Chapter 141: The Urgent Financial Crisis

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the light shining on them signaled the arrival of another day. As the snow on the streets of Dawn City melted, as the howling cold winds turned into gentle warm breezes, and as cuckoos began to chirp on the budding broadleaf sycamore trees, the cold and desolate Months of Deep Winter had passed. The warm and humid season of sowing had arrived. By early March, the crowd that had once been bundled up in thick cotton clothing had shed most of their layers, moving about lightly. Meanwhile, Dawn City, which had stagnated during the winter due to the cold, was now reinvigorated. The dormant mage tower began recruiting workers, The blacksmith shop distributed piles of farming tools to the commoners, And the tailor shops switched from crafting thick cotton clothes to producing lighter outerwear. The entire city was infused with new life. A new year had begun. Li De stood by the window of his third-floor office in City Hall, gazing at the bustling crowds on the streets through the open window, a deep smile in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the Months of Deep Winter had passed. Many changes occurred during this winter—Dawn City was completely transformed compared to last year. Now, beneath his feet lay a city with nearly ten thousand inhabitants, over four hundred of whom were Vampires. The majestic Dawn Mage Tower was under construction; farmers were busy tilling the fields outside the city walls; and energetic security squad members patrolled the streets in their new uniforms. Hope and reverence filled everyone’s faces. The vitality emanating from this city was truly astonishing. "Harrison, report on the current state of Dawn City." After a long while, Li De, dressed in a blue mage robe and exuding an air of perfect elegance, turned his gaze away from the streets. He faced Harrison, who wore a dark gray robe and had delicate features. Harrison was well-prepared. After a slight bow, he began reporting on the progress made throughout the winter. He had developed a habit of summarizing work at the start of each month. Today was March 3rd. "Clan Leader, the Months of Deep Winter did not halt our development. First, regarding urban construction. We repaired many dilapidated houses, increasing the population capacity of the Southern District by approximately three thousand people. The total number of houses can now accommodate twenty-five thousand people, further enhancing Dawn City’s population capacity. However, to prepare for the population raids this upcoming Months of Deep Winter, we plan to construct housing for an additional three to five thousand people. Construction on the Dawn Mage Tower resumed yesterday. With the assistance of one hundred Vampires, we expect the entire tower to be completed by May." Li De nodded, not interrupting Harrison’s report. After the start of spring, all efforts would shift toward building Dawn City. The population raiding activities would be paused. According to past practices, after the Months of Deep Winter, the Beastmen would retreat from Nolan Empire territory back to their barren plains, and humans would reclaim these lands. Attempting to raid populations now would mean clashing head-on with human armies. While the Beastmen wouldn’t fight the Vampires to the death, humans wouldn’t hesitate to hunt down Vampires, whose bodies were full of valuable alchemical materials. With the focus shifting to urban development, there was no doubt that the Dawn Mage Tower would be the key project for the next two months. He had already assigned over a hundred Vampires to its construction. "Second, economic development. Due to the increase in population, many people have expressed interest in opening shops and merchant guilds. The City Hall has set aside an entire street near the square specifically for human trade. This area will become Dawn City’s commercial center. Currently, it hosts six tailor shops, five bakeries, one flower shop, one grain store managed by the City Hall, and one general goods store. Due to the scarcity of resources, many residents interested in commerce haven’t found suitable entry points, so this newly established market isn’t thriving yet. However, I believe there will be a surge once the land becomes arable." Li De didn’t interfere much with commercial development. The scarcity of resources was a major challenge. To develop commerce, this issue needed to be resolved first. Li De nodded, signaling Harrison to continue. "Third, the Vampires themselves. Following the Hero Selection Tournament, the Vampire population has reached four hundred. However, the two hundred new Vampires are still relatively weak, with levels ranging from one to three. Once the mage tower is completed, their strength should see a significant boost. But for now, they can only handle simple tasks within Dawn City and aren’t yet capable of taking on more substantial roles." The expansion of the Vampire race meant that the new bloodline descendants were inevitably weak and required time to grow. This was why Li De was so eager to build the mage tower—to accelerate the growth of the new bloodline descendants. "Fourth, the iron mine in Giant Valley. The Cyclops are now the most efficient mining workers. They extract forty tons of ore daily. Though this is a rich vein, the quality of the ore is average. After smelting in the new blast furnaces built by the blacksmiths of Dawn City, it produces four tons of pig iron." Li De nodded slightly. The quality of the ore couldn’t be helped, but the production efficiency satisfied him. Mining by pure manpower was undoubtedly very inefficient. If humans were tasked with it, perhaps hundreds of them couldn’t extract forty tons of ore in a single day. The Cyclops, with their ancient giant bloodline, possessed terrifying strength. Aside from combat, they seemed almost purpose-built for mining. And the Cyclops, who only needed to mine diligently to eat their fill—and even save leftovers—felt incredibly content. "Fifth, the operation of City Hall. The Agricultural Department has been established and, over the past half-month, has begun guiding residents in seed selection and breeding. The Security Squad now has two hundred members, undergoing daily military training as required. All normal public order issues are handled by the Security Squad. Logistics Team, Propaganda Department..." Over the course of a Sun-hour-long report, Harrison provided a detailed summary of Dawn City’s livelihood, agriculture, economy, politics, military, and other issues. He presented Dawn City’s development over the past six months in an intuitive manner. It was thriving. However, the final issue discussed caused Li De’s brows to furrow. He was going bankrupt. "Clan Leader, we’ve been engaging in high-intensity urban construction and various welfare expenditures. Now, City Hall’s account holds less than two thousand Gold Pucks." "Each department of City Hall requires a fixed monthly expenditure of one thousand Gold Pucks. The remaining funds will only sustain us for two more months. In other words, we’re out of money." This figure made Li De’s lips twitch slightly. Dawn City’s rapid development was entirely supported by the Vampire treasury. His once gold-filled vault had been emptied. Two thousand Gold Pucks wasn’t insignificant for an individual, but for a rapidly developing city, it was pitifully low. Imagine a company with over ten thousand employees engaged in large-scale construction every month having only twenty million in liquid assets. Such development was akin to walking a tightrope. Dawn City’s initial rapid growth was built entirely on the accumulated wealth of the Vampires. Purchasing food, magical materials, farming tools, cotton, cloth, and even paying the salaries of the Security Squad, Logistics Team, and other temporary workers—all of it transferred the Vampires’ wealth into the hands of the residents. But now, Dawn City lacked other means to reclaim this wealth from the residents. Thus, the situation was that while residents, aside from daily expenses, slowly accumulated wealth, very little flowed back to City Hall. City Hall could only generate income through taxation. Grain was sold at a loss, and the costs recovered were negligible. But now, with a depressed market and scarce resources, there was hardly any commercial activity. Moreover, newly established merchant guilds and shops enjoyed a one-year tax exemption policy, leaving City Hall with expenditures but no revenue. Relying on the Vampire’s resources for urban development certainly brought prosperity quickly, but this prosperity would grind to a halt once the wealth was depleted. Without additional financial support to sustain Dawn City until it could collect taxes, they would face the dire situation of being unable to pay internal wages or purchase external supplies. After some thought, Li De revealed a meaningful smile. "It’s fine. Leave the Gold Pucks to me. Just keep focusing on Dawn City’s development. Soon, a large influx of Gold Pucks will arrive." The Months of Deep Winter had passed, and spring had arrived. The adventurers of Green City should be setting out on expeditions soon, right? Those mercenaries who lived by the edge of a blade should also be accepting contracts. His magic scroll factory, after stockpiling throughout the winter, was ready to ship its products.