Farming in a Parallel World and Becoming a God-Chapter 1268 - 689: Poverty is the Root of Conflict_2

"Have you ever thought about how many times he has said this exact thing before?

When we were digging large-scale canals for irrigation, he said the same thing. But after we pooled our resources to build the cattle-pulled water tower and dug numerous canals, the water never reached the fields.

When introducing the tasteless yet prolific Boom Boom Arowana Shrimp, he said it again. The canals were completed, but our newly launched aquaculture industry was utterly destroyed. All the fish fry were eaten by those shrimp, and then we even brought in electric eels.

When we bought Styrak Bushes to suppress the electric eels’ electricity, he still said the same thing. Five perfectly healthy men were electrocuted to death.

This is an extremely dangerous industry. If we continue down this path, we’ll be dealing with electricity every day, and the next one to die could be any of you. Anyway, I refuse to support this endeavor."

News of plans to sell Glowing Water Bottles caused quite a stir among the villagers of Nimiel Village. Many immediately directed their anger toward the old mage Haransen.

Gaven merely listened for a few minutes before he grasped the core issue plaguing Nimiel Village.

The villagers’ short-sightedness wasn’t the main problem—their dire financial situation was. Years of investments in building canals, the cattle-pulled water tower, introducing Boom Boom Arowana Shrimp, and purchasing Styrak Bushes had drained their carefully accumulated savings completely. Many households had no surplus grain left, let alone extra money to invest in buying glass bottles and then expending more effort to transport Glowing Water Bottles for sale.

And it was still a risky investment. Nobody could guarantee that similar disasters wouldn’t occur again in the process. They could no longer afford to take any risks.

Old mage Haransen faced the same predicament. He had poured all his limited wealth into this research. Lacking a knack for business, he was unable to recoup his investments, leading to the current stalemate.

Having identified the crux of the problem, things became easier to handle. Gaven cleared his throat and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have a moment to speak? After hearing my suggestions..."

"What right do you have to suggest anything? You’re just a hired actor!"

"This is a matter concerning our village. We don’t need outsiders meddling."

"Sorry, this is our own affair. Please excuse the villagers’ rudeness—they mean no offense."

The excited villagers of Nimiel Village had ignored even the advice of the respected old mage Haransen. So it was no surprise that some hot-headed individuals lashed out at this mysterious outsider without hesitation.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Gaven stopped wasting time and directly pulled out three massive gold coin chests from his portable dimensional hole.

These gold coin chests were specially customized by the Sodalite Treants. Each was equipped with mechanisms that caused the lid to spring open when the chest hit the ground. Inside, the coins appeared to jitter and dance but remained within, thanks to a binding spell. The golden glow emanating from them was utterly captivating, fixed in place by the Light Technique magic.

These magic gold coin chests, which Gaven mockingly called "show-off chests," were worth far more than the ten thousand gold coins each contained. They were designed specifically for moments like this.

Indeed, they were the ultimate tools for flexing and silencing critics. The reactions in the crowd proved their effectiveness.

Every villager of Nimiel Village seemed frozen in place, as if paralyzed by a spell. They instinctively craned their necks, their gazes fixed on the three chests of gold coins. Many forgot to speak, and some even forgot to breathe, their faces turning red from the effort. Minutes later, chaos overtook the scene.

"Ma... Mage... A mage with dimensional space... I didn’t mean to yell at you earlier. I... I didn’t know... the Lord was a mage... Please, Lord Mage... forgive me."

"Wait! Aren’t they just actors hired by Father? Are they really nobles from Susar City? But... but how would they know about our small village? And how would they learn about our glowing canals?"

"Golden Lions! So many Golden Lions! I’ve never seen this many gold coins in my life—it must be tens of thousands."

"Thirty thousand, at least thirty thousand. Each chest holds ten thousand."

"Do I have the right to speak and give suggestions now?" Gaven asked casually once again.

Although it was a blatant act of showing off, it had to be admitted that the strategy worked wonders. Demonstrating his wealth caused these ordinary villagers to make a swift 180-degree change in attitude.

"Yes, yes, yes! Earlier, we failed to recognize true gold. We’d love to hear your ideas, Lord Gaven—please, speak freely."

"That was definitely a misunderstanding, an absolute misunderstanding. Why are you all still hesitating? Quickly, invite Lord and Lady to our Council Barn so we can sit down and discuss this properly."

"Indeed! How can we let the noble Lord and Lady endure the cold wind here?"

As the villagers spoke, their eyes unconsciously fell upon the three chests of gold coins. It seemed as though even their visions had taken on a golden hue.

Poverty!

This was the root cause of their disputes. When solid proof of wealth was placed in front of them, many people cast aside their previous reservations without hesitation.

"Here is fine. Using the light from the Glowing Water Bottles to discuss their sale feels most fitting." Gaven was unwilling to complicate matters further. Instead, he chose to tackle the issue directly, saying, "I’m planning to establish a glass water lamp production factory in your village—that is, the Glowing Water Bottles you mentioned. Currently, I have two plans prepared.