Basim’s adventures in Assassin’s Creed Mirage see him traveling through the greater region of Baghdad, uncovering information about the members of the tyrannical Order and investigating various disturbances of the various locales he visits.
Upon arriving at the Karkh Hidden Ones bureau, Basim will begin the investigation Of Toil And Taxes, which consists of three separate missions. After clearing the Coins and Daggers mission, Basim will be given the option to speak with an old acquaintance or look into the issues merchants have been having at the bazaar.
How To Begin Of Toil And Taxes Mission
Whether Basim chooses to speak with his old friend or check in with the merchants at the bazaar is irrelevant to the overall arc of the investigation. Choose to meet the merchants who seem to have been harassed by soldiers to initiate Of Toil And Taxes (mission). Follow the objective marker on the minimap to reach the center of the bazaar. Three soldiers are surrounding a perfume merchant with the intent of arresting her. Intervene here to get the ball rolling on the mission.
Two options are available for Basim in this situation: assassinate the three guards or bribe the lead guard with a power token. There really is no wrong choice here, but if stealth and less combat is the ideal outcome, bribe the guards. Basim can pickpocket the power token back from the guard immediately after giving it to him, so there are no negatives to this particular choice. Assassinating the guards will increase Basim’s notoriety level, but the bazaar is also full of opportunities to tear down wanted posters, so clearing the newly incurred notoriety is relatively simple. After freeing the merchant, Basim will learn that there is a group of stranded merchants stuck outside the city. Take her information and begin the next step of the investigation.
Help The Stranded Merchants
Be sure to mark the new investigation as active to track it. Exit to the south of your location. Follow the quest marker for a bit (it may be easiest to summon a mount with the right D-Pad and then hold the follow quest button) before reaching a small campsite where a decent number of foreign merchants are gathered.There is a bit of a panic reverberating through the camp, as the merchants have found a decapitated horse head strewn in the middle of the area. It seems someone slaughtered this poor horse during the night. A merchant near the entrance of the camp asks Basim for help in solving this brutal crime.
Basim agrees to help figure out what happened here. Toggle Eagle Vision to search for clues. There are four clues for Basim to investigate. They are:
- The horse head
- The owner of the horse
- The merchant with an eyewitness account
- A note near the eyewitness merchant
After Basim has pondered over the four clues, he should return to the initial merchant who asked for his help. It appears as if someone is targeting foreign merchants. Basim offers to escort a few of the merchants to the city, and they gladly accept the protection.
Hop back on Basim’s mount and follow closely to the merchants. They will discuss the upcoming grand auction, something that Basim has already heard quite a bit about. Before too long, an ambush is triggered and multiple explosives are detonated. Dismount and prepare for a brief battle with a few soldiers. Be careful, as the explosion can disorient Basim momentarily. Dispatch the enemies before completing the escort. Once everyone has safely arrived at the gates to the city, the ‘lead’ merchant will speak with Basim. He will help Basim identify the tax collector as his next target, a man named Al-Anqa.
Finish Up The Mission
Now that Basim has his next target, the Of Toil And Taxes mission will come to a close. This will trigger the Toll of Greed mission and send Basim on his way to assassinate the one known as the tax collector. Al-Anqa is not a senior member of the grand order, so assassinating him will not earn Basim a promotion. He will, however, prove to be a worthwhile mark, as the investigative information Basim gleans from the next mission will help him identify his next main target.