Blessed by Abundance, Scourge of Terra

Is it really possible that there isn't a single person engaged in industry or commerce in all of Kazdel?

It's actually very likely!

Because when Kal'tsit dug up the Doctor, Kazdel didn't even have a few High-speed Battleships.

What exactly have those two siblings been up to in the centuries since the war ended?

Could it be that they've been fending off foreign harassment the whole time, or is it Leithania's fault again?

That's probably it.

"I've realized that what I lack most isn't resources, but population—what can six hundred people even do?"

Lying back in the soft chair, Huang Cao felt helpless for the first time.

Sure enough, you can't become a fat man in one bite; thinking so much about it won't help.

If only I were the Demon King of Kazdel, I could carry out whatever industrial plans I wanted without worrying about population issues.

Why couldn't I have transmigrated a little earlier? Maybe I could have competed for the Demon King's seat...

Two months later, in the evening.

Dear Miss Lamian, I hope this letter finds you well.

Since we parted last time, nearly two years have passed. I wonder how your health has been and whether you've been happy. This time, I've had my envoy prepare some gifts for you, and I hope you won't refuse them.

Sometimes I think about what a person can truly accomplish by being born into this world.

Whether to become a hero or a weed that can be casually destroyed nearby—I've now found my answer.

I originally thought that Undead Spirit relative of mine only wanted me to become a lofty noble, collecting money for him.

But it wasn't until I sat in this position that I realized what kind of responsibility I carry...

So, if you have the time, I'd like to use some funds to order clothing from you. I remember that your sisters are quite skilled with their hands. Rest assured, I'll pay a fair price for every garment, and I won't let your sisters' hard work go to waste.

"I feel like my writing isn't very good, like I can't write anything cheesy."

Huang Cao carefully placed the finished letter into a gilded envelope, sealed it with wax, and immediately had someone deliver it to the Banshee River Valley.

He really couldn't find anyone else to help; if this continued, the people in his territory would soon have no clothes to wear.

As it turned out, farming damages clothes far more than fighting—death on the battlefield often comes in an instant.

The remaining clothes are easily picked up and sent back to the rear, patched up, and worn again.

As the saying goes: The strong never complain about their environment, but when the environment is truly terrible, it's still pretty disgusting.

"Stop thinking about it. Victoria's Steam Knights took nearly a hundred years of development before they were useful on the battlefield. What you've done so far is already good enough."

Warfarin, dressed in her pajamas, brewed a cup of sweet Lecoco and placed her hands on the youth's shoulders with a worried expression.

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Didn't you say a year ago that being a noble was all about enjoying yourself? Why are you pushing yourself now?"

Huang Cao said seriously, "I did want to slack off, but it feels awful, okay? It's like playing a game—you've clearly reached the level to break through, but you can't go any further because you're missing materials."

"You don't understand the frustration of being stuck in a game..."

"A game?"

"Forget it, you wouldn't get it anyway. The point is, I'm really frustrated right now. How can there be a game in this world where you get stuck in the development phase?"

"No, this isn't the time for rapid development. I need to get these few hundred people to settle down and start families. There's no pressure to raise children right now."

Actually, over the past year, some newborns had appeared in Huang Cao's territory, but the proportion was quite small.

"They were all mercenaries before. Long-term dangerous living has made them unwilling to trust anyone easily. Getting them to pair up and live together isn't an easy task."

Even if they don't want to trust, I'll make them trust!

Especially with how good the living environment is now.

While inspecting his territory, Huang Cao noticed that many Sarkaz people were more reserved than he had imagined. There were even feelings between men and women, but they never got expressed.

Combining this with the data from the Originium Database, Huang Cao discovered a strange phenomenon among the Sarkaz people.

During wartime, the Sarkaz birth rate was surprisingly high, but after the war ended, it dropped significantly.

Actually, this isn't hard to understand. During war, no one knows if they'll live to see tomorrow. To relieve stress, many people indulge themselves, and with limited conditions, the chances of "hitting the jackpot" are extremely high.

Sarkaz women who end up pregnant are often given special treatment and sent to safer areas in the rear.

As for the survival rate of the children?

That's where the physical constitution of Terra's people comes in.

As long as it's not Oripathy, losing a limb or two is a minor ailment for most races on this land.

Although life in the rear isn't luxurious, there's no need to rush to the battlefield to fight for your life.

Plus, war demands population, so many people choose to have children.

Even though no one—and it's impossible for anyone—asks whether the child actually wants to be born into this chaotic world.

This is also why, after the war ended, Kazdel suddenly had so many "extra" orphans.

Please vote for all kinds of ballots—this is really important to the author. Thank you!

Chapter 24: Help from Ji?

After the war in Kazdel ended, the survival pressure from the outside world suddenly lessened, and many people began to seriously choose their partners.

On top of that, both men and women wanted to shake off their former mercenary careers as much as possible, so their words and actions became much more reserved.

Combined with this race's extremely long lifespan, a couple's romantic marathon could easily last over twenty years.

Add in the distrust bred by mercenary life, and that time could stretch even longer.

"Pass my order down: one month from now, hold a matchmaking assembly. Anyone who gets married and has a child, I'll directly subsidize five gold coins! This year only! Of course, the prerequisite is that they survive in good health."

Huang Cao had originally planned to expand the castle further in the coming years and add all kinds of entertainment facilities, but now it seemed this proposal would have to be postponed for decades.

A full five percent of Kazdel's land housed only these few hundred people.

There were simply too few people—even the Pharaoh's pyramids needed builders!

As for why Huang Cao didn't choose to recruit from outside, it was because, up to now, no one in the territory except himself had ever communicated with the outside world.

If nothing unexpected happened, Theresia might not even know the environment here had changed. The Demon King was still busy outsmarting the high-ranking officials of Leithanian and other nations.

There was no radio now, and Kazdel's Six Heroes each ruled their own domains; most people were just willing to listen to the Demon King.

Who had the time to care about his small patch of land? As long as he didn't make a fuss, they might not discover him for over a hundred years.

There were precedents for this in Huang Cao's past life.

But for now, they had no time. Still, once they saw the land's fertility, even Theresia might get ideas, so he had to hide as much as possible.

Theresia's portrayal in the story was very good—a complete template of someone who cared for all living beings. Though she might have a bit of selfishness in her heart, she had always been this race's Demon King.

Kind and merciful, but by no means a saint. Either way, he had to be on guard.

Don't naively think that just because you've been chosen by the goddess as the protagonist, all other experts have been hit with a stupidity aura.

Caution keeps the boat sailing for ten thousand years.

Before long, Huang Cao's order rewarding population growth took effect immediately.

Using this as an excuse, many men and women broke through their previous barriers. Even if they weren't interested, they could use the reason of "the lord's command" to cleverly avoid awkwardness.

Sometimes gold coins weren't the most important thing—what mattered was giving the other person a chance.

And in the midst of this, Huang Cao encouraged both sides to be honest and confess their romantic histories, so as not to plant bombs for future relationships.

After all, during wartime, everyone's life and relationships were quite complicated.

Under high pressure, to relieve the fear and dread of death, it was hard to say who was right or wrong.

But imagine a family out shopping, and someone on the street suddenly says, "Your husband once shared a bed with me."

That would be very awkward, and could even affect the children's sense of identity with their parents or the territory.

Though this sounded ridiculous and could be called worrying about the sky falling, it was better to minimize such stomach-churning situations as much as possible.

Since almost everyone in Kazdel had been through this, all few hundred people frankly confessed their past experiences.

Besides, talking about these trivial private matters was much better than talking about how many people they'd killed.

The frankness of his subjects made Huang Cao very gratified.

Because it meant they were truly beginning to walk out of the shadows of the past and welcome a brighter new future.

In just under three months, nearly two hundred people in Huang Cao's territory reported good news to him, but none of them took the gold coins.

"Respected Lord, thank you for giving us this opportunity. We really can't accept these gold coins."

Almost everyone who came to register for marriage said this, but Huang Cao insisted that a gentleman's word was hard to recall, and he still forced the five gold coins on them as wedding gifts.

Even after giving them all out, it was only a thousand gold coins—who did they think they were looking down on!

If Theresia saw this, she'd think he was poor. Everyone got one, no one escaped!

So for the next half year, Huang Cao and Warfarin were busy running between wedding venues.

The durable work clothes originally ordered from Lamian were temporarily turned into fitted formal wear.

Happiness was permanent; work was temporary.

Maybe development could really pause for a while—after all, his territory wasn't going to achieve mechanical ascension anytime soon.

Though Huang Cao didn't feel he was winning people's hearts, this series of actions undoubtedly greatly strengthened his position and prestige in the territory.

This youth's approachable warmth and his firm stance as a lord were deeply engraved in the hearts of every one of his subjects.

This tenderness was truly no less than Her Highness Theresia's.

So, could you be our lord for a lifetime?

We'll do anything!

Not to mention the negative effects of pausing development, but at least having children could better strengthen the territory's cohesion.

At least with something to care about, everyone would work harder for their home.

I used to be a passerby on this land; now I am its shaper.

To give the family a better life, the entire household became full of drive, working with even more vigor.

Some time later, to welcome new life, the territory's education work also had to begin preparations.

"Warfarin, did you buy the printing press I asked for?"

"I bought it. Getting this thing in took a lot of effort—it was imported from Yan Country. It just can't run without Originium. Buying the machine only cost fifty gold coins, but shipping it cost over five hundred."

"If it weren't for the help of that gentleman named Ji, this thing might not have made it out at all."

Warfarin had wandered this land for so long that she always managed to run into a few people she could talk to.

Through these people's connections, Huang Cao successfully contacted the most successful textile merchant in Yan Country and, through those ties, managed to get this printing press.

To promote education, this was absolutely essential; otherwise, every book would have to be copied by hand, which was far too slow.

To put it another way, development can't be about treating symptoms in isolation—it must move toward something more advanced, a more permanent solution.

Cutting corners would only plant the seeds of future trouble.

Besides, there's a saying: sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting.

"I've already compiled the materials. Let's start by teaching them to read. Since Theresia has no energy for it now, I'll take it on myself."

Huang Cao took a low-concentration Originium block from the drawer, dropped it in, and the machine immediately started working.

It printed out a literacy primer at lightning speed. Naturally, the text was in the common language of the Kazdel region.

After all, this machine was originally meant for export. Since it was for export, it had to be adapted to local conditions—it was just that custom orders were a bit pricey, and you needed some connections to snag the opportunity.

Though he really wanted to play with the joke of "the whole world speaking Yan,"

making his people learn a new language in the midst of their busy lives was still a bit too difficult.