]"What is this?"
The mayor looked curiously at one of the Lowly People under his rule dirtying his floor, watched him spill soil from that damned basket, and watched him place the damned golden object on the table.
"It's gold!" the mayor exclaimed. He picked up a handkerchief and covered the gold nugget, then squeezed it with his hand. It was rock-hard.
After examining it briefly, he exclaimed again, "A natural gold nugget!"
"And its purity doesn't look low either. Where did you find it?"
The Lowly Person told him where he had found it, emphasizing that it had been discovered on the farmland he had reclaimed. He had to stress that point, because in essence, the thing should now be his property.
The mayor shook his head at the Lowly Person. "You're very lucky. You can keep it, or hand it over to me. I'll give you a reward that will satisfy you..."
Not long afterward, a staff member hurried out of the municipal government building with an unusual expression on his face. He did not even bother greeting his colleagues. It was as if something had affected him, and he kept walking quickly forward.
Once he had left the municipal government building grounds, he broke into a run!
Three days later, Gardon heard the news that a large gold mine had been discovered on land under his jurisdiction. He stated that the provincial government would handle the matter properly.
A week later, the whole world knew that a gold mine with potentially enormous reserves had been discovered in Nagaril.
The news instantly made everyone envious and jealous of Nagaril's local rulers. Gold was different from other metals. It did not take much of it to make something heavy. A gold mine with abundant reserves and high purity meant