For the first time, Bai Xiaodu understood what it meant to deal with unruly peasants.
Dammit, he hadn't even taken office yet, and they had already torn down his house!
In his entire life, he had never even lived in a villa before.
He had just been happily preparing to have a little home of his own, only to be told it was burned to the ground.
Who the hell could tolerate this?
“You bullied me before I ascended to a Transcendent, and you're still bullying me after I ascended!”
“Then what was the fucking point of my ascension?!”
Bai Xiaodu took a few deep breaths.
He made up his mind.
Extraordinary times called for extraordinary measures.
He was going to throw a minor fit of thunderous rage!
Sensing that Bai Xiaodu's mood was clearly off, the teacher from the Administration Office quickly tried to advise him.
“Calm down, Student Bai. Your predecessor is still mining in a Secret Realm to atone for his sins. With your great talent, you must not act on impulse.”
“I know what I'm doing. Thank you, Teacher,” Bai Xiaodu said through gritted teeth.
“Don't worry. With my personal charm, I'll soon be ‘blending in’ with the people of Gaoxi Ravine.”
Hanging up decisively, he contacted Lott.
The orange cat demihuman seemed very happy.
“Is something up, Brother Bai, meow? I've already found the other person for you.”
“They're from the School Inspection Department, so we can evade taxes in the future, meow!”
Bai Xiaodu's expression froze. Speechless, he said,
“Even a good-natured guy like you has gone bad? But I don't care about that right now.”
He briefly explained what had just happened to Lott.
Bai Xiaodu then asked,
“Our university has been established for so long, so this kind of situation definitely isn't rare. Do you know how they usually handle it in the end?”
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Bai Xiaodu decided to try the local playstyle.
On the other end, Lott hummed and hawed for a long time, seemingly thinking.
“Well, actually, most protests are small-scale. Once the Transcendent personally shows up to intimidate them, it gets suppressed very quickly.”
“But your situation is really rare, Brother Bai.
Maybe we could hire some other students to work with the local police department to maintain stability?”
Bai Xiaodu sneered.
The local police department? It was probably already compromised like a sieve.
For example, in some remote mountain gullies where human trafficking was common, the victims could never escape no matter what because everyone from top to bottom was in on it, and the entire mountain area was filled with lookouts.
What police officers? They were all just “honest and kind-hearted” locals!
Bai Xiaodu's tone turned serious.
“Lott, you're a local. Do you know which gangs on Tiannan Star are relatively famous?”
Lott was put on the spot.
“Brother Bai, Tiannan Star is the home turf of Tiannan Star Military University. Which gang would dare to make a name for themselves here?”
Bai Xiaodu thought for a moment and continued,
“People from all walks of life must have a place to gather. If it's hard to find them on Tiannan Star, then we'll start with the other planets in the Tiannan star system. I want to recruit a group of people specifically to maintain stability, the sooner the better.”
Lott couldn't help but nod repeatedly.
“Brother Bai, you're brilliant. Even if the local police department is willing to help us, their families might be threatened.
At times like this, it's better to use some off-the-books methods.
But how do we quickly pull a team together? Offer high salaries?
Do you have enough money right now, Brother Bai? Do you need me to give you some?”
Lott added, feeling a bit worried.
“The Tiannan star system is relatively developed. I'm afraid we'll have to offer tens of thousands in wages to attract anyone.
With a large crowd of people, the salaries alone would be astronomical!”
Bai Xiaodu smiled.
He had already taken this into account.
“Money definitely needs to be spent, but I don't plan on offering such high wages.”
Lott was puzzled.
“Then what do you plan to do?”
Bai Xiaodu burst into laughter.
“If the local security department doesn't want to help, they can just disband themselves. They can either do their jobs or get lost. The Federation is the last place to lack people!
“And for those shady characters, who could refuse a secure, government-backed job under an official lord? What's more, this secure job doesn't even require daily clock-ins; they only need to take action when there's a security issue!
“Forget studying hard for ten years or training for eight. If they want a government position, they just need to come to me, and it's theirs with a single click!”
...
If this kind of recruitment ad were posted on a standard job board, it would probably only attract some refined, bookish clerks or decent citizens who would only know how to raise shields and defend during a protest.
To actively spread their actual requirements, they would not only have to spend money on promotion, but it would also arouse suspicion.
How could there be such a too-good-to-be-true deal falling from the sky?
Therefore, Bai Xiaodu's choice was:
to have Lott turn around and sell this recruitment information to the black market information brokers!
Because of the existence of Tiannan Star Military University, the model of Transcendents managing Secret Realms sustained a massive industry chain.
The information broker industry was one of them.
They often made money by exploiting information gaps across various Secret Realms, a method that never failed.
Every year, when new Transcendent students took over territories and became new lords, the resulting turnover of personnel and flow of resources allowed these brokers to make a fortune.
Thus, Lott's arrival was naturally welcomed by these people.
It could even be said they were long accustomed to it.
However, after buying the information, they would naturally keep it restricted within their own circles.
But...
Bai Xiaodu didn't care about their little plans. He had no intention of selling this information to just one person.
He wanted to milk the same asset multiple times, selling it repeatedly. The more people who knew, the better.
Word spread from ten to a hundred, a hundred to a thousand...
Soon, this recruitment information was like a bucket of blood poured into the ocean.
In an instant, the scent of blood drew countless hungry, greedy sharks swarming in.
What is obtained for free is worthless. Only when they paid a price would they know how to cherish it!
...
Seven days later.
A remote, massive warehouse was brightly lit.
Figures bustled about, and whispers echoed continuously.
After Bai Xiaodu's careful screening, nearly three hundred elite job seekers had gathered at the scene.
“Hey man, do you think we can really land a government job in the territory if we pass this interview? Or is it a scam?”
“Who knows? Might as well try. It's not like we'll lose a limb. What if we succeed? Besides, the first month's salary is pretty good, and it includes room and board. If something feels off, we can just run. It's a great deal...”
“Hey, buddy over there! Do you still remember me? We were locked up together last time. I even shared my bread with you. Looks like you're doing pretty well now. Haven't chopped anyone up lately, have you?”
“No way! I stopped killing people randomly a long time ago. I've been studying hard! I even passed the written exam, and now I'm just waiting to see what the lord has to say.”
“Are you kidding me? There were only three questions on the written exam. One was your name, one was your home address and phone number, and the last one was what you should do if there's a conflict between the territorial administrators and the citizens.”
“That's why I passed! I wrote: ‘I'll beat up whoever the lord tells me to beat up, but to prevent them from screaming, I'll hit them in the mouth first.’”
“Hey, you're pretty sharp, kid...”
Boom!
A gust of blue-white hurricane-force wind blew the main doors open. The cast-iron doors slammed against the walls on both sides, immediately letting out a heavy, crashing sound.
The wind did not dissipate. Instead, it swept through the hall, whipping everyone's clothes wildly and leaving them startled and uncertain.
“What's going on?”
“Is that the lord?”
Buffeted by the strong wind, someone wore an indignant expression.
“Just cheap tricks...”
Before the words could fully leave their mouth, the howling wind swirled, and a figure clad in a black robe slowly floated up into midair.
As if hearing the quiet grumbling, a pair of wine-red eyes swept downward, sharp as swords.
“Hmm?”
A flash of silver light flickered. Instantly, a colossal pressure bore down on everyone, forcing them to shut their mouths.
The person who had just spoken turned pale as a sheet. He ducked his head frantically, breaking out in a cold sweat and shivering all over.
The weaker ones, who had only learned a single skill, looked utterly bewildered, feeling an instinctive dread rise in their hearts.
Meanwhile, the slightly stronger apprentices of Rank 0.6 and Rank 0.9 fell silent instantly.
Pathway Origin!
A Transcendent! It was indeed the lord!
Seeing the entire venue fall quiet and these unruly characters thoroughly intimidated by the gap in rank, Bai Xiaodu nodded with slight satisfaction.
He scanned the crowd and spoke with a smile,
“Everyone who was able to make it here is undoubtedly an outstanding talent that my territory craves.”
“In my capacity as your lord, I welcome you all!”
“Let's get straight to the point. I won't waste words.”
“As I have notified you beforehand, I have set the final location for your interview and assessment at Gaoxi Ravine.”
“Whoever performs to my satisfaction will be able to join the territory's security law enforcement squad, serve the territory, and enjoy an official government position with full benefits.”
Bai Xiaodu suddenly raised a hand and shouted,
“Over the next few days as we travel to the territory, to help you better complete your assessment, I will assign people to act as your temporary officers, guiding you to familiarize yourselves with the equipment and law enforcement procedures.”
“When the spaceship finally lands, I sincerely hope you will all achieve results that satisfy yourselves!”
“In three days, you and I will officially... take office in High City!”
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