Kyle went back to Samson’s home and was greeted by the children and Samson’s wife.
Food was ready.
Kyle enjoyed the meal with the family.
“Is everything okay with you, Kyle?” Samson’s wife asked. “You’ve been quieter than usual.”
“Oh, no, everything’s alright,” Kyle said.
Then, he joked with the kids for a bit before returning to his room.
Samson hadn’t come home yet.
He probably didn’t want to make things too awkward for Kyle.
“Tell me more about mining and finding valuable ore,” Kyle told Theodor.
“Why the sudden interest?” Theodor asked.
“I can’t clear my debt with Samson, but I still want to help however I can,” Kyle answered.
“I don’t agree with the reason, but I will teach you anyway,” Theodor said.
Theodor told Kyle more things about mining for the next couple of hours.
Then, Samson came in just to check if everything was alright.
Kyle said that everything was fine, and Samson left again.
When everyone was asleep, Kyle left his room and entered the forest.
For the entire night, he mined in his little mine in the wilderness.
He gathered a bunch of Basic Mage Stone and even found another small piece of Wood Essence.
In the morning, he trained with Nervon as was usual.
Then, he did his work as a hunter.
When Kyle came back in the evening, he noticed several new flyers attached to the houses.
“Any imports or exports to and from Northbound are now subject to a 25% Equality Tax.”
“Step two,” Theodor commented.
Kyle grew more nervous and took a deep breath.
For the next two days, Kyle slept only a little and kept mining.
On day three, Kyle heard people talking on the street.
Northbound had issued a Retaliation Tax of 25%.
This meant that 50% of the revenue of any trade would go to the cities.
“Step three,” Theodor said.
Kyle didn’t engage with Theodor.
By now, he was already believing him.
Another two days passed.
On the evening of the fifth day, Kyle noticed several closed shops.
They didn’t run out of business.
Instead, they closed their shops out of protests.
These shops mainly traded with Northbound, and they found these new taxes horrible.
“The public sentiment will grow worse,” Theodor said. “The people will soon run out of some essential resources, which need to be bought at an inflated price.”
“Right now, only the direct traders are affected, but as the craftsmen’s stocks run out, they will join the protest.”
“The same thing is almost assuredly happening in Northbound.”
“If the Baron decides to publicly address the reason for the taxes with a speech, the people might relent, but only for a while.”
“They only care about justice as long as it’s not making life too hard for them.”
“If the Baron addresses the taxes, I give it three months before the negotiation. If he doesn’t, I give it one month.”
“It all depends on how far the Baron is willing to go.”
“If he addresses the taxes, he will need to publicly exonerate the other Baron in the future as well.”
Kyle sighed.
He wordlessly walked back to the Hunter Hall, and Samson pulled him to the side.
“Did you come to a decision?” Samson asked.
Kyle sighed again.
“I’m sorry, but I will leave. I’ll make sure that I repay you somehow,” Kyle said.
Samson smiled. “That’s the right thing to do.”
Samson and Kyle talked for half an hour about what Kyle had learned within the last month or so.
Then, they walked home together.
The next day, Samson gave Kyle a surprise.
“Good news, you can join Fennek’s carriage,” Samson said. “Traveling outside the Cradle is far too dangerous, and an escort is too expensive. When Fennek’s time with us ends, you can join him and travel to the mainland.”
Kyle sighed. “Thank you so much, Samson.”
“No problem,” Samson answered. “The carriage will arrive in four months. Until then, you can keep working for us. More experience can never hurt.”
“Four months?” Kyle asked.
“Yes, four months,” Samson answered.
Kyle looked at the table for a while.
Then, he looked back at Samson.
“Thank you. I’ll gladly join the carriage,” Kyle said.
Samson just smiled.
As the days passed, the protests became fiercer and fiercer.
The Baron had not addressed the taxes yet.
When Kyle returned to the town after around two more weeks, he heard the news.
In three days, the two Barons would meet to solve the current issues.
Kyle just looked at the darkening sky for a while.
“Step four, I know,” Kyle whispered.
“Do you believe me now?” Theodor asked.
“I do,” Kyle answered with a distracted voice.
“Then, leave tonight,” Theodor said.
Kyle took a deep breath.
He didn’t want to leave yet.
But what he wanted wasn’t important right now.
Theodor was right.
He had to leave.
Kyle went back to Samson’s home.
He spent his evening with Samson and his family, playing with the kids.
Samson and his wife just watched happily.
When Samson and his wife went to bed, Kyle returned to his room.
The next morning, Samson checked Kyle’s room.
Kyle was usually already gone this early in the morning, but he still checked.
What if he overslept?
Yet, when Samson opened the door, he saw a pile of gold in the middle of the room.
In front of the pile of gold were some crude drawings, which were trying to imitate Samson’s drawing style.
The first image showed a man sleeping beside a big worm.
The second image showed a bigger man throwing the first man into the sky to look at the city beneath.
The third image showed several men searching in the wilderness.
The fourth image showed the man returning and being accepted back.
The fifth image showed the man digging holes and unearthing gems.
The sixth image showed the man selling the gems.
The seventh image showed the man waving goodbye, a pile of gold beside him.
The last image showed him leaving the house.
Below the last image was one sentence.
“I’ll be back!”