Chapter 010: A Appointment to Shirk Responsibility

Du Fan glanced at Elsik with satisfaction. In his eyes, Elsik was perfectly capable of becoming a city lord. Though he had no noble title, his practical abilities were extraordinary—he had managed such a chaotic and desperate city in an orderly manner.
“Elsik, I hereby appoint you as the city lord of Doha. You’ll be in charge of all matters in the city,” Du Fan said with a smile, handing Elsik a diamond card as a sign of his trust.
The sudden surprise left Elsik silent. Staring at the diamond card in his hand, he even shed tears.
Becoming a city lord was something Elsik had never imagined, but his lifelong wish had been to use his abilities to help his fellow villagers and improve their lives. Now that he suddenly became a city lord, he was at a loss.
“Haha, Elsik has long been the city lord in everyone’s hearts. Otherwise, how would they willingly accept your appointment? The lord’s reward is truly fitting,” said Bati, whose thin lips curved into a smile as he congratulated Elsik first.
“L-Lord, I’m just a commoner,” Elsik replied, returning the diamond card Du Fan had given him helplessly.
The position of city lord was indeed attractive. The Shagaven Empire stipulated that city lords must be nobles, and Elsik was well aware of this.
“This is the Siluo Province. I am the lord of the entire province. If I say you can do it, then you can. There’s no need to worry about the empire’s rules,” Du Fan said firmly, pushing the diamond card back. “Let’s focus on how to build the city walls instead.”
“Elsik, keep it. The king has long forgotten us. The lord is now our king, and his word is an order,” Bati said with a smile, patting Elsik’s shoulder. Turning to Du Fan, he added, “Lord, the quarries and iron mines in the nearby mountains are quite far from us. I wonder if we can buy more wagons for transportation. That way, we won’t need as many people to transport goods, and the construction of the city walls will progress faster.”
Before Du Fan could respond, blacksmith George stepped forward to stop Bati. “No. If other provinces see us acting so extravagantly, they might try to extort us.”
Bati said nothing. He simply looked at Du Fan. If Du Fan couldn’t even handle relations with neighboring provinces, then all his grand promises were lies. Bati wasn’t willing to follow him blindly anymore.

Du Fan certainly understood what Bati meant. He chuckled and said, “You don’t need to worry about your relationships with those around you. I’ll take care of that later. You just focus on building the city walls.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell everyone,” Du Fan suddenly remembered Evan and quickly added, “Now we can mine anything except iron ore. I’ve already assigned someone else to handle iron ore mining. That person will have to pay 50% of the profits each year. Moreover, they’ll have to set up a weapons and equipment workshop here. Then, Elsik can select some smarter, older children to learn how to make weapons, so that we won’t rely on them in the future.”

“That’s great! That way we can organize an army. With enough weapons and equipment, we won’t have to fear those bandit groups. And if I work hard to cover the entire surface of the city walls with iron plates within two months, they’ll be even stronger, and our defenses will improve greatly.” Blacksmith George jumped for joy. Being in charge of building a city had always been his greatest wish. It was also for this reason that he had come here with Joseph’s family.

“That’s a good idea. George, tell Bati everything that needs to be purchased. From now on, Bati will be in charge of all purchases for City of Doha, as well as dealing with Evan.” Du Fan keenly realized that Bati was the most skilled at social interactions among these elders, and his mind was quick. Assigning him to purchase the necessary supplies was definitely the best choice.

Seeing the diamond card handed over by Du Fan, Bati didn’t dare accept it. He indeed liked socializing and thought he could handle purchasing tasks, but he was afraid. After all, if he came into contact with gold coins and the lord suspected anything, he would be the first to be executed.

Du Fan certainly understood Bati’s concerns and said, “All purchases must be decided after consulting Elsik, but Bati has absolute authority to make decisions.”

With trembling hands, Bati took the diamond card and said, “Lord, rest assured. I will definitely procure the cheapest and highest-quality items for City of Doha.”

Bati was deeply moved by Du Fan’s trust in him. He immediately expressed his determination to Du Fan, and indeed he kept his word. Even after Du Fan became the emperor who unified the continent and established a powerful empire, Bati remained by his side, overseeing all financial matters, and continued to fulfill his promises, becoming an indispensable factor in Du Fan’s success.

“What suggestions do you have?” The city lord and the finance minister had already made their decisions, and the blacksmith had also achieved his wish. Du Fan turned to look at the two strongest people in City Doha, unsure of what suggestions they might have. After exchanging glances, an old man stepped forward and said respectfully, “My lord, we believe we shouldn’t focus solely on building city walls. Although sturdy walls can provide some defense, those bandits are at least at the second or third level, with some even reaching beyond the fifth level. Once they reach that level, even the tallest walls become useless against them. We think that only by strengthening our own people can we ensure our survival in the future.” Du Fan nodded in agreement with the old man’s words. “We believe that while building walls, everyone in the city should take time to practice combat energy. Although it won’t show results in the short term, it can increase our people’s chances of survival.” Seeing Du Fan nod in agreement, the old man quickly laid out all his suggestions. “How is the training progress of everyone in our city now?” Du Fan asked anxiously. Indeed, the words of the two old men had reminded him of this important matter, which he had overlooked. If there were many strong bandits, the city walls would be of no use. If more than three bandits above the fifth level broke in, the entire City Doha would immediately fall into chaos. Although the soldiers from his northern army were skilled in battle, their strength wasn’t very great. They might not be able to withstand enemies above the fifth level. “Only 4,271 people in City Doha can truly fight. Moreover, due to food shortages, most have given up practicing combat energy, which requires physical effort. Less than 500 people can actually reach the second level or be close to the third level. The rest, like ordinary people from other provinces, only know a little about practicing combat energy.” The old man was very worried about City Doha’s future. Not only him—after hearing his explanation, Du Fan also frowned. After thinking for a while, Du Fan ordered, “All citizens must practice during their rest time. Even while building walls, if there’s a chance, they should keep practicing. Also, organize them into teams, and I’ll teach my soldiers with me how to fight together.”

These are merely the best outcomes Du Fan can achieve. Mastery comes from persistent effort, and it’s impossible for him to boost the strength of his entire population in such a short time.
How can these less powerful people quickly gain strength? At the very least, they need to be able to withstand the attacks of bandits; otherwise, it’s all just talk.
After presenting his suggestions and receiving satisfactory replies, those people hurriedly bid farewell to Du Fan and went back to their own tasks. Du Fan remained seated in the square, lost in thought.
Magic scrolls could enhance the combat strength of his people.
No, there weren’t many magic scrolls left, and with as many as five bandit groups, they were far from enough. Returning to the continent to purchase more would take time, and it would be difficult to acquire many scrolls in a short period.
Du Fan kept considering every possible solution he could think of, but he dismissed each one one after another.
With a deep sigh, Du Fan stood up helplessly. He truly had no more options. Now, he could only hope that no more than three fifth-tier strongmen were among those bandit groups—perhaps that would leave a sliver of chance for City of Doha.
Lost in thought, Du Fan returned to the largest house in the city—the city lord’s mansion—located beside the wide stone road.
Compared to the ducal palaces in the capital, the city lord’s mansion in City of Doha was almost as large as Du Fan’s own mansion in the ducal palace.
Just like its simple exterior, the interior was equally modest. In a small hall, there was only a crooked table, with not even a chair. On either side of the hall were two rooms, slightly larger than the central hall but still limited in space.
As soon as Frank entered the left room, he felt as if he had stepped into another world. On a mahogany square table stood a brass cauldron emitting a familiar aroma. On an old bed lay luxurious golden luggage. Two embroidered curtains covered most of the old bed, and a familiar velvet carpet was laid out in the middle of the floor.
Entering the room, Du Fan was stunned. This was certainly not his room—it was clearly a noble lady’s bedroom.
But Du Fan didn’t care about that. This was his territory, and everything here belonged to him. Moreover, there were no restrictions like those in the imperial capital. Du Fan didn’t need to restrain himself or live under a mask of holiness. Perhaps this kind of life was exactly what he wanted.