Chapter 442: This is His Majesty’s money. Does His Majesty still need to thank them?

“What do the Augustus family want to do? They intercepted such a huge amount of taxes. What are they going to do? Rebellion?”

A high-level dragon man with a lightning-shaped dragon horn on his forehead and dragon scales on his cheeks, which had been polished over the years to a bone-metal texture, stood at the center of power in the Holy Dragon Land and asked angrily.

Boom!Boom!
Sitting at the highest point of the Hall of Glory, the Dragon Fairy King, who was in charge of presiding over this financial meeting, Lutetia raised the scepter in her hand, sat down heavily on the ground and knocked it twice.
“Sir Ostra, your remarks are too radical. Please control your emotions, or I will rule your remarks invalid!”

The high-ranking dragon Ostra, who had received the warning and reminder, did not restrain himself. Instead, he cast an angry look at Lutitia, who was presiding over the meeting, and asked,

“Luteshia, you are a fairy who serves His Majesty the Holy Dragon. It is because of His Majesty the Holy Dragon’s favor that you were able to be promoted to the legendary fairy queen.

Do you think that such deception and behavior that damages the interests of His Majesty the Holy Dragon is correct and tolerable?”

“I have never said or issued any statement supporting such behavior!”

Lutetia’s gaze suddenly became sharp.

“But you never refuted it. If you don’t object to it, you agree with it. You are condoning the Augustus family’s theft of His Majesty the Holy Dragon’s wealth.”

Atlas stood as straight as a spear. Facing the Dragon Fairy King who wanted to suppress his speech, even though he knew that the other party had received the supreme favor from His Majesty the Holy Dragon, he had no intention of retreating or yielding.
“I suspect you have some hidden collusion or agreement with the Augustus family. I question your loyalty to His Majesty the Holy Dragon!”

“presumptuous!”

Lutetia was furious. Even though she was the most docile and gentle among the three fairy queens, she could not tolerate that a dragon dared to question her loyalty to His Majesty the Holy Dragon.

“If you think my words have hurt your ridiculous loyalty, then kill me here. This will deter any dragon who dares to harm the interests of the Augustus family in the Hall of Glory!”

Facing the furious legendary fairy queen, the high-level dragonman Atlas took a step forward and refused to give in, with a fearless look in his eyes.

“Ostra, your speech was too radical. Please calm down.”

When the dragons all turned their eyes to Lutizia, the host of the meeting, the fairy queen suddenly froze. However, at this time, another fairy queen appeared and rescued her.

The first fairy who followed the Holy Dragon, Sifrea, appeared and spoke. The originally somewhat intense atmosphere suddenly calmed down. Even the dragon man Ultras, who had been speaking generously, restrained himself a little.
“Ms. Xifuleya, please forgive my excitement, but I cannot understand why Ms. Lutetia condones and protects the Augustus family and tolerates them stealing such a huge amount of tax money every year!”

“First of all, I need to make one thing clear to you. The loyalty of any goblin to His Majesty the Holy Dragon is unquestionable. If you make such slanderous remarks again, I will order the golem to expel you from the Hall of Glory.”

Sifrea looked serious, and first of all, she made a solemn statement regarding her doubts about the fairy’s loyalty.
“Secondly, Lutizia’s sincerity to His Majesty the Holy Dragon is just like mine. To question her loyalty is to question my loyalty as well.

I hope this is the first time and the last time I hear such a stupid question. From today on, if I hear similar questions again, I will never let it go easily!
Finally, why does the Augustus family have such privileges? Because the southern provinces were conquered inch by inch by the Augustus family, who led the royal knights directly under him! “

“But His Majesty Alexander’s power was granted by His Majesty the Holy Dragon, and the Royal Dragon Riders would not have been established without our support.”

Even the explanation given by Sifrea herself could not appease the dragon man. Before Ultras, who had just been suppressed and had not yet sat back in his seat, could say anything, a dragon man stood up and raised questions.

“That’s why the Augusto family offered us part of the tax as a reward. Otherwise, under what name would we collect this part of the tax?”

“It was clearly with our strength that they conquered the southern provinces, and with the help of His Majesty the Holy Dragon’s power, they defeated the final incarnation of the gods.

Now, they collect at least 10 billion in taxes in the South every year, but only give us such a small share. This is not gratitude, this is humiliation!”

“How can it be only 1 billion? According to the central finance’s assessment of the economic situation in the south, the Augustus family can collect at least 3 billion in taxes from the southern provinces every year!”

“Three billion?!”

“This is almost half of the local tax revenue!”

In the Hall of Glory, there was a burst of exclamations, and then another voice added,
“This is the most conservative estimate. The actual number may be higher, perhaps up to five billion?”

“What? Five billion? They only give us thirty million a year!”

“Are the Augustus family sending away beggars? Is this their way of expressing gratitude?”

“This is the tax that should be paid to His Majesty the Holy Dragon. This is His Majesty Noah’s money!”

The Hall of Glory was suddenly in an uproar, and no dragon could sit still anymore, because the tax was so huge.

Before the rise and development of the Holy Dragon Land, the richest region on the continent of Zealandia was the southern border, where business was the most prosperous.

The cross-sea fleets of the coastal city-states were able to conduct cross-sea ocean trade and trade with other continents. When the southern countries were incorporated into the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of Atlas and became its vassals, along with the reconstruction and reorganization of the south by the Augustus family, the order of the southern countries was unified and became more prosperous, and different voices suddenly appeared in the Land of the Holy Dragon.

“No matter how special the Augustus family is, they have no reason to monopolize the taxes of the southern provinces. They are not qualified!”

“That’s right. No matter what kind of relationship the Augustus family has with His Majesty Noah, they can’t just give us 30 million after collecting at least 3 billion in taxes!” Even the goblins with the highest status and the most experience could not suppress these restless dragon nobles in the Hall of Glory. They were even more dissatisfied, especially after knowing the taxes that could be collected in the southern provinces.

You know, although the continent of Zealandia has been unified by His Majesty Noah in name, in reality, there is no direct rule and management over these two great kingdoms, including the Silver Moon Court in Middle-earth and the Atlas Kingdom in the East.

Although these two kingdoms are nominally in the same camp as the Holy Dragon, in reality, the Holy Dragon only indirectly interferes with and influences the Kingdom of Atlas and has no right to directly intervene, appoint and dismiss internal officials, or interfere in military management.

In the core territory of the Holy Dragon Order, there are actually two major kingdom forces that are not directly controlled by His Majesty the Holy Dragon. This has already made the new generation of dragons extremely displeased.

What made them even more disgusted was that the kingdoms that had already occupied the east and the core areas of Middle-earth, including the Kingdom of Atlas, actually governed the most prosperous southern provinces.

Although the monarch of Atlas is a dragon man, the main force of his legion is also composed of dragon men, and the monarch is still committed to expanding the royal dragon cavalry, but all of this is to serve the few hundred official members of the Augustus family.

This is what the dragon people are most dissatisfied with. The continent is ruled by the Holy Dragon, but the Augustus family has occupied the prosperous south and the vast areas with the best developed civilization in the east. Half of the continent is almost occupied by the Augustus family.

Why?
How could those Hell Families whose bloodlines were at risk of corruption have the qualifications to occupy such a huge wealth? This was a resource that they could not squander even after hundreds of generations. Yet they, the Dragon People who had made the greatest contributions, could only scrimp and save and live by counting the days.

“Your Majesty the Holy Dragon was originally raised by the first patriarch and mistress of the Augustus family. The founding monarch of the Kingdom of Atlas and Your Majesty have a brotherly relationship…”

Lutetia tried to explain.

“Who here doesn’t know the relationship between the Augustus family and His Majesty the Holy Dragon? But the first generation Lord Cassius and his wife who protected His Majesty’s growth have disappeared.

Even the founding monarch of Atlas, His Majesty Tyder, could not be found. I do not deny the relationship between the Augustus family and Noah, and we do need to take care of them.

But I can’t help but wonder, are the resources given to the Augustus family too much? Is the Augustus family qualified to occupy such a huge amount of resources? “

More and more dragon people stood up to express their opposition. Although under the leadership of the descendants of the Holy Dragon, the Dragon People Corps had won successive victories abroad and transported a large amount of resources back to their homeland, how could these cross-border resources compare to the benefits of local production?
“It’s time to intervene in the Augustus family. The southern provinces must be under the rule of His Majesty the Holy Dragon, and all taxes should belong to His Majesty the Holy Dragon. The Augustus family can only retain its rule over the Kingdom of Atlas!”

“Don’t you think that the territory of the Kingdom of Atlas is too vast? A family with only a few hundred official members does not need such a vast land to support them!”

“I propose to relocate the Kingdom of Atlas and move the Augustus family to the outer continent or even another dimension. The Zealandia continent, as the homeland, should remain absolutely unified, and no country with inconsistent voices should appear.”

The dragons all expressed their own voices, but the proposals they made became more and more radical and outrageous. However, their core points and demands were very clear and direct.

They were dissatisfied with the preferential status and super treatment enjoyed by the Augustus family on the continent, so they demanded to weaken the support and assistance to this family, deprive them of the land they controlled, take back all the southern provinces that should have belonged to the Holy Dragon, and preferably bring the Kingdom of Atlas under control as well.

As for how to deal with the Augustus family, the dragons discussed a plan of relocation. This was common when a small noble was promoted to a noble title, but there was no land to be relocated nearby. The advantage was that the territory would be larger, but the disadvantage was that the family’s hundreds of years of accumulation would be wiped out, and they would have to start all over again.

“I will report your proposals and demands truthfully to His Majesty the Holy Dragon!”

Faced with these increasingly radical dragon people whose wills have been coordinated and unified, Sifrea, the fairy queen who used to be Noah’s first clan, had to make a promise.

“Do you think we don’t know you? His Majesty the Holy Dragon is not in Elisim now.”

“I dare not refuse my duty without resolving your worries. As your subjects, do we have to inform His Majesty Shenglong about everything and let him make the decision? Can’t we wait until we are done and then report the good results to His Majesty?”

Faced with the fairies’ cautious and conservative actions, the dragons were extremely dissatisfied, because in their view, this was an opportunity.

“How dare you make a decision on your own to deal with the Augustus family without consulting His Majesty the Holy Dragon?”

There was shock and anger in Lutizia’s eyes. She had not expected that the group of dragon people in front of her had become so crazy that they dared to attack the Augustus family.

She knew very well the significance of this family to His Majesty the Holy Dragon. Even after the family had multiplied for more than a dozen generations, His Majesty still paid attention to the birth of every member of the Augustus family, especially those children with good qualifications.

“It is precisely because we know the relationship between your majesty and the Augustus family that we were able to deal with the Augustus family’s problems while your majesty Noah was away and unaware of the situation. As for all the guilt and consequences arising from this, we, the insignificant ministers, will bear them!”

The light of martyrdom appeared in Ostra’s eyes again, and he was not afraid of death.

“Aren’t you worried about being held accountable by His Majesty Noah? Aren’t you afraid that the gates of Valhalla will be closed to you?”

Lutizia found it hard to understand. She did not doubt the loyalty of these dragon people to His Majesty Noah, but precisely because of this, she did not understand why these dragon people dared to act on their own without asking His Majesty’s opinion and deal with the human family that His Majesty cared about most.

“Lady Sifrea, Lady Lutetia, have you not seen the financial budget submitted this year? His Highness Teramus has been engaged in endless foreign wars, and the Imperial Guards, Dragon Guards, and twenty regiments all need to be expanded.

There is also the research and development of weapons, the construction of cities and places, which one does not cost money? Your Majesty does not care about these, don’t you care about them either?

Now, Your Majesty is going to build a floating city. Have you ever calculated how huge the expense will be?
Under such circumstances, it really doesn’t make sense for the Augustus family to occupy such a huge source of tax revenue. How can we fulfill the order of His Majesty the Holy Dragon if we don’t take action against them?”

(End of this chapter)