Chapter 76: Luo Pei’s Achievements (Part 2)

With a loud slap, Lloyd threw the files on the table. He ignored Kajielun’s gaze, glared harshly at Bill Sherman, and spoke with a face full of disdain: “What is there to reward? I have read that report too. The per capita income of Talim Village has indeed more than quintupled this year, but have you not noticed that the increase in per capita income was not caused by land reclamation or attracting investment, but by the profits from selling accumulated furs from previous years… The gains from such short-term behavior are just a one-time occurrence. Who can guarantee it will happen every year?”

Suddenly, it felt as if a flock of crows flew over their heads. Everyone was shocked because Bill Sherman, the Discipline Inspection Commissioner and Lloyd’s own trusted lieutenant, had been the one to propose the reward. Now, Lloyd was rejecting it so bluntly and without any respect. His words and actions were practically a slap in the face, which was truly unbelievable.

Even Huby Brown, the Captain of the Guard who usually didn’t care about administrative affairs, couldn’t help but look at Lloyd in surprise. Deputy Mayor Kajielun stared with wide eyes, looking from Lloyd to Bill Sherman. For a moment, he couldn’t figure out what game these two were playing. Were they trying to play hard to get, depressing the mood first only to raise it later?

Obviously, Bill Sherman did not expect Lloyd to react so violently. He instinctively said, “But Mayor, the report says they have already signed supply contracts with large fur traders in Lons Pompey City, so…”

It was clear that Bill Sherman intended to say this could not be labeled as “short-term behavior,” but Lloyd didn’t even wait for him to finish. He waved his hand and shouted, “There is no ‘but’! Do you not see what they are relying on to drive the economy? It is beast skins! Beast skins!!”

As he spoke, Lloyd waved his hand vigorously, looking very agitated. This left the others completely confused. Did using beast skins to boost the economy offend him? He sounded as if he had been personally attacked a hundred times.

As if sensing their confusion, Lloyd said in a low, gloomy voice, “If this Luo Pei had increased the village income through normal means like land reclamation or attracting investment, he would certainly be a talent. But he chose to rely on selling beast skins… Where do beast skins come from? They come from hunting in the mountains!! Such behavior not only neglects farming but is also very dangerous! What is hunting? It is risking one’s life against wild beasts or even demon beasts in the mountains. One mistake and people will die!!”

At this point, Lloyd swept his gaze across the crowd with great intensity and said with a heavy expression, “Do you all understand now? Luo Pei’s behavior is actually very problematic. Although he slightly boosted the economy of Talim Village, he ignored the safety of the villagers and even drove them to perform dangerous acts…” Scanning the room again, Lloyd’s voice became more excited: “…Everyone, while economic development is important, the other rights and interests of the people are equally important. Is it really right to ignore the lives of the people just for the small profits of selling beast skins? As officials who govern on behalf of His Majesty, the first thing we must do is keep the people in our hearts, not act like greedy merchants who only focus on profit!!”

This time, even Priest Miguel, who never cared about worldly matters and lived only in the world of God, had a look of disbelief on his face. Labeling Luo Pei’s behavior as that of a “greedy merchant” was something even a god would find hard to accept.

However, Lloyd clearly did not think so. He banged the table hard and said loudly and seriously, “Therefore, I believe that for the behavior of Director Luo Pei of Talim Village, we should not only deny him a reward but also issue an official condemnation. This will prevent other places from following suit. If serious consequences occur in the future, it will be a huge problem!”

Hearing this, everyone was speechless. They looked at each other, thinking privately about how Luo Pei had managed to offend this fat man to be described so miserably, even being accused of ignoring the lives of the people.

However, Deputy Mayor Kajielun reacted quickly. As an old rival who had fought with Lloyd for years, he immediately realized from the situation that Lloyd’s group was not playing any tricks. He coughed lightly and said with a smile, “Well… Mayor, I think Luo Pei is just a young man who didn’t consider things thoroughly. He didn’t intentionally ignore the safety of the people. We can forget the reward, but an official condemnation is unnecessary, right? After all, wanting one’s own village to develop is not a bad thing. Doing so might discourage others. It would be better to just ignore it and let the matter fade away. What do you think?”

Kajielun did not say this because he liked Luo Pei or wanted to defend him. The Deputy Mayor handled the economy; Lloyd could talk nonsense, but Kajielun had his own work to do and didn’t want to make his job harder. Furthermore, if Lloyd wanted to do something that made Lloyd unhappy, it would definitely make Kajielun happy.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Kajielun defend Luo Pei, Lloyd narrowed his eyes and looked at him deeply. He did not insist on his own opinion but said slowly, “Since the Deputy Mayor said so, I will respect your opinion. However, I still maintain that selling beast skins is merely a small profit, but if it leads to serious consequences, it will be a huge problem!”

Hearing this, everyone rolled their eyes internally, thinking that a five-fold increase in annual per capita income was hardly a “small profit.” Moreover, they had never seen this fat man care so much about the common people until now, when he suddenly became so righteous.

Since the top two leaders had expressed their views, and since none of the people present had a relationship with Luo Pei, they saw no need to argue with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. Naturally, no one insisted on rewarding Luo Pei. A consensus was reached naturally. The small “economic miracle” created by Luo Pei, which could have caused a sensation in Hall City or even the entire Lons Administrative District, was thus quietly allowed to be “faded away.”

[…However, after Lloyd announced the end of the meeting and led the way out of the small conference room, Deputy Mayor Kajielun interestedly drew a small circle around Luo Pei’s name. This young man, whom he had only met a few times, had piqued his interest. Being so obviously suppressed by Lloyd seemed like a very interesting thing indeed…]