Using both carrot and stick was the only way to deal with villagers in the mountains. After the engineers dismounted, they went to the village chief and asked for the food to be distributed in person. This was naturally to prevent the food from being pocketed by a few people. The village chief had been the butler of the nearby Viscount Morac for more than twenty years. Later, he was "banished" here because of a mistake. Thus, when he saw the other party's forceful methods, his expression changed several times, but he ultimately agreed to distribute the food on the spot.
Suval took three jerky and took a bite. The rich meaty fragrance almost made him swallow his tongue. He simply sat on the ground next to the village chief and just happened to hear the words of the engineer. "After the road is repaired, the road to the other villages will be unobstructed. At that time, there will be people to guide you in farming, and the food output will at least double. "
"Really?" The village chief's eyes widened. "That's great … We won't be able to pay the taxes this year!"
"Pay taxes? Viscount Morac is already dead. "
"Cough, cough, cough …"
Suval choked on his saliva. He raised his head and found that the village chief's expression was similar to his own.
"The stubborn Viscount Morac was the last noble in the kingdom who was unwilling to swear allegiance to King Sally I. The day before yesterday, he was reduced to ashes along with his personal guards. The Kingdom of Karen is now completely unified, and your only overlord is King Sally I. Do you understand? In the future, there will be no more Viscount Morac. If the tax collectors don't come in the name of the kingdom's tax officials, then they must be fake. "
The engineers held several slips of paper in their hands, on which they recorded the things they wanted to announce. Suval looked at them enviously. In the entire village, only the village chief was literate, while the others were illiterate.
"Second, the kingdom has experienced war this year, and there are many things waiting to be done. In order to reduce the burden on the people, the cabinet has decided to exempt the outlying areas from taxes for an entire year."
The words of the engineer made the people who were holding the jerky stare blankly for a moment before cheering in unison. Viscount Morac's taxes were too heavy in the past, and after paying the taxes, the people often had to endure hunger due to lack of food. They had to rely on picking wild fruits or catching small beasts in the wild all day long to satisfy their hunger. Now that the taxes were exempted, who wouldn't be ecstatic?
"The third thing is that the construction team is currently recruiting. Your village has six slots. If you want to sign up, you can register with me."
"Recruit what?"
"The people who assist in the construction of the roads only need to be able to work in the fields. They're not going out to fight. There is no more war. "
The engineer explained patiently, "After joining the construction team, food and accommodation will be provided. If your performance is outstanding, you can join the official team and get paid."
But when the village turned around and told the villagers, no one was willing to stand up. For these country bumpkins in the remote mountainous areas, "going out" was a very scary thing. They were ignorant and timid. When they heard the news of the tax exemption, they were already calculating how much food would be left this year. Who would go and do the unknown "project"?
"If no one signs up, it will be considered as giving up."
The engineer didn't insist. Just as he was about to leave, Suval suddenly raised his hand and said, "I … I want to go!"
"We don't accept children."
"I — I'm seventeen!"
Suval summoned his courage and shouted. This made the engineer look at him before asking the village chief, "Is he really 17 years old?"
"Yes."
"Good, then go back and say goodbye to your family and follow us."
The engineer never said any nonsense. "You can have three days off every month, and you can come back to see your parents if you want."
"I … I don't have a family."
Suval whispered.
"Got it."
As the engineer's voice fell, the huge rumbling sounds of the road construction puppets were getting closer and closer. The villagers looked over and saw a smooth road extending from the horizon in the distance, making them feel as if they were possessed. As for Suval, he held the jerky in his hand and followed the engineer's footsteps towards the majestic construction team.
He didn't know what was waiting for him, but he decided to go out and take a look.
*****
The Hercino Magic Tower eventually returned to Hollier City, but as the queen, Sally didn't change it to the "Imperial City". In her eyes, the so-called "Imperial Palace", "Imperial City", and the newly promoted Lucifron Family were only symbols without much meaning.
After the kingdom was unified, it was still in the "statistics" stage, which was to calculate the kingdom's population, the structure of the rich and the poor, and various figures for analysis and formulation of subsequent national policies. The ruling methods of the cabinet were no longer as radical and swift as they were in Efta. They had done that to buy time, but now that the kingdom was unified, time was the last thing they lacked. Everything was based on stability, and all policies had to be cautious.
The affairs of the country were taken care of by the cabinet, so Sally was very relaxed. Now she studied divine spells all day and regularly performed purification treatment on the Dragons in the Magic Tower.
Compared to a month ago, Sally could now call out the names of all these Dragons, and many Dragons were willing to talk more with the king. Thus, Sally could be considered to have a lot of "Dragons as friends."
When she came to the 19th floor today, Lord Queo was reading a book. Sally glanced at it and found that it was Elson's magic journal. There was a pen and paper on the desk next to Queo, and it was obvious that he was studying spells.
She stepped forward with her scepter in hand. "Lord Queo, let me cast a purification spell."
"Oh, okay."
Queo had recovered from his initial depression and dispiritedness. Now his attitude towards Sally was very peaceful. He did not talk much, but he was not cold. He left the study and sat down calmly.
Sally cast the spell very quickly, and it was over in a minute. After that, Queo nodded and thanked her. Sally could have left, but she glanced at the paper on which Queo had written a lot and asked curiously, "Are you studying human spells?"
"Oh, yes. There are a lot of things in the journal that need to be improved. I'm going to write them down and exchange them for some points."
"Points?"
Sally was stunned for a moment, and then she remembered that Roddy had specially set up a set of points system for the sanatorium. Points could be exchanged for various resources, including buying things, applying for the use of other half planes, participating in the games in the entertainment area, or exchanging tokens for betting. She had thought that the Dragons were not interested in these things, but now it seemed that … Lord Queo seemed to be very interested in it.
"The Red Dragon Team One is playing tomorrow. I have to exchange some tokens to place a bet. These little bastards always like to show off their skills when they play football. I've told them many times, but they don't listen. Really … "
Hearing Queo's words, Sally remembered that the male Dragons in the entertainment area seemed to be very keen on the sport of "football." They were seven against seven, and after using spells to bind their strength, they would chase a crystal ball on a huge field. She had only heard of it, and it sounded childish when she thought about it. But the actual situation was far more popular than she had expected.
"I'm the coach of the Red Dragon Team, so I have to give them a lot of points as rewards. Otherwise, these little bastards will not be very enthusiastic." Queo looked very enthusiastic about this matter. He continued to mark the contents of the journal with the quill in his hand. "Help me ask Roddy. The Champions League final reward is only 5,000 points? Don't you want to add something else? "
"Uh … Okay."
Sally walked out of the room in a daze. The once all-powerful Lord of the Dragons had now become a football coach who only wanted to win the championship. This contrast was a little hard for her to accept. But after a few steps, Sally suddenly realized the purpose of Roddy's system. "Recuperation" was not "confinement." Although it was said that they could not leave the Magic Tower, there were so many half planes in the Magic Tower that it was almost like another world. The Dragons did not have to worry about being bored here at all.
But if they were "left to their own devices," it would be a complete waste for a group of powerful Dragons to be idle all day long. A complete economic system and system was used to make the Dragons more motivated. They gained the so-called "points," but paid with precious knowledge and experience.
In this way, the Dragons' energy could be vented, and the papers they exchanged for points had invisibly provided immeasurable promotion and influence to the magic world in the Kingdom of Karen.
The Dragons knew that they were being used, but they were happy to be used … Such a method made Sally admire Roddy's brain.
When she pushed open another door, Lord Morlars was sitting with his legs crossed and looking at the poker cards in his hand.
"You're here?"
"Yes. Lord Morlars, let me cast Purification. "
"Okay."
Morlars sat there alone. The cards in his hand were constantly shuffled, dealt, and floated horizontally in front of him under the control of the spell. After releasing the spell, Sally was puzzled and asked, "Are you studying cards?"
"Yes, this game looks simple, but the mathematical meaning behind it always makes me feel that it is wonderful."
She casually picked up a few cards. The hand-drawn patterns on them were very beautiful, but Sally did not understand what the "mathematical meaning" Morlars was talking about.
Turning her head to take a look, Sally found a stack of papers and a book beside Morlars' hand. That was the book Roddy had asked her to briefly study before, "Principles of Statistics." This book made Sally dizzy. She could not understand the various concepts in it, but she did not expect the former lord of the green dragons to be interested in studying it.
"I am verifying some of the content in this book, and at the same time, I am also studying whether good luck or good technique is more important."
Morlars smiled and said, "It looks very simple, but it takes a lot of effort to find the optimal solution. The more I study this thing, the more interesting I find it. And that mahjong … There are indeed various reasons why these children are addicted to this game. "
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