Deployment

Huo Ling had long suspected Liu Ziping of taking bribes.

It was not just Liu Ziping. In every lucrative department of Plains City, there would always be such worms and rats gnawing away within.

Some might embezzle and take bribes worth only a few dozen magic stones; others might steal hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Huo Ling did not pursue the notion that water too pure held no fish, but he had still established the Anti-Corruption Department as a supervisory body.

With that department in place, Plains City's officials had indeed become much more honest, but there was still no way to completely eliminate corruption and bribery.

Nor could it truly be eradicated. So long as they were intelligent creatures, they had weaknesses and preferences that could easily be exploited.

As long as they handled their duties diligently, Huo Ling turned a blind eye if they pocketed a little money.

If they never made mistakes, how was Huo Ling supposed to make room for those who came later? Once the upper ranks solidified, how could he keep dangling a pie in the sky?

Huo Ling wanted them to have such minor flaws. Whenever he needed vacancies, he could remove a batch of them at any time and replace them with fresh people.

What Liu Ziping had done was nothing much—taking a few benefits from the dark elves was no great matter.

Had the old fellow not confessed on his own initiative, Huo Ling had not even intended to point it out.

There was much about the war against the dark elves that Huo Ling had not told Liu Ziping. There was simply no need.

Liu Ziping saw only the profits from trade, while Huo Ling saw far greater profits. He wanted the entire underground world.

Trade could certainly earn