“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
In the evening, while George was having dinner, he called Stephen. “We might have a problem with Julius.” Stephen frowned. His plans for Hill City were progressing smoothly and he did not want anything to go wrong for now. “Keep an eye on him.” “I will.” George hung up the phone. They had been tricked thrice, and there was no way they would fall for it again. Meanwhile, Julius sent his men to investigate Stone Village. He wanted to know how the previous village chief disappeared and whether or not the village was involved in any heroic acts. It was important, and if he did not get to the bottom of it, the other villages might claim to be heroic too, which might start a chain of bad reactions. The next day, the construction of the freeway continued and progressed smoothly. The other villages did not raise prices like Stone Village did. Julius also visited the other villages along the freeway course, asking them whether Stone Village contributed to the battle against the in
Back then, Ethan had made Nico kill his own brother. His parents died of illness and his wife left him. His family was shattered, and he was locked up for three years. He had nothing except his son when he was released. Ethan wanted him to fall into despair and devastation, but he made the biggest comeback and became the village chief of Stone Village. He led everyone into making more money and could soon unleash vengeance on Hill City. If Ethan found out that he had grown so powerful, the man would lose his mind. George asked, “Are you talking about Ethan?” Nico asked, “Do you know where he is? Ethan helped us a lot, and without him, there wouldn’t be a Stone Village. I want to thank him in person. Can you tell me where he is?” George sighed at Nico’s request. He could not understand why everyone missed Ethan so much. “He’s in Drakthorn Ridge, but you won’t be seeing him.”Nico marked down the location nonetheless. George left the village after he was done verifying the e
Bang! Nico slammed the table. “Anyone can tell me to let go of the past but you! Have you forgotten who made me kill my own brother? Who caused my parents’ illness and who made my wife leave? Who made me lose everything?” He regretted not bringing a gun, or else he would be pointing it at Ethan’s head. Ethan took a sip of tea calmly. “You’re wrong.” “I’m wrong?” Nico looked at him with his eyes widened. “You’re Lars Wyatt’s accomplice and helped him hurt a lot of people. You haven’t taken any lives, but what you did earned you at least ten years behind bars. “Since your old parents helped us before and they couldn’t afford to lose two sons at once, plus the fact that you have a son, I gave you a chance to redeem yourself. Your brother noticed it. That’s why he made you kill him. “Lars chose death not just because he wants to give you all the credit. He also wanted to protect you. Only with his death, you wouldn’t be exposed.” Nico’s eyes widened in shock. Ethan look
Tommy looked at Ethan in shock. He heard about what happened from his father but hearing it from Ethan in person felt different. He knew what his uncle had done in the past. “Uncle Lars got what he deserved. As for my grandparents and mother, they just have to be. It’s fate.” “Fate?” Ethan muttered. After a few rounds of questions, he got a general idea of Tommy’s personality. Unlike his father, the boy could still be saved. “I won’t stop your father, but I can give you two pieces of advice. “First, collect evidence of his crimes and give them to Stephen Quinn. Though you might not be able to fool your father and after today, you won’t get the chance to leave Stone Village again.” Once Nico realized his son was missing, he would go looking for the boy. When he found out that his son went to Ethan’s place, Tommy would surely be grounded. It was not just because Tommy had met Ethan but also because Tommy knew too much. “Second piece of advice: cut ties with your father and br
Nico gnashed his teeth, thinking that his plan for revenge could not drag on any further. When he met with Ethan earlier, Ethan showed no signs of panic, which meant the man might have some backup plan in place. That was why Nico decided that he had to strike first!Nico called the villagers over and asked, “Do you think you’ve made enough money?”Everyone shook their heads. Who would ever complain about making more money? However, that was exactly the answer Nico was looking for. He said, “I have a way to make money quickly. A lot of these out-of-town companies have been leasing orchards and farms around here. The fruit’s ripe, and the animals are fully grown.“You should gather villagers from other villages to pick their fruits and take their animals. Those fruit and animals could be sold for a lot of money!”The villagers’ eyes lit up at the suggestion.“That’s a good idea.”“We’re locals, and these companies are from out of town. They can’t do anything to us.”“We’ll go