George looked at the South Regent and said seriously, "You've been minding your own business for three years, so why can't you continue to do so? Can't you stop targeting Riveria?"The South Regent looked at George as if he was looking at a fool. Was there a problem with what he was doing?"My father died because of Riveria. Countless of my friends died in Riveria. How can I let Riveria go? "Moreover, the Grand Marshal's student, Stephen, is in Riveria now, so this is the best time for me to take revenge. Why should I back off?"George wanted to say something but ended up staying silent. He wanted to say that Stephen's identity was fake. Ethan was the Grand Marshal's student, not Stephen. However, after thinking about it, he knew that the South Regent should be well aware of this fact. The South Regent knew he could not win against Ethan, so it was enough to defeat the widely known "student of the Grand Marshal", Stephen.The South Regent shook his head. "Do you really think Ri
"Wait!" Rachel suddenly thought of an issue. Ethan had planted some vegetables in his garden, so it was no wonder he had vegetables in his dishes. However, how did he get grilled salmon, roasted chicken, and eggs? "How do you have meat here?" Once Rachel asked the question, George reacted. Right, they had locked Ethan away in the deep mountains to cut off his access to resources and information from the outside world. How did he get meat? Ethan answered calmly, "I asked the guards to buy them." "Ah?" George and Rachel were stunned. He asked the guards to buy them? The guards were there to keep an eye on Ethan, so how did they end up taking care of him instead? The two were at a loss for words. However, Ethan did not see an issue with this. If he wanted to, he could easily make Stephen send a cow over every day.Nonetheless, they all shared quite a pleasant dinner. George felt a mix of emotions. It was only with Ethan here that he managed to have a good time with his e
Stephen stopped asking about that and started to comfort George, "Don't overthink things. Everything will be fine." He planned to stabilize Celestial City first, then work hard in the next city to recover the economic losses. That way, the public criticism of George would ease significantly.George asked, "Have you settled the matters in Celestial City?"Stephen nodded. "I've made the arrangements." With Mark Smith coming on board, it meant that the South Regent had placed all his chess pieces in Celestial City. The city was unlikely to fall into chaos again. If things got out of hand, even the South Regent would not be able to make a profit."I estimate that Celestial City will stabilize in about half a month to a month." Once Celestial City stabilized, they could attract investors and rebuild the economy. Stephen continued, "Although the South Regent is cunning, I believe we'll definitely be able to win against him." George smiled bitterly. "Yes, we'll definitely win."
Stephen analyzed the situation carefully.He worked until 2 a.m. when exhaustion finally forced him to stop. However, he still had not fully grasped the true purpose behind Ethan's plans.He was also clueless about the tree species to be replaced and the tea to be introduced. Hence, he decided to visit Hill City in person to investigate the situation. Perhaps, by asking the locals, he could find answers to questions he did not understand.The next day, Stephen woke up at noon.He asked George, "Do you want to come to Hill City with me?"George thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. He believed he had to boost Hill City's economy to rid himself of his "mistakes". If the criticism continued, he would not be able to show his face in Riveria anymore.With that, the two flew to Hill City. Even from the air, they could see Hill City's stunning surroundings. Majestic mountains seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, with several peaks piercing the clouds. The view was br
"Let's do some research first," George answered. "Let's find out if people support the changing species of the primary crop. If they do, what species do they want to change to? If they don't, what are their reasons?"Stephen's eyes lit up as he exclaimed, "That’s a great plan!"By researching and understanding everyone's opinions first, there would be no mistakes!At that thought, Stephen instructed, "Let's get people working on this right away. Also, let's find out what kind of tea plant people would support introducing.”After their successive failures, both Stephen and George had become much more cautious.Julius looked at the two, somewhat surprised. The sentiment online had pegged those two as useless, seeing as they always caused more harm than good.Truth be told, when he first heard that the notorious duo was coming, he panicked. He thought about the tragedies that befell North Hill City, Seaside City, Aqua City, and Celestial City, concerned that they were about to repea
Julius and George arrived at the first village. It was a rather large village, with over seven thousand residents, so acquiring it would require significant money. Fortunately, Julius already had a plan.Based on the freeway plan, he identified the houses that needed to be relocated and then found the village chief to explain the purpose of their visit. The village chief was initially reluctant when he learned that the freeway would pass through his village. However, Julius managed to convince him by explaining the many benefits of the road construction."With the freeway, it'll be more convenient for you to head into the city. Plus, it'll be easier to transport your village's pigs and eucalyptus trees.”The village chief was convinced, and with his help, Julius acquired the houses that needed to be relocated at 7000 dollars per square meter. Those villagers could later build houses in other parts of the village or move to the city.George watched Julius from the side, somewhat sur
Julius and George finally understood what was going on. The village was engaged in stone quarrying, and the reason for their large population was due to the influx of workers coming here to work.Nico then asked, "Whose decision was it to build this road? Was it Ethan Rivers?"Julius shook his head. "No, it wasn’t Ethan. He's been missing for some time now. It was Stephen Quinn’s decision."Hearing that, Nico was momentarily stunned before his heart raced with excitement. From that sentence alone, he picked up two major pieces of information. First, Ethan Rivers was still missing; second, Stephen Quinn had arrived! It meant he could finally put his plans into motion!Many years ago, his older brother, Lars had made a fortune through pillaging, over-mining, and reckless deforestation. However, since they knew the nearby forests like the back of his hand, no one could catch him. That was until Ethan Rivers showed up three years ago.…Three years ago, they had received news a few
Nico followed the address Ethan had given him and easily found Lars."Lars…” Nico hesitated.At first, Lars was shocked to see Nico, but then a resigned smile played on his lips. "I thought Ethan Rivers would come for me himself, but I guess I'm still not worthy of him. You're here to convince me to leave the mountain, aren't you?"Nico lowered his head and said, "I had no choice.”"I can see it on your face, but while you had no choice, I still do." Lars stood up, looking at Nico solemnly as he said, "Ethan sent you to capture me because he wants me alive, but I won't let him have that satisfaction. I still have the right to choose death!"Nico shook in disbelief. "Lars, what are you saying?"Lars let out a bitter laugh. "I've killed and plundered. My hands are covered in blood. There’s no road left for me but death. I'm dead either way, so I might as well make it easier."Kill me, Nico. I'm a criminal. If you bring my body down the mountain, you’ll at least get the credit fo