Blue Fly Academy

To be honest, before today, almost everyone was pessimistic about Kang De's plan.

This applies to both the naval forces of the three nations and the traitors who defected from Distant Harbor.

In the eyes of these alien natives, giving money and food to commoners is a shameful waste and serves no purpose whatsoever.

Their viewpoint was extremely simple and represented the consensus of most of the upper class in the other world: that poverty and hunger were caused by laziness, and that labor would bring food.

There is no concept of social welfare here. So-called disaster relief and charity are pure fantasy, because they believe that if food is given to the lowly for free, it will encourage their bad habits of being lazy and gluttonous. Moreover, once the free distribution stops, it will only incur their despicable hatred.

But... whatever makes Kang De happy.

Although they dared not utter a single word against Kang De's decision, they privately felt that this Forbidden Spell magician was too idealistic. It was a pipe dream to think that he could win over these lowly people who had long lived under the rule and exploitation of the powerful and wealthy in the Distant Harbor with just a silver coin and a meal.

The most likely scenario is that most people, out of wishful thinking and the threat of execution, would indeed go to watch the execution, receive the reward money and gifts, and be genuinely grateful, and then that would be the end of it.

As long as those powerful and wealthy people give a word or loosen their leashes, the common people will wag their tails and rush back to their masters' feet. This is because Kang De had Forbidden Spell, warships, and armies, while these important figures possess a series of indispensable resources such as job opportunities, real estate, land, food, and daily necessities.

That's what everyone thinks.

It's impossible; His Highness Kang De's plan won't work.

However, what no one expected was... the food Kang De provided was incredibly delicious.

Sometimes, a qualitative change can overwhelm a quantitative change.

Overwhelming military force, overwhelming financial resources, and a commitment to keeping promises.

Prestige can indeed be built overnight.

"We have basically completed the first population census in Distant Harbor."

Horus controlled the projector, projecting the image onto the screen on the wall.

Analyze it in detail.

The icons and data are easy to understand.

The naval officers present all showed a change in expression when they saw the statistical charts and tables.

"Based on rough estimates from drone observations, approximately 88 Distant Harbor participated in today's execution ceremony, mostly ordinary people from the lower and middle classes, totaling 234,762 people..."

"Of these, 74,925 were adult males aged 16 to 55."

"The number of adult women is 103,726..."

The number of people aged 55 and above is 7,792.

The number of children under the age of sixteen is 48,319.

Kang De frowned. He wasn't a professional, but even with his ordinary intuition, the population size and structure seemed problematic. "This seems..."

Horus understood his thoughts and replied, "The casualties of war, the de-urbanization caused by the decline of trade status, poor medical and dietary standards, and so on."

Kavisalong shifted his position somewhat uncomfortably.

The Earthlings then realized what was happening and sighed silently.

"By observing micro-expressions and using lie detector techniques such as scanning heart rate and respiratory rate, as well as assessing clothing, speech, and complexion, we were able to obtain a fairly accurate general picture of these more than 200,000 people, including their assets, employment, family structure, and social status..."

Horus said, "The list of the opposition members who did not attend today's execution ceremony has been compiled. Our supporting nobles are urgently compiling details of these opposition members' businesses and shops. Combining this information with the above, we can estimate how many citizens work in those opposition workshops and shops."

"Once we have this list, we can launch targeted commercial and economic attacks against those who oppose us. First, we can remove their skilled workers, bring their industries to a standstill, then seize market share through dumping, and finally drive them into bankruptcy."

This time it was Han Zezheng and his group's turn to move.

Is it really possible to play like this!?

Even more alarming, Kang De readily agreed, "Then hurry up and get on with it. I need a plan and a list of what to do with each opposition group and what goods they need."

"Clear."

Damn, the economic stimulus seems pretty good too.

Dealing with these opposition scum from the Distant Harbor was nothing more than a warm-up. What truly mattered to Kang De was the upcoming negotiations with the three countries and the construction planning for the new city.

The ultimate goal of this phase is to establish an industrial and commercial conglomerate encompassing an underground world, a new city on the surface, and Distant Harbor, connecting with Valentan, echoing each other from east to west, and internally expanding economically, militarily, and politically, while externally Fallout across the globe—and this requires people, more people.

"Two hundred and thirty thousand people..." Kang De muttered to himself, "To be honest, that's a bit few."

"After all, it is still essentially an agricultural country," Horus replied. "The urban population only accounts for twenty to thirty percent. Father needs laborers, which can be absorbed from the countryside."

Just then, Master Niola suddenly said, "Your Highness, the city-states under the rule of the Arcane Council have reasonably priced laborers, and even slave laborers, available for export..."

This seeker of secrets had his own plans.

The formidable wealth that Kang De displayed today shocked this worldly fleet commander.

It's mainly sugar.

Sugar and spices are popular and enduring luxury items on the mainland, but the latter is mainly a luxury for the nobility to show off their wealth, while the former is a wonderful substance that is available all over the world.

In particular, the Arcane Council is a crucial requirement for the experts, scholars, craftsmen, and spellcasters, alchemists, pharmacists, and enchanters of this vast international organization.

Especially for spellcasters, after exploring the mysteries of magic, conducting tedious experiments, and reading and copying arcane runes, sweet candies can quickly relieve mental fatigue. Moreover, their mental work is extremely demanding and their energy requirements are enormous. It is no secret that mages crave sugar.

Many of the candies, desserts, and snacks popular on the mainland are exquisite delicacies developed by catering giants under the Arcane Council. In fact, in order to ensure a large supply of sugar, the Arcane Council led a series of annexation wars, forcibly subjugating several sugar-producing areas in the south. This even led to diplomatic friction and military conflict with the Dusk Moon Dynasty. If they hadn't done this, given the Council's urgent need for sugar, a large amount of gold coins would have been sucked away by the Dusk Moon Dynasty's gold pumps every year.

After all, the most profitable business for the elves was to continuously extract wealth from the entire continent through sugar and luxury goods. After the Maritime Silk Road was cut off, goods from Cathay could no longer be imported, and the elves became the dominant force, forming a monopoly with their powerful military and controlling pricing power. They must have been incredibly successful.

After successfully subjugating several sugarcane producing areas, the Arcane Council used its strong research and development advantages to improve breeding, greatly increasing sugar production, lowering sugar prices, and creating a variety of delicious foods and drinks. The Council's spellcasters were living in paradise, but the price was that the rate of people who stayed at home increased at a visible rate every year.

Moreover, with the supreme enjoyment of sugar—quick-acting, cheap, and effortless—the mages' other entertainment impulses have greatly diminished, and they have even lost interest in Nanren and travelers, leading to a declining birth rate year by year.

This dangerous phenomenon was not unnoticed, but the elders of the Council were helpless, and most people simply didn't care. Niola was one of them. He also loved sugar and knew how big the market for desserts was in the Council's territory. More importantly, he had tasted a lot of sugar and desserts today.

Needless to say, chocolates, gummies, fruit hard candies, cream cakes, and jelly puddings are all delicious, and all kinds of Biscuit are also very tasty, especially the one that Lord Horus calls "Snickers," which is truly a brilliant invention. One bite and inspiration flows like a spring, and you just can't stop eating it.

This presents a huge business opportunity and a great temptation.

If we could become agents for these desserts in the regions controlled by the Arcane Council...

His gaze hardened further. "Even my family, Your Highness, the territories we control possess a wealth of skilled laborers and a large population..."

Kang De glanced at him. "Why are you being so attentive?"

The seeker paused for a moment, then chuckled awkwardly, "I'd like to do something for Your Highness..."

Before he could finish speaking, the loyal Lord Horus decisively saw through his little scheme.

"Father, he probably wants to buy candy. I saw him eating Snickers like crazy before, he ate eight in three minutes without getting tired of it at all. Half of the greed on his face came from his appetite, and the other half from his money."

With a chuckle, the two "friendly navy" members next to him laughed out loud, showing no mercy. It's perfectly normal for soldiers to dislike each other when the three major powerful organizations—the Empire, Twilight Moon, and the Council— are in competition.

Niola glared angrily at the elf beside her, immediately betraying him. "Your Highness, don't listen to his laughter. That pointy-eared fellow has been fidgeting because he's also tasted Your Highness's spices! The spices that the elves are so proud of, the spices that they monopolize on the continent, are like dog shit compared to yours! He's afraid!"

The proud elf roared in fury, "Nonsense! You fat, sweet-toothed balls!"

"Bullshit!" the Seeker of Secrets retorted angrily. "The truly obese ones are just a small group of disgusting mages who never go out, never seek mates, and spend all their time at home reading books and drinking desserts! They don't represent the spellcasters of our Council! It's because of those guys that we mages are always misunderstood!"

Kang De tapped the table.

The two commanders, who were on the verge of exchanging blows, immediately backed down and apologized to Kang De.

"Alright, I understand your thoughts. What I've presented today is partly to win over the people, and partly to show you what I'm capable of."

Kang De said calmly, "But you're probably not qualified to discuss this issue. It's part of future negotiations. You'll likely be recalled to your home countries soon for a report. You can take some of my gifts with you to show to those who can actually make the decisions."

"Master Niola."

Your Highness.

Kang De said to the seeker, "I've heard that your sugar production and trade, as well as related industries, are very developed. Not only is domestic demand enormous, but you also export a large amount abroad, even competing with the elves' sugar industry. You can take my gift back to your country and see if there's anything that interests you."

"Yes."

Kang De then spoke to the genie.

"You too, Brigadier General, you also have a gift to take back to your country. Please also pass on a message to your parliament, telling them that I can make all the precious cash crops in your spice plantations rot in the fields, unable to sell a single copper coin, while also maintaining cautious and friendly restraint. Which option you choose depends on your country's subsequent attitude and actions."

Kavisalong's expression changed, but he still bowed respectfully.

--Of course, this is just bluffing.

Because one of the economic pillars of Twilight Moon is maritime trade, a large part of which is the monopolistic spice trade. They continuously extract gold from various countries using spices, and spices can even be considered hard currency. If they were to dump Earth's seasoning products as spices, they could certainly crush the Elven spice business instantly. But this behavior is no different from trying to replace the US dollar as the world's currency.

If they really did that, even with Dairila and the Parrot mediating, they wouldn't be able to stop the wheels of war from turning. The Dusk Moon Dynasty would definitely not hesitate to use all its national strength to fight Kang De to the death. If the Phoenix King didn't agree, they really dared to replace him with another elf as emperor.

"Do you understand?"

Upon hearing Kang De's question, Niola and the elf nodded bitterly.

Negotiations regarding the Paradox Element and the capture of the three nations' navies have not yet begun, and the governments of the nations have likely not yet finalized a set of rules—yet Kang De has already made his second move.

And it was such a vicious cut.

This means they will be at a greater disadvantage at the negotiating table.

"You may return after your duty report, but the fleet and soldiers cannot leave. You are still my prisoners," Kang De said. "Find reliable subordinates beforehand to take your place and obey my orders. Also, continue with the tasks I gave you earlier— Niola, how are the arrangements for the accomplices?"

"The labor camp has been initially completed and is currently undergoing further renovations and planning, Your Highness."

"Nothing went wrong, right?"

"Rest assured, Your Highness, spellcasters who master mental magic are the best jailers in the world."

"Good."

Kang De nodded and said, "Then let's consider the matter of the Distant Harbor next. I need to plan some things in advance to further increase the enthusiasm of these people in the Distant Harbor to serve me. Niola, next you go and screen some people, those accomplices and the family members of the main criminals, those with special skills, whether it's martial arts such as horsemanship, archery, or swordsmanship, or craftsmen such as bricklayers or bakers, select those with special skills."

Then he looked at Han Zezheng: "If you know anyone—an elderly, experienced sailor, a skilled craftsman in dire need of help, or even a learned but impoverished scholar—you can write down their name."

"And you few, who were severely wounded in the Battle of Distant Harbor and are no longer capable of fighting, with little hope for the future, but were very capable and experienced veterans before your injuries, can also be recommended to me."

Several people nodded to indicate that they had made a note of it.

Han Zezheng whispered, "Please forgive my bluntness, sir, what use do you have for these people? Only by knowing this can we more selectively find the most suitable individuals."

"I want to establish a school," Kang De replied. "The children of all those who work for me, under the age of sixteen, may enroll and learn a range of skills according to their aptitude, such as brewing, weaving, cooking, arithmetic, toolmaking, and archery. They will be provided with meals and taught a trade. These are the initial programs, and more will be added as needed later. The school's tentative name is Blue Fly Academy."

Grass.

This...

They weren't complaining about the name, of course; they just felt this approach was even more ruthless. Providing meals for the children alone saved a huge amount of money, not to mention teaching them skills—ordinary children who wanted to learn skills could only become apprentices, which was a euphemism for slavery, the kind with absolutely no human rights. Since it was a school run by His Highness Kang De, it was bound to be better than ordinary craftsman apprenticeships...

It's easy to imagine that if His Highness Kang De were to recruit workers, there would be a fierce competition.

"Your Highness is wise!"

Colonel Henry Baker immediately flattered, "Brilliant! This way, these Distant Harbor will be completely loyal to you, and even their offspring, after learning the skills, will be even more loyal. It will also free up many women from the tedious task of childcare, allowing them to do more work..."

The Imperial man chuckled, "There will be far fewer little brats running around stealing money and causing trouble on the streets, only those orphaned little beggars left, hahahaha..."

The next moment, the bracelet crackled and emitted a burst of electricity.

Henry was greatly surprised by the electric shock.

He instinctively looked at Kang De, only to find Kang De quietly watching him.

The air fell silent instantly.

The elf and the magician's eyes conveyed the message, "You are dead."

A cold sweat broke out on my brow instantly.

What's wrong? What did I say wrong? Did I say something wrong?

"Ah..."

Kang De tapped his head. "Little beggar... Horus, do you have statistics on this part?"

"Yes, Father."

Horus's voice was calm. "Those who joined gangs, those who begged and stole on the streets, I've calculated, there are probably around four or five hundred. Especially since we hanged many gang leaders, arrested many thugs, and left many little beggars homeless, wandering the streets..."

Colonel Henry seemed to realize where he had gone wrong.

"Your Highness, I feel sorry for them, truly, I personally feel sorry for these poor children."

He stammered, "I am willing to fund the construction of ten orphanages! Ten! To take in these homeless beggars, in your name, so that they may remember your kindness and grace, to give them food, teach them skills, teach them to read, and let them practice swordsmanship..."

Kang De turned his head and glanced at him.

"No."

He said, "Build a military camp, a Boy Scout camp."

Henry was taken aback.

Huh? Huh? Are they raising assassins?

"Surprised?" Kang De said calmly, "Take these homeless, street-dwelling beggars to a so-called orphanage, give them food and clothing, teach them to read, and they will be very moved, remember my kindness, and from then on be loyal and devoted to me, waiting to serve me to the death in ten or eight years, without regret?"

He tossed the documents in his hand aside.

You've been reading too many idle books.

Henry was even more flustered, his face turning pale as he stammered, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I..."

Kang De shook his head. "Sit down. I didn't mean to reprimand you, but you don't need to try to guess what I'm thinking. I understand things better than you think."

He remained silent for a moment, and everyone present lowered their breath and listened carefully.

"My idealism was killed long ago. I will no longer expect the simple kindness of the poor. They can't even fill their stomachs. How can those who are well-fed have the right to presume to demand morality from them?"

"Would the beggars in the Distant Harbor be grateful? Perhaps some possess such a precious quality, but it must be a genetic mutation of a very small minority. In the stench of the streets, the torture of hunger, where without food one will die, surrounded by malicious people, any food or money one manages to obtain will be stolen, and their lives are insecure, perhaps even killed like stray dogs. In such a filthy, insane, numb, and hopeless place, do you expect the beggars struggling in despair to retain any golden qualities?"

"No, that's just the idle fantasy of well-fed people who have enough to eat and even the energy to indulge in wild thoughts."

"In the filthy, stinking streets, beggars learn to be shameless, to abandon their dignity, to pester relentlessly, to take advantage of any opportunity, to not resist, to steal, rob, hide, and cheat. They plant dark seeds in the innocent, pure souls of children. In just a short time, the despair of life will cause humanity to revert to its animalistic nature at lightning speed. As for those noble souls..."

He scoffed, "They'd either starved to death or been beaten to death in a stinking ditch, rotting into bones long ago."

Everyone present listened attentively.

Their views were similar to Kang De's; they also thought the lower classes were stupid, ignorant, despicable, and like garbage. But they simply felt it was natural, like the sun rising in the east, without ever investigating the reasons... Now, hearing Kang De's words, they seemed to have something to think about.

Your Highness not only knows that these people are beyond redemption, but also understands why they have become this way.

They seemed to vaguely understand something.

The beliefs and ideas of this Forbidden Spell spellcaster.

It is by no means the "assumption" or "sometimes overly lenient" that they perceive it to be.

"Therefore, I need a military camp to house them, in a military manner."

Kang De spoke slowly, and everyone listened quietly.

This is a rare opportunity... a rare opportunity to get to know this big shot who is about to completely ascend to the top of the international stage. It's very valuable information.

"I don't know the situation here, but in my hometown, according to our traditions and culture, the army is a melting pot; it faces society and absorbs all kinds of iron ore."

"Those ores of extremely high purity, even natural alloys, were forged into peerless divine swords to deter foreign enemies, becoming the soul of the army, like a banner, enduring for centuries."

"Those ores of medium to high quality are forged into Great Wall of steel, guarding the nation's territory, becoming the backbone of national defense, and protecting the people's happiness and peaceful life."

"Those ores of average or below-average quality, and whose numbers are not small, are like the masses—ordinary in talent and temperament. But they dedicate their loyalty and love to the country, and the army instills in them discipline, faith, and will. They serve the country while in service, and return home to start a new life after demobilization. The gifts and imprints the army gives them will stay with them for life. This is a spiritual wealth that ordinary people never experience in their entire lives."

"In addition, the military also collects those waste and rotten mines."

Kang De softened his tone and said slowly, "By forging with fire and hammers, discarding the dross, what is produced may not be hard iron or great talent, but at least it is a person. After being released into society, they can stand tall, have a sense of justice, be upright and honest, support their families, and will never become a menace."

"My army must do the same."

"Let's start with these waste and rotten mines."

He tapped on the table, attracting the attention of the three generals.

"Those homeless beggars who have to grow up in the streets, we will give them food and clothing, and let them into the camp. I will provide them with ample food. They will have to work hard and endure hardship for this. We will train them with the principles of the army, drive out the selfishness, cunning, and greed in their hearts, and make them understand the concept of the collective, the importance of sacrifice, dedication, and faith, and the principles of right and wrong in being a human being."

"A two-year program to transform them back into human beings from beasts and animals."

"Then, according to their talents and wishes, give them a future—whether it's learning knowledge, joining the army, going into business, or becoming a craftsman... there's always something they're suited to learn. Those who work hard and diligently will reap greater rewards; this principle is generally true."

"The clever and hardworking soar to great heights, the dull and hardworking make up for their shortcomings with diligence, and the lazy who never learn their lesson are eliminated and sent to the mines to do hard labor."

"After they have completed their studies and become competent, they will work for me for another ten years, and then repay me for what I have done for them."

Kang De said calmly, "Then they can take control of their own lives."

"This is my opinion on how to deal with these orphaned and helpless children."

"Horus, write this down; from now on, this will be the standard."

Silence reigned.

He looked around at everyone present. "You don't have any objections, do you?"

He shook his head frantically.

"Actually, I was just asking a question; I won't listen to any opinions."

Kang De shrugged. "To take them all into an orphanage and feed them continuously with money—that's the kind of pointless thing a brainless, saintly female protagonist would do. They've seen too little."

People remained silent.

How to deal with these little beggars.

This can no longer be described as kindness; it's practically the act of a saint.

Before this, no ruler had ever considered the feelings of the lower classes. They didn't care if the people froze to death, starved to death, or were beaten to death. Even if some kind-hearted adults wanted to do good deeds, they would only scatter some coins or give out some bread.

His Highness Kang De's handling of the matter was the most meticulous; it was true benevolence.

But both Kavisalong and Master Niola remained silent.

They were all powerful figures in the navies of their respective countries, with incredibly sharp minds. They had just clearly sensed that when Kang De meticulously prepared a bright future for these homeless beggars, his words were not filled with compassionate mercy.

Instead, it was a suppressed, ferocious rage.

After truly recognizing Kang De's power and might, these two fleet commanders no longer had the courage, not even to imagine what the Forbidden Spell spellcaster would look like in a rage.

"Alright, let's deal with these issues as they are." Kang De cracked his neck. "Now, let's try to deal with the people who raised these problems... Who left these brats destitute, homeless, and hopeless, so they could only degenerate into selfish, scoundrels? Let's deal with these people."

"After all..."

"If we lose one person like this, we may lose a whole group of little beggars in the future."

"But one little beggar is missing..."

He stretched out his finger and gently pulled the corner of his mouth towards his cheek, revealing an exaggerated smile, "In the future, there might be two fewer victims."

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PS1: Update! 7000 words! Time for bed!