I Become a Landlady in the Game World
Chapter 187 - 112: Departure

Chapter 187: Chapter 112: Departure

For the entire day, the entire territory began preparations for the upcoming journey.

Many goods within the territory were sold out directly.

All shops were working overtime, and though it was tough work, everyone was still actively preparing, knowing that the more they sold, the more they would earn.

Because of this, in order to prepare more resources, the resource points within the territory were completely harvested, and some teams and individuals even ventured outside the territory to gather more resources, as the number and levels of Demon Beasts were higher outside, but correspondingly, so were the resources.

Zhou Bai was very happy about this.

The harder the territory’s residents worked, the faster their strength grew and the more vibrant the economy became, forming a virtuous cycle in the territory.

She could foresee that after this external commercial activity, the amount of money in everyone’s pockets in the territory from top to bottom would likely be substantially richer.

She didn’t know about other territories, but as far as Hope Village was concerned, they had already moved beyond the most basic survival needs, which gave her, as the Lord, a great sense of achievement.

Of course, what made her happiest was watching the gold coins in her account increase continually, especially since many of the goods previously hoarded with actual gold coins in the warehouse had sold, turning into even more gold coins back in her account.

Additionally, the transaction volume of several shops under the territory had also reached their peak during this period, and with the shops having to submit 10% of their transactions in taxes, the cumulative amount was truly significant.

At least for the next stage of the territory’s development, they wouldn’t have to worry about gold coins.

Seeing Zhou Bai’s cheerful demeanour, Lord Bayer and others discussing official business with her couldn’t help but chuckle.

In fact, having spent a lot of time with her, they had come to understand Zhou Bai’s fondness for wealth.

There was nothing wrong with this interest.

Gold coins—who wouldn’t love them?

Compared to many Territory Lords who oppressively taxed their residents, their Lord was more of a "gentleman fond of wealth, acquiring it in a righteous way."

Zhou Bai also realized that others were noticing her behavior, she shifted her gaze from the panel and continued, "Has the number of people traveling been confirmed?"

Currently, in the meeting room, there were only Lord Bayer and various soldier team leaders.

After all, it was almost evening, and all the necessary decisions had been made, so no major unforeseen issues were expected.

This was also a meeting truly meant for the higher echelons of the territory, organized by Bayer himself.

After receiving the message, Zhou Bai had come, and since she was here, she decided to learn more.

"The largest group is going to Bengala Town, comprising over two hundred people. As for the other four villages, they vary from several dozen to over a hundred people each. The number of people traveling this time almost accounted for a third of the total population," reported Bayer, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had known there would be a significant number of people leaving but hadn’t expected so many.

Zhou Bai found this number within her expectations.

Everyone valued their own lives and wouldn’t dare leave the territory lightly, but now that they were moving as a large group, they were naturally willing to follow and truly see the "local customs and practices" of the world.

However, this was something Bayer and other native residents hadn’t considered.

Zhou Bai paused, observing Bayer’s reaction, and she could guess the mobility of Stan Continent’s residents was probably low, and even if they moved, it was likely a reluctant choice.

If that was the case, she didn’t know how it would affect her plans.

She had initially planned to survey the situation of the native territory before returning to develop the entertainment industry of Hope Village, which would not only provide a place for territory residents to spend their time but also attract residents from other territories.

If visitors were attracted to Hope Village and decided to stay, it would be more than ideal!

The upgrading and development of the territory desperately needed people!

For the next upgrade, the territory’s population needed to reach five thousand. Right now, they had less than a third of that, so accommodating residents was indeed a challenging task.

Additionally, she now surmised that when the Doomsday Game had arrived, not everyone had been transported to this world; otherwise, with billions of people from Blue Star, including over a billion from their own country, if really everyone had come, the several thousand territories would have been divided even more unevenly, and Hope Village wouldn’t have merely over a thousand people, including several hundred NPCs and local residents by now.

Therefore, if the territory wanted more people, it could only aim at other territories, covering both Blue Star territories and native territories.

Last-minute recruiting from Yuxi Village indeed had a provocative flavor, so she planned to focus on infrastructure construction and welfare within her territory, just like with the last batch of native residents rescued from Stanlo Village, to make people willing to stay.

While the essence was still recruiting, the approach was much more roundabout.

As it turned out, trying to "recruit" from other territories seemed not so easy.

Oh well, she would see the specific situation after arriving in Bengala Town and adapt the plan according to the actual conditions.

Contemplating this, Zhou Bai returned her focus, "The larger the number of people, the safer it will be for everyone on the road."

"Village Chief, please be careful as well," Bayer added from the side.

At this remark, O’Neill the Tiger-man also chimed in, "Lord Bayer, rest assured! Even if something happens, I won’t let anything happen to the Village Chief."

Being able to travel with Lord Bayer, he naturally wanted to perform well.

Originally, he was approaching the end of his month of employment; encountering this situation, he definitely couldn’t return immediately, so he planned to ask Lord Bayer for a few days off after this mission to bring over his wife and children.

The consecutive statements from Bayer and O’Neill left several people in the meeting room a bit stunned. When they were called by Bayer at the last minute, they thought it was going to be a meeting like the one held during the day, where they were free to discuss.

But now it seemed... that wasn’t the case.

Zhou Bai understood that Bayer was taking the lead in supporting her, and she was willing to accept it, as it indeed benefited her control of the territory going forward.

Her gaze swept over the others, and Zhou Bai immediately instructed, "Everyone must pay attention to safety. I’ll leave the other territories to you all, and I hope that however many people you take out, you bring them all back. Additionally, I have an extra task for you; pay close attention to the terrain, Demon Beasts, and resources on your way to the other territories, and it’s best to record them. Any questions?"

"No problem," Zhou Zhengping spoke up first, clearly stating his stance.

"I also have no problem," Li Xingteng followed closely, having a good relationship with Zhou Zhengping and naturally willing to support Zhou Bai.

As for the others, they had no objections.

The clear support of Zhou Zhengping and Li Xingteng aside, they had just noticed how much respect Bayer and O’Neill, these NPCs, began showing Zhou Bai after she became "village chief," treating her as if she were their master.

At this moment, they suddenly felt a certainty.

Zhou Bai, acting as the village chief, had already taken charge of the territory; as long as no Lord appeared in their territory, she was effectively the "Lord."

Suddenly, they understood why this meeting had been called before nightfall—it was like an inauguration ceremony for Zhou Bai as "village chief," signaling that they would be governed by Zhou Bai, following her orders from now on.

Their minds settled, as long as Zhou Bai was the village chief, they would treat her as their superior.

Following this, Bayer, as the lead person, truly began discussing the situations of the various territories and also evenly distributed a group of mercenaries including Ellis among the different squads.

On this unobserved night, Zhou Bai thus donned the mantle of the master of Hope Village, laying a more solid foundation for her future management of Hope Village.

Early the next morning, those who were traveling gathered early at the square in front of the Lord Mansion and chose the squads they had selected.

Each squad leader confirmed the participants according to the registration list, and those who wanted to join last minute also registered directly with the squad leader.

After everything was settled, the five squads set out from Hope Village in a mighty procession.

Many people watched as they left.

"Hope they go smoothly and return safely."

"I wonder what the situation in the native territory is really like."

"If you’re so curious, why didn’t you go?"

"I didn’t draw the lot! You think I didn’t want to go."

"Drawing lots? Wasn’t it supposed to be voluntary?"

"It was our own teams that drew lots. Some people took the previous goods out to do business; others stayed to work on the territory. If they’re successful, next time it’s our turn."

"No wonder the territory kept so many people; probably everyone is planning like this."

"Why didn’t you go?"

"I am a Life System Professional, if I go out, we’re bound to encounter Demon Beasts constantly; we don’t want to hold the team back. I think it’s good to stay in the territory, but that doesn’t stop me from being curious about the native territory!"

"Right, then let’s wait for them to come back! After they return, we’ll definitely know more specifics!"

Talk trailed off as they laughed and smiled, each face filled with anticipation.

Meanwhile, on the city wall, Bayer and others were also watching.

"Lord Bayer, will Lord and the others succeed?" Heidi asked with evident concern.

The territories they were headed to were so different from those recently established territories like Hope Village on Stan Continent; it was uncertain whether they would adapt or might accidentally stir up trouble.

"They will, even if they run into issues, they will overcome them. Let’s just wait for their good news here in the territory!" Bayer responded without hesitation.

Seeing Bayer so confident, Heidi’s mood relaxed considerably, then she remarked, "I quite like it here."

Because she liked it, she worried.

"Me too."

Unknowingly, Hope Village had become their home.

They all sincerely hoped that this place could become stronger and stronger!