Capítulo 87: Bad Finances
Looking at the little girl's somewhat indecent eating habits and her increasingly round face, Bai Yi's eyes softened with a hint of doting affection.
Such straightforward concern—a simple action meant to ensure her well-being—was unexpectedly heartwarming.
Seeing Bai Yi's gaze on her, Luo Ning mumbled through a mouthful of food, "Boss, let's share. I've never had anything this good before."
"I've already eaten."
Just as Bai Yi was responding, a knock echoed at the door. He turned around to see a plump, middle-aged man standing at the threshold, looking a little apprehensive.
"Mr. Bai Yi, my name is Stis, the financial officer of the City Lord's Mansion. The City Lord asked me to report the finances to you. These will be your assets from now on, and you need to understand the financial situation of Dongwu City."
Bai Yi nodded, gesturing for him to enter. "Come in and talk."
Stis stepped in cautiously, his eyes scanning the room but not daring to linger. Though Bai Yi wasn't officially the City Lord yet, Stis was understandably nervous, worried about being replaced.
He approached the desk and placed a silver ring carefully on the table. "Mr. Bai Yi, this contains the city's account books. Every day's income and expenditure is recorded here. Our records only go back ten years; older entries are destroyed daily. There's a timeline in the books—please review it."
Bai Yi took the ring and probed it with his mental power. It was a spatial ring with a capacity of ten cubic meters, containing eleven bookshelves. Each shelf held 366 meticulously arranged books.
He selected one at random and flipped through it. The book clearly recorded the movement of funds. It seemed the former City Lord had been strict about financial management. On the final page, the total for the day was listed:
Dawn 1531, June 15: Total income: 36,145.98 gold coins, expenditure: 3,650 gold coins.
With so many account books to go through, Bai Yi didn't want to read them all. Instead, he asked directly, "Can you report the funds remaining in the City Lord's Mansion? What is the status of the treasury?"
Stis quickly replied, "The treasury is managed directly by the City Lord himself. The key is in the eleventh book. He mentioned he would hand it over to you."
"Dongwu City's current funds—gold coins and contribution points—total just over 500 million. Because there hasn't been a war in the last three years, income and expenditure are almost balanced. The main expenses are officials' salaries, city construction, school welfare, and the legions. The legion alone costs about 150 million gold coins per month, and other expenses fluctuate around 80 million."
Stis finished his report, looking down and waiting for a response.
Bai Yi raised an eyebrow. "Aren't the Adventurer's Guild and the Hall of Knowledge jointly owned by the Federation? Do they now belong to Dongwu City?"
Stis smiled bitterly. "Mr. Bai Yi might not know, but during the war, other than the taverns and brothels in the entertainment district, most entertainment businesses had little income. The outer city has always been in a state of loss. Maintaining a 400,000-strong army with over 700,000 people in the inner city is expensive. So, the profits from all official institutions in border cities now belong to the city itself."
He continued, "The ordinary soldiers are fine; they receive their pay in silver coins. But among the 400,000 soldiers, 210,000 are professionals—150,000 lower bronze rank, 50,000 middle rank, and 30,000 upper rank. Their salaries are all in gold coins, several times higher than those of ordinary civilians at the same level."
Bai Yi felt a headache coming on. He had thought that there were still over 60 million gold coins in reserves, which seemed substantial. But now, he realized the economy could collapse at any moment.
If all three legions were mobilized, Dongwu City's economy could be on the brink of disaster.
This economy is unhealthy—very unhealthy.
His first instinct was to reduce the number of soldiers, but given the unpredictability of the mutation zone, and considering that the former City Lord had always maintained such a large army, Bai Yi knew there must be a reason for it.
He needed to understand the reasons before making any decisions about reducing troop numbers.
His second thought was to replace the current financial officer. A man who couldn't generate revenue for the city wasn't useful.
The position of financial officer, however, was perfect for Sabo. If Sabo received 5% of the city's income, Bai Yi was certain that Dongwu City's economy would always be in a state of growth.
As for where Sabo earned the money from, Bai Yi didn't mind—as long as it didn't harm Dongwu City, everything was fine.
Bai Yi made up his mind. "I understand. You will be a quartermaster from now on."
Stis froze. His anxiety, already high, couldn't be suppressed. "Mr. Bai Yi, um, we already have a quartermaster..."
"Go back for now. Someone will take over your duties shortly."
Bai Yi waved him off, uninterested in further conversation.
Instead, he pulled out his cell phone and called Sabo directly. After two rings, the call was answered.
"My Lord City Lord, what is it?" Sabo's voice came through, laced with sarcasm. There was some background noise—likely from the task Bai Yi had recently given him.
Bai Yi glanced at Stis as he left the room, then said, "I've just reviewed Dongwu City's financial situation, and it's not looking good, Mr. Sabo."
"Oh?" Sabo's tone grew quieter, a note of excitement creeping in. "My dear City Lord, give me five minutes. I have a thousand things to discuss with you about this topic."
Beep. The line went dead.
Bai Yi stared at the phone in disbelief. As expected, Sabo had his sights set on the financial officer's position. However, it seemed the City Lord did not intend for Stis to remain in that role. After all, the duties of the quartermaster mainly involved managing military pay, supplies, and food for soldiers.
Meanwhile, the financial officer handled taxes, business, and bookkeeping—essential duties that held great power.
Bai Yi turned to Luo Ning, who had been quietly eating her meal. "Are these things something I can listen to?"
Luo Ning glanced up, feeling uncomfortable about overhearing such discussions. "I always believe that it's better not to know too much when one's position doesn't match their status. It's safer to focus on solving immediate dangers rather than predicting them."
Bai Yi smiled, patting her head. "These are not secrets. Eat your food. When Sabo arrives, just ask him to come straight to me."
Luo Ning nodded and quickly finished her meal.
Bai Yi returned to the laboratory and had just taken a seat when the door opened. Sabo entered with his signature grin, his face a mix of excitement and mischief.
"Ah, my great City Lord, I'm here! Let me guess, am I about to be promoted?"
Bai Yi took out the key to the City Lord's treasury from the silver ring and handed it to Sabo. "Take a look at the account books first."
Sabo grinned and eagerly opened the ring, pulling out eleven books and starting to read. As he flipped through the pages, his expression shifted from eager anticipation to serious contemplation, before frowning. "This is an unhealthy economy, my friend."
"I know. That's why I came to you. Do you have any ideas?" Bai Yi asked, curious.
"Cut the number of soldiers and officials, and start trading with other cities," Sabo suggested without hesitation.
Bai Yi thought for a moment. "I need to understand the situation better before making any decisions."
"You don't need to understand it all, my friend," Sabo said seriously. "The reason Dongwu City needs so many soldiers is because it not only defends the Federation's security but also takes the offensive. For example, the mutation zone in the southeast that you destroyed—if you hadn't done that, the Storm Legion would've gone in to deal with it."
He continued, "Now that you have the intercontinental railgun, it can replace the role of the Storm Legion. So, we can reduce the army significantly. Let's keep the elite forces, remove the regulars, and focus on building a more professional force, like the Apocalypse Army."
"And the Wucheng Army doesn't need that many people. We can cut it down to 120,000 soldiers in total, keeping strong units at the gates. The rest can be repurposed into civilians, businessmen, adventurers, or even private soldiers for the rich. This will bring more prosperity and security to the city."
Bai Yi thought deeply about this. The situation in Dongwu City was indeed unsustainable in its current form. He realized the financial pressure from the military was choking the city's potential.
"All right, I see your point. Go and meet with Stis. He'll be the quartermaster, and you'll handle the finances," Bai Yi said decisively.
Sabo chuckled. "You're an open-minded City Lord, but how about we talk about my salary now?"
Bai Yi raised five fingers. "Dongwu City will only improve from here on out. You can have 5% of the city's income."
Sabo sighed dramatically. "5%, huh? But what about my role as quartermaster? Do you want me to start working for free?"
"You'll get paid well, don't worry about it," Bai Yi said with a smile. "Now, go ahead and discuss with Stis what we should do next."
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