos run far deeper than you imagine."
"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Lord Minster. I will keep it firmly in mind," Jason said.
After speaking, Minster also turned and left, leaving Jason standing there alone.
After everyone had gone far enough away, Jason turned back to look at the woman.
The woman immediately panicked and dropped to her knees.
"Sir, I'm sorry! I was forced to do this! My husband and my son are in his hands—I had no choice but to obey!"
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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(End Chapter)