Chapter 285
“Stephen, what do you want to do?”
“With 6 grand, you want to steal the land that people shed blood to protect?”
“I can’t believe I’ve praised him for waiving all construction costs to build a new village and thought he did a good thing. Now, it seems like I’m blind. Was this something that rebuilding the village could solve?”
“Stephen, we demand an explanation. You owe it to our heroes!”
The public was enraged, and the reputation Stephen had painstakingly rebuilt plummeted in a day.
Frightened, he quickly called Simon for a solution.
Simon had also seen the comments online, and even messages from beyond the border.
“Stephen did it intentionally, didn’t he? He wanted to kill all the heroes and destroy our spirit. How vile!”
“As long as Stephen remains, Riveria is doomed.
“Execute Stephen!”
Simon investigated it and found that these were all messages from the people who had fled beyond the border. He ordered all the messages to be deleted in a fit of anger.
Ethan’s plan had just started to take effect now and it was coming on strong. They could not resist it.
If they wanted to solve this problem, the only solution now was to spend the money.
Simon took a deep breath.
“Plan a hero residential area in the city and let the villagers move in for free. Their utilities will be free for life. Also, you need to honor the villagers‘ sacrifices. Award the first–class merit to those who deserve it, and the second–class to others. You should present the
awards in person.
“Then, preserve the old village and try your best to restore it to its original state. Document the village’s experience and the villagers’ sacrifice so that it’s written in the history of Celestial City.
Stephen fell silent. It would cost billions!
Alas now, the Celestial City did not have much money left. Companies had pulled out, the food hall was a failure, and real estate prices were falling. Celestial City’s economy had already dropped by over a thousand billion.
Chapter 285
+25 BONUS
Simon knew it was hard for Stephen, but he said, “Even if it’s difficult, you have to do it. If you don’t solve it like this, your reputation will be gone, and more and more people will doubt you!”
Stephen lowered his head. “I got it.”
A few days ago, he was still cheering, thinking that he had beaten Ethan for once. But now, when Ethan’s plán really started to take effect, he realized just how naive and childish his thoughts were.
They could not stop it. The only thing he could do was spend a few billion to lessen the public’s discontent.
Stephen publicly announced that he would buy a residential area for the villagers with free utilities. Then, he would preserve the old village and honor their sacrifices.
Lucas’s wife received first–class merit, and among his three sons, the eldest received first- class merit, while the other two were awarded third–class merits.
A total of eighteen first–class merits were awarded across several villages!
On the day of the award ceremony, the county head, the temporary mayor, and George were present. Stephen personally presented the awards.
The scene was grand and solemn. Many villagers could not hold back their sobs.
eyes
Lucas sat on a chair, accepting the merits on behalf of his wife and children, his tearing up. He stared at the certificate in his hand blankly and then looked at Stephen, who stood in front of him.
“It’s a pity that you’re not him.”
Everyone’s greatest regret was that it was Stephen presenting the awards, not Ethan.
Stephen lowered his head. He did not dare to meet Lucas’s eyes, feeling both guilty and ashamed.
He was an impersonator. Other than not being the Grand Marshal’s mentee, he also did not bring peace to Riveria and almost caused Lucas who already had his family torn apart, to die.
After half a day, the award ceremony was over. The public criticism of Stephen online somewhat died down.
“Although he did some terrible things before, this time he did alright.”
“The villagers don’t need to worry about being homeless, and they will receive high subsidies every year. It’s good.”
“What does the village chief’s last sentence mean? You’re not him?”
