The domain Li Chang’an was assigned was Cangxuan City, in the San Chuan River region of Linjiang.
Starting from his low-income housing, Li Chang’an took the Route 11 bus. After spending the better part of a day, he finally saw the silhouette of the towering city walls on the horizon as evening approached.
Cangxuan City was located in the heartland of Linjiang. Although it also suffered from Exotic Beast attacks every year, the intensity of these attacks was completely different for a city in the heartland compared to one on the frontier.
Frontier towns directly faced the Caves, and many people died each time an Exotic Beast Tide erupted.
Sometimes, during a particularly large Exotic Beast Tide, even the Reincarnators in charge of defending the town could be injured or killed.
But for a heartland city like Cangxuan City, the impact was much smaller. When a tide came, the force of the attack was often only half of what the outer regions experienced.
Moreover, in terms of both city scale and population, Cangxuan City ranked in the top five in all of Linjiang.
Furthermore, the San Chuan River flowed through Cangxuan City, and a large expanse of hills lay behind it, making it an excellent choice for both farming and mining.
If Li Chang’an hadn’t achieved an S-Level result on his first reincarnation, a newcomer Reincarnator like him wouldn’t have even been able to dream of being assigned to guard such a coveted city.
...
The dim yellow light of the setting sun pierced through the clouds, shining on Cangxuan City’s thick, ancient walls and casting a splendid golden glow.
Li Chang’an stopped and looked up to see that several dozen people had already gathered at the main gate below the city wall. They seemed to be waiting for something, their faces showing a hint of anxiety.
The moment Li Chang’an came into view, a stir went through the crowd.
After a moment, a tall woman wearing glasses walked over briskly. She extended her hand decisively and offered a professional smile. "You must be Lord Li, the Reincarnator Lord assigned to the San Chuan River region by Chairman Su?"
It was only then that Li Chang’an realized the crowd had gathered to welcome him. ’Good thing I only kept them waiting for half a day. Otherwise, this would have been a huge mess.’
Li Chang’an shook the woman’s hand, nodded, and asked, "And you are?"
The professional woman with the glasses smiled. "My name is Wang Miao. I am Chairman Su’s secretary and also a staff member of the Linjiang Reincarnator Association. I’m here to explain some important matters regarding the defense of the city. Also, at Chairman Su’s request, I’ve brought some gifts to celebrate Lord Li’s appointment to Cangxuan City..."
"My Lord, please follow me into the city first. I’ve already made all the arrangements. All that’s left are your decisions!"
’As expected of a secretary handpicked by Su Ruobing,’ Li Chang’an thought. ’Her interpersonal skills are impeccable.’ Wang Miao was very polite, yet her posture was neither servile nor overbearing.
Li Chang’an nodded and followed Wang Miao into Cangxuan City.
Upon entering the city, Li Chang’an noticed that both sides of the road had been cleared. For thirty meters, the way was lined with fully armed soldiers.
The common people of the city had been herded fifty meters away to watch from a distance, their gazes toward Li Chang’an filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
Clearly, they were very concerned about Li Chang’an, the new City Lord of Cangxuan City.
—And they had every reason to be.
For the common people of a town, a Reincarnator City Lord was an absolute master with the power of life and death.
If the City Lord assigned to defend the town was a responsible and powerful Reincarnator, the lives of the domain’s people might be a little easier; at least they wouldn’t have to live in constant fear.
But if the City Lord assigned to defend the town was a piece of trash with neither responsibility nor ability...
Then the people of that town were truly doomed. Not only would they have to endure exorbitant taxes, but they also couldn’t be sure of the Reincarnator’s protection when an Exotic Beast Tide arrived.
If they complained to the Reincarnator Association and their request to replace the City Lord was rejected, the town’s people might as well start planning for their next life, because the days to come would likely be worse than death.
...
When the surrounding populace saw Li Chang’an appear, accompanied by Wang Miao, their expressions immediately became complicated.
They didn’t know whether to feel happy or distressed.
They were happy because this City Lord was very young and had probably just become a Reincarnator. Most of these novice Lords still had a conscience and a sense of responsibility.
But that was also the problem.
He was so young, and therefore likely inexperienced and unreliable. Although Cangxuan City wasn’t on the frontier, it was populous and sprawling. Furthermore, it produced a type of Magic Crystal Ore that attracted some Exotic Beasts to attack. The Exotic Beast Tides it faced were not something a newcomer Reincarnator could handle alone!
It was conceivable that casualties from defending the city would inevitably increase as a result.
There was another point: for someone so young to be assigned to guard a major, lucrative city like Cangxuan City meant he might be one of those spoiled, second-generation Reincarnators.
For the town’s subjects, this also meant a future of extreme uncertainty...
’Still, compared to the last City Lord, who could only be described as insane, no matter how bad this new one is, he couldn’t possibly be that outrageous... right?’
This was the misery of being a common person in this world. Your life and death were not your own; you had to live completely at the mercy of others.
...
Enduring the incredibly complicated gazes of the surrounding crowd, Li Chang’an and Wang Miao soon arrived at the tallest building in the city.
Outside the building hung a huge plaque inscribed with the three words "City Lord’s Mansion," though the calligraphy was a bit sloppy...
And what made Li Chang’an want to complain the most was that the words "City Lord’s Mansion" were framed by a ring of LED lights. That wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was that several of the LEDs were broken.
From a distance, it was the kind of eyesore that would make someone with OCD want to kill themselves.
’Fuck, what kind of hellish aesthetic is this?’
Seeing him staring intently at the City Lord’s Mansion plaque, Wang Miao, who was walking ahead, stopped and patiently explained, "If I recall correctly, the previous City Lord of Cangxuan City was a lord who followed the Mechanical Modification Evolution Path. That lord’s aesthetic sense was a bit... well... Lord Li, if you don’t like it, you can have someone replace the plaque when you have time!"
’For someone as well-spoken as Wang Miao to be unable to find a single adjective to describe the previous City Lord’s bizarre taste, one could only imagine how outrageous he must have been.’
The corner of Li Chang’an’s mouth twitched, but he said nothing. In his heart, however, he was already itching to smash the City Lord’s Mansion plaque and replace it with a new one.
...
The two of them entered the City Lord’s Mansion and sat down.
Wang Miao took the initiative to speak. "Lord Li, I have to report back to Chairman Su today, so let’s keep things brief!"
"First, let me go over the important details about defending Cangxuan City!"
"You may have learned about this in the Reincarnator School, but there’s a big difference between reality and textbooks. Plus, every town is different. What I’m about to tell you is the accumulated wisdom of generations of Reincarnators who have defended this place. It won’t hurt to listen!"
Li Chang’an nodded.
Wang Miao paused for a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, "First, the previous City Lord of Cangxuan City collected a tax of one-third of all income, which is about 33%. This tax rate is extremely high, which is why Cangxuan City’s population has declined severely in recent years!"
"And that’s precisely why Chairman Su, after taking office, had him reassigned to the outer cities to defend the most arduous towns!"
’One-third? What kind of fucking genius comes up with that?’
Li Chang’an was stunned.
According to what he had learned at the Reincarnator School, an income tax of around fifteen percent was already considered quite high for a typical town.
’I can’t believe there was a super-genius who charged nearly double that.’
’Taking one-third... even the most ruthless slumlords weren’t that outrageous, were they?’
Wang Miao didn’t offer any personal opinions on the tax figures.
Instead, she looked down, pulled a file from a drawer, and handed it to Li Chang’an. "This is a report on Cangxuan City’s income and expenditures for the last three years. I haven’t looked at these numbers; it’s enough for you to get a general idea. For the specifics, you can hand it over to a private secretary you hire, or you could recruit a professional management team from the Reincarnator forums..."
Li Chang’an took the report from her and glanced over it. He had to admit that for one of Linjiang’s top-ranking cities, Cangxuan City’s annual tax revenue was quite substantial.
Even though the previous City Lord had played a good hand terribly, Cangxuan City still contributed a full five hundred thousand Rebirth Points in tax revenue for him annually.
As for expenditures...
Other than necessary maintenance on the city walls and the construction of some random junk in the City Lord’s Mansion, Cangxuan City had almost no expenses under the previous City Lord’s management.
’All income, no outgo. A regular Taotie.’
After skimming it for a few more moments, Li Chang’an put the file away.
Wang Miao continued, "Next is the matter concerning the Caves. An Exotic Beast Tide occurs roughly every three months, with a major tide once a year. Please be sure to schedule your cultivation and reincarnation times accordingly!"
"If a defended city falls, the Reincarnator responsible will face severe punishment from the Reincarnator Association. You are aware of this, I presume?!"
Li Chang’an nodded, indicating he understood.
Only then did Wang Miao stand up, adjust her glasses, and smile. "In that case, my official duties are complete. Chairman Su is quite busy and didn’t have time to greet you personally, so she entrusted me with delivering some gifts to you, My Lord..."
As she spoke, she clapped her hands.
Immediately, someone pulled a horse-drawn carriage to a stop at the entrance.
Walking to the doorway and looking into the carriage, he saw it was filled to the brim with plump, distinct grains of rice, along with a variety of fruits and vegetables that emanated a strange fragrance.
While gesturing for the driver to unload the items from the carriage, Wang Miao explained, "These are all Spiritual Objects from an Upper-Grade Spiritual Field. Not only are they delicious, but they also contain a large amount of Energy that can be digested by Reincarnators. There are three thousand jin here in total. A small token of our goodwill!"
At this, Wang Miao smiled and added teasingly in a low voice, "I’ve been Chairman Su’s secretary for almost three years now, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen her give a gift to a man!"
’Three thousand jin of high-grade Spiritual Objects... This was a luxury that many veteran Reincarnators couldn’t even afford. On the market, it would be worth at least three hundred thousand Rebirth Points. To use this to win over a fledgling newcomer like him was definitely a grand gesture.’
Li Chang’an said, "Please thank Chairman Su for me!"
After a few more words of polite conversation, Wang Miao didn’t linger and quickly departed.
After she left, Li Chang’an eagerly returned to the entrance of the City Lord’s Mansion, sent a flying kick at the shabby plaque, and shattered it. Only then did he let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He glanced at the maidservant who was following closely behind him and said, "Find someone to replace this with an antique-style plaque for me. I want something with class, something that makes a statement. And take down all those ridiculous LED lights in the city. Throw them as far away as you can!"
He paused here, his tone softening slightly as he continued, "Also, go to the recruitment office in the city and post a notice. I need to hire a secretary with management skills!"
A new broom sweeps clean.
While Li Chang’an didn’t have that many grand schemes, now that this city was his territory, he naturally had to decorate it properly.
’At the very least, it can’t be an offense to my own eyes.’
...