Chapter 62 The Future
Supervisor Lowell stood barefoot on the roof of the town hall, silently watching the undead "fighting" two streets away.
The tireless, sleepless undead are equally noisy day and night.
Hmm... maybe it's more than just noise...
After a few days of contact, Lowell no longer took it for granted that these undead were monsters that had to be eliminated, but... it couldn't be said that he was friendly to these undead.
The extremely high aggressiveness of these special undead spirits currently seems to be only directed at monsters and themselves, and seems to be relatively safe for living people. However, if the Exile Town was not a small town located in an isolated place, but was close to the Principality of Shiga, Lowell himself would definitely not be able to sleep.
Lowell believed that no intelligent race would be willing to be neighbors with these undead.
Even if they don't get attacked, their activeness day and night is enough to annoy people...
This is also something that Lowell finds very difficult to understand - what is the purpose of the black magician Yang summoning these undead?
If they were to create a natural disaster of the undead, these "Tarantan Undead" would not be chaotic and disorderly enough, nor aggressive enough.
If you want to manage your territory, then these "Tarantan Undead" are too disorderly and too aggressive...
Combining his observations along the way and what he saw and heard after arriving at the Exile Town, Lowell came to the conclusion that Yang, a black magician with no idea what was going on in his mind, had gathered a group of special undead, a group of lawless criminals of unknown origin, and a group of old, weak and sick people abandoned by human society, and were playing house in the lawless area of Tarantan.
...This conclusion was extremely bizarre, but after much thought, Lowell could not find a more reasonable explanation...
But even if we hold our noses and believe this conclusion, there are still many things that don't make sense.
First of all, this overly luxurious "playing house" game requires a lot of material support.
Not to mention the exquisitely crafted all-metal tricycles that were destroyed by the undead, the food for the living and the piles of building materials everywhere in the Exile Town. Lowell roughly calculated that these materials could at least empty the wealth of a baron.
Yang, a high-level black magician, spent such a huge amount of financial and material resources just to play the game of territory construction in the depths of a barren wasteland like Tarantan?
It doesn't make sense!
Secondly, based on what Lowell knew, he didn't think the Inquisition of the Church of the Fiery Sun would give up the hunt for the "Nightmare Butcher".
Sixty years ago, that cruel guy not only assassinated the four cardinals of the Church of the Fiery Sun, but also destroyed the secret treasury of the Holy Land of the Church of the Fiery Sun, causing several sealed objects to become ineffective.
The secret treasury is the foundation of the church.
Sealed objects are protective objects required for the advancement of priests. Their functions are similar to the magic potions required for the advancement of spellcasters, and their stability is more reliable than that of magic potions.
This hatred is impossible to resolve no matter who it is.
The gentlemen of Camor Town were indeed loyal believers of the Goddess of Prosperity, but if they could not accept the result of the reconciliation between the Crusaders and their "enemies", then there was a high possibility that they would send someone to inform the Church of the Fiery Sun. Lowell did not believe that Yang would not be able to think of such a simple cause and effect relationship.
At that time, how will Yang protect this town that cannot be moved under the wrath of the Fiery Sun Church?
Just rely on these undead?
impossible.
These undead are too weak.
Lowell saw it clearly. Although these undead also knew how to use the tricks of professional masters, they were still far inferior to the real professional masters.
If Lowell himself did not take action, his cavalry could have wiped out all the undead with a single charge if he was not afraid of Yang, a high-level black magician.
Relying solely on these undead spirits, it would be impossible to protect the fortune Yang has built in this place.
Unless... Yang has other means.
Then the question arises again - since Yang is not afraid of the wrath of the Blazing Sun Church and is confident that he can protect his property that cannot be moved, why would he go to a remote place like Tarantan to play this inexplicable game of playing house with his territory? !
If a high-level magician wants to obtain a ready-made territory and people, wouldn’t it be enough for him to just find a settlement and build a magician tower there?
If a high-level magician can be earned by paying for a few villages, towns or settlements, no noble in any country will refuse it.
It is very easy to gather popularity where there is a wizard tower - the establishment of the city-state of Brook was because the members of the spellcasting organization "Mage Tower" concentrated on building wizard towers in one place, attracting a large number of civilians to attach themselves to it.
Lowell really couldn't understand it no matter how hard he tried...
With a "creaky" sound, Yang Qiu pushed open the door of the town hall and walked out. He turned around and looked up at the black-robed inspector who climbed up high in the middle of the night.
Rowell: “…”
"Good night." Yang Qiu nodded slightly.
"Good night." Lowell nodded slightly in return, squatted down, and jumped down from the roof.
The ascetics of the church all have good physiques and physical abilities. Moreover, unlike spellcasters who rely on mental power, they are trained by themselves... If magic is banned, three spellcasters shoulder to shoulder are not enough to defeat one ascetic.
Alfred Lowell is one of the top ascetics in the Prosperity Church. Although he has a pretty face, his body under the tattered black robe is well-forged. He jumped down from a three-meter-high roof without even a stumble, and was as steady as walking down a staircase.
"Even when night falls, our undead friends can help us dispel the haze brought by the darkness." Yang Qiu said with a smile, "Of course, there will inevitably be some negative effects that disturb people's peace, but in a place like Tarantan, such excitement is necessary."
Rowell: “…”
During the three days of contact with this black magician, the biggest lesson Lowell learned was that he couldn't let this guy control the rhythm of the conversation, otherwise he would be led astray by his endless and limitless fallacies...
"Although I don't know much about black magicians, I do know something about the habits of undead creatures. I can understand their habits." Rowell did not continue what Yang Qiu said, but started a new conversation a little forcefully, "I'm just a little curious. This town does look like a small town."
Yang Qiu couldn't help but smile.
Apparently, the black-robed inspector did not think highly of the Exile Town... It just looked like a town, but it was not a real town.
"Inspector Lowell, what do you think a real small town should look like?" Yang Qiu was not in a hurry to figure it out, and said calmly.
Rowell was silent for a moment, then said, "I think a real town should be able to see the future."
"'Town' is just a noun, respected supervisor." Yang Qiu said with a smile, "A settlement of a certain scale of industrial and commercial population, mainly composed of non-agricultural population, is called a town. It does not refer to a certain person or a certain group of people, but a settlement that is different from a village. It is not rational to talk about whether a town can last and have a future. What future can a town have? It is just that some self-righteous owners who have brought people into the town have unreasonably spread their anxiety about their own future to others."
Rowell frowned. "Even if it's as you said, whether the settlement can continue and grow still depends on whether the people living here can continue and grow. Naturally, we can talk about the future."
"When an irresistible disaster strikes a small town, will the people in the town choose to flee or to live and die with the town?" Yang Qiu said calmly.
Rowell: “Uh…”
"When good things happen, we talk about ideals and the future, but when bad things happen, we all find our own way out. Even from such a realistic standpoint, we still want to make a fuss about the 'future of the town' and try to tie all the people living in the settlement to obey the will of a certain person or a certain group of people. This is not very decent." Yang Qiu said with a smile, "Suppose the town we are talking about is Kamoer Town. When Kamoer Town encounters a crisis of being destroyed, how many of the decent people who usually represent and symbolize Kamoer Town would be willing to protect Kamoer at all costs, even at the cost of their lives?"
Lowell fell silent...
Yang Qiu pretended to be generous and continued, "Of course, it is not impossible to discuss the issue with an emotional attitude. Let's continue to assume that the topic of our discussion is Kamoer Town. What is the best future for Kamoer? There is no doubt that the textile industry, as a pillar industry, can make a lot of money."
"When I first went to Kamoer over a hundred years ago, there was only one weavers' union in Kamoer, with about 4,000 weavers. Now, more than a hundred years later, there are two weavers' unions in Kamoer, with more than 10,000 weavers. When I visited the mayor, I asked to see the cotton cloth trading volume in Kamoer last year. The amount of cotton cloth shipped last year alone was five times what I saw when I first went to Kamoer."
At this point, Yang Qiu paused for a moment, and smiled more gently: "Many new grand buildings have been added to the main street, and the gentleman's mansions are more luxurious. Many families have beautiful purebred horses and expensive Kenyan hounds. The clothing is more exquisite and sophisticated, and even the uniforms of the maids in the study are made of silk and lace. It can be seen that Kamoer Town is indeed... very 'future'."
Lowell's face began to twitch...
"But this 'future' seems to be limited to the main street." Yang Qiu calmly said something that made Lowell vaguely feel a premonition. "The back streets and the Orito area, where more than 90% of the population lives, are no different from a hundred years ago, except that they are more crowded. Since more than 90% of the residents are not eligible to benefit from the future of the town, then how much value is there in this 'future' that is worth talking about?"
Rowell: “…”
He knew very well that the black magician was talking about his own heresy again, but this guy's heresy was so well-reasoned and he had no way of refutating it.
After struggling for a while, Lowell decided to take a risk: "So, what do you think is worth talking about?"
"The future." Yang Qiu said with a smile.
Rowell: “???”
“It’s not the so-called ‘future of towns’, but the future of the people who live there. Towns are dead, but people are alive. Towns are created for the convenience of people to live together, and towns serve the residents. This is the main cause and effect relationship, which cannot be reversed.”
Yang Qiu smiled and said, "I understand what you are worried about, Supervisor Lowell. You think that a group of old and weak people abandoned by Kamor cannot live in Tarantan for a long time and cannot see hope. The facts are indeed as you can see. How can a group of old and weak civilians see hope and have a future here? This is simply impossible, right?"
"That's right." Lowell finally had a chance to speak. "If it weren't for the supplies you provided, these civilians would definitely not last for a few days. You can't always support them."
Yang Qiu smiled but said nothing.
Without Yang Qiu's explanation, Lowell's face stiffened... he realized that he had said the wrong thing.
The guy in front of him is a madman who dares to confront the Church of the Fiery Sun over things that have nothing to do with him, and has been doing so for decades. He can definitely support these civilians for several years or even dozens of years until they die of old age.
"Of course I can't support them forever." Yang Qiu denied Rowell's guess himself, "In other words, I don't think these people who have worked for extremely low wages all their lives need me to support them. All I need to do is provide them with the opportunity to support themselves, that's all."
Players will not be satisfied with the two "main cities" of Exile Town and Desolate Stronghold. If a game cannot continuously open new maps, there is no way to discuss the life of the game.
If you want to open more "main cities", you need to build more "main cities".
Players' patience for the task of moving bricks is limited. The novelty can support players to persist for half a month, a month, or even two months or three months. If it takes longer, the players will rebel.
Before players rebel, they must find enough "NPCs" to inherit the brick-moving job.
The first batch of "civilian NPCs" received by Tarantan not only serves to subtly establish among players the understanding that "NPCs also need player protection", but also intends to play the "Thousand Gold Horse Bones" routine.
If a group of old and weak people abandoned by human society can be fattened up by the generous Tarantan and raised to the point where they can support themselves and live a life with guaranteed food and clothing, then will healthy civilians still resist Tarantan's recruitment?
As for the problem of the Fiery Sun Church...it's really not a big problem.
If these guys had been a little slow and only came to Yang Qiu after he was promoted to the great magician, then there would naturally be nothing to say and we could just defeat them.
If these guys came too early and Yang Qiu hadn't been promoted yet and couldn't push forward, then at worst, he could just start the magic circle and use himself as a power bank to start the infinite resurrection mode for the players, and push forward as usual...
