Chapter 3036: 998: (Part 2)

"Are you the lord of this territory?""Yes, I am the lord here. I’m not sure what brings you, my lord, to my territory. If you need money for travel expenses, I am willing to..."

"Stop wasting words. I’m not interested in your things. From now on, your territory will spread my faith. If you handle this matter well, I will naturally give you benefits. But if you fail, then whatever consequences may follow, that’s up to you!" After speaking, to intimidate the lord and ensure he would serve him obediently in the future, Zhou Tian directly used his ability at that moment, condensed an energy bullet, and threw it toward a small mountain within his line of sight.

"Boom!"

What kind of power did Zhou Tian possess at that time? Even though he didn’t exert his full strength, the destructive power of his attack was still impossible to be small. The result was that when that inconspicuous energy bullet landed on the mountain, it caused an explosion that directly obliterated it.

Undoubtedly, once the situation arose, Zhou Tian naturally achieved his purpose at that moment. After all, the lord at that time was just a countryside noble and had never witnessed such a powerful figure like Zhou Tian. Thus, upon seeing firsthand how he obliterated a mountain, how could the lord continue to think about resisting Zhou Tian’s control? Probably, his mind at that moment was devoid of any thoughts other than fear!

"My... my lord, you are truly powerful! It is an honor for those lowly commoners to worship you." After speaking, as if to show his determination, the lord immediately turned to his housekeeper beside him and said: "Immediately issue an order; the residents in my territory must worship this lord. If anyone dares not to obey, hang them!"

"No need to hang them, just increase the tax."

"Yes, yes, just increase the tax."

"Residents who worship me do not need to pay tax anymore."

"Yes... but my lord, if they do not pay taxes, then..." Although he was still very afraid of Zhou Tian, when Zhou Tian mentioned that his believers didn’t need to pay tax anymore, the lord instinctively wanted to object. After all, given the societal situation at that time, the lord’s income mainly relied on resident tax. If, as Zhou Tian said, the believers didn’t need to pay tax, then the lord would have no income.

If a lord has no income, that situation becomes extremely dangerous. Without tax revenue, he cannot appease the officials. If any problems arise, without anyone speaking for him, he will sooner or later become the scapegoat. Meanwhile, without income, how can he arm his territory? If invaders attack, without military power, how can he guarantee his sovereignty?

It can be said that if he truly gives up tax revenue, then his territory would basically be finished. And because the impact of giving up tax revenue was so significant, even having witnessed Zhou Tian’s power and being frightened by his displayed might, the lord still objected to Zhou Tian’s exemption from tax.

Zhou Tian was not surprised by the lord’s reaction. After all, for a lord, although his life is very important, the territory’s status in his mind is probably no less significant than his life. Some lords who prioritize inheritance over their own lives likely regard the territory as more important than themselves.

Thus, no matter how powerful Zhou Tian showed himself to be, just the fact that his deployment could potentially lead to the ruin of the lord’s territory was enough to give the lord the possibility of resisting him. It is believed that if Zhou Tian doesn’t change his decision, it is not impossible that he might ultimately force the lord to resist him directly.

Though even if the lord chooses to resist Zhou Tian, he wouldn’t pose any real threat to Zhou Tian. But if the matter ultimately evolves into such a situation, Zhou Tian’s original plans are certain to encounter problems. Obviously, Zhou Tian would not allow such a situation to occur, since given the ease with which his goal could be achieved, from any perspective, Zhou Tian seems to have no reason to complicate matters unnecessarily.

Considering the situation at the time, resolving this issue might seem somewhat difficult, yet it is indeed quite easy to handle.

The difficulty lies in the fact that Zhou Tian’s deployment almost seems to sever the lord’s foundation. Given the situation then, even with Zhou Tian’s enormous strength, once the lord’s fundamental position is threatened, it becomes quite challenging to keep him obedient.

However, although Zhou Tian’s deployment was like cutting off the lord’s foundation, if Zhou Tian could bring greater benefits to the lord, then not to mention merely exempting the believers from tax, even if all the residents in the territory were tax-exempt, the lord probably wouldn’t mind!

In essence, although this matter appears complicated superficially, in-depth analysis reveals that everything boils down to a conflict of interests. Unless Zhou Tian makes compensations after disrupting the lord’s interests, regardless of military deterrence, it would be hard to ensure the lord wouldn’t secretly sabotage.

But if Zhou Tian compensates the lord after undermining his interests, even providing greater benefits, then despite the lord’s apparent rejection of Zhou Tian’s arrangements at that time, it is likely that upon seeing the advantages Zhou Tian offers, the lord might directly become Zhou Tian’s strongest supporter.

Undoubtedly, for the general living beings of that world, facing such a problem is indeed difficult to negotiate. After all, Zhou Tian’s request could shake the lord’s rule. When his own rule becomes unstable, regardless of Zhou Tian’s purpose in proposing such requests, the lord surely wouldn’t agree to it.

Yet for the living beings of that world, resolving such issues might be hard apart from forcefully eliminating the lord and seizing the territory’s power. Otherwise, facing such a problem, those proposing the suggestion would be unable to influence the lord unless he chose to change his decision.

But clearly, for Zhou Tian, the seemingly unsolvable problem in the eyes of the living beings of that world was superficial, merely a minor issue in his view. There were no reasons other than Zhou Tian relying on an advanced world and possessing strong power, making any resources obtainable for him.

Thus, given that his proposal shook the lord’s foundation and led to such resistance from the lord, Zhou Tian naturally needed to compensate for the lord’s losses at that time. As long as Zhou Tian provided the lord with more money, then even if the proposal seemed hard for the lord to understand, he shouldn’t be able to find reason to oppose in that situation.

"Rest assured, their tax will be paid by me." After finishing, as if to prove his words, Zhou Tian casually tossed a large amount of gold from his storage space after speaking those words. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)