After boasting to his father, Xiao Chenyu began to explain his plan:
"Food is the most important thing for people. Our city of Nottingham is a major grain-producing city. I want to continue this tradition and launch a campaign to develop animal husbandry and agriculture."
"You want to use a Soul Master?" Lord Xiao asked calmly.
“Soul Masters are very useful, and the benefits they bring to this place are unimaginable,” Xiao Chenyu said earnestly.
"The idea is good, but do you know why no one has done it until now?"
Lord Xiao's rhetorical question immediately calmed Xiao Chenyu down.
Judging from what Lord Xiao said, there's more to this story.
He previously thought that the Soul Masters of Douluo Continent did not engage in productive work and were only interested in getting something for nothing or being superior to others.
He always thought it was a matter of mindset; even a Soul Master of only level 10 or so had an innate sense of pride.
"Douluo Continent is large, but not that large. I don't know about those above Soul Douluo, but there are still several thousand Soul Saints on the continent, and even more Soul Emperors. At the level of Great Soul Master, there are at least a million."
"Such a massive force, how come no one has thought of utilizing it? Many have tried, but all have failed," Lord Xiao said frankly.
"Why?" Xiao Chenyu asked humbly.
He now truly realized that while the Spirit Hall was strong in terms of raw power, when it came to strategy and tactics, he still had to rely on his own cheap father.
Seeing Xiao Chenyu's focused expression, City Lord Xiao nodded inwardly and began a continuous stream of questions:
Which is the strongest force in the Douluo Continent?
"The Spirit Hall!"
Which power in the Douluo Continent possesses the most land?
"Two great empires, Xingluo and Tiandou."
What is the relationship between the two great empires and the Spirit Hall?
"This is very bad!"
"What is the relationship between low-level Soul Masters and the Spirit Hall?"
"It's not bad, there's a subsidy every month."
"What is the relationship between low-level Soul Masters and the two great empires?"
"Generally, the subsidies are given in the name of the Spirit Hall. The two great empires are also wary of powerful spirit masters, fearing that they might cause unrest."
"Have you found a problem?"
Upon hearing City Lord Xiao's final question, Xiao Chenyu gave a wry smile:
"Understood. The current situation was orchestrated by the Spirit Hall to slow down the development of the two great empires and make it more difficult for them to recruit manpower."
Looking back now, he realized that there were many things that needed to be improved to complete his initial plan.
"The Spirit Hall provides a monthly subsidy of 1 gold soul coin to Soul Masters of levels 10-20, enough for a family to live on for several months. For Great Soul Masters of levels 20-30, the monthly subsidy is 10 gold soul coins, far exceeding the value they can generate," City Lord Xiao said calmly.
"If we can't get these people, we might as well raise them to be useless," Xiao Chenyu sighed.
He began to understand the Spirit Hall's intentions.
Those below level 10 have no soul skills and are no different from ordinary people.
The largest number of Soul Masters are those between levels 10 and 30. If given enough living expenses, they will not want to work. They will either continue to cultivate or be content with enjoying themselves and will not want to work at all.
At 10 gold soul coins per month, this amount far exceeds the value they generate.
"Previously, the subsidies for the Spirit Hall were distributed by the two great empires. Guess why the two great empires had no objections?" City Lord Xiao asked with a half-smile.
"Firstly, there's the strength of the Spirit Hall; secondly, the money can be returned, which is equivalent to no loss," Xiao Chenyu said calmly.
"Oh? Tell me about the second point."
City Lord Xiao nodded slightly, quite satisfied that Xiao Chenyu had thought of this.
"The entire continent is now in a state of mind where money is all about having fun. Once Soul Masters get money, they don't think about saving it; they just spend it on pleasure."
"In the end, this money was returned to the treasuries of the two great empires in various ways. Ironically, because this batch of gold coins promoted commercial prosperity, the two great empires had no objections," Xiao Chenyu analyzed.
"Good insight!"
Lord Xiao nodded in satisfaction; it took him ten years as city lord to realize this.
In comparison, Xiao Chenyu is far more outstanding than him.
Even though Xiao Chenyu possessed innate full soul power, in his opinion, it was not as useful as having a clever mind.
No matter how strong one's abilities are, without matching wisdom, one is ultimately just a tool in someone else's hand.
"Now is a great opportunity to realize your vision," said Lord Xiao.
"Um?"
Upon hearing Lord Xiao's words, Xiao Chenyu's eyes lit up, and he looked at Lord Xiao expectantly.
The problem of Soul Masters is easy to solve; the Spirit Hall has no shortage of people.
But if neither of the two great empires can recruit anyone, then his rapid development as a Soul Master in Notting City is something even a fool would find suspicious.
His real challenge was figuring out how to get these Soul Masters to work effectively.
"Do you remember what happened in the last two years?" Lord Xiao reminded him.
"Recent events..."
Xiao Chenyu only pondered for a moment before immediately realizing what was happening:
"Last year, the two great empires cut off the subsidies for Soul Masters. Now the subsidies are provided by the Spirit Hall. Most Soul Masters are worried when they hear this news."
“That’s right. Moreover, you may not know this in Tiandou City, but the Spirit Hall in Notting City can no longer afford to provide subsidies,” City Lord Xiao nodded.
"Has it gotten to this point?" Xiao Chenyu asked in surprise.
He knew that the Spirit Hall would be flush with cash ten years from now, and he also knew that Bibi Dong would have a difficult time taking over.
But I never expected it to be this difficult.
Nottingham is a remote small town, but it's still a town.
In more rural areas, there are probably even fewer subsidies.
"The situation is very unfavorable for the Spirit Hall. Some spirit masters who can't receive subsidies have protested, but they haven't been able to resolve the current situation," said City Lord Xiao. "If we recruit workers now, we can get them to work willingly at very low prices. The difficulty now is how to get those people to work for us even when they receive subsidies."
“As long as I recruit him first, I’ll have a way to keep him here,” Xiao Chenyu said with a smile.
As for what method to use, it would naturally be through the channels of the Spirit Hall and the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Once the business takes off, he isn't confident that a Grand Soul Master can produce more than 10 Gold Soul Coins per month, but he is quite confident that a Soul Master of level 10 or so can produce more than 1 Gold Soul Coin.
"It's good that you have an idea. If you need to recruit people, I can post notices tomorrow. However, there aren't many Soul Masters in Notting City, so you might be disappointed," said City Lord Xiao.
"Recruit, of course we'll recruit, but we'll mainly recruit those with soul power below level 10." Xiao Chenyu chuckled. "As for martial souls, we'll take food-type vegetable martial souls, plant-type edible grass martial souls, and those with hoe or fertilizer martial souls too!"
"Agriculture and animal husbandry are the main focus, right? I understand." City Lord Xiao nodded and noted down the requirements.
Nottingham City is a place where the Xiao family has absolute power, so it's not difficult for them to achieve this.
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