When Sakeqi walked into the office the Cantona Chamber of Commerce had set up in Korol Village, he immediately drew a burst of laughter.
"Hey, Old Sakeqi, why are you still carrying a shovel? Don't tell me you're planning to go work in the fields?"
"Exactly. Haven't you always hated the new city lord? Have you changed your mind and decided to listen to him and go back to farming?"
"Old Man Sakeqi, that's not very fair of you. We all agreed to ignore that idiot of a city lord. Are you trying to betray us?"
"Betray you, my ass!" Old Man Sakeqi leaned the shovel on his shoulder against the wall beside the door and snorted loudly. "I wouldn't listen to that useless city lord even if it killed me! If Count Samo came back as city lord and asked us to return to farming, I might consider it."
"What's there to consider?" a young man in his thirties said loudly. "Never mind this Earl Stark fellow-even if Count Samo came back as city lord, I wouldn't consider farming again. It's exhausting, and you barely make any money. Why would I go back to that misery?"
"That's not quite fair," a middle-aged man in his fifties said, shaking his head. "We certainly can't do without food, so someone has to farm, no matter what. You can't say Earl Stark is completely wrong."
"Bah! Getting food is easy enough!" Old Man Sakeqi said scornfully. "With the Xinfei Merchant Guild's farmland magic machinery helping us these past two years, farming has become much easier than before. One person can handle several mu of land, even a dozen or more, without any trouble. Why insist on tying all of us to the fields? I think Earl Stark is doing this for his