Servini looked at the statistical report in her hands, her delicate brows drawing together slightly.
"It looks like Bunta City will see an even greater influx of people this year than last year. This is only a rough count of arrivals during the first half month of the new year, yet it already shows that more than fifty thousand outsiders have entered Bunta City. That doesn't include the many people we have no way of counting. If we included them all, the number might well approach a hundred thousand."
Xu Yi smiled faintly. "What's wrong with that? Everywhere in Bunta City is short of workers now. Local residents alone certainly can't fill such a huge labor shortage, so we inevitably need people from elsewhere. Don't forget, at its peak last year, Bunta City had well over two hundred thousand outsiders."
"But judging by the current trend, this year's figure could far exceed two hundred thousand. It might even... exceed three hundred thousand." Servini shook her head, worry written across her face.
"The more, the better." Xu Yi shrugged nonchalantly. "Not just our Xinfei Merchant Guild-I imagine every merchant guild in the city will be delighted by this. We simply don't have enough people to employ."
Servini glared at him. "Of course you can take it easy when you don't have to manage them. You realize Bunta City's local population totals less than a hundred thousand, yet now we're suddenly getting two hundred thousand... or even three hundred thousand people from elsewhere. As the mayor, I really do feel enormous pressure."
"Pressure is a good thing." Xu Yi laughed. "My dear Princess Royal, the greater the pressure, the better your chance to demonstrate your exceptional abilities, isn't it? Think about it. If more than three hundred thousand outsiders arrive in Bunta