Chapter 105 The Penniless Victor Then, this guy also...
Then, for some unknown reason, this guy suddenly turned around, sprinted out of the restaurant at top speed, and, facing the quiet night sky, let out a roar filled with joy and catharsis:
"Wake up, everyone! Get up and see! The mayor is better!!!"
Lin Yue: "...?"
He stood frozen in place, holding the chicken leg, his smile instantly freezing.
The next second, he let out a desperate wail.
"Retaliation, this is absolutely blatant retaliation. Li Ge, you idiot, you're trying to socially kill me."
Sure enough, Li Ge's loud voice shattered the tranquility of Hope Town instantly.
Windows were pushed open one by one, and oil lamps were lit one by one. Then, countless figures surged toward the small restaurant from all directions.
"What? The mayor is cured?"
"Really? Let's go check it out."
"I always said that the mayor is a lucky man and that everything would be alright."
Soon, the already cramped courtyard of the restaurant was packed with people.
Lin Yue looked at the faces in front of him, each one filled with concern and a hint of resentment that said, "You dare to fake illness and lie to us?" and felt a chill run down his spine.
"Um... everyone... good evening." He waved awkwardly, forcing a stiff smile. "Are you... still awake?"
"Sleep? You've been acting and faking illness, keeping all of us on edge. How could we sleep?" A straightforward woman from the logistics team was the first to step forward, saying with a mix of complaint and concern, "Mayor, it's wonderful that you're better. But you can't just keep it from us like this. These past few days, we haven't been able to eat or sleep well, and we've been worried sick about you every day."
"That's right, that's right, Mayor, you're really unfair."
"Next time... no, there can't be a next time. If anything happens to you again, what will become of our family?"
Faced with everyone's accusations and heartfelt concern, Lin Yue could only bow and scrape repeatedly, admitting his mistakes.
"Okay, okay, I was wrong, I was wrong. It's only been two days, I just haven't had a chance to tell everyone yet. I'll definitely do it next time, next time..." He realized something was wrong as soon as he said it.
"Pah! What next time? There won't be a next time, absolutely not! I promise!"
Elder Farador, leaning on his cane, squeezed in shakily. Looking at the energetic Lin Yue, he first nodded with satisfaction, then began to scold him, his beard bristling and eyes wide: "You little rascal, you really know how to cause trouble. Do you know that during the days you were sick, this old man couldn't sleep at night. I was so worried that I even wanted to pluck those poor tender leaves of the Child of the Sacred Tree and make soup for you to cure your illness."
Lin Yue broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this and quickly stepped forward to support the elder, repeatedly apologizing.
The heated discussion, filled with warmth, continued until late into the night, gradually subsiding only after Lin Yue repeatedly assured him that he was in excellent health, had a great appetite, and promised to provide extra meals for the entire town the next day.
Only when the crowd finally dispersed, satisfied, did Lin Yue breathe a long sigh of relief, feeling more exhausted than if he had fought a battle.
He returned to his office and knocked on the door of the locker in the corner.
"Hey, distinguished guests, you're safe now, you can come out."
The cabinet door creaked open, and two figures, equally disheveled and with unnatural expressions, squeezed out of the cramped space, looking at each other with disdain.
It was Ryan and his bodyguard captain, Reno.
When the crowd surged in just now, in order to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, Lin Yue had no choice but to ask them to temporarily hide in the closet.
"Ahem..." Ryan straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes and gave an awkward but polite smile. "Brother Lin Yue, the people of Hope Town are really... warm and outgoing."
His long legs had been curled up in the cramped closet for a long time, and now they felt a little weak when he stood up.
"You flatter me, you flatter me." Lin Yue was a little embarrassed. "So... where were we?"
The two then discussed the details of their future cooperation in Blackrock City for a long time. It wasn't until dawn that Ryan, with Renault, quietly departed under the cover of darkness.
Before leaving, Ryan stood at the entrance of the small restaurant, looked back at the town in the morning light, and said sincerely, "Brother Lin Yue, I look forward to our next formal meeting in Blackrock City. My... Chief Development Advisor."
Lin Yue smiled and returned the greeting: "I am also very grateful to Young Master Ryan for the special care we have taken for our employees who stayed in Blackrock City. If you hadn't acted first and arrested and placed them under the pretext of seizure, they would probably be in Karl's hands by now, their fate unknown. I also look forward to seeing you again, Lord City Lord."
...
The next morning, Lin Yue, feeling refreshed, began his inspection of the town, preparing to start a new round of construction.
The restoration work on the city wall is proceeding smoothly. Several teams are working together to design a stronger and more defensive iron gate for the main gate.
The agricultural team has also begun preparations for the next planting season.
Everything looks thriving.
However, when Lin Yue strolled to Hope No. 1 Store, he found Aunt Leah sighing and looking worried in front of a slate ledger.
"Auntie, what's wrong?" Lin Yue asked curiously.
Aunt Leah looked up and saw Lin Yue. She was stunned for a moment, then gave a smile that looked more like a grimace, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Pointing to the empty warehouse, she said helplessly, "You ask me what's wrong? I just... laughed it off."
"Poor?" Lin Yue was shocked. "How could we be poor? Although we gave up a large amount of supplies during the negotiations with Ryan, we should still be quite well-off. I've confirmed this with the leaders of each group."
"Yes, the supplies delivered to His Excellency the Duke are sufficient." Aunt Leah sighed and began to calculate the details for Lin Yue, who had been shirking his responsibilities. "But have you forgotten about our own consumption during this period?"
"In preparation for war, we used almost all of our iron to make weapons and fortifications. Now, with the post-war reconstruction underway, iron is needed everywhere, and the blacksmiths' stock has long been depleted."
"And there's cement and red bricks. We need to repair the city walls and build prisoner-of-war camps. All of that costs money. Our stock is almost used up."
"Also, don't forget, when you went to Silvermoon Forest, you sent out a large batch of the best ceramics and grains to build relationships. Our rock-walking lizards did bring back quite a few supplies from the elves, but most of them were herbs and cloth, which can't be eaten."
She paused, then added the most devastating blow: "And you promised the elves you'd supply them with another large batch of canned food before the end of autumn. Given our current situation, we'd be lucky to even feed ourselves, let alone deliver the goods. So, Mayor, we're not just poor now, we're also drowning in debt."
Lin Yue broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.
He was only thinking about how to fight wars, how to conduct diplomacy, and how to make grand promises, but he neglected the most fundamental issues of daily necessities.
He quickly went to inspect the agricultural group and the breeding farm again, and the result made him even more disheartened.
Because of war preparations, most of the labor force was diverted to building city walls and training, leaving farmland neglected. As a result, many crops suffered from pests and diseases to varying degrees. In particular, the livestock farms were greatly affected by the commotion from the last war, especially the deafening explosions of gunpowder. Even though they were far away, the explosions still frightened some of the timid chickens and sheep, and many of them fell ill or even died due to stress.
The entire Hope Town is like a victor who has just won a fierce battle, only to find himself out of ammunition and supplies and burdened with a mountain of debt.
That afternoon.
"Ahem... As you can all see, the situation is as described." Lin Yue coughed, his face flushing slightly. "I admit it was my oversight; I failed to properly coordinate post-war resources. The problems we face now are very serious, which can be summarized in eight words: 'Poverty breeds weakness, and everything needs to be rebuilt.'"
"Tell me, what should we do now? How can we restore production, escape poverty, and pay back the debt we owe the elves in the shortest possible time?"
"What else can we do? Let's get to work. As long as we have the strength, we won't starve. Tomorrow I'll take some men to the mine and bring the ore back to us."
“That’s right,” Old Bader said. “The work in the fields can’t stop. Even though we’ve missed the best time, it’s better to replant some vegetables with shorter growing cycles than nothing.”
“We also need to resume operations as soon as possible,” Aunt Leah added. “The news of our victory has already spread. I bet it won’t be long before more caravans come knocking on our door. We need to strike while the iron is hot and make back our reputation and money.”
Everyone chimed in with their opinions, and soon a self-help production plan for post-disaster reconstruction was formulated.
“Okay,” Lin Yue said, his hope rekindled as he listened to everyone’s enthusiastic words. “You’re all right. But the biggest problem we’re facing right now is the lack of manpower. It’s really too difficult for us to take care of production, construction and defense at the same time with just our small number of people.”
He looked at everyone, smiled, and pointed in the direction of Blackrock City: "However, this problem is also easy to solve."
"Don't forget, I'm now the chief development advisor for Blackrock City. That city is full of refugees on the verge of starvation and skilled craftsmen with no work to do. All they need is an opportunity. And we can give them that opportunity."
“Moreover,” he said, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, “most of you have come from the vicinity of Blackrock City and know the people and things there much better than I do. So I need you to list out the talent and resources you need that can be used by us.”
"For example, Brother Li, does your construction team need any experienced stonemasons? Old Bard, do you need some experienced farmers to help you manage your fields? Aunt Leah, does your logistics team want to hire a few butchers who can cure meat, or cooks who can make more complex dishes?"
"Go back and think it over carefully. Make a list of what your group needs most and submit it. When I return to Blackrock City, I'll gather people for everyone."
"By the way," Lin Yue suddenly called out to them as they were about to leave, a mischievous smile on his face, "How's your handwriting coming along? When we make a list, can you write it out completely by yourselves? Don't end up having to beg a bunch of people for help just to make a list. You're the leaders of your respective groups, so you need to set a good example."
The moment the words were spoken, the faces of the managers, who had just been so enthusiastic, instantly fell.
Li Ge was the first to scratch his head, laughing awkwardly, "Oh dear, Mayor, look at my brain... I suddenly remembered that there's still a brick on the other side of the city wall that hasn't been laid flat. I have to hurry back and take a look."
“Yes, yes, yes,” Old Bud slapped his thigh, “My precious corn seedlings seem to have some curled leaves, I need to loosen the soil around them.”
In a short time, all those in charge made up all sorts of bizarre excuses and ran away.
Looking at their guilty expressions, Lin Yue shook his head helplessly: "It seems that improving the overall cultural and educational level of the population should be put on the agenda as soon as possible."
In the dead of night, Lin Yue sat alone in the small restaurant's office.
Although they won the war, it also exposed many problems, but it also gave them an unprecedented opportunity for development.
Blackstone City's population, market, and resources will become the wings that propel Hope Town to future growth. Hope Town will use this border city as a springboard to officially take its first solid step towards a broader continental stage.
He pulled out a stone tablet from his pocket labeled "[Hope Town Strategic Weapon Research and Development Project (Top Secret)]".
In the flickering light of the oil lamp, beneath the clay pot grenade, he solemnly wrote several new terms in charcoal:
【Earth Fire Crystallization Catalytic Combustion/Bomb】, 【On the Feasibility Study of Firearms】, and 【Hope Town Mountain-Opening Giant Cannon】.
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Author's note: Phase Three is complete.
I've written 400,000 words, but it feels like I haven't written anything at all.
We can no longer afford internal friction and laziness; we must learn through practice and practice through knowledge.
I hope that in the next phase, both we and others will continue to thrive. [Pat on head]
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