Hunting

The five sons of the Governor Degra remained silent in the face of his question. In such an environment, they had no need to study hard, because power was inherited.

When the Governor Degra feels that he is not able to manage what is happening in the province, he will simply pass the Provincial Governor to one of his children and then explain the situation to the Central Government in Nagaril.

Through a fair, just, and transparent election by the people, his child became the next Provincial Governor and has already taken office.

As for whether the Central Government has any thoughts or opinions, they don't care.

This almost hereditary system of power succession has caused the ruling class to lose their ambition. Whether they work or not, they will ultimately remain the Ruling Class, so why not just enjoy their lives comfortably? In earlier years, things were a little better, since political and religious power were constantly fighting each other. If those who held political power were too stupid, the High Priest would teach them a lesson or even kick them out of the ruling class.

In order to continue to bask in the sweet taste of power while lying on the backs of the people, they need to be more or less adept at political struggle, but the current generation is clearly no longer capable of that.

The struggle between political and religious power became increasingly formalized. Unconsciously, people seemed to have become accustomed to just shouting slogans without taking any action. They became more corrupt, more decadent, and more rotten than before! The somewhat disappointed Governor Degra did not show his disappointment. He looked at his five sons with different expressions, his lips pursed and pale from the effort.

"Help him, keep an eye on him, and find out what he's going to do. Don't trust him too much, and don't show hostility too early!"

His son suddenly interjected, "Just like before!"

Degra wanted to laugh, but he couldn't. If this happened to someone else's child, he would laugh and say, "The child is still young, and one day he will learn how to fly in the sky." But this was his own child, and he couldn't laugh.

Times have changed, perhaps...

Degra's eyes changed slightly. Whether Lin Qi was there to make a fortune or just to join in the fun, he might be a good whetstone.

One of these children will eventually take his place. They need to wrestle, they need setbacks. The people of the temple dare not deal with these young men to avoid things getting out of control. So what about Lin Qi?

He's not from here, his roots aren't here. Will he behave differently? Governor Degra smiled without saying a word, which made the other children glance at their eldest brother with some envy.

They might not understand many things, but they knew that there could only be one person to inherit the position of Provincial Governor! The effects of the banquet that night quickly took hold overnight, and the entire Magulana Province began to mobilize. This was an excellent opportunity to make money.

Early in the morning, Lin Qi hadn't gotten out of bed yet. He had just disembarked the day before and had drunk some alcohol the night before, which left him feeling quite tired.

He is indeed very young, but he also needs to rest.

Around 6:30, the sky over Nagaril was already fully bright, and the knocking on the door outside the room woke Lin Qi from his dream.

The entire floor was a private suite, and he was protected by layers of bodyguards, so he didn't need to worry about his safety.

The only people who would knock on the door at this time, besides the Sergeant, would be Asier.

"Come in!" He folded the pillows, leaned against the leather headboard, and casually smoothed his somewhat messy hair.

Asier entered through the door, Lin Qi's face brightened with a smile. Asier had done a good job here recently, which was commendable, and he didn't mind showing a smile. "Sorry, I just woke up, so..."

He was apologizing for his disheveled appearance, but Asier was somewhat flattered. After pausing for a couple of seconds, he stood at the foot of the bed with his head bowed and said, "Mr. Hassana is in the hotel lobby. He would like to invite you to take a stroll through the hunting grounds."

"Hassana?" Lin Qi was a little confused. He had forgotten who this was. He had seen too many people last night, and he had also been drinking.

Asier quickly explained, "It's that Fur Merchant; he's one of the biggest Fur Merchant in the area."

The population of Nagaril is concentrated in the coastal areas and the edges of the grasslands. They do not live in the deeper jungles or grasslands, where there are many predators.

People often say that humans are the natural enemies of animals, but that's under the premise that humans have modern weapons and a sufficient numerical advantage. If you throw a naked person into a primeval forest, that person will become nourishment for nature within 24 hours.

The slow pace of industrial development in Nagaril over the years has also protected the natural environment. Even now, news of wild animals attacking villages and causing injuries and deaths to people and livestock is still frequent.

This is something you won't see in the Federal. Those wild beasts are educated by modern civilized society and have to hide in protected areas and not come out. Unlike here, they are still so wild. Here, as long as you leave the city, you are in the Hunting Area and you can see all kinds of prey.

Before the World War, some people would come here specifically to hunt and enjoy the thrill of conquering nature, but as the World War broke out, these people became fewer and fewer, and almost disappeared.

After freshening up a bit, Lin Qi, accompanied by some bodyguards, met Hassana, the chubby Fur Merchant, in the hotel lobby.

After a brief greeting, Hassana explained the purpose of his visit.

"After I got back yesterday, I asked my nephew, and he told me that some herds of animals will be migrating through our area recently..." He touched his balding, curly hair as he spoke, "We're organizing a hunt today. I'm sure Mr. Lin Qi has never seen one before. Maybe you'd be interested in watching?"

Lin Qi thought about it and agreed; it was also a social process.

The group then split into several cars and left the hotel.

The city wasn't very big. When Lin Qi arrived yesterday, he had seen a lot of things. When he left the city today, he thought he had a certain understanding of it. But when he actually left the city limits, he realized that what he had seen was not all there was to it.

Outside the city limits, instead of the countryside or farmland, lies a vast shantytown, stretching as far as the eye can see. The air here reeks of a foul stench, far more horrifying and intense than the smell in the city.

Among these smells was the stench of excrement, the pungent smell of chemicals, the burnt smell of something burning, and a putrid stench, like the smell of meat that has been left out in a humid environment for too long and is starting to rot, a stench that lingers on the nose and is hard to get rid of.

As the motorcade passed by, people who were lying, squatting, or sitting on the roadside all stood up. This was their way of showing respect to the Upper Class class. It wouldn't really matter if someone didn't do this, but people had become accustomed to it. The strict class system made them afraid to touch these rules set for the lower class.

People stared blankly at the elegantly dressed people behind the car windows, without envy, jealousy, or hatred, only bewilderment and numbness.

Only after the convoy has passed will they lie down, squat down, sit down, and continue what they were doing before.

Hassana handed Lin Qi a handkerchief. "Perhaps this will help you. It stinks so badly here. I've suggested to the mayor many times that these Lowly People be driven out of the city, but he seems to have his own ideas!"

Those who can do business in Nagaril and become tycoons all have unique backgrounds, so he doesn't have much respect for the mayor. Even though there is a gap in their social status, it's not an insurmountable one.

Lin Qi said thank you and took the handkerchief. It was a hand-sewn handkerchief, about a size larger than his palm, and it looked exquisite. It had layers, and the layers emitted a herbal or spice scent.

These scents effectively mask the pervasive pungent odor in the air, while some of the spices also have an invigorating effect.

"Are these people... refugees?" Lin Qi looked at the people who seemed like walking corpses and wondered.

Hassana curled his lip in dissatisfaction. "They're all poor people who have gathered around the city for various reasons and depend on it for their livelihood. Some people even say we can't do without them, but I have to say, the city would be better off without them."

For various reasons, such as wild animal attacks on villages, natural disasters, or young people concentrating in cities and the elderly being forced to migrate, people gathered around cities.

They mainly work as casual laborers, and the employees of Asier's "Alchemy Factory" were recruited from among these people.

They don't care if the work is harmful to them, or whether they live with dignity. As long as they can earn money, even if it's not much, or even just enough to feed their families, they are willing to do any kind of work.

A group of pitiful people.

After driving for more than ten minutes in such an environment, we finally entered the real wilderness. After passing through one farmland after another, the convoy finally reached the edge of the grassland.

It was almost noon, and the road was not short.

This area is located at the junction of primeval jungle and grassland, in the Mid-West region of Nagaril.

Actually, Lin Qi's experience at this moment was not particularly good. The grass on the grassland was fucking tall, more than a meter tall, and in some places it might be more than two meters tall.

Some of the twisted trees concealed predators whose emotionless eyes were fixed on the ever-moving convoy.

The distant forest was indeed spectacular, but it was too far away to be truly breathtaking; all I could see was grass.

"We have a campsite ahead, and once we get there we'll switch to more professional equipment and vehicles," Hassana explained, adding that the grass gets taller as we venture deeper into the grasslands.

By that time, ordinary vehicles could no longer operate normally, so they needed specialized equipment and vehicles.