After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Fen muttered softly.

She looked up and gently touched Yang Hao's cheek with her lips.

She closed her eyes lazily and said nothing more.

.............

10:00 AM.

After getting up, Yang Hao and the others finally began their workday. Today's work wasn't particularly strenuous, but it still wasn't easy for Yang Hao and Theresa.

After all, the emergence of the floating continent still seriously affected all aspects of Bayerzan, and the battle against the demons on the floating continent made everyone in Bayerzan panic - not to mention the consumption of ammunition, the emergence of new resource points, and whether to conduct commercial communication afterward, such as building embassies with each other, etc. It doesn't matter if we don't deal with them for the time being, but dealing with them is a very troublesome and disgusting thing.

Just like before, Teresa handled the internal affairs of the palace. However, Yang Hao personally took charge of matters requiring movement outside the palace. With the young nun becoming increasingly mature, the burden on Yang Hao's shoulders had finally lightened slightly... but he still couldn't let his guard down. At least not now.

Finn, whose political affairs in Gaparia were progressing smoothly without her needing to be involved, was the most relaxed of the three. As the most relaxed person, she volunteered to accompany Yang Hao on his travels, causing Theresa's lips to twitch uncontrollably during breakfast, and also leaving Yang Hao with a helpless expression.

"Actually, you just wanted to make Theresa jealous on purpose, didn't you...?"

"How could that be? We elves are very rational, you know. How could we do something like that because of emotions?"

"Arthur's situation makes me very doubtful of the elves' rationality..."

"hehe."

Knowing that he couldn't delve too deeply into this matter, Yang Hao reluctantly took Fen to the streets of Constantinople for a personal inspection. He decided to take advantage of this period of peace to develop the livelihood of the people in Bayergasse and increase its population in the future.

In Bayer Nuggets today, polygamy is quite common because it is legal.

Every now and then on the street, one could see a pitiful man surrounded by several jealous women vying for his attention. Yang Hao found it amusing, but also felt apologetic towards the men among his subjects: after all, based on his experience, while he could handle Teresa alone, with Fenye joining the fray, his body seemed increasingly unable to bear the pressure...

As Caesar, Yang Hao could at least enjoy the best and most nourishing food from the United Nations... but as a resident of the lower classes of the Empire, those poor men... sigh!

"Perhaps we need to increase the proportion of non-staple foods. And the consumption of meat from livestock must be made more widespread as soon as possible," Yang Hao said with a sigh. "Otherwise, some of our residents will be sickly due to malnutrition... which is not a good thing."

"Hehe, don't you even know who made this place like this?" Finn smiled, linking her arm with his right hand, and didn't forget to use her handkerchief to wipe away the marks Theresa had left on Yang Hao's right neck. "But tell me what to do. We definitely can't hunt the wild animals in the Monster Forest right away. Constantinople's previous livestock industry was basically ruined by the tsunami. Apart from the fields that were protected by the barriers, the entire ranch has been changed to varying degrees due to the seawater seepage, hasn't it?"

"Yes. But don't they have a lot of meat in the north?"

"Oh?"

When the floating continent crash-landed on the sea, although the United Nations handled the situation quickly, a large amount of seawater still flooded into their territory.

The two areas most severely affected were the port, which has yet to recover, and the unprotected grasslands outside Constantinople's flood defenses.

Despite the diversion efforts, a large amount of seawater still seeped into the land, gradually causing it to become saline and jeopardizing Bayer Gems's planned livestock industry.

The salinized land can be treated in the future through biological, chemical, or even magical methods, but the residents' thirst for meat is an extremely urgent matter.

Had they launched a full-scale attack on Khutuktu Khan earlier, it might now be a dead end—but with the two sides cooperating and Issugard forming an alliance of evil three kingdoms, Khutuktu Khan's own country has also suffered heavy losses due to the tsunami. They urgently need to trade with the allied nations to quell the chaos within their borders, and among the goods that Khutuktu Khan's merchants have stated they can offer are three:

Firstly, there are the minerals of the Sorrowful Mountains. Whether it's iron ore or sulfur, saltpeter or charcoal, the depths of the Sorrowful Mountains possess the mineral resources Yang Hao desperately craves, and there are also substitutes for explosive ore—but the problem is that they are simply too heavy. Even if the trade were conducted using standard-sized metal ingots, a wagon can only carry a limited number of metal ingots, and once transported, the United Nations wouldn't be able to use them immediately... Therefore, trade in metal minerals has been temporarily suspended.

Secondly, there is the livestock of the northern grasslands—literally, their livestock.

In the north, nomadic people not only domesticate cattle, sheep, and horses, but many have even tamed wild wolves into docile creatures like dogs.

These livestock are a renewable commodity for the herders and their most important asset. For the United Nations, they represent meat that can be raised and even slaughtered immediately after the trade. Moreover, considering the current enormous demand for meat in Constantinople, establishing a stable livestock trade route between the United Nations and Khutot Khan would be a perfectly good thing.

The only problem is that with a large number of livestock arriving, suitable places will be needed to house them. Livestock excrement also cannot be wasted, as it's excellent fertilizer. This will require dedicated manpower not only for slaughtering and raising livestock, but also for processing this compost...

...This only exacerbates the pressure of insufficient manpower...Is there any way to handle this situation?

The answer is yes.

Because the nomads in the north also have a third major trade commodity.

That is...

"slave..."

"uh-huh?"

“I said, the third largest trade commodity in the North is slaves.”

Sitting by the fountain in King's Square, which was still under reconstruction, Yang Hao, protected by guards, looked at the reports in his hands with Fen and solemnly stated his thoughts to her.

It must be affirmed that the United Nations today is not a slave-owning state—even though Bayern had slaves in the past, they were more like professional technicians than oppressed victims.

In the past, in Bayern, the relationship between masters and slaves was similar to that between business owners and their employees on Earth. Or, to put it another way, it was like that of a high-class maid in aristocratic society who could resign at any time.

There are many reasons why people become slaves in Bayerzs, but to become slaves who can enter the market, they not only need to take out loans to learn professional skills, but also need to understand etiquette and the professional ethics required for their occupation. Only in this way can a slave who meets the Bayerzs's standards officially enter the market, find a master they like, or be bought by a master who likes them.

In Bayezid, the relationship between masters and slaves was relatively equal. This was reflected not only in the fact that masters could choose slaves, and slaves could choose masters, but also in the slaves' daily work and the legal protections they received.

In the past, slaves received their wages every Sunday and could legally enjoy their holidays. The standard working hours were limited to 8 hours per day. If overtime was required, even if the slaves voluntarily reduced their overtime pay, the state tax officials had to ensure that the masters would provide reasonable overtime compensation for the slaves.

As for the slaves, the skills they possessed made them behave in a way that was completely unlike what people today perceive as slaves.

They were skilled in accounting, taught children to read and write, and some even knew how to care for the sick. Some slaves specialized in housework, others were adept at finance, and still others were skilled in social situations to bring honor to their masters. Some slaves with experience in multiple jobs and a steady demeanor would become stewards of large families, respected by others, and even become role models in the eyes of nobles.

Some female slaves were even the mistress's best friend in bed and the second mother of her children...

In this context, they are less like slaves in the traditional sense and more like skilled workers proficient in a particular technology.

They were far superior to the slaves of today, both in terms of social mobility and their own knowledge. Even the worst of them had the protection of the laws of Bayerzin. What about slaves elsewhere? Being able to eat their fill was considered a blessing.

Not to mention that in the past Bayerzian society, a large number of educated slaves enjoyed important social status and became an indispensable part of the Bayerzian society.

Under the influence of this culture, masters treat the slaves they recruit or who join them voluntarily as their own family members, and the slaves in turn provide their masters with all the knowledge and effort they have learned in their lives.

Because of this, the vast majority of slaves could regain their freedom with the help of their masters without even having to repay their debts—but the slaves would not leave their masters because of this; in a sense, they were already an inseparable family.

But precisely because of this, the slaves of Bayezid are completely different from the slaves provided by the northern nomads today...

Yang Hao prefers to rename Bayer Zans's current term for "slave" to "servant"—because that's actually the case. In Bayer Zans's writings, "slave" and "servant" are essentially the same word... but the class they represent is completely different, isn't it?

Yang Hao started to daydream, thinking, "I really need to find some time to organize all these words with plural meanings." Just then, Fen said, "If possible, it would be better to avoid things like the slave trade."

"Leaving aside the question of how much difference there is in the quality of slaves from the North compared to slaves from Bayerjaas—or rather, the [steward or servant] class... just considering the fact that they might disrupt the cultural foundation of Bayerjaas, it would be better for us to refrain from the slave trade for the time being."

"Even if we buy slaves, we still have to educate them before they are put into circulation, is that the case?"

“Yes. After all, Yang Hao, you have to admit that basic education is not something that can be accomplished in five or six years. It took the Bayer-Zans five or six hundred years to develop their own unique slave culture when they founded their nation. How can you expect the illiterate slaves in the north to accept the Bayer-Zans culture in five or six years?”

Fen reached out and pinched Yang Hao's stubble. She muttered, "You should probably shave too, shouldn't you?" Yang Hao just nodded and hummed in agreement.

"...Um."

Fen's statement prompted Yang Hao to calmly reflect on the gains and losses of the human trade.

First, engaging in slave trading with the northern nomads would undoubtedly alleviate the current manpower shortage problem of the United Nations in a short period of time.

After all, the production of small golems cannot be increased in the short term. Even if the production is increased, priority should be given to ensuring the supply production of the colonial army, which Miss Black Dragon has risked her life for several times.

Meanwhile, the magical puppets of the neighboring Eden Kingdom are ridiculously valuable... Even if the people of the United Kingdom, who are currently undergoing the Great Harmony of Life, give birth to children, it will take at least fifteen years before they can be put to use.

In this situation, if Yang Hao really wants to quickly increase the labor force ceiling, setting aside immigration, the best way is naturally through population transactions.

However, the increased workforce resulting from the slave trade came at the cost of a decline in the overall quality of the citizens of the United Nations.

Yang Hao recalled his experience of being tricked by treacherous people in the Roman Empire, and then thought about how his five years of education had only resulted in a group of ignorant bastards who cruelly murdered their teacher...

Forget it, forget it. The quality of the people is far more valuable than the labor of slaves—of course, Bayerzans's "slaves" are a different story. But they'll all be called the "servant" class from now on, so it's quite normal to ignore them, right?

After confirming that the slave trade would not be conducted, the subsequent transactions with the Khuttod Khanate became very simple and straightforward.

The United Nations needs livestock and meat, while the Hutto Khanate needs industrial products produced here to rebuild its rear. When the time comes, we'll exchange livestock for products, and neither of us will lose out.

This was Yang Hao's first time making a normal, mutually beneficial deal with someone. Sigh, it just goes to show that people sometimes need to change their ways.

Yang Hao sighed, wrote down the details of the trade goods in a small notebook, and then had a guard take the notebook away, instructing him to deliver it to the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Purple Robe Palace so that the minister could handle matters related to this transaction.

After the guards left, Fen looked at Yang Hao curiously:

Have you already started to gradually delegate tasks to others?

"After all, I am indeed responsible for too much work. I have to manage development, military affairs, and politics from time to time—if this continues, I might work myself to death... Now there are people who can take over my work, but they need experience, and I can give them experience, which is good."

"But you're still actually in charge of everything, aren't you?"

"At least I don't have to worry about the details, right?" Yang Hao rolled his eyes, pinched Fen's nose, and then got up and left.

Their next destination is the farmland and newly built satellite cities outside Constantinople. Although there are still many usable areas within Constantinople, in current planning, it is better to build some highly polluting industrial areas outside residential and agricultural areas.

This satellite city, built near the port, was actually a plan that Theresa May made on a whim. It was an area heavily polluted by the sea, with a salt content in the entire land exceeding the amount of salt a person would consume in a lifetime. It was safe to say that it would be impossible to properly remediate this part of the land for at least fifty years.

Since there was no way to manage it, and the little nun remembered that Yang Hao had said that "industry" was something that was polluting and needed to be near logistics transit stations... she simply decided to make use of the waste: let's build advanced industries for Bayer Zans directly on the wasteland that could not be reused for agriculture!

"Although it's just a plan, I'm still very pleased with Theresa's intelligence... But speaking of which, how is the elves' [Net Path] doing now?"

"The [Network Project] you mentioned before? I remember the council has already approved it. It's currently under construction with Gaparia as its core—but it won't be connected to the Roman Empire's network."

"That's good... When the time comes, a dedicated network line will be built for this industrial zone, with one end connecting to the port and the other end connecting to the future mining areas within our territory... There will also be a line directly connecting to Constantinople. In this way, products can be quickly delivered to warehouses for storage and sale, raw materials can be transported thousands of miles to the factory for production, and our workers can go to work in the morning and return home in the afternoon, even if it's only a few dozen kilometers away... Perfect."

"I have a feeling that the areas where [Network Path] is connected will likely become the most expensive land areas in the future... Speaking of land prices, is Constantinople experiencing the same land price problems as the Roman Empire, Yang Hao?"

Not yet.

Yang Hao shook his head as he inspected the planned construction site ahead.

"After all, there are more houses than people in Constantinople now. The vast majority of people live in good locations near the Purple Palace, but even so, there are still quite a few vacant houses on that land... You have to understand that this is a city that can normally accommodate more than 20 million people in peacetime. Although many city ruins have not been cleared yet, the overall capacity will only be more, not less."

"...It can only be said that, in a sense, it is indeed a dead city."

Fen's remark left Yang Hao silent for a long time.

Then he sighed, as if to comfort himself, or perhaps to express his confidence in the future:

"Don't say that. It will be alright. I promise."

After all, the coming period is a rare time of stability—although it's impossible to restore Bayerzs's population to its former glory, Yang Hao can at least gradually make the currently empty Constantinople bustling with activity again.

That being said... land prices will likely become a top priority in the future.

Why don't we establish a department within our government specifically to control land prices before that happens? Official regulation is always better than no free market, isn't it?

Um...

Let's see if there are any lingering political influences after we get back.

With this in mind, Yang Hao and his group inspected the fields and, after confirming that the crops would be ready for harvest in August, returned to the Purple Palace at noon.

In Theresa's office, Theresa mentioned that she had handled a lot of tiring work that day—and indeed, a man claiming to be Alexander had visited from the floating continent with a group of strange individuals, indicating that the Queen of Eden would personally come to the United Nations after rebuilding the city to confirm future cooperation plans...

"To put it simply, I was almost dumbfounded when I saw them—those guys are magical dolls, right? But they look just like ordinary people to me... It's not as mysterious as you guys are making it out to be."

"Maybe it's because they've been given expensive new bodies from peacetime?" Yang Hao said, scratching his head as he ate some snacks. "Elena said their bodies have different functions depending on their production cost—their previous bodies were designed to deal with demons, so they were simpler and more practical. The bodies they're using for diplomatic work are probably going to be more aesthetically pleasing... or something like that?"