Chapter 142 - 116: Dire Predicament (2)

The two were indulging each other’s compliments, providing an extensive emotional exchange between them.

Not far away, Wendy stood quietly in the night.

The gentle young girl was never good at expressing her inner feelings, so she quietly watched the boy in front of her, her sapphire eyes seemingly filled with unspoken words.

Lin Lan naturally noticed the delicate figure of the girl.

He approached her with his young maid and softly said, "I’m back."

"Hm." The girl nodded gently, and took her sister’s other hand: "Welcome home, Lord Lin Lan."

·

Lin Lan indulged himself in an incredibly comfortable hot bath.

The sticky blood stains were finally washed away, and the gray-haired boy changed into clean and suitable robes, strolling toward the six-story office building standing beside the manor.

It must be said, the architectural style of Ideal City looks quite peculiar on Ark Island these days.

On one side, there’s still the dim residence lit with charcoal and candlelight, while on the other side, there’s a brightly lit, futuristic office building.

At twenty meters high, the silver-white building is full of technological vibes, with spacious and bright elevators inside, and the air circulation systems in all the rooms blow warm air constantly.

There’s no need to worry about electricity; a small nuclear battery can power the entire building for decades, even with the lights on during the day.

Unfortunately, Seagull City hadn’t yet developed the means to lay large-scale pipelines, apart from not being able to use water freely, this building is almost perfect.

Several militia holding long spears stood guard at the entrance.

Seeing the Lord approaching his ’castle,’ the young men immediately stood at attention, eyes straight ahead.

"Lord, your office is on the top floor!"

"I see."

Lin Lan instantly assumed the demeanor of a leader from his past life, casually patting the shoulder of the young man on his right for encouragement: "Keep up the good work."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Under the envious gaze of the other militia members, the slightly unfamiliar young man trembled with excitement.

He had decided never to wash the shoulder touched by the Lord!

Lin Lan entered the real high-rise for the first time.

The boy carefully observed his surroundings; though it was a place for the leaders, most of the rooms were still empty.

He sat in the silent, smooth transparent elevator to arrive at the top floor, immediately spotting Charles in the most prominent room, engrossed in organizing materials.

To be honest, he quite looked the part.

Lin Lan entered the smooth, glossy room, finding that Charles had prepared for him a drink with a rich aroma...

"It shows you’ve been working hard during this time."

Lin Lan sat at the main seat and took a sip of hot coffee.

"Everything I have done pales in comparison to your national feats."

Charles gave a bitter smile: "But I’ve finally understood, considering the development of an entire island requires much more effort than just being a guild leader..."

During the days the Lord was away, Charles slept in the warm, comfortable office building every night, but the life of a Commerce Minister was not as leisurely as imagined.

Two months ago, Charles would have been deeply enamored with this splendid architectural relic.

As an Alliance merchant, the pursuit of luxurious and novel lifestyles, the pursuit of unrestricted power had been the essence of his business career.

Initially, he indeed enjoyed sitting in the office, becoming the most outstanding investor who firmly established himself in the newly formed Ark.

Just look at this exaggerated environment, even some small nation kings don’t have such treatment!

But with a series of accumulating problems, or perhaps influenced by Lord Lin Lan, Charles finally realized, once burdened with heavy responsibilities concerning the heart, even a cozy environment seems mundane...

If unresolved issues keep emerging, they would constantly gnaw at one’s mind like ants, making eating and sleeping difficult...

For Charles now, being able to solve development problems with ease makes him willing to live even in a doghouse.

"No need to rush, Charles, the hardest days are behind us."

Lin Lan had perceived the underlying anxiety in him, speaking earnestly: "Next, we just need to steadily take each step forward."

"Moreover, there’s no need to shoulder all the responsibilities on your own."

He grinned: "You need to learn to let go appropriately; if you fall, I won’t find another outstanding talent."

Charles nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed, Lord Lin Lan’s words seemed to possess a calming magic power.

The Finance Minister settled down, beginning to report on the various aspects inside and outside Seagull City to the Ark leader.

Lin Lan listened patiently, his gaze gradually becoming serious.

Logically, this island has just undergone a major political change; as the Ark leader, it wouldn’t be excessive to lead the people to celebrate for three days and nights.

But Lin Lan never entertained such naive thoughts.

Ark Island currently faces three major problems.

They are poverty, extreme poverty, and severe poverty.

Simply eliminating the Lion Heart nobility and expecting everyone to instantly enjoy good days is nothing short of wishful thinking.

Despite Seagull City’s bustling atmosphere and splendid architecture like precious relics and war chariots, broadening the perspective reveals that Seagull City represents just a tiny part of Ark Island.

Even without the oppression of the nobility, the harsh winter is no joke.

The Blood Plague has destroyed countless farmlands; the Western Border plains have become an abyssal disaster zone akin to hell, although the ’Angel Remains’ brought back by Arthur King fled to the deep sea, the land remains shrouded in a difficult-to-handle blood plague fog.

The thoughts of the vast majority are still in a daze, with many freezing and starving to death every day, contributing to Charles’ anxiety.

To date, countless civilians are still pouring into Seagull City just for a mouthful of free snack to fill themselves.

But the meager snack supply is undoubtedly a drop in the ocean.

The influx of people also brought immense pressure to the militia and leaders; basic population statistics and residency registry are laborious tasks.

Moreover, Charles had to waive port tariffs to purchase large quantities of high-priced grain brought by foreigners.

——To be blunt, most of the Ark people are indeed beggars now.

Furthermore, Ark Kingdom’s maritime capabilities are practically zero, leaving people with no opportunities to venture out...

Lin Lan fell into contemplation.

Currently, Ark needs to first reveal all the heritage accumulated by Lion Heart nobles over centuries.

Centurion Colin and his ten Decurions were left at the Northern Border, leading the locals to clear the Royal Palace ruins.

The Eastern and Southern Territories’ terrains are complex, with many remnants from the old era hiding in the shadows...

"In short, Seagull City is just an exception, Lord Lin Lan."

Charles sighed heavily: "Many are blinded by Seagull City’s prosperity, but in reality, Ark citizens’ overall living environment is very poor."

"How much worse can it get?"

Lin Lan shook his head, solemnly stating: "The Lion Heart Kingdom we took over was a mess anyway, facing the entire island’s problems, trying to equally distribute resources is not wise; doing so would drag us down."

Charles paused.

He asked: "What do you mean then...?"

"Let’s focus on the matters at hand first; we need to rely on Seagull City’s port to open up opportunities."

Charles furrowed his brows: "Using those ’artistic treasures’ to exchange for resources?"

"Of course not, those ’high-end goods’ aren’t easy to sell, relying on them to shift the tide is unrealistic."

Lin Lan shook his head, making a decision: "We need to utilize Sun Mine, to engage in long-term trade with navigators from a technical perspective."

Charles downed a mouthful of coffee, raising his spirits, his mind becomes active again,

The Lord’s proposal isn’t about specific details, but rather a direction.

At least he has a clue now.

"By the way," Lin Lan recalled something: "Old Dean also returned, I suppose there are quite a few Fes People aboard Ideal?"

Charles’ eyes lit up.