Strongest Lord by Opening Blind Boxes

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: A Small Meeting

Wang Yi took Jelena on a tour of Eggshell Village, visiting places like the Fine Weapons Factory, the Ten Mu of Fertile Land, and the Giant Scorpion Sandfield.

Jelena, as exquisite as a fairytale princess, was poised and elegant, and Wang Yi was quite fond of her.

However, Wang Yi gradually discovered that while this darling daughter of his looked like a little girl, she was remarkably mature. She even gave Wang Yi suggestions for development and, after learning about the General’s Tomb, volunteered to run the dungeon with Man Datou and the others.

In the afternoon, Wang Yi and Jelena built an Eggshell House together. She sat on Gegeda’s back, excitedly helping to give directions.

Before long, a small Eggshell courtyard had appeared next to the First Dining Hall.

This Eggshell courtyard was to be the clinic, and also the temporary Foreign Affairs Department of Eggshell Village!

Wang Yi put Yang Wanli in charge here. Yang Wanli was overjoyed and moved in immediately. He called a few people over and brought wooden tables, chairs, and many pots and jars from his old home in Stone Village. He also had Yang Qinggu and Yang Xiaobao move in with him.

And just like that, Yang Wanli’s entire family had moved into Eggshell Village.

Before nightfall, Gegeda had also built a courtyard for the Intelligence Department, right next to the Foreign Affairs Department. Pang Damao was put in charge there, grinning from ear to ear.

That evening, in the largest private room of the First Dining Hall, Wang Yi gathered eight people: Man Datou, Yang Wanli, Yang Qingniu, Zhang Dashan, Yang Qinggu, Qin Mo, Pang Damao, and Boss Li. He intended to hold a small meeting and formally introduce Jelena to them.

After a few brief opening remarks, Wang Yi’s expression turned serious. ”Everyone, you are the core members of Eggshell Village. There is something you need to know...”

He paused for a moment before continuing, ”I plan to wipe out the Black Mountain Stronghold!”

”What? Wipe out the Black Mountain Stronghold?”

”The same Black Mountain Stronghold that even the Government Office is afraid of?”

”Boss, you must reconsider!”

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Only Pang Damao was ecstatic. He threw his hands in the air and said, ”I’m all for it! The Mountain Bandits in the Black Mountain Stronghold should have been wiped out long ago! The boss is delivering justice and benefiting the entire region.”

Yang Wanli’s mind raced, and he said, ”Boss, the Black Mountain Stronghold supposedly has eight thousand good men. Their forces are strong, they have strength in numbers, and they’re a long way from here. Even if we want to eliminate them, we can’t act too hastily.”

Wang Yi waved his hand dismissively. ”Eight thousand good men? That’s just an exaggerated rumor. In reality, the Black Mountain Stronghold has fewer than two thousand people. Besides, I only said I plan to deal with the bandits, not that I’m going right now... Six months. We will destroy the Black Mountain Stronghold within six months!”

”Oh, good, good! You gave me a scare!” Yang Wanli patted his chest. ”This is a huge undertaking; we must plan it out carefully. The Black Mountain Stronghold is entrenched on Black Stone Mountain. Even the Government Office doesn’t dare to make a move... Wait, Boss, did you say six months? Destroy the Black Mountain Stronghold within six months?”

”That’s right! Six months should be plenty of time. We might even finish ahead of schedule!”

Wang Yi waved his hand, ending that topic. He then patted the shoulder of Jelena, who was beside him, and said, ”Let me formally introduce my daughter, Jelena, to all of you. I believe many of you have already met her!”

Jelena stood up, smiling. She gracefully picked up the hem of her skirt and gave everyone a curtsy.

With the exception of Qin Mo, everyone else was flustered and hurriedly returned the gesture.

Wang Yi added, ”Jelena, I imagine you have a basic understanding of the situation in Eggshell Village now. Why don’t you share your thoughts with everyone.”

”Of course, Father!”

The seven-year-old Jelena spoke with calm composure, her voice still childish. ”My father is developing this territory in the Jade River Valley to provide us with a stable and prosperous home. But as it stands, Eggshell Village relies entirely on him handing out food to function. This is not a long-term solution. It benefits none of you. You can eat your fill, at most, but you will never become wealthy!”

”I believe that once Eggshell Village is running properly, it will be time to start paying actual wages. At that point, things like Golden Roasted Chicken, five-spice ham, and Crispy Fried Small Fish will become goods for sale in the First Dining Hall or elsewhere. Hiring workers will also become a more formal process...”

The little girl spoke with eloquent confidence, her points all revolving around one thing: money. After discussing wages, she brought up road construction and even suggested building a dedicated barracks near the General’s Tomb.

Wang Yi nodded repeatedly as he listened. While his darling daughter was only talking about basic concepts, Wang Yi found himself agreeing wholeheartedly.

”Then there are the Eggshell Houses. They’re warm in winter and cool in summer, sturdy and safe. If you just give them away for free, people won’t appreciate how valuable they are. They should be sold as goods, so people will truly cherish their homes! Therefore, I propose that the Eggshell Houses no longer be provided for free. From now on, people will need to buy or rent them. All of you can go back and discuss this with your friends and family. If they want to move into Eggshell Village, they’ll have to pay. For those who genuinely can’t raise the funds, they can take out a loan from us. What do you think, Father?”

”I think that’s a great idea. You’re quite the girl, knowing about mortgages at your age. You have a bright future!” Wang Yi laughed. ”How about this: since you have a Talent for it, I’ll put you in charge of calculating wages and housing prices. What do you say?”

Jelena was overjoyed and quickly said, ”I will not disappoint you, Father.”

”Excellent. I’ll set up a dedicated fund for you. To start, I’ll invest 100 Gold Coins. You will be responsible for establishing Eggshell Village’s economic system. Tomorrow, I’ll have Gegeda build you an Eggshell Money Shop next to the castle. You can work from there. If you need help, you can choose your own staff.”

”Thank you, Father!” Jelena beamed.

Wang Yi then looked at the others and asked, ”Does anyone have any thoughts?”

Man Datou, Boss Li, and the others repeatedly shook their heads.

They couldn’t understand a single word of what Jelena and Wang Yi were discussing; it all just seemed very complicated. Only Yang Wanli was nodding nonstop, sighing in admiration, ”Brilliant, simply brilliant!”

In truth, the old man only had a vague idea of what was going on and was just putting on an act. Yang Qingniu, who knew his father best, muttered, ”There you go again, Dad, pretending you understand when you don’t!”

Yang Wanli shot a glare at Yang Qingniu.

Yang Qingniu glared right back. ”What are you looking at? The young lady said you old-timers will have to live on a salary and buy your own roasted chicken. I’m different. I get guard’s rations. I eat with the Barbarian Guard, so I can have all the roasted chicken I want. Why would I be afraid of you?”

At this, the room erupted in laughter.

Still, Boss Li and the others felt a stir of anxiety. If they really had to use money to buy things like roasted chicken in the future, what would happen if they ran out? Would they ever be as happy as they were now?

After the meeting broke, Wang Yi asked Yang Wanli to stay behind. ”Minister Yang, you would know best. Do our villagers have any money to speak of?”

Yang Wanli shook his head. ”We’re all poor folk, stuck out here in the boonies. Where would we get any money? If we scraped everything together, we might be able to scrounge up some Copper Coins, but not many. Take my family, for example. Our entire savings don’t amount to more than 10 Silver Coins, and even with that, I’d dare say we’re the richest family in Stone Village.”

Hearing this, Wang Yi pondered for a moment, then muttered to himself, ’Looks like I’ll have to put up a lot of money upfront for Jelena to get Eggshell Village’s economy going.’

In truth, after promising to invest the 100 Gold Coins in Jelena, Wang Yi wasn’t exactly flush with cash himself. He only had 16 Gold Coins, 20 Silver Coins, and 88 Copper Coins left to his name!

After another moment of thought, Wang Yi swiped a hand over his Storage Waistband and produced a cloth pouch. He turned back to Yang Wanli. ”Minister Yang, you’re worldly and well-traveled, you’ve even been to Qingyuan County. I happened to acquire a batch of fine pearls. I estimate that if handled properly, they could be exchanged for a considerable sum. Would you be willing to take charge of this?”