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After being stunned for a moment by Hyperion's words, the Ice Witch seemed to come to her senses. She smiled and sighed, then gave the book in her hand to Hyperion, telling her that she could read it if she felt bored on the way to the Northwestern Province.
"No matter what the result is in more than a month, when I see you again, I will arrange a ship for you to return to the South Continent. So, come back safely, and may the goddess bless you."
The Ice Witch turned to look at the statue of the goddess and prayed devoutly for Hyperion.
"thank you teacher."
Hyperion looked at the Ice Witch deeply, put away the magic cards and books she gave her, bowed to her and said her final goodbye, then turned and walked towards the exit of the hall.
Her steps were steady but with a hint of reluctance. The temple corridors on both sides were supported by snow-white stone pillars. Between every two stone pillars there was a crystal floor lamp emitting warm yellow light. It was peaceful and tranquil, as if bidding her farewell.
Hyperion walked slowly along this road.
Although I have been here many times, I still feel a little reluctant when it comes time to leave.
It was here that she became a clergyman, made many like-minded friends, and hoped to protect this beautiful pure land.
Finally, Hyperion reached the gate of the temple, pushed open the heavy carved metal door, and a beam of bright sunlight instantly shone on her face.
In the slightly dazzling field of vision, the trees were gleaming in the midday sun, and the new leaves were green, as if reporting to her the arrival of spring.
The temple appears exceptionally clean on this early spring day. In the flower beds on both sides, flower buds have already blossomed, and the petals sway gently in the breeze, emitting a faint fragrance.
Next, the road to the Protos Empire that he was going to was full of thorns and would no longer be so beautiful.
But she was ready.
After this period of practice, I have learned to be as calm as water.
When I see Lanqi again, no matter how abstract he is this time, I won't have any emotional ups and downs.
Hyperion walked out of the temple with great anticipation.
Chapter 324 Governor Ranchi is serving the people
At the same time, it was also a bright afternoon in the Snowfield Province of the Protoss Empire, thousands of miles away from the capital of the Kingdom of Aethertalan, Gedalia.
The city wall has stood firm after years of baptism, and it contains the profound historical heritage of Kingston City. A group of people are slowly walking along the road on the city wall.
In the front center of the team, a man in a suit stood with his hands behind his back. The sunlight shone on his body, casting a golden glow on his figure.
He was full of thoughts and often looked into the distance. He walked steadily and powerfully, as if he was feeling the pulse of the earth.
A group of city-state lords followed him. Although some of them were originally authoritative figures in the local area, they all became respectful in front of the Governor at this moment.
"High-quality development is the top priority in the comprehensive construction of our Xueyuan Province."
Lanqi is conducting intensive local inspections and investigations and is making a series of important deployments.
The subordinates around him nodded respectfully, their eyes always fixed on Lanqi's shoulder or back, ready to answer his questions or instructions at any time.
Sometimes, they would lower their heads slightly to reflect on themselves, or avoid making peripheral eye contact with their leaders.
As early as noon two hours ago, the Governor had held a brief meeting with these lords in the City Hall of Kingston. In the meeting room, Lanqi listened to the work report in detail and gave a series of valuable suggestions.
He first affirmed the work of the Snowfield Province in the past year and said that it was the result of the hard work of all the staff. Then, he elaborated on the strategic position of the Snowfield Province in the Protoss Empire and the responsibilities it assumed.
He pointed out that the geographical location of the Snowfield Province determines that it has huge potential in ecological protection and tourism development. Therefore, the development plan must adhere to the principles of public security stability and ecological priority. While resolutely eradicating the ghost party, it is necessary to ensure that the local ecological environment is not damaged and maintain sustainable development.
Lanqi emphasized that the future development of the Snowfield Province must be based on local resources and characteristics, and should actively guide funds and technology to be invested in the corresponding infrastructure construction. At the same time, he also required that departments at all levels in the Snowfield Province strengthen cooperation with the city-states, learn from advanced experience, and strive to improve local operational efficiency and management level.
He finally expressed his belief that with the joint efforts of all the people in the Snowfield Province, the Snowfield Province will surely become a region with both ecological beauty and economic vitality, and make due contributions to the development of the Protoss Empire.
However, the Governor's attitude remained serious.
But every well-thought-out and critical opinion made the local lords deeply aware of their problems and made positive guarantees.
Now, after the meeting, several lords still accompanied Lanqi and walked on the city wall of Kingston.
Finally discussed the work details with him.
"...I don't plan to stay in the Snowfield Province for too long. I will leave after I finish my work plan. The next time we meet should be in the imperial capital Helrom."
Lanqi only planned to stay in the Snowfield Province for one or two days at most, and then continue to the Northern Border Province where the journey was even longer.
As the magic rail train has not yet been restored and without considering the bad weather, it may take several days to travel from the Snowfield Province to the Northern Border Province.
Lanci needed to make sure he could return to the imperial capital of Helrom before mid-April.
Then, in late April, will come the long-awaited election of bishops.
The lords and nobles around him all have the qualifications to attend the House of Lords and a powerful vote.
Sigrid got a lot of votes again. She is very happy now. She said that all the favorability points that were deducted from Sid before have been added back to Lanqi, and asked him to keep up the efforts and make Sid a happy girl.
Of course, if Ranch is elected to the House of Commons, he will also have one vote, and the votes in the House of Commons have a relatively higher weight.
The House of Commons of the Protoss Empire has an advantage in the division of powers and has the right to discuss many bills first. The House of Lords, which is composed of nobles, has only the right to postpone the approval of bills for one month and is only responsible to the House of Commons.
The lords followed Lanqi like bodyguards. When they heard that he would leave soon, they looked at each other with worry.
Finally, some hesitated to ask their biggest concerns.
"Governor McCarthy, may I ask what should we do about the Ghost Party after you leave?"
If Governor Rocky McCarthy were there to direct them to wipe out the Ghost Party at any time, they would certainly feel very relieved.
But if the governor left, even if the governor had divided the agenda for them before he left, they didn't know whether they could coordinate and implement it well, or whether they could deal with the Ghost Party in a timely and effective manner.
When it comes to actual implementation, everyone may bargain over interests as much as possible, and ultimately choose an implementation plan that maximizes their own interests, thus abandoning the optimal solution for the group's interests.
"The urgent issue of dealing with criminals in the Snow Region has been delayed for so long. I personally think it is because you have not yet reached an agreement on the costs and benefits."
Lanqi stopped, exhaled a puff of mist, and said.
He had not disclosed the strategic plan in the meeting room before, and he was indeed preparing to brief several leaders at this moment.
"..."
The other lords all stopped and followed in embarrassment.
The root cause of the problem was pointed out so accurately that they were speechless.
"Of course I don't mean to blame you... I just think that exercising justice should never be a negative benefit."
Lanqi straightened his back, his eyes swept across the snowy plain ahead, his deep voice echoing in the cold air.
"Change your thinking. Don't you think the cost is too high? Then we need to increase the revenue and drive everyone to do good things."
"But...how can we increase the profits from catching the Ghost Party?"
A city-state lord took a step forward in confusion and asked.
This is undoubtedly the most troublesome thing for them.
Suppressing bandits requires a lot of actual financial and human resources, and the achievements gained are not worth mentioning. The lords could not reach an agreement, and the biggest problem was the contribution of funds and manpower.
And at this moment, the Governor actually told them that there was a way to increase the profits from suppressing bandits?
If it is feasible, it may directly solve their predicament fundamentally.
"Issue an official letter."
Lanqi glanced back calmly and instructed.
"Official letter?"
Lanqi nodded and continued:
"From now on, all prisoners in the city-state prisons in the Snow Plain Province will work in the world outside the high walls under proper supervision and engage in various public undertakings. They will learn the value of honest labor, and at the same time, they will provide services to the community and contribute to the vast number of taxpayers."
"?!"
Upon hearing this, the other lords were all stunned.
Although the Protoss Empire had demon slaves, even converting criminals into slaves required complicated registration, review, and certification procedures, and the costs of contracts and restrictive magic were considerable.
However, the regulations do not prohibit the use of prisoners in prisons for "rental labor work."
And the definition of this "job" is quite vague.
In this vast snowy province, with material resources as plentiful as you want, as long as there are enough cold-resistant laborers, money will come rolling in like a flood!
This is not about arresting criminals, it is simply about trafficking criminals!
Chapter 325: Lanqi and Imperial Prison Campus Cooperation Project
"We must do our best to capture the criminals of the Ghost Party and effectively and efficiently train them into a negative-cost labor force. Then we will implement this mechanism to increase the city-state's production capacity and issue a bounty based on the value of the prisoners. When powerful adventurers and mercenaries in our province and other provinces see us doing this, they will also become bounty hunters and even compete to enforce justice."
Lanqi raised his hand and pointed to the snowy area in the distance, and gave instructions to several lords.
"Human desires are like rolling stones on a mountain. Once they start, they can never be stopped. Actual benefits are more useful than anything else. From the beginning, I felt that the game of interests between you was unnecessary."
It's obvious that they could have made it a good thing that would make everyone happy, but they just couldn't think straight and kept competing with each other.
Lanqi couldn't understand why these people were doing this.
"..."
The others lowered their heads and dared not say a word, fearing that the goddess was watching them.
He felt that their previous rivalry was more like that of a human being than what the Governor said.
This man was a war criminal during the war years.
But they dare not say it.
And after I had passed the test of conscience...
I really think it's worth a try.
Both the lords and the local people have suffered from the Ghost Party for a long time.
What’s more…if it can be made to work, regardless of the inhumanity, the profits might actually be positive!
“What about the specific legal and operational risks?”
The lords asked with concern.
They have no control over inmates who are too strong or too many, and the cost of accommodating them in prisons is extremely high.