Managing a city is all about wild imagination.
Chen Yu knew very well that he was not cut out to be a lord. He had no concrete and comprehensive strategies for managing a city in his head.
His approach to managing the city could be summarized in one word: spend!
He would shower the citizens with money until they were dazed and willingly became happy, contented citizens of his city.
Enjoying the love and praise of his people.
Whatever resources the city needed, he would buy them with money, without regard for how much he invested or what returns he would get. The money would be spent, first and foremost.
His management policy was all about flair and flash.
If he suddenly had an idea that seemed good, he would try to implement it. If it went wrong, he could simply abolish it, as he had money.
Chen Yu never thought his casual management style was problematic.
Brilliant ideas could strike in an instant.
The arena competitions fostered a robust and hardy populace, which was perfect for Fengqi City, situated on the border. Only a fierce and resilient people could deter enemies from beyond the border.
He could completely transform his city into something like Black Horn Domain.
"I am truly a wise lord." Thinking about the future direction of Fengqi City, Chen Yu felt a surge of passion and secretly praised his own intelligence.
A city should possess a memorable characteristic.
They should pursue one path to its extreme.
Let all the nations of the underground know where to go for business, where to go for education, and where to conduct underground dealings.
Only in this way could the city develop more rapidly.
If Chen Yu was truly preparing to turn Fengqi City into the Black Horn Domain or the Golden Triangle of the underground, then the city's most pressing need at the moment was elite soldiers. Absolutely elite combat power!
Black Horn Domain represented chaos, but Chen Yu did not want chaos and lawlessness. For the city beyond his jurisdiction, he still wanted to maintain firm control, making all outsiders adhere strictly and tread carefully according to his promulgated laws.
Chaos, but within his sphere of control.
No matter how ferocious those people were, when they heard the words 'City Lord's Mansion,' they must tremble in fear. When they thought of the legions of Fengqi City, they must shake with genuine terror.
He would become the hidden mastermind behind this city.
More importantly, possessing such a city would allow him to influence his other subordinate cities, deterring any ill intentions from those who might covet his other cities.
Seen in this light, the establishment of such a city was indeed necessary.
"This vision alone is quite exhilarating," Chen Yu squinted, a smile on his face. The little demon, who had been watching Chen Yu's changing expressions, frowned with disdain. "Hey, is your imaginary illness acting up again?"
"I'm not suffering from imaginary illness this time."
Chen Yu shook his head with a smile, raising his hand to rub the little demon's head.
"I've already figured out how to operate Fengqi City. Can you play by yourself here for a while, or go find Nuo Yi? I have some matters to attend to."
"What's wrong? Why so sudden?" The little demon looked puzzled.
"I've conceived a grand and magnificent picture, and now I'm ready to start coloring it in," Chen Yu tilted his head back, gazing at the void above, his eyes focused. "If you're going to stay with me in the future, you'll know everything then."
"You're crazy."
Hearing Chen Yu's vague and roundabout explanations, the little demon, too lazy to probe further, pouted and floated into the air, disappearing from Chen Yu's sight.
With his mind full of ambitions, Chen Yu stretched lazily, looking at the dilapidated city before him.
"You've truly hit the jackpot by following me."
Time flew by like a fleeting white steed. In the blink of an eye, Chen Yu had spent a full seven days in Fengqi City. During this time, the city's residents continued to work tirelessly, earning their wages from the City Lord's Mansion, their waists jingling with coins, and their faces beaming with brilliant smiles.
The seeds procured by Li Ya had already been sown.
Considering the future operational strategy of Fengqi City, Chen Yu personally led people to clear a piece of wasteland outside the city, eradicating all the surrounding monsters and demarcating an area for cultivation.
The cultivation area would rely on manual labor, supplemented by automatic irrigation.
The citizens, transformed into farmers, could choose to live in this agricultural area or commute from the city. Most of the farmers settled in the agricultural district, where Fengqi City provided them with free housing and directly designated the area as a village. Farmers had two options: they could contract land for self-cultivation and harvesting, or they could work for the City Lord's Mansion. During the harvest season, the City Lord's Mansion, i.e., Chen Yu, would personally oversee the harvesting. In the former case, the City Lord's Mansion would not provide labor wages, while in the latter, they would receive a salary from the City Lord's Mansion.
As expected, all the farmers chose the latter.
The farmers assigned to this area were all skilled in agriculture. They were well aware of the grain yield per acre and the value of the harvested grain upon sale.
The salary provided by the City Lord's Mansion far exceeded what they could earn from farming and selling their own produce.
As for their offer to help the City Lord's Mansion with the harvesting, Chen Yu righteously refused. It wasn't that he was worried about the farmers hiding any of the produce.
The main issue was that if they harvested, he would incur significant losses.
When he harvested the grain, it triggered a "Greed Critical Hit." Farmers lacked the harvesting multiplier, resulting in a deficit of eighty times. He would rather work harder than take the easy way out.
Furthermore, he could later hire the demonic spirit Coal Ball to handle the harvesting.
The city's agricultural sector had been resolved in the short term, and expansion was inevitable. Chen Yu had already made corresponding plans.
He also utilized all the "Giant Sheep" he had acquired for livestock farming.
The situation for the shepherds was similar to that of the farmers. They were all hired by the government, and all subsequent operations would be handled by the City Lord's Mansion, or rather, Chen Yu, by hiring Coal Ball.
With hundreds of thousands of sheep and tens of thousands of acres of farmland, the citizens' admiration for Chen Yu grew even stronger.
Chen Yu provided for their food, clothing, housing, and transportation, leaving them no reason not to adore such a lord, and they were filled with hope for Fengqi City's future.
"City Lord."
Just as Chen Yu was inspecting the security around the livestock area, Ya Bo arrived, covered in dust, with respect in his eyes.
"You're here. That means everything I asked you to prepare is ready?" Seeing Ya Bo, Chen Yu's eyes lit up with a smile. Ever since Ya Bo had approached him that night, he had pledged his allegiance to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu had also accepted all of Ya Bo's brothers, who were now busy working in various parts of Fengqi City.
"As per your instructions, everything is prepared," Ya Bo said respectfully. "However, City Lord, may I ask what all of this is for?"
"I'm going to recruit soldiers."
"Recruit soldiers?"
Ya Bo's bewilderment deepened. While he had been a particularly arrogant and aloof individual before, after joining Chen Yu's ranks, he felt he was becoming somewhat like Chen Yu. He could no longer feel his arrogance, and he was mostly bewildered every day.
"You should have told me if you were going to recruit soldiers. I did recruit soldiers when I was the Deputy Commander of the City Guard."
"No, my recruitment is different from yours," Chen Yu said with a slight smile, shaking his head. "I want elite soldiers, an absolutely elite force, an ace army that can strike terror into the entire underground."