This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Dick had a nascent plan in mind: he had the Governor’s Office and the Business Alliance establish a dedicated agricultural cooperative to provide local farmers with various forms of support, including technical assistance.

Dick hopes to use the preferential policy of "three years of tax exemption and two years of half-tax" to encourage some locals to continue to explore northward, but he estimates that not many people will be willing to go.

Therefore, the main force of the land reclamation movement should be the results of the anti-bandit operations during the period from late winter to before spring plowing.

The mining area is already at full capacity, so there's no need to add more people. Therefore, Dick plans to establish four to six collective farms southeast of the castle to send prisoners captured during bandit suppression to these farms for labor reform.

Moreover, because these lands are newly reclaimed wasteland, they are eligible to apply for tax reduction policies.

The empire has stolen culture and technology from the earth over the years, but it hasn't been entirely without learning anything good. At the very least, it replaced the poll tax with the land tax reform and supported spontaneous land reclamation movements in border regions.

Since these collective farms were staffed by convicts, Dick, while not necessarily abusing them, ensured that most of their earnings went to the governor's office. However, Dick didn't intend to pocket all the money; instead, he planned to invest it as much as possible in the development of his territory.

Dick has his own ambitious plans for developing his territory. He wants to revitalize agriculture, develop commerce, and undertake large-scale infrastructure projects such as building bridges and roads, all of which require money.

Unfortunately, all of this can only begin after this winter is over.

On the last day of the year, Dick, who was usually frugal, splurged a little in Lagug and hosted a New Year's Eve banquet to entertain local celebrities and his meritorious subordinates.

As is customary, Dick began by giving a speech. He first thanked the gentry present for attending the event, praised the contributions of several local chambers of commerce to the local economy, and publicly commended some meritorious individuals. Then, he changed the subject and started talking about the suppression of bandits.

"Just imagine, next spring when summer comes, you take your wives out of town for a spring outing, enjoying snacks and singing songs, and suddenly you're robbed by a group of bandits! Do you want that to happen to you? So, the days without bandits are the good days!"

"The Governor is right!"

We all support you!

A chorus of praise erupted from the audience. Although Dick had only been in Lagog for a little over three months, his decisive and ruthless approach had already made the locals realize that this governor was no ordinary person.

The recent annihilation of the Vulture Gang was particularly shocking. Although the official statement only mentioned the elimination of some bandits, these local gentry all had their own intelligence networks to varying degrees, and some even operated in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, possessing secret channels to communicate with the Vulture Gang.

Therefore, they knew very well who had been killed, and they also vaguely guessed why the governor did not seek credit.

Since we're going to be spending a lot of time together in the future, we absolutely shouldn't hesitate to use our tongues when it's time to lick.

Some people who had previously been closely associated with bandits even came forward to "plead guilty and punish themselves," saying that they were quite wealthy and had just been moved by the governor's words about developing Laguge, and were willing to donate half of their wealth to support the governor's great cause.

To put it bluntly, this guy was scared and wanted to pay the governor to save his life so he could avoid disaster.

Dick was certainly not that cruel. He smiled and patted him on the shoulder, telling him to relax and that he would never wrong an innocent person. Then he accepted the man's offer and turned to have the ninja group send someone to keep an eye on the guy.

To be this afraid, one must have done a lot of despicable things!

Dick wasn't worried about bandits being spies among the guests, because the governor had been preparing for war for so long that news of the bandit suppression campaign had probably already spread among the people. The only thing that was unclear to everyone was when the governor planned to send troops to suppress the bandits.

Therefore, at the banquet, Dick casually revealed a "message," complaining that the current castle barracks were old, small, and dilapidated, and that when the second batch of private troops arrived at the end of next spring, there might not be enough room for them. He inquired about the prices of timber and hired craftsmen from local building material merchants.

Dick did indeed intend to renovate the barracks, but the so-called "second batch of private troops" was entirely fabricated. However, coming from the governor's mouth, it was hard for others not to believe him, so many people speculated that the governor was very likely to take action after the end of next spring.

If nothing unexpected happens, this intelligence will soon reach the local bandits.

Dick had long seen through these so-called wealthy gentlemen; they were cowardly, timid, and greedy, and many of them practiced "betting on both sides" as their life motto.

They probably thought that with the high mountains and dense forests of Laguge, and following the principle of bandits running away if they couldn't win, they knew they couldn't kill all the bandits. They thought their governor might return empty-handed, or even suffer a great loss.

At that time, they will still have to "coexist peacefully" with those bandits, just like before.

The author says:

Author's note: This chapter has 4300 words, which is less than the promised 5000 words, so tomorrow's update will be 6000 words, or two chapters of 3000 words each.

The main problem is joint pain; all the joints in my body hurt, and I can't use my hands and feet properly. I think it's because I got chilled when the temperature dropped in the middle of last night.

Chapter 35: Private Party (Part 1)

After the banquet ended and the guests had left, Dick felt somewhat tired.

Dick suddenly recalled a saying that circulated widely in the empire: for nobles, banquets were the fourth most essential condition for survival, after food, water, and air. A nobleman who had never hosted a banquet, nor been invited to one, was not worthy of being called a nobleman and was destined for an extremely unsuccessful life.

When Dick was still in the capital, he was probably the kind of "relatively unsuccessful aristocrat".

Aside from family-hosted parties, he never received any invitations. His older siblings, on the other hand, were all popular socialites, to the point of partying almost every night.

Dick didn't care at all about being isolated by the young aristocratic social circles in the capital. Rather than attending these pointless "parties" and flirting and dancing with those glamorous but empty-headed aristocratic socialites, he preferred to stay in the magic school's library and read a few more books.

However, things are different now; Dick is now the governor of Lagog. It's one thing to skip banquets on ordinary days, but a New Year's party to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new is a must.

Back in the hall, Dick, not seeing Belfast and Rita, casually called over a maid and instructed her to have someone tidy up. He told her to avoid wasting the remaining, untouched food and let the castle servants eat it.

Upon hearing this, the maids and servants all beamed with joy.

After all, the food served at banquets is not something that ordinary people can easily afford. In the past, they could only look on with envy. Previous governors would rather throw untouched delicacies into the garbage than give them to their servants.

Because in the eyes of the masters, how could they allow their servants to eat the same food as themselves?

Although the maids and servants didn't say it, they were all very touched.

They had previously been required to undergo professional training with Belfast and Rita, and were told that only those who passed the training would be allowed to work in the castle. This led them to believe that the young governor was a pretentious and overly particular master.

Later I learned that although the governor was strict with them, he treated them very well and was fair in his rewards and punishments.

Good performance will be rewarded.

Making a mistake and being punished.

Occasionally, they would show kindness to those of lowly status, as they do now, because they were highly respected by the servants. It was precisely this respect and gratitude towards their master that made them resolutely refuse many monetary temptations and not become traitors.

After giving instructions to the servants, Dick went upstairs to his room.

He suddenly wondered, where did all the girls under his command go?

With this question in mind, he pushed open the door to the inner living room, and then the room, which had been pitch black, suddenly lit up, and two cannon shots rang out in front of him.

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday!

Completely bewildered, Dick stood blankly at the doorway. Inside were the girls he had been wondering where they had all gone. They had clearly prepared a little surprise for him, especially when they heard "Happy Birthday." Even Dick himself suddenly realized that his birthday in this world was indeed on the last day of the year.

However, when Dick lived in the Duke's mansion, no one ever held a birthday party for him, the unloved illegitimate son. Even his sixteenth birthday coming-of-age ceremony was just a symbolic and perfunctory affair.

Although there is no change in physical appearance, I am indeed nineteen years old now.

"you……"

"Surprised, young master!"

Still in the position of pulling the cannon, Lily smiled innocently.

Dick then noticed that Lily was wearing a black bunny girl outfit. The tight-fitting clothes accentuated the girl's ample breasts, creating a striking visual effect, making them look like two scoops of creamy white ice cream.

Accompanying her was the even more voluptuous Shizuka Marikawa, dressed in a slightly different style of red bunny girl outfit, her long, fleshy legs encased in sexy fishnet stockings.

Given Shizuka's usual personality, it would be impossible for her to willingly wear such provocative clothing, so her flushed face clearly indicated that she had been drinking.

"Didn't I tell you not to let Shizuka-sensei drink alcohol?"

"There was no other way. The teacher initially refused to allow cosplay, so we had no choice but to give her a tiny bit of it."

"You son of a bitch..."

Seeing Lily grinning as she recounted the mess she'd made, Dick was about to say a few words to her as usual when Shizuka Marikawa pounced on her. Like a runaway truck, she crushed him with her headlights shoved into his face.

"Little Governor, come play with me! I'll give you a reward!"

Seeing that the female teacher was out of control, everyone managed to pull her away and then escorted Dick to the dining table. On the table was a square cream cake with "Happy 19th Birthday, Master Dick" written on it in plum jam, along with blessings in various languages. It was clearly a collaborative effort.

Even though Dick wasn't the type to express his emotions easily, he was still somewhat moved at this moment.

It's important to understand that Dick has always harbored a lingering sense of guilt towards the girls he summoned with magic. After all, it was a one-sided, forced summoning, and because the magic circle came with a slave contract, these girls were essentially shackled from the moment they arrived.

On the contrary, the girls were relatively more open-minded, because most of them were summoned by Dick when they were in danger. For the few who were in the most serious situations, it would be an exaggeration to say that Dick saved their lives.

"Thank you, thank you everyone."

"Alright, Master, why say thank you at a time like this? Let's blow out the candles and make a wish!"

Surrounded by everyone, Dick blew out the candles on the cake and then began to cut it.

To be honest, Dick didn't eat much at the banquet that evening. He was actually quite hungry, but the fatigue from entertaining the guests made him want to go back to his room to sleep.

But this birthday party was different; besides being touching, it was also relaxing.

Then the girls drew the curtains, locked the living room door, and gave Dick a little "job"!

"I hereby declare the first Dick Cup Cosplay Contest officially open! All contestants, please take the stage in turn. Young Master, you are responsible for scoring!"

Dick: ? ? ?

To Dick's bewilderment, the bright lights in the living room suddenly switched to colorful neon lights, instantly creating a somewhat inappropriate atmosphere. Lily transformed into a TV presenter, holding a sausage bread as a microphone, looking rather comical.

Dick, who was forced to sit on the sofa, looked at the scoring machine from one to five and the small stage curtain that had been pulled directly in front of him, and subconsciously felt a little nervous.

Cosplay convention? Is it Zun Du or fake Du?

As Lily mimicked drumbeats with her mouth, the curtain was drawn back, and the first contestant to appear was Tia, who was also in Lily's spy team. The beautiful girl with long, straight black hair wore what appeared to be a very proper office lady outfit, and her face was adorned with elegant black-rimmed glasses.

But the white shirt on her upper body was deliberately unbuttoned at the top three buttons, revealing the black lace bra straps inside. The lower body was a navy blue pencil skirt that was so short that it was almost level with the top of her thighs. A three-finger-width patch of snow-white skin was revealed between the hem of the skirt and the black stockings. This look made her look like a capable secretary!

To be fair, Tia was tasked with managing the merchant alliance for Dick, so she often had to appear in public. Most of the local merchants had seen her and were amazed by her beauty, but they also knew that she was the governor's person, so they dared not have any improper thoughts.

Tia usually dresses very conservatively, always bundled up in winter clothes.

But as soon as she returns to the castle and there are no outsiders around, Tia changes her style of dress. When reporting to Dick, she never sits properly in a chair, but deliberately sits on the desk. Although she is talking about serious business with a serious face, her alluring body is constantly making little movements.

Among the girls who had relationships with Dick, she was the one who was most fond of playing the "office romance" scenario, and she left many "traces of battle" in Dick's study!

From the moment the first contestant appeared, Dick realized that this was no serious cosplay at all.

These wicked women are using this to test their cadres again!

So Dick slammed his hand on the table with a serious expression... and gave it a five-star rating.

The second contestant, Rita, wore a high-slit, low-cut cheongsam, deliberately spreading her long, black-stockinged legs, which were almost completely exposed along one side of the skirt. The velvet-edged folding fan she held covered most of Rita's face, revealing only a pair of affectionate and alluring eyes.

Just as Dick raised his hand to press five points, Rita turned around on the spot, revealing her almost completely naked back, as well as the altered holy marks on her back caused by her transmigration. At this moment, these holy marks were emitting a strange halo. Dick, who was extremely familiar with Rita's body, knew that it was a reaction that Rita had after being aroused, but the others did not know it yet.

This slut was clearly implying to Dick that this was her "battle outfit" for tonight!

Next to appear was a trio of ninjas.

These three are practically costume-changing experts in a game that claims to be about volleyball but never actually plays it seriously; they've changed outfits countless times. But the guys under Dick's command are clearly not from that game, so they're a little less relaxed.

Kasumi and Ayane both chose sailor uniforms that were more in line with their age, but unfortunately, due to their overly plump figures, the sailor uniforms did not bring out their innocent charm at all, but instead looked very erotic.

The one who really pulled off a big show was Momiji. When her magical girl cosplay appeared between the unveiled curtains, Dick couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

However, just as he was laughing so hard that Koyo was so embarrassed that she fled with her ninjutsu, Dr. Natasha, who came on stage next, truly amazed Dick.

The author says:

Author's Note: This is the first update of 3000 words. The next 3000 words will be updated before 8 PM tonight. My shoulder joint still hurts; I'll go see a doctor this afternoon.

Chapter 36: Private Party (Part 2)

"Am I, a woman over forty, dressed like this? Is it inappropriate?"

As the curtain rose, Natasha's attire was less of a cosplay and more of a simple, girlish change of clothes. She wore a tight-fitting knit sweater that accentuated the doctor's prominent bust and slender waist, paired with a knee-length plaid skirt and high-heeled boots.

This outfit, combined with Natasha's mature and elegant demeanor, was surprisingly well-matched.

As the old saying goes, if you're pretty, you'll look good in anything!

Natasha, on the other hand, seemed rather insecure. Seeing Dick's blank expression and lack of reaction (actually, she was just stunned), she thought her forced attempt to look young was too over-the-top. Just as she was about to turn around and run to the locker room, she saw Dick, who had come to his senses, slap the five-point button hard, then wince in pain from the excessive force.

Seeing that Dick was patting so hard, Natasha hurriedly went over to check on him and saw that Dick's little hand was red with a clear red mark on the palm.

Natasha repeatedly kneaded the bone to make sure it wasn't broken before she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, when she looked up, she saw Dick smiling and looking at her. Their eyes met, and Natasha felt an unprecedented rush of heartbeat.

Natasha paused for a moment, then suddenly realized that some strange thoughts that she shouldn't have had just popped into her mind.

This made Natasha feel very distressed, because in terms of age, someone like her, who devoted herself to medicine and saving lives when she was young, and who was called an old witch by children in private when she came to her senses, should have long passed the age of having any romantic feelings, let alone having such thoughts about a boy who was 21 years younger than her.

Having been in this world for so long, Natasha gets along quite well with the other members of Dick's team. She knows that some of them have developed a close friendship with Dick, but she always felt that it was a matter between young people and that Dick probably wouldn't be interested in her.

"My apologies, Your Excellency."

Realizing her reaction had been somewhat inappropriate, Natasha got up without a word and ran back to the locker room as if fleeing. Dick was a little confused, but the other shrewd guys around him all had expressions of snickering on their faces.

After Natasha, the remaining characters to be shown are Black and White Gunner, Belfast, and Joel.

As for Lily and Shizuka, they've been wearing bunny girl outfits since they were first introduced, and in Dick's eyes, they're both five points, all five points!