48 Taxes (1/2)
Li and Old Thane stood side by side in front of the fields the very next day.
It was true. The seeds worked. Just the night before, they were little kernels of amber, and now they had sprouted stems about a half meter tall. At first, he had thought them all fully grown as the genetically modified wheat he worked with maxed out at a meter tall, almost half their covered with seeds.
But this wheat had no such modifications, instead operating off of some strange magic. A few long leaves, green and healthy, perked out from the stem, but as of now, the wheat had not grown their characteristic heads. The plants were still green and unripe, but even so, they had grown the amount they would have in almost half a year in the span of a single day.
If Li recalled his classes on classical, unmodified crops, he knew that wheat had four stages of growth: tillering, stem extension, heading, and ripening. During tillering, the wheat formed tillers which were essentially additional stems that made wheat look like overgrown weeds. It was only when they entered stem extension did they gain their stalk-like structure.
Li figured he should have stayed observing the field throughout the night, as it was during the tillering stage that he could figure out how much yield the wheat would bring based on how many extra stems, or tillers, as they were called, he could see, but then again, this wheat didn't seem to operate off of any of the natural laws he was familiar with. And he didn't want to make Old Thane worry about him.
Old Thane stepped forwards and took one of the wheat plants in his hands, his fingers gracing its stem and leaves as he nodded.
”These be of excellent health, lad,” said Old Thane, his hands starting to tremble. ”Gods, when was the last I saw these fields so full of life? When? Years, lad, years. Not since my life fell apart.”
Old Thane came close to the wheat, almost hunching over the stalk to cradle it. ”A farmer is only as good as his crop, it is said. I felt the dead fields a sign, a symbol for me. When my life shone under Aine's light, my crop grew magnificently. When her sun set, the crop withered, and so did I, even my sight fleeing me.” He smiled. ”But now that I am near your light, lad, I see now that the fields grow oncemore. The demon is right – the gears of fate work in strange ways, aye.”
Li put his hand on Old Thane's back as he smiled. ”You better get used to it, old man, because I won't be leaving anytime soon.”
They laughed before they shared a moment of silence together, admiring the wheat that had brought them together.
Old Thane stood up straight again as he dusted his hands, mentally readying himself to work on harvesting the next morning. ”I should say the wheat will be ripe in the morrow, or perhaps the day after. Gods, I have not harvested in years. Oh, and about that, lad, we must report our harvest to the city hall.”
”We what now?”
”I never found it useful to tell you as I thought the earliest I'd see wheat again was next year, but here we are. I understand you feel yourself cheated, lad, but the crown has so gracious given me, once a foreigner from the northwastes, this land, and so I feel it appropriate to return unto them what is due in taxes.”
”And how much is that?”
Old Thane touched a hand to his temple as he tried to remember. ”Aye, it's been so long since I've reported a harvest. Well, as it comes to my mind now, I believe it was a third of the harvest for the crown and then a tenth as tithe for the temples.”
Li nodded with a slight frown. ”That's almost half our harvest gone to taxes.”
”Aye, but you must understand, lad, to the crown I give what is owed, and it has done well in bringing peace to this land. To myself as well, they have given much aid. As a distinguished veteran, I need not pay tax when I am unable. That is why I yet still live on this gifted land unevicted. The temples, too, deserve their keep, for without them, countless many would fall to their festering wounds. I feel no regret in letting my harvest flow to the crown and the temples, for I trust they will help all those needing.”
”I can understand that, but I know how you are, old man. You're the type to want help people directly. You want to see people grow from your help and better themselves. It's why you feel so much pride in me being able to manage your farm from your teachings. It's why you feel so happy seeing Triple Threat claw themselves out of the streets with the shelter you gave them years ago.” Li clenched a fist in resolve. ”You've given the crown more than your due. It's about time you got to decide where your harvest went.”
”Lad, what are you planning? I know you possess great power, but do not be rash.”
”I'll go to the city hall and file out your harvest officially for this year. They'll get their taxes, but only once per year, because that's what they would've gotten normally. As for all our countless other harvests, I'll negotiate something so that we get to decide where it goes.”
”Negotiate? Do you mean to strongarm them?”
”Nothing of the sort, old man. That would cause way too much of a ruckus. I've heard from my assistant that the duchess is still in town. I'll pay her a visit again, tell her what I want. I'm sure she'll listen to me, judging by how our last talk went.”
-------
Li came through Riviera's city gates once more, nodding at the guards near the great entrance gate. They usually nodded back, but this time, they almost hopped aside when they recognized him. He didn't think much of it as he strolled into the city.
As he pathed through the main road, following it until he reached the marketplace, he had to give a mental thanks to Iona. It was such a load off his back to be able to have someone he trusted working the herb stall. Add to the fact that business was now positively booming with the adventurers crowding the place 24/7, and Iona never had to use her atrocious hawking skills.
He also gave thought to why he wanted to do this. It wasn't like him to draw attention to himself, and he wanted nothing much but the bare minimum to do with authority, but he wanted Old Thane to be remembered.
Old Thane wanted his extra harvest to go to the orphanages, and Li wanted to make sure everyone knew that it was the old man's work. Of course, Li knew that the old man would have opposed this, wanting to stay humbly anonymous, but this was a bit of Li's selfishness that he had no qualms about.
He wanted Old Thane's name to never be forgotten, to always be known and appreciated for the wonder of a man he was forever. He knew that the old man was mortal and destined to fade, but at the least, he felt it only right that he as one who would live forever should immortalize the old man's name.
And though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he did fear that he would become lonely as a god, living years and years and years as everything rose and fell around him. At the least, he wanted the old man's name to be just as immortal as he was, keeping him company forever.
When Li began approaching the marketplace, he realized the city was loud. Much, much louder than usual. Under the bright day's sun, a festive energy burst through every road. Drink flowed free on the streets, men and women exchanging toasts.