Chapter 171: 140, want to be the boss
Henry had already learned about the recent events in Rubbish Town.
He was also an agent; the meeting should have provided a place for him. Being busy outside, one of his subordinates had to attend in his stead.
His subordinate had informed him of the situation and was one of those who had kept quiet at the time.
Martial law was of course a good thing, preventing the situation from further deterioration, preventing those agents and traders from fleeing with supplies and a large number of adventurers.
If it lasted too long, it would surely become uncontrollable. Rubbish Town, lacking a centralized power structure, didn’t support the continuation of such strict policies for long.
But despite that, he still felt it was somewhat miraculous.
When he re-established communication with Swan, he couldn’t wait to ask, “Was the martial law order really passed so easily?”
“Ha, do you think it was easy?” Although he said this, Swan’s voice was steady, yet with a hint of pride, “I had contacted many agents close to me who have industries in Rubbish Town in advance. Passed, that’s how it had such an effect.”
Henry noticed a subtle shift in Mr. Swan’s attitude towards him: the personage, whose status was far above his own, seemed to be trying to befriend him, and the tone of his speech was attempting to become more intimate.
It wasn’t exactly flattering, but at least it was an overture of friendship.
It was because he had aligned himself with the governor before Swan did that Mr. Swan needed to befriend him, to make it easier to speak in the future…
Thinking of all the twists and turns involved, Henry couldn’t help feeling somewhat smug.
Curbing this minor smugness, Henry continued with the previous topic: “Then… wouldn’t this push Nasr into a corner, making him desperate?”
“There’s that possibility.” Swan said, “But the situation should be controllable.”
“How so? Those agents with industries should oppose it when they hear that the governor wants to reclaim the whole of Rubbish Town and implement the New Alliance system here. Their industries will be repossessed, right? On the contrary, it would seem that those without fixed assets would be relatively less opposed to the governor.”
Swan, unusually patient, explained the situation in Rubbish Town: “It seems that way on the surface, but with your intelligence, you should think deeper. We who have assets are truly the ones who cannot run. If we run, what else do we have? Nothing. We don’t have enough resources or even enough people to obey our commands; attempting to become raiders would only make us a minor force.”
“Even if the governor confiscates all assets when he comes, I’ve carefully examined your policies. Those assets, once repossessed, won’t just be abandoned, will they? They would need to be restarted. And we who once owned them, at least understand these industries, so why couldn’t we switch from being business owners to factory managers? As a manager, according to the 45-level rating, that should be higher than that of an ordinary worker or clerk, right?”
“Being a manager who has to report to the so-called Alliance Production Department, and doesn’t own the produced goods, certainly isn’t as satisfying as being a real owner. But your policies can guarantee a lower limit, allowing people to live a steady, decent life. Believe me, just that is enough to attract quite a few agents who don’t want to live in constant fear.”
“Moreover, what room do we have to refuse? Either Rubbish Town is destroyed and becomes nothing, or one goes from being an agent to a factory manager, a member of the management staff—many people would make this choice.”
“On the other hand, those without assets are the ones who cannot accept the arrival of the governor. After the governor arrives, will he continue to allow large numbers of armed forces to remain in their control? Once all production is allocated by the New Alliance Government, can they still profit from buying and selling goods? Taking the chance with enough manpower while one still can, having guns and people, where can’t they carve out a domain for themselves? Even as raiders, they would be the leaders, living luxuriously, with people at their command. They are the ones who are least willing to stay within the governor’s system.”
Henry listened thoughtfully.
Swan paused, with more to say:
“For us, the proprietors, the only real point of concern is the situation of those who had assets in the past in Revival City. Many are most afraid of surrendering their assets, only to be liquidated in the end, as was the case with the large executions before the governor’s speech in Revival City. Frankly, that set a very bad precedent; your… our governor took harsh measures to quickly take control of the city, but it was a very, very bad start.”
With these words, Swan revealed his stance and concerns to Henry, who had clearly sided with the governor.
Henry also understood that he was seeking assurances from the governor through himself.
But this insurance… Henry felt he couldn’t provide it.
And he didn’t need to provide it.
He responded, “If you really understood the situation of those who were executed back then, you would know they got what they deserved. They killed the old council president Hodgson, who had supported the governor; they tried to violently prevent the governor from entering Revival City; they colluded with the Cult… For these crimes, they deserved to die. The situation is different between Rubbish Town and Revival City. If you can bring the whole city under the governor’s command and actively help the governor restore production afterward, without hatching any more schemes, then why should you worry about those baseless concerns?”