Chapter 1315: No Small Matter
This method was actually inspired by Rodrigo: to cut corners and produce a batch of handsome, ultra-thin hand and leg armor, covered with colored cloaks. They offered no defensive power but were very cheap to produce.
However, they would be more than enough for a ceremonial guard. Since they wouldn’t be going into battle, they could be given simple weapons and act as sentries, maintaining order within the city and cleaning the streets. Even refugees could do such tasks, and they would be useful.
The Knight Captain fell into contemplation. This little girl always found unexpected solutions from unconventional angles. If it was a matter of prestige, the Lord of the City would certainly agree. I knew the Knight Captain to be an upright man, or more plainly, an honest one. He wouldn’t think of such crooked methods, but sometimes, for the sake of doing good, one had to be flexible; there was no shame in it.
“I’ll give you five gold coins each. You quote the Lord of the City twenty gold coins each. The remaining difference will be used to buy carbon and food to support the refugees and to repair the shelters. Report the expenses directly under the name of repairing military barracks.” I added. Rodrigo could take a commission, so naturally, I could also fleece the Lord of the City.
The Knight Captain’s face turned grim, “Is this really okay? I’ll be finished if the Lord of the City finds out.”
“He won’t find out. Rodrigo dared to openly instruct minor officials to solicit bribes and embezzle. You don’t need to just list armor costs. Submit all the expenses for the Knight Tournament together. He’ll only look at the total amount. As long as you handle the Knight Tournament successfully, that Lord of the City won’t care how you did it.”
As I spoke, I relayed the intelligence I had obtained from the City Clerk’s mind to the Knight Captain, and also gave him the several anonymous accounts they used to store their illicit funds.
“This! They dared to!?” The Knight Captain was incredulous at the amounts I reported, tens of thousands of gold coins in bribes, far more than his military budget. Facing this windfall, the Knight Captain’s mood was complex. My suggestion was that this was ill-gotten wealth, Rodrigo’s bribe money, so he should use it to aid refugees or expand the military.
“But if I submit these accounts to the Lord of the City, I can expose Rodrigo’s crimes and overthrow him, can’t I?” the Knight Captain hesitated. His sense of morality told him he shouldn’t misappropriate this money, even if it was bribe money.
“Overthrowing Rodrigo is just an excuse. You clearly know he leaves no trace when he does things. The Lord of the City won’t dismiss him. Even if he is driven away, he cannot repay the crimes he has committed and will only find another place to continue causing chaos in the government,” I pointed out the Knight Captain’s true intentions without reservation. “You just want to protect your reputation by giving the money to the Lord. Once the Lord of the City takes this money, he will never return it, and the refugees will continue to suffer here. You are using their suffering to exchange for your own reputation.”
“I didn’t!” the Knight Captain immediately denied, involuntarily exclaiming, startling the surrounding soldiers who looked at him in astonishment. The Knight Captain quickly waved his hand, indicating he was fine. “I know you don’t think that way, but reality is like this. Loyalty and kindness cannot always coexist. You should think about what true kindness is; that is where the greater righteousness lies.”
Do not blame me for emotional blackmail. In my opinion, the Knight Captain was exhibiting foolish loyalty. He knew clearly that the Lord of the City was avaricious and stingy, yet he still had such thoughts. I told him the bank account passwords not for him to do such a thing.
“I understand!” The Knight Captain finally made up his mind. In fact, it was clear if he thought about it carefully. Overthrowing Rodrigo was meaningless to the current situation, but using this money was enough to help the refugees significantly.
“It’s good that you’ve thought it through. With these funds, you can further lower the budget for the Knight Tournament and the establishment of the Militia Group when presenting it to the Lord of the City. This will help you secure the responsibility for the Knight Tournament.” “However, Rodrigo definitely won’t let go of such a profitable opportunity so easily. You can use your status as a Knight, who understands better what the Knight Tournament requires, as an excuse. I will also ask my informants to help you build momentum, but whether you can win it will depend on your personal effort.”
I was already thinking about the subsequent work and potential events. The Knight Captain was dumbfounded; he hadn’t considered things so far ahead, such as Rodrigo potentially causing trouble. “Regarding the shelters, I’ve also thought about some things. The Underground World is a good option. There are several entrances to the Underground World in the outer district. Let the integrated refugee groups widen the entrances and internal spaces themselves, and add some disguises to turn them into natural shelters, allowing the elderly, women, and children to hide when monsters attack.”
The otherworldly beings in the Underground World might have some objections, but priorities matter. With disaster looming, minor conflicts can be deferred. Besides, even the Underground World is suffering from monster invasions.
“I can consider it. This should be feasible. As long as there are sufficient funds and manpower, building a few shelters shouldn’t be a problem,” the Knight Captain said. This was indeed not difficult. “Just having shelters isn’t enough; we also need people to guide the refugees to the shelters. We need to teach the laborers recruited from the refugees about shelter knowledge and routes, and have them guide other refugees. Otherwise, once panic sets in, stampedes and congestion can be fatal.”
When I saw the monster attack that day, many people were running around aimlessly. Because they had no sense of direction, they were terrified by the monster attack, lost their minds, and many even ran into the combat zones, losing their lives in vain.
“Okay, okay.” The Knight Captain could only agree. The things I told him had exceeded his imagination, but upon careful consideration, they made sense and were very necessary. Now, he could only write them down one by one. I thought to myself, if even such simple matters require my reminder, has no one in the entire Cando City proposed them? Are they stupid, or have they simply not considered the plight of the bottom-level refugees?
“Finally, there’s one more matter: the shortage of medical supplies and doctors. I’ll have to solve this myself. As long as you can collect a large amount of raw materials for me, I can refine Life Elixirs to save those soldiers and commoners.” I had already discovered that no matter how quickly Amelia and I treated them, the wounded were endless, and we could never save them all. However, many people didn’t need to be completely healed. With enough Life Elixirs, their injuries could be alleviated, their suffering reduced, and more soldiers could hold on until they received treatment.
“Can you really do it?” the Knight Captain asked, surprised and delighted. He had adventured with me many times and had witnessed the efficacy of my Life Elixirs. While curing the dead might be an exaggeration, regenerating flesh and bone was entirely possible.
