Under the support of Brunas, Northern Ridge vigorously developed agriculture and animal husbandry, including Suthers, sparking a production movement of exchanging wool and pig bristles for trains.
A huge economic circle, with a radiating effect, is forming around Brunas, with clear divisions of labor and a grand scale.
The hinterland of the Leite Kingdom has begun to transform into a massive gathering area for the textile industry, where light industry is booming.
The small town of Dunst near Northern Ridge, in the direction of Brunas, has started to become the largest production base of leather and pig bristles within the Leite Kingdom.
Here, 20,000 workers gather, and their daily work is to produce shoes, various designs originating from Northern Ridge.
Of course, they also produce various brushes, including those used for cleaning gun and cannon barrels. By-products also include animal fats, specialty papers, and processed meat products!
Yes, you read that correctly, the Dunst area has indeed also turned into an industrial zone, and it's filled with workers from all over Northern Ridge.
Because the relationship between Suthers and Northern Ridge has completely eased, quite a few farmers from Suthers have run over to work in Northern Ridge, quickly realizing that working for Suthers isn't as good as working for Northern Ridge, and working for Northern Ridge isn't as good as working for Brunas.
Then, as the population of Brunas keeps expanding, insanely expanding, the city's craving and demand for goods also reached an astonishingly high level never seen before.
People want to make money, and the purpose of making money is to improve the quality of their life. In Brunas, what represents the quality of one's life?
The employees of the Great Tang Group, the gang hitmen of the Silver Fox Tavern, the private forces of Tang Mo in the City Defense Forces that have received their wages and payments, naturally need to consume.
Purchasing better and larger houses, splurging at various high-consumption places, trying every means to get one's wife into the grave to quickly replace her, and using all means to push one's children into the best schools...
Or purchasing the latest, most ostentatious, and most avant-garde Great Tang car, or simply buying oneself a gold watch, collecting a K2 lever-action shotgun...
Actually, the largest expenditure still comes from life improvements—everyone wants to improve those "days" that could simply be described as breaking down.
People start to cook seriously, to cook gourmet food earnestly, begin consuming meat, and gradually turn these life improvements into a habit.
When did Brunas start to become rich? Was it when casinos, bars, and brothels opened up? No, it wasn't. It began when people noticed the frequency of buying hamburgers with meat patties starting to gradually increase.
Meat consumption in Brunas surged so much, even to a terrifying extent. The surrounding meat was swept clean every day, with herdsmen from Suthers driving flocks of cattle and sheep southward, yet the price of meat products continued to soar.
Not until meat prices started to rise even in the King City of Suthers, to the extent that small nobility could hardly afford it, did everyone realize that Brunas had already turned into a brand-new metropolis.
Those gathered in Brunas all hope to obtain information, get intelligence, master the pattern of getting rich, and find opportunities to strike it wealthy.
Indeed, upon hearing the familiar term City Defense Forces, the other party did appear to be somewhat reassured.
"First time in Brunas, right? Name!" the officer asked while pulling out a notebook, looking every bit the part. His tone was filled with disdain, as if visiting Brunas for the first time was something rustic.
The young man was nervously stuttering but still managed to reply, "Yes, yes. Van Kums. My name is Van Kums."
"What brings you to Brunas?" The policeman scribbled the name carelessly in his notebook and continued questioning without looking up.
"I, I'm here to find a job," Van Kums explained. "I am a professional manager... yes, it was Lord Simon, who, who referred me here."
"Simon?" The chubby officer squinted and frowned, glancing at his colleague: "Who?"
His partner, with a helpless expression, explained: "The former tax official here."
"Oh!" The officer had an epiphany, nodding slightly: "The one who left before I came here?"
The young Van Kums sarcastically thought to himself: Hey! That's the Minister of Finance of the Kingdom! Is it really okay for you to talk like this? As if Brunas's tax officer were more important and famous than the Kingdom's Minister of Finance!
However, he quickly pulled out a carefully preserved envelope from the pocket of his jacket, "This is, this is the recommendation letter from Lord Simon. He recommended me to work for the Great Tang Group."
"Come with me, I'll take you to the Great Tang Group's reception," said the nonchalant police officer who pocketed his notebook and shook his head, signaling the other to follow him.
People often arrived in Brunas from other places with recommendation letters, and the talents recommended were quite diverse.
Some recommendation letters were written by the Dandelions, others by the Nobility who maintained dealings with the Great Tang Group, and some people were even direct relatives of the Leite royal family, bringing letters of recommendation from the King.
In any case, all these people needed to be assessed and screened before being placed into suitable positions. The HR department of the Great Tang Group was strictly impartial, and there was basically no backdoor dealings.
Those with technical skills, like the former master craftsmen from Shireck's munitions workshops, could stay at the Great Tang Group's design office and become developers of new weapons, as long as they passed Mathews's assessment.
Those with abilities could gain important positions as long as they could demonstrate their management skills or other competencies.
And the pure nepotism hires could only honestly start from the most basic level of learning; those who could learn were assigned jobs and stayed in Brunas, while those who couldn't were sent to Dunst or other areas.
Hearing the policeman say this, the young Van Kums quickly pocketed his treasured recommendation letter and followed the pace of the two ahead of him.
On the streets, there were more carriages and cars, and the shouting of vendors increased as well, with an old man waving newspapers and incessantly shouting, "Newspapers! Today's newspapers! News! Come and see the news about making a fortune!"
The three people followed the bustling street towards the Great Tang Group's building in the distant district. Above their heads, on the side of a skyscraper, there was a depiction of a man in a suit holding a cigarette, with a look of melancholy and depth in his eyes that told a story.