Several people sat under the vine trellis, slowly telling each other's stories, and then talked about their lives and daily hobbies. Loran Hill's originally shy temperament gradually relaxed and he was no longer as restrained as before.

"Sage, can you tell me how Brother Pullman knew you back then?" Sonia asked curiously with her eyes wide open.

"Well, this has to start with grilled mushrooms..."

Loran Hill recalled that night in the forest and the boy who fell beside the fire after eating poisonous mushrooms. Pullman was indeed very simple at that time.

"Wow, I didn't expect that Brother Pullman could be so unreliable sometimes." Sonia blinked her eyes as if she had discovered a new world.

"In my mind, Brother Pullman has always been very calm. He considers everything very carefully and always has several backup plans ready. I didn't expect that I would have such an experience back then." Sonia talked about her impression of Pullman after she met him.

"People will eventually grow up." Yorke also seemed to have emotion.

As they chatted, time passed by unknowingly and the sky gradually darkened.

"Then let's stop here today, sage." Before leaving, Sonia saluted Loran Hill, and then they parted ways.

-------

After Loran Hill walked away, only Sonia and Leiden were left under the vine trellis.

"Leiden!" Sonia was the first to attack.

"What's wrong?" The man looked as if he was a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water.

"Why didn't you show any sense this afternoon? You're such a fool. The wise man has just arrived and hasn't met everyone yet. He's a stranger, and you're trying to drag him into a conversation about serious matters. Don't you think that's inappropriate?"

"Especially just before you left, you actually asked if there was any other knowledge or books related to commerce. You have no humanity at all. You still want to do big business like this? You are really stupid and dull."

Leiden stopped talking and could no longer wave his folding fan.

After a long time, he finally spoke.

"Tell me, how much do you want this time?"

"5,000 extraordinary gold coins!" Sonia made a gesture.

"You should sell me out. I'm in charge of the entire department now and don't have time to run my own chamber of commerce. Where would I get so much money?"

"Besides, what are you going to do with so much money?"

"Huh? You can't even take this out? Isn't your business quite big?" Sonia retracted her finger.

"Business is about making money from money. Many properties are fixed, such as houses, land, personnel, caravans, shops, etc. Liquid funds cannot be used indiscriminately, otherwise something big will happen." Leiden explained briefly.

"Well, I didn't want to go through the formal channels." Sonia said thoughtfully, twirling her fingers.

"Black Rock has been a bit unstable lately. Since Frost Rose supports the Halberd Faction, we should support the Bowhunter Faction. Unfortunately, funds are tight right now, and the intelligence department can't take up too much of the budget. We should focus on agricultural production and education."

"It's right not to interfere." Leiden nodded.

"Because even if this move succeeds, it won't bring very good results." Although his emotional intelligence is sometimes a little low, Leiden is not really stupid. He just spends a lot of his time on other things.

"Even if the Bowhunters succeed, what good will it do? They're even more conservative and rigid than the Spearmen. They're definitely not on our side. Even if we form an alliance, it'll be fragile and require constant favors to maintain. If we go to war with the Frost Rose, our rear will be left exposed. We dare not hand over the north to such an 'ally'."

"Rather than wasting effort trying to win them over, I hope they'll take the initiative and attack. This way, we can have a legitimate cause and defeat Black Rock with lightning speed, liberate the entire territory, and make it part of Clancy. Only then can we rest assured forever."

There was a hint of coldness in the eyes of the head of the Clansian commerce department. He was not the kind of person who was soft-hearted.

"Fighting and killing is not good. The sage will not like it."

Sonia lay on the table a little disappointed. After talking for an afternoon, the leader of the intelligence department gradually understood the temperament of the silver-haired girl, who was gentle and kind.

Having such a person as your boss or a member of your team will make you feel safe and comfortable, but sometimes you will also worry that his methods are not harsh enough.

People are strange like this. On one hand, they hope that their people are loyal and kind, so that they can feel at ease and not worry about betrayal or abandonment. On the other hand, they also hope that they can be flexible and not be deceived by outsiders.

"But I feel at ease and like this wise man." After lying down for a while, Sonia raised her head and said to Leiden.

"What about you, idiot."

"Me? I admire the sage's knowledge and insights even more. They have truly revealed the true essence of business."

"That's where our opinions differ. Well, enough talking, it's time to go back. Let them fight among themselves, regardless of whether it's a halberd or a hunting bow. We should remain unchanged in the face of all changes."

----------

In the next few days, under Palinsa's arrangement, Loran Hill talked with these important figures of Clancia one by one, and in this way, he gradually became familiar with them.

Although Loran Hill didn't understand some specific matters, she generally did not express her opinions casually. Instead, she carefully inquired about the crux of each person's problem, and then thought of ways and discussed solutions. After that, the specific actions were formulated by each department itself.

In fact, many of the crux of the matter, though encountered for the first time by Clancy, had been solved years later. For example, the household-based distribution of land, the control of major industries like salt, iron, and transportation by state agencies, the establishment of local courts, the classification of civil and criminal laws, and the tiered structure of schools.

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