Chapter 313
Julius and George arrived at the first village. It was a rather large village, with over seven thousand residents, so acquiring it would require significant money. Fortunately, Julius already had a plan./
Based on the freeway plan, he identified the houses that needed to be relocated and then found the village chief to explain the purpose of their visit. The village chief was initially reluctant when he learned that the freeway would pass through his village. However, Julius managed to convince him by explaining the many benefits of the road construction.
“With the freeway, it’ll be more convenient for you to head into the city. Plus, it’ll be easier to transport your village’s pigs and eucalyptus trees.”
The village chief was convinced, and with his help, Julius acquired the houses that needed to be relocated at 7000 dollars per square meter. Those villagers could later build houses in other parts of the village or move to the city.
George watched Julius from the side, somewhat surprised. He had not realized that
relocations could be done that way. Instead of buying the entire village, he could choose to approach the villagers whose houses where the road would pass and acquire the necessary land for the least amount of money.
Julius then led George to the next village. In half a day, Julius secured five villages.
That efficiency shocked George. At that rate, they could acquire all the necessary land for the freeway construction in less than a week!
George glanced at the blazing sun overhead. “Should we take a break?”
He had never covered so much ground with anyone before and was now drenched in sweat.
Julius was also sweaty, but he did not want to rest. In the past, he had carried rice and flour over mountains to console families of heroes. Hence, running around like that was no big deal for him.
However, noticing how decked out George looked, he acquiesced and said, “Alright, let’s take a break. Luckily, there’s a village just ahead.”
They arrived at the village, and Julius found a villager, expressing that they wanted to look for a place to take a break.
The villager nodded in agreement. Seeing George’s sunburnt face covered in sweat, he even turned on a fan for the man.
“You don’t look like you’re from the village. What brings you here?” the villager asked curiously.
George, sipping tea while having the fan blowing at him, replied, “Hill City is building a
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Chapter 313
freeway that will pass through this village. We’re here to discuss relocation plans.”
The villager nodded. “I see. I’ve heard about the road construction.”
He sized Julius up with surprise, asking, “Are you Julius, Julius Sanders?”
Julius was curious. “You know me?”
“Although I’ve never met you before, I’ve heard a lot about you. You handle everything personally, always looking out for Hill City. You’re truly a role model for us all.”
Julius felt a little awkward. He did not expect that in his efforts to make Hill City better, he would become so well–known.
“Since Julius is here, let me get the village chief for you.”
The villager called a young man over and told him to fetch the village chief.
“You can rest here for a while,” the villager added with a smile. “They should be here soon.
Smiling, Julius replied, “Thank you for your trouble.”
George, standing in front of the fan, asked curiously, “What’s your name? You seem pretty helpful. How many people live in this village anyway?”
“My name is Nico Wyatt,” the villager named Nico answered. “There aren’t too many of us, just over ten thousand people.”
“Ten thousand isn’t a lot?” George was taken aback. “This is a rather big village. I wonder if the village chief will be more cooperative than the last one.‘
In the last few villages they had visited, some chiefs were reluctant to compromise and allow the new highway to cut through their land. Fortunately, Julius was persuasive and managed to convince those chiefs.
Nico smiled. “Our village makes a living by quarrying stone and logging trees. Both industries rely heavily on transportation, so building a freeway would only benefit us. The village chief will surely agree.
