“Cooper, Lord Barto will make you pay for this… mmph…”

  Cooper withdrew his longsword, blood spraying across his body. He was now a man drenched in blood, with enemy gore covering every inch of him, including his hair and face. A large empty space had formed around him, with both enemies and his own men looking at this captain, who had a somewhat delicate appearance and was never seen losing his temper before, with fear in their eyes. Even his two subordinates stood five paces away, not daring to come any closer.

  Shaking the blood from his sword, Cooper’s icy eyes fixed on the next target and he quickly moved towards it.

  A sudden massacre caught the most notorious mercenary group in the city off guard, eliminating them from existence overnight.

  As the sky turned from dark to light, the first ray of sunlight from the east tore apart the curtain of night, casting light on the earth. The shouting and killing throughout the night had affected the sleep of ordinary people. Many took to the streets, curious to inquire about everything that had happened in the middle of the night, and hurried to the Sword and Shield Mercenary Group’s base. They saw the courtyard that had once been so intimidating that even dogs dared not pass by now reduced to ruins. Passersby warmly discussed the information they had learned, with obvious schadenfreude in their expressions and tones.

  The Sword and Shield Mercenary Group was extremely unpopular in Pramisburg. In addition to their regular business, they monopolized the protection fees for two streets. What was most 可恨 was that they would often rob passersby of their wallets or inexplicably catch and beat passersby.

  Passersby who knew little about the matter might find it interesting, but those who fully understood the entire incident felt fear when they calmed down.

  The means of destroying a force without deploying a single soldier really scared them. It could be said that the fate of the Sword and Shield Mercenary Group today could very well be their fate if they disobeyed the city lord.

  This fear was soon dispelled by the information about the police captain bid. Even civilians flocked to the police station, hoping to understand the changes that had occurred these days. In their hearts, the city was undergoing earth-shaking changes. Those who had oppressed them were being removed one by one, and the illegal activities that had been common in the city were rapidly decreasing. All of this was gradually happening because of the new city lord’s arrival.

  There were once people who said he was a joke, possibly the youngest city lord to die in Pramisburg. Others thought he would achieve nothing and leave in disappointment after staying here for a while.

  All these rumors were finally broken by reality.

  “Fill in your views on this city and your plan for governing the city’s frequent violent cases if you are successfully appointed as police captain. Write down your name and the names of the main team leaders, and roughly state how many people you need to hire and how much funding you will need annually to achieve your goals,” a girl detailed for a young man how to fill out the application for the police captain position.

  This was neither her first nor her last client. Today, almost all the prominent people in the city were here, including Harvey.

  “Tell me, how much money do you think is appropriate for a year?” someone nudged the arm of the person next to him and quickly glanced at the scroll in that person’s hand. The person immediately stuffed the scroll into his chest, looking at him guardedly. “Get away!”

  “Tsk… Can’t we have a nice talk? Discussing is better than writing randomly alone. I’ll show you. I think at least 300 gold coins a year are needed.” He sighed, for there was a time when he was part of the group that destroyed the city’s security, engaging in robbery, collecting protection fees, beating other merchants, and fighting with other gangs. It could be said that there was hardly a single good thing among the things he had done.

  Today, he was racking his brain about how to become the city’s protector.

  The other person seemed tempted and said hesitantly, “300 gold coins? Isn’t that too much?”

  “How could it be too much? I need 200 people to help me; less won’t do. Each person gets two silver coins a month, which is 50 gold coins a year. With various equipment, training, food, and supplies, we really can’t manage with less than 300.”

  “Is that so? But I saw someone over there write that they don’t need money.”

  “What? Damn it, those big shots are also competing with us!”

  “Well… This position seems to be prepared for them. I’m just here to take a chance!”

  Scenes like this kept happening. In fact, this was one of Arno’s plans to deal with the aftermath of his series of measures. By offering the police captain position, he made the powerful forces focus on other things instead of thinking about how hateful and ruthless Arno was and constantly plotting against him. At the same time, it was indeed a way to govern the city.

  It had to be said that this method was excellent. There is a term called “using violence to combat violence,” and by slightly changing it, we can call it “using vice to control vice.” In this city, no one knows better than these people who likes to steal, rob, or fight. After all, this is the environment they live in and rely on for survival. Having someone else as police captain is really not as good as handing it over to these forces that are extremely eager to “clean up their image.”

  When they are ruthless, they are much harsher than official personnel and more effective in dealing with and curbing crime.

  As for whether a major criminal organization will emerge, Arno doesn’t care at all. If you don’t want to do the job well, there are always others who do. With so many people willing to pay to be police captain, they certainly won’t mind pulling down their predecessor, stepping on them fiercely, and then climbing up on their corpse.

  If the police captain bid was a carnival for various forces, then Arno’s subsidy plan was a carnival for civilians.

  “Will this make the city lord’s mansion’s finances unsustainable?” The weather had dropped to around 14°C, yet Richard was still wearing thin clothes, and every movement caused his body fat to ripple. “There are 270,000 registered people in Pramisburg. Giving each person one silver coin would require 2,700 gold coins. My lord, I have to remind you that this expenditure will be the largest in the city lord’s mansion’s financial history and the biggest burden.”

  “Don’t worry about the money. In addition to the recently received 6,000 gold coins, we will have at least 10,000 to 20,000 gold coins in income during this period, which can fully support my city transformation plan. And I won’t be giving this subsidy to everyone. Although it’s called a subsidy, it’s actually a form of salary. It will only be given to those who are willing to renovate the city’s public facilities.” After dealing with the troublemakers and turning the disobedient into those who fawn outside the city lord’s mansion, Arno began to shift his focus.

  The key to whether a city lord is qualified lies in whether he can govern the city well. Sometimes Arno felt lucky that Pramisburg was so decrepit that even the slightest change was a very noticeable improvement. Making remarkable achievements in such a city was easier than in a place like Alexandria Port.

  First, the first step was to maintain and repair public facilities. The streets that were in a state of disrepair were too damaging to the city’s appearance and status. Entering the city to see sewage flowing, garbage everywhere, and traces of defecation made it difficult to make passing merchants stay. For a city to develop, urban construction, both material and spiritual, must not be neglected.

  Entering a city where everyone looks downcast, as if in mourning, and sorrowful will immediately scare away a large number of people. But if the residents of this city, even if it’s not beautiful, walk with their heads held high and confident smiles, it will give people a sense of prosperity and positive momentum.

  Changing a city requires more than the efforts of one or two people. Arno needed to mobilize people’s enthusiasm through this form of city-wide participation, allowing them to see their homeland become beautiful through their own efforts and gain material rewards. This method could give the people of Pramisburg a sense of identity, and the income from work could improve their current living conditions, reduce many burdens, and enhance cohesion.

  Urban construction was not only Arno’s first plan but also the most important one.

  Richard habitually touched his forehead, finding no sweat, and remembered that the weather had cooled. “My lord, if we follow your plan, we may need a large amount of materials for repairing public facilities, but we don’t produce these things locally…”

  Arno waved his hand. “Then go buy them. If you can’t buy them, go plunder!” He stood up, walked out of the room, and stood on the balcony of the city lord’s mansion, looking at the city shrouded in morning mist. “I want to change this city, but I have no intention of changing its character. The people of Pramisburg should not be docile sheep; even if their lives change, I need them to be a pack of hungry wolves.”

  “Surrounding cities and the Byron Empire have everything we need!” Arno suddenly turned around, the sun in the sky serving as a backdrop that made Richard slightly dazed. “I am the wolf king!

  “This city will be proud of me!”