100\% DROP RATE : Why is My Inventory Always so Full? Chapter 855 - 865 - Evidence

Luke confirmed the tax collector’s suspicion with a single answer.

"Last night."

For the first time since arriving, the older man’s composure slipped.

"How many?"

"More than thirty."

The tax collector stared at him.

His gaze moved slowly across the village again. He saw the repaired sections of the wall, fresh bandages, tired faces, and the strange silence hanging over people who were usually far more relaxed whenever he visited.

There were no prisoners waiting beside the gate. There were no bodies. There was no obvious sign of where more than thirty armed men had gone.

"What happened?"

Luke looked toward Lucien.

Lucien returned the look and understood immediately.

There was little reason to hide the truth now.

The tax collector had heard that the Iron Jackals were moving toward the village and had rushed here with additional escorts. That alone told them enough about where he stood.

Luke invited him farther inside.

They moved toward one of the larger houses near the center of the village, where Seran and Aurelia joined them. Cienna came as well. Lucien followed quietly, while several of the tax collector’s men remained outside.

Luke explained what happened.

He described the arrival of the Iron Jackals, the attempt to enter the village at night, and the fighting that followed.

He did not burden the explanation with every preparation Lucien had made or every formation that had been practiced in advance. He simply told the tax collector that the villagers had been expecting trouble and had chosen to defend themselves together.

The tax collector listened without interrupting.

His face grew darker as the story continued.

"They came armed?"

"With proper armor too," Luke answered. "Better equipment than most bandits I’ve seen."

The tax collector’s jaw tightened.

"That confirms something I have been worried about for some time."

Lucien noticed the change in his expression.

The man already knew something.

Luke noticed too.

Instead of asking immediately, he turned toward Seran.

"Show him."

Seran’s expression changed.

For all his confidence, he hesitated.

Aurelia stood beside him and touched his hand.

Seran looked at her.

She gave a small nod.

Some of the tension left his shoulders.

"All right."

He reached toward his waist.

Lucien watched.

Then Seran began loosening the front of his trousers.

Lucien’s expression changed.

"Seran."

"Relax."

That did not reassure him.

Seran reached beneath the inner layer of his clothing and pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle protected by waxed cloth.

Lucien closed his eyes and pressed two fingers against his forehead.

So that was what Seran meant when he said the ledger was somewhere safe.

It had been on him the entire time.

Lucien also had no idea how Seran had fought so freely with something that large concealed there.

The tax collector stared at Seran’s hand, then at Seran, then back at the bundle.

For a brief moment, even a man accustomed to noble politics seemed uncertain how he was supposed to react.

Seran offered it to him.

"This is very safe."

Lucien sighed.

The tax collector took the bundle without comment.

He unwrapped it and opened the ledger.

His expression changed almost immediately.

He turned the first few pages slowly, then faster.

Names appeared. Dates. Payments. Locations. Notes beside shipments.

Several officials were listed repeatedly. So were merchants.

The deeper the tax collector read, the more intense his attention became.

Lucien watched the darkness in his face gradually disappear.

By the time he reached the middle of the ledger, he was almost smiling.

Then he laughed.

The sound startled everyone.

Luke frowned.

"Is something funny?"

The tax collector looked up.

"You have no idea what you just handed me."

He tapped the ledger with one finger.

"We have been investigating corruption among several officials and minor lords in this region for months."

The room became completely quiet.

The tax collector continued.

"We knew money was moving. We knew some local gangs were being protected. Every time we followed one trail, the records disappeared or somebody suddenly remembered nothing."

He looked down at the ledger again.

"This connects them."

Lucien leaned forward slightly.

"To the noble protecting them?"

"To more than one person."

That answer carried weight.

The tax collector closed the ledger carefully.

"Our king has been trying to clean this region without giving the guilty enough warning to destroy everything. Evidence like this is exactly what we needed."

Seran scratched the side of his face.

"So stealing it was a public service."

Aurelia looked at him.

"You stole money too."

Seran nodded.

"A public service with expenses."

Lucien nearly laughed.

The tax collector did not seem offended.

If anything, his mood had improved too much for Seran’s honesty to bother him.

He looked toward Luke.

"You do not need to fear retaliation from the people named here once this reaches the right hands."

Several villagers who had been listening near the doorway visibly relaxed.

The tax collector continued more seriously.

"As for the men who attacked you last night, you were within your rights to defend the village. Armed men entering a settlement by force are no different from bandits under the law. You will not be punished for killing them while protecting your homes."

That answer spread quickly.

Lucien could almost feel some of the tension leaving the village outside.

The people who had spent the entire night wondering whether surviving would somehow make them criminals finally had an answer.

They had done what they were allowed to do.

More importantly, someone with authority was saying it openly.

Luke waited until the mood had settled before bringing up the second matter.

"There is something else we wanted to ask you about."

The tax collector looked toward him.

Luke explained the mineral basin.

He kept the description careful. He said they had discovered a remote region outside any nearby estate and had gathered small quantities from exposed deposits.

He admitted they had already used some of it in the village and wanted to know how to secure legal mining rights before expanding.

The tax collector went still.

His eyes moved toward the doorway.

Then toward the village outside.

Lucien saw the moment everything connected in his mind.

The improved gate. The walls. The better wagons. The tools. The weapons. The sudden increase in trade.

"No wonder the Iron Jackals became interested in you."

Mirelle, who had joined them sometime during the discussion, sighed.

"We suspected the same thing."

The tax collector laughed quietly.

Then he shook his head.

"I cannot give you a mining charter."

The room tightened again.

Luke frowned.

The tax collector raised a hand before anyone could misunderstand.

"I do not have that authority."

Lucien waited.

The older man looked toward the ledger.

"You have, however, just given the Crown something extremely valuable."

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly.

The tax collector continued.

"When the king learns where this came from, there will be a reward."

Luke seemed uncertain.

"What kind of reward?"

"That depends on His Majesty."

The tax collector looked toward Lucien and then back to Luke.

"If you want the mineral basin secured properly, ask for it."

The room became quiet again.

Lucien understood immediately.

A mining right granted by a local official could be challenged by another local official.

A charter granted by the king himself was different.

The tax collector leaned back.

"If the Crown formally recognizes the claim, then anyone who wants that basin afterward will have to challenge the king’s authority."

That was exactly what they needed.

Luke nodded slowly.

"Then how do we do it?"

"Some of you will need to come with me to the capital."

Cienna’s expression changed.

The tax collector noticed.

"It does not have to be everyone. A representative from the village will be enough, along with the people directly connected to the ledger."

The tax collector continued.

"You do not need to leave today. I still have taxes to collect from several settlements in the region. I will return once I finish."

Luke looked relieved by that.

"How long?"

"A few days."

That gave them time.

The tax collector spent the rest of the morning completing the reason he had originally been traveling through the region.

Taxes.

Mirelle recovered enough of her usual focus to bring out the village records.

Everything had already been prepared.

The village paid what it owed in coin, agricultural goods, and several crafted items that Mirelle had carefully valued beforehand.

The tax collector examined the records twice.

His expression became increasingly amused.

"You people became much wealthier in one month."

Mirelle smiled politely.

"We kept records."

"I can see that."

There was no accusation in his voice.

If anything, he seemed pleased.

The village had gained wealth quickly and still paid honestly.

Before leaving, he looked toward Luke.

"Decide who is coming. I can accommodate several people. My entourage is large enough."

Luke nodded.

The tax collector lifted the ledger.

"And keep this matter quiet until I return."

Seran looked toward the bundle that had protected it for so long.

"Please take good care of it."

The tax collector stared at him.

"I will."

Seran seemed satisfied.

The carriage left before noon.

The village watched until the mounted escorts disappeared along the road.

Then everyone turned toward Luke.

The village chief spoke first.

"You should go."

Luke frowned.

The older man continued before he could refuse.

"I am too old for a trip to the capital, and I have no interest in arguing with nobles."

A few villagers laughed.

The chief pointed toward Luke.

"People listen to you. You understand the village. You can speak for us."

Others agreed immediately.

Luke looked increasingly uncomfortable as more people added their support.

Cienna folded her arms.

"If you are going, I am going too."

Luke turned toward her.

"My dear..."

"No."

The argument ended before it began.

Lucien smiled.

This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.

The capital would contain information that a remote village could never provide.

Reports. Merchants. Travelers. Officials. Maps. Rumors from distant regions.

If the disturbances were spreading across the kingdom, the capital would know more.

There was also another possibility.

Lucien looked toward Tavian, Mirelle, Auren, Seran, and Aurelia.

The strange resonance had already led him toward several familiar people.

Perhaps the capital would bring him near others.

"I’ll come too," Lucien said.

Luke stared at him.

Before he could answer, Seran raised his hand.

"Aurelia and I know the capital."

Aurelia nodded.

"We performed there with the caravan before."

Mirelle spoke next.

"If the village is going to have legal access to a mineral basin, I want to know what people in the capital actually buy."

Tavian looked offended that anyone might leave him out.

"The capital has better smiths. I want to learn more."

Auren leaned against the wagon nearby.

"If I see the route once, I can probably improve the journey afterward."

Luke looked at all of them, then at Cienna, then back at Lucien.

"This is becoming an expedition."

Seran smiled.

"It sounds more impressive that way."

Luke rubbed his forehead.

"We will ask whether he agrees when he returns."

Lucien suspected the tax collector would regret telling them that several people could come.

He also suspected the man had no idea how quickly this village could turn a simple journey into something much larger.

For Lucien, however, the decision already felt right.

The capital waited.

So did the rest of the world beyond it.