Lighting Lanterns in the Mountains and Seas

Chen Wuji pondered, "First of all, the poor indeed make up the majority, and in terms of population size, it's not a problem at all. Moreover, even those with a small fortune, who would abandon their business to come to our impoverished place to start over? To satisfy our task's population requirements, those most likely to come here and start anew are the poor people of the world."

Upon hearing this, everyone began to think along these lines.

Shi Chun crossed his legs and leaned against the back of the chair as he pondered, and as his thoughts opened up, his eyes slightly lit up, as though he had already thought of a solution to the predicament.

There were still seats at the scene, but everyone stood in front of him without sitting.

An Wuzhi suddenly nodded slightly, "Makes sense. Just considering the conditions offered for attraction, the people we can bring in at the least cost are only these people, and their population is the largest, so even offering a bit of choice should be like a sieve, capable of sifting out enough people for our task. The key point is, if we gather such people from all over the world, each place won't feel a thing."

Feng Chi said, "Regarding this, it's indeed the case, for instance, Dongguo Shou introducing a large population from there; without the Carefree Sect's background coordination, moving an entire industry would make the local area unhappy. Especially those within other royal courts; if it weren't for the Carefree Sect handling things, they'd create obstacles for sure."

An Wuzhi: "If we don't introduce a whole industry, who's going to support so many people when they arrive?"

Tong Mingshan said, "Right, if we really bring in billions of poor people, how do we support them? Unable to survive, they'd all run away."

Zhu Xiangxin said, "You're overthinking it. Given the rapid spread of dense spiritual energy here, if we could settle billions of poor people here, it would be a treasure land where just offering meals means obtaining a workforce at no cost. Some alchemy sects and the like would likely be very willing to grow some spirit grass on a large scale. Though they earn from the hard-earned money of the poor, as long as there's profit to be made, people will come. Even taking a step back, with enough spiritual energy suitable for planting, everything can be pulled for planting. Even growing grain, collaborations with those grain merchants would be easy; if it's profitable, no one would reject it. With the Heavenly Domain's advantage in spiritual energy, no one would starve."

Seeing that their discussion was reasonable, Wu Jinliang frowned and muttered, "The poor that can be sifted out, many probably never even crossed the Xun Gate in their lifetime, likely can't afford the fare, and crossing the Xun Gate once isn't cheap. Let alone having money left to build a house here, who'd come if they had that kind of money?"

These words were akin to pouring a bucket of cold water over everyone.

Chen Wuji awkwardly laughed, "Haha, I was just speaking casually, didn't think it through. Sorry for the laughter."

Shi Chun, however, dismissively waved his hand, sat upright, and said, "Since this is the most likely path we can think of at present, then solve whatever problem arises. If money becomes the problem, let's solve the money issue. Everyone, calculate the expenses for a poor person coming here. Calculate the minimum expense."

Everyone exchanged glances, but Feng Chi was the first to respond, counting on his fingers and saying, "This is simple; crossing the Xun Gate once costs fifteen hundred gold. Count once from the continent to its royal capital, then from the royal capital to our Heavenly Capital, then from the Heavenly Capital to the Heavenly Domain. Within the Heavenly Court, it's possible to skip one transfer, but some continents' Xun Gates can't directly reach the royal capital, requiring transit via their galaxy. So, it's at most four times crossing the Xun Gate to get here, making the fare six thousand gold."

Bang, Wu Jinliang couldn't help but raise his hand to slap his forehead, smiling bitterly, "Master, I think it's better not to calculate. One person's fare is six thousand gold; even for a billion people... this account can't be reconciled. Better not calculate."

Indeed, after some estimation, everyone bitterly laughed together.

Shi Chun, however, calmly said, "No need for despair; small money problems don't concern us. Mulan Jin was right. We need only solve the problems others can't to earn the right to lord over this treasure land! Back to the point, the fare alone is six thousand gold; too expensive. We must find a way to compress expenses. Hmm... Those unable to directly reach the royal capital from their continent can be temporarily disregarded, saving one trip."

Wu Jinliang chuckled dryly, "Forty-five hundred gold is still too much, yeah."

Shi Chun thought for a moment and said, "Then let's only consider those within the Heavenly Court, who can reach the Heavenly Capital directly from their continent, and then transfer here. If the numbers from within the Heavenly Court aren't sufficient, consider the external sources."

Wu Jinliang extended two fingers, "Two trips, three thousand gold, what do we endure?"

Shi Chun decisively said, "I'll petition the Heavenly Court for some discretionary support. We're bringing people into the Heavenly Domain, and charging them passerby fees while entering the Heavenly Domain via the Heavenly Capital seems unreasonable. Deduct this journey, requiring only one fare."

Tong Mingshan hesitated and said, "Would the Heavenly Court agree?"

Shi Chun said, "Let's put that aside; I'll find a way to solve it. After covering the fare, we need to address the accommodation issue; if we additionally offer newcomers a house in the city for free, will it attract them?"

Offer free houses? Everyone was stunned; that expenditure would be huge.

Fang Zicheng laughed and teased, "The sifted-out poor are generally very clean poor. With fare and a free house in hand, they'd have to come."

Shi Chun, unfamiliar with the market, asked everyone, "How much does it cost to build the most ordinary house in the city?"

Xiao Sheng said, "I've been monitoring for a while; it's not cheap. Even if land is free, it's estimated to cost at least thirty thousand gold. After all, this place is barren, and most building materials need to be sourced from outside, along with irreplaceable craftsmen wages. Right now, prices are tight here, and wages aren't cheap."

"Thirty thousand gold is too much!" Shi Chun rejected it outright, saying gravely, "Reduce the free land size for population introduction by half. Standardize house construction modules; why dwell in luxury when broke? You'll make do here, and if you have the ability, improve yourself later. Search for someone to design standardized construction modules; I don't care how you do it, but it must be practical, and not sloppy. Overall, each house's cost must be controlled within five thousand gold."

"Build a house for five thousand? That's like making a shack, isn't it?" Wu Jinliang couldn't help but jokingly say, "Alright then, next time outsiders visit us, it'll be a spectacular sight, full of shacks across the city."

Shi Chun gravely said, "No shacks, houses. They should be cheap but good-looking. How to achieve that is your concern. Fail to do it, and you'll give up your position to someone who can. It's not like every material needs purchasing; use more stone. Is such a large territory devoid of stones? The personnel dispatched can be recalled, mobilize ten thousand people to open mountains and quarry stone. I refuse to believe it's impossible; they receive salaries, so they ought to put in some effort. Otherwise, they'll be kicked out."

Wu Jinliang's mouth twitched in resignation, "Alright, but fifteen hundred for fare and five thousand for housing add up to sixty-five hundred, though!"

Shi Chun interrupted, "That's my concern; you focus on doing what I instructed."

Feng Chi was the first to smilingly accept the order, "Yes, we follow the decree."

The rest exchanged glances, then Shen Moming suddenly blurted out, "Even if it works, they're all poor; without industries, where do we get taxable income from in the future?"

Shi Chun retorted, "Taxes, as far as you're concerned, might be irrelevant; you're thinking too far. Focus on clearing the current hurdle first!"