This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Behemoth had never heard of divinity corrupting the human soul before, but seeing that Lucoa spoke so logically and didn't seem to be making things up, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. Where did this little girl with squinty eyes learn such taboo knowledge?

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Yes, we can just call him out."

"..."

Beshmore was speechless for a moment. Her relaxed tone made it seem as if the matter was as simple as Su Shi waking up Zhang Huaimin.

However, before he could speak, Lucoa walked up to the white tree and patted the trunk as if knocking on a door. The trunk immediately emitted a sound like a bell, and then the white tree began to glow. Many snowflake-like things fell from the crown and gathered into a "little snowman" less than a meter tall.

Then the snowman moved, stretched, yawned, and asked sleepily.

Who just called me?

Chapter 288: Crisis and Prosperity

In Lucoa's view, the Winter God was a very young god, probably because he had been in a state of madness for most of his life since his birth. Without the guidance of other older gods, he was completely ignorant of many common skills that other gods possessed.

For example, the "cloning" technique, which many demigods know, he doesn't know how to use.

The beauty of the clone skill lies in using multiple bodies to do different things simultaneously. If you, Winter God, are unwilling to wake up but are afraid of being unaware of what's happening outside, you can let your main body fall into a deep sleep and leave a clone outside to guard the door, thus achieving both goals without delay.

Otherwise, every time someone needs to contact you, they'll have to use their soul to enter your consciousness, which is both troublesome and dangerous.

So Lucoa helped Ajax by teaching him how to use the most basic ability of creating clones through a blessing.

And the adorable little snowman in front of you is Ajax's alter ego.

Since he had just woken up, Ajax was still a little dazed. Lucoa, who was next to him, told him to try taking deep breaths. It was normal for him to feel dizzy after coming out of the deep seal.

Once he recovered, the first thing everyone asked him was what had happened. Why did his calm divine power suddenly become restless when he was sleeping soundly?

Ajax, looking completely bewildered (the Yeti looks rather dull), asked in return.

"That's not right! I should be asking you that. I suddenly sensed a change in the outside world, which made me unable to sleep peacefully and caused me to wake up."

"The outside world? On our side?"

The man and the god stared at each other blankly. Dick felt more and more confused the more he asked, so he quickly raised his hand to signal everyone to sort things out first.

It now seems that something strange has occurred in the real world, affecting Ajax's sleep quality. His restlessness has disturbed Behemoth, who has finally summoned Dick.

Honestly, when Dick first learned that the dormant Ajax had made some unusual moves, he was genuinely startled.

If the Winter God starts having nightmares again, causing his divine power to leak out in large quantities, it means that a terrible super-winter will once again cover Ragug, and all of Dick's efforts over the past few years will be in vain.

Once you're back to square one, how can you expect him not to be afraid?

However, it now seems that the problem isn't with the Winter God, but with this world!

As a god of this world, Ajax has a connection with the laws of the world. Therefore, when any anomalies occur in the laws, he, a god who is sleeping soundly in the mortal realm, will naturally notice them immediately. On the other hand, the gods who have gone to the divine realm, who are isolated from the mortal world, are not so quick to react.

However, this anomaly was intermittent, and Ajax only knew that the power was on the other side of the mountain, and that the user was at least at the demigod level.

Dick, on the other hand, looked south, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Could it be related to the war in the south?"

Dick speculated, while Ajax said he would continue to observe with this clone, and that whoever used this power would likely use it again. Although it was still unclear what the other party intended to do, matters involving the power of laws were no small matter, and no one was certain what kind of impact they would have.

And so, Behemoth stayed in the pine forest with Ajax's clone, waiting for the mysterious demigod-level powerhouse to use his power again, while Dick took Lucoa and returned to the main city of Lagug ahead of him.

Dick was away for almost half a year on this trip to the south, while Tia was back in her hometown directing operations.

Seeing that her beloved young master had finally returned, the beautiful girl with long, straight black hair, who was bowing her head and handling official documents, immediately threw her work aside and rushed straight into Dick's arms.

Seeing this, the assistants and secretaries exchanged silent glances and tactfully left the study, leaving the lord and Tia a private space.

Inside the study, Tia was like a cat on a whim, hugging and rubbing against Dick. After not seeing him for several months, the once aloof and elegant beauty was now completely unable to maintain her composure.

Having come all this way, Dick wasn't in a hurry to return to the front lines. Besides, Tia had indeed been working very hard lately, handling a lot of official business back home. Even though the lord's manor now had a fairly large and efficient civil service system, the governor's workload was still considerable.

"Thank you for your hard work, Tia."

"Is it just a verbal compliment? Young master, I'm not a woman who can be easily fooled with sweet words!"

Tia's expression was a half-smile, her nimble tongue licking her red lips, her purple eyes staring intently at Dick, as if a burning fire was burning within them.

This female spy, skilled in seduction, never used any of her knowledge on outsiders; she reserved it all for her own young master.

The two didn't move to another location, but instead started making love on the sofa in the study. Tia was so excited that her hands were trembling. Her body, which had been celibate for many days, was reactivated and seemed to have become more sensitive.

Carrying Tia's pair of national treasure-level long and slender legs onto his shoulders, Dick lowered his waist and smoothly entered the peach blossom cave that had become muddy and filthy from his teasing. Tia's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and the long-lost sense of fulfillment made her feel extremely satisfied.

"Young Master, you seem to have grown a bit more."

After a thoroughly enjoyable "reward," Tia's emptiness caused by longing was filled by Dick's sticky love. She immediately got up, grabbed a pair of monocles from the desk, put them on, and nestled naked in Dick's arms, reporting on the recent situation in the territory.

Tia is a capable woman, but she's not just "capable".

Dick held Tia's soft, fragrant body in his arms, playing with her breasts, which he adored, while listening to her steady yet occasionally adorable moan as she spoke to him about serious matters.

Dick couldn't help but think that if all leaders were "doing their jobs" in this way, then surely no one would be lazy in their administration?

"Young master, listen to me carefully, don't just play with me!"

"Oh, go on, I'm listening."

Thanks to the huge profits from the arms trade, Lagug's development speed in the past three months has been like stepping on the gas pedal, almost taking off directly!

Many infrastructure projects and factories of various types were able to start ahead of schedule, providing a large number of jobs for the entire territory, which further exacerbated the population siphon effect of Lagug on the surrounding territories.

Some minor lords, seeing the situation was not going well, were afraid that all the people in their territories would flee, and dared not offend Ragug, who was now the most powerful man in the North. So they could only go to him in person to beg for mercy.

Tia didn't stand on ceremony with these minor nobles. She immediately took out a pre-prepared plan and discussed with them what a comprehensive cooperation project entailed.

According to this in-depth cooperation agreement, Lagug promised to hire these minor nobles' subjects to work for him under the guise of "labor export," and then pay these lords a commission based on the number of people employed. This amount was almost equivalent to the traditional poll tax, making it quite attractive.

At the same time, Lagug promised that the fields in their territory would not be completely abandoned due to the migration of people to work elsewhere. Instead, these lands could be consolidated and contracted to Lagug's "agricultural company" for operation. They have a professional team in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry to tailor the most suitable operating model for their land. These lords don't have to do anything; they can just sit at home and collect dividends.

"You can leave everything to us. We won't let you suffer any losses. This is called a win-win situation!"

With her "mind-reading" ability, Tia's smooth talk left every lord bewildered.

The key point is that, from the perspective of these lords, given Lagug's current strength, they could have easily taken it by force, yet they were willing to sign contracts and pay them.

So gentle, how could they not be moved to tears?

This was an expansion strategy that Dick had formulated long ago. Directly annexing the territories of these minor nobles by force would damage the benevolent image that Dick had always cultivated. Moreover, even clay figures have some temper, and some will surely rise up in resistance. Those major lords who are at odds with them will also take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Therefore, the way you swallow must be gentle. Don't bite directly with your teeth. Try to swallow and spit out, with a rhythmic pace. You can give these guys some benefits first to lower their vigilance. This way, it will be easier to control their vital parts.

These small territories are now effectively under Lagug's complete control. Their people work in Lagug's factories, and their land is contracted to Lagug's agricultural companies, where they grow all kinds of crops that Lagug needs. The lords are also overjoyed by their increased profits, happily consuming the various industrial products they buy from Lagug.

These people were all arranged clearly, and Dick naturally didn't mind feeding them some high-quality feed.

After recounting her work achievements, Tia received a commendation from Dick as she had hoped. Overjoyed, she then forcefully pushed Dick onto the sofa.

Tia's ambition has grown so much that she has even "swallowed up" her own boss!

Chapter 289: As long as we keep moving forward, the road will continue to extend.

That evening, the other members of the group who stayed behind also returned. During this time, Joel, Red Leaf, and Lily, along with a group of new recruits from the spy school, established an internal affairs department specifically to handle internal security incidents in order to deal with the increasingly serious security deterioration caused by the influx of a large number of outsiders.

The problem of public security is a major trouble that can never be eradicated and requires long-term efforts. Dick had previously made great efforts to rectify the situation, but as long as Laguge continues to develop rapidly, criminals will grow like weeds, spreading everywhere if we are not careful.

Currently, due to the excessive urbanization of Laguge, the bandits who once roamed the mountains have lost their living space and are now in a state of being instantly killed if they show their faces. As a result, the local thugs have also learned to iterate new tactics and started to focus on new avenues, moving into the city to become more covert criminal gangs.

In addition, among the new immigrants from the south, there are also many gang members who, seeing that the market here seems to be a blue ocean, want to return to their old ways and fill this "niche".

Moreover, these outside gang members, with their richer experience in the underworld, know the importance of finding a powerful backer to protect them. Therefore, they are willing to spend money to corrupt the local law enforcement officers. Once they find someone with weak will, they will use money and women to knock them unconscious.

This is why the Ministry of the Interior was newly established. They not only had to suppress organized crime, but also had to supervise the existing police officer system and, when necessary, use a list to launch a purge!

This is simply a growing pain that all emerging metropolises experience during their development, much like the shadows that inevitably exist beneath the light. Some underground forces, through the effective transfer of benefits, even receive tacit approval or support from the authorities during their development.

In metropolises like Beijing, the "underground world" has developed its own independent ecosystem after hundreds of years of growth. No one dares to touch it, because you have no idea how many people's interests you will affect if you chop into this indescribable behemoth, or even if you might accidentally cut yourself in the process.

However, Laguge is still in its early stages and is not as large and uncontrollable as the capital. It's like weeding a field. We need to start dealing with it early, and even if we can't completely eradicate it, we need to ensure that they can't continue to grow stronger.

As for those who operate in the gray area, are willing to obey and follow the rules, the lord's mansion doesn't forbid them from surviving, but it must know when to stop.

"The war in the south is drawing to a close. Both the empire and the kingdom are like exhausted boxers. Even if the outcome is still undecided, they need a halftime break. As for the arms trade there, it should continue for some time. The nobles in the south are very insecure now. They have realized that the empire cannot be relied on."

It has to be said, the cabinet's series of actions were truly appalling. It was an attempt to rectify mistakes using the wrong methods, resulting in more errors and more problems!

The current mentality of the southern nobles is the same as that of the northerners during the orc invasion a few years ago. The central government has lost its original prestige in their eyes. The "Southern Military Alliance" organized by Prince Heinz is simply a one-to-one copy of the "Northern United Front".

As for the mysterious King Hesse VII, he's becoming more and more like a "divine emperor," letting those corrupt officials in his cabinet run wild while he calmly stays put and does nothing.

In short, this guy's actions were so confusing that even Dick couldn't tell whether he was secretly plotting something big or was just a complete idiot.

After staying in his hometown for three days, Dick waited for the Winter God to sense something and also treated the girls in the group who stayed behind to a good meal. Later, he simply brought the Winter God (his clone) to the main city so that he could see the happy life of the people of Lagug now.

As a lord, Dick was undoubtedly a model of benevolent rule when it came to his people… without even needing quotation marks. He protected his people, led them out of poverty and into prosperity, and single-handedly enacted the Labor Protection Act to safeguard the interests of the lower classes, along with a series of basic welfare programs to ensure the people's livelihood. In return, the people repaid him with profound loyalty and love.

Ajax, who had transformed into a small doll and was hiding in Dick's pocket, could feel the genuine reverence that the people around him had for Dick. When they moved to the eastern part of the main city, Ajax could clearly feel a lot of faith power converging on him.

Looking at the snow-covered temple standing on the hillside not far away, and the huge crowd in the square in front of the temple, Ajax asked in surprise.

"Huh? Is this a sacrificial ceremony or worship?"

"Uh... actually, the temple gave out ice."

"???"

As a thorough pragmatist, how could Dick possibly leave such a large block of ice that would never melt as just a spectacle?

So he used the temple as an unlimited ice machine, built many ice cellars for storage, and distributed them to factories in high-heat environments for physical cooling. There was even surplus ice that could be distributed to the public for free during the summer as a public welfare measure to improve people's happiness.

Since the climate in Laguge returned to normal, the four seasons have become distinct again, with summer highs reaching 27 or 28 degrees Celsius. This temperature may not be considered high in the south, and could even be described as quite cool, but for northerners who are used to the cold, this temperature is not very bearable.

Many Union soldiers sent to the Southern front complained to Dick that they were not afraid of fighting, but the weather in the South was so hot that it was almost unbearable.

The ice cubes distributed free of charge by the temple were very popular among the people. Although each person could not get a lot, a glass of refreshing ice water was undoubtedly a wonderful treat on a hot summer day.

In Ajax's eyes, these people queuing up for ice were gushing out faith points, which became his divine power.

Because of his past ignorance and folly, Ajax caused the death of his follower, an event that drove him mad. Even after regaining his sanity, he was filled with remorse and only wished to sleep forever, waiting for his divine power to be exhausted so he could naturally perish.

But Dick rebuilt his sect, restored his faith, and it seems to be doing quite well, making it difficult for this god to even die.

"Actually, you don't need to repay me in any way."

“You can’t say that, Senior Winter God. I’ve always believed that faith is a double-edged sword with risks. It can provide people with spiritual comfort, but it can also be easily exploited by bad people to incite them to do evil. So rather than letting charlatans with ulterior motives tempt my people to believe in evil gods, I would rather guide them to believe in a kind and benevolent god like you.”

"But can a god like me, who has killed his own followers, really be considered a good god?"

"Past mistakes have been made and cannot be undone, but whether as a human or as a god, we should strive to look forward instead of stopping here. As long as we continue to move forward, the road beneath our feet will surely continue to extend. Look at these people, they are also your believers."

What you said... does make sense.

"Speaking of which, seeing your current appearance has suddenly given me a new idea. I recently went to the south and discussed collaborations with many local plantations, buying several boatloads of lemons. Perhaps this could provide everyone with a drink that's even better than ice water. If you don't mind, Lord Winter God, I'll use you as a brand."

"???"

Chapter 290: This is not the end at all

Winter God had no idea what Dick was planning to do with the ice and lemons, but he could vaguely smell a hint of money on the kid.

Afterwards, they wandered around the city for a while. Ajax declined Dick's invitation and prepared to return to the pine forest where his true form slumbered. He did enjoy seeing people living happily, but he was somewhat unaccustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city, so he was unwilling to reside permanently in the temple.

Before leaving, however, he left Dick a token, instructing him to notify Dick immediately if he sensed that unusual power fluctuation again.

As expected, Ajax sensed that power again four days later, and this time, because he had a clone that remained conscious, he quickly confirmed the general location of that power.

"The capital?"

"It's that area, but the other party is very careful. I can only sense the general area and cannot confirm the exact location."

"Can you confirm what this force is doing?"

"It should be a transfer, with a feeling similar to a sacrifice."

That's all the information Ajax could confirm. As a god, he was still too young. As for Lucoa, because she was an outsider and a clone whose power had been deliberately suppressed, she was not recognized by the laws of this world and therefore did not have "administrator privileges".

Upon learning that the anomaly occurred near the capital and that the one capable of wielding such power was a demigod, Dick immediately thought of the "Guardian" in the palace.

At this point, his senior brother Behemoth suggested that he go back to the capital to gather information.

Behemoth is, after all, a professor at the National Magic Academy, and he hasn't made up for this year's classes yet. This gives him a good reason to go back and discuss it with Grandor.