Chapter 299: Chapter 298: When Impoverished, Care for Oneself; When Successful, Aid the World (Please Subscribe)
For Awakeners, the importance of Spiritual Power is self-evident.
After all, sometimes what they lack is not the imagination to control superpowers, but the ability itself.
Without sufficient Spiritual Power, no matter how good the idea is, it’s useless. A clever housewife cannot cook without rice. With sufficient Spiritual Power, even if the method of application remains the same, the power cannot be comparable.
With greater power, naturally, one becomes a C-level, B-level Awakener.
But obviously, improving Spiritual Power is not an easy task. The "Moon Observation Technique" in the Cultivation Association is a good method, but the problem is that everyone’s comprehension is different.
Some people may enter the beginner level within one or two months, achieve small success in less than half a year, or even reach entering the hall.
For others, half a year might pass, and they are only just beginning. Small success remains out of reach.
The latter situation is the most common. Even with guidance, how much can be understood depends on one’s own aptitude. Not to mention, who has the time to guide you if they are not close to you? Wouldn’t using that time on oneself be better?
In comparison, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like the Celestial God Fruit, which can directly enhance Spiritual Power, are what many Awakeners dream of obtaining.
Unfortunately, the price is too high.
One Celestial God Fruit costs fifty thousand points!
For the vast majority of Awakeners in the Association, let alone coming up with fifty thousand points, even five thousand points would be rare.
Yet the person in front of him was saying he would use a Celestial God Fruit as a reward?
"What, you don’t believe it?"
Chen Fan glanced at him and asked.
"I believe, I believe."
Hua Jun quickly nodded, with a smile on his face, but it was obvious that he was being somewhat insincere.
Seeing this, Chen Fan was too lazy to explain. When the time came, he would directly take out a Celestial God Fruit and place it before these people. They would believe without a doubt and willingly serve him.
"Besides this matter, there’s one more thing I need you to do."
"Please, President, speak."
"How many people are currently in Anshan City?"
"About one hundred thousand. If you include the people in the two villages outside the city, it might be one hundred and twenty thousand," said Hua Jun.
"One hundred and twenty thousand..."
Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked, "How many people can Anshan City hold at most?"
"Huh?"
Hua Jun was taken aback, seemingly not understanding why Chen Fan suddenly asked this question.
But he quickly responded and thought seriously, "Accommodating two hundred thousand people should not be a problem."
"Two hundred thousand?"
Chen Fan was a little surprised.
He initially thought that the people outside the city were there because there wasn’t enough space inside the city.
Now it seemed that it wasn’t that simple?
"Vice President, since Anshan City can accommodate two hundred thousand people, why is it only half full?"
"This..."
Hua Jun hesitated and said, "President, this is the City Lord’s Mansion’s order. On one hand, fewer people make it easier to manage, and those inside live more comfortably.
On the other hand, it’s to raise the threshold. Like the people of the two villages outside, they are actually of no value."
"Of no value?"
Chen Fan looked at him expressionlessly.
"Yes, President."
Hua Jun nodded and said, "Those people are mostly ordinary people. Only a few are martial artists, and most of them are still at the Body Tempering and Muscle Refining Realm. Whether we have them or not makes no difference.
So, Anshan City won’t let them live inside. Occasionally giving them some benefits to make them contribute to Anshan City is enough.
If someone reaches the Entry Force Realm, only then do they qualify to reside in Anshan City. This is why, although Anshan City can accommodate two hundred thousand people, it’s only half full now.
Of course, if they are Awakeners, it’s different. President, you might not know, but if two Awakeners combine, their offspring are highly likely to also be Awakeners. This makes the value of ordinary people even lower."
As Hua Jun spoke, the smile on his face gradually solidified.
Because he noticed that the look in the President’s eyes had become much colder.
"Pres-President, did I say something wrong?" he stammered, feeling a bit aggrieved.
Because these thoughts were not his alone, almost all Awakeners thought this way.
Chen Fan retracted his gaze and looked forward, "I’ll overlook it this time. But next time, I don’t want to hear such words coming from your mouth again."
"Yes, yes."
Hua Jun nodded quickly, changing the topic, "President, you mentioned earlier that you needed me to do something?"
"Survey the vacant land in the city and move the people from outside into the city."
"What?"
Hua Jun was dumbfounded, almost doubting his own ears.
"What, you don’t understand what I’m saying?" Chen Fan looked at him coldly.
"I-I understand, but, but..." Hua Jun couldn’t help but ask, "Why?"
To him, this seemed completely unnecessary.
They were just a bunch of ordinary people, right?
"No reason, just do as I say."
Chen Fan’s tone was cold.
Soon, the Beast Tide would erupt. Even the seemingly impenetrable Anshan City had a risk of being destroyed, not to mention the two camps outside and other villages.
Therefore, he had to start making preparations in advance, moving the people outside into the city.
The reason was simple: as the saying goes, "if one can keep themselves safe in troubled times, they should help the world when prosperous." Now that he had the ability and knew that an unprecedented Beast Tide was about to break out, doing nothing would make him no better than a beast.
As for why he didn’t explain to Hua Jun, it was also simple: first, Hua Jun’s thoughts were deeply rooted, and no amount of explanation could change his mind. Second, as the stronger one, he needed to demonstrate his authority in such matters.
"Yes, yes."
Sure enough, Hua Jun nodded repeatedly, although he soon hesitated as if he had something to say.
"What, is there a problem?" Chen Fan frowned.
"Yes, there’s some difficulty."
Hua Jun smiled wryly:
"First, the vast majority of the land is in the hands of the City Lord’s Mansion and Awakeners. It’s easier to deal with those within our association, but as for the City Lord’s Mansion..."
He looked embarrassed.
When Yan Ming was around, the City Lord’s Mansion and the Association were like one entity. As a result, the people there were very familiar with them.
Going to ask them for land would not only be very embarrassing but also challenging.
"What do they need so much land for?"
Chen Fan glanced at him, "Buy it from them at a normal price, and the expenses will be on me. If,"
He paused, a cold gleam in his eyes, "if they refuse the offer or extort excessively, expel them from the city."
"Also, if anyone inside the city is dissatisfied and instigates trouble, warn them the first time, and expel them the second time. If there are orchestrators behind the scenes, execute them without mercy."
"Yes!"
Hua Jun swallowed hard.
The President was indeed thorough, even considering the possibility of incitement.
The residents inside were mostly ordinary people. They wouldn’t hesitate to take action.
But the City Lord’s Mansion...
He sighed inwardly.
As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings new officials," with Yan Ming gone, Anshan City naturally depended on strength for rule.
Although the President was only the head of the Association, it was clear that the City Lord’s Mansion needed a change. His words made sense, too.
Those people, not even a hundred in total, occupied more than half of Anshan City’s land. They couldn’t even use it and just let it waste away. The President was already reasonable for wanting to buy it.
He hoped this matter would go smoothly.
Although he didn’t quite understand what the motive was for bringing the ordinary people inside.
"This matter must be completed quickly, understand?"
"Yes, President, I’ll arrange it immediately," Hua Jun said quickly.
"Alright."
Chen Fan thought for a moment, "For now, that’s all. If you encounter any trouble that you can’t handle during the process, you can notify me."
"Understood."
Hua Jun bowed and walked out.
Upon closing the door, he let out a long sigh of relief.
He had to admit, the aura emanating from the President was too strong—stronger than the former President or even City Lord Yan Ming.
He dared not speak loudly in the President’s presence.
On the positive side, this showed the President’s strength. With him guarding Anshan City, they might withstand the Beast Tide.
But...
Hua Jun scratched his head.
The tasks he had been given were somewhat puzzling.
"Never mind, I’ll just carry them out faithfully. Assigning land for the cultivation of herbs is straightforward, but the land issue..." he sighed, "I hope they understand the situation."
He shook his head and walked downstairs.
Sitting in his office, Chen Fan tapped his fingers on the table.
"The people in the villages also need to be brought over quickly, including those from other places. The capacity of twenty thousand might seem large, but it’s not much. Also, huddling defensively in the city isn’t a long-term strategy."
His brow furrowed at the thought.
With the population increasing by tens of thousands, aspects like food, water, sanitation, and security need to be managed. Fortunately, he had enough people under him to handle these tasks.
The main concern was whether they could withstand the upcoming Beast Tide.
According to Meng Xue, this Beast Tide would be fiercer than the one ten years ago. So even surviving the first wave wouldn’t mean safety, as there would be subsequent waves...
Unless they could kill the Beast Emperors among the Fierce Beasts, it was unlikely that the Beast Tide would subside.
"I wonder how the S-Class Awakeners will perform this time. Relying on others is foolish. To survive, I must strive even harder," Chen Fan’s eyes gleamed with determination.