Han Shuo, who was over one meter ninety centimeters tall, naturally gave off an intimidating aura as he walked out from the inner room. Even in front of the mountain people who were generally taller, Han Shuo still stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens. The demonic aura that he'd gained after practicing demonic magic was even more eye-catching.
Han Shuo walked over with a smile and took out plates of oily yellow meat from his space ring, placing them on the table in front of everyone.
"Everyone, these are some rare meats that I've hunted down from a bit further away. Why don't you all have a taste?" Han Shuo smiled and invited everyone to have a taste after laying out the large plates of meat.
On the other side, Jack, who had been pestered by Dorcas to discuss military resources, could no longer control his yearning for delicacies when he smelled the fragrance of meat. Jack shook off Dorcas, who had been pestering him endlessly, and ran over.
Dorcas was an ambitious battle maniac. His only interest was to build up the strength of the forces in his hands as much as possible, so that they would have even more explosive destructive power in future battles.
Because of this, Dorcas had been extremely interested in little fatty Jack, who was now in charge of the finances. He'd used all sorts of methods to try and obtain more equipment from Jack. Jack's initial fear of Dorcas had slowly become more and more relaxed, and he didn't give Dorcas everything he wanted as quickly as Dorcas had hoped.
"You, heh heh." Han Shuo smiled and shook his head when he saw Jack quickly run over. He then said to the five mountain chiefs with a relaxed expression, "Don't just stand there, hurry up and get to work. These aren't things that you can eat on a normal day."
The five mountain chiefs, including Fulkin, all felt a bit fearful and fearful when they saw that Han Shuo wasn't as aloof and aloof as they'd imagined. They became even more reserved.
Jack was the most familiar with Han Shuo, and Han Shuo had been Jack's only friend for so many years. He wouldn't be as polite as the others, and picked up a large piece of fragrant meat with his fork. He put it into his mouth and started chewing, exclaiming in surprise as he chewed, "Oh oh, not bad. What meat is this to be so fragrant?"
"This is the front foot of a manticore. It tastes good, doesn't it?" Han Shuo replied with a smile and pointed at the other dishes, introducing them one by one, "This is the tail of a Deepwater Venom Python. It's the chewiest, and that one has the brain of a harpy. You'll only know the taste after you taste it. This is …"
The five mountain chiefs, Faulke, Dorcas, and the others were all dumbfounded by Han Shuo 'introductions. They'd never imagined that the delicacies in front of them would all come from high level magical beasts. A high-level magical beast of this level could only be hunted by a team of experienced adventurers. Otherwise, an ordinary person would only be able to die.
"There are no such magical beasts in the vicinity of Brettel City. Where did he go to hunt them? Oh, these high-level Magical Beasts are not something that ordinary people can hunt. The City Lord is indeed an inconceivable monster! "
Apart from Han Shuo, everyone present had the same feeling in their hearts. They all looked at Han Shuo with strange gazes.
"What, this is the front foot of the manticore!" Jack jumped in fright. There was still a large piece of meat on the knife and fork in his hand. He had heard that a manticore could often tear a person into pieces with a single swipe of its claw. Thinking of the delicious piece of meat in his mouth, he couldn't help but scream.
"Not bad. How does it taste?" Han Shuo laughed and stared at Jack.
"The taste is amazing, but when I think of the manticore using its front claws to tear people apart, why do I feel a little scared?" Jack had a lingering fear as he looked at the delicious food with his small eyes. He wanted to eat but couldn't overcome the pressure in his heart.
Glancing at the others, Han Shuo found that they all had strange expressions on their faces. He laughed involuntarily and said, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't dare to eat it? Hehe, this is something that I have specially hunted for all of you. You won't be so disrespectful, right? "
Under Han Shuo's attentive gaze, Dorcas didn't say a word as he walked to the harpy's plate of meat. He picked up a large piece of black meat with his knife and fork, swallowing it in big mouthfuls with a gloomy face.
"What's the big deal? Humph!" Contrary to Han Shuo's expectations, Delia pouted and snorted softly. She picked up her knife and fork and started eating the Deepwater Venom Python. She picked up a piece of meat with brittle bones and started chewing it carefully.
Delia's brows relaxed after only a small bite. She excitedly waved her knife and fork again, trying to get a bigger piece to taste. She praised, "It's really delicious!"
"Heh heh, the Deepwater Venom Python is highly toxic. I don't know if I've cleaned it properly. If I haven't cleaned it properly, then I'll be in big trouble! "Han Shuo's lips twitched as he looked at Delia's alluring appearance as she chewed.
Delia, who had been feasting without regard for her image, happened to hear Han Shuo's mutterings with her little ears. Her originally excited movements suddenly froze and her tender red cheeks turned a bit pale. She looked at Han Shuo and said in a trembling voice, "What did you say?"
"Nothing, haha, with the Deepwater Venom Python's highly toxic nature, if I hadn't cleaned it properly, you'd probably be dead by now!" Han Shuo laughed loudly and responded easily.
"Damn it, you actually scared me!" Delia glared fiercely at Han Shuo, but didn't pursue Han Shuo's threat. She focused more of her attention on the plate of Deepwater Venom Python.
This was because the other four mountain chiefs, as well as Faulke, Dick, Chester, and the others, had already reacted and started to move. Little fatty Jack even picked up his plate and began to dig in.
They rarely even laid eyes on these rare foods, not to mention savoring them on their plates. Although Han Shuo had brought quite a bit of food, there were even more people here. The mountain people's appetites in particular were famed for being enormous. Delia was deeply afraid that the others would split the food on their plates while she spoke, so she immediately ignored Han Shuo and joined in the fight for food.
It didn't take long for the six plates of food to be devoured cleanly by the group. They still held their knives and forks in their hands, but they still felt a bit unsatisfied. On one hand, the taste of the food was truly wonderful, and on the other hand, the ingredients were so rare that they gave people an even greater sense of wonder. Therefore, they quickly finished all six plates of food.
When the servants that Han Shuo had hired from the city lord's mansion delivered the food that they'd meticulously prepared, the group instead felt that it was dull and tasteless. They no longer cared for such ordinary food.
After eating and drinking to their heart's content, the group followed Han Shuo to the meeting hall. The servants would naturally clean up the mess.
Han Shuo, who'd always been smiling and talking wittily, wasn't as difficult to get along with as the five mountain chiefs had imagined. When everyone sat down, everyone was a bit less reserved and a bit more friendly and cordial. The rare food played a significant role in this.
Han Shuo sat in the very center, smiling as he glanced at the five mountain chiefs. Seeing that the five of them had restrained their smiles and sat up straight, he nodded and said, "Everyone, don't be nervous. I've invited everyone here this time to discuss some matters of making a fortune together. You are all citizens of Brettel City. Perhaps it was because the previous city lord wasn't able to earn your trust that you gradually drifted apart from Brettel City.
This time, His Majesty has bestowed Brettel City to me. I will not let the seven grand duchies and all kinds of bandits loot again. Not only will Brettel City not suffer, but your five mines will also be protected. From now on, I hope that everyone can truly work together and develop Brettel City together. "
"Your Lordship, I believe that you can bring peace to Brettel City. As the chief of Mount Tali, I am willing to listen to Your Lordship's commands. I know that Your Lordship will not mistreat us." Fulkin had made up his mind when he'd arrived. He understood that just Han Shuo's strength alone was enough to deal a heavy blow to Mount Tali. After seeing Brettel City's tight defenses along the way, Fulkin's resolve had become even firmer.
Han Shuo was also well aware of Fulkin's friendliness. He smiled and nodded to Fulkin, saying, "Many thanks, Fulkin. When Faulke faced the threat of bandits last time, your Mount Tali even helped us. This city lord knows this."
"Your Lordship is too polite. In the past, it was because the previous city lord didn't even care about his own citizens that I felt deeply disdainful. Your Lordship is completely different from them. As a citizen of Brettel City, this is what I should do. Moreover, Your Lordship has also helped Mount Tali last time. Troda will never invade our Mount Tali again. " Fulkin was very tactful. Since he'd already decided to cooperate well with Han Shuo, he spared no effort in doing so.
The other four mountain chiefs couldn't help but look at each other after hearing Fulkin's declaration. In their hearts, this new city lord was outstanding in all aspects. The only thing that worried them was that Han Shuo would take their mines for himself. This was the reason why they didn't dare to easily agree.
Their mines were their main source of income and the foundation of their survival. According to Han Shuo, everything around Brettel City belonged to the city lord. Didn't that mean that their mines also belonged to Han Shuo?
Han Shuo looked at the four mountain chiefs with a smile and chuckled, "I wonder if the four of you are willing to support me?"
The four were startled when they heard these words. The other three young mountain chiefs didn't say anything, all focusing their gazes on the oldest, Aardman. Aardman was silent for a while, then braced himself and respectfully said to Han Shuo, "Your Lordship, we are all your citizens. Of course we are willing to help Brettel City develop, but we don't know how we can help Your Lordship. Please enlighten us."
Han Shuo smiled and nodded, saying, "Since you've acknowledged yourselves as citizens of my Brettel City, this matter will be easy to handle. To be honest, Brettel City doesn't lack anything other than a lack of manpower. Merchants will continue to transport a steady stream of goods. My Brettel City currently has enough gold coins to support the operation of Brettel City, but the issue of population cannot be solved in a short period of time.
I know that there are currently thirty to forty thousand mountain people living in your mines. Apart from miners, there are even more elderly, women, and children. The living conditions in the five mines aren't ideal. They had all left Brettel City to live in the mines due to the incompetence of the previous city lord. Originally, they had no choice but to do so because they couldn't guarantee the safety of Brettel City. But now, I think Brettel City is already very safe. If the five of you don't mind, please let them leave the mountains. There are many empty houses in Brettel City. They should live in a better environment. What do you think? "
Aardman was greatly moved by Han Shuo's words. He also understood that the lives of his tribe living in the mountains weren't easy. Apart from all kinds of ores in the five mines, there were very few trees. The wild beasts had long since been hunted to fill their stomachs. Water was also transported from the foot of the mountain.
The miners on the mountain had to work day after day in exchange for some food transported by merchants. In order to guard against robbers, the mountain people all lived in the mines that never saw the sun all year round. If it wasn't to ensure that their lives weren't threatened, who would be willing to live on the mountain like savages?
Now, the first thing that Han Shuo thought of was the pitiful people on the mountain. This moved the elderly Aardman greatly. He immediately kowtowed towards Han Shuo, tears flowing uncontrollably from his eyes. He choked with sobs, "I first thank the city lord for his kind intentions on behalf of all the people on the mountain. I won't say any unnecessary words. As long as Your Lordship can ensure that they don't have to worry about food and clothing, and give them a stable living environment, I will absolutely not object even if Your Lordship wants us to hand over the mines."
"Old man, please rise. They are all my people. Giving them a good living environment is what I should do. The five mines are the foundation of your survival and will be under your control in the future. It's just that although the city has abundant siege equipment, we don't have enough manpower to operate them. Once the regular armies of the seven duchies come to attack the city, I'm afraid that with just our three thousand city guards, even with so many siege equipment, we still won't be able to handle it.
The only thing I ask of you is that when we face a common enemy, you can join forces with us to resist together. We will provide you with enough siege weapons. If we have enough manpower on the city walls, with Brettel City's defensive power, even the seven grand duchies can forget about breaking through. I wonder if everyone is willing to work hard with me and fight for the safety of all the people of Brettel City? "
There was no longer any gap between them at this point. Old Aardman had worked hard all his life to constantly resist the robberies of the various duchies and bandit organizations, bringing a better living environment for the people of the mountain.
His ideals and Han Shuo's way of doing things didn't conflict at all. Therefore, when Han Shuo made this suggestion, Aardman no longer hesitated. He immediately shouted at the other three young mountain chiefs, "You three kids, hurry and thank the city lord's grace with me."
Hearing this, the three youths no longer had any doubts. Even Fulkin, who'd already expressed his trust in Han Shuo, immediately knelt down on one knee towards Han Shuo. Each of them solemnly swore to Han Shuo that they would risk their lives to defend Brettel City.
After helping the mountain chiefs up one by one, Han Shuo said with a smile, "When I went to Mount Tali last time, I discovered that Fulkin and the others' weapons and equipment weren't good enough. This time, the bandits left behind tens of thousands of weapons and armor. Placing them in Brettel City's warehouse will only take up space. There's no harm in equipping them for you all."
The five mountain people had painstakingly mined ore for so many years. All the ore they'd obtained had been exchanged with merchants for food and other daily necessities to maintain the basic lives of the elderly, women, and children on the mountain. They didn't have any extra gold coins to buy more weapons and armor. Some of them only used some crudely refined iron rods.
When the five mountain chiefs heard Han Shuo's words, they thought of the shining armor on the three thousand city guards along the way, as well as the sharp weapons gleaming with a cold light. When they compared the shabby appearance of their own subordinates, they all felt their faces flush with embarrassment.
"Many thanks My Lord, many thanks My Lord!" Fulkin was the first to react. He immediately kowtowed again, crying out in excitement.
Seeing Fulkin's kowtow, the other four mountain chiefs also kowtowed with heartfelt admiration. Each of them was filled with excitement and love. Their gazes towards Han Shuo became more and more convinced.
"Hehe, everyone, get up. This is just the beginning. I believe that as time passes, Brettel City will blossom with even more beautiful prospects! "Han Shuo once again let the five mountain chiefs get up, chuckling as he spoke.
"Boohoo, hundreds of thousands of gold coins are gone just like that." Only the financial officer, Jack, cried out in pain. However, his low cry didn't cause any waves amidst the joyous cheers of the crowd.
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