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
Then, the village chief, Hendrick, arrived. When he entered the room and saw Nico, his brows furrowed. Due to the incident three years ago, the village held a huge grudge against Nico and his family. Initially, they wanted to exile Nico and his family, but after Lars died and Nico was imprisoned, their parents fell ill before passing away soon after. Nico’s wife left as well. After Nico was released, he lived with his son, Tommy. The villagers took pity on him and allowed him and his son to continue living in Stone Village. Hendrick then looked at the mayor, Julius, and George, and said, “Gentlemen, a word?” Julius noticed the disgust in Hendrick’s eyes when he saw Nico, and it baffled him. Nico was welcoming and easy-going, so why would people hate him? After leaving Nico’s house, Julius asked, “Hendrick, I saw you frowning at Nico. What did he do?” Hendrick sighed and said, “You might not know about this, but Nico’s brother, Lars, is a criminal. He has killed, raided, and
Nico contacted the villagers who were ordered to move and found out that they were only offered 7 grand per square meter. He then tricked them by saying, “The other villages were offered 10 grand per square meter, and you guys only got 7? The village chief must have pocketed the difference.” Many villagers trusted him and started to direct their grudges at Hendrick. Someone questioned Hendrick in person but received a scolding instead. From that point, the villagers’ grudge towards Hendrick was amplified. Hendrick found out that Nico started it, so he confronted the man. “Don’t speak nonsense and accuse me! The mayor offered 7 grand per square meter! I am not pocketing the difference!” Convinced otherwise, Nico scoffed. “Stop lying.” Hendrick got carried away by his anger and punched Nico in the face. However, Nico did not fight back. After Hendrick left, he modified the details and told the villagers that Hendrick beat him up because he saw through the latter’s wicked sche
The next day, while the villagers still had no idea what happened, Hendrick’s family could not locate him. Hendrick had never gone missing for an entire day without turning on his phone. Another day went by and Hendrick was still missing. The family quickly called the police, afraid that something bad might have happened to him. As the police got involved, the villagers realized that Hendrick had gone missing. Since Nico was the one helping them make money and Hendrick had been a roadblock, the villagers were upset and not overly fond of him. When they found out Hendrick had gone missing, they believed it was good news. The police investigated almost every villager in the village, and everyone cooperated. “Does the village chief have any enemies?” “No.” “Has the village chief gotten involved in any conflict lately?” “No.” “Where does the village chief usually hang out?” “I don’t know.” The police were not able to get any useful information despite questioning half
“How much did 50 km cost?” Stephen asked. “15 billion,” George answered. Stephen was surprised. “Just 15 billion?” “This is just the money used to purchase the required lands. The construction will be the most money-consuming part,” Julius explained. A quick thought later, he said, “Julius, can you give us the room?” Julius nodded and went out, leaving George and Stephen alone. “Is he clean? Did he oppress the people and not pay them what it was worth?” Stephen asked anxiously. George shook his head. “No. I have been following him and was there whenever Julius negotiated the price. The villagers seemed to be happy with the price he offered.” Stephen felt relieved. He was afraid that the villagers were being oppressed. Hill City had been chaotic back then. In addition to its steep mountainous roads, it became a hot spot for conflicts and battles, ranking top across the entire Riveria. If either one of the villages had a heroic tale of someone rising up against evil, th
Next, Stephen concentrated on the tea leaves. “Ethan planned to get Hill City to sell tea leaves, but he didn’t say which kind of tea.” The survey asked about the tea leaves, but since no one had planted them before, they were unfamiliar with the subject. There were countless tea trees in the world, so which one of them would be suitable for planting in Hill City and could bring economic value? Stephen realized that he was sailing on uncharted waters here. If he could find the correct tea leaves, it would equal finding new land for the city. He could then rival Ethan in terms of achievement. Without further ado, he spent several days asking professionals and specialists, trying to learn more about tea. Half a month later, he finally came up with a decision. He could ask the people to start planting flower tea trees and also utilize the mountainous terrain of Hill City to try planting oolong tea leaves. He also decided to give them an incentive to do it. Over this time, aski
Nico’s face darkened at George’s words. He hated people who called him a criminal. Although a few years ago, he had helped his brother and the villagers commit illegal acts and never had any remorse, he paid the price and believed that he should not be labeled as a criminal. The villagers frowned as well. Since Nico became the village chief, the village thrived and prospered. The villagers started to buy new cars and build new houses. “What are you people talking about? He’s our village chief,” said one of the villagers. George and Julius widened their eyes in shock. Nico became the village chief?! “What about Hendrick? Why did you guys elect a new village chief all of a sudden?” George asked as his brows furrowed tighter. The villager grunted and said, “Hendrick is working with people beyond the borders and is always on the run. He might be with the South Regent.” George and Julius were mortified. The previous village chief, Hendrick, might be related to the South Rege