Yolanda complained lightly,
"Brother, I understand you are constantly recruiting talented individuals to expand the power of the Qinghui Territory. However, I must ask you to think it over. Don’t just accept anyone who cos along, and please stop... ’piledriving’ everyone you et."
Westheid didn’t need to say a word. The mont Yolanda took on the role of a dissenting courtier, the sycophantic phit stepped forward to defend his Monarch, shaking his head.
"I must disagree. It is precisely because he is a commander, an overlord, a sovereign, that he must wantonly possess and conquer. Those who are moved by our lord’s magnificence, might, and Charm will surely follow him with undying loyalty. This is the very cornerstone of a Great Enterprise!"
Yolanda was about to say more, but her brother waved his hand and said,
"It’s fine. I know what I’m doing. You’ll all be colleagues from now on, so be civil. My future followers will be an even more complicated bunch."
"Hmph... Understood, Brother. As long as you’re happy."
phit also bowed elegantly at Westheid’s side.
"My lord, rest assured, I will compete for the title of your most loyal hound through righteous ans. Once the Expeditionary Army is in position, I will enact your will in battle and offer you victory and glory!"
Westheid didn’t think having nurous factions under him was a bad thing. A landscape of competing cliques, each keeping the others in check, was the way to manage subordinates. It wasn’t about fearing he’d be usurped, but about fostering healthy competition among them.
As for the matter of loyalty... just as Yolanda had said, the only people Westheid truly trusted were either from the Purity People or had a connection with him that went beyond friendship.
And as for Duke Qinghui’s current Charm bonus... it was no exaggeration to say it was off the charts.
Not even a mass-produced moege from Miel would dare to give its protagonist such a setting!
With the Monarch’s diation, the small conflict, which had just begun to sll of gunpowder, ca to an abrupt end.
The group left the docking port and headed for the city center.
The docking port, built on high ground on the city’s outskirts, offered a panoramic view of the urban landscape. Upon entering the city proper, the scenes beca much more detailed.
Having been lavished with the Mortal World’s most advanced technology and a limitless budget, Su Yue’s expansion and developnt were astonishingly fast, changing its appearance almost weekly. Amidst the various new and beautiful buildings, bustling comrcial streets, concert halls, opera houses, park districts, and residential areas intertwined. Farther out, workshop districts and self-sustaining farms rged together, presenting a scene of vibrant life and flourishing growth.
Barriers spread across the sky above the city monitored the movents and status of every passing Floating Battleship. A network of major thoroughfares spread in all directions, the furthest of which even connected to a certain Silver-haired Princess’s personal territory within the Imperial.
But what made Westheid proudest was the trade plan he had devised himself.
rchant caravans from the Borderland, the Imperial Provinces, the Yuanshi Territory, and even the Country of Yonglan brought rare treasures, weapons, equipnt, and strategic materials. In return, they hauled away all sorts of valuable resources from Su Yue—from grain and ore to various daily necessities, taking whatever they could get.
The exchange rates were outrageous; a cartful of grain seeds could be traded for an equal weight of golem components.
A few years ago, such a thing would have been unthinkable. You could only dream of it!
But after the separation of gods and mortals, Chaos disasters of varying sizes had erupted everywhere. Only the Qinghui Territory had managed to take precautions, forcibly transforming a Branch of Prosperity territory on the Chaos Border into a sanctuary known far and wide.
Most of the Mortal World’s raw material production bases had been severely damaged, yet the Qinghui Territory now possessed a reserve of raw materials far exceeding its own needs. This led to the incredible phenonon.
Dump raw materials, plunder manufactured goods!
’This is our Qinghui Territory’s free market—so very, very free. Duke Qinghui’s invisible hand has been manipulating it hard.’
The rise and power of the Qinghui Territory had elevated Su Yue, a city that should have been just a new settlent, to a status it didn’t deserve.
The Capital where the Purity People kept to themselves? An isolated Borderland cut off from the world?
Wrong! It was a rising international tropolis! The center of the new world!
"After this, we can start establishing a transport network all the way to the Dusk Lamp Territory. This will be our biggest challenge yet, but I’m confident my fine lads can handle it. Tell Roy that after the Civil Servants have settled the residents we brought back this ti, he can begin coordinating with the Expeditionary Army."
Westheid gave these instructions along the way. Every expedition he led to expand his domain ant a new trade and logistics route for Su Yue, presenting an ever-increasing challenge for the personnel back in the Qinghui Territory.
But it didn’t matter. He didn’t need to personally worry about such trivial matters. A couple of nudges from his invisible hand to set the general policy was enough. ’Anyone who doesn’t know how to ease Their Majesty’s burdens is unworthy of serving under Duke Qinghui, anyway, right?’
Just as they stepped into the manor, Westheid instructed Yolanda,
"I’m going to et the Witch Leader of the Ring of Clear Skies. Please have her co to the Holy Land tomorrow."
For now, the matter with the Ring of Clear Skies was the only thing that required Westheid’s personal attention. He cut himself so slack by setting the eting place in the Holy Land, which would also give him a chance to see the Pure Holy Spirit.
’I haven’t gone to see her in so long. The White-haired Ancestor is probably not too happy. She’ll need a lot of coaxing.’
Yolanda was taken aback. "Have Miss Elaine wait in the Holy Land? She hasn’t fully sided with us yet, and besides, she’s an outsider."
Westheid only asked one soul-searching question: "Is the Witch Leader of the Ring of Clear Skies good-looking?"
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