Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 326 Celebration
Rean didn't personally carry out the raid; he had a lot of other messy things going on.

The frontline enforcers are the Knights of the Weavers and the City Guard. But behind them, the Radiant Guard, the Archmage, and certain churches of the Good Gods are ready to provide support at any time.

"This will just cover our recent expenses; this year has been terrible."

Dania complained to him that things had been going on lately, and that military expenses and compensation payments had long been over budget.

The investment and construction of underground towns, as well as various supporting service projects, all require money.

In an ordinary city, the matter could simply be handed over to the local lord to handle. But this time, the local nobles alone are not enough, and the royal family has no money to subsidize it.

In reality, the city lord has already borrowed a huge sum of money from certain multinational organizations in the name of Radiant City. If the underground exploration does not yield the expected returns, next year will probably be even more difficult.

But if everything goes smoothly and the progress of underground exploration is greatly accelerated, that's a different story.

The "transaction tax" on high-level materials alone could make the city a fortune. But in Rean's view, there was also the ground revenue brought by the Mirror Demon's live stream.

These things are meaningless to talk about now; we'll just do them when the time comes. Rean had the Sudar family acquire a shop and a rental property near the "Live Streaming Plaza," intending to make a fortune from this opportunity.

"Going forward, we might need an elite expedition team comprised entirely of highly skilled professionals. If they succeed in their hunt, the rewards will be substantial; the transaction tax for a single dragon material could amount to several thousand gold coins. Even so, there will still be a significant shortfall in next year's military budget, and we're now entirely relying on the spoils from below."

Rean had heard about this as well, but the gap seemed to mainly come from the girl's frantic expansion.

In a sense, the fact that the families sponsoring the "Beast Order" were so rushed into raids, even before they could play the long game (investigating their connections), also indicates that there was a real need for such action.

Confiscating property is great! Confiscating property from a few nobles can exempt them from taxes for several years.

"They are richer than me! A baron is richer than me!!" Dania became more and more angry as she spoke. The Queen had already opened up financial channels to her, but even so, the cash she could mobilize was not as much as the assets of a low-ranking nobleman.

Looking at the sulking Dania, Rean knew there was no need for comforting her. These days, it's no longer news that minor officials and nobles are accumulating wealth so wildly.

Rean sighed and pulled the blanket over himself, covering his innocent body.

Your boss's trust might be a good thing, but it's really going too far if your boss video calls you right after waking up, over some trivial matter, or just to chat about nothing.

"You find me annoying?" The girl was very sensitive. She first looked aggrieved, but Li En knew that if he didn't coax her, she would probably start picking a fight and spitting on him.

"How could that be? I just feel that such a rare resource as the Little Mirror Demon shouldn't be wasted on such trivial matters."

"It's alright, heh, my god is very satisfied with my performance here, and has sent me another batch of lesser and greater mirror spirits."

The girl, beaming with pride, dealt with the underground troubles and successfully began the underground exploration work, allowing the kingdom to weather a major crisis.

Victory often brings more investment and trust.

"boom!"

The sudden explosion drew Rean's attention, but looking at the fireworks outside, he put down his sword.

The sound of elephants was not far away, followed by loud music.

Fireworks streamed down the street through the open wooden window.

The noise and chaos made it seem like several circuses were performing together.

In mid-air, winged bird-people were scattering flowers to guide the way, but the cheap perfume mixed in made those who got too close feel uncomfortable.

"is it today?"

"Today. I'll stop here; I need to prepare for my speech today."

Seemingly remembering her business, Dania finally closed the communication. Rean never expected that coming to another world would involve the trouble of not being able to hang up on his boss's phone.

"The Autumn Wheat Festival? That's quite timely." Looking at the scenery outside, this seems to be my first time celebrating a festival in another world. The autumn harvest is over, and many places have small celebrations at this time, but the situation in Radiant City is a bit special this time. It hasn't been quiet lately, with too many messy things constantly happening.

The sadness, grief, and unease brought about by the last terrorist attack have not yet completely subsided.

As rulers, in such an environment, organizing festivals and a city-wide "carnival" can naturally help people forget much of their suffering.

After all, the more sorrowful a world is, the better its inhabitants tend to be at forgetting.

"Free beer, free performances, all on Sixth Street in the South Gate District."

The announcement carriages, scattered out to attract audiences, happened to pass by Rean's house. Rean glanced at them. The long-legged bunny girl on board was eye-catching, but the performance carriage itself was obviously too simple and didn't seem to be a famous performance group.

But as long as there are free drinks and entertainment, there's no need to worry about not having an audience.

If Rean wasn't mistaken, the performance and drinks weren't truly free; they were probably paid for by the city or even the royal family.

When necessary, they make a big deal out of small things, even if there's nothing good to show for it. Using a trending topic to dilute negative emotions is a common practice.

Let's put on a show, give a victory speech, and hand out more free drinks, and these tough days will be over.

However, it seems they rushed things and didn't manage to invite any well-known performance teams.

In this era lacking entertainment, "performers" are often mobile. Whether it's a high-class theatrical performance or a cheap street hustle, the space is too small, and the number of performers that can be supported is naturally limited.

Some plays get boring after one or two viewings, but performers can play the same role for half their lives.

In an era of artistic scarcity, learning and creation were extremely difficult. Outstanding "performers" were already world-famous, while 99% of performers were actually just trying to make a living. They had neither the ability nor the inclination to hone their skills excessively.

As a result, this industry is extremely polarized. The famous performers tour the capitals of various major countries and live almost like nobles, while the cheap performers are just trying to make a living. The group in front of us is probably only slightly better than the worst.

However, seeing the open windows along the roadside and the neighbors happily watching the commotion, is probably enough for most ordinary people in this city.

"It's quite lively, but we still need to be wary of a possible counterattack. Never mind, it's not a big problem. The city is already in a state of war."

Rean himself noticed that the city's "spy density" had increased dramatically, possibly because spies from the entire kingdom had been dispatched there.

The city is currently in a state of internal tension but external relaxation. Ordinary people can relax at will, while the real combat forces are on rotation. No wonder Dania is so proud. Her influence in the city is growing, and she has become the de facto ruler.

"Oh, and the dark elves too."

Along with this, the "Dark Elf concentration" also increased.

Dania's becoming a chosen one of the dark elf gods also meant that Radiant City and even the kingdom had opened its doors to the dark elves of the "Mirror Maiden faction." The common people probably didn't realize this, but the kingdom's high-ranking officials were pretty much aware of it.

If it weren't for the impending demonic tide, and the fact that the kingdom might not exist for who knows how many more years, Dania might have lost her status as heir simply because of this.

But now, under the banner of "overcoming difficulties together," it has become a plus.

The neutral dark elves underground needed another "choice," while the races on the surface needed more combat power, so it was expected that they would reach an agreement.

Even Rean's future "adventure team" has been reserved for a dark elf.
"Let's go out for a stroll; it's a rare holiday."

While Rean was indifferent to the artificially created festivals, it didn't mean that the rest of his family felt the same way.

Sallyman led little Lana out, and little Lana's face was full of anticipation and joy.

"Hey friend, let's go out and have some fun!"

(End of this chapter)