I Live on the Land in Global Games
Chapter 189 - 188: Lord Zhan Qing

Chapter 189: Chapter 188: Lord Zhan Qing

Mu Ying also knew she couldn’t pretend anymore and reverted to human form, "It was me who wanted to eat that fat hawk first."

"gehe!" The fat hawk ruffled its feathers.

Xie Sen casually stroked Fool’s fur, gaping at the person who had transformed. "You, you, you are that Mu Ying whom the old folks went to great lengths to coax back home?"

Zhan Qing slapped him, "What are you saying!"

"That’s exactly it. Recently, those old folks had sent out their somewhat attractive younger members to ’accidentally’ meet her. Who’d have thought we’d run into her? It’s fate," Xie Sen said, his eyes gleaming with gossip.

He knew that Ah Qing had also been ordered to win her favor, but his posture of marrying into her family as a son-in-law had shut those old folks up.

If you asked him, what high-class doll-like maiden would fancy those mere pretty shells for embroidered pillows?

However, Ah Qing’s recent arrow probably didn’t leave a good impression either.

"I am Mu Ying, who are you guys? Also, what is this about old folks and accidental meetings?"

Mu Ying asked, puzzled.

"Hello, I am Zhan Qing, the Lord Token holder of Lingtian Town. The power in Lingtian Town is rather complex, controlled by military and political families since before the apocalypse. The strength and energy you showed made them want to engage you through marriage by sending younger members to bump into you and win your affection," Zhan Qing explained.

Had she already reached Lingtian Town? And met the lord? But why did she remember the lord of Lingtian Town not being so young!

Mu Ying was not unfamiliar with the name Zhan Qing, a presence within the top five of the rankings, the highest-ranking Wanderer in the Xia Country Region.

But none of these matched her speechlessness upon hearing about the arranged marriage.

"Do you also think I’m someone indiscriminate in hunger, easily wooed by flattery, bound by emotions and worldly views? To win my affection? Are you all trying to meet Zhou Hongfei’s fate?"

Zhan Qing quickly made it clear he meant no such thing.

Xie Sen, too, was frightened by her words, shaking his head repeatedly.

He had forgotten; this person, seemingly harmless with gentle, vivid green eyes, was actually decisive in killing, and his Fool had nearly been killed!

"Why did you attack my Fool?" he suddenly remembered this and asked blankly.

"Is this your animal companion? Are you a Forest Patrol?" Mu Ying countered without answering.

Xie Sen nodded.

"I apologize for targeting it, but the name Fool really suits it—fat and dumb. A hawk that can’t even outfly an owl. You’ve overfed it; anyone would think it’s a meal waiting to happen," Mu Ying said, sizing up the fat hawk again.

The hawk, initially puffed up, now realized its master wasn’t helping and turned cowardly again.

"Uh, I can’t resist when it acts spoiled," Xie Sen said, embarrassed, "But wait, aren’t you a Druid? How could you attack harmless animals and even consider eating them? Perhaps there’s a bit of truth to being indiscriminate in hunger?"

Mu Ying rolled her eyes, "Don’t Druids need to eat meat too? Besides, I was just an Owl, eating a couple of hawks is nothing but normal with the natural laws of survival of the fittest. If you don’t train it properly and just keep it protected by your side, once it goes out, it will become someone else’s meal."

This was indeed from the bottom of her heart. Mu Ying was reluctant to train Gungun harshly, which was why she always worried about Gungun going out or participating in combat. That was her reason.

Xie Sen nodded repeatedly, "When I get back, I will put it on a diet!"

"I remember that the Lord of Lingtian Town is the old chief?" Mu Ying looked towards Zhan Qing.

"Yes, the old chief’s health is very bad, and he worries that after his death, those family members will fight amongst themselves without regard for the people’s safety, so he secretly returned the Lord Token to me, but this has not been made public yet. Only Ah Sen and you know," Zhan Qing said sincerely, "rest assured, I don’t harbor any sneaky intentions and am very willing to establish friendly relationships with Qingshan Town. The terms remain the same as before, using one-tenth of the income from the Transmission Array in exchange for one free transmission for the residents of Lingtian Town."

Mu Ying noticed the word "returned." So, was he the one rumored on the forums to have submitted the Lord Token to the state unconditionally?

"Unconditional is not possible, but a discount can be considered. The energy consumption for each single transmission costs one silver coin. If it’s fully loaded with ten people, some savings can be made, but it still costs five silver coins. My pricing is actually just earning the difference in fully loaded situations. If it’s completely free and the transmission number is too high, we might not be able to bear the energy costs, causing the Transmission Array to break down. How about a limited three-day half-price charge? I only need an additional one-tenth of the income from the Transmission Array for the next year," Mu Ying also expressed her thoughts.

Providing services without charge is not feasible. No territory can support the consumption of so many people.

And while she admires people like Zhan Qing and the old chief who are willing to sacrifice for the common good, she is not willing to follow suit.

Reach high when affluent, fend for oneself when in need.

Neither she nor her territory had reached such levels of wealth yet.

Every penny was earmarked for imminent expenses.

She did not want her territory to have a population but remain poor and decrepit, with the residents barely able to survive, let alone eat their fill.

Rather than hastily accepting a large batch of people, she preferred to proceed step by step, according to her means.

Integrate people as they come; not to make everyone in Qingshan Town wealthy, but to ensure that if they strive hard, they will at least be able to feed themselves, have a place to stay, and not be homeless.

These objectives were not based on sacrificing her territory’s interests to subsidize the residents, but on striving to make the territory profitable, investing money in developing the territory, providing more jobs, and fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between the territory and its inhabitants.

The temporary three-day half-price charge was also considered because Lingtian Town, by not charging an entry fee, had slowed down its development which she agreed to.

"Can’t you go any lower? Fifty copper coins per person. There aren’t many in Lingtian Town who could gather that amount in three days," Zhan Qing also knew that pressing further, making others incur losses to help move his population, was somewhat unkind. But that was the reality in Lingtian Town; he could only appeal for help from others.

"Your territory doesn’t charge an entrance fee, and most residents live in their own tents, their expenses should be much lower than those of people in our territory, how come you can’t even afford fifty copper coins?" Mu Ying was genuinely puzzled.

Surely, going out to defeat monsters or gather some items could earn a few copper coins?

Those with a bit more strength could make dozens of copper coins a day.

And since she had announced the move north so long ago, almost two months now, saving one copper coin a day would amount to more than fifty copper coins, wouldn’t it?

"It’s a complex issue. You should come and see our territory and understand. If there are any offenses from the people in the territory when you visit, please be understanding. One day, I will clean house," Zhan Qing said.