After this move, the former Blue Star citizens from New Atlantis to New Baghdad were astonished to discover that a flatbread that had once cost five dollars had suddenly dropped to five cents.
The Imperial Army's overhaul of the economic order didn't stop at the Blue Star Fruit Company. The Empire's forces also took complete control of the utilities and public transit systems essential to modern life. These capable Imperial officers weren't experts in public services, of course. They simply left the practical work to professionals and kept their eyes on the price lists.
Whenever prices exceeded the maximum set by Her Highness, they dragged the person responsible outside and shot them. After all, they served a brutal Dragon King and had plenty of ways to deal with anyone who wouldn't cooperate, from beheading and execution by artillery to feeding them to dragons.
The Tirillo were a cruel race of warriors, after all. They had no time for humanitarianism or for finding some painless method of execution that would preserve a condemned criminal's dignity.
In fact, the harsher their methods, the louder the cheers grew. At the time, the Imperial soldiers even felt less like conquerors and more like righteous liberators. They were filled with a lofty sense of purpose.
Their fervor spread to the grassroots workers as well. The low-ranking clerks and staff of the public service departments realized they didn't even have the option of slacking off. With tears in their eyes and fear in their hearts, they could only do their jobs conscientiously—and their efficiency visibly improved.
Well, as conquerors, the Empire didn't seem at all concerned that anyone might be unable to bear the pressure and quit.
This called for that classic old saying: "If you don't want the job, there are plenty of others who