13: Chapter 13 Building a New City!

"Approved!"

Zhou Yun did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately made the decision, "From this moment on, you are the Chief Administrator of Flower City! I order you to take office immediately!"

The moment Zhou Yun finished speaking, the System notification sounded in his mind once again.

[Ding! You have successfully bestowed the position of Chief Administrator, triggering a 100,000,000x critical reward. You have received a qualitative change reward, City Lord Skill: Weather Control!]

[Weather Control: Can alter the weather patterns within the sphere of influence. Can block any natural disaster (Cooldown: 72 hours)]

!!!

Zhou Yun was ecstatic, his clenched fists tightening slightly.

Another 100,000,000x critical hit!

Another City Lord Skill!

The previous United as One solved the issue of "human harmony," allowing everyone to work harder, faster, and more steadily.

And now this Weather Control directly solved the issue of "favorable timing"!

It is currently the dead of winter; if heavy snow were to fall, it would certainly affect the progress of construction.

But with this skill, he could keep Flower City in a state most suitable for construction forever; even if there were torrential floods outside, his construction site could still enjoy the Blazing Sun!

It's settled! This is completely settled!

Zhou Yun was immersed in joy, while Wan'er was still in a state of shock.

This... is it done?

That is the Chief Administrator who holds the entire city's administrative power!

"City Lord..." Wan'er looked at Zhou Yun with some disbelief, "Do you trust me that much?"

"Let's just give it a try!" Zhou Yun smiled and said, "If you do well, that's naturally for the best. If it doesn't work out, we can just replace you then!"

He said it lightly, but in his heart, he knew he was just saying the right things.

What trust?

As a half-baked City Lord who experienced Transmigration, having only finished one year of high school at most, what do I know about administration?

Now that someone is helping him share the burden, he couldn't be happier!

Wan'er naturally could not hear Zhou Yun's inner thoughts.

In her eyes, what broad-mindedness, what courage this was!

But she still had a lingering concern, the barrier she had encountered countless times throughout her exile, and the greatest prejudice of society.

"But... Wan'er is, after all, a woman!"

However, Zhou Yun's next words shattered all her concerns.

"A woman?" Zhou Yun smiled lightly and shook his head, "Never mind whether one is a man or a woman, even if it were a Demonic Beast, as long as they have talent, I would employ them just the same!"

Wan'er's body trembled, and her eyes instantly turned red.

She took a deep breath, bowed deeply once more, and said in a choked but incredibly firm voice:

"Wan'er... will definitely not fail the City Lord's trust!"

...

Not far away, a figure huddled in the shadows of an alley, taking in everything.

His name is General Zhang Tie, an undercover agent sent by Minister Wang Fugui to gather information.

Watching this scene, he couldn't help but cover his mouth and sneer.

"It's hilarious."

"An old man about to enter the coffin, and a disfigured, sickly-looking woman."

"And this is treated like a treasure?"

"And what Tiangong Department minister, what Chief Administrator... it's just playing house!"

He shook his head, his eyes full of contempt.

"It seems the Master was really overthinking it. A City Lord who is desperate and inexperienced, leading such a group of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled—what could they possibly accomplish?"

"They are absolutely nothing to fear!"

...

The appointments completed, the leadership team of the City Lord's mansion finally looked like something.

Although Wan'er was physically weak, she entered her role extremely quickly.

She stood up, and although her clothes were tattered, her demeanor had changed drastically, as if she had truly become a Minister of Interior who could devise strategies.

"City Lord, may I ask what the arrangements are for the next steps?"

"Since we are recruiting fifty thousand laborers, there must be a place for them to go."

Zhou Yun nodded, turned to point in a direction, and waved his hand, "Let's go, out of the city!"

"Out of the city?"

Everyone was stunned.

Didn't you say you wanted to build Flower City? Why are we running outside the city?

But given Zhou Yun's previous actions, although everyone was confused, they obediently followed.

The massive crowd followed Zhou Yun, passing through the dilapidated streets until they arrived at the west gate of Flower City.

Flower City is located in a remote area, at the very edge of the city cluster.

Leaving from the east gate, one could go to other cities.

And leaving from the west gate, one would face the boundless wilderness!

Opening the west gate, people looked out to see a desolate wilderness overgrown with weeds.

In the distance, mountains rolled, and the faint roars of beasts could be heard, exuding an aura of desolation and danger.

Tieshan couldn't help but ask: "City Lord, aren't we going to build a city? Why did we come here?"

Zhou Yun stood at the very front, facing the biting cold wind, spreading his arms as if to embrace this vast world.

"Master Tieshan is right, we are going to build a city."

"But I never said I wanted to build the Flower City behind us!"

He turned around, pointed to the ground at his feet, and said in a resonant voice: "I want to build a brand new Flower City right here, with our backs to the west city wall, extending to the west!"

What?!

Build a new city?!

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole crowd was in an uproar.

Everyone widened their eyes, as if they had heard something incredible.

Zhou Yun looked at everyone's shocked expressions, a calm smile still hanging on the corners of his mouth,

"I know everyone must think this idea of mine is crazy."

"You might think: Flower City is fine, why build a new city? Flower City is our home!"

"But, I want to ask, do you really have a home in Flower City?"

"No work, no fields, and not even the house you live in belongs to you!"

"Flower City might belong to everyone, but does it really belong to you?"

"Since that's the case..." He pointed to the endless wilderness outside the city and shouted: "Why don't you look outward?"

"Look! This vast, boundless wilderness, isn't it our new world?!"

"No fields? Then open them up yourselves! As vast as this wilderness is, that's how vast our fields will be!"

"No houses? Then build them yourselves! Build them as big as you want!"

"What you work for is what you get! Everyone has land to till! Everyone has a house to live in!"

Boom!

These words were like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, fiercely shattering the inherent mental shackles in everyone's minds.

What you work for is what you get!

They were stunned speechless.

They had never even dreamed of such an idea!

All along, they thought they could only beg the wealthy merchants for that tiny bit of living space within that narrow circle.

They never thought that as long as they jumped out of that circle, the outside world was vast and open!

Lei Lie was the first to react.

He slapped his thigh hard, his eyes bursting with unprecedented brilliance.

"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"

"City Lord is wise!!"

He excitedly shouted to the surrounding citizens who were still in a daze:

"Think about it, everyone, the fields in the city are all in the hands of the wealthy merchants. Even if we build Flower City well and pave the roads smoothly, in the end, it's those wealthy merchants who profit! We still get nothing!"

"But building a new city is different!"

"This vast wilderness is our endless field!"

"We can use our own hands to cultivate our future!"

"As for safety, you don't need to worry!" He patted his chest and guaranteed:

"Although it is a wilderness outside the city, it is absolutely safe within a ten-kilometer radius! For further places, with the City Guard there, we will definitely protect everyone's safety!"

Lei Lie's words completely ignited everyone's emotions.

The citizens' eyes lit up.

It was the gleam of a starving wolf seeing meat, of a drowning person grabbing a straw!

In that old Flower City, what did they have?

Only poverty, hunger, debt, and the shadow of the execution line that followed them like a specter!

That was a cage filled with painful memories!

And now...

Right outside these city walls.

It was a blank slate!

It was a new beginning!

It was a home that belonged to them!

"Build a new city! Build a new city!!"

"Listen to the City Lord! Let's do it ourselves and have plenty of food and clothing!"

"Screw Minister Wang Fugui! Screw the Chamber of Commerce! I'm not serving them anymore!"

"I'm going to build myself a big house! I'm going to open up one hundred acres of land!"

"Let's do it!!"