...

Leonandra Estate, On the way to Salyna's office

A young woman with a lizard tail and occasional patches of dotted reptile scales on her skin was strolling through the estate. The weather was too hot for her, so she switched her usual black suit into a white summer dress. However, she felt bizarre wearing it, as, in her opinion, her attire should match her position as basically a retainer in the makings.

Yet, when looking around her, almost everyone at the estate wore very open and airy clothing. Even the servants had uniforms that were relatively liberal in their cut. There was one exception: the uniforms for men, but they were allowed not to wear blazers.

Ariana's observations made her realize that the fashion sense here was strange but also understandable. The moment she arrived at the Leonandra fief, it was hot to a degree she had never felt before. With the miasma in the air, one became even more irritated by the heat.

Yet, sometimes, they were a little too liberal in their fashion choices, but this was only her point of view and an apparent clash of cultures since she was used to a much colder climate.

However, her new Master, who walked beside her, wore a full-on suit and didn't even sweat, 'Is this because of his blood, but shouldn't I have been better accustomed to such hot weather?'

This was another weirdness. At her school, the teachers preached how one's subrace determined specific characteristics, like being accustomed to certain climates. So, her being a Gecko-kin should make her much more comfortable than Alexander, a canine-kin. However, it seemed that because the Leonandra family had lived here for a long time, they had adapted to this insane climate, overcoming their subrace.

"Here's the deal: I will supervise you today a bit since you are new."

Alexander interrupted her rather mundane thoughts by continuing his new plan to include her in the estate's workings more easily. His ways of handling things were generally very unconventional.

For example, he gave her a piece of paper with names of persons on it, like his head maid, the lead workers in his old mansion, and other personnel who had the highest status, like Aro, the head butler of the estate- in short, all with whom he had any dealings. She needed to introduce herself to them and have a chat. He let her freely decide what she would disclose, whether work-related or more.

At first, Ariana thought Alexander wanted to bully her, as it was customary where she was employed before to do this to newer workers, but it never happened here.

It felt weird since she had never done something like this before. Still, it was an excellent way to get to know everyone else while also orienting herself inside the enormous estate. Many were confused but became more talkative the moment she mentioned her Master's name, and others dismissed her immediately, only acknowledging her as a new retainer of Alexander.

Due to his ideas, she gained a newfound admiration for Alexander. Although some would have considered it a waste of time at first, it would ultimately increase her productivity in the long run, as she now knew who to turn to and where to go if any issues arose.

Furthermore, it allowed others to know what she was responsible for and that they could come directly to her if they had any questions or issues instead of going through others, wasting everyone's time. It was a great management strategy.

Yet, for some reason, he was accompanying her now, "Mr. Alexander, may I be honest?"

"Go on."

Ariana sighed, looking slightly troubled, "Do you think I can't do my job?"

He shook his head, "You don't know who Salyna is."

She nodded, though, "I know, Mr. Alexander. She is the head accountant and a very good friend of the Lady. She is also known for her rude personality and outbursts. There are even rumors where she beat one of her workers with an Abacus almost to death because he accepted a bribe."

Alexander smiled slightly, finding the story funny, "Well, it is a baseless rumor."

Ariana nodded, also finding it quite extreme, "That's true. Such rumors will only ruin a person's reputation."

He smirked, "Yeah, the story is not true. Salyna is not someone who does things half-assed. She would've definitely killed her worker."

Ariana wanted to say it was ridiculous, but she remembered her last months quickly, making her not say anything. This was another strange thing she needed to adapt to inside this territory. Everyone was far more unrestricted and easily roused by the most minor things than she was accustomed to.

She remembered strolling through the Worker's Quarters with Ocilia in the evenings, and even though it wasn't mating season, she could swear that she was never so much hit on when here. While it definitely helped her relatively low self-esteem when someone flirted with her, constantly getting her ass grabbed, not so much.

There were other cases or altercations in which people just began screaming at each other over the most minuscule things, only to get into a brawl shortly after. When the guards arrived, it calmed down, and everyone went their way.

In comparison, the people at the estate were far more strict in their behavior, but this was far from what she saw from nobles and their retainers in central Mal-Gil. For example, all of the Leonandra youth, except Narsiz, were far more prone to emotional outbursts. So, the rumors surrounding Salyna sounded as if she was framed, but not here. At the estate, it was seen as rather amusing. It was a madhouse.

Yet she couldn't blame them. The constant pressure she felt from the heat and miasma also made her much more emotionally unstable. At times, it just came out under stress, making her scream at Ocilia when they argued. While flustered, Ocilia only tried to calm her down.

At the same time, it wasn't bad, and Ariana would go so far as to say that it was freeing since she could be more like herself. It was as if her deepest inner self always tried to free itself and show it to the world.

Alexander continued, bringing her out of her thoughts again, "Well, we also need to discuss something, so it's a good way to introduce you to her and let you acclimate."

Ariana smiled, finding it better and better working here. Even though she was held by her hand, feeling like a child sometimes, she found it pleasant that her Master dedicated so much time to ensure she could work to the best of her abilities. In High-Town, when she started to work, she was immediately thrown into business, and with some luck, sometimes a senior would help her out, but those were rare moments.

"What will we be discussing, Mr. Alexander?"

He sighed, "I need tax exemptions."

...

Little Later, at Salyna's Office

"I need tax exemptions."

"I would rather rip my wings out before giving you any."

Ariana was shocked by Salyna's straightforwardness, dominance, and rudeness. Even though she heard that the head accountant was eccentric, she couldn't believe it was also aimed at the nobles she served.

They both sat in front of Salyna's desk while she looked at them in disdain, making Ariana concentrate on the office since they were bickering. The office was bleak, almost minimalistic, only with a desk and half a dozen pieces of her Master's furniture, which he designed for offices. There were no paintings or plants—an administrative worker's miserable nightmare.

However, Ariana knew many of her colleagues who arranged their office weirdly, but this usually reflected their personality. Here, it was the exact opposite, 'What a weird person.'

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

Ariana looked at Alexander as it became silent, who nodded at her, the cue for her to negotiate, 'Great... now I can jump into the maul of the dragon after he provoked her.'

What were the negotiations about? It was all about tax exemptions for Alexander's charity. From what he told Ariana, it seemed he needed to save up some gold, which she didn't understand. They already had over 70,000 large gold coins in their vast reserves. Yet, more was needed since he had some costly projects in the makings and thus needed more.

If this were any other noble, she would think that he lied to her so he could hoard the gold, but when she watched Aurum trying to throw those reserves at everyone he could, it appeared to be the truth. She immediately felt more motivated since it was for another project to help the impoverished.

Ariana cleared her throat and straightened up, "Salyna, I assume there..." Salyna interrupted her, "...don't assume. It's easy, right? You don't get any exemptions and by the way..." She looked at Alexander, "Aren't you the archmage puppy? Just invent something new and make more gold."

Alexander smirked at her, "Do you think I can pull those out of my ass? Salyna, just listen to me, okay?"

"Do you want tax exemptions in the end?"

"Yeah?"

"Then fuck off."

'If a commoner would act like that toward any nobility in High-Town, they would be immediately beheaded.'

Alexander popped a vein, and Ariana couldn't believe the tone used here. Actually, she believed it since she had been told multiple times but always thought it was exaggerated. She also somewhat understood now why her Master wanted her with him. Through observation alone, she could somehow prepare herself when she needed to visit her the next time.

Alexander calmed visibly down, exhaling strongly, "Listen, you oversized fat fucking bird..." or at least tried to.

Salyna stood up in anger, "How do you call me, you little condescending shit?!"

Alexander also stood up, and his tone became indeed condescending, "Fat. Fucking. Bird!"

Salyna's tone became more righteous, almost as if she was standing in front of an army, "I will not make any exemptions for you! Do you know that the moment your Mother became the Lady, she tried her best to drain all corruption from this shitty fief? Giving you any exemptions for your products is the definition of corruption!"

Ariana also now stood up, understanding the problem, "Both of you, silence!" However, when she said it, they glared at her. She instantly felt like two wild beasts surrounded her, ready to pounce, 'This is unreal. How can one actually prepare for this insanity?'

She gestured for them to calm down while taking the little courage she had left to navigate this stirring conversation. The worst that could happen was that Salyna would kick them out, and afterward, it would become an internal conflict, which Ariana wanted to avoid.

"I think there is a misunderstanding..." She looked at Salyna amiably but strictly, "...Mr. Alexander only wants exemptions for his charities and schools, which are also part of the charity."

Salyna smirked at her, "Oh yeah? I also want to have a threesome with the Emperor and my husband. Life sucks, darling."

Ariana ignored what Salyna said because it was practically worthy of execution, returning to the topic. She had already considered some loopholes in the tax code that were ambiguous enough to help Alexander, "What about the Temple?"

Salyna sat down now and glared at Ariana, visibly interested, "What about them?..." she turned to Alexander, smirking at him, "...sit down, you little shit."

Alexander sat down while looking at her as if he wanted to rip her apart, but Ariana ignored him for now and sat down again, too, while trying to retain her calm demeanor, "I mean to say that they are exempt from property taxes, isn't that right?"

Salyna nodded, "I get what you want to say. Since your charity and the Temple are helping my Mistress's subjects, you want to expand the tax code in a way that would also include you, right?"

More than half of the taxes came from property. Usually, the amount depended heavily on size and function, but not in Wolfsteeth. Only size was considered here since nobody knew how many businesses this city had, and nobody cared to find out. The Helping Paw also had no idea how many social stations were in the city since nobody needed to register them.

While it sounded like an administrative misstep, it was rather a necessary evil. Wolfsteeth was constantly expanding outwards through the constant influx of new subjects, from whom a part would promptly open their own workshops or businesses. As such, to use the former method, they would need to increase their administration into a bureaucratic monster. Thus, the tax law became quite unique since it prioritized ridiculous efficiency over everything else to streamline the whole taxing process.

However, Ariana also saw many problems with such a regulation. For one, how most adobe houses were built was ridiculous. They were small and obviously trying to hide any further space beneath the ground so they wouldn't pay additional taxes. She even heard someone bought a house and buried the basement to avoid paying more taxes. Still, Wolfsteeth's situation was so unique that she couldn't disagree with such a solution.

But considering Alexander's relatively benevolent ideals, it became a problem since all the charity's property would be taxed heavily, as those new buildings wouldn't be small. The same would be true for all the social stations, which basically operated as their tails.

As such, she argued that a specific code written to exempt the Temple could also be applied to them, as the implications were basically the same. The code stated that if the Temple didn't want to pay taxes, they needed to act gratuitously toward the betterment of the subjects of Wolfsteeth. Even though it was explicitly written for the Temple, in spirit, their charity should also fall under the same parameters.

"That's right. The Helping Paw is acting even stronger per the code, and it is not right to only exempt the Temple, which also has other functions that do not help the subjects."

"I see..." Salyna looked at Alexander, "...good worker you have here."

Alexander leaned back, satisfied, "Well, I do my best."

Ariana looked at the cute exchange and thought Alexander was much more soft than he acted around others. Before going inside, he told her it was vital for him to ensure that everything would run smoothly even without him being there. She had already thought of something for this, but before she tried and looked for a way to implement it, she wanted to hear Salyna's opinion first so she would appear in good faith.

"I have another question. We need to have a sustained circle where the school and charity stay open, no matter what happens. So, we need a way to finance..."

She stopped momentarily, trying to remember all the pamphlets she had received from Alexander about the positive effects the city would experience with their charity's successful expansion, which already showed a considerable impact in areas they invested in for the short time they operated. Pickpocketing and crime, in general, were reduced, while the number of beggars, especially children, seen on the street also declined.

Ariana cleared her throat and opened her arms, finding it awkward, but tried to mirror more closely the customs in this fief, "Ahem, this will evidently benefit the fief massively since the students with higher education, when the schools open up, and orphans who will grow up well will significantly increase the tax revenue, reduce the crime rates, and thus help develop Wolfsteeth into a healthier city..."

She tried to raise her voice, "...in comparison, without our institution, crime would rise again in certain areas, and thus, the costs will begin to increase for guards and..." Her voice suddenly cracked, "...YoU dO... ahem want... Ahem!... excuse me... where was I?"

Salyna rolled her eyes, interrupting the flustering Ariana, "I got it, darling. My son flooded me with useless updates about how much the charity helps..." She turned to Alexander, "Just tell your descendants to finance your charity then?"

Alexander shook his head, "I don't trust them. I need this to stay as independent as possible so no moronic puppy of mine will ruin it."

Salyna smirked, "You are right. I also don't trust your descendants with you as a Father."

Alexander popped a vein, "I see..." but relaxed, "...this at least means you see worth in it, so does your pea brain have a solution?"

Ariana interrupted their chat to give her solution, "There is one. It is from a city in the human territory which was founded tens of thousands of years ago by the first hero and..." Salyna interrupted her, "...get to the point."

Ariana blushed slightly, "Sorry. However, there, the property taxes finance the schools in close proximity."

"I get you..." Salyna sighed, "...good job. So because you help the bums out, and they increase the tax revenue, you want a little chunk of it to pay for the schools and charity? I have nothing against it."

Alexander shook his head, "What Ariana mentioned will create disparity. How about putting it all in one pot, and I will make a nice formula for how it should be distributed?"

Salyna nodded, "All good and well, but..." She glared at Alexander, making Ariana flinch slightly, "...tell me, do you really want to have the schools free of any cost? You are giving street rats the same luxury that even lower nobles could barely afford..."

Salyna was immediately interrupted by Ariana, who stared at her with hate, "Excuse me? Am I such a street rat? Do you know how quickly one can become like this? One unfortunate monster attack, and you need to fight for your life! Because you are fortunate enough that your parents were some fat accountants never leaving the estate, you think you can assume..."

Ariana was angry, and for once, something inside of her exploded. She always hated others who looked down on commoners, thinking they were better because they had the fortunate to be born as nobility without doing anything for it.

She was suddenly interrupted by Salyna's laughter, "Haha! I already like you..." She wiped a tear away, "...listen, little girl. I don't give a rat's ass about nobility, orphans, or whatever. My job is ensuring the fief runs as smoothly as it was under my Father and Grandmother. So, you can stop your idealistic bullshit, Alexander 2.0."

Ariana's face flushed as the heat and miasma got the better of her, but Alexander butted in, "That's enough..." He looked bored at Salyna, "...obviously, it will stay free for everyone. You can even write a new law declaring as such. Any more questions?"

Salyna shook her head and leaned back, "Not really. All that is left is writing down the details and how to implement it exactly, but for this work..." She turned to Ariana and smirked at her, "...I will have this salamander here."

Ariana wanted to scream at her that she was actually a Gecko-kin but bit her tongue, instead imagining that she would have to deal with this terrible person from now on, 'I should've taken five times my previous wage.'

However, Salyna continued, "I need to say, though. I like your free school idea very much."

Alexander tilted his head, "Why so?"

She smiled viciously, "My damn accountants got too cocky and cost too much."