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Flower Capital, on the streets.
"The Daimyos are dead, all of them are dead!"
"Who did it?"
"Didn't the newspaper say?"
"Stabbed in the back, committed suicide!"
"There's such a way to die?"
"Who knows."
"I heard the new Shogun is a girl!"
"I heard that too, seems like the daughter of Lord Kaido."
"Ah, what a sin!"
Over several days, the big news in Wano Country came one after another, truly shocking the people of various villages. It wasn't this exciting even when Kozuki Oden died.
Not only the Shogun, but all the Daimyo of each village died.
Good news, Orochi is dead.
Bad news, a pirate became the Shogun!
Good news, the Daimyo are also dead.
Bad news, pirates became the Daimyo!
Shogun Yamato, Hakumai Daimyo Daichi, Ringo Daimyo Aomushi, Kuri Daimyo Shiroken, Udon Daimyo Akasuzume, Kibi Daimyo Chairone.
With daily newspapers, the people's moods went up and down like a roller coaster, making them even more anxious about the future.
Orochi Castle, workers were repairing it.
The drafty Shogun's office.
Daichi sat at his desk, reviewing documents.
A new official starts with three fires. These past few days had truly exhausted him, with a mountain of matters to handle in each village.
Even his club members, under his arrangement, became Daimyo.
Yamato sat on the desk, her bare feet swinging back and forth, occasionally brushing against Daichi, trying to get his attention.
However, Daichi completely ignored her.
The girl couldn't hold back anymore.
"Daichi, I want to go to Hakumai!"
"What for in Hakumai?"
Daichi didn't even lift his head.
Yamato raised her arm expectantly.
"To work!"
"No."
Daichi mercilessly refused.
Now this girl was the Shogun. How could she go do rough work? If the common people saw her, they would surely gossip.
Yamato instantly wilted, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Hmph, you stingy fellow!"
"..."
Daichi's gaze shifted downwards, looking at the fair, tender feet constantly kicking his calf, black lines appearing on his forehead.
In two more months, the Beast Pirates expeditionary force would return to Wano Country. Seeing the drastic changes in Wano Country then, he wondered what kind of commotion they would cause.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
And the land development...
No, it's village development planning!
Even with great power, one couldn't take land without reason. That would inevitably cause great chaos and waste more time and energy.
Time was limited, efficiency was crucial.
"I will kick till you accept!"
"Stop it."
Daichi impatiently grabbed Yamato's feet, pressing them onto the table. They were smooth and fair, quite pretty.
Just a little sweaty.
It was strange if this girl's feet didn't smell a bit, as she was constantly on the move. Fortunately, she loved soaking in hot springs, and after washing, her whole body smelled fragrant.
Touching Yamato's feet, Daichi looked up at the sky.
It was still early, and he was a bit tired.
"Let's go, let's take a stroll in Hakumai."
"Eh?"
Yamato's eyes lit up.
Wahahaha, he must have been moved by this Shogun's persistence!
"Put on your shoes."
Daichi glared at Yamato in annoyance.
Hakumai Castle, construction site.
After the efforts of one thousand prisoners and nearly three months of construction, Hakumai Castle was beginning to take shape.
On both sides of the wide and orderly main road were all two-story shops, and many of them had already begun interior decoration.
The residential area was the same.
After the housing boom, ninety percent of the properties in Hakumai Castle had been sold, with the remaining properties not for sale.
They had to keep some in reserve.
Hakumai Castle, Daimyo's Residence.
"Shogun, Daichi."
Tonoyasu and Hyogoro bowed in greeting.
Since the pre-sale began, Daichi hadn't been to Hakumai for a long time. All the work during this period had been his responsibility.
Daichi nodded slightly and sat down.
"Bring the sales ledger and the construction progress of Hakumai Castle."
"Understood."
Tonoyasu immediately produced the ledger. Knowing Daichi was coming, he had prepared these ledgers in advance.
"Sir, all the money is in the storeroom."
"Mm."
Daichi flipped through the ledger.
The first phase of residential housing built totaled five thousand units, with a target of building ten thousand units, capable of accommodating fifty thousand residents.
This was almost the limit for Hakumai Castle.
Wano Country had a limited population, and its industrialization process was far behind, making it impossible to build skyscrapers. The residential houses were all terraced villas.
Adding up the shops and such, there were also about five hundred units, and depending on their size and price, they were collectively worth a lot of money.
"Residential houses sold for 150,000 gold pieces, shops sold for 100,000 gold pieces, totaling 250,000 gold pieces."
Daichi looked at the figures on the ledger, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.
Compared to the cost, it had at least quintupled, and most of this 250,000 gold pieces was down payments. The final profit would double again.
Furthermore, the fertile land surrounding Hakumai Castle would also be a significant source of income, and these fertile lands were not for sale, only for rent.
Hehehe~~
All the common people would have to work for him!
"Roads, fertile land, sewage…"
Daichi continued to flip through, his smile unchanging.
It had entered the final stage, and even the prisoners' workload had decreased by more than half, with even time for lunch breaks.
Daichi looked at Hyogoro.
"How are the prisoners doing?"
"Everything is normal."
Hyogoro hesitated, then said, "Before, some prisoners tried to escape. After catching them, I ordered one of their eyes to be dug out."
"...."
Daichi stared at Hyogoro, making Hyogoro nervous and sweaty.
Eye-gouging, hand-severing...
Typical yakuza methods.
Seemingly cruel, Hyogoro was actually saving their lives, otherwise, with the Beast Pirates' punishment for prisoners, attempting to escape would only lead to death.
"Don't let it happen again!"
"Thank you for your leniency, sir!"
Hyogoro breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew his thoughts couldn't be hidden from the man in front of him, but he simply couldn't bring himself to kill those poor prisoners.
Fortunately, his old face still had some use.
Daichi continued to inquire.
"How is the selection of excellent prisoners going?"
"As per your instructions, I have selected thirty excellent prisoners and given them the opportunity to work and earn money. Among them, twenty-three chose to stay."
Hyogoro sighed inwardly.
Behind the selection of excellent prisoners was actually the evil scheme of the man in front of him, designed to make the prisoners work even harder.
Those selected prisoners had long lost their families. Even if they gained freedom, they had no home to return to, and didn't even know how to live.
At this point, they could choose to stay. Not only was their freedom not restricted, but they could also earn wages like ordinary workers, even buy houses at low interest rates, and live in Hakumai in the future.
And they did exactly that.
Freedom, savings, home, future.
They suddenly had it all.
Under Daichi's secret arrangements, several excellent prisoners even married wives, all of whom were widows who had lost their husbands.
Such a beautiful scene made the other prisoners almost go mad with jealousy.
To become excellent prisoners and gain freedom and a bright future, most prisoners worked desperately, even competing with each other. Many prisoners even worked more than 15 hours a day, several times more than their workload at the Prisoner Mine.
Hyogoro gave a bitter smile.
As the chief foreman, he was afraid the prisoners would work themselves to death on the construction site, even though only a tiny fraction would gain freedom even if they worked until they died.
It was truly a terrifying open scheme.
Daichi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Keep the necessary prisoners, and send all the remaining prisoners to the various villages. New cities need them for construction!"
Can't let the prisoners rest!