Chapter 1328: Public Recognition and the Material Problem

Looking at the low building before him, with its brick-built lower half and wooden upper structure, although it was a long row, its plain appearance made it truly difficult for Xia Duo to associate it with a place of entertainment.

Only the wine glass sign hanging at the entrance clearly and unmistakably declared its identity.

Seeming to have sensed the movement outside, just as Xia Duo and Laidun arrived, a sturdy, dark-skinned middle-aged man rushed out of the tavern.

"Who has come? Ah—Lord Territory Lord, Lord Laidun!" Seeing the two people outside the door, the middle-aged man immediately scrambled to offer a salute.

Xia Duo recognized the person before him as the very one he had personally granted land to, the first to be granted land, and also the one who had received the most Gold Coins during the land grant ceremony—Lier.

Of course, what left the deepest impression on Xia Duo was Lier's second son; he had just witnessed the other's Promotion Ritual not long ago.

As the first Official Mage cultivated by Daxia Territory (entrusted to the Tower of Time), how could Xia Duo not have a deep impression!

"Lier, no need for such formalities. I am just passing by to take a look. Is the tavern business good?"

The Lord still remembers me! The Lord still remembers me! Lier felt ecstatic inside, but upon hearing the Territory Lord's question, his mood, which should have been happy, instantly turned cold.

"My Lord, the tavern business is very good."

"Then why do you seem unhappy? Are the territory officials or public servants giving you a hard time?"

"No! No! No!"

Lier shook his head repeatedly, "Everyone in the territory treats me very well; no one is giving me a hard time."

"Then—"

Xia Duo felt that asking Lier directly might not yield any answers, so he turned to ask Laidun, "Do you know what is going on with him?"

Laidun glanced at Lier, pondered for a moment, and replied, "My Lord, if I am not mistaken, it should be that someone in Savile Town is trying to target him."

"Lier, is what Laidun said correct?" Xia Duo asked.

Lier did not answer, but the expression on his face said it all. Seeing this, Xia Duo was about to continue questioning, but then he thought of the material shortage problem Laidun had just mentioned.

He roughly guessed some possibilities.

He asked Laidun again, "Is it that Savile Town has started to control the inflow of supplies?"

"Yes."

Laidun nodded, "It started last month. They know that the territory distributed a large amount of Gold Coins during the land grant. Some people are eyeing these Gold Coins, while others want to take the opportunity to control the territory's market."

"Have you contacted Saier Town Mayor?"

"I have, but with little effect. After all, the purpose of a chamber of commerce is to make money. Saier Town Mayor can at most force the Savile Chamber of Commerce to provide us with affordable supplies, but the Savile Chamber of Commerce cannot solve all the territory's material problems; it still requires other chambers of commerce to provide them."

"I remember the Savile Chamber of Commerce deals in the liquor business, right?"

"They do, but it is limited to satisfying Savile Town. Other chambers of commerce—especially some external ones—also occupy a considerable share. The Savile Chamber of Commerce cannot spare much quota to provide to Daxia Territory."

Speaking of this, Laidun turned his head to look at Lier again and explained, "Because Gold Coins are settled when land is granted in the territory, everyone has a preliminary estimate of their future income.

"With the guarantee of the Daxia Code, Lier doesn't mind those people running up tabs to drink; in fact, the whole idea of running up tabs was started by Lier himself!

"Nowadays, the consumption of liquor in the territory is no less than that of Savile Town!"

After hearing Laidun's explanation, Xia Duo subconsciously felt it was a bit exaggerated, but upon closer thought, what Laidun said was actually not exaggerated at all.

With a population of nearly ten thousand in the territory, it can be said that everyone is a consumer. Moreover, the territory is still in the development stage and needs liquor to boost morale; drinking is one of the few entertainment activities, so it is completely understandable that consumption is high.

At the same time, through this phenomenon, Xia Duo realized that his territory residents' identification with the Daxia Code and Daxia Order was much higher than he had expected.

If there were no relatively positive expectations for the future, no one would be willing to spend money so lavishly. Perhaps the moment they received the money, they would have hidden it away or deposited it in Savile Territory.

This made Xia Duo feel very gratified.

It is just that the material problem is indeed quite troublesome. A Daxia Territory market with extremely strong consumption power has suddenly appeared, but the corresponding production has not been able to keep up quickly.

When inventory is consumed to a certain extent, various chambers of commerce will naturally react in a way that best serves their interests. Raising prices is only one aspect; even further controlling the Daxia Territory consumer market is not just talk.

After thinking for a while, Xia Duo gave Laidun the latest Indication in front of Lier—

"You can slightly increase the procurement price for all supplies, with the premium paid by the territory. Additionally, support and provide Guidance to the residents who have been granted land to carry out orderly development in relevant production fields.

"As for the entry of external chambers of commerce into the territory market, restrictions can be gradually relaxed, but for now, no chamber of commerce, including the Savile Chamber of Commerce, is allowed to enter Daxia Territory. Furthermore, strictly investigate the situation of external chambers of commerce controlling local commerce from behind the scenes.

"As for the supplies, I will think of a way to solve it before the end of the month!"

……

After leaving Lier's tavern, Xia Duo visited several other taverns and grocery stores in succession. The territory only has these few consumer venues now, so business is certainly not bad.

But the corresponding supplies also encountered the same problem Lier faced.

Savile Territory has a relatively small population and relatively conservative production. With a new market suddenly added, it is inevitable that there will be a supply shortage in the short term.

However, Xia Duo had long planned to go to Seventon before the end of the month. In addition to delivering goods to Lord Halan, he now had an additional procurement task.

Getting goods from Seventon can not only alleviate the material shortage problem facing the territory but also appropriately warn those external chambers of commerce in Savile Territory, letting them make the right choice.

Since a Senior Arcanist has personally stepped in, results must be seen.

If those chambers of commerce do not buy it, even if Xia Duo does not do anything to them for the time being, he will definitely make them look good when he finds an opportunity in the future!

As long as he wants to, there are plenty of opportunities!

……

Next, Xia Duo inspected three new villages in turn and summoned several resident representatives to ask about the difficulties they encountered in life and gave corresponding instructions.

Near noon, Xia Duo and Laidun had a simple lunch at Jinqi Village, one of the new villages, and then continued to inspect northward with Laidun.

When the two walked to the Code Plaza on the west side of the Tower of Time, they could already see the residents coming off work in batches to eat.

Xia Duo immediately cast Invisibility Magic to hide his and Laidun's figures to avoid causing chaos in the crowd, and then added a Flight Spell to fly directly to the north.

Looking down from above, the 【Daxia-Savile Territory Passage】, over a hundred meters wide and stretching for dozens of miles, had already begun to take shape.