Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game

Chapter 101.2: Townsfolks' Dilemma

Winnie was in a dilemma.

To Mrs. Winnie, a small-town lady, completely accepting Weisshem's current bizarre situation was impossible. Not to mention the new undead mayor and these skeletons on the streets that startled her whenever she left the house.

But on the other hand… she really didn't think that Weisshem's new lord was all that bad. She had lived under Mr. Rex's jurisdiction for the last ten days, and although she couldn't help but be frightened, it couldn't be said that it was any less safe than before.

"I should have gotten someone to write you a letter early on; you wouldn't be so suspicious then." Mrs. Winnie was torn. "But the thought that the money for a letter could buy half a meter of fabric made me reluctant… One meter of fabric only costs 10 copper coins."

"Mom, these undead fabrics—"

"Alright, dear, listen to me first." Mrs. Winnie stopped her anxious daughter. "Your mom has always been living in this town. I know much more about what's going on here than those Indahl folk who are just making random guesses.

"Yes, Weisshem's new lord is different. Mr. Rex even appointed an undead as mayor. But I believe Mr. Rex definitely… isn't a bad person. He certainly doesn't have any ill intent toward us." Mrs. Winnie spread her palms in earnest. "You know, dear, Mr. Rex takes very good care of those poor folk from the town's main street. If he can be so gentle with those unfortunate souls, how could he possibly harm us?"

Caroline had been worried sick about her family when she heard the strange things about her hometown. The fate of those unfortunate souls trapped in Weisshem's main street never crossed her mind, and hearing about it now surprised her.

Children who grew up in the town had, more or less, witnessed the dismal fate of sex workers, both male and female, kicked out of those establishments due to getting on in age or declining attractiveness.

Every winter, as soon as it snowed, the townsfolk would hear rumors about bodies of such people being dragged out from an establishment on the main street…

Some people felt disgust toward these individuals due to their aversion to the red-light district, but others held sympathy for these unfortunate souls who couldn't determine their own destinies. Putting oneself in their shoes, would there be anyone who would willingly be sold to a distant place far from home, undergo such painful hardships, and die miserably?

"Your grandpa personally witnessed it when he started working at the sanitation bureau. Those people are all concentrated in two large buildings, and the undead prepare food for them every day. The two meals provided for sanitation workers at the bureau each day are also prepared by the undead. He would keep some broth every day and bring it home in a jar. Your aunt will add this broth to the soup for dinner. It's really delicious," said Mrs. Winnie with a smile.

Before Caroline could ask what the sanitation bureau was, Mrs. Winnie continued, "The sanitation bureau is a new office established by Weisshem's new lord that employs elderly like your grandpa or widows and orphans. They take turns cleaning the town's streets each day. Did you notice when you came? The heap of rubbish at the entrance of our alley is gone. That is the work of the sanitation bureau.

"At first, we didn't agree with your grandpa going to the sanitation bureau. It was he who reckoned he should see what the new lord truly wanted with the town…" Mrs. Winnie sighed. "Now, that undead mayor and the new lord have posted notices about hiring laborers with daily wages. If your dad, uncles, and cousin were back, your grandpa would definitely support them signing up."

It was currently the autumn harvest season, and each year, willing adult men from Weisshem would form groups to take up odd jobs in the countryside during this period, either helping farmers harvest crops or working in the estates for a couple of months. It was tough work but allowed them to earn a considerable amount.

In a decent and hardworking family like the Meghans, five able-bodied men toiling in the countryside for a couple of months could earn enough to cover the entire family's expenses for nearly half a year.

Of course, not all men would go for seasonal work in autumn. Those with artisanal skills, lazy widowers, alcoholics, or those whose family had their own businesses would not subject themselves to such toil.

Caroline hesitated, caught in the tumult of her thoughts.

She held immense respect for her grandfather. Even her grandfather didn't view the changes to Weisshem as unfavorable and the new lord, Mr. Rex, as a nefarious schemer, and this revelation left Caroline somewhat shaken.

"That's not all." Mrs. Winnie noticed her daughter's wavering and grinned knowingly. "Mr. Rex, the new lord, has posted notices in front of the town hall. Starting this year, he's abolishing the population tax for all town residents and will no longer collect the agricultural taxes that farmers had to pay. Currently, Weisshem only levies two types of taxes: a business tax and a high-income tax for those earning over 1800 copper coins per month."

"1800 copper coins?!" Caroline exclaimed upon hearing this figure. "Doesn't that mean everyone who doesn't engage in business won't have to pay taxes anymore?!"

What did a monthly income of 1800 copper coins mean?

It's the equivalent of earning 18 silver coins a month!

In terms of gold coins, it's in excess of one and a half!

Generally, large denominations like gold coins didn't circulate among the common folk. The majority of people used copper coins as primary currency, with silver coins as a secondary.

Caroline had worked at an upscale restaurant in Indahl's main South Street for eight years, rising to the rank of senior server, and her monthly income was seven silver coins.

This was already close to the service industry's ceiling. Beyond this point, only maids working in wealthy households earned a bit more. With clever budgeting, seven silver coins were enough for a family of four to live comfortably for a month in Weisshem; in Indahl, a similar-sized family could manage a month as long as they didn't use gas and stuck to burning coal.Follow current s on N(o)vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.nᴇt

But even maids in wealthy households wouldn't have a monthly income of a gold coin. It would take achieving the rank of a housekeeper at least…

"At least your grandpa doesn't have to pay taxes. The sanitation bureau also pays him a salary of 800 copper coins a month." Winnie put a hand over her mouth and chuckled.

Caroline's jaw nearly dropped. Street cleaning, a job that old folks and young children could do, paid more than her upscale restaurant job?

"Wouldn't everyone clamor for openings in the sanitation bureau, then?" Caroline asked incredulously.

"Hard to say… When your grandpa joined, there wasn't much competition," said Winnie with a complicated expression. "People thought it was a trick and worried the new lord wouldn't pay up before being driven out… If the money actually gets paid, your aunts and I might consider applying too."

Mrs. Winnie's words laid bare her true sentiments—she wasn't entirely confident that the new Lord, Mr. Rex, was reliable enough to hold Weisshem for long. While she secretly hoped for this new lord's stability, a small-town woman like her held no influence in such matters.

Caroline pondered over the circumstances her mother had described and similarly found herself in a tangle.

It was apparent that Mr. Rex, Weisshem's new lord, was indeed a benevolent gentleman. If Weisshem could remain under his jurisdiction, it would undoubtedly be beneficial for everyone living in this land.

However… Mr. Rex had ascended to lordship with the support of a formidable black mage. And were it not for the undead that roamed the streets, captured the former mayor that turned Weisshem into a red-light district, and drove away Baron Marcus, Mr. Rex wouldn't have gotten this territory either.

Accepting Mr. Rex's rule meant getting accustomed to the presence of those undead.

"Good luck always comes with bad luck." Caroline sighed, echoing the Rhine saying that Bosha had once said.

———

Meanwhile, the man himself, who was in the complicated thoughts of many townsfolk, Mr. Rex, was holding a contract in a daze.

When Yang personally came to the town hall to meet him, Rex assumed Yang had some ideas for him to implement. Instead, without saying anything, Yang handed over a contract.

This contract was none other than a long-term supply agreement between Yang, Lord of Taranthan, and Charlie Rex, Lord of Weisshem (Yang Qiu had taken that the Indahl city lord didn't exist). The contract listed various general goods that Yang had secured on Earth, ensuring a stable and long-term supply.

For example, these currently popular curtain fabrics.

The textile factory, which had transitioned to producing trendy clothing for online platforms while battling numerous competitors on Taobao, still had several warehouses of such fabric stocked up. Upon learning that Yang Qiu hoped for a stable supply, the boss of the factory promptly guaranteed that they could provide as much as Yang needed. Even if their own inventory ran out, there were fellow struggling factories in the same boat waiting to be rescued…

There were also the plastic products, not as popular as the curtain fabrics but still a solid "essential." The plastic factory that supplied these items was a downstream unit of a chemical enterprise. Regardless of whether the production line was running or not, raw materials were always promptly delivered. The head of the plastic factory, eager to expand their market, was even negotiating with Indian clients. But dealing with Yang Qiu was much easier than those Indian clients…

Having secured suppliers for curtain fabric and plastic products, Yang hadn't even started looking for the next one when the prison enterprise (which he had previously collaborated with) came knocking, or rather, brought along a bunch of fellow units suffering from a lack of sales…

Most people were unaware of the massive scale of prison enterprises in China. If not nationwide, prison enterprises in G Province at least processed a wide range of labor-intensive products, including clothing, electronics, furniture, mechanical components, and more. The little wallets and backpacks Yang Qiu had bought from the prison enterprise before were just a drop in the ocean.

In short, it wasn't that Yang Qiu was stingy about using the gold in his pockets to win over the people of Weisshem. Rather, it was that after purchasing the magical materials needed for the teleportation array, paying up for the road construction equipment, and putting down deposits for the long-term supply contracts with various manufacturers, all of it had been spent.

The gold coins in this world were impure; a 10-gram gold coin contained only 60% to 70% gold, with the rest being alloy. After receiving gold coins or gold jewelry, Yang Qiu had to use magic to "purify" them before they could be used on Earth. The total quantity shrank, rendering them practically useless…

Yang Qiu, unable to even produce the funds for the next month's budget-friendly bulk purchase of freeze-dried noodles, remained as steady as a rock.

"I'll offer you a wholesale price for all goods, which is twenty percent below the prevailing market transaction price," Yang Qiu calmly declared, placing his teacup down on the table. "Other than the fabrics and items that were previously sold locally, you may set the retail prices for the new products yourself. I don't care about the profit margin; just ensure my payments are made on time. Of course, I don't want copper coins or silver coins; I only accept settlement in gold coins."

The dumbfounded look on Rex's face froze as if he was completely unable to snap out of it…