Chapter 225 Joluya 2
If he had more time now, Raymond would have started writing this story from when he was seven years old, but now every second counted, and he could only rely on his intuition to choose the period before Josiah became the Son of God, the time that he believed absolutely belonged to Josiah.
***
Ten years ago, Theodore Kingdom.
Young Raymond walked in and saw Joluya standing in the courtyard in the sunshine, holding up a piece of parchment and reading it with great delight. The paper contained little, but Joluya read it over and over again, as if he couldn't bear to look away.
Compared to other young nobles of the same age, the 25-year-old Youluya seemed mature and steady. He had been busy for many days, and his eyes were a little dark, and there was a little stubble on his chin. It was obvious that he had not taken good care of it. However, even so, he was still handsome to the point of being a little shocking.
Every time Raymond saw him, it was like he was back to when he was seven years old. Every time he saw him, he was amazed. Seeing Joluya couldn't let go of the parchment, he asked in surprise, "Joluya, has the decree been passed?"
Joluya finally came back to his senses, looking at him with bright eyes. He held the parchment in front of him and shared it with him. "Yes, it's approved!" He gestured happily in the air. "Once the Rig District is demolished and the railway is fully connected, everything will be fine."
Rig is the largest slum in Hawa.
It's funny to say that Hawa City is the city closest to the royal capital, but in terms of economic level and prosperity, it is not even close to the royal capital. Not only that, Hawa City also has a huge slum with nearly 60,000 poor people living in it. In the eyes of the nobles, it is filthy and it is an unlucky place to think about.
For years, the Rig district had been like a tumor growing in Hawa, a real eyesore. Yet no one had bothered to touch it, because it was home to the cheapest labor. At night, the poor huddled together in Rig like wriggling insects, struggling to survive. But by day, they became peddlers wandering the streets of Hawa, the animals pulling carts for the wealthy, and the hardworking workers...
Joluya had long wanted to renovate the Rig District. He believed that the geographical location of the Rig District was very good. By demolishing the Rig District and making room for the construction of a railway, Hawa City would have a connection to the south, its economic strength would be greatly enhanced, and the civilians of Hawa City would also be able to benefit from economic development.
Unsurprisingly, his proposal was met with considerable opposition. The nobles argued that building a railway was expensive, and the resettlement of 60,000 displaced residents would be even more expensive. Even if a railway were to be built, it could be built elsewhere, bypassing the Rig area and saving a considerable amount of money.
Some ministers even stated openly, "These inferior people have no wisdom and no character. A wealthy life will induce their laziness. If you let them live too well, they will become cunning and deceitful..." Not only that, they also believed that the poor were greedy. If they knew that they were trying to make room for the construction of a railway, they would definitely ask for an exorbitant price and would be very difficult to deal with.
They spoke as if plentiful food and warm clothing were demons that led to human depravity.
Joluya argued his case in the parliament and also visited the Rig District in person. It was unknown how much effort he put in, but he actually made the xenophobic and vigilant poor people in the Rig District put aside their fear and defense against the noble lords, and signed the contract one by one to show that they were willing to obey Joluya's arrangements, willing to collectively vacate the Rig District, and willing to go to the place designated by Joluya to start a new life.
With the contract collectively signed by the civilians of the Rig District and the strong support of His Majesty the King, Joluya's proposal was finally passed. The parchment in front of him, stamped with the seals of the king and the parliament, was the best result.
Joluya excitedly told Raymond, "The location has been chosen. It's on the plains near the city of Hawa. The soil is fertile and there's plenty of water. When the railway is completed, there will be a platform there. By the time the railway opens, they'll have already cultivated the fields and built houses. The railway will bring in a large amount of southern resources and merchants. They can open hotels and do business there, and life will be much better than before. By then, it will become a prosperous town..."
He described everything about the future, and his whole body was shining.
Young Raymond was also infected by his joy and anticipation, a smile on his face. The person Raymond admired most was Joluia, because he was also a nobleman, but he was not arrogant, did not covet pleasures, and did not indulge in prostitution... On the contrary, he was very self-disciplined. He had a wealth of knowledge and a strong physique, but he did not take pride in it at all, and he never looked down on others because of it.
In the eyes of young Raymond, this is something more noble and precious than any birth or wealth. After all, no matter how noble one's status is, one cannot restrain the desires and greed in human nature. But Jolya has done it. He is like a saint in epic legend who has come to the world.
Joluya took the young Raymond running around, making arrangements everywhere, and finally solved all the problems of railway construction, the night before escorting the poor people in Rig District to the new place.
The exhausted young boy Raymond fell on the bed as soon as he entered the room. Yoluya asked him to take a shower, change into pajamas and rest, but Raymond stayed in bed and refused to get up, mumbling coquettishly, "I'm so tired, I'll take a shower tomorrow."
Yoluya laughed and said, "I'm worried that you won't sleep well." After much persuasion, Raymond finally took a shower and changed into soft pajamas. Then he rolled onto the bed and muttered before falling into a deep sleep, "Brother, you really are like a saint. I want to be like you..."
The light of the gas lamp danced on Yoluya's face. He sat down beside him and pulled his quilt. In the dead of night, he whispered something from his heart, "Little Raymond, don't be like me. It's too hard..."
As if worried about disturbing Raymond's rest, Joluya stopped talking.
Instead of falling asleep, he turned off the lights in the room and went to the study, tracing the subway route on the map under the light.
The most difficult thing about building a railway is not the money, but ensuring that there are no monsters disturbing the entire route.
While nearly every major city now has trams and trains of varying sizes, a major north-south railway remains undeveloped. Long-distance travel relies primarily on teleportation arrays, which are prohibitively expensive and out of reach for ordinary people. Only with the full construction of railways can ordinary people freely travel between the north and the south, boosting the economy and improving people's lives.
It was very late at night, but he did not feel sleepy. The bright lights illuminated the railway drawings in front of him, and he seemed to have seen a glorious and prosperous era.
Joluya couldn't help laughing.
He never wanted anyone to become numb and miserable just to survive.
The next day, Joluia personally escorted the 60,000 poor people to the plain and sprinkled holy water blessed by the bishop there. The holy water was made from pure holy grass, which was very rare in the past. Since Joluia proposed to open up the right to grow holy grass, the price of holy water has dropped significantly.
Sprinkling a bottle of holy water around can protect the area from monsters for a week. After all, there are no high walls on the plains to stop monsters.
As the civilians saw him off, Yoluya rode back. He was pleased that the matter was now done. Next, he had to return to the capital and continue dealing with the stingy Minister of Finance. After all, he needed to withdraw funds for road construction and apply for a batch of extraordinary items to protect the railway from monsters.
The accident happened on the second day after he returned to the royal capital. A shocking news came secretly from the city of Hawa. A group of monsters suddenly appeared on the plains outside the city. The poor people who moved there disappeared in less than two days.
This news was like a hammer, knocking Yoluya dizzy. His first reaction was that the other party was joking. How could it be possible? Where was the holy water? Was it ineffective? He even asked a few more questions, and only after receiving repeated confirmation from the messenger did his brain buzz, as if a string in his brain had been tightened to the extreme and was emitting a low hum of pain.
Joluiah rushed back to Hawa overnight, rode his horse to the outside of the city, and took a look without giving up.
The scene was horrific.
Yoluya returned to the capital in a daze. In the parliament, the Minister of Finance was in high spirits, feeling fortunate that the resettlement fee had not yet been allocated, thus saving a huge loss.
Upon hearing the Finance Minister's words, Yoluya, who had been in a trance, suddenly jumped up and beat him up. The noble ministers present looked at him with strange eyes, as if he were a monster.
Under such a gaze, Yoluya suddenly felt a terrifying weirdness. Although the surroundings were obviously very lively, it seemed that he was the only one who was human.
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