Tax evasion leads to investigation, and the tax audit methods of this era are quite simple. At the end of each month, the City Hall spends a month organizing accountants to perform a ten-to-one verification of all tax declarations from the previous month. They check for fluctuations in tax amounts over the past few months and discrepancies in payment names. If there are significant fluctuations and problematic payments, specific City Hall civil servants will visit to audit accounts or verify production costs by checking gas meters, among other methods.
Although it sounds complicated, in reality, only tax-paying entities like Detective agencies, which are difficult to precisely verify business transactions, need to pay special attention. There are indeed some loopholes for tax evasion, but Xia De has no such intentions, as he runs a legitimate business.
It took Xia De half an hour to complete the tax declaration process at the tax department next to the Black Stone Security Company. Xia De declared taxes for the past two months this time, paying a heavy tax of 7 pounds and 14 shillings.
This was a considerable expense. If Xia De could have such an income every month, his annual tax payment would barely reach three digits, exceeding the income level of most people in this City.
From this perspective, the job of a Detective actually has a lot of potential.
"Where did you buy these malt candies?"
The tax bureau in the North District was next to the Black Stone Security Company. Xia De had visited Iluna before, so it wasn't his first time. The cat on the first floor of the security company was still very friendly to Xia De, but to prevent his own cat from getting upset, Xia De didn't hug it this time.
Iluna met Xia De in the lounge on the first floor of the security company. At that time, Xia De had a magazine tucked under his left arm and held a tin box filled with yellow, gel-like malt candies in his right hand. There were only a few candies at the bottom of the box. The box had no lid, its edges were a bit rusty, and two short wooden sticks, slightly thicker than chopsticks, were inserted inside.
"Also, weren't you supposed to solve a commission? You look like you've been idling all morning."
Saying that, Iluna eyed Xia De's appearance suspiciously.
"I got the magazine from that haunted house. As for these candies, if you pay a certain amount of tax in one go, you get some gifts. These include, but are not limited to, two newspapers from this morning, a box of malt candies, three raw eggs, a wooden pen holder, a bookmark stamped by the City Hall, and a brass whistle. Oh, the last one was gone, otherwise I would have taken the whistle; it would be good for playing with cats."
Xia De replied.
These gifts were meant to encourage tax payment; paying over five pounds on the spot allowed one to choose any item. The value of the gifts was not equal; for example, after Xia De finished the candies in his hand, the tin box could also be used as a pen holder. So he just casually took a box of candies, and seeing Iluna interested, he handed it to her.
"Xia De, do you think I'm still a child?"
The seventeen-year-old girl said with a smile, taking the candies and placing them on a nearby table, looking very happy.
"What about the magazine? Why are you interested in a ladies' fashion magazine? Is that also a tax reward?"
Saying that, she reached for the magazine Xia De was holding. Xia De subconsciously wanted to hand it to her, but immediately remembered what was inside.
"No!"
He slightly raised his voice:
"This is a book I borrowed from the Black Raven Library! Yes, it can't be shown to others."
Iluna nodded, just a little surprised by Xia De's strong reaction.
Afterward, Xia De briefly explained his morning's itinerary, telling Iluna about the two matters he had already resolved.
Iluna had no particular feelings about the deceased young ghost; such things were not uncommon. As for the later peeping incident, Iluna also found it troublesome:
"We can't manage the affairs of ordinary people, but since the other party commissioned us, I think the captain will find a way to resolve it. Honestly, money is really hard to earn."
"What methods will your captain use?"
"It's hard to say, it mainly depends on whether the other party is obedient."
So Xia De stopped asking, as the remaining matters had nothing to do with him.
Of the three commissions Iluna gave, only the last one remained: the merchant selling spices in the north of the City.
The merchant did not have a fixed shop but, like the peddlers in Saint Delan Square, frequented a certain square in the North District of Tobesk.
The first two commissions were not major issues, so Xia De also considered the third matter to be an ordinary event, treating it as a leisurely outing for the day.
After bidding farewell to Iluna, he unhurriedly took a carriage to his destination. Along the way, he chatted with the coachman about recent prices. Summer was nearing its end, and the prices of inexpensive fruits like apples remained stable, allowing children from commoner families to occasionally enjoy them.
St. Anthem Square in Tobesk is one of the more bustling squares in the northern part of the City. It is said that its name originated from a bishop of the Peace Church who composed a hymn there during the early days of the City's establishment, though for some reason, it was not named after him.
The north of Tobesk is generally considered the Lower City. Unlike Saint Delan Square, which is primarily residential, St. Anthem Square is the largest trading center in the north of the City. The square is well-connected, with establishments like the Three Cats Inn, Hunter's Bookstore, "Cure-All" Herb Shop, and Mrs. Shuran's Garment Store around it. There's even a blacksmith's shop with a sign saying "Upper Class," helping people repair pots, sharpen knives, and scissors. As for the square itself, there's an endless stream of vendors selling various groceries, fruits, vegetables, and meats, as well as loan sharks from gangs and various performers.
People from the villages surrounding Tobesk, such as the village where Corpus, who provides corpse materials for Ring術士, lives, tend to center their activities around St. Anthem Square in the north of the City when they come to the City.
The upper class is the upper class; the poor and villagers from the countryside exist in the same space as them, but their lives are absolutely not the same.
Although it is the Lower City, St. Anthem Square is even livelier than the City center. One doesn't see noble ladies or fashionable gentlemen here, only people in patched clothes walking around.
Women wore headscarves and aprons, carrying market baskets and comparing goods they wished to choose; children, looking like they hadn't washed their faces in a long time, ran barefoot through the streets, sometimes shyly dodging strangers; rough, burly men in black shoes held liquor bottles, complaining to their companions about their difficult lives; beggars by the wall seemed oblivious to the surrounding noise and the clang of the blacksmith's shop, curled up on straw mats, only moving when the homeowner cursed loudly.
This was the Outsider's first time here, and the overwhelming variety of sights left him somewhat unable to take it all in. Although the streets and square were dilapidated, they were full of life. And compared to the people living in Saint Delan Square, those living here seemed to be in a different world altogether from the former.
"So Tobesk has places like this too."
The Outsider's eyes widened as he stood at the edge of the square, turning his head to look at everything around him. The air was a mixture of cheap tobacco, fermenting food, and rotting hay, and various sounds rushed into his ears, together forming a complex background noise.
He had only seen this place on the map left by Sparrow Detective before. On that map, which was densely packed with information, there were even annotations on how to find streetwalkers, loan sharks, and entrances to underground casinos nearby.
"If I want to experience more of this world, I should actually visit places like this more often."
The sense of shock brought by this scene was no less than the shock Xia De felt when he first stepped out and saw the foreign streetscape.
The Destiny Ring within his soul slowly rotated, and the brass-colored Enlightenment Element was accumulating. This indicated that this scene, for the Outsider who was still unfamiliar with this world, generated more insights into civilization.
Compared to the people of this world, the Outsider had a unique advantage in contemplating and comprehending civilization. However, this advantage was not in the application of literature and fairy tales like Dorothy and Princess Leia, but rather more akin to Old John's understanding of civilization as a whole.
