14、When greed becomes a habit

  The town mayor's expression was surprised and slightly amused, he could see that Armon was trying to pick a fight with Xiao Gu, and couldn't help but wonder at the child's audacity. Armon indeed had reason to be angry, as Xiao Gu had almost chopped off one of his fingers last time, and yet Armon had never offended this priest before, but still, he actually did it!

  Amon claimed to have found naturally occurring mineral cores in the mountain torrents, which is not impossible but extremely rare. If some villagers really picked up one or two such cores, they would quietly take them home and wouldn't report it, of course keeping the divine stones for themselves. Who would know if they didn't say anything?

  What Ah Meng is doing is clearly meant to let Xiao Gu pay taxes for him, who made this priest make such a promise to apologize?

  Xiao Gu's face looked very unsightly, but he couldn't say anything in front of everyone, so he had to ask: "Amon, you're really a lucky and honest kid, can you let me take a look at the divine stone you excavated?"

  He thought Amun had picked up one or two mine cores, but when Amun took out a sheepskin from his bosom and opened it, everyone around him let out a cry of surprise. It was seen that Xiao Guo's eyes turned black and he fainted on the spot. If it wasn't for the quick hands of the servant beside him to hold him up, the back of his head would have hit the steps!

  All that can be seen is that on this dirty sheepskin, there are not only twenty colorless and transparent standard divine stones, but also a special divine stone with a faint blue glow, like a strange and mysterious wave rippling within.

  The onlookers were shocked and speechless. At this time, it was still the mayor who was the calmest, the first to come back to his senses, took a deep breath and asked: "Ah Meng, are these really what you picked up?"

  Ammon nodded expressionlessly and said, "Yes, it should be that a mountain flood in some year happened to wash open a mineral vein, and a pile of mineral cores were exposed in the dry riverbed marks. I was lucky enough to discover them."

  Dast took a deep breath and swallowed his saliva, feeling his lips were a bit dry. He looked around quietly and said: "Actually, you can... do this... for yourself..."

  He only said half of each sentence, but the meaning was clearer than ever. In fact, Amun could quietly stay behind and not say anything to anyone, doing so would be forcing Xiao Gu to pay taxes, which would not benefit Amun himself, because Xiao Gu would definitely retaliate, and Xiao Gu's power and status were not something that a miner's son could afford to offend?

  At this time, someone beside him said: "Sir Xiao Guo has fainted, what should we do?"

  "Prefect sir, I want to pay taxes. You wouldn't have me break the law in public, would you?"

  Dastin Town sighed and said helplessly, "Wake up Mr. Xiao Gu, we all know that the taxes for this year's Ammon family will be paid by him!"

  Only the town mayor knew why Xiao Gu had fainted. If there were only twenty divine stones, and Xiao Gu had paid eighteen of them as taxes, even if it was a heart-wrenching pain like cutting flesh, it wouldn't have caused him to lose his composure like this. The key lay in that blue divine stone, which the miners in this town didn't know its value; calculated according to the tax, it was equivalent to two hundred standard divine stones.

  That is to say, Xiao Gu needs to pay a total of 198 divine stones as taxes for Ah Mon. One divine stone is equivalent to twenty taels of gold coins, so Xiao Gu needs to pay nearly four thousand taels of gold coins in taxes! With this amount of money, you can buy a luxurious manor and a group of slaves and cattle in the city-state of Syria.

  Xiao Gu was woken up by someone rubbing his chest, and with the support of two servants, he barely stood firm, trembling as he asked: "A Meng, do you really want to pay taxes?" As he spoke, his eyes seemed to be about to bleed, and if a gaze could kill, A Meng would have been chopped into pieces.

  Amon met the gaze head-on, not dodging it in the slightest, and looked straight into Xiao Gu's eyes with a tone that was very calm and clear: "Yes, is the clerk in charge of registering taxes suggesting that I should publicly evade taxes?"

  Cornered to this extent, the tax has to be paid. Xiao Du dodged Ah Meng's line of sight and pleaded with Dasu, "Town Chief Sir, I'll take in this tax, record it as 21 divine stones."

  The meaning of this sentence seems to be understood only by Dast, it's a word game, the blue divine stone is also a divine stone, so registering like this doesn't seem wrong. However, here involves a secret between Xiao Gu and Dast, which is also the best way for these two noble lords in town to make money, in the past when miners excavated special divine stones, they would all be overjoyed.

  The villagers were not aware of the high value of the special divine stone, as it would be taken away once excavated and could not circulate in the market like standard divine stones. They only knew that this thing was rare, possibly one in hundreds of divine stones, and if excavated, the village chief would be very happy to reward an extra divine stone to the craftsman.

  What's left is the inside story of the town head and the secretary. A special divine stone can be exchanged for two hundred standard divine stones, and according to the law, they can keep twenty for themselves, while the miner who excavated it only got one reward, and the remaining nineteen were secretly kept by Dasiti and Xiao Ke. This is not the most profitable situation, if under the tacit consent of the town head, the secretary only records divine stones but not special divine stones, then they can privately divide the benefits equivalent to one hundred and ninety-eight divine stones!

  But now the situation is different, the blue divine stone is more valuable, Xiao Gu will have to pay more taxes for Ah Meng. Xiao Gu hinted to the town mayor of Dastin, just like he did before, not to register as Azure Water Heart. He even winked at the town mayor, hoping to conceal the value of Azure Water Heart and cheat it out of Ah Meng's hands with a reward of ordinary divine stones, so that not only would there be no loss but also a big fortune could be made.

  The mayor of Dusty Town hesitated, coughing and about to speak. Unexpectedly, Armon said loudly: "Lord Priest, I'm sorry, don't forget that I can read too! Please register the truth, 20 standard divine stones and one blue divine stone, I can understand."

  The sentence was like an invisible giant hammer striking, Xiao Gu's body suddenly shook and then leaned softly on the servant's shoulder, not daring to look at Amun but only looking at Dastier. Dastier's face also turned very unsightly, and he said in a low voice to Amun: "Leave the matter of taxation to the adults, anyway, you won't have to pay taxes. Also, this azure-blue divine stone, can you give it to me? The town will give you a special reward."

  "Amun asked back: 'If the taxes have been paid in full, then all the divine stones can stay with me, right?'"

  Dast's throat was a bit dry, and he said hesitantly: "Special divine stones will be handed over as above, and you will receive extra rewards. For you, there is no loss..."

  His words were not yet finished, Amun felt a hand on his shoulder, and the old madman's voice said slowly: "Town Lord, I often see that someone has something that doesn't belong to him, and over time it becomes a habit, but he forgets that those things aren't his. What if one day he didn't get what wasn't his, and he actually thought the real owner shouldn't have it? What kind of person is this?"

  Amun looked at Xiao's pitiful appearance begging the town mayor, and for some reason, a surge of nameless anger rose in his heart, almost suppressing him, making him want to take two steps forward and punch him until his face was covered in blood. This thought stimulated Amun's body to tremble. The old madman happened to appear at this time, pressing his hand on Amun's shoulder, with an invisible force that made him unable to move.

  The mayor of Dusty Town didn't say a word, while the old madman continued to talk incessantly: "This is the devil! Desire isn't necessarily evil, it can encourage people to create and pursue more good things... But I want to tell you a story. Once upon a time, someone stole one gold coin from me every day without anyone investigating, later on, when I kindly told him that this wasn't right, he was filled with hatred and curses in his heart, asking me to encourage and praise him for continuing this behavior, otherwise it would become my evil deed, yet completely forgetting how much he had gained from me... Tell me, whose evil deed is this?"

  The town head of Das Ti was stared at by the old madman's eyes and broke out in a cold sweat, unconsciously retreating one step back, turning his head to Xiao Guo: "Secretary, Ah Mon's request is normal and legal, since he recognizes words, let him watch you register, write twenty standard divine stones and one blue divine stone, taxes will be paid by you on his behalf."

  As soon as the words came out, Xiao Gu's eyes rolled back and his body stiffened, spitting out a mouthful of blood before falling into the arms of his attendant. The attendants hastily carried him into the temple for emergency treatment, but most people still didn't understand what had happened, it seemed that Lord Xiao was ill, very seriously ill.

  The old madman looked coldly at Xiao Gu being carried into the temple, and only then said to Das: "The clerk is unwell and cannot continue working. The mayor will register it personally."

  Dast nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Alright, I'll take care of the registration. You'd better take this child away quickly!"

  Amon had an irrepressible emotion, filled with violent impulses, but seeing Xiao Tuo spit blood and faint, it was as if he himself had been punched in the gut, and yet he inexplicably calmed down, suddenly feeling that this noble priest was like a lowly, pitiful worm. At this time, the old madman's hand on his shoulder exerted a slight force, and Amon involuntarily turned around and followed him.

  ……

  "Kid, Xiaogu is a must, but are you aware of the two-sided desire while enduring your own suffering? Learn how to face it, just like learning how to use power. ... What you did today was very dangerous and not calm enough. If you don't learn how to face this test, I won't see your achievements in the future, and I'm afraid I'll soon see your corpse."

  This was at the home of the old crank, where Nietzsche spoke while drinking wine, but did not pour a glass for Armand.

  "Are you saying Xiao Gu will take revenge on me?"

  The old madman laughed: "Nonsense, you know the consequences! He certainly has the intention of killing you... Do you understand the value of the Azure Water Heart?"

  Ammon: "I'm not sure, you didn't tell me either, I think it should be very valuable, right?"

  Old Crazy: "The concept of money in Du Ke Town is different from the outside. A single Azure Water Heart is worth 200 Divine Stones, equivalent to 4,000 gold coins, and it's not something you can buy just because you want to. An amount like this could trigger a bloody conflict anywhere, let alone when it's only in the hands of a child like you. For now, Du Ke Town is still safe, at least with me around, but what about when you're on your own?"

  Amun lowered his head and said: "You seem to know what I'm going to do, but you didn't stop me."

  The old madman shook his head: "It's no use advising, I can stop you, but I can't replace you in facing the surging desires. After this incident, you should understand how to grasp it, face it calmly and even enjoy it, but don't let it control your thoughts and actions... Besides, I'd like to see you get rid of Xiao Gu, he deserves it, just be careful with yourself."

  Ammon nodded and said, "I think I understand now."

  The old madman stood up: "Understood, now you can learn the most basic first-level divine technique. There are many types of divine techniques, including elemental divine techniques, spiritual divine techniques, blessing divine techniques, spatial divine techniques, information divine techniques, and so on. It's difficult for a magician to master all types of divine techniques, and they usually have their own strengths. I'm not sure what you're good at, since you have the Azure Water Heart, let's start with water elemental divine technique."

  The magic in Ah Mon's mind was originally so mysterious and profound, but the old madman told him that reaching the standard of a first-class magician is simple, just one piece of ice!

  Summon the water in the environment, condense it into ice, and quietly lay a layer of ice on a certain area around you. Although they are all first-level divine magic, this combination is quite tricky to use, and it must be done silently and simultaneously.

  The old madman didn't tell him how difficult it was for a beginner magician, only that this was the simplest start.

  Freezing water into ice was easy, and Amun did it for the first time using the method taught by the old madman. Summoning the water elements in the environment to form countless tiny ice crystals that gradually covered the ground, it took some effort, but succeeded after a few days. The old madman then smiled at Amun and said: "You can practice repeatedly, but when you cultivate yourself, don't use the Azure Water Heart again."

  When Ah Meng didn't use the Azure Water Heart as a medium to cast his spells, he found it ten times more difficult. It should be said that Old Crazy should have given him a magic wand, but this old man seemed to have intentionally or unintentionally forgotten, and actually wanted Ah Meng to rely solely on his own spiritual power to cast his spells without any tools.

  Amon can't do it, in fact many low-level divine technique practitioners can't achieve this point, including third-level divine technique practitioners, at least they have a staff embedded with ordinary divine stones! But Amon's heart is already very clear about what to do, the skills are already mastered, he has succeeded many times through the Azure Water Heart, so he doesn't doubt that his method is wrong, it's just that his power hasn't reached yet, no doubts or despair, let's practice well!

  It was only then that the old madman explained to Armon the special properties of Azure Heart and how it should be used. The Azure Heart not only helped to awaken one's power, but also greatly assisted in casting water elemental spells. If Armon were to try to cast such a spell relying solely on his own strength from the beginning, he would have been impossible to succeed; using the Azure Heart was a shortcut.

  However, there is a principle for taking shortcuts, which can only be used in two situations: First, to better master a certain magical technique, and to understand its methods and techniques in the most thorough way; Second, when fighting with one's life on the line, it is impossible to reserve any strength. However, after mastering a certain magical technique, try not to use it during normal cultivation, otherwise it will form dependence and complacency, which has no benefit for one's own strength.

  The old madman said so, and Amun did so. Without the help of the Azure Water Heart, he couldn't do it, but he wasn't in a hurry either. Amun still had a mind to spare, and every now and then, he would quietly use the Azure Water Heart again to test himself, to see how much his power had increased. The result was very satisfying, the speed of ice formation was getting faster and faster, and the range was also getting bigger and bigger.

  The old madman was well aware that Ah Mon wanted to condense water and lay ice solely by his own strength, and it was really too difficult to complete in one go without making a sound. If he could do it so easily, he would be surprised instead! What kind of genius has its limits! Apart from this, the old madman didn't teach Ah Mon anything else, not even body techniques.

  One day, Ammon spent an afternoon quietly condensing a layer of almost imperceptible ice on the threshold of the old madman's house, wanting to see the old madman take a tumble and then help him up from beside. As a result, when the old madman returned home, that layer of ice mysteriously disappeared, but Ammon behind the door slipped and fell with his legs in the air.

  At this time, the old madman said to him: "Child, you are already a first-class magician. Such a short period of time is certainly an extraordinary achievement for others, but for you, I just hope that time will come soon... because disaster is about to strike, and at that time you must be able to protect yourself, and also learn how to protect yourself."

  "What disaster?" Ah Mon asked curiously.

  The old madman did not want to say more, but instead asked a question: "Do you still go to Hanshui every night to practice your magic?"

  Ammon nodded: "Yes, I'm used to it."

  That icy spring is no longer freezing, but just a clear and cool pool of water. Ah Meng was used to calling it the Icy Spring, and he was also accustomed to going there every day for bathing and practicing his magic. The place was very secluded, the environment was very peaceful, and Ah Meng had a familiar and intimate feeling.

  The old madman didn't say anything else, just nodded and said: "Alright then, you can go on."

  Amon didn't know why the old madman said disaster was coming, but that night Amon really encountered a disastrous event.

  **