178: Chapter 179 Sending People Away

The other end of the Sound Transmission Array was silent for a few moments, then someone suddenly laughed.

"Who said we had to secure a win?"

"And who said we had to fight it head-on?"

"No matter how strong Flower City is, its strength lies within the city, in its system, and the momentum it has built up over this period."

"But ultimately, it is still just a small city. No matter how fast it expands its surroundings, time is limited. As long as we don't clash with it head-on, pick our moments, strike first, sever its vital points, destroy its workshops, and seize the City Lord's mansion before it can catch its breath, we will have our chance."

"What's more..." The voice paused, its tail end dropping slightly. "We aren't moving now."

"Now, we continue to let it grow."

Someone in the array repeated in a low voice, "Continue to let it grow?"

"Yes." "The bigger it grows, the harder it will fall. Isn't that exactly where its most fatal weakness lies?"

This time, no one immediately retorted. Because everyone understood what he meant. Flower City was too generous to its people. Spirit Rice, tree houses, fertile fields, equipment sets—outsiders' teeth ached just hearing about it.

Yet that Flower City Lord did exactly that, and for such a long time. A city like this, placed anywhere else, would have long since collapsed under its own weight. But Flower City actually held on, and it's only getting more impressive. This was precisely what they couldn't see through, and what made them most greedy.

A voice suddenly rang out. "Then let's send more people in."

The light of the array flickered slightly. "Pick a batch of those in the city who have already fallen into the execution line, or are about to fall into it."

"Heh, send them to Flower City to live a good life!" Mentioning this, the voice chuckled.

"Didn't you all say Flower City is benevolent?" "Then let's see just how benevolent it really is."

Someone immediately followed up. "Just sending these isn't enough." "Mix some other people in." "Scouts, spies, troublemakers—send them all." "As long as Flower City is willing to accept them, let it take as many as it wants!"

The initially mild voice finally revealed a hint of sharpness. "This way, there are at least three benefits."

"First, by sending out those half-dead people who occupy food and space, we can catch our own breath."

"Second, it sounds good on the surface. We aren't driving people away; we are finding them a way to survive."

"Third..." He paused, his voice softening. "Doesn't Flower City love raising people?" "Then let it raise them." "Every extra person it takes in is another drain on its resources. The more it drains itself, the easier it will be for us when we eventually make our move."

The other end of the Sound Transmission Array was silent for even longer this time. It was as if everyone was recalculating this account in their minds.

Finally, the voice that had previously questioned whether The Four Cities could swallow Flower City spoke up slowly. "The name sounds good." "But will Flower City agree?"

"It will." Someone answered quickly. "If it refuses even this, wouldn't all the reputation it built up be for nothing?"

"Besides, we aren't sending them for free." "Using the convenience of trade and the name of transferring residency, we'll test the waters with a batch first." "Once the opening is made, everything else will be easy to handle."

Someone on the other end chuckled. "Then what if Qinghe sends them first, and Liefeng sends them later, and Flower City only gives an opening to one family?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the array changed. The previous sense of "we are all in this together" was like something flicked by a fingertip, and the underlying wariness immediately surfaced.

The next moment, someone said coldly, "Since we are advancing and retreating together, we should naturally be treated equally."

"Indeed." "If Flower City accepts one city but not the other three, then this deal is meaningless." "By then, whoever occupies the opening first will have planted an extra move. Gentlemen, do you really intend to let someone else get a step ahead?"

No one spoke. But the silence itself was the answer. Of course, they were not willing.

In the Sound Transmission Array, one could only hear the voices but not see the people, yet at this moment, the calculations in the hearts of the four could almost be smelled through the light of the array.

A moment later, the initial voice spoke again, as if concluding the discussion. "Then it's settled." "Continue buying goods." "Find ways to send people in."

"But let me say this first: to achieve great things, ambition and patience are both indispensable." "Everyone present here is an elite among people; surely you wouldn't do something foolish like coveting short-term gains?"

"So, no one should think about holding back, nor should anyone think about secretly taking an extra step." "Right now, taking down this piece of meat that is Flower City is the overall goal."

Several voices of agreement quickly came from the array. But those "goods" fell lightly, and anyone could tell there wasn't much sincerity in them.

The next moment, the light of the array flashed, and the four transmissions cut off simultaneously. The City Lord's mansion returned to silence.

The Gale Wind City Lord sat in front of the stone platform, staring at the darkened Formation Plate for a long while before slowly leaning back into his chair.

There was no one else in the room. His expression finally darkened completely.

"Advancing and retreating together..." He scoffed lowly. "They really take others for fools."

If Flower City were ever to fall, the first people to guard against would likely be those three guys who spoke so beautifully through the Sound Transmission Array tonight. But so what? At least for now, this game of chess can still be played.

He raised his hand and tapped the stone platform lightly. "Come in." Someone immediately responded from outside the door. "City Lord."

"Go, call the director-general of internal affairs, the director-general of the Trade Department, and the people from the Granary." "Starting tomorrow, prepare the goods according to the new list."

He paused, his eyes cold. "Also, pull out the list of people in the city who have recently applied for residency transfer multiple times."

The person outside the door was clearly stunned. "Residency transfer list? City Lord, could it be that you..."

"Yes." He said indifferently, "Since some people yearn for Flower City, this City Lord shouldn't stop them from going to live a good life."

Early the next morning, outside the gates of Flower City, it was lively again.

Minister Wang Fugui arrived almost as the morning light broke, followed by several subordinates, holding account books in his hands, his Face beaming like a spring breeze.

"Come, come, don't just stand there." "They are guests, serve the tea first."

Flower City now had established protocols for external trade; from which side people came, what goods they brought, and where settlement occurred, there were designated people watching.

But Minister Wang Fugui still liked to stand at the front himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust his subordinates, but rather that some words carried more weight when spoken by him than by others.

The ones who came this time were still merchants from The Four Cities. Compared to last time, the restraint on their Faces was less, but the shock and suspicion hidden in their eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

Because every time they came to Flower City, it looked more impressive than the last time.

There was a constant stream of traffic outside the city gate: people transporting goods, people registering, Mercenary squads accepting missions, and children holding fruits, chasing after the Little White Tiger.

The morning light shone on the city walls and tree houses, and even the bluestone on the ground had a crisp, clean sheen.

The more clearly they saw it, the stronger the urge in their hearts to swallow this place whole became.

"Minister Wang." Someone stepped forward and cupped their hands, their smile very full.

"This trip, we will follow the old precedent." "Weapons, leather armor, Spirit Medicine, and Spirit Rice—each according to the list. If there is any surplus, please, noble city, spare some more for us."

Minister Wang Fugui looked down at the list and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you all are buying more and more lavishly." "If you keep buying like this, before long, your family storehouses will almost rival an armory, won't they?"

The merchant's smile stiffened. Before he could respond, a Flower City subordinate beside him subconsciously muttered aloud.

"You just took away a large batch of armor last time, and this time it's these again." "Things aren't peaceful in your cities lately, are they?"

As these words fell, the expressions of the merchants from The Four Cities changed almost simultaneously. Someone's fingertips tightened, crumpling their sleeve. Someone opened their mouth, wanting to explain.

But before they could speak, Minister Wang Fugui had already turned around, scolding him head-on.

"Do you know how to speak? Hmm?" "Does buying some weapons and armor mean they are going to war?" "Can't they protect themselves? Can't they defend themselves? Can't they train troops?" "In business, the most taboo thing is having a meddlesome mouth! If you dare to randomly guess about the guests' affairs today, will you dare to badmouth even me tomorrow?"

The subordinate shrank his neck after being scolded and quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake. "Yes, yes, yes, this subordinate spoke out of turn."

Minister Wang Fugui huffed, then turned back, putting on an amiable Face. "Don't mind him, everyone." "The people below haven't seen much of the world; they talk too much and their brains are straight-forward." "Don't let his nonsensical rambling ruin our business."

The merchants looked at each other, the tension in their hearts slowly releasing, and they quickly followed his lead.

"Naturally, naturally." "Minister Wang is right. Now that the Demonic Beasts in the wasteland are still gathering, we are preparing more things just to protect ourselves." "Yes, it's all for self-defense, self-defense."

Minister Wang Fugui nodded with a smile. "That's right." "Everyone is a peace-loving person; how could we just casually resort to swords and guns?"

When he said this, there was not a trace of oddity on his Face; he even smiled a bit more sincerely than before. But for some reason, the merchants felt a chill down their spines when they heard it. Yet they couldn't find any fault.

Minister Wang Fugui had already lowered his head to flip through the account books. "Weapons and armor as usual; Spirit Medicine and Spirit Rice can also be provided." "However..." He deliberately dragged out the tail of his sentence. The merchants' hearts all tightened simultaneously.

"However, the Tiangong Department has been truly busy lately. If you all want to increase the quantity, I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line." "Minister Wang, why is that?" "Why?"

Just as Minister Wang Fugui was about to speak, a rush of hurried footsteps came from behind. Everyone subconsciously turned back.

They saw Elder Tie walking over from the street corner with large strides. He was covered in dust, with dirt all over his cuffs, pant legs, and shoes. His hair seemed to be covered in wood shavings, and he looked like he had just been dug out of a construction site.

He walked extremely fast, clutching several scrolls of blueprints to his chest. His brows were knit, and his expression was not very good.

Minister Wang Fugui's eyes lit up, and he waved from far away. "Elder Tie!" "You came just in time, come over for a drink!"

Elder Tie didn't stop his pace, looked up, and cursed. "Drink my ass!" "I haven't even had a moment to rest, and you have the nerve to ask me to drink?" "Your Internal Affairs Department and Trade Department just open your mouths, and the Tiangong Department has to run its legs off!"

After cursing, he swept past them like a gust of wind, clutching his blueprints, without even stopping. He left Minister Wang Fugui standing there, rubbing his nose, as if he were long accustomed to being scolded. He didn't get angry, just shouted at his back. "You go ahead and get busy!"

The merchants from The Four Cities were dumbfounded. After a long while, someone couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Minister Wang, who is this..."

Minister Wang Fugui coughed lightly and waved his hand helplessly. "Excuse us, excuse us." "That is our Flower City Tiangong Department Minister, Elder Tie." "Recently, production, construction, road repairs, and warehouse expansion in the city have all been piled on him. He is extremely busy, so naturally, his temper has gotten a bit worse."

Speaking of this, he sighed deliberately. "There's no helping it." "Recently, everyone in Flower City is busy, especially the Tiangong Department, which is under the most pressure."

Upon hearing this, a flicker of imperceptible brightness flashed in the eyes of those merchants. Indeed, Flower City was not made of iron. Giving so much, selling so much, and spreading the business so wide—the people below would sooner or later be too busy to hold it together. This should have made them happy, but for some reason, looking at the dusty and hurried Elder Tie just now, and then at Minister Wang Fugui, who was complaining with his mouth but had no real anger in his eyes, that bit of joy in their hearts always felt like it was missing something.

They couldn't put their finger on it. It was as if this place, Flower City, even when chaotic, had an indescribable vitality.

"Gentlemen?" Minister Wang Fugui's voice pulled them back. "Are we still discussing the list?" "Yes, of course." The merchants immediately refocused, their smiles returning to their Faces.

Minister Wang Fugui also smiled, raised his hand, and motioned for people to lead them inside. "Then let's... talk while we drink."

Inside the City Lord's mansion. Elder Tie walked into the front courtyard in one breath, and only after crossing the threshold did he put the blueprints in his arms on the table and let out a heavy breath.

Zhou Yun was reviewing files. Looking up and seeing him in this state, he first poured him a cup of water. "Here, moisten your throat first."

Elder Tie didn't stand on ceremony, picked it up, and downed half a cup, finally smoothing out his breath. "City Lord." "There is a problem."

Zhou Yun pushed the cup closer to him. "Go ahead."

Elder Tie lowered his head and unfolded several blueprints, tapping heavily on two locations. "Two satellite cities have already been opened."

"According to the original plan, if we only focus on nurturing these two first, and have Flower City and the New City support them, it won't be much of a problem." "But if we continue to open more, and want to push for lower-level cities, we won't have enough people to go around."

Zhou Yun's eyes flickered slightly. Elder Tie's voice, however, did not stop. "I'm not worried about the roads." "After Military Advisor Zhu laid out the internal Hongdao Array, wood, stone, mineral materials, and Spirit Medicine are all being transported quickly. Although the Tiangong Department is tired, we can handle it, and everyone's spirits are high."

"I'm not worried about the cities either." "Tree houses can be built, fields can be opened, water can be channeled, and warehouses can be established. As long as the materials are there, the framework can always be set up." "But there are no people, there are simply no people!"

Speaking to this point, he looked up at Zhou Yun, his brows knit tightly. "The scale isn't too big yet; Flower City, the New City, and those two settlements are barely manageable." "But what about later?"

"If we really keep pushing outward, to the scale of twenty cities, relying solely on the two hundred thousand people Flower City currently has, and spreading them out, every city will end up emaciated." "By then, the cities will be empty, the fields will be empty, the warehouses will be empty, and the things we are working so hard to build now will become empty shells."