Xu Yi had barely stepped through the gates of the City Lord's Manor when Smilla Porter, who had been waiting outside for quite some time, hurried over to meet him.
"How did it go?" Smilla Porter asked, his face full of anticipation.
Xu Yi smiled at him. "No problem. Earl Stark didn't agree completely, but he did tell me that no law in the Lampari Kingdom forbids merchant guilds from doing business. That means any merchant guild can conduct business in Bunta City, and the City Lord's Manor won't interfere."
"Oh? So our new City Lord has finally admitted defeat?" Smilla Porter was immediately delighted. "Haha, I knew that Commerce-Suppression and Agriculture-Promotion Policy of his couldn't last. Well, now he's had a taste of the consequences."
Xu Yi shook his head and motioned for Smilla Porter to join him in the carriage waiting outside. Only after it began moving did he lower his voice. "Earl Stark probably realizes he made a mistake, but his fundamental attitude and position certainly won't change. We can take this as his tacit permission to resume what we stopped doing before, but we can't be too conspicuous about it, let alone flaunt it. If Earl Stark pushes back, all my previous efforts will have been wasted."
Smilla Porter nodded earnestly. "I understand. President Xu, you must have paid quite a price to persuade him to let us resume the canal project, right?"
"I wouldn't really say I paid a price. Strictly speaking, I just made a deal with him, one that happens to be very helpful to the grain production in Bunta City that he cares about most."
Smilla Porter glanced at Xu Yi, tempted to ask for the details, but after some consideration, he dropped the question.
After all, the canal connection project he