??Chapter 291: Chapter 290: The Art of Managent
Chapter 291: Chapter 290: The Art of Managent
On the eastern border, Thistlefort.
The news that the granary had been secretly emptied by the Kingdom Army spread throughout the whole city within a single day. The Paradise Sect even opened the doors of the granary for everyone to see. Anyone passing by could see that the enormous storage room was left with only a few dozen boxes of food.
And this food was purchased from the nobility.
People were naturally concerned about the famine, as the usual market for grain had closed and was replaced by a ration distribution center. The Paradise Sect had designated four areas at the border between the inner and outer city, providing the citizens with food to fill their bellies, mainly consisting of the classic combination of at porridge and bread.
At the sa ti, they also dispatched a price-monitoring squad to strictly control industries that provided food, such as hotels, bars, and small inns, ordering them not to raise prices on their own. The owners could choose to stop doing business, but any shop that remained open during this period would be granted a two-year tax exemption.
Stored grain was like a sponge, the majority might be gone, but every household still had so saved, preventing imdiate depletion. Yet even in such circumstances, the number of people who ca to collect food still surpassed a hundred thousand, with lines stretching from morning till night. And everyone who received a serving of hot porridge had an indelible stamp placed on the back of their hand, deterring those who contemplated cheating to get more.
With the situation progressing to this point, panic should have already spread. However, what astonished all the nobles was that another piece of news had also spread throughout Thistlefort, and it was even more talked about than the lack of grain. The reason not every citizen ca to collect food was partly because they still had surplus grain at ho to last a while, and partly because they all wanted to join the engineering team ford by the Paradise Sect.
With unprecedented high wages of twenty copper coins a day, and one silver coin for every five days, this employnt opportunity swept through the hearts of every resident like a flood!
They had worked for the Thistlefort lumberyard and Jianling Company their whole lives, but had never seen such a staggering base salary.
The desire to make money at one point even outweighed the deterrent of famine.
A handful of “rational people” chose to flee Thistlefort imdiately. The Paradise Sect didn’t stop them, only made a simple tally, which ca to around five hundred.
Lanqi Brindon was not among them.
The next day, he brought Alice and their two children to the south of Thistlefort. This place had turned into a bustling construction site where thousands of workers entered the site at the sa ti, and from a distance, one couldn’t see a hint of chaos. Everything from digging, filling, quarrying, to paving was organized in an orderly manner.
Furthermore, these workers even donned vests of different colors, for example, the diggers wore yellow, while those filling with rubble wore green. Even as an outsider, he could tell what each group was busy with.
As a lord, Lanqi understood deeply that organization was a profound skill, and the leader directing these thousands of workers was undoubtedly a master of it. Such organizational ability would be a starting point for a staff officer in the army, at least.
What was even more incredible was that there weren’t just one or two people with such capability. Heaven knows where the Paradise Sect had found such a large group of talented individuals to serve them.
“Dear, aren’t you planning to go to Gaota City anymore?” Alice asked, sowhat worried. She could sense the brewing storm within the city. Those nobles would never peacefully allow a mysterious sect to rise above them. They might not have the military power to combat the Paradise Sect, but they had endless cunning ideas and could always find the opponent’s weakness in so dark corner.
“Alice, what do you think they’re doing?” Instead of answering, Lanqi asked in return.
“If they’re digging to plant grain, it’s definitely too late,” Alice said, a bit troubled. “Could they be digging up squirrels’ acorn stores? I’ve heard that so people survived famines by doing this in the past. What do you think?”
“I don’t know, and haven’t a clue,” Lanqi admitted openly, “and I’d wager that nobody in Thistlefort does either—except for them.”
Although his wife’s explanation was highly impractical, coming up with an answer at all was considered quick-witted under these circumstances.
“Does this have sothing to do with us going north?”
“I’ve been pondering that since last night, and still am,” Lanqi murmured. “Seeking refuge in Gaota City would certainly an survival, but that’s about all.”
He had lost his power, wealth, and reputation, returning to his wife’s family with his wife by his side, one could imagine that was not exactly a pleasant experience. Since Alice married into the family, she hadn’t lived an extravagant life, but at least she hadn’t had to worry about food and clothes and had been free of constraints. It was one thing for him to endure so humiliation, but could Alice and their two children really bear the life of dependency? Leaving Thistlefort ant completely giving up the Earl’s domain, no matter whether the Laurel Family took power or Long Jiu ascended the throne, that title would never be returned to him.
But staying here still offered a glimr of opportunity.
Not clinging on, but becoming once again a person whose every move held influence.
He didn’t believe in the so-called “promises” Sergey and others talked about, what circled in his mind instead was Mr. Zhao’s half-joking persuasion— “Join us, start as an officer, and climb your way up to be the mayor of Thistlefort, how about that?”
“I’m not afraid of your ridicule when I say this, I have a feeling that what the Paradise Sect is doing is either a colossal joke or an act that will shock the world. Its bizarreness will certainly cause jaws to drop… for instance, by making real divinities appear,” Lanqi rubbed his hands, hesitantly adding, “The first ti I saw Mr. Zhao, I felt he was no ordinary person. Moreover, I can play the fool anyti I want, no need to spend a fortune just to beco the laughingstock of others.”
Alice took his hand.
Lanqi followed the arm to look into his wife’s eyes, guessing what she might say, whether she would agree, object, or think that his wild ideas were all in his head?
But she didn’t make any judgnt.
She simply said one sentence.
“I trust you.”
A rush of warmth surged through Lanqi’s heart, and he looked away slightly embarrassed, “Won’t you ask a few more questions?”
“A few more questions? I could ask a hundred,” Alice said with a smile, “Like what’s the connection between digging the ground and summoning divinities? Farrs almost turn the soil twice every year. Like you don’t know anything about the Paradise Sect, any judgnt could be an illusion born from a desperate gratitude, isn’t it a bit improper to gamble on this? Also, your choice to continue observing suggests you are thinking of reclaiming your lordship, so do you have a plan for what cos next…”
It turned out she had considered every aspect, her thoughts were no less thorough than his own.
Lanqi scratched his forehead, “Alright… you do have quite a few questions.”
“But I believe you’re doing this to give
and the children a better life,” Alice said softly, “Since there’s profit to be had in the risk, let’s bear it together.”
“Alice…” Lanqi couldn’t help but grip her hand tighter.
“However, you have to agree to one thing,” his wife continued, “The children are still young, sending them away from Thistlefort won’t affect their future. I want to write a letter to my family, asking them to send soone reliable to take the children. If they hurry, my mother could send soone within two days. In case you change your mind…”
It would still be in ti to leave together.
The rest of his wife’s words were left unspoken.
The only downside was that whether or not he managed to overco this difficulty, he would owe the Gaota City family a great favor.
But under the current circumstances, such a drawback was no longer a concern.
“Mhm, I agree to your request,” Lanqi nodded in reply.
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