MTLNOVEL Chapter 203: Preperations
Although the Western Defense Zone is one of the five major defense zones, most cultivators—except those whose ancestral lands or training centers are near Redwood Island—still prefer to go to Zhou Main City.
After all, Zhou Main City is guarded by Golden Core cultivators.
While the cultivators of Guang'an Prefecture acknowledged the Hartmann Family's strength, in their eyes, a Foundation Establishment expert was nowhere near as formidable as a Golden Core cultivator.
Moreover, with the Eastern Defense Zone securing one victory after another, the dark cloud of war that once loomed over everyone had gradually lifted.
Naturally, this left even fewer reasons for cultivators to relocate to the so-called "backward" Sea View City.
As a result, aside from the 100,000 stationed soldiers and monks, the number of independent and family-affiliated cultivators in Sea View City was fewer than 300,000.
In contrast, Zhou Main City housed millions of cultivators within its sphere of influence, while Lingzhou Immortal City had gathered more than a million.
Even the Southern Defense Zone's city gate garrison saw more independent cultivators gathered than the entirety of the Western Defense Zone.
Luis remained unfazed.
He understood that prestige and support were built upon strength.
Neither he nor the Hartmann Family had yet proven themselves worthy of absolute trust. Naturally, people hesitated to entrust their futures to the Western Defense Zone Coalition.
Returning to the Western Defense Zone base…
As soon as Luis entered the headquarters hall, a monk clad in spiritual armor strode in briskly, his steps quick as the wind.
Upon seeing Luis, his eyes lit up.
"Commander-in-chief," the monk said, his tone carrying a hint of urgency. "It's time to distribute this month's military salaries."
Then, after a brief pause, he glanced at Luis nervously.
The decision to build an immortal city on Redwood Island had been controversial.
Many within the Western Defense Zone Coalition had opposed it. But as Luis' subordinates, they had no choice but to follow his orders.
Now, the very issue they had feared had finally arrived.
The coalition forces in the Western Defense Zone were struggling to pay their soldiers.
Since the Western Defense Zone Allied Forces stationed on Redwood Island, money has been flowing like water.
If it weren't for Guang'an Prefecture Allied Forces Commander Zhou Minghao's attempt to win over the Hartmann Family—and the Hartmann Family's strong logistical support for the Eastern Defense Zone front line—anyone else who dared to "misappropriate" the military funds of the Western Defense Zone so openly would have already been arrested for corruption and malfeasance by the Guang'an Prefecture coalition forces.
Since stationing troops on Redwood Island, the Western Defense Zone has not only built a third-level spiritual vein but has also developed over ten second-level spiritual veins on nearby islands, using Redwood Island as the core.
This strategy mirrors the Zhou Family and the Guang'an Prefecture Immortal Alliance, providing independent cultivators and smaller families with cultivation resources.
Additionally, the Western Defense Zone is responsible for patrolling and maintaining flying warships.
The cost of constructing the spiritual veins alone exceeded 20 million spirit stones.
The massive order of magical instruments placed with the Hartmann Family cost several million more.
Later, the construction of Sea View Fairy City consumed the bulk of the Western Defense Zone's military budget—nearly 50 million spirit stones.
Logically speaking, Sea View City, built with military funds, should belong to the Western Defense Zone Coalition Forces.
Yet, anyone paying attention could see what had really happened.
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The Hartmann Family had transferred taxation rights to themselves.
This was blatant misappropriation of military funds.
Had the funds been squandered for personal luxuries, there might have been an uproar. But now, after such heavy spending, only a fraction of the original 80 million spirit stones remained.
At this rate, even paying the soldiers' salaries was becoming difficult.
Inside the Western Defense Zone Headquarters
Luis sat in the grand hall, gazing at Lei Zhen, who stood before him with a nervous expression.
Seeing his unease, Luis chuckled and said, "Why are you so nervous? My Hartmann Family is on Hartmann Island, hundreds of miles away from Redwood Island. Are you worried that we'll just disappear?"
Shaking his head, he added, "Don't worry. The military salaries will be paid this month as usual."
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Lei Zhen.
Lei Zhen hesitated for a moment before bowing and slowly exiting the hall.
As he left, Luis murmured, "Arthur should be back soon."
Just then, a flying warship descended from the sky.
A figure leaped down from the ship—Arthur.
Seeing Luis, he grinned.
"Brother!"
Walking up, he stretched his shoulders and sighed, "Doing business is exhausting. You always have to keep a smile on your face."
Luis looked at Arthur, now a grown man, and couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia. Although not much time has passed.
Luis had watched Arthur mature over time.
Patting Arthur's shoulder firmly, Luis said with emotion, "You've worked hard. Thank you!"
Arthur smiled silently, shook his head, and replied, "It's for the family. My hard work is necessary."
"Come on, let's go inside and talk."
"Yes!"
Arthur nodded and followed Luis into the hall.
They sat down, and Luis personally brewed a pot of spiritual tea. As they drank, they chatted for half an hour.
By then, Arthur finally understood why Luis had transferred him back to Sea View City.
Compared to the magical instrument market in Guang'an Prefecture's Immortal City, what the Hartmann family was building in Sea View Fairy City was far more crucial to their long-term foundation.
"But what about the flying sword shops in Zhou Main City Market?" Arthur asked, frowning.
The Hartmann family already owned seven shops in Zhou Main City Market, covering all the major blocks. Among them, more than five specialized in flying swords.
The inventory had expanded significantly. Initially, the shop only sold Red Shadow Flying Swords, a first-grade, low-quality weapon. But now, it carried a variety of first-grade low-grade flying swords, as well as mid-grade and even high-grade ones.
Of course, few casual cultivators at the Qi Refining Stage could afford a first-grade top-quality flying sword. Even those with 500 spirit stones in their pockets would likely prioritize renting a better cave or buying elixirs over upgrading their weapon. For them, switching from a first-grade low-grade sword to a high-grade one was a luxury.
After a brief moment of thought, Luis looked up and asked, "Who is currently managing the flying sword shops in Zhou Main City Market?"
"Senior Weston."
"Weston, huh."
Luis nodded. Weston was Biggs' disciple.
After a pause, Luis explained, "The Flying Sword Shop was once the Hartmann family's main source of income, but that is no longer the case.
Our elixir and magic weapon business with the Guang'an Prefecture coalition now far exceeds the revenue from the flying sword shops."
Luis took a sip of tea and continued, "More importantly, our true foundation is now in Sea View Fairy City. Only by ensuring its prosperity can the Hartmann family establish itself as a true powerhouse."
Compared to doing business in someone else's fairy city, running your own offers far greater benefits.
If the Hartmann family can successfully develop Sea View Fairy City, they won't even need to say a word— the tax revenue alone will be enough to make them wealthy.
Why is the Zhou family so rich?
Their wealth doesn't come solely from their various industries. More importantly, they owned a massive fairy city—Zhou Main City—one of the most prosperous in all of Cangzhou.
The Guang'an Immortal Alliance established Lingzhou Immortal City because the Yang family and other influential clans in Guang'an Prefecture refused to let the Zhou family monopolize the region's wealth. By forming an alliance, they balanced the distribution of power.
If the Guang'an Alliance could do it, why couldn't the Hartmann family?
If not for the corpse tide on Lotus Island, Luis wouldn't have made this decision so quickly.
But now, with a zombie outbreak threatening Guang'an Prefecture, stability is the priority. To maintain order and unite against external threats, the Zhou family has no choice but to compromise and relinquish some of their control.
The so-called division of the five major defense zones is, in reality, a redistribution of Guang'an Prefecture's spheres of influence.
The western defense zone of Guang'an Prefecture will belong to the Hartmann family.
So why shouldn't they establish their own fairy city within their territory?
Of course, building a fairy city is one thing—developing it into a thriving hub is another.
Lingzhou Immortal City had a strong start, thanks to Yang Lingyuan, who first established spiritual veins around the city, allowing casual cultivators to cultivate spiritual fields and grow medicinal herbs.
But soon, the Zhou family imitated this strategy.
And now, Luis is doing the same.
In this aspect, the Hartmann family holds no special advantage. In fact, they are at a disadvantage due to their late entry into the game.
Moreover, just like the Guang'an Immortal Alliance, the Hartmann family faces a major challenge in building Sea View Fairy City—a lack of working capital.
In other words, they don't have enough spirit stones.