Volume 3 Chapter 42 - Just when can it be developed? (1/2)

“Spending two million gold coins and just having the right to have five hundred guards?” Chairman Cruise looked at Xu Yi in disbelief before asking with a frown, “Xu Yi, why do I feel that after coming to the Stantine Duchy, it seems like your mind has burned out and you’re always doing business that costs you money?”

“Costs me money?” Xu Yi revealed a faint smile, “You have to first understand that although our Frestech Chamber of Commerce is paying this two million gold coins, it’s used to improve the environment here. The ones who benefit the most from this would be our Frestech Chamber of Commerce, so this can be considered investment in our Frestech Chamber of Commerce.”

“The problem is that this is the Stantine Duchy after all. Your Fretech Chamber of Commerce can invest here now, but good things can’t be taken away. If one day you can’t stay here anymore, wouldn’t those things be wasted?” Chairman Cruise said in a confused voice.

“Who said I’ll leave in the future?” Xu Yi asked back.

“You might not be able to stay, this place…..” Chairman Cruise suddenly stopped and looked at Xu Yi in surprise. He looked around before suddenly coming closer and lowering his voice as it trembled while he asked, “Hey, Xu Yi, it can’t be that you’re thinking of……”

Xu Yi waved his hand, “Don’t ask me, I won’t tell you.”

Chairman Cruise closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes, looking at Xu Yi with a gaze of deep meaning for a while. Only then did he stand back and look over Xu Yi like it was his first time meeting him. He shook his head as he said with a sigh, “Xu Yi, I’ve noticed today that your ambitions are much greater than I thought. But do you think…..just five hundred people are enough? Aren’t you looking down on the Stantine Duchy too much?”

“What do you think about the battle strength our Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s guards demonstrated last time on the Black Rice Wasteland?” Xu Yi asked this seemingly unrelated question back.

Chairman Cruise was surprised and after thinking for a bit, he said with a frown, “Very strong, but to keep this battle strength…..wouldn’t it be very hard?”

“That’s not what we’re discussing right now.” Xu Yi shook his head with a smile, “To be honest, perhaps I won’t need to do anything and the Stantine Duchy itself will change.”

“The people here want to just sleep all day, how could they change?” Chairman Cruise gave a cold snort.

Xu Yi couldn’t help laughing as he patted chairman Cruise’s shoulder, “What? You also realized that the people here are lazy?”

Chairman Cruise gave a snort as he said, “I really am surprised, how can a person be this lazy? Of the five thousand people you’ve thrown over, I’ve sent two thousand of them to do the simplest work and what do you think happened? It’s been a week now and those two thousand people…..Two thousand people! They actually only leveled ten kilometers of land. With their efficiency, I think that I might die from waiting before they can finish building the roads.”

“So I said, don’t count on the efficiency of the workers from here, it’s best if we bring people from the Lampuri Kingdom. Then again, I’m not willing to waste precious wages on the people here. If there’s money, I’d rather give it to our Lampuri Kingdom citizens.” Xu Yi said.

“Un, I’ve already decided. When I head back in a few days, in Banta City, oh, no, not just Banta City, I will recruit workers from all the surrounding cities as well. Otherwise, we won’t be able to keep up.”

“That would be best.” Xu Yi said with a nod, “I dare confirm that not only will there not be less road work for you, there will be more and more work. It’s to the point that you won’t be able to sit down.”

“That is certain.” Chairman Cruise said with a proud smile, “After realizing the benefits of roads, there are many people who want us to build roads for them. Not only have we constructed over a thousand kilometers of roads in the Lampuri Kingdom, we’ve even constructed three hundred kilometers of roads in the Rudson Kingdom. Adding in this place, we’ll be building over a thousand and five hundred kilometers of road next year.”

“That’s still too little.” Xu Yi said with a sigh, “According to my estimates, to connect every part of the Lampuri Kingdom, it’ll take over fifty thousand kilometers of road. It’s far too little right now.”

“Fifty thousand kilometers?” Chairman Cruise was flabbergasted, “Isn’t this too exaggerated? Do you want to put roads all over the Lampuri Kingdom?”

“Why not?” Xu Yi asked back, “Do you feel that this isn’t appropriate?”

“This…..” Chairman Cruise paused before he couldn’t help nodding, “Un, I feel it’s very appropriate, but now I have a question. Xu Yi, although it’s very convenient building roads, the improvement to transportation and economy that you mentioned before hasn’t occurred yet. The horse carriages can only run a bit faster and smoother, there isn’t much of an increase.”

“Ask about the Magic Car if you want, is there a need to beat around the bush?” Xu Yi snappily said.

Chairman Cruise laughed, “It’s good you know. Then be honest with you, when will that Magic Car that you mentioned come out?”

Xu Yi looked to the northeast, in the direction of the Falling Rain Valley.

“Before coming here, the research facility said that they made a major breakthrough in developing the Magic Car. If I can see that they had real research progress this time when I get back, I might be able to give you a more accurate answer.”