141: Chapter 142 Give Them a Way Out

Silence fell over the hall.

Elder Tie's brows furrowed even deeper.

"But they haven't truly done anything out of line yet," he said hesitatingly. "Wouldn't this be... a bit too harsh?"

Wan'er did not respond immediately.

She simply stood there, her expression as cold as frost, as if she had firmly placed the side of "severity" on the table.

Zhou Yun finally spoke at this moment.

"Everything you all said is correct."

The eyes of everyone present immediately fell upon him.

Zhou Yun sat in the seat of honor, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping across the faces of those present one by one.

"Minister Wang Fugui's anger is not without cause. Lei Lie wanting to discipline them is not entirely unreasonable. Elder Tie says we should talk it over first, the Strategist says this fire was set in the wrong place, and Wan'er says we should establish rules first and keep them in check."

He paused for a moment.

"All of you are right."

When these two words fell, the hall became even quieter.

Zhou Yun continued:

"I have some humble opinions. Listen and see if they make sense."

Minister Wang Fugui was taken aback for a moment.

Lei Lie also raised his head.

Zhou Yun's voice was unhurried:

"I believe this group of people doesn't necessarily want to rebel, nor are they necessarily bad."

"They simply have strength, but they haven't yet learned where to direct it."

He said slowly:

"Everyone has their own nature."

"Some are content with maintaining the status quo, while others naturally enjoy seeking danger."

"If that's the case, we cannot just think about blocking them."

He looked at the group, his tone steady, yet he enunciated every word clearly.

"Blocking is not as good as channeling."

"Perhaps we should give them a path."

There was silence in the hall for a moment.

Wan'er was still for a moment.

It was as if she were following that sentence, replaying the entire game of chess in her mind. A moment later, the bit of coldness she had been holding onto in her eyes finally slowly relaxed.

She bowed her head in salute.

"City Lord, your foresight is remarkable."

But Elder Tie frowned and spoke up.

"Give them a path?" He rubbed the calluses on his hands, his tone filled with uncertainty. "It can't be that we're driving them out of the city, right?"

Zhou Yun smiled: "Of course not."

His gaze swept across the crowd, his voice remaining calm.

"What I mean is that we should establish a separate place for them. The city does not lack infrastructure, farming, or people to maintain order. But this group is clearly no longer suited for just sticking to the tasks within the city."

He paused.

"Since that is the case, we might as well go along with their nature."

"Let's establish a Mercenary Guild."

The expressions of the people in the hall shifted simultaneously.

Zhou Yun continued: "Flower City can issue missions, and they can also accept commissions from outside the city. Clearing out surrounding Demonic Beasts, escorting merchant caravans, patrolling dangerous areas, gathering herbs, mining, scouting paths, clearing obstacles—in short, let them use their strength outside the city, where it can be put to good use."

Elder Tie was stunned: "A Mercenary Guild?"

Zhou Yun nodded: "It can provide them with a way out, and it can also give Flower City another hand reaching outward."

As soon as he finished speaking, Minister Wang Fugui's eyes lit up.

"Brilliant!" He slapped his thigh, leaning halfway out of his chair. "City Lord, this method is brilliant!"

"This way they have proper work to do! Never mind paying them; even if there wasn't much pay to start with, just letting them go out to kill Demonic Beasts, I don't know how many people would be fighting to go!"

As he spoke, his brain was already fully whirring, and his mouth was faster than his brain: "After killing the Demonic Beasts, the bones, skin, meat, and crystal cores can all be brought back. They can also gather herbs, mine, scout paths, and map out the terrain while they're at it..."

Minister Wang Fugui became more and more excited as he spoke, the corners of his mouth almost unable to contain his grin.

"This way, not only have we channeled the people out, but the Granary will also—"

He stopped abruptly, realizing that several pairs of eyes in the hall were looking at him. He immediately straightened his face and cleared his throat.

"Ahem. I mean, commerce in Flower City will be easier to conduct in the future, and the Granary will naturally become more prosperous."

Lei Lie looked at him, his gaze filled with a complex, indefinable emotion.

"...How exactly is your brain wired?"

Minister Wang Fugui rolled his eyes at him, his expression completely righteous: "What else?"

Zhou Yun shook his head with a smile: "What Minister Wang Fugui said is exactly what I was thinking. However, we must still provide compensation."

Minister Wang Fugui immediately sat up straight and bowed his head in salute, unable to hide the smile on his lips: "City Lord is right!"

Zhou Yun turned his gaze to the others: "What do you all think?"

Strategist Zhu Ge had leaned back into his wheelchair at some point, gently fanning himself, his eyes filled with a hint of a smile: "Channeling their fire while opening up a source of wealth; this method is truly the best of both worlds."

Elder Tie rubbed his chin and also nodded slowly: "It sounds like a viable path. At the very least, it's better than just suppressing them."

The Little White Tiger sat on the chair, nodding its head heavily as if it understood everything.

Wan'er then said: "If it can truly be established, this is not just a method of settlement, but also a method of expansion."

Only Lei Lie was still frowning slightly, not speaking immediately.

Zhou Yun looked at him: "What's wrong, Minister Lei? Do you still have concerns?"

Lei Lie was stunned for a moment, then answered honestly:

"This subordinate just feels that if this guild is truly established, most of the people inside will be hot-blooded. Letting them go out to fight is one thing, but if no one is watching them, I fear there will still be trouble."

Zhou Yun nodded: "That is exactly what I was about to say. When this matter is just starting, I will have to trouble Minister Lei to help oversee it."

Lei Lie was taken aback: "Me?"

"The Mercenary Guild will not be under the jurisdiction of the army, but when it is first established and lacks rules, there must be someone capable of keeping things under control to help build the framework."

Zhou Yun looked at him, his tone calm. "Most of the people inside have pent-up anger. You go and help establish the rules, let this fire burn outwards, but also burn within reasonable limits. Once the framework is stable, we can hand it over to someone else to manage."

Lei Lie's eyes lit up instantly.

It wasn't asking him to be idle; it was asking him to do the job that best suited his temperament.

He immediately grinned, stood up, and cupped his hands: "City Lord, rest assured! This subordinate will not fail your expectations!"

Zhou Yun nodded with a smile, and then his expression suddenly turned subtle.

"Now, there is only one last problem left."

His gaze turned slowly and unhurriedly, finally landing on the Little White Tiger in the corner.

"As for this Mercenary Guild, it needs a Guild Master..."

The Little White Tiger had originally been nodding along with the others as if it understood, but upon hearing this, it habitually nodded heavily again.

Then it froze.

Its ears suddenly stood straight up.

Its two tiger eyes widened, its pupils darting rapidly between Zhou Yun and the others, until it finally realized that everyone's gaze was fixed upon it.

"Meow?!"

It sprang up from the chair, shaking its head rapidly, its tail puffing up like a bottle brush, its four paws retreating rapidly on the chair surface, almost falling off the back of the chair.

...