Once, I wanted to be a good person

The responsibility of an Executive Councilor was to handle the affairs within the state when the Council was not in session, so after bringing Fang Ze to his office, the Executive Councilor expertly gestured for Fang Ze to sit down and then took out a map of Xida State for Fang Ze to choose from.

Taking the map, Fang Ze scanned it briefly, then recalled the data on Xida State. Located in the southwest of the Eastern Administrative Region, Xida State bordered three states: Yunlan State, Tuoya State, and Luoxing State.

The three states enveloped Xida State in a form of encirclement, with Luoxing State above and Yunlan State and Tuoya State below, adjacent to each other.

So... Fang Ze's gaze drifted downward, quickly landing on the target he had previously set: the high-level city located next to Yunlan State and Pu Tuo State—Congyun City.

After looking carefully twice to ensure he wasn't mistaken, Fang Ze pointed towards Congyun City and said to the Executive Councilor, "My lord, I would like to choose this city."

When Fang Ze's eyes had moved downward earlier, the Executive Councilor had roughly guessed Fang Ze's thoughts. Now, seeing that Fang Ze had indeed chosen Tian Yun City, he couldn't help but nod slightly, commenting, "Congyun City is indeed an excellent choice."

"Because it's close to Tuoya State and Yunlan State, Congyun City has a sizeable border trade, so its economy ranks 15th in the entire Xida State, with annual fiscal revenue exceeding 16 billion Lini."

"Although there is a lot of fiscal expenditure, the surplus income is enough to support the rapid development of your family."

"Moreover, due to its proximity to the border, a large number of Awakeners from the three states gather here, and the local customs are valiant, making it very suitable for the selection and training of private armies."

After saying this, he looked at Fang Ze again and said with a sense of emotion, "You're really getting a huge bargain."

Hearing the Executive Councilor's words, Fang Ze smiled, understanding his meaning: The fiefs of the other 101 noble families of the Federation were all selected when the Federation was first established.

At that time, with everything in disarray and the state layouts not yet stabilized, the future development and positioning of the various cities were even more uncertain, so the cities chosen by most nobles were quite ordinary.

Additionally, since the cities were under their control thereafter, the Federation no longer allocated funds or governed them, which resulted in the cities developing even worse over the past fifty years. Most ranked among the last few in their respective states, with a good year netting them just over ten billion in revenue. Some were even worse off, not only failing to make money but having to invest in city construction, which was truly disheartening.

But Fang Ze was different from them. Xida State had developed for fifty years and reached its peak, and the development potential of various cities had nearly solidified. Fang Ze was essentially taking an open-book exam: not only saving time and investment in development but also able to directly choose cities with high tax revenue. Thus, the Executive Councilor lamented.

However, after expressing his emotions, the Executive Councilor also said, "I'll record this for you now, but whether you can actually choose this city depends on the approval of the State Council and the Federation."

"This case is too special, so there might be some additional conditions."

Fang Ze had anticipated this possibility, so he nodded and was not at all surprised.

Next, the Executive Councilor began to search for related documents and data. The process for allocating a noble fief had not been used for decades, so it took him a very long time to find all the necessary documents.

Once he presented them to Fang Ze for review and signature, the advanced city became a temporary candidate for a Si Family subsidiary city.

Whether the attempt would be successful still depended on the subsequent opinions of the Council and the Federation.

Even if it did pass, it didn't mean that Fang Ze could immediately take over the city; the Federation would still need to make appropriate arrangements for that city.

It was somewhat easier with a high-level city, where the changes were not substantial—the taxation subject would just switch from the Federation to the Si Family, so there might not be many residents needing resettlement.

But it was a different matter for the lower-level cities under its jurisdiction, especially the one Fang Ze had chosen as his residence. Once a city was selected as a residence by a noble, it became the private property of that noble. With the life and death of its residents completely in the noble's hands, many might choose to leave ahead of time. At that point, the Federation would need to make arrangements accordingly.

Even after the final arrangements were made, Fang Ze did not feel completely at ease, just as the methods the Federation had used over the past decades to weaken the influence of the various families. Even if the high-level city Fang Ze chose had a decent fiscal revenue, it was the result of the Federation's operation and support.

Now that it was in Fang Ze's hands, the Federation would certainly withdraw various supports and preferential policies. By then, the city's development might not necessarily be positive.

However, Fang Ze's choice of this city was not solely based on tax revenue and commercial potential. He also valued its geographical position.

Congyun City, which bordered Yunlan State, would provide great convenience for Fang Ze's next step to infiltrate Yunlan State and "borrow" the influence of Sima Liu.

Moreover, located at the junction of three states, Congyun City also made it convenient for Fang Ze to conceal his power: if Xida State cracked down on the Devil Sect, they could flee to Yunlan State; if Yunlan State mounted a crackdown, they could run to Tuoya State.