Free Web NovelChapter 307: Rapid Development
The Everwake raised an eyebrow, his gaze dropping to Evangeline. "Paragon Troupe? What does that mean?"
They didn’t really have any objections to the city-state’s name. Often, tribe names were decided based on the dominant race, and it now seemed that most Beastman City-states followed the same convention. As far as they were concerned, all that mattered was that Eva liked the name.
However, "Paragon Troupe" was a truly unfamiliar term. They didn’t understand it.
’Isn’t Eva from The Fox Clan? Shouldn’t we call it something like the Red Fox City-State?’
Thorne leaned in as well, his ink-green eyes sparkling with curiosity.
’He knew his mate was a very special female who always said strange things and did peculiar things. Still, all she had to do was teach them. City-State of the Paragon Troupe... it sounded weird, but it wasn’t so bad after saying it a few times!’
Evangeline looked at the handsome faces filled with curiosity, chuckled softly, and was the first to turn and walk toward the fortress.
As for whether the original inhabitants of the Otterhaven City-State were willing to settle for second best and become citizens of the new city-state, she didn’t care. It wasn’t something she needed to worry about; her males could handle it.
However, the common citizens living on the main street of the Otterhaven City-State chose to stay without hesitation after hearing Evangeline’s words. They weren’t all otter Beastmen; many were from defeated tribes who had ended up here as lower-class citizens.
At first, they didn’t believe the "City-State of the Paragon Troupe" would still treat them as citizens. It wasn’t until the new city-state laws were posted on the wall outside the fortress that they were convinced: the new city-state’s female Commander truly saw them as people, not as slaves who could be traded away at any moment.
According to the new laws of the City-State of the Paragon Troupe, any citizen belonging to it would receive protection, and the city-state would provide housing. Furthermore, any Beastman who reached the strength of a Four-star pattern could join the city-state as a City Guard Warrior.
Not only that, but after becoming a City Guard Warrior, they could receive five City-state Coins every month!
In the Beastman City-states, five City-state Coins could buy a lot of things. Whether it was food, females, or Beast Skin Clothes, it could all be traded for. This was extremely important for a Beastman family.
Speaking of which, it was worth noting that the Beastman City-states had already moved beyond communal ownership. Here, private ownership was the norm.
However, the new laws also stipulated that within the City-State of the Paragon Troupe, the trading of females and cubs was forbidden. The status of females was equal to that of males, with no distinction between high or low. Females could also sign up to participate in agricultural work.
Similarly, participating in the city-state’s agricultural work would also earn them five City-state Coins per month!
As soon as this news broke, the entire City-State of the Paragon Troupe was in an uproar!
In the Beastman City-states, females had a low status. It was common for a household to have more than one female, and some nobles could even possess many. Under the new system, females were no longer dependents who relied on males for their survival. They had their own work and could even earn as many City-state Coins as the males, which easily elevated their standing within the city-state.
They were no longer just breeding machines; they now had greater value.
For a while, an endless stream of people came and went from the city-state’s gates, all of them females coming to sign up.
With a wave of her hand, Evangeline accepted all who came.
She cleared plot after plot of land around the territory. There was fertile soil and damp, sandy ground, which she systematically divided to cultivate potatoes, sweet potatoes, wheat, and corn. In addition, she planted many fruit trees on the hillsides.
Food was always the most critical factor in whether a city-state could develop in the long term.
To ensure every Beastman was well-fed, a self-sustaining resource cycle was necessary. Evangeline’s goal was to build the City-State of the Paragon Troupe into a city-state that could grow independently, without relying on trade. That way, its expansion and prosperity would only be a matter of time.
Similarly, she had no shortage of ideas.
Evangeline posted another notice, this time to recruit Beastman laborers.
The pay was one City-state Coin for five days of work, which came out to six City-state Coins a month—an extremely high wage.
After half a month, the City-State of the Paragon Troupe was on the right track, and most of the necessary laborers had been recruited.
Aiden Atwood stared at the crowd of lower-class citizens, his face pale and defeated.
’To save his own life, he’d had no choice but to sign the contract and become a member of the City-State of the Paragon Troupe. Though he was once a Commander, as a citizen of this new city-state, he was now merely a foreman in charge of managing laborers.’
’The fall from grace was immense. Furthermore, during this time, Evangeline had made one drastic change after another, enacting a host of new rules, each one leaving him dumbfounded. He could understand recruiting Four-star patterned males to be warriors, but recruiting females? And paying them City-state Coins?’
’Either she was crazy, or he was.’
’Watching the City-state Coins from the fortress vault flow out like water, Aiden Atwood felt like his heart was bleeding.’
’He had no faith in this strange Druid’s actions. With the "Sharp Teeth Judgment" just around the corner, spending all the City-state Coins was a completely foolish decision. Riley Atwood had escaped; he would probably return soon with Beastmen from the Lion-Salt City-state. When that happened, what would be left of this so-called City-State of the Paragon Troupe but a pile of ruins?’
Aiden Atwood was filled with regret. He regretted signing that contract.
But he never imagined that something even more despairing was to come!
’What did this female Commander recruit laborers for?’
’Heh. She wanted to rebuild the city-state, to construct a Water Citadel above the Triangle Sea! She planned to build a wide, sturdy wall along the rolling mountain territory to defend against foreign enemies. For Beastmen, this was an absolute pipe dream.’
’The blue bricks needed to build a city-state were extremely expensive. They didn’t have the technology to fire them themselves and had to purchase them from the Great City-States!’
’And there weren’t many City-state Coins left in the fortress vault for this female to waste.’
Evangeline completely ignored Aiden Atwood’s deathly expression. Gently stroking her swollen belly, she addressed the Beastman laborers, "The city-state has already paid you in advance. Now, I’ll have to ask for your hard work." freewebnσvel.cѳm
As she spoke, she flicked her wrist, and a small mountain of red bricks appeared on the ground!
The Beastmen who witnessed this fell silent, all of them staring at Evangeline with a mixture of fear and reverence. This was a feat only a Druid could accomplish. Although the Commander of their City-State of the Paragon Troupe was a female, she was also a precious Druid!
"This..." Aiden Atwood was stunned. He rubbed his eyes, completely unable to believe the red bricks before him.
He hurriedly bent down, picked one up, and knocked on it firmly. He discovered the brick was incredibly hard, even tougher than the blue bricks purchased from the Great City-States. ’If they really used these to build the city-state,’ he thought, ’it might actually be able to withstand attacks from other city-states!’
"Druid, where did these bricks come from?" Aiden Atwood asked, a little excited. He hadn’t seen any of her males leave the city-state recently, so it was impossible they had been acquired through trade. ’Could it be... this Druid can also make bricks?!’
This was a skill that only the Earth-Armor City-state was known to possess!
The Beastmen of the Earth-Armor City-state weren’t particularly powerful, but they were exceptionally skilled at digging tunnels. Later, they developed a method for making blue bricks, and through trade with other city-states, they earned a massive fortune!
It wasn’t that no one had coveted their brick-making skills; unfortunately, it was a task other Beastmen simply couldn’t do.
The Earth-Armor City-state was also clever. By cooperating with other Great City-States, it managed to become one of the few Great City-States among all the Beastman City-states!
