Geerteng Hill was naturally the first place to implement the movement for civilians to choose their surnames. The day after the Republic of Northwest announced this policy, Geerteng Hill also announced the same policy. But as compared to the Republic of Northwest, Geerteng Hill made the announcement in a slightly different way—only those who had resided in Geerteng Hill for at least more than one generation as citizens of this place were entitled to this benefit. Even adventurers who had settled down here as residents did not have this entitlement.

  This was because Geerteng Hill did not require more talents. This territory was stable and peaceful at present. It had no intention of further expanding production, nor did it have any wishes of expanding abroad. The group of government officials who revolved around the Church of the God of Knowledge as the core was enough to rule the place. And they were able to rule the place very well.

  The literacy rate of the members of the Church of the God of Knowledge was very high. All core followers were all able to read and write, and it was needless to say for the clergymen. Not only that, but they saw teaching and educating people as the best way to show their devotion to the gods. So long as they had the money and time, they were all eager to volunteer to teach. So in terms of literacy rate of citizens, Geerteng Hill had the highest rate in all of the entire Main Plane, even surpassing that of Void City.

  Based on the statistics from previous years, Geerteng Hill had practically eradicated all traces of illiteracy. Even the farmers in the fields could read around a hundred words and were able to understand simple notices and could write their names.

  This level was already way beyond that of many developing countries on Earth. With such a profound cultural heritage, what was a little governmental affair to them?

  The residents of Geerteng Hill were also very proud of their level of education. Taking a walk along the streets, it was a common sight to see people reading books in their spare time. It did not matter whether they were reading about the travels written by retired adventurers or novels written by bards—reading was a good thing to do anyway.

  Reading could make people wise and sensible. Reading could make people intelligent and noble…… In the doctrine of the God of Knowledge, reading was simply the best thing in the world. When Sui Xiong first laid eyes on this doctrine, it never failed to give him feelings like “a book holds a house of gold, a book contains a thousand bushels of millet, a book holds the key to the hearts of pretty women……”

  Regardless of whether or not there were so many benefits to be found in the books, the people of Geerteng Hill had indeed greatly increased their wisdom and cultivation through reading books. So even though they were all big and burly like barbarians who moved over from Northern Iceland, they were all in fact, civilized people who were well-educated and highly-cultivated—on the plus side, there was no need to worry about a big fist landing in one’s face when dealing with them; on the minus side, the difficulty level in trying to fool them was so high that one had to be at least the level of a master.

  The vast majority of merchants had no intention of competing with the people of Geerteng Hill in their ability of deception. They generally bargained about more practical problems, for example, the quality, capital, profits and so on. Occasionally, someone would bring out a wooden board and pen made of charcoal to write and calculate. This was their way of illustrating the problem with actual statistical data.

  This commercial atmosphere could only be seen here. After leaving this place, one could forget about seeing the same thing in any other city on the continent.

  After all…… if the merchants of Geerteng Hill were to go to other places, they’d all be qualified as scholars.

  \r \r \r

  In fact, Sui Xiong could clearly see that almost every adult in Geerteng Hill was graded as first or second-level scholars. This place was literally a “City of Culture.”

  Sui Xiong floated in the air, smiling as he admired the scene of this City of Culture. From time to time, he would nod his head and even sing praises.

  “Your Majesty, this Geerteng Hill is pretty well-built,” a voice said. There were some ripples in the air around him; then Wall, who was also invisible, appeared by his side. With a smile, Wall said, “Every time I see this place, the scene that greets me makes me feel proud of myself. I’ve not accomplished anything major in this lifetime, but just this thing alone makes everything in this life worthwhile.”

  “These words of yours are very inauspicious! As a god with immortality, this lifetime of yours has only just begun.”

  Wall laughed and did not debate further on this topic. Instead, he talked about something else, “By the way, some time ago, Olian told me that she’s getting old, while the younger generation of the Geerteng family has grown up. It won’t look good for her to continue to hog the spot as lord, so she intends to retire and focus on the work in the church. What do you think about it?”

  Sui Xiong froze for a moment and suddenly remembered that Olian was in fact almost 70 years old. In this world, she was no doubt considered an old lady. Even the younger generation of the Geerteng family was, in fact, already in their forties and fifties—many of those who were from the generation before had even died of old age.

  “Who does she intend to pass the seat of viscount to?”

  “Tom Geerteng, nicknamed the ‘Flying Fish,’ who is a young man highly-skilled in combat in water. He was once a sea merchant at one point in time,” said Wall with a wave of his hand. Then Sui Xiong could instantly see a middle-aged man in the office building in the center of the small commodity market of Geerteng Hill. He had a short beard and a body that glimmered, and he seemed to be quite intelligent and capable.

  This Tom Geerteng might be called a young man, but in truth, he was no longer young. He was about 34 or 35 years old. Because he once dealt with businesses out on the sea, his eyes had obvious red and swollen marks. Those were the consequences of being exposed to too much wind. His build was slightly burlier than the average man, and the joints of his hands were exceptionally thick and large. But on the overall, his body figure was quite proportionate, and he seemed to possess extraordinary skills.

  His pair of eyes that was bright and brimming with vigor was especially attention-grabbing. Not only were his eyes filled with confidence and wisdom, but there was also a trace of slyness. But he was not the kind of man who believed that in cheating others. On the contrary, he was someone who was quite resourceful in his methods and means.

  Handing over the territory to someone like him was indeed more reassuring.

  “Right, this chap has a bad habit,” said Wall, who suddenly recalled something. With a smile, he said, “He’s clearly very rich, but he likes to complain about being hard up. Many people have heard of the name ‘Flying Fish who likes to cry poverty.’”

  Sui Xiong laughed and said, “Crying poverty is not a bad thing. It’s better than taking a fancy to luxury and being competitive.”

  “The problem is, the extent to which he complains that he is poor is a bit……” said Wall. Then he thought for a while and waved his hand. Then a scene appeared in midair, which depicted that “Flying Fish Tom” engaged in some idle conversation with adventurers in a tavern.

  Tom: Sigh, I’m seriously so poor!

  Adventurer A: Everyone’s poor. Nobody’s well-off these days.

  Adventurer B: At least you have a stable job and a good source of income. As compared to you, we just meddle in whatever menial jobs that we can find. We are truly the ones who are insecure.

  Tom: That job of mine is pretty ordinary. I made a deal in the first half of the year—if this goes on, I’m worried I might lose my job.

  Adventurer A: If you lose this job, then so be it. A person with true capabilities doesn’t need to worry about being unable to find a job!

  Adventurer B: I know a few Chambers of Commerce that want to hire people who can read and write and who also have strong hands that can endure tough work. Judging by your build and pair of hands, you ought to have some real skills. If you really want to find a job, I can do some work and introduce you.

  Tom: Thank you so much! Today, the drinks are on me!

  Adventurer A: Haha, then I’ve got to add a bottle to my order!

  Adventurer B: I’ll pass. I’ve had enough for the day. By the way, what are you up to now? Half a year gone with only one business deal; this job of yours doesn’t seem quite stable.

  Tom: I’m a wholesale dealer in gardening. For the first half of this year, I fixed a garden for an earl. The total I made from this business deal was only about 20,000 gold coins……

  The two adventurers flew into a rage and left.

  The scene ended here. Sui Xiong laughed while shaking his head upon seeing this.

  This Flying Fish Tom, he truly has…… quite a character.

  If he were to become lord later on, would he still maintain such a style? If he still remained this way, someone might probably beat him to death one fine day……