Dawn

"It's Lord Yun Chuan!"

"Lord Yun Chuan is here!"

Those with sharp eyes spotted Yun Chuan holding an umbrella in the distance, and their shouts drew the attention of everyone nearby.

"Stop, everyone stop what you're doing!"

The old overseer's eyes lit up at once. He called for the group to take a break, then trotted over to Yun Chuan.

"Lord Yun Chuan." The old overseer flashed a mouthful of white teeth, pointing at the completed houses behind him. "How does it look? I did my best to follow the design you gave me. If there's anything wrong, just tell me, and me and the old boys will fix it up quick!"

The thuggish air about him hadn't fully faded, but his respect and gratitude toward Yun Chuan were plain to see.

"You've worked hard, Uncle Kirito." Yun Chuan smiled, lifting his gaze to the houses in the distance. A glint of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

The Land of Rain's environment was indeed unique and harsh.

But life itself was a miracle.

Extreme, harsh conditions gave birth to unique life!

A plant resembling a "banyan tree," with "aerial roots," whose branches could absorb over thirty kilograms of water from the air each day.

Its sap could replace special coatings for moisture-proofing, and it could also purify rainwater into usable household water—a building material perfectly suited to the Land of Rain's environment.

The houses were built mainly from this material, with elevated railings dividing them into two floors: the upper for living, the lower for storage.

These things would definitely need upgrading later, since the Land of Rain's strongest industry, aside from "drainage," was actually steel. But for now...

"Not bad. Really not bad!"

Yun Chuan nodded, a slight curve tugging at his lips. He looked at the old overseer and smiled. "Keep up the good work! Once the houses are built and you've put down roots here, I'll find wives for you bachelors!"

Hearing this, the old overseer froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. He spun around, cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and shouted, "Listen up, you old bastards! If you want a wife, work hard! Lord Yun Chuan has promised us—work hard, and you'll get a wife!"

"Don't drag us into it, you old geezer's the one thinking about women!"

"Hahaha!"

The rest of them roared with laughter.

"Bullshit!" The old overseer's face flushed red at his buddies' teasing. Spittle flying, he cursed loudly, "Less yapping from you lot! Get back to work!"

"Ooh!"

The others raised their tools in response, then went back to their tasks with laughter and roughhousing. Their enthusiasm was noticeably higher now, and the warmth and noise they gave off seemed to push back some of the chill in the air.

"..."

Yahiko's expression grew complicated. A flicker of envy passed through his eyes as he muttered, "Does your charisma really have that much pull?"

Even though he didn't want to admit defeat, he couldn't help but marvel at Yun Chuan's influence and approachability here.

"Of course... not."

Yun Chuan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You didn't think I was just running my mouth, did you? I'm paying them double the market rate!"

He wasn't about to "open the granaries for relief" like Hanzo, nor did he delude himself into thinking he could get people to work for free with just words.

Yun Chuan's method was simple.

—Work for relief!

In this chaotic early age, the common people had already lost faith in nobles and lords. Pure disaster relief no longer worked, because they didn't even believe nobles would be kind enough to hand out food for no reason.

Even if some spread word of Hanzo's virtuous name, the displaced still refused to believe it.

Unless they were useless wretches with no skills, starving with no way out, no one wanted to become worthless cannon fodder in war. They'd rather rely on their own skills to fill their bellies.

Those willing to be cannon fodder had to be fed before the war even started—they were just a burden, with returns nowhere near matching the cost.

"Thousands of able-bodied people, if guided properly, can create far more value."

With that in mind, Yun Chuan never tried to trade relief for reputation.

Since the country from top to bottom was already untrustworthy, he might as well set new rules—and slip in a few of his own perks along the way.

So he simply put these refugees to work, paying them in money and food, settled daily.

Work, and you eat—perfectly reasonable!

The work-for-relief approach completely dispelled the refugees' worries. No matter how many people, wages were paid daily without delay.

"Double pay? Paid daily?" Konan blinked at Yun Chuan's simple explanation and asked instinctively, "Brother Yun Chuan, do you really have that much money?"

As if something occurred to him, Yun Chuan chuckled. "You might as well ask me where the money went."

Development, after all, couldn't happen without "commerce"!

As the old saying goes, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Yun Chuan taught them to build their own houses. When they finished, the money they earned from him could be used to buy the houses they'd built.

If they were short, they could move in with just a "down payment" and pay a fixed amount each month.

Once the balance was settled, the house was theirs.

By the same logic, if you're hungry from work, you need to eat and drink, right? And if you've got money, why not hit the tavern for a good time?

Yun Chuan even selected some talented individuals, teaching them new recipes and brewing methods, boosting commerce while also satisfying his own palate.

After all, the most popular food in the Land of Rain was still "bread," and Yun Chuan really couldn't compliment the culinary level of the entire shinobi world.

Every recipe he taught garnered a heap of praise.

Where there's a market, someone wants to make money from it. If you want to farm or run a tavern, you need land, right?

Commercial land, agricultural land.

I've got land here!

Where did the land come from?

Naturally, it was seized from the Mountain Bandits...

Pfft, of course, it was captured!

Can't afford to buy land?

No problem! I can rent it to you!

Thirty percent tax, twenty percent rent! Rent for just ten years—just ten years—and the land is yours. After that, you only pay tax, no more rent!

"..." Yahiko was speechless.

"..." Konan was speechless.

"..." Jiyun was speechless.

The expressions on the three youngsters gradually synchronized, their gazes at Yun Chuan turning strange, as if they were looking at a living demon.

However, compared to Jiyun and Yahiko, Konan seemed lost in thought.

This money was pulled out of Yun Chuan's left pocket, spent in a circle, and returned to his right pocket, never leaving this small town from start to finish.

"Don't look at me like that. I never said I was a good person." Yun Chuan shrugged, speaking frankly. "But people need stable property to have stable hearts. For them, who can barely get a full meal, being full is the truth."

"I'm just giving them hope, a chance. Those who want to live will cling to it desperately. Those who can't grasp it don't deserve to live either."

Just like those Construction Workers—they were all bottom-feeders with nothing but brute strength.

When business was good, they were "Construction Workers." When business was bad, they'd pick up hammers and become Mountain Bandits.

They might not understand grand principles, but they knew who treated them well, who gave them hope to live.

Who could make them stop being numb, stop suffering, stop crying, stop being hungry...

So, they would stuff Yun Chuan with food they couldn't bear to eat themselves, or things they considered "treasures," even leaving them outside his office, then turning and running away as if afraid he'd return them.

Though it seemed rough and crude, this was their way of expressing goodwill and respect.

Just as Yun Chuan said, as long as they had enough to eat and wear, they could understand etiquette and value honor and disgrace.

Faced with these exceptionally clumsy people, Yun Chuan didn't mind "blending in with the world."

Just this alone made his image and reputation soar among these people, to the point where they knew "Lord Yun Chuan" but not "Lord Daimyo."

Lord Daimyo?

What's that?

They believe in "Yun Chuan"!

"Brother." Jiyun lifted her head slightly and asked abruptly, "I haven't seen the Security Force at all. Who's maintaining order and protecting this small town?"

It couldn't all rely on self-discipline, could it? Or on him alone? He couldn't always be there.

What if someone came to plunder while he was away? Relying on those refugees didn't seem reliable...

"It's just that you can't see them." Yun Chuan shook his head, correcting her. "Not that they don't exist."

As his voice fell, it was as if a "switch" had been flipped, and the "curtain" blocking the view of the three youngsters was pulled aside.

In the dim alley beside them, in those inconspicuous corners, even among the group of workers.

Silently, figures of varying heights and builds, with ordinary, unremarkable faces, appeared around Yun Chuan and the others in a "silent" manner, like people stepping out from the shadows.

Every single person standing here was a born assassin.

"I gave them a name."

Watching the still-startled youngsters, Yun Chuan's eyes grew deep, and he chuckled softly. "Dawn."

It was now the time between night and daybreak, but the faint light of the sky was blocked by the mist, flickering as if melting into the rain and fog.

Only a dim glow illuminated the dew-kissed ground beneath their feet, faintly lighting the flock of owls behind him, their wings still unwashed by the night's darkness.

That was the first light before the break of dawn.