Game World: I Can Share Talents

Chapter 132 - 130: The Benevolent Are Simply Invincible

Westheid had gone to White Rock City with only one Floating Battleship, but he returned with tens of thousands of Qinghui People who had been reduced to slave laborers. Not only that, he hadn’t paid a single silver leaf for their freedom. Instead, he had subjugated the entire White Rock City and brought back a great deal of supplies from the Pioneer Territory, taking everything that wasn’t nailed down.

The group of Qinghui People detained by White Rock City were, for the most part, highly-skilled technical personnel. Otherwise, Oreos wouldn’t have taken the risk of semi-coercing them into becoming slave laborers.

It was all to freeload off their precious labor and technical skills! The Pioneer Territory might not lack supplies, but it had a massive shortage of related technical experts, making it completely incomparable to the thousand-year-old legacy of the Branch of Prosperity.

But now, White Rock City no longer had to worry about this problem. As a vassal of the Qinghui Territory, their industries were now naturally Westheid’s industries as well.

"My children, I have returned!"

As Westheid disembarked from the Floating Battleship, he waved a master slave contract at the crowd, one that represented the history of tens of thousands of Qinghui People being reduced to beasts of burden.

Duke Qinghui tore it to shreds on the spot, declaring a complete end to that unbearable past.

"From this day forward, not a single Qinghui person shall ever become a slave! This is the promise I make to you all as your sovereign father!"

Westheid savored the feeling of being watched with gazes of shock and ecstasy. He waved his hand to the subjects disembarking from the ship behind him and said:

"Go and reunite with your families!"

During his few days in White Rock City, Westheid hadn’t only been busy ’pounding stakes’; he had also taken the time to properly interact with the enslaved Qinghui People and understand their specific situations.

It had to be said, the natives of Purity Forest all had some backbone. Most of the slave laborers in White Rock City would have rather died than submit, but who could blame them for having families?

Because they had this vulnerability, they were forced to sign indentured servitude contracts just to earn a bite of food for their families. They spent their days doing manual labor, drafting designs, and repairing equipment on construction sites. The past two years of their lives were truly lamentable.

’Wait a minute... that doesn’t sound much worse than being a civil engineer. Six of one, half a dozen of the other, really.’

After Westheid’s gesture, the square immediately erupted into a cacophony of voices as people searched for family members they hadn’t seen in ages, weeping with joy upon finding them.

"Brother!"

"Melissa!"

The little girl who had first come to Westheid for help was now embracing her family. Afterward, the brave and sturdy young man brought his little sister over to thank Westheid personally.

"My Lord! I really don’t know how to thank you..."

Westheid asked, "You’re... from the Guard?"

The young man immediately saluted. "Yes, sir. I was in logistics for the Qinghui Guard, responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of heavy equipment."

The young Qinghui man stood at attention!

"There’s no need to thank me. I will need you to work hard to reclaim our homeland. Let us strive together."

Westheid crouched down, stroking the little girl’s head with a smile.

"I always keep my promises."

"Mhm!"

Melissa leaped up, wrapped her arms around Duke Qinghui’s neck, and gave Westheid a light kiss on the cheek.

CLICK—

Yolanda was nearby, documenting the scene.

Afterward, many more people came specifically to thank Westheid. The amiable Duke Qinghui fulfilled his duty as the patriarch of their great family, patiently receiving and speaking with every single one of them.

And these moments were all faithfully recorded, to be used later as propaganda materials.

Although the Merit required for a Tier promotion is objective and must be based on genuine accomplishments—facts cannot be distorted or fabricated—how one publicizes those accomplishments is a great art in itself.

The recognition of others would undoubtedly catalyze the rate at which this Merit was realized. The efficiency of the same deed being spread by word of mouth versus being made into a documentary and broadcast widely was certainly not the same.

Westheid disdained the idea of creating a false idol of himself, but he wouldn’t refuse actions that could accelerate the establishment of his image.

’This is a legitimate method of god-making propaganda. I can only say that both the Radiant Holy Tree and Emperor Qianlu have done it too!’

Once the heart-wrenching reunion scenes had mostly quieted down, Westheid announced in a loud voice:

"Although rebuilding our homeland will require the effort of every one of us, there is no rush. For today and tomorrow, you may all put down your work and rest to your heart’s content! Reunite properly with your families! Eat and drink well—I will cover all the expenses!"

No one dislikes a holiday, let alone one with free feasts and entertainment.

Never mind the already loyal people of Old Purity Forest; even an outsider with no affection for Westheid would find it hard to resist being showered with such carrots.

The square immediately resounded with cheers:

"Long live!"

"Long live the Lord!"

"Long live Master West!"

"..."

Basking in the thunderous, tsunami-like waves of cheers, Westheid returned to his residence.

Although he had given the common people a holiday, Westheid did not allow himself to relax. The moment he sat down, he summoned his subordinates.

Since his entire former court had been wiped out, Westheid no longer had any proper Courtiers. The subordinates who made up his domain’s hierarchy were an extremely complex mix.

There were Purity Forest natives like Yolanda and Roy, as well as helpers dispatched by allies from the Branch of Prosperity, such as Rozana and Shamuel.

There were also professionals hired simply for money, volunteers like Mivana who offered aid without seeking reward, and now, vassal forces from Pioneer Territories like White Rock City... It was a real hodgepodge.

But managing them was not difficult. No matter how complex the composition of his subordinates, they all shared one unquestionable commonality—everyone revolved around Westheid as the absolute core. They did not interfere with one another, and as long as Westheid maneuvered among them and gave orders, the team would function, no matter how complicated its foundation.

Westheid began, "I’m sure you all know by now that aside from rescuing our enslaved people, I have also made White Rock City a vassal. Furthermore, with White Rock City’s help, we will bring the other surrounding Pioneer Territories into our sphere of influence."

"...That’s incredible. By the way, my Lord, how on earth did you manage that? The young Lord of White Rock City is a difficult character. He felt nothing but greed toward us Qinghui People, so how could he submit to you?"

Roy was the most astonished. The Duke Qinghui he hadn’t seen in so long had given him too many surprises. It seemed no difficulty was a real challenge in Westheid’s eyes; he solved everything with ease.

And now he was even poaching a Pioneer Territory from the Imperial! This was tantamount to a Reversed Celestial Spirit!

’Since his return, the Lord has been almost too reliable.’

Westheid said, "Well, about that..."

Other than Yolanda, who had accompanied him, no one else knew what had happened in White Rock City. Normally, Westheid might have just told the truth and boasted about his great achievements—that was nothing to be ashamed of in the Imperial.

However, Mivana was among those present. The Wolf-eared Maiden was currently gazing at Duke Qinghui with expectant eyes, her beautiful golden pupils sparkling. She clearly wanted to hear a satisfactory answer from Westheid.

This, of course, meant he couldn’t tell the real story.

Images of the plotting, temptation, absurdity, betrayal, and deals from the past few days flashed through Westheid’s mind, finally coalescing into...

"It was because of my personal charm."

Westheid turned his head, deliberately meeting Mivana’s gaze, and said:

"My compassion and love for my subjects moved the Lord of White Rock City. He wept bitterly and resolved to mend his ways. As for the other members of his family, I also moved them with emotion and persuaded them with reason, until they accepted the leadership of the Qinghui Territory."

"In other words, the benevolent are invincible."