Chapter 71 National Construction: "Undercover Visits"
East woke up with a start, and a pair of soft, somewhat peculiar hands were pressing on his head, the casual movements never stopping.
Ester recalled what he had just seen, feeling a strange unease. It was very odd and peculiar. The "person" resembled him but was not him. He was just an observer, a passerby. What he saw was merely a relic of history. Yes, it was not a prediction of the future, but the past that had already happened.
He stopped what he was doing and asked worriedly, "Your Majesty, did I hurt you?"
Easter shook his head. "No, you massaged me very comfortably."
"That's good," he said with a smile, his beady eyes shining. "Whenever you have free time, if the King needs it, I can give you a massage. My massage skills are pretty good."
Infected by the "whatever" attitude, Easter smiled and said, "Thanks." He replied cheerfully, but unfortunately, he rarely had free time.
...
East acts like a tyrant, using harsh methods to force people to do things his way, which always backfires. Fortunately, people in this era have long been tamed by dogma and their minds are rotten; they can be satisfied with a little bit of sweetness.
On the construction site, the workers were working hard. They were thin and dressed in tattered clothes, presenting a desolate scene. However, the faint light in their eyes was like new buds sprouting from withered trees. There was not much of it, but it was a real and tangible sign of life.
"Everyone, stop for a moment and have some hot soup." A man emerged from a makeshift hut nearby, wiping away sweat. His clothes were slightly better and cleaner than the workers'.
Two men in their early twenties followed behind him, pushing carts filled with steaming hot soup in large buckets; then three women followed behind, each pushing a cart, two of which carried bowls and the remaining one carried flatbread.
The two men and three women were all wearing aprons and hats, and were clean. This was a clear rule from East: those who cooked for the workers had to be decent cooks, but maintain basic cleanliness.
“Oh! Thank you, Your Majesty the King,” the first worker to step forward said with a broad smile, taking a deep breath. “This soup is made from the finest meat and bones.”
“Of course,” Johnny, the man who beckoned the workers over, chimed in. “It was sent by His Majesty the King’s summons—a whole sheep! You’ll all have a feast tonight.”
The workers who gathered around gasped. They had always known about their king's generosity, but they thought that being able to eat meat occasionally and have enough to eat was good enough. They never expected that his small construction site would be given a whole sheep.
The workers lined up in an orderly fashion to get bowls of hot soup and flatbread, chattering amongst themselves as they asked, "Has something good happened? Or is today some special anniversary?"
"Could it be..."
"Shh! Shh! You really dare to say anything," a burly man in the crowd said, as if on cue. "I'm more than satisfied with my life right now, so don't say anything you shouldn't."
"I know, I know, sigh!" He sighed with emotion at the end. Their current life was something they never dared to dream of.
In addition to breakfast, lunch and dinner, the workers also have extra meals every day, which are basically noodles with a bowl of hot soup, buns, steamed buns, flatbreads and the like. These are all made after being taught by the players.
In addition to generous food, the workers' working hours are also reasonably planned, starting at eight in the morning and ending at six in the afternoon, with a fifteen-minute break every two hours. They get one day off per week, and their wages are settled the day before the break, meaning they are paid every six days.
For the workers who initially thought they had been captured and used as slaves, it was like a dream.
This is just the most basic change. With the promulgation of the new decrees, the lives of the people in the Kingdom of Felix have undergone earth-shattering changes.
There are five main points. First, it is something that East has wanted to do for a long time, but his previous subordinates have never been able to do well: the registration of the identities of the domestic citizens and the statistics of the overall population.
If they decide to settle in the Kingdom of Felix, they will be issued resident identity cards;
If someone arrives in the kingdom for other reasons and does not wish to remain there, they will be subject to special registration or direct deportation, depending on the circumstances.
To ensure no one was missed during the registration process, East had established a reward and punishment system. During this time, a terrifying number of criminals were apprehended, so many that the prisons couldn't hold them all. Not to mention the nobles who had already been arrested, the prisons were completely overflowing.
When East realized this wasn't a solution, he decided to work with the system to make those criminals who weren't heinous criminals into laborers, giving them the hardest and most tiring jobs, and only guaranteeing them basic sustenance with negligible wages.
The above is the first point: personnel statistics and the elimination of domestic criminals.
Secondly, building upon the first point, land was allocated according to family composition, including land suitable for cultivation and land suitable for building houses.
Previously, arable land was controlled by nobles, and commoners rarely owned their own land. Now, things are different. Every household has been allocated land, and after paying taxes on the grain they grow on the land each year, the rest belongs to them.
Land that can be used to build houses refers to a piece of land allocated to them for building houses. They have to build the houses themselves, and they can exchange their work for building materials. Before their houses are built, they can live in their original homes or in houses allocated by the state. The latter is of course not free, which is also to prevent them from thinking about getting something for nothing.
With their own land, the people in the country seemed to have truly settled down, and they worked even harder, striving to build their own real homes.
Thirdly, there is the law. It clearly stipulates many inviolable regulations. The newly promulgated laws follow the principle of "using severe laws in chaotic times." In order to make the people have a deeper impression of the law and cultivate their legal awareness, we spend an hour every day explaining the law to them. The legal provisions are paired with real cases. If the situation allows, we will take them to see firsthand the consequences of violating the law, which are basically death sentences. Simply put, it is a period of strict crackdown.
Besides the serious regulations that could lead to death, there were also some basic ones, such as the monogamous system, the abolition of slavery, and the explicit prohibition of certain industries... There were many in total, covering all aspects of the people's lives.
Fourthly, there is basic medical care. This world is terrifying. Ordinary people have a hard time surviving. Struggling to make ends meet, they are physically weak, and even a minor illness can take away countless lives.
First, we conducted a city-wide health check, distributed new clothes, and ordered everyone to wash their entire bodies. We even built a special bathhouse for this purpose. Many diseases are caused by bacteria, and good living habits can prevent many problems.
If there are serious and incurable illnesses, we will try our best to treat them, and the medical expenses will be borne by the state. If they cannot be treated, their bodies will be carefully disposed of to ensure that no plague or other infections will occur.
Fifthly, there is education. With the above all developing well, education has been put on the agenda, but this is only in a general sense and has not been truly finalized yet. After all, the Kingdom of Felix is currently in a state of chaos. Construction is incomplete, the war is not over, and talents have not been selected... The basic conditions have not been met yet, but it won't be long before they are.
There's still a lot to go on, but it's like building a house; only with a solid foundation can the house be stable.
These are the things that keep East busy every day—complex and numerous. Fortunately, the results of the official selection came out today. As the newly selected officials take office one after another, East's workload has been significantly reduced. Those who have made contributions will be promoted as appropriate, those who have neither made contributions nor made mistakes will have their positions reassigned, and those who have made mistakes will be dismissed directly.
Today, meat will be delivered to the workers at various construction sites, both to reward their hard work and to motivate them, partly because East is in a good mood.
...
The newly appointed secretaries in the Privy Council were each performing their duties meticulously. The entire Privy Council was very quiet, and even when there was communication, it was done in hushed, quick, and concise voices, for fear of making the slightest mistake.
After his new officials took office, Easter moved his office back to the secret library, and it must be said that with the help of his officials, his efficiency increased dramatically.
After finishing the last document in his hand, Easter instructed the secretaries to take all the processed documents away. The secretaries then sorted and organized the documents, and for those with clearly marked processing methods, they had to pass them down through the ranks, ensuring smooth communication at every stage. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
The officials selected to reach East were undoubtedly capable, so even though it was only their first day on the job, they performed with the skill of someone who had done it a million times.
East leaned back in his chair, his mind blank for a moment. In the past, he would never have been so relaxed.
East pinched his brow bone, the corner of his lips curving into a helpless smile. After being busy for so long, he suddenly found himself with a bit of a lack of free time. East wondered, how come he hadn't noticed that East had a bit of a workaholic streak?
A good idea popped into Esther's head. He glanced at the newly appointed confidential secretary not far away. The secretary, receiving the king's signal, quickly went to Esther, bowed his head respectfully, and awaited the king's instructions.
Easter said, "If there are any matters to attend to today, send them to my study. If they are particularly urgent or important, seek out my summons; they can help deliver them."
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He didn’t ask any questions, just did what he was supposed to do, and didn’t ask questions that he shouldn’t.
Easter nodded in satisfaction and left the Privy Council.
...
[Host, what are you going to do?] The system was curious. Recently, the host had been engrossed in official duties and had even reduced his contact with Arebo. How could the "human" not be curious?
Easter strolled leisurely through the palace. "I want to go out and have a look around."
"Huh?" the system asked, puzzled.
“I want to go out and see the current construction progress,” Easter said in a light tone. “Whether it’s the reports they’ve submitted or the projections you’ve shown me, I know that the construction is going smoothly, but I still want to see it with my own eyes.” The main reason was that he wanted to go out and clear his head, to get some fresh air. He was so engrossed in his work every day that his mind was becoming sluggish.
The system has no objection. [Should I issue quests to the players then?]
East suddenly had a whimsical idea, "How about I travel alone? What's that called again? Traveling incognito."
Judging from the way he walked towards the castle with such a clear purpose, it was no sudden idea; it was clearly premeditated.
[Host, I'm afraid...] The system wanted to say it was unsafe, but the truth was, the host had a bug-like ability to summon players at any time. The host wasn't the one in danger. Finally, it asked dryly, [Won't it be too tiring?]
East chuckled, “We’re not going far. Construction is in full swing. There’s a construction site not far from the palace.”
"Do you want to come with me?" East's sudden question momentarily disrupted the system's operation, but it quickly realized that the host wanted him to mimic the system's actions. The system couldn't articulate anything, and it experienced a kind of emotional turmoil that only humans would have.
"Is there a problem?" The system remained unresponsive for a long time, causing East to pause in his changing.
"No problem." the system replied quickly.
East didn't press for more questions. He changed into some ordinary, simple clothes and went out. Since he couldn't go on an incognito visit, he should dress plainly.
Easter chuckled as he walked, simply because he found his own thoughts amusing.
It was a critical time of war, and there were fewer players in the palace than ever before. With the help of the system, Ister and the system, which had transformed into a rabbit, left the palace together.
Ister has never visited the royal city of Esther before. The first time he entered the royal city was at night, and he couldn't see anything clearly. He didn't have time later either, and every time he left the palace, it was a hurried visit. This is why he finds everything new and exciting now.
The commencement of construction projects is a great thing for citizens with limited income.
Firstly, urban construction makes the city clean and tidy. This was done by taking one of the players' suggestions from East, who first put a lot of effort into optimizing the city's underground water system, and then carried out a major cleanup of the royal city. After all, who would like a dirty and smelly environment? Given the opportunity, people naturally prefer a clean environment.
Secondly, and most obviously, it increased the national employment rate and raised national income, greatly improving their living conditions and their mental outlook.
Having witnessed firsthand the changes caused by his actions, East felt a complex mix of emotions that were difficult to describe. He stroked the system's soft fur and slowly moved forward.
The palace faces south and is backed by mountains. The main street of the royal city is located outside the palace. On both sides of the street, close to the palace, are the former residences of nobles. Some have been renovated, while others have been preserved for future use.
Another major change is that the roads, which used to be paved with bricks, have been replaced with cement roads, which, together with the optimized groundwater system, complement each other very well.
East walked along the smooth road. There were few people on the short stretch of road leading out of the palace. After passing the section where the nobles lived, a street running from east to west separated the nobles from the commoners. Just one street apart, it was like two different worlds.
The bustling atmosphere was overwhelming. After a gloomy week, the sun finally came out today, and the streets, which were not usually crowded, were bustling with activity.
People's mental state is very good, and their clothing has also improved significantly.
East pondered that a large-scale weaving workshop should be built, so that men could work on the construction site, and women could also do a good job, since clothing comes first among the basic necessities of life.
Furthermore, construction projects will eventually be completed, and there will certainly be other construction projects afterward, but we certainly won't need that many people. We should start thinking about the handover work in advance.
East rubbed his forehead. He really was... He came out to relax, but everything he saw reminded him of work.
The main street is lined with various shops, all of which show obvious signs of renovation. They sell a wide variety of goods, including clothing stores, gold and silverware stores, jewelry stores, and spice and herbal medicine stores. The most beautiful and eye-catching shops are bakeries, with distinctive signs and full-length transparent glass windows that allow you to see the different types of bread and cakes.
East took two steps toward the bakery, wondering if there were players involved.
This small doubt made East abandon his previous thoughts about work and ask with great interest, "System, how about we go in and try it?"
The system cruelly shattered East's illusions: "Host, have you forgotten the lessons of the past?"
East's raised foot froze in mid-air. He silently turned and left. If only there were players involved, but he feared it was just the wisdom of people in this era. His appetite had been spoiled by the players. Recalling the "delicacies" he had eaten in this era, he found them unbearable to look at.
“System, once things settle down a bit more, we can let players open shops. That would give us another way to play and also allow us to make money,” Easter said. Just thinking about it made him think it would be an extremely interesting scene.
"Host, this is perfectly fine," the system said, "but we'll have to wait a little longer."
East, “No rush.” This was just another sudden whim of his.
The two of them, one human and one rabbit, strolled around until they reached their true destination. At that moment, the workers were drinking hot soup, whispering to each other, their expressions light and cheerful.
Easter felt slightly relieved, at least it wasn't entirely his fault.
Easter stroked the system rabbit in his arms.
"Sir, are you an elf?" A small head peeked out from behind Ister, its face full of curiosity.
East turned to the side,
The little girl had a face that looked like an apple, rosy and plump. Her eyes were dark and bright, very lively and expressive. She blinked as she looked at East. She was carrying a basket, covered with a floral cloth, which probably contained food.
Easter gently shook his head. "Young lady, I am not an elf. Please be careful when you go out and do not talk to strangers."
The little girl smiled sweetly, "Sir, because I can tell you're not a bad person!"
Easter felt a moment of tenderness from the little girl and said gently, "Little lady, bad people don't have bad people written on their foreheads. Hurry home, or your family will worry."
“No rush, no rush,” the little girl waved her hand knowingly, smiling with narrowed eyes. “If you’re not an elf, then are you the legendary bard?” Her eyes seemed to brighten as she asked the question.
When Esther heard the word "bard," his first thought was of that eccentric bard. He shook his head helplessly, "I am neither an elf nor a bard, just an ordinary person."
“Little Avira, my darling, what brings you here?” A strong man ran over, looking at East with a wary gaze. “Sir, this is a construction site. Unauthorized personnel are not welcome.”
East's lips curved into a slight smile. "I am a wandering outsider who heard rumors about the Kingdom of Felix and decided to come and see for myself." His words, expressions, and actions revealed his good upbringing. "I just didn't know that the Kingdom of Felix is actually under construction."
The man, Johnny, asked skeptically, "Do you have a temporary ID card issued by our King?"
East, "..."
Who would have thought that creating something to prove one's identity would backfire and cause him trouble?
East stroked the system rabbit's fur, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small card. "Is this it?"
This was modeled after the Blue Star ID card (based on suggestions and designs from players). Since plastic wasn't available yet and the technology wasn't mature, they used wooden pieces. The front of the ID card showed the name, gender, race, date of birth, address, and citizen number for normal residents, while the temporary ID card only had the words "valid for one month".
The back features a phoenix with outstretched wings as a background, and above the ID card for regular residents is the inscription: "Kingdom of Felix, Resident ID Card".
The only thing East has on his ID card is the word "temporary ID card".
Johnny carefully examined the contents before handing it back to East, apologizing, "Our country has been rather chaotic lately, so I was a bit worried. Please forgive me, sir."
East put away the "temporary ID card" that the system had issued, smiled, and indicated that he had no qualms about it. "That's great. Judging from the behavior of your residents, I know that I didn't make a mistake in coming to the Kingdom of Felix."
Johnny looked at this handsome, gentle, and refined gentleman and understood why his daughter thought he was an elf; his appearance and demeanor were simply too extraordinary.
“Sir, you’ve come at a very inopportune time,” he belatedly realized, as if to continue what East had said, “Our King’s summons has only recently departed.”
East thought to himself: He came because he knew there were no players here. If there were players here, there would be no need for him to hide his identity.
However, he still maintained a reserved and polite demeanor, saying, "It's alright, I only arrived here today, there's still plenty of time ahead of me."
"I wonder if I could have a brief tour?" Fearing they might disagree, Easter quickly added, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. If you can't tour, that's fine too. Can I chat with you? I came here out of curiosity and goodwill."
“This is just an ordinary construction site,” Johnny said. “If you really want to visit, you can walk along the main street and you will see the palace where His Majesty the King resides. If you are lucky, you may be able to enter the palace.”
East's smile was slightly awkward, but he covered it up quickly. "I mainly want to learn about the local customs and culture," he said, glancing at the little girl before lowering his eyes slightly. "I am a wandering poet from a faraway place. I have wandered here and want to hear the stories circulating among the common people."
Johnny didn't quite believe East's words. East's whole demeanor was more like that of a down-on-his-luck wandering poet than a nobleman's son.
"Dad, I'm here to bring everyone the apple pie Mom made. It'll get cold if we don't eat it soon," Ivy pouted.
“Yes, it’s Daddy’s fault, my dear little Avira,” Johnny nodded to East. “This gentleman may come with me if he doesn’t mind.”
Easter followed behind the father and daughter, looking around to see if there were any construction hazards that shouldn't exist.
The school to be built here is conveniently located near the residential area of ordinary citizens. Once construction is complete, it will be easy for children to attend school. Of course, the entire royal city of Esther will have more than one school. In addition to schools that teach ordinary people, there will also be schools that teach magic and swordsmanship. However, all of these will be built gradually. For a while, the focus was mainly on road construction, and it's still similar now. However, some people have been transferred to build houses. The time is too short; construction cannot be accomplished overnight.
East's arrival drew curious yet wary glances from the workers who were chatting away.
"Old Johnny, why did you bring a nobleman with you?" a man with sharp eyes, who didn't look like an ordinary worker, asked.
“Hardin, this isn’t some nobleman, he’s a wandering poet with a temporary ID,” Johnny said.
Harding remained unconvinced. "What is he here for? What's so interesting about our construction site? You'd be better off looking at the mansions of noblemen."
Easter was relaxed and composed, showing no sign of annoyance. "It was my behavior that was inappropriate, but I really meant no harm. We were just having a casual chat."
Harding wanted to say something, but his companion silenced him. Harding muttered under his breath, "You're such a good guy."
After stopping Harding, Yves pretended not to hear Harding's little complaint and turned to Easter, saying, "Sir, don't mind him. Harding is just being sarcastic."
Easter shook his head and smiled, saying, "I don't care." He gently stroked the fur of the system rabbit.
Yves's eyes flickered. "I wonder what you'd like to talk about, sir?" He moved two steps to make room for him. "If you don't mind, you can sit and chat with us. How about old Johnny gives this gentleman a bowl of soup?" He then turned to Easter. "Sir, you wouldn't find our hot soup unpalatable, would you?"
Easter: "How could that be? It's my honor."
“Handsome sir, you can try my mom’s apple pie! It’s much better than my dad’s,” Avira chimed in happily.
Easter crouched down and thanked him earnestly, "Thank you, little lady. Would you like to pet the rabbit?"
Avira's eyes lit up instantly. "Is it okay?"
“Of course.” East handed the system rabbit towards Avira.
Avira carefully reached out and lightly touched the system rabbit's fur. This simple gesture made her eyes light up with joy.
The people around seemed to relax a lot because of this simple action.
Easter sat down among the workers, with Harding on his left, Yves on his right, and the half-built construction site in front of him, holding an apple pie handed to him by Avira.
Easter felt good, patted the system rabbit on his shoulder, and took a bite of apple pie, which tasted surprisingly good.
-----------------------
Author's Note: I sincerely apologize to everyone here. Due to the current situation, I have caused you an extremely bad experience in following the updates. I hope you can continue reading after the book is completed.
A detailed explanation: The author resigned from his job some time ago and recently found a new one. Although the salary is higher than his previous job, the workload is proportional to it, and he often works overtime. He has very little personal time, so he has to put writing on hold for now. I'm really sorry [droopy-eared rabbit head].
I will continue writing. It will definitely be finished before the end of the year. There are only a few chapters left. The third volume will be the last one. The last three volumes, especially the last one, are not too long. My previous estimate was wrong. This book will probably be less than 500,000 words.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com