Work Prophet

Li Yu's standard for choosing people was actually quite simple: first, to see if their compatibility with Saturday was fine, and then to consider their skill requirements, though even the second point wasn't particularly important.

Even a full-stack engineer like Niu Xiangui was transmigrated by Li Yu to Bratis, banking on the modern education he had received and his advanced cognition, it was certain he could be put to good use—just a matter of how significantly.

And now Li Yu wasn't too short on those one or two hundred points of faith anymore. Moreover, the Double Rest Sect was indeed desperate for manpower, so the selection criteria for transmigrators were accordingly more relaxed.

It was only the restrictions on the second point that were loosened, the recent signees Li Yu brought in were mainly chosen for compatibility. As long as the person was not an issue, even if their profession was redundant or temporarily not needed, he would sign them on anyway.

As for the social contribution emphasized by Yang Zhengde, that was a consideration for selecting representatives and committee members, and it had nothing to do with Li Yu.

So, no matter how much he dedicated himself to charity or contributed to social stability and economic prosperity, Li Yu didn't care at all.

It wasn't that these weren't important, but clearly they were not on the same page; to transmigrate Lao Yang to Bratis would probably lead Li Yu to figure out a way to make him "ascend to heaven" once more after a while, so why bother creating such trouble for both sides?

After Li Yu returned to the company and saw that there was still some time before the end of the day, he took the opportunity to make another trip to Bratis.

The Lady was leaning over her desk, concentrating intently on something with her ears occasionally flickering; she didn't even notice Li Yu's appearance.

Li Yu leaned in to take a look—it was an extortion letter.

No, more accurately, it should be described as a letter home assuring safety. In the recent war, the Lady had captured quite a few nobles from the Alliance Army; there were almost too many to hang on the dragon's back.

These captives had already written letters home to their wives, children, and parents, but before sending them off, they needed to be reviewed by Miss Rabbit.

After looking for a while, Li Yu spoke up, "How much did you make this time?"

"About seven hundred thousand," the girl replied offhandedly, then, remembering something, she looked up with surprise and said, "Merlin, you're back! I thought you wouldn't come today!"

"Seven hundred thousand gold lions, that much?"

The Lady nodded and then shook her head, "The sum of ransoms listed in the letters does come to over seven hundred thousand, but the other side will definitely bargain, so the actual amount received will likely be less.

"But I think we'll still get five or six hundred thousand—that's my bottom line. Besides, about half of that contribution is from Tristan; the Pangluosi Family is one of the Twelve Great Nobles of the Empire, and they have occupied Elk Valley for a long time.

"The land there is far richer than in the Western Territories, and they have controlled that area for nearly two thousand years; they must have accumulated quite a bit, so this time we need to make them bleed more," she continued excitedly.

The mention of this perked Miss Rabbit right up.

"After getting this money, I plan to allocate two hundred thousand as rewards for my vassals and warriors, and to compensate the families of the deceased and wounded."

Though the Lady was quite frugal, she was always fair to her people, especially when it came to war, where she had an innate understanding of the power of liberal reward systems.

Remembering her previous battles, each was marked by generous rewards, which turned into a series of great victories for her.

Li Yu then asked, "How much money do you have on hand now?"

"Around seventy thousand. Actually, I had quite a bit before, but most of it was used in city building. Recently, I've been busy expanding the military, buying food, armor, and the like. Without spending much, most of what I had saved has nearly run out," she replied.

Miss Rabbit didn't realize until she did the calculations and was startled by how much war truly costs.

Especially for a newly risen family like the Arias, which still had relatively shallow foundations, a war of this magnitude could nearly drain her family's entire fortune.

Fortunately, there were people like Tristan who came to her aid during this critical time. If she could get her hands on that six or seven hundred thousand, not only would she avoid loss, but Lady Arias could even become rich overnight.

Li Yu suggested, "Hmm, after you get the money, take out another hundred thousand. The Double Rest Sect will also contribute a hundred thousand, and together, we can establish a reconstruction fund of two hundred thousand."

"Reconstruction fund, what is that?" Lady Arias asked curiously.

"You can think of it as an interest-free or low-interest loan, provided to the noble lords who participated in this war. Many of their territories have been occupied by the Wing Tribe or their minions, and they had to leave in such a hurry that they couldn't take much wealth with them.

"Even if they eventually recapture their territories, the reconstruction is expected to require a considerable sum of money. They probably have captured some prisoners, whom they can exchange for money, but if there is still a shortfall, they can apply for the reconstruction fund," Li Yu explained.

Upon hearing this, Miss Rabbit hesitated slightly. A hundred thousand was quite a sum, and the loan would not bear much interest, which seemed like a loss.

However, she remembered how many had followed her arrangements, bringing their warriors and families to Green Field for the assembly, and everyone had also dispatched people to carry out very dangerous harassment missions.

Lady Arias still agreed through gritted teeth, mainly because this idea was proposed by Li Yu, whom Miss Rabbit trusted the most.

If Li Yu said so, there must be a good reason for it.

This time, she had not guessed wrong.

Li Yu involved Ireya in establishing the reconstruction fund precisely to further expand the influence of the Double Rest Sect and the Arias family in the western territories.

A certain great leader once summarized three major tactics after reviewing the experiences of eighteen years of revolutionary struggle, one of which was the united front.

In layman's terms, it meant to have more friends and fewer enemies.

Li Yu, during his school days, didn't think much of this saying until he entered the workforce and gradually realized its value.

That great leader had, in fact, articulated the core rules of the political game in the most simple and understandable terms.

Yes, politics can be both complicated and straightforward; it's essentially a game of uniting with the majority and ostracizing a minority, which gave rise to the voting system as a tangible manifestation of this rule.

Li Yu holding hands with the girl in public and now teaming up with the lady to establish a fund were all part of his efforts to secure as many allies as possible for Ireya.

Thanks to the Wing Tribe, the old order had been shattered, and a new one had yet to be established.

In the upcoming Bratis Continent, both the ambitious and the heroes would take their turns on the stage.

Someone with legendary battle achievements and a certain prestige, protected by a True God, and also holding many debts from noble families, would most likely not face opposition from most as the new ruler of this continent, at least in the western territories.

Later, Li Yu discussed the next targets of the Resistance Army with Lady Arias, and, as it happened, the moonlight was good tonight. Miss Rabbit suggested they take a walk on the city walls while talking.