"Come in."

This time, rather than being invited instantaneously to the Lord's chamber, I had to wait for a damned hour in a line full of people clearly belonging to the lower class in this place.

After all, no matter what kind of place, culture or social system would govern over the people's lives, there would always be three classes of them in general.

Starting with the strong ones from birth. It could be denominated by either the power backing them thanks to their household bloodline, or just their own sheer strength. Either way, just the power that they governed with a swing of their hand, be it physical or political, would make them bully and use other people for their own benefits.

Then came the smart and skilled guys. Even if they lacked the means to reach the top of the power structure of the world they came to live, they would still find some ways to make something that other people would value. Form bankers, through craftsmen all the way to merchants, rather than relying on something that they were born with, they went to settle their lives with what they were capable of doing.

And then came the last class, most populous due to the sheer force of statistics. The people born without special talent, without any power backing them up, and not smart enough to make their lives better than the average. Outshined by the other two classes, they would have to thread their entire life carefully, constantly under the endless burden that the other two classes would put on them.

In this world, filled to the brim with feudalistic fantasy vibes and mixed with an honest dose of eastern fantasy cultivation style, this low-class people appeared as farmers and hunters, living off the land and the work of their own hands, rather than banking on the profit margins or tribute that the other two classes could benefit from.

"What brings you here so quickly?"

Raising his head from the arm-high stack of papers, Makay was clearly surprised by my sudden visit. Given how he had to take care of the petitions from all those people, it was obvious that he had no time for anyone to warn him about my presence. After all, unless someone did its best to remember my face, then my simple and used up clothing would never betray what kind of status I really possessed.

"I came here to pay the tax."

While in reality, I had a single more agenda hidden behind that openly stated intention, I had to wait for the lord to allow me to get close before I could at least try to pass this message to him. In the end, from the moment that I entered the proximity of his fortress, I could clearly feel the tension permeating the air of this place.

If my guess was not wrong, then the times of great changes both for the lord and his lands were about to begin soon!

"So early? Didn't I tell you that you don't need to worry about it for as long as you will gain proper footing in this place?"

While the lord's attention was greatly limited by the stacks of papers that were lying in front of him before, now his sight moved directly on my eyes, as if he was trying to see through the potential scheme that I was attempting to create.

"You did say so, your lordship, but from what I learned during my first hunt, it doesn't seem like establishing myself here will be of any problem. In fact, I came here partially in order to seek your help with one matter, that would benefit us both."

Spreading my arms wide, I used yet another approach to hook the man's attention. If my guess about him was right, then instead of attempting to pledge my loyalty to him or trying to get him to owe me a favour, proving that keeping him safe and kicking would be in my own self-interest would prove to be the most time-effective tactic in terms of gaining his thrust. After all, as the system owner myself - as far as I could say so with Bonger currently being nowhere to be seen - I knew how much one had to restrict oneself in order to appear like just your ordinary cultivator to the huge world around them!

"A deal? I'm all ears then."

For the first time ever since I met him, Makay put down his pen and stretched himself back on his chair, indicating that I now had his full, undivided attention. But rather than approaching him or attempting to do anything that would ooze the scheming vibes, I simply put my hand in the only pocket that remained intact on my rugged clothes before pulling out the crystal that Otto claimed to be immensely valuable.

But rather than throwing it right towards the lord, I simply held it up my fingers, just to make sure the man behind the desk could see it.

"I'm not sure whether what I was told is right, but this thing here appears to be immensely valuable. Just by peering into its insides, I can tell just how much energy is stored in this crystal. As long as you can confirm that this is the case and that this crystal is indeed worthy being called precious, then I would like to offer it as not only my downpayment for all the taxes to come for as long as its value will warrant it, but also as the advance payment for all the services that I would like to request from the castle."

As I spoke those words, my eyes didn't wander off Makay's face, constantly ready to pick up every single clue that he might let on his face.

"That thing… Is indeed valuable. But the fact that you hold it means that you…"

Seeing how Makay's eyebrow rose up, I didn't even need him to finish his sentence.

"Yeah, I killed a Giaturtle. But what I need your help with, is actually getting all the other resources from the beasts that I hunted so that I won't need to bother carrying them all the way to the city myself!"