198. I Want to Avoid War as Much as Possible

I had no intention of collecting taxes from them in the first place.

They weren’t exactly a wealthy group, and what I needed from them was combat power, not money.

Money could be squeezed out from elsewhere.

“I don’t plan on collecting separate taxes. Don’t worry about it.”

“For real? Can we get that in writing?”

“Of course, I can draft a contract.”

“Hmm. Never met a human who didn’t collect taxes before.”

“Just how much do you plan to exploit us if you’re not taking taxes? Planning to work us like slaves?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Their suspicion ran deep.

What exactly were taxes to them?

From what I heard, they were taxed on everything-land taxes, even childbirth taxes.

That’s insane.

Having to pay taxes just for breathing and living.

What kind of life had they been living?

Just what kind of countries were the Keslan Kingdom and the Kartlan Empire?

Why did every rumor I heard about them sound like a horror story?

“First off, I’ll draft a contract regarding taxes. I really don’t need to collect taxes from you all. My business targets aren’t you but Kartlan and Keslan. With two nations overflowing with wealth, why would I bother taking your hard-earned money?”

“You’re going to squeeze money out of those bastards?”

By imposing tariffs and monopolizing goods heading to the kingdom and imperial territories, they’d have no choice but to pay up.

I manage almost all the goods produced in the underground city. If I control the distribution of monster materials, it’ll cause quite a stir.

‘Though I’ll likely take a huge loss in the short term.’

From what I’ve observed living in this world, the Keslan Kingdom and Kartlan Empire were structured in a way that they couldn’t sustain their luxuries without the Labyrinth City.

Countless byproducts from monsters in the labyrinth were reprocessed and sold to the empire and kingdom.

The nobles of these great powers then turned them into shampoos, detergents, clothes, and daily necessities, circulating them to make money-everyone living well off the system.

This had gone on for so long that even the great powers had reached a point where they couldn’t survive without the Labyrinth City.

Yeah, you could call it the dialectic of slavery.

They’d become beings who couldn’t live without the Labyrinth City.

So, if I openly decided to crash their economy, they’d have no choice but to pay up, crying.

Or they could start a war.

“Squeezing money out of them? That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year. Not even talking about war. Hah.”

“I don’t want war either. But if they strike first, I’ll have no choice but to retaliate.”

“So you were actually considering war?”

For some reason, the chieftain’s face looked oddly pleased, sending a chill down my spine.

This guy seemed to want war.

“No, I’m not saying I’ll start a war right now. Just that if they declare war to wipe us out, we’ll have no choice but to fight back.”

“If you try to squeeze money out of them, those two nations won’t just sit still. If you monopolize distribution, how do you plan to handle the backlash from adventurers? Do you even have a proper plan?”

“It’s less of a ‘proper plan’ and more like I’ve gained the confidence that I can pull off a bluff against them.”

“Confidence?”

The confidence that I could bluff against Keslan and Kartlan.

Of course, I had no real intention of waging an all-out war against the two nations. This was just a hypothetical.

I wasn’t short on money right now. While I disliked the two nations, our relations were stable.

But there was no guarantee they’d stay that way. Beastkin and elves were crucial labor forces for both nations-if they all migrated to the Labyrinth City, would Keslan and Kartlan just sit back and watch?

They were already eyeing the Labyrinth City greedily. We could be invaded by the kingdom or empire at any moment, so we had to plan with that in mind.

We had to prepare for war. Just because I didn’t want it didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.

They might strike first. So I had to always assume war was a possibility.

If I were just an ordinary adventurer, I wouldn’t have needed to think like this. But now, I was one of the key figures in the Labyrinth City, responsible for protecting it from external threats to ensure the labyrinth’s conquest.

“First, I should probably ask-what are your thoughts on the two nations?”

“They’re absolute scum.”

“I don’t know if it’s right for a human to badmouth human nations like this, but honestly, I’d love to wipe them off the map. The way they treat neighboring countries and other races is beyond cruel.”

I figured they’d say that.

Keslan and Kartlan were strong.

Strong enough to act like medieval-era thugs.

Their populations were vast, their power overwhelming.

They invaded, seized, and extorted others’ territories as they pleased.

The only reason they left the Labyrinth City alone was because it was filled with powerful adventurers, and if the Platinum Badges went wild, even they’d struggle to handle it. But even now, they were constantly scheming to squeeze profits from the city.

If left unchecked, they’d keep encroaching on our territory, trying to invade.

Just sending people to the Snake Nest proved that.

If they could take it, they’d seize the labyrinth in a heartbeat.

Frankly, seeing how those two nations operated, it was impossible to feel anything but disgust.

“I feel the same way. Probably everyone in the Labyrinth City hates Keslan and Kartlan. Even those from there tend to despise their own nations.”

Most who ended up in the Labyrinth City were disillusioned with the kingdom and empire.

They either scorned or outright hated their homelands.

From an adventurer’s perspective, it was hard to view the two nations favorably when they caused nothing but trouble.

“Anyway, you asked about war, right?”

“Yeah. Things won’t go as smoothly as you think.”

“If we launch an economic attack, the empire or kingdom will likely declare war. Right now, they see themselves as invincible.”

“No matter how many strong adventurers the Labyrinth City has, they’ll just overwhelm us with numbers. There’s no winning that.”

“Platinum Badges aren’t sleepless superhumans. Even if they were, handling tens or hundreds of thousands of troops is impossible. If they swarm the city, adventurers would scatter and fight as rebels.”

“Some might even defect. That’s how adventurers are-most side with whoever benefits them.”

“If we lose the Labyrinth City and scatter, it’s over. Once they take the labyrinth, they’ll start mass-producing their own Platinum Badges. Am I wrong?”

“You’re right. Everything you said is correct.”

It was all true.

If they overwhelmed us with numbers, there’d be no answer.

Until now.

“The real problem is their absurdly large military. If they throw their population at us, the Labyrinth City will be devastated. But recently, I’ve gained confidence. Confidence that we can win.”

After conquering the Snake Nest, I realized something.

The empire and kingdom relied on sheer numbers, but if I mass-produced troops using the Snake Nest’s monsters and unleashed them on their homelands, it’d be an interesting fight.

With Medusa’s Fruit, obtained after killing her, and the awakened Serpent’s Original Sin, I could spawn an endless army of monsters outside the labyrinth.

Monsters normally need immense power and conditions to leave the labyrinth, but I could bring their corpses outside and perform Infinite Serpent Summoning.

If I unleashed Serpents, Lamias, and Primitive Lizardmen, then summoned Gorgons, Medusas, and Hydras to march forward-what nation could possibly stop that?

After clearing the Snake Nest, I was certain.

I no longer feared human nations.

“For now, tax and money issues won’t escalate to war. Since we haven’t conquered the 7th Floor yet, you can bring your tribespeople once we succeed.”

“You’ve got bigger guts than I thought. Preparing for war and all.”

“You must have something up your sleeve. Adventurers alone can’t stop Kartlan Empire’s million-strong army.”

The Kartlan Empire had a million troops?

Their population was that big?

I knew it was large, but not that large.

Not that a million soldiers scared me, but the idea that I could kill them all myself felt surreal.

“Well, most are poorly educated serfs anyway.”

“Ah.”

Then it’d be easy. I could literally kill all million of them.

What could a militia with no combat experience do against a monster army?

Deploying serf militias would be like throwing imperial troops straight into the monsters’ mouths.

Serpents and monster armies could devour most organic matter.

The more they ate, the more eggs they’d lay.

To monsters, humans were the best food source.

If a ragtag imperial army invaded, my monster forces would only benefit.

“Adventurers might not even need to step in.”

“I don’t sense any lies in your words.”

“So you’re confident about fighting the empire and kingdom. You’re insane.”

The elder and chieftain nodded, seemingly sensing my conviction in my expression and tone.

The especially bold chieftain looked thoroughly satisfied.

“Guess we’ve got no choice but to trust you.”

“Not like there’s another option. Fine. We’ll help conquer the labyrinth.”

“Good. We’ll likely start the 6th Floor conquest soon. Until then, let’s strengthen the beastkin and elves as much as possible. I’ll open the 5th Floor’s gate to accelerate their mana adaptation.”

After discussing a few more details, we parted ways.

The chieftain would head to the newly established beastkin autonomous district under the Druid Association’s jurisdiction, while the elf elder would bring their people to my mansion and the surrounding residential area.

Our forces had grown. Not just free-spirited adventurers, but now, heteromorphic soldiers who’d follow my orders.

‘All that’s left is conquering the 6th Floor.’

Once we conquer it and systematically harvest its resources, the 7th Floor’s gate will open.

Then, we’ll be able to move forward again.