Chapter 328: Solar Furnace, Money Collection Ability User, Business Taxes (3)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The elves burst into laughter and found the Naga Berserker, who was also riding in the same carriage, much more pleasing to the eye.
Due to the terrain and location, the obstructed view caused by the towering buildings of Maple Harbor had now opened up. It was easy to see a towering metropolis standing at the edge of the vast grassland, nestled beneath a mountain range.
With walls soaring up to a hundred meters, they seemed to compete in height with the mountains, stretching from the western side of the field to the east.
Arrow towers stood densely on the city walls, much like trees, while artillery platforms lined the wall, with guns of all sizes protruding, showcasing their might.
Intermittently, airships came and went from behind the city walls. The onlookers also spotted a fleet of hundreds of airships returning from the direction of the mountains. Among them was a colossal airship, comparable in size to the New Moon, flying in the sky like a floating island, casting a vast shadow over the ground.
Between the airships, numerous Griffon Knights flew like ants, ensuring the fleet’s safety.
This scene was incredibly awe-inspiring.
It wasn’t until the airship slowly descended and disappeared behind the city wall that they regained their composure, and the sound of breathing resumed within the carriage.
At that moment, Raymond suddenly thought of something and casually remarked, “The airship fleet should have just returned from the northern Alvin Mountains. It seems like the trolls up there are causing trouble again.”
Ji Chen looked at him and made a mental note of it.
The group continued to move forward.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of the city wall.
Maple City had a total of seven gates facing the south. The central gate was the largest, towering at fifty meters, while the other gates decreased in size from the center, with the two smallest side gates still standing at over ten meters.
At this moment, only four of the seven city gates were open. Three on the left and one on the far right.
In front of the city gates were over a hundred heavily armed elite guards, checking the information and entry permits of those entering the city.
The three left gates were crowded with people, while the rightmost gate was almost deserted.
Naturally, Ji Chen and his group didn’t have to squeeze with the others. They directly headed for the VIP lane on the far right and came to a halt in front of the security barrier.
The guards stationed here noticed the griffon emblem on the carriage and became more respectful. One of them came to the side of the carriage and politely said, “Greetings.”
“May I see your relevant entry permit, sir?”
Ji Chen pulled back the curtain and handed over the entry permit.
When the guard saw the permit, his expression became even more respectful.
This kind of permit could only be obtained by those who had made significant contributions to the Maple Principality. It could be used for an extended period and multiple times, making it a higher-level permit than the ordinary ones.
In simple terms, it was the permit of the top-tier elite.
The guard carefully verified the authenticity of the permit and respectfully handed it back to Ji Chen.
“Esteemed guest, you may proceed.”
He then loudly announced to his colleagues, “Let them through!”
Other guards quickly moved the barriers aside, creating a clear path.
The carriage resumed its journey towards the city gate.
Ji Chen was curious about the guards’ reactions and asked Raymond, “How much commercial tax have we actually paid to the Maple Principality for our Crown of the Ocean?”
Raymond grinned and held up three fingers.
“It’s a moderate 15% commercial tax, neither too high nor too low.”
The fuck?! A15% commercial tax was surprisingly high!
No wonder the service from the Maple Empire was so good; they were making a substantial profit from this level of taxation.
In that instant, Ji Chen made up his mind to find another place to sell their goods. He couldn’t let these greedy individuals make a fortune off him..