Chapter 259
James understood now was the best time for the food hall to generate revenue. Every day, they were raking in millions. If they were to lower the prices or shut down a few stalls, it would upset other businesses and lower their revenue.
Everyone knew the vendors were using top–quality ingredients, so most people were willing to put up with the higher prices. After all, James said it himself. Stephen and George had personally checked everything. If those two had signed off, it had to be legitimate. Moreover, Stephen was involved. Who was he? He was the Grand Marshal’s mentee and the legend who brought peace to Riveria. Since the businesses could pass through his inspections, there was no doubt everything was above board.
Stephen and George watched as the food hall’s profit grew, grinning ear to ear.
George said, “This is just the beginning. Once the other businesses get going, we’ll earn
even more.”
Stephen nodded. He really wanted to show Ethan how much progress Celestial City had made.
“It looks like when he warned us about unseen forces stirring in Riveria, it was all just a scare.”
George chuckled and replied, “Maybe it wasn’t a scare. Maybe he just overestimated himself, and every minor hiccup probably looked like a grand conspiracy to him.”
“Hahaha! That could be it.” Stephen laughed. “He
both himself and his
enemies. It seems like he and his enemies are the same. They’re all show but no substance!
George agreed.
Just then, George’s assistant, Michael Norman, knocked on the door and entered.
With his head low, Michael said, “A few villages have spoken up, saying that their land has been stolen.”
“Huh?” Stephen narrowed his eyes. “Tell me more about the situation.”
“Yes,” Michael replied. “Here’s the situation.
“They said that around a month ago, James went to them saying their land had been sélected for redevelopment into a development zone. James then gave them some money and told them to relocate.”
Stephen pondered a moment. He was aware of the project since he had signed off on it himself.
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“Is there a problem with that?”
Michael explained, “The compensation James gave them isn’t enough. They can’t afford to buy a house in the city.”
George asked, “How much did they get?”
“6,000 dollars per square meter of housing, and 30,000 dollars per 666 square meter of land.”
Stephen frowned. “That’s not exactly a low offer for them, is it? Where are those villagers? Have them in to see me.”
Michael quickly left and returned with the villagers.
A middle–aged man with graying hair stepped forward and introduced himself respectfully, “I’m Lucas Jackson, the village chief, and I’ve come to speak on behalf of everyone.”
Stephen was not particularly interested in that matter, so he asked bluntly, “Do you think a compensation of 6,000 dollars per square meter of housing and 30,000 dollars per 666 square meter of land isn’t enough?”
Lucas nodded. “Yes, it’s far too little. We can’t even afford the cheapest house in the city!”
The housing prices in Celestial City were sky–high. Even the cheapest units were 15 thousand dollars per square meter.
“Is that so?”
Stephen’s expression turned serious as he said, “I understand your situation. You may go back for now. I’ll look into this for you.”
Lucas sighed. “You must hurry up.”
Stephen waved his hand, dismissing Lucas without saying anything else, and Michael sent the villagers off.
Then, Stephen turned to George and asked, “What do you think of this? Do you think there’s something off with James?”
He had had enough after being deceived by Shawn and Danny.
George thought for a moment before saying, “I doubt it. He handled the food hall, the development zone, and the Azure Cloud Mountain. Aren’t they all going well?
“If you’re worried, you can call him over and ask him about it. I’ll get Michael to ask the other villagers too.
“Then, we can check how much he spent to relocate the villagers. If the three sides don’t
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Chapter 259
match up, we’ll know for sure something’s wrong.”
Stephen’s eyes
lit up.
“Good idea.”
