Dudian was curious and also followed into the living room.
In the living room, besides Gray, there were two other figures. One was a middle-aged man with a plump body and a large belly. He was wearing three or four gold rings on his fingers and looked like a wealthy person at first glance. The other was a thin man dressed in a black gentleman's suit with neatly combed hair, looking like a nobleman.
"Gray, watch your attitude!" Just as Dudian walked in, he happened to hear the scolding voice of this thin man.
Gray clenched his fists tightly and looked at him with anger all over his face. "This house was bought by us, and the tax details here were clearly written in the contract. It's simply illegal for you to want to increase the property tax!"
The plump middle-aged man chuckled. "Illegal? What do you know about the law, you little tailor? The entire Linkang Street is my territory. In my territory, what I say is the law. Even if you take it to the Tribunal, it won't do any good. And I welcome you to go there anytime."
Gray gritted his teeth. "You're just robbing us!"
"Hmph, that's slander, defamation, and you've already made a personal attack on me. I can sue you!" the thin man said coldly.
At this moment, Jura looked at Gray, whose face was red with anger, and quickly went to hold his hand. She said to the plump middle-aged man, "Please give us a little more time to discuss this matter. We really can't afford such a high tax."
The plump middle-aged man said indifferently, "You're more sensible. But we've already given you a few days. Today is the last day. I'll come back again tonight. I hope you can give me a satisfactory answer." After saying that, he stood up, adjusted his collar, held his head slightly high, and walked past Gray.
"Wait a moment." At this time, a figure blocked his way. It was Dudian.
"Hmm?" The plump middle-aged man lowered his head and looked at Dudian, whose head only reached his chin. He frowned and said, "Little fellow, who are you?"
At this time, Gray also noticed Dudian. Seeing his completely changed appearance, he was stunned and said, "Dian? You, you're back?"
Dudian nodded slightly, then looked up and stared directly at the plump middle-aged man. "I think it's quite tiring for someone of your build to make a round trip. It's better to reach an agreement in one go. Besides, we don't really like being disturbed at home."
The plump middle-aged man was taken aback and laughed. "You're quite sensible, little fellow. I heard that Gray has an adopted child. Is that you?"
Dudian didn't answer him but continued, "First of all, according to Article 6, Chapter 3 of the Land Law, anyone who purchases land and property at one time must pay off the property rights tax and the house price in one go. From this, it can be seen that when Uncle and Aunt bought this house, they had already paid the fees. Otherwise, they wouldn't have received the property certificate for this house. So, here comes the problem."
"In Section 7, Chapter 4 of the law, all the ownership rights and taxes of the house belong to the house owner, and only the lord of the house has the right to take it back."
Dudian looked at him. "You said that the entire Linkang Street is your territory? Can you show me your territory certificate? Even if you want to collect taxes, you need to go to the Tribunal and present your lord's certificate in the presence of a Divine Official to obtain the tax contract, right?"
The plump middle-aged man couldn't help but be stunned.
The thin man following him was also taken aback, and his face darkened. "Little fellow, what nonsense are you talking? Do you think the lord's certificate is something you can just ask to see?"
Dudian looked up at him and said calmly, "If you can't produce the lord's certificate, please leave and don't bother us anymore. Otherwise, I will arrest you as people who have disturbed the residents."
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.
The thin man came to his senses and laughed loudly. "Arrest me? Little fellow, I'll let it slide because you're young and naive. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll send you directly to the guards."
"No need for you to send me. I am a guard." Dudian took out the guard medal with crossed swords and said indifferently, "Based on what you just said, I can sue you for slandering a guard and arrest you! As for the crime, let me think. According to Article 7 of the law, maliciously slandering a nobleman results in three years in prison, slandering a guard results in two years in prison, and attacking a guard results in the death penalty!"
"Which one do you want?" Dudian looked up at the two of them.
The plump middle-aged man and the thin man looked at the guard medal, their eyes wide open in disbelief, and they were speechless.
The Jura couple also stared in surprise at the familiar medal. They quickly remembered the purpose of Dudian's three-year training. Looking at each other, they could see the excitement and joy in each other's eyes. They never expected that Dudian had really succeeded!
"You, you're a guard?" The plump middle-aged man still couldn't believe it. This was the first time he had seen such a young guard.
Dudian said indifferently, "Are you questioning me?"
The plump middle-aged man quickly shook his head. Although he found it incredible, he still recognized this medal. Moreover, impersonating a guard was a serious crime, not just a simple beheading.
"This is the first time I've seen such a young... such a promising guard," the plump middle-aged man forced a smile.
Dudian said calmly, "This just shows that you're not a real lord. There are many guards like me. Before reaching the age of 16 in military service, we will first join the noble escort team for training. After reaching the appropriate age, we will be transferred to guard the 'Wall of Boundaries' and the Great Wall." The "Wall of Boundaries" he mentioned referred to the high wall separating each region, which was called the "Wall between the Rich and the Poor" among the nobles.
The plump middle-aged man looked a bit embarrassed. "I, I'm really the lord here. My grandfather was once a great knight and was granted this territory. It's just..." He trailed off, looking rather sheepish.
"It's just that this territory was granted to your knight grandfather by a noble, and since he's no longer alive, the territory has lost its legitimacy and has been taken back. Of course, maybe that noble forgot to take it back, so you've continued to act as lords." Dudian said indifferently, "But this is illegal. I think if you leave immediately, I can consider not pursuing the matter."
The plump middle-aged man and the thin man looked at each other, then immediately bowed and said, "Then we'll take our leave." After that, they sidled past Dudian and fled as if in a hurry.
Before long, the carriage outside the door roared away under the lash of the whip.
Only then did Dudian look up at the Jura couple. After not seeing them for three years, there were some wrinkles at the corners of their eyes. Calculating their age, they must be around thirty now. In this world, the concept of being thirty was similar to that of being fifty in the old days.
The Jura couple finally came to their senses and looked at Dudian in amazement. They never expected that the trouble that had been giving them so much headache could be resolved by Dudian's few words. Gray said happily, "Did you graduate successfully? You're truly my son. Haha, I never thought that my child would become a guard. I'll go to the factory tomorrow and tell my colleagues about it to make them envious."
Jura gave him a look and smiled as she stroked Dudian's hair. "You've gotten so tanned, my child. You must have had a tough time these three years, right?"
Dudian smiled slightly. "It's nothing. However, I won't be able to stay for long this time. I'll be going on a mission in a few days and won't be able to accompany you much."
Jura was taken aback. "A mission? What kind of mission? Is it dangerous?"
"It's not dangerous. Don't worry."
"Is that so? That's good."
Gray laughed. "What danger could there be in being a guard? It's just accompanying nobles around. With the protection of the Holy See of Light now, those evil demons wouldn't dare to show their heads."
Jura said irritably, "What if something unexpected happens?"
Gray just smiled and shook his head without saying anything.
That night, Jura prepared a sumptuous dinner for Dudian to celebrate his return and his becoming a guard. After the dinner, Dudian said to the two of them, "Aunt, I want to borrow some money. This time, it's quite a large amount."
Jura smiled. "What do you mean by borrowing? How much do you need?"
"Ten silver coins," Dudian thought for a moment and said. This amount of money should be enough to buy a fair amount of black powder raw materials. After all, he was going outside the Great Wall next. In case of any danger, it would be good to have something for self-defense.