Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  After leaving Samat Hill, Sui Xiong went back to Geerteng Hill again.

  Presently, Geerteng Hill was a scene of prosperity. As the most important stationery manufacturer on the entire Main Plane, it produced all kinds of stationery. This was the core industry that supported the entire Geerteng Hill. The small stationery products might not seem like much, yet every year, the amount of income they could provide was comparable to that of an earl.

  The “earls” should never be treated as nothing much. It should be known that in the Commonwealth of Gold Coins, there were only 14 earls in total.

  The size of this country, the Commonwealth of Gold Coins, was about the same as that of the United States of America on Earth. If Alaska was kept out of the picture, the shape of its land was also somewhat similar. Both were completely big mounds that made them look grounded and stable. As of now, there were 14 earls and two marquises in control over about 45% of the territory and about 65% of the population of such a large country. And the yearly income of Geerteng Hill was comparable to that of an earl, and an earl with a higher income at that.

  If the measurement was made relative to China, this place was roughly equivalent to a province along the southeast coast.

  Just depending on the income generated from stationery itself, the country could support the economy of a province. This was something truly amazing!

  No, it should be said that just depending on the income generated by stationery, a mere prefecture-level city could have an economic level that was equivalent to a province. That was simply crazy!

  To be able to achieve a feat of such degree, the key was the God of Knowledge.

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  Geerteng Hill was not the only family dealing with the stationery business in this world. But Geerteng Hill had the God of Knowledge backing them up. And the God of Knowledge was the guardian of culture and knowledge. So given the same conditions, if people needed to buy stationery, they were naturally inclined towards buying from Geerteng Hill.

  This was like the arms business on Earth. Would people be willing to buy from a country that had fought many wars, had a brilliant record of military exploits and military bases set up all over the globe? Or would they be willing to buy from a country that was holed up somewhere in the northern peninsular, who was loudmouth with a resounding voice but in fact, had to rely on imports for food supplies?

  Of course, there were always weirdos who made exceptional choices, but the choices of the normal people were generally the same.

  Other than the stationery business, Geerteng Hill was also involved in the herb industry. This place was plentiful in herbs that thrived in mountainous climates, so every year, these herbs could bring in a substantial amount of money.

  However, the herbs business was subjected to a great restriction. The God of Medicine had made it clear that he did not support the act of profiteering in the herbs business. So whether it was at Geerteng Hill or Garth City, or even Keane Hill, though the herbs business was quite profitable, it was never a means of reaping exorbitant profits.

  As compared to money, the herbs business brought more social connections and prestige to the people.

  These things might seem somewhat illusory, but they were often more useful than money. For example, when a big businessman wanted to choose partners, money was not of utmost importance to him. But rather, he would value things like reputation, character and social connections as the most important qualities.

  Apart from these two main industries, Geerteng Hill also had many subsidiary businesses. They were mainly concentrated in the handicraft industry, especially the area involving small industrial products. These products seemed no different from the “Yiwu small commodities” that Sui Xiong often heard of before he traversed worlds.

  It was quite interesting to speak of this. Geerteng Hill also had a small commodity wholesale market. Sui Xiong had never been to Yiwu, so he had no idea how that country’s famous small commodity market was like. But looking at the small commodity market in Geerteng Hill, he could not help thinking about this kind of market found in his own hometown.

  The small commodity market in his hometown was called “Business Summoning City.” Though it seemed true to what its name suggested, to be a market that summoned businesses and attracted investments, it was in fact just a market with some small self-employed people running their businesses. These stores sold all kinds of things, from daily necessities to various food products, then to clothes, shoes, toys, groceries and so on. So long as things were not too big, practically everything could be found here.

  Sui Xiong used to visit this market frequently to buy things. Firstly, it was convenient as most things were sold here. Secondly, the things here were cheaper by at least 20% as compared to those found in street shops.

  The small commodity market in Geerteng Hill was quite the same. Many traders dealing with wholesale businesses would specifically come here through the Transportation Portal because they were drawn to the comprehensive range and cheap cost of products.

  The former was needless to say, but one of the key factors of the latter was transport.

  In this world, because the transportation system was not well-developed, the cost of transportation was high. Even a mere stool that was to be transported to a remote area could be sold at the cost of a big bed. The Transportation Portal system that was designed and put in place by Sui Xiong had greatly reduced the cost of transportation. It would cost money to use the Transportation Portal. But as compared to long-distance transportation, people were more inclined to such a way, be it in terms of the amount of money saved or the manpower and time saved.

  If nothing else, using the Transportation Portal as a means of transportation could at least save them a lot of money that would be otherwise spent on bodyguards!

  Of course, it was unprofitable to use the portal to transport large or heavy objects—for example, large furniture or minerals. Such items should absolutely not be transported via the portal. But for small commodities and such, the Transportation Portal was more than suitable.

  In fact, the most suitable items to be transported via the portal would be all kinds of luxury products. This was the reason how Void City could be the most important trading market in the Main Plane of today’s world for luxury products. Over here, any kind of luxury and rare things could be bought—with the exception of things deemed to be immoral.

  Sui Xiong was quite particular about the issue of “immorality.” Not only did the Republic of Northwest disallow trades like slavery and living biomaterials, but it also prohibited medical products like narcotic drugs. Many people had been executed for such reasons before.

  However, that was just a digression from the main topic. Or at least, it had nothing to do with Geerteng Hill, because such trades were also banned here.

  Sui Xiong flew in the sky above the small commodity market of Geerteng Hill, laughing heartily as he walked and looked around. He was not very learned in business, but he could tell that a majority of the people here were quite lucky. If he were to describe using the terms of an author of web novels he used to read before traversing worlds—an author who would ramble on all about luck all day long— it would be to say that these people had good luck. Even if they would not be very rich and wealthy, at least they could lead stable and peaceful lives.

  When the country was rich and its people were strong, there would be peace and prosperity. With such an income, the living standards of the people in Geerteng Hill would naturally be quite high. As he flew over here, Sui Xiong no longer saw any of those occasional starving people he saw for the first time when he passed by here. Wherever he looked, he could see people who were well-dressed with glowing expressions.

  Also, he noticed that the younger generation of Geerteng Hill were significantly taller than their parents.

  All this credit went to Olian Geerteng. She once heard that people could actually be much taller if there received adequate nutrition, so she had always taken this matter to heart. After the territory became rich, one of the significant initiatives she implemented was to enhance livestock production, mainly raising cattle, sheep and pigs. Cattle and sheep could be used to produce milk, while the pigs would be the most important source of meat. If all these things were fully dependent on the civilians to raise, the cost would be very high. But if the Void Mask Lord were to lead them into a centralized breeding system, the cost could be significantly reduced.

  When farm operations were stabilized, the production of milk and meat commenced shortly after. These products received official subsidies from the Geerteng government, so the citizens could buy them at relatively lower prices. Furthermore, there was official propaganda constantly promoting that “adequate nutrition leads to a healthy body,” so the people were also willing to spend money on this aspect.

  The final outcome was that the new generation of Geerteng citizens were indeed tall and strong. They no longer resembled people of the Commonwealth of Gold Coins, but rather, they looked more like the barbarians on Northern Iceland.

  All of them were tall and burly, yet they spoke with politeness and acted with courtesy. Such an amazing combination was truly like a comedy full of humor. Sui Xiong laughed as he watched them, and he could not feel any less happy than he was.