Chapter 231 Lords Meeting

The Padrich family's carriage slowly drove into Black Wind Castle.

Seeing the familiar golden emblem, the demon guards guarding the town entrance quickly made way.

Festing opened the curtain of the carriage and gave instructions to the guards standing by.

"Go to the town hall and tell the people there that the real owner of this land, their lord, has arrived."

"yes!"

The demon guard nodded quickly, turned over, mounted the skeleton horse, and galloped towards the city hall with the clattering of horse hooves, not daring to stop for a moment.

Festing sat back in the carriage and signaled the driver to continue on the journey, heading directly to the lord's mansion.

This master-level shadow demon gave enough face to the demon king next to him, even though this demon king was only silver-level.

Luo Yan appreciated Mr. Festing's kindness and nodded to express his gratitude. He then lifted a corner of the curtain and followed the carriage that was back on the road, scanning the thriving city and admiring this territory that belonged to him.

The situation here is indeed quite incredible. Such a big change could happen in just a few months. A city was built on the wasteland. Even though he was mentally prepared, he was still a little shocked by the scenery that came into his eyes.

There is no sunlight in the underground world. The magic crystal lamp posts on top of the magic crystal cannon factory emit a faint light as bright as moonlight, illuminating the entire city.

At this moment, the underground world is welcoming the morning, and the factory bells are echoing over the city, announcing the arrival of a new day. Goblin laborers drag their tired bodies out of their homes, yawning as they rush to the factory along the paved road. Some old craftsmen are instructing young apprentices at the door, and vendors in the market are busy sorting out their goods.

Everything is in order amidst the chaos and is thriving.

The corners of Luo Yan's mouth rose slightly.

Although he could see that there were still many unstable factors lurking in Black Wind Castle, at least it was no longer an isolated island with nothing.

The carriage stopped at the gate of the lord's mansion.

It was a three-story villa with exterior walls made of dark stone bricks, solemn yet luxurious.

Especially the two stone statues at the door, which look very valuable.

Festing got out of the car first, smiled and said, "This was built with your money."

Luo Yan got off the carriage and looked up at the building with a complicated look.

"What a waste." There was a hint of helplessness in his tone, "I can only come back a few times a year."

"A lord needs to maintain a certain dignity, otherwise his servants will forget his existence or wonder if you are in debt. I have tried my best to save you money, but you still have to spend it." Festing smiled faintly, paused for a moment and said, "Besides, Mia hopes you will come back to see her more often."

Luo Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly and stepped forward.

The news of the Lord's visit spread quickly throughout the city. All the important people in Black Wind Castle gathered in front of the Lord's Mansion, waiting to meet the real owner of this land.

Among the crowd were wealthy merchants from the Chamber of Commerce, craftsmen from the Craftsmen's Guild, the leaders of the mercenaries, and citizens who were just watching the fun. Among them were goblins, little demons, orcs, and the extremely rare human like Luo Yan.

The former gathered beside the carriage and enthusiastically offered compliments and flattery to Luo Yan. Everything was just like when Edward visited Thunder City. Sometimes there was really no difference between hell and the surface.

The citizens who came to watch the fun gathered around, some stretched their necks to look, some flew to the rooftops, and the sound of whispers and discussions could be heard everywhere.

The biggest difference between them and the citizens of Thunder City is probably that there are fewer of them, but they are more diverse.

"Is that the legendary demon king?"

"Vampire? Or succubus? He can't be human... What race is he?"

"He seems calmer than expected... I hope he can make Black Wind Castle continue to prosper."

"Why does the Padrich family support him so much? Is there another deal?"

"Hush! Don't let him hear it..."

No matter where they are, little devils are used to speaking without restraint.

Luo Yan listened to these discussions with a calm expression.

He was very clear that his every move was under the watchful eyes of many forces in Black Wind Castle. They were speculating and evaluating... and he himself was also observing them in secret.

Festing stood beside Luo Yan and spoke softly with a smile on his face.

"If you want to understand your subjects, the easiest way is to call them to a meeting."

"That's what I was going to do."

Luo Yan stood at the door of the lord's mansion, glanced at the people who came to greet him, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Now that everyone is here, let's go inside."

Those distinguished upper-class people looked at each other, suppressed their doubts, and walked into the lord's mansion one by one.

And several citizens who originally came just to watch the fun were invited in by the guards at the door of the lord's mansion because Luo Yan casually selected them.

Mia gently took Luo Yan's arm and followed him in with a smile, as if silently declaring her sovereignty and showing the support of the Padrich family.

Although Vivian had a cold face, she obviously saw that Mia was trying her best to help her brother, so she didn't say anything, but just walked lightly to the other side of Luo Yan.

Festing observed with a smile, his eyes full of interest, but he did not interfere.

Everyone was whispering and talking when they saw this, wondering how the Colin family got involved.

However, considering Prince Colin's identity as the Minister of Military, and the fact that the production of magic crystal cannons was the recent key project of the Ministry of War, they were not too surprised.

The only thing they couldn't understand was what the young ancestor of the Colin family was thinking about...

The meeting room is located on the first floor of the villa. When you push open the heavy oak door, a huge long table and luxurious chairs come into view.

The lighting in the room was soft and the candlelight flickered, casting deep shadows on the reliefs on the wall.

Luo Yan walked slowly towards the main seat, and as he passed the long table, he observed the people present calmly.

Festing, Mia, and Vivian sat in the guest seats and did not interfere with the preparations for the meeting. The representatives of the Chamber of Commerce, the craftsmen of the Artisan Association, the mercenary leaders, and the citizen representatives who attended the meeting were waiting with different expressions.

Some people were full of anticipation, some were wary, and others were looking around nervously.

Looking at the full conference table, Luo Yan tapped lightly on the table, breaking the silence in the room.

"So--"

He glanced at the crowd, his tone calm but with unquestionable authority.

"Let's talk about the future of Black Wind Castle."

The meeting room was silent.

The wealthy people in the Chamber of Commerce looked at each other, and no one spoke first. The craftsmen in the Craftsmen's Association whispered to each other, obviously weighing the pros and cons and unwilling to be the first to make a suggestion.

The two people in charge of local security were a guard of the Padrich family and a mercenary - they also remained silent.

In contrast, they are more accustomed to following instructions rather than expressing their opinions proactively.

The silence lasted for a moment, and surprisingly, the first person to speak was a citizen.

He is a dwarf from hell named Baruch. He was obviously hungover from last night and still smelled slightly of alcohol. He looked sloppy and casual.

Looking at this drunk guy, Vivian frowned slightly, with obvious disgust in her eyes.

She hated neckless dwarves to begin with, and the blood of drunk dwarves became smelly.

Festing looked at Luo Yan with interest, as if waiting to see how he would deal with this sudden incident.

"My lord, the beer in Blackwind Castle is too expensive. I can't drink it to my heart's content!" Baruch complained, clicking his tongue. "The Hell Dwarves will only work seriously when they are drunk. Hiccup, of course I'm not saying that they won't work without beer. What I mean is - for the sake of your production efficiency, you should subsidize the beer! The lords in my hometown all do this!"

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room, as everyone waited nervously to see how the Lord would respond to these words.

Luo Yan had a smile as bright as spring breeze on his face, but he spoke the coldest words.

"It seems that the beer in Black Wind Castle is too cheap. From today on, a 25% tax will be imposed on alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of more than 10%. For every 5% increase in alcohol content, the tax rate will increase by 10%."

These words were like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of Baruch and other dwarves of hell.

"You can't do this! This is killing us!" Baruch's eyes widened and he kept shouting, "If you really want to do good for us, you should impose a tax on horse urine below 10 degrees. This is reasonable!"

The wine merchants present all showed painful expressions, as if they could already see their future losses.

They tried to argue, but Luo Yan just raised his hand slightly, signaling them to shut up.

"Guards, drag this idiot out to sober him up," Luo Yan waved his hand casually, his tone still calm, "If you call me that again, I will issue a prohibition order, and no one is allowed to drink from now on!"

The air in the conference room froze instantly. No one dared to speak again, and those who had opened their mouths closed them again.

Prohibition! They knew what it meant just by looking at the letter.

Although there had never been a similar precedent, their lords undoubtedly had the power to do so.

If they are dissatisfied, they can only complain to their superiors.

Mia looked at Luo Yan in surprise. She didn't expect that he could still be hard when he needed to be hard.

Vivian's mouth corners slightly raised and her eyes sparkled.

As expected of her brother! He is so domineering! Festing nodded in appreciation and said softly.

"Black Wind Fort is a military stronghold, so it is necessary to moderate alcohol consumption."

This was not considered as interfering with the Lords' Meeting of Black Wind Castle, but it was undoubtedly a warning to those who were dissatisfied.

Demon City is on the lord's side in this matter, and there will be no result even if you complain to the higher authorities.

Luo Yan nodded slightly without saying much. He just waved his wand lightly, and a feather pen flew out from under the table. He immediately signed the executive order and stamped it with wax. The decree came into effect immediately.

The reason why he allowed the drunken dwarf into the meeting was to take the opportunity to deal with this issue, but he didn't expect the other party to jump out and serve as the perfect opening remark.

He didn't object to these hell dwarf craftsmen drinking, but the prerequisite was that it didn't affect their work.

The steward of the lord's mansion came hurriedly, took the executive order and left in a hurry, going to the city hall.

Luo Yan glanced around the conference table and spoke in a friendly manner.

"You can speak freely, don't be polite, just say whatever comes to your mind, and talk about anything."

The meeting room was completely silent. Everyone looked at each other nervously. They didn't dare to speak in the first place, and now they kept their mouths shut even more.

Luo Yan was not in a hurry either, he just sat there calmly.

Don’t say?

That means it's not urgent enough and you can still endure it, so just keep holding it in. It's none of his business anyway.

Finally, someone seemed unable to bear it anymore.

A thin goblin stood up tremblingly and spoke in a shrill voice.

"Sir... My name is Snick. The environment in our community is terrible. We can tolerate everything else, but being in the water all the time is really unbearable for us."

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows and said to the goblin.

"Soaked in water? Tell me more about it."

The water resources in the underground world are not cheap, it is absurd to waste them like this! Snick continued tremblingly.

"It's a groundwater pump. Maybe it was used too frequently and it broke down... We wanted to fix it ourselves, but we didn't have the tools, so we just left it alone."

The little guy finally finished a whole sentence and was so scared that he was about to cry.

His fingertips tapped lightly on the table. Luo Yan thought for a moment and spoke slowly.

"From now on, all communities where workers live will have to set up neighborhood committees. Not only broken water pumps, but all malfunctions of living facilities will be reported to the neighborhood committees, which will then report them to the city hall. In addition, I will set up a maintenance fund at the city hall to be responsible for the maintenance of living facilities. This should solve your problem."

"As for the water pump issue, let the Magic Crystal Cannon Factory's maintenance team solve it first. I don't care what method you use, I hope to have a result within today."

As he spoke, Luo Yan looked at the person in charge of the Magic Crystal Cannon Factory.

The latter stood up quickly with a quick response.

"I'll do it right away!"

After saying this, the demon didn't dare to stay for a moment, and trotted out of the meeting room to find the contact person.

Snik was so excited that he burst into tears of gratitude and wanted to kneel on the ground and kowtow to the Demon King.

"Sir...you are really..."

"No need to be polite, just sit down."

Luo Yan nodded slightly, motioned the crying goblin to sit down, looked around, and spoke.

"Anything else? As long as it's a reasonable question, it can be solved. If you don't say anything, I'll assume you have no problem."

There was a whisper around the conference table, at least it was no longer completely silent.

Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance and the Craftsmen Association gradually realized that Luo Yan was not a self-willed person, and that reasonable suggestions would be taken seriously, and even if they were not adopted, there would be no negative consequences.

The people who were originally skeptical exchanged glances, and finally someone spoke.

A craftsman stood up and said nervously, "Sir, we hope to set up a special craftsman arbitration court to more quickly resolve labor disputes between craftsmen and chambers of commerce. I know that Black Wind Castle has a court, but many chambers of commerce take advantage of our inability to delay for a long time and force us to compromise with unfair conditions. If there is no special agency to handle these cases, our rights and interests will not be protected at all..."

As he spoke, he carefully glanced at a few businessmen with whom he had a grudge, fearing that he might cause displeasure to the latter.

But he was overthinking it.

In front of the lord, how could a few mere merchants dare to fart, let alone look at him.

Anyone who dares to fart must at least be at the level of the Chamber of Commerce president.

Luo Yan nodded: "This is a good proposal. I will consider setting up a special arbitration court based on the original court to ensure fairness and handle special cases."

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Hearing his approval, the craftsman representative finally showed a look of relief on his face.

The lord cares about them!

It seems that this Demon King is not as unreasonable as the legend says! Then, the representative of the Magic Equipment Workshop stood up and solemnly proposed: "We suggest establishing a magic research institute to specialize in the research of magic equipment and industrial magic to promote the development of the alchemy industry in Black Wind Castle."

Luo Yan smiled slightly and nodded gently: "This is a good idea, I had this plan in mind."

He raised his wand slightly, and the quill floating beside him recorded the content of the meeting on the paper.

Seeing the feathers brushing against the records, everyone present began to take it seriously, knowing that their lord was not just trying to intimidate them but was really here to solve the problem.

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually became lively, and those who were originally on the sidelines also joined in the discussion.

Frank, one of the members of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, cleared his throat, raised his skinny paw to signal, and then stood up.

"Sir, we hope to build a new ore transportation road that connects directly to Graystone Territory instead of going through the Magic City. The current situation is that all our ore must be transported to the Magic City first and then transported back, which greatly increases transportation costs and time consumption. If we can go directly to Graystone Territory, our economic benefits will be significantly improved."

His proposal resonated with many chamber of commerce members, who nodded in agreement.

Luo Yan smiled slightly and said calmly, "It is indeed necessary to build a new transportation route, but building a road alone is not good enough. In order to improve the efficiency of logistics operations, I am considering building a railway."

There was silence in the conference room.

Festing couldn't help but interrupted in confusion.

"railway?"

Luo Yan smiled slightly and spoke slowly.

"A brand new mode of transportation that can greatly improve freight efficiency and reduce manpower consumption. I have already used it in the cemetery. It's too complicated to explain. You will naturally understand its advantages after it is built."

Everyone was whispering to each other. Although they didn't fully understand it, they were obviously very interested in this new concept.

Festing also raised his eyebrows with interest and unexpectedly looked at Luo Yan twice more.

If this thing is as useful as he said, he would like to prepare a set for the Padrich family's territory.

Feeling the atmosphere in the meeting room gradually thawing, Grok, the president of the Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce, gradually became restless.

He found that his "allies" were dwindling, and more and more people were defecting to the new lord, forgetting their original oath of unity for a little profit!

In order to demonstrate his prestige and win over the wavering allies in the Chamber of Commerce alliance, he had to do something.

"… Dear Lord, the prosperity of Black Wind Castle is obvious to all, and we all know that this is inseparable from the unremitting efforts of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance. In order to promote the further prosperity of Black Wind Castle, I have prepared three proposals. I hope that you, Lord, can consider them carefully… This is not only for our benefit, but also for your benefit."

After gaining the qualification to speak, the goblin merchant slowly stood up, deliberately adjusted his collar, and glanced at everyone present. His tone was calm but sharp.

"First, we hope that you will allow the Chamber of Commerce to expand its private armed forces to protect the caravans and ensure smooth trade routes."

"Second, we suggest reducing the defense force of Black Wind Fort. After all, Black Wind Fort is close to the Magic City, so it shouldn't need so many soldiers, unless... Lord, you have a bigger plan."

"Third, it's about the magic crystal cannon factory." Grok nodded slightly, and asked calmly, "For the front line of Hell, we must increase the production of magic crystal cannons and develop bigger and better war equipment... I want to know, is the lord willing to consider relaxing the monopoly on the military industry to improve production efficiency for the benefit of Hell as a whole?"

The atmosphere in the conference room seemed to freeze. Silence filled the room. Pairs of eyes drifted towards Luo Yan intentionally or unintentionally, and then quickly looked away.

Luo Yan sat upright in the main seat, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips, his eyes slowly sweeping among the crowd.

There was no emotion on his face, as if he was really thinking about Grok's suggestion.

Mia looked a little anxious, and she hinted to Luo Yan with her eyes, fearing that he would agree in a fit of anger.

Festing did not make any move, but just watched Luo Yan's reaction with interest.

Vivian yawned and played with her nails, showing no interest in what the ants sitting at the conference table were saying.

This guy was talking too much nonsense, she wanted to skip it and let her dear brother speak.

Groc did not rush to urge him. He sat firmly in his position, maintaining a calm and confident attitude, but his heart was gradually beating fast.

An invisible pressure loomed over his head, causing sweat to break out on his forehead, but he could not retreat.

This is a test.

If Luo Yan made concessions, it would mean that there would be cracks in his authority, and the Chamber of Commerce Alliance could further penetrate the power core of Black Wind Castle. If Luo Yan refused, he would have the opportunity to reunite those wavering allies.

Although the Padrich family put a lot of pressure on him, he was not without any cards in his hand.

"Private armies, cut defense, and open up the military industry."

Luo Yan read out the three proposals softly, his voice neither hurried nor slow, but with a majesty that was difficult to ignore.

He slowly raised his eyes, looked directly at Grok, and then revealed a faint smile.

"Your suggestion is very interesting."

Everyone in the conference room was on edge, waiting with bated breath for Luo Yan's next response.

"But I'm afraid you don't put yourself in the right place."

Luo Yan slowly leaned forward, looking at Grok who was holding his breath, and said with a sense of oppression, "The prosperity of Black Wind Castle is due to the magic crystal cannon technology, because I took this land from a bunch of rubbish, not because of you doing a few small businesses or peddling a few ridiculous toys under my nose... Do you understand?"

The air suddenly became heavier.

Several Chamber of Commerce representatives looked at each other secretly, trying to find the answer from each other's expressions.

Vivian raised her eyebrows and matched her brother's fierce expression. Although she had no idea what was going on, she could feel that her elder brother was angry.

Grok's brow twitched slightly.

He expected that Luo Yan would not agree so easily, but he didn't expect that this guy would give him such a strong sense of oppression right from the start.

He gritted his teeth and spoke with trembling lips.

"Of course, the Lord has taken all the considerations into account, but the safety of our caravan is also part of the economic stability of Black Wind Castle. I am just suggesting that... in order to make Black Wind Castle more commercially competitive, we can reduce some unnecessary defense expenditures and use resources for development... After all, you and I both know that Black Wind Castle is located in the heart of Hell, close to the Demon City. This is not your territory on the front line, and there are no humans to guard against..."

Hearing this high-sounding reason, Luo Yan smiled, leaned back in his chair, and continued speaking slowly.

"You guys, you think I can't see anything, right?"

"I dare not..." Grok lowered his head and said nervously.

"Is there anything you dare not do?" Luo Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with a half-smile, "You are legal merchants in the territory of Black Wind Fort, but you are robbers and bandits once you enter a lawless place. You don't even need to go to a lawless place. As long as I close my eyes for a little bit, you will take advantage of my inattention to persecute those law-abiding citizens and vendors. You know these problems clearly, but you still want me to relax the control of private armed forces and even reduce the defense budget? I would like to ask what your intention is."

Groc's heart skipped a beat, apparently he was hit on the point, and he explained hurriedly.

"Sir... I didn't mean that. The Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce is absolutely law-abiding! I, I really haven't heard of the situations you mentioned, and I didn't expect other chambers of commerce to be so bad!"

This is the nature of goblins. Even if they become rich, their bad habits are hard to change.

He rarely speaks the truth, and once he feels threatened, he immediately betrays other goblins without hesitation.

There was an uproar at the conference table.

"What do you mean!"

"We in the Rock Chamber of Commerce also abide by the law! I, I dare to swear to the devil!"

"That's right! Don't slander us! Don't blame us for what you did!"

Looking at this group of noisy guys, Luo Yan just laughed coldly, and then continued speaking slowly.

"What you do outside is none of my business, but my territory must not become a paradise for private armed forces. I don't want to see gangs everywhere on the streets of Black Wind Castle, with everyone in danger... My people can only be loyal to one lord, and that is me."

The noisy Chamber of Commerce bosses all stopped talking and looked at the lord sitting in the main seat with held breath.

The ordinary citizens of Black Wind Castle were in high spirits, their faces were flushed, and their eyes were full of hope, just like the goblin boy named Snik.

They are not afraid of tyrants.

In fact, it is quite the opposite. They long for a powerful bully to whip those who really bully them.

If you don’t have an extremely powerful monster, any other demon or human will do!

This world is so absurd.

It wasn't just the citizens of Black Wind Castle, even Vivian, who had nothing to do with him, looked at Luo Yan with shining eyes, breathing rapidly, knees together, and even her eyes were wet.

Mia glanced at Vivian warily, and after a moment she couldn't help but glance again.

Her attention was no longer on Luo Yan, she was completely attracted by this guy.

Is this guy really his sister?

The succubus's sixth sense told her that she should not underestimate this vampire with a mental problem...

"As for the magic crystal cannon..." Luo Yan suddenly softened his tone, "Its strategic significance is indeed beyond elaboration, and improving production efficiency is indeed crucial."

Hope ignited in Grok's eyes, but within two seconds, the flame that had just been lit was extinguished by a basin of cold water poured in his face.

"…But have you ever thought that once I release the production license and allow people like you to participate, the human nations on the surface will be able to master this technology in a matter of minutes."

Grok's face changed instantly and he cried out.

"This is impossible! My loyalty to His Majesty the Demon God—"

"Then do you dare to guarantee it? Use the lives of all of you present here to guarantee it," Luo Yan raised a cold smile and continued, "No one present here will leak the core technology of the magic crystal cannon for their own selfish interests... Do you believe my words?"

There was dead silence in the meeting room.

Everyone's expression changed slightly, even Festing's expression became serious, and he began to think about the pros and cons.

The representatives of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance were originally still watching, but now their eyes are full of scrutiny.

Grok subconsciously wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling a chill in his heart.

He is indeed the ruthless man who caused the Dragun family to fall!

This lord is more difficult to deal with than he imagined...

At least it is unwise to continue to make trouble here, he has to think long-term! Grok's thoughts turned quickly, and he said hastily: "I... I really didn't think it through. But please believe me, I did this for you, for His Majesty the Demon God, and for the prosperity of Hell..."

Luo Yan looked at him with an indifferent expression.

"Then think it over before you speak."

"Yes..." Grok sat back with sweat on his forehead.

The people of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance saw Grok defeated, and they couldn't help but feel mixed emotions. They had hoped that Grok could show the influence of the Chamber of Commerce in front of the new lord, but at this moment, he was easily suppressed by the other party.

Lost, shaken, and even a hint of fear...intertwined in their eyes.

The new lord Luo Yan was like an indestructible rock, and he established an unshakable majesty in front of them.

Festing looked at Luo Yan with a smile on his face, nodded slightly, and a gleam of appreciation flashed in his eyes.

He was not mistaken.

This guy is simply a natural born devil. No wonder he can solve problems that even Reggie Dragun is helpless against.

The young man is indeed a talent! (End of this chapter)