"Yeah, you still treat us as human beings!"
"Our taxes are already crushing us. We're barely able to survive. If you raise them again this month, we'll have no way to live at all!"
The angry shouts echoed like rolling thunder across the central square of Ross. Tens of thousands of citizens pressed shoulder to shoulder, eyes red with fatigue and fury. Only a few days ago, a new tax had been levied, squeezing the last scraps of coin from the poor. Now rumors swirled of yet another increase. If the king truly spoke those words, rebellion would not just be possible—it would be inevitable.
But King Gavin Ward had not gathered his people to raise taxes. Today, he intended something far different.
---
The King's Command
"Quiet!" Gavin's roar carried across the square, sharp as a blade.
Hundreds of knights standing in formation responded instantly, slamming their sheathed swords against the stone pavement in unison. The sound exploded like thunderclaps, reverberating off the walls of the buildings and drowning out the mob's fury. For a moment, even the most furious citizen was forced into silence, staring wide-eyed at the disciplined knights.
"Citizens of Ross," Gavin declared from the high platform, his gaze sweeping across the restless crowd. "When did I say I would raise your taxes?"
A hush spread like ripples over water. Tens of thousands leaned forward, listening, dreading what would come next.
"I proclaim," Gavin said, voice ringing clear, "that for this year, you are exempt from all taxes!"
---
A Shocking Decree
The silence that followed was deafening. People blinked, stunned. Some rubbed their ears as if they had misheard.
"What…?"
"Did I hear that right?"
"The king said—tax exemption?"
"He's not raising them, he's cancelling them?!"
The crowd buzzed with disbelief. Even the knights flanking the king stared in shock. Tax exemption? Had their king gone mad?
Until this moment, even Gavin's soldiers had been steeling themselves for disaster. Many were prepared to put down riots if the king dared increase taxes. Some, in their hearts, were ready to side with the people rather than crush them. Yet now, in one sentence, Gavin had turned everything upside down.
"You heard me correctly," Gavin continued, his hands clasped calmly behind his back. "Not only will I not raise your taxes, but for this year, you owe nothing at all. And when taxes return in the future, they shall be lighter than ever before!"
A murmur rose, growing into waves of astonishment.
---
The People's Relief
No one could believe it. For decades, Ross's rulers had bled their citizens dry. Tax after tax, levy after levy—garbage tax, water tax, food tax, even window tax. Life had been a cycle of endless toil and despair.
And yet here was Gavin Ward, the young king who had inherited a ruined country, declaring freedom from it all.
Cries erupted.
"Long live His Majesty!"
"Ross has never had a king like this!"
"My family will finally eat without fear of losing every coin!"
The wave of emotion was overwhelming. In that instant, Gavin secured something more valuable than gold: the hearts of his people.
---
Striking Down Nobility
But Gavin was not finished. His next words would shake the foundations of the continent.
"Not only this," Gavin proclaimed, his voice cutting through the cheers. "I now declare: all privileges of the nobility within Ross are abolished! From this day forward, there shall be no lords above you, save the king himself. Titles will remain in name only. No noble shall exploit you again."
The square erupted like a volcano.
"What!?"
"End the nobles' privileges?"
"Does that mean… no more masters to bleed us dry?"
"We'll never be forced under their boots again?"
The declaration hit like lightning. Nobility had ruled the continent for thousands of years, their privileges woven into the very fabric of society. That Gavin would cast them aside was unthinkable—yet for the desperate people of Ross, it was salvation.
In truth, Gavin understood the reality: nearly all the nobles of Ross had already fled when the kingdom collapsed, abandoning the people. Only a handful of knights tied directly to the royal family remained. By abolishing noble rights, Gavin sacrificed nothing while gaining the full devotion of the masses.
---
A New System Awakens
As the roar of the people filled the square, Gavin's hidden system stirred.
> [Public opinion detected: Popularity unlocked!]
[Gained Popularity Value: 53,642]
[People's Livelihood Technology Tree Unlocked!]
Gavin's heart leapt. A new tech tree? This was no minor development.
> [People's Livelihood Technology complements the Military Technology Tree. Advancing one unlocks opportunities in the other.]
Excitement flared in Gavin's chest. Military technology had given him weapons, tactics, and armies. But people's livelihood technology could reshape the very foundation of his country—its economy, its society, its stability.
More prompts followed:
> [Alternating Current unlocked. Spend 20,000 Popularity to activate?]
[Alternating Current derivative technologies available. Spend 30,000 Popularity to purchase?]
"Buy it," Gavin ordered without hesitation.
> [Purchase successful. Alternating Current Technology acquired. 10 technical workers have been generated and await His Majesty in the palace.]
A grin tugged at Gavin's lips. Electricity—the key to industry, lighting, and communication—was now in his grasp.
---
The King's Vision
Still, he sighed softly. "No internal combustion engine?"
> [Internal combustion engine requires steam engine technology first. Continue advancing, Your Majesty.]
So it was step by step. He could not leap directly to the future without building the foundation first. But even without engines, alternating current was a revolution.
And outside, he could still hear the crowd, their joy crashing like waves against the platform.
"Long live the King!"
"Long live Gavin Ward!"
The cheers rang so loudly that Gavin's ears buzzed. He looked down upon them, not with arrogance, but with determination. He knew the truth of ordinary lives: those at the bottom pledged loyalty to whoever relieved their suffering. By cutting taxes and crushing noble privilege, he had won their loyalty beyond question.
Compared to other kingdoms—where rulers taxed their subjects to starvation and nobles grew fat—Ross was now an anomaly. Gavin was the only king in the continent who dared to lift the burden instead of adding to it.
---
Stephens' Concern
At his side, Steward Stephens leaned in nervously. "Your Majesty… abolishing noble privileges may win the people's hearts, but if news spreads to other countries, the nobility across Loriland will not sit quietly. Nobility has ruled for thousands of years. They may see your decree as dangerous."
"Let them be angry," Gavin replied with fire in his eyes. "What I will build is a new kind of kingdom. A nation where there is no aristocratic oppression. Where common folk live free, healthy, and in harmony. I will change not just Ross, but the entire world."
Stephens stared at him, dumbfounded. The words were audacious—mad even. But in them was a vision so bold it seized the imagination. Could Ross, broken and small as it was, truly become the seed of such greatness?
---
Preparing the Future
Gavin did not linger. "Stephens, how goes the collection of resources I ordered?"
The steward bowed. "Arrangements have been made. Merchants across the land have been contacted. The factory Your Majesty envisions will soon be underway. Of course, these merchants care nothing for borders—they see only profit."
He grimaced in distaste.
"Good," Gavin said, a smile flickering across his face. "Summon them. I wish to meet these merchants myself. If wealth flows endlessly into their pockets, then it is time for me to turn their greed into my kingdom's strength."
The future of Ross was beginning to take shape—not upon the old foundation of noble privilege and endless taxation, but upon industry, reform, and the loyalty of its people.
---
[End of Chapter 8]