He had handled countless financial crises—mismanaged provinces, rebellious lords, even a grain shortage that nearly caused a revolt.
But today, he was faced with something far worse.
Duskwatch.
The tax report in front of him was three sentences long.
"No taxes were collected. The people are doing fine. Stop sending letters."
Grayford inhaled deeply.
Across the table, his senior clerks and advisors sat in nervous silence.
"Explain this to me," he said, barely containing his irritation. "How does a province report zero tax revenue while simultaneously showing growth?"
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The head scribe, Edwin Morley, shifted uncomfortably. "We… don’t know."
Grayford’s eye twitched. "Then find out."
The officials hurriedly flipped through their notes.
"We first attempted a land tax," Morley began. "But the locals maintain their own roads and buildings with personal funds, so there’s no infrastructure spending we can collect from."
Another official cleared his throat. "Then we tried a trade tax. But because Lord Veilwood has no official tax officers, the merchants just… reinvest everything. Nothing is even recorded."
A younger scribe raised a trembling hand. "What about tariffs?"
Morley sighed. "Duskwatch doesn’t enforce tariffs. Traders are moving there specifically because they know they won’t get taxed at the border."
A long silence followed.
One of the older clerks finally muttered:
"…This is tax evasion on a scale we have never seen before."
Grayford folded his hands. "Forget the numbers. What happens if other provinces hear about this?"
The room went deathly quiet.
The empire was held together by taxes.
If Lucian Veilwood proved taxation was optional…
Grayford exhaled slowly.
"Send an envoy. Immediately."
Morley gulped. "To investigate?"
Grayford shook his head. "To remind Lord Veilwood that the empire has rules."