"I trust you. With your strength, you have no reason to deceive ordinary people like us."
"I'm willing to stay."
The old man had seen much of the world and had always been a good judge of character.
This time, he chose to trust Chris.
He felt that this young man might truly be capable of making this country better.
As for becoming the world's economic center, that was not something the old man particularly hoped for.
As long as he could live a little better in his remaining years, he had no objections.
The old man was highly respected and held considerable influence in the Royal City.
Seeing that even he had agreed to stay, many people naturally chose to follow his lead.
"I'm willing to stay too!"
"As long as you don't make us slaves, I can stay too."
"Exactly. This is where we grew up, after all. Who would want to leave?"
"We don't care whether this becomes the world's economic center."
"As long as our standard of living doesn't decline, we're willing to stay!"
In truth, the ordinary people here asked for very little.
Even now, they retained a rare, honest simplicity.
They sought neither wealth nor status, only the quiet happiness of an ordinary life.
"I trust you. Under your leadership, perhaps we can become the strongest nation in the world!"
"If you can restore our glory, I'm willing to stay and support your efforts!"
This was a nation that revered martial prowess, after all, and its people still aspired to such things.
They had little interest in becoming the world's economic center, but becoming the strongest nation in the world certainly appealed to them.
That would mean their military strength ranked first in the world!
It was something they could take pride in for