At Ease at Last / Informed

Oute said, "In countries with strict legal provisions, some companies play word games by having workers self-dispatch as sole proprietors, thereby circumventing legally mandated insurance amounts."

"But the laws of Kazimierz are designed to serve the giants and knights," Oute said. "They don't even need to wear a skin."

"Gail Industries forcibly converted 30 percent of the wages of infected workers into health insurance, then offset this cost with its own inferior products and medical services at inflated prices. This not only reduced wage expenses but also found buyers for the garbage flowing from its production lines."

Oute pointed to the workers who had just entered and said, "The wages of infected workers are already cheap, so we've raised them to the level of normal workers, and at the same time, we've changed the company that partners with their health insurance to Rhodes Island."

One soldier, mistaking Oute for someone pointing at him, waved excitedly. He boasted to his comrades with childlike glee, before receiving a sharp rap on the head from the centurion.

"You mean...?" Qiesibo's expression was strange. "You're doing the same thing as Gail Industries, except you've raised the base wage and switched to more reliable products?"

"Correct, but not entirely," Oute asked. "Do you know how much a kilogram of meat costs?"

"I don't know, but I think it depends on the type of meat?"

"For example, the meat of Leithanien meat beast is equivalent to the wages of a standard Tsvonnek worker for twenty hours."

Is this expensive or cheap?

"Leithanien has a long history of animal husbandry, and the Leytania-Kaytania trade was frequent in Tsvonnek."

"So it's just cheap?"

"For infected workers, their wages will be doubled, and they will also have a minimum expense for pain management. Otherwise, moderately infected patients may be completely unable to participate in work."

You mean...?

Oute turned around, his expression unchanged. "With Rhodes Island's low drug costs, we can make meat affordable for the Tsvonnek infected workers—if they're willing to pay the expense."

"Is this your secret to reducing crime rates?"

"The other part is your surveillance," Oute said. "The range from the brink of death to the fulfillment of spiritual needs, combined with the Knights' high-pressure surveillance, makes most ordinary infected people unwilling to engage in criminal activities again."

"They're both knightly orders, but the decrease in crime rates among citizens isn't as significant," Qiesibo said absentmindedly.

The tall crane cast a short, thick shadow in the slightly slanted sunlight, perfectly immersing his face in it.

Along the way, he noticed another detail:

Those armed men whom Oute claimed to be from a "private military contractor in Malta" had an almost undisguised adoration for Oute.

Even the smallest gesture, as long as it comes from Oute, makes them genuinely happy.

What he didn't know was that not long ago, these soldiers were in a similar situation to the infected workers they were now in.

Qiesibo thought:

Rhodes Island did a bit too well... This way, they probably won't be able to make too much of a fuss during the ribbon-cutting ceremony...

We need to find a way to get them to close the land parcels and then leave...

Looking at Qiesibo's slightly gloomy face, Oute decided to give him another push.

Soon, Dyster came running over, wearing a helmet that looked like she wasn't wearing one at all, looking quite energetic.

"Doc Otter! News from Kawalerielki!"

Chapter 308 A Great Reassurance

"Miss Amiya asked me to give this to you!"

With that, Dyster handed the tablet to Oute with great ceremony.

Qiesibo glanced at him, and his first words put his mind at ease.

"Dear Ms. Amiya: I am honored to inform you that the Kazimierz Grand Knight Council and the Knights Association approved your company's proposed 'Cooperation Terms for Medical Treatment and Medical Environment Improvement for Infected Participants' yesterday, and will send a representative to your company in the coming days. The electronic contract document has been sent to your email address along with this letter..."

Qiesibo immediately made a gesture to avoid suspicion. "Doctor. Oute, I'll take my leave now."

Sure enough, Oute stopped him. "It's alright, even if Kawalerielki gives a positive reply, we will still handle the affairs in Tsvonnek."

To Qiesibo, these words sounded like: Rhodes Island's main ship is done and leaving.

With only a branch office and a few rural clinics remaining, they were powerless to contend with the Knights' military might.

At that time, the troops remaining on Rhodes Island will instead become...

After thinking it over, Qiesibo decided to assign all those who knew a little about medicine to the rear, or at the very least, to field hospitals.

Firstly, Rhodes Island is truly exceptionally skilled at this; secondly, preserving Rhodes Island's forces amidst the fierce battle can be seen as repaying Oute's "unintentional" kindness.

Good grief, you're popping champagne in the second half?!

They actually still have some feelings for each other!?

However, if things don't go well for Rhodes Island in Kawalerielki, Oute might actually let his plans run wild. This political bomb, originally set to explode in the fall, will reach its tipping point around the time of the tournament finals, thanks to Oute's careful management.

The fate of this nation has spontaneously reached a critical point, and Oute merely gave it a push, making it a card that might come in handy at a crucial moment.

"I understand." Oute handed the tablet back to the top lawyer and said, "Return it."

Why does an office worker need to carry a tablet back and forth to deliver a single email? Wouldn't forwarding be much simpler?

Admittedly, "security" could be used as an excuse if one wanted to find one.

But this whole thing was indeed arranged by Oute on purpose—just to show Qiesibo.

"Mr. Qiesibo, Rhodes Island has received a lot of help from the Knights these days."

Do you?

Qiesibo was stunned.

"Without your sincere invitation and your support, Rhodes Island would have found it difficult to establish itself in the Tsvonnek countryside, let alone take root in the city."

That sounds really reasonable!

However, after taking advantage of the situation, is it really possible to justify returning the fair treatment that rightfully belongs to Rhodes Island in this way?

Such behavior must have an ulterior motive!

But... never mind, as long as it's not too excessive.

The Campaign Knight secretly shook his head, having already decided to support all of Oute's actions.

"It is shameful that Rhodes Island has yet to provide a reasonable solution to the problem of Gail Industries hiring bounty hunters to wreak havoc in the countryside."

"... I thought Zhizhuotu was dead."

Qiesibo did want to help the villagers, but his charade was more about curbing the Gail Industries' unchecked power.

However, within just a few days of entering Rhodes Island, Gail Industries reduced the presence of its branch in Tsvonnek due to objective factors and a shift in profit focus.

Not to mention that after Rhodes Island, under the name of Northern Industries, participated in the management of infected workers, the project's progress was greatly accelerated, and the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lyon-Carlton sister city relationship that Qiesibo had been longing for will also be held ahead of schedule.

With just a little manipulation of the Leithanien nobleman who participated in the ceremony, the Letanian-Kazimir War will unfold as if Kazimierz were under attack, both within Kazimierz and in the eyes of most other nations!

A great undertaking is just two or three months away!

In this situation... you're telling me there's still a chicken in the starting village that hasn't been killed.

Indeed, they didn't kill him.

But Qiesibo had lost interest in bounty hunting.

"But those who committed the most direct atrocities are still alive." Oute turned to Qiesibo: "People aren't knives. How can you use a knife as an excuse to cover up your own sins?"

Bounty hunters.

"This was originally a commission from the Knights, but after witnessing it firsthand, Rhodes Island feels deeply that this group of villains needs to be thoroughly wiped out. Unfortunately, we lack sufficient manpower..."

Qiesibo raised his head and gestured to the soldiers.

"With a massive warship, Rhodes Island's own operators, and these 'private military contractors,' frankly, your chances of capturing Tsvonnek are only one percent, let alone a bunch of ragtag soldiers?"

"With this kind of strength, attacking a military town from the outside is a one percent chance. Commander Qiesibo, you think too highly of us." Oute took the first step back.

He didn't mention the internal details.

"Commander Qiesibo, have you ever heard the story of the Knight's Treasure?" Oute suddenly changed the subject.

What does this have to do with the hunt for bounty hunters?

"..."

This is like asking a Yan: Have you ever heard of what kind of robe a real dragon wears?

Kazimierz is a land of "Kuranta (horse) warriors," also known as a land of "knights."

Leaving aside the problems with the superstructure, the feudal economic foundation saw knights exploiting the people of their territories while also preying on passing caravans, sometimes even resorting to the despicable act of disguising themselves as bandits.

After this "primitive and bloody feudal accumulation," some of the knights' hard-earned money would be converted into their military power; some into their enjoyment; and some, because the knights' intellect would no longer allow them to hold onto it, would flow into the hands of more suitable unscrupulous merchants.

But everyone must die.

If a knight accumulates enough wealth and followers during his lifetime, he will build himself a tomb. The wealth he still possesses at the time of his death—including gold, silver, and unique weapons and equipment—will be buried with him as funerary objects.

These buried treasures were known as the "Knight's Treasure".

Feudal lords in every country loved doing this kind of work.

However, it is clear that Kazimierz, with its sophisticated propaganda machine and strong association with the concept of "knight," was able to promote this ordinary act of burial and tomb raiding as a unique cultural custom of Kazimierz — the Knight's Treasure.

Looking at Qiesibo's strange expression, Oute said, "With the excavation of yet another cluster of tombs, bounty hunters have decided to take the risk and make a fortune."

"But I don't want to let them just pack up and leave." Then, Oute said, "Besides, precisely because the bounty hunters are a motley crew, once they are scattered, their threat to the public will actually increase dramatically."

Qiesibo narrowed his eyes. "Doctor, you mean...?"

He clenched his fist, and the gleaming gauntlets made a pleasant sound.

Oute nodded. "I hope the Knights can participate in the siege."

Chapter 309 Knowing

Amiya crouched in a villager's private brewery, reaching out her hand into the darkness.

"Be a good boy... and come out..."

The little rabbit's palm has a spiky hop flower.

This unique flavor attracted tiny creatures lurking in the shadows. An Originium Slug tentatively extended its tentacles, slowly stretching out.

After it caught the hops in Amiya's palm, it quickly withdrew.