Volume 2 Chapter 130 Digging canals
“Wait, I still have a problem with this.” Hannas asked with a confused look, “When I took the carriage yesterday, it cost me three silver coins for a trip. If this public transport system is something that the city provides like you said, isn’t this price too high? When you and Count Sean discussed this, didn’t you set the prices?”
“Of course we set it, this is the price that we set after discussing this with chairman Pompeii. After all, no matter how much the city should provide this, the Fersen Carriage Company needs to earn money, right? Otherwise, how could the Fersen Carriage Company agree to sign this contract?” Xu Yi said in a natural voice.
“But I feel……Isn’t this price too much for the citizens of Banta City?” Hannas said with a frown, “One trip is three gold coins, that means that it’s six silver coins each day. Although it is much cheaper than those long distance horse carriages, this still is close to two gold coins a month, which is a bit too much. I don’t think those workers and normal people will be able to afford it.”
Xu Yi laughed, “Hannas, you’re still stuck with the same old thoughts. How much do you think is the average income for those citizens right now?”
“How much?”
“Let me tell you, don’t be scared. According to the City Lord’s Manor’s census last month, the average wage for normal citizens in the Banta City area is over ten gold coins!”
“That’s impossible!” Hannas jumped out of his chair in shock, “Even the average income in Anvilmar City isn’t ten gold coins, how could it be over ten gold coins in Banta City?”
“Why is it impossible?” Xu Yi looked at Hannas with a smile, “Is it because you’re from Anvilmar City that you’re not willing to accept this fact?”
“It isn’t that I’m not willing to accept it, rather it is basically impossible!” Hannas loudly said, “I would believe it if you told me that the average monthly income for your Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s workers is over ten gold coins, I would even believe it if you told me that the workers of the other companies have an average monthly income of over ten gold coins, but I won’t believe that the normal citizens of Banta City have an average monthly income of over ten gold coins even if you beat me to death!”
Xu Yi gave a sigh and shook his head. He looked like he was looking at someone ignorant as he said, “I thought that after running to Banta City and inspecting for so many days, you would at least understand the situation of Banta City, but I never thought that you wouldn’t even understand this.”
Hannas immediately said in an angry voice, “You say I don’t understand? I think you’re just boasting!”
“Boasting?” Xu Yi couldn’t help smiling as he said, “Alright, since your news has fallen behind, I might as well teach you or you’ll disgrace yourself with the article you write. Ke…..Listen well, first let me tell you, our Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s workers don’t just have an average monthly wage of ten gold coins. Just last month, according to the data that Sebas put together a few days ago, it’s already broken the realm of twenty gold coins.”
“Twenty gold coins? Average?” Hannas looked at Xu Yi with a look of disbelief, “You….When I visited the other chairmen and they said that you were a wastrel, I argued back for you, but I never thought that you really were a wastrel! You’re giving your workers such a high wage? Even if your company earns a lot of money, you can’t do this, right?”
“Calling me a wastrel?” Xu Yi gave a snort, “Those fellows aren’t lower than me. The chairmen of the other companies didn’t tell you that the wages of their workers aren’t lower than ours? There are even several companies that have workers with higher wages than ours. We haven’t been the company with the highest wages in Banta City in a long time.”
Hannas looked at Xu Yi in a daze for a while. After thinking about it, he sat down again and shook his head with knit brows, “I really doubt that your Banta City companies are all crazy. Your Frestech Chamber of Commerce giving high wages is because you as the chairman like to act as a wastrel, but why are they also giving high wages for? Are they being wastrels like you?”
“There’s no other way, it means the lack of manpower in Banta City is just too much. There’s plenty of work that needs people to do it, but no one can find people for it. You’ve wandered around Banta City for a few days, have you seen any normal people who couldn’t get jobs?” Xu Yi asked.
Hannas thought about it for a while before shaking his head, “I really didn’t see that. It’s very strange, could it be that there really are that many jobs in Banta City? There’s clearly several times the people in Banta City right now, it’s actually lacking in manpower?”
“You shouldn’t ask me this, you should be asking the Amrit Chamber of Commerce’s chairman Cruise.” Xu Yi said with a smile, “When it comes to lacking manpower, our Frestech Chamber of Commerce is alright because there are many dwarves and elves to supplement for us. Rather the Amrit Chamber of Commerce really is lacking in manpower, chairman Cruise has been complaining to me about not having enough people whenever he sees me. Do you believe that if he had enough manpower, he would even go to the Rudson Kingdom to build roads?”
“Un…..I mentioned this matter when I met chairman Cruise yesterday.” Hannas gave a nod, “He said that chairman Newman had invited the Amrit Chamber of Commerce to go to the Rudson Kingdom to build five hundred kkilometers of road, but he didn’t have enough people, so he could only reject him. He even said that it was a good chance to earn money, so it was a real pity that he had to give it up.”
“So you see, there is work for everyone in Banta City. The wage for every job is very high, so why isn’t it acceptable that people are getting an average monthly wage of ten gold coins?” Xu Yi asked.
Hannas was stunned. He thought about it before giving a sigh, “It seems like you’re right, I am indeed stuck in the same old thoughts. I thought that when it came to income, Anvilmar City should have the highest, but I never thought that Banta City actually surpassed Anvilmar City. The most important thing is that every person in Banta City can find work and there are a bunch of people in Anvilmar City who have nothing to do…..Comparing this, there really is a big difference.”
“No, you are mistaken.” Xu Yi shook his head, “In the end, Anvilmar City is the kingdom’s capital, so there are many things that Banta City can’t compare to at all. If the king wants to, he could easily surpass Banta City.
“This is not something we should discuss.” Hannas gave a shrug. He recorded what Xu Yi said in his notebook before he continued on asking, “Alright, other than the new public transport system, is there anything else worth mentioning?”
“Other than this…..” Xu Yi thought about it before looking aside, “Let me tell you something even more explosive.”
“Even more explosive?” Hannas’ eyes lit up, “What is it?”
“After me and Count Sean has discussed this, we finally decided to start expanding the Sandy River, while also digging a canal between the Sandy River and the Rum River.”
“Ah?”
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The next day, Xu Yi and Count Sean stood by the north bank of the Sandy River to the east of Banta City, looking to the north.
“Lord Count, chairman Xu, look, if the Sandy River is dug here and connected to the Rum River, the topography will gradually sink. Moreover, there isn’t a large mountain in the way, so comparing it, I feel it’s easiest to dig a straight canal.”
The one pointing into the distance was the Porter Chamber of Commerce’s chairman Cimila Porter.
Compared to how dispirited he was when Xu Yi saved him from the river, although his skin was much darker compared to before, he was much more full of life and confidence. He seemed like he had regained his spirit from when the Porter Chamber of Commerce was at its peak.
“How long will this canal be?” Count Sean asked.
“I gave a rough estimate and it shouldn’t be more than fifty kilometers.” Porter said.
“Fifty kilometers…..” Count Sean said with a nod, “Actually this doesn’t seem like the Sandy River and the Rum River are very far apart. If this canal could be dug and the two rivers can be connected, our Banta City’s water transportation will be much richer compared to before.”
“Lord City Lord, this can’t just be described with this.” Porter said in a somewhat excited voice, “Although the Sandy River reaches another river in the end, which is one of the most prosperous rivers of the continent, because it is controlled by the Marlow Empire and they don’t let the ships of any other countries pass, the Sandy River could never be used. But if the Sandy River could connect to the Rum River, this would connect the Sandy River to the continent’s number one river and any ship from Banta City could reach any place on the continent through the Sandy River!”
Speaking of this, Porter looked at Xu Yi on the side and his tone had a trace of gratitude.
“Whenever I saw the Rum River before, I thought how wonderful it would be if the Sandy River and the Rum River could be connected. But I knew that this matter was impossible, so I thought it was a fantasy. But when chairman Xu told me that this wasn’t a fantasy and it could be realized, to be honest……When I heard chairman Xu say this, I thought that chairman Xu was a bit…..too bold and wild.”
Count Sean laughed, “This fellow’s ideas have always been bold and even crazy, but chairman Porter, you must admit, this fellow has always realized his thoughts, isn’t that right?”
Porter forcefully nodded, “It is because chairman Xu can always realize his ideas that I listened to his arrangements this time, spending several months exploring all the rivers. But chairman Xu, digging a canal is a very difficult matter. It would take an astronomical amount of money and I feel that just our Banta City won’t be able to take out this much money.”
“This is the problem I’m worried about as well.” Count Sean nodded before saying to Xu Yi with a smile, “But I understand this fellow, if he wasn’t confident, he wouldn’t be so passionate. Speak, Xu Yi, how are you planning to solve this problem this time? Is the Frestech Chamber of Commerce going to pay for everything? If it is like this, I must properly thank you.”
Xu Yi laughed and quickly waved his hand, “Digging a canal will cost at least several million gold coins, our Frestech Chamber of Commerce can’t afford that. But while I can’t help with money, I can help with saving on the cost.”
“Oh? Let me hear it.”
“Recently, our company has made a breakthrough in our large scale machines and have successfully developed a large Magic Excavator…..”