Meanwhile, thousands of li away from Gedaria, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Asethelan, it was also a bright afternoon in the Snowfield Province of the Protos Empire.
Weathered by the passage of time, the city walls still stood firm, steeped in the deep historical heritage of Chinston City, as a procession moved slowly along the walkway atop the ramparts.
At the very center of the group's forefront, a man in a suit had his hands clasped behind his back. The sunlight bathed him, rimming his figure in a golden sheen.
His thoughts seemed boundless, his gaze frequently drifting into the distance, his strides steady and forceful as though sensing the very pulse of the earth.
A host of city-state lords flanked him on either side. Though some were figures of formidable authority in their respective domains, in the presence of His Excellency the Governor at this moment, every one of them was deference itself.
"High-quality development is the paramount task in the comprehensive construction of our Snowfield Province."
Lanqi was conducting an intensive local inspection tour, laying down a series of vital deployments.
The surrounding subordinates nodded respectfully, their gazes fixed attentively on Lanqi's shoulder or back, primed at every second to receive his questions or directives.
Now and then, they would slightly lower their heads in self-reflection, or perhaps simply to avoid catching the periphery of their leader's gaze.
Two hours earlier, at noon, the governor had already convened a brief meeting with these lords in the city hall of Chinston City. In the conference room, Lanqi had listened closely to their work reports and offered a series of invaluable insights.
First, he affirmed the achievements of the Snowfield Province over the past year, attributing them to the collective hard work of everyone involved. Subsequently, he elaborated at length on the strategic position the Snowfield Province held within the Protos Empire and the responsibilities it bore.
He pointed out that the geographic location of the Snowfield Province endowed it with immense potential for both ecological conservation and tourism development. Therefore, the development plan had to adhere to the principles of maintaining public security and giving priority to ecology; while resolutely eradicating the Spectre Party, they had to ensure that the local ecological environment remained unharmed and sustainable development was preserved.
Lanqi emphasized that the future growth of the Snowfield Province had to be rooted in its local resources and unique characteristics. Capital and technology should be actively steered toward relevant infrastructure projects. At the same time, he urged departments at all levels across the province to strengthen cooperation among the city-states, learn from advanced practices, and strive to elevate local operational efficiency and managerial standards.
In conclusion, he expressed his confidence that through the joint efforts of all the people of the Snowfield Province, it would surely become a region of both ecological beauty and economic vitality, making its due contribution to the development of the Protos Empire.
Though the governor's demeanor had remained solemn throughout, every single one of his thoroughly considered and incisive observations had made the local lords acutely aware of their shortcomings, prompting them to offer earnest pledges.
Now that the meeting had adjourned, several lords still accompanied Lanqi along the ramparts of Chinston City, discussing the finer points of the work with him one last time.
"...I do not intend to stay in the Snowfield Province for long. Once the work plan is finalized, I will take my leave. The next time we meet will likely be in the Imperial Capital, Herrom."
Lanqi planned to stay in the Snowfield Province for at most another day or two before continuing onward toward the even more distant Northern Border Province.
With the mana rail train not yet restored, and even setting aside foul weather, traveling from the Snowfield Province to the Northern Border Province could take several days.
Lanqi needed to ensure he returned to the Imperial Capital, Herrom, before mid-April.
At that time, in late April, the long-prepared bishop election would take place.
The lord-nobles beside him all held the right to attend the House of Lords, possessing votes of substantial weight.
Having secured quite a few votes for Sigrid, she was currently quite pleased, declaring that all the affection points Side had previously lost had now been restored to Lanqi, and urging him to keep up the good work and make Side a happy girl.
Naturally, if Lanqi secured a seat in the House of Commons through recommendation and election, he too would possess a vote—and votes in the House of Commons held comparatively greater weight.
In the division of powers within the Protos Empire, the House of Commons held the upper hand, having the right of primary consideration over most bills; the House of Lords, composed of nobles, held only the power to delay passage for one month, and was itself answerable only to the House of Commons.
The lords trailed Lanqi closely like retainers. Hearing that he would soon depart, they exchanged worried glances.
In the end, they somewhat hesitantly raised the question that troubled them most:
"Governor McCarthy, what should we do about the Spectre Party after you leave?"
If Governor Luoqi McCarthy were present in person to direct their suppression of the Spectre Party at a moment's notice, they would naturally feel completely at ease.
Yet if the governor left, even if he laid out guidelines before departing, they had no idea whether they could coordinate and execute them properly, or respond to the Spectre Party in a timely and effective manner.
When the time came for actual implementation, conflicts of interest would likely arise once more, leading each to adopt whatever plan maximized their individual interests and discard the optimal solution for the collective good.
"For such an urgent issue as dealing with criminals in the snowfield to have dragged on for so long, I personally believe the root cause lies in your failure to agree on costs and returns," Lanqi paused and breathed out a puff of white mist as he spoke.
Earlier in the meeting room, he had refrained from unveiling the strategic plan publicly, fully intending to explain it to these leaders right now.
"..."
The other lords stopped alongside him, looking somewhat abashed.
Having the root problem so incisively laid bare left them with nothing to say.
"Naturally, I do not mean to blame you... I merely believe that executing justice ought never to yield a negative return." Lanqi straightened his back, his weather-worn gaze sweeping across the snowfield before them, his deep voice echoing in the cold air: "Shift your mindset. Do you not all feel the costs are too high right now? Then what we must do is increase the returns, driving everyone to do good deeds."
"But... how can we increase the returns on capturing the Spectre Party?" one city-state lord stepped forward in bewilderment and asked.
This was undoubtedly the thing that gave them the greatest headache.
Suppressing bandits required immense sums of practical funds and manpower, yet the merits gained were negligible. The biggest sticking point among the lords had always been who contributed the money and effort.
And now, the governor was telling them there was a way to increase the returns from bandit suppression?
If this were truly feasible, it might resolve their dilemma at its very core.
"Issue an official notice," Lanqi instructed, glancing back faintly.
"An official notice?"
Lanqi nodded and continued: "Starting today, all inmates serving sentences in the city-state prisons across the Snowfield Province, under proper supervision, shall work in the world beyond the high walls, engaging in various public works. They will learn the value of honest labor while providing services to the community and contributing to the broad taxpaying populace."
"?!"
Hearing this, the other lords froze in complete disbelief.
Although the Protos Empire had demon race slaves, even converting criminals into slaves involved complex registration, vetting, and certification procedures, not to mention the substantial costs of applying contracts and restrictive magic.
Yet within the statutes, there was indeed no prohibition against putting prison inmates to work in "leased labor."
Furthermore, the definition of this "work" was rather ambiguous.
In a vast Snowfield Province where raw materials and resources were virtually limitless, as long as there was sufficient cold-resistant laborer manpower, wealth would roll in like a tidal wave!
This wasn't arresting criminals at all—this was outright trafficking criminals!
Chapter 323