I Become a Landlady in the Game World

"What is the crucial material? Perhaps we have it," Viscount Keynes said spiritedly.

Zhou Bai: "..."

—These nobles' intent to probe for information couldn't be more obvious.

However, it wasn't a secret as Hope Village needed these things.

Let's change the topic! This opportunity could also be used to divert their attention.

Shells were better off displayed openly, while the limestone mine was more suitable for private operations.

"Shells," Zhou Bai spoke, "do you have any? Our territory is buying them at a high price!"

Upon hearing the word 'shells,' Viscount Keynes fell silent.

Shells occasionally appeared in some places, but they were exceedingly scarce, and most were found by the sea.

The ocean was the Dragon Clan's territory, and few dared to approach it.

To take away a large amount of shells from there was nothing short of a fantasy.

This business was not easy!

"Our territory is not by the sea, we don't have any!"

"Mine neither."

"What a shame! The material is shells."

"..."

Instantly, the topic was dropped.

Zhou Bai watched their reactions and gained a new understanding of the Dragon Clan's deterrence.

She was actually quite curious about the Dragon Clan of this world—were they as cool and imposing as seen on TV?

At this moment, they passed through the city gate passage, fully entered the territory, and caught a clear view of the scenes within Hope Village.

Instantly, the attention of Viscount Conrad and Viscount Keynes's party was shifted.

They were surprised upon seeing the environment inside Hope Village.

Originally, they thought Hope Village had just upgraded, and the population wasn't large, so the entire territory's development might not be impressive.

However, contrary to expectations, the construction in Hope Village was quite beautiful and very well-organized.

They were mostly lords themselves and knew the difficulty of developing a territory, especially in planning. Their experience was based on gradual improvements, and sometimes, for certain benefits, some plans couldn't be changed, even if planning afterward, it was impossible to achieve the neatness of Hope Village.

Furthermore, there were the style and architecture.

Every inch of land was precious; many lands were too valuable to waste. Hence, buildings were tightly packed to maximize every bit of land.

But Hope Village? They had spent so much effort on roads, even the main and minor roads were not small in size.

Though it seemed wasteful, it looked very comfortable.

Besides the roads, the newly promoted Hope Village was not empty at all; the buildings looked quite full, and no matter how remote some places were, at least those within sight were numerous.

They had also come from a Level 2 village and had vivid memories of upgrading to a Level 3 village; for a long time, the territory looked very sparse.

Later, as more businesses and population moved in, it gradually became prosperous.

Hope Village had already become so bustling just a few days after its promotion; the Lord of Hope Village must have a deep pocket, right?

Having money allowed them to transform their territory in just a few days.

A tinge of envy flashed in their hearts.

In reality, they had family support too, but having a territory to manage was already the biggest help; to train them, unless it involved the survival of the territory, they were expected to struggle on their own to build up the place and earn money.

Having worked hard themselves, they were particularly clear about the value of the territory's buildings.

Hope Village, not to mention anything else, had spent a lot of money on these buildings.

Of course, more importantly, Hope Village was quick at earning money.

From the popularity of Hope Village's goods in their territories, it was evident that foreign money was continuously flowing into Hope Village.

In the future, the commerce of Hope Village would only continue to flourish.

At this moment, they realized one thing; it was no coincidence that Hope Village would outrank their territories.

Just as they were contemplating, they couldn't help but notice the beast carts regularly traveling back and forth on the roadway, clearly carrying many residents.

Was Hope Village building such expansive roads to facilitate easy travel for its residents?

Was Hope Village treating its residents too well? Was it spoiling them? That's why they had such... audacity?

Noticing their gaze on the beast carts, Zhou Bai explained, "This is our territory's public beast cart, a ride costs only 1 copper coin. Different places have stations where the cart can stop. With these beast carts, it's convenient for residents to travel, and the collected revenue is quite good too!"