CHAPTER 506: CHAPTER 270: SHE PREFERS A PROFUSION OF FLOWERS_2

He originally only had Hope Village as a learning objective, but now he suddenly had five more!

Seeing them seated, Viscount Kains and the others also relaxed, squeezing themselves into a spot to sit down; it was their first time experiencing a "gathering" of this sort.

After they were settled, staff members immediately served up exquisite pastries and beverages from the tea room.

"This isn’t any meeting, just taking the opportunity to talk more," said Zhou Bai, seeing Viscount Kains and his companions sitting up straight and proper, and he quickly spoke up.

Speaking of which, these nobles really lived up to the term; sitting there, they exuded a special aura that made them seem like nouveau riche.

But then again, to the people of this world, weren’t this group of individuals considered "nouveau riche"?

Clearing his throat, Zhou Bai began introducing Jin Jingshan and the others, "These are all my clan members. Their territories are spread across various locations, and by a stroke of fate, they arrived at Hope Village. Besides Yuxi Village, the rest are already Level 3 territories, each with its own specialties..."

After briefly introducing them, Zhou Bai then began introducing Viscount Kains and his group to Jin Jingshan and the others.

Of course, it was only the four of Viscount Kains.

She didn’t know about the other two.

After the introductions, Zhou Bai turned to the two extra Lords, "This is my first time meeting both of you, sirs. Would it be convenient for you to share a bit about yourselves?"

She had just taken the opportunity to check the rankings of these two territories.

Their rankings were higher than Hope Village’s!

Most importantly, the transport fees they had spent were almost 1 Gold Coin each, indicating they were very far from Hope Village – they shouldn’t have appeared in Hope Village so soon. Yet they had.

Zhou Bai wanted to take this chance to get to know them and casually probe into the situation of their territories.

As long as they had no ill intentions, they could become "collaborative partners" for Hope Village.

"Lord of New House Village, Haus."

"Lord of Bergas Village, Bergas."

Viscount Haus and Viscount Bergas didn’t find Zhou Bai’s prompt unusual and willingly shared a bit about their territories and names.

Afterwards, Viscount Haus added, "Don’t mind us too much. We’re just here to relax and have a change of scenery."

This statement conveyed one thing: the two were acquainted and would not partake in the forthcoming matters – at least for now.

Or to put it another way, they also realized that, having joined suddenly, it wouldn’t be easy to gain Zhou Bai and the others’ trust; better to observe each other first.

Zhou Bai had a good grasp of the situation.

Knowing the names of those two territories meant that subsequent inquiries would be much simpler.

After nodding to show his understanding, Zhou Bai addressed Viscount Kains and his entourage, saying, "You have come to Hope Village this time and purchased quite a few goods, but I’m afraid the quantity may not be sufficient to satisfy you for the time being, given that there are over twenty territories procuring goods from Hope Village, with queues of over a hundred; while Hope Village has provided some supplements, you could consider the goods from my clan members’ territories. They have many items distinct from Hope Village’s offerings and are also quite special. If you’re interested, you can take a look; of course, their territories are also just starting, and there’s a great need for various things, so many of your goods can also be sold to their territories. In this way, everyone can engage in beneficial resource exchanges."

At this point, Zhou Bai’s message was clear: he was setting up connections for Jin Jingshan and the others.

Upon hearing this, Jin Jingshan and the rest immediately understood Zhou Bai’s intention.

Indeed, they were now listed among the notable territories on the Stan Continent and, barring any major disasters, they would not disappear from the map as easily as when they first arrived.

Therefore, their next step was to deepen exchanges with more territories, especially native territories.

Originally, they planned to slowly build relationships with other territories via Hope Village as the leading example, subtly expanding their influence and market.

But Zhou Bai, by using a face-to-face approach, directly handed the network of connections into their hands.

Jin Jingshan and the others looked at Zhou Bai with a changed gaze.

Zhou Bai’s move was indeed selflessly generous.

Of course, it also likely saved them from taking many unnecessary detours.

Would they do this if they were in her shoes?

They were not sure.

But Zhou Bai had done it.

They truly appreciated her kindness.

With this in mind, Jin Jingshan and the others did not want to let down Zhou Bai’s goodwill and started to formally introduce their own territories.

Listening to their introductions, Viscount Kains and the others formed a deeper impression of their territories.

Naturally, once Jin Jingshan and his group had finished their introductions, Viscount Kains and the others also discussed their own territory situations.

After both sides had finished understanding each other, the corners of their mouths couldn’t help but turn up in a smile.

Just as Zhou Bai had said, each side indeed had what the other wanted.

Give and take—exchange the surplus goods of their territory for what they needed, and promote the "renewal" of their territories.

Watching their attitudes, Zhou Bai also felt reassured, "Now that you all know each other, you can have more private conversations when you have time."

The bridge had been built; it was up to them how they would cross it.

She could retire successfully from the task.

"Of course," the group responded in unison, their attitudes toward Zhou Bai warming considerably compared to before; obviously, they had recognized the "good" in Zhou Bai’s gesture.

Soon after, the group quickly proposed their departure.

It was time to move from public channels to private chats, and they did not want to delay Zhou Bai any longer.

In this way, Zhou Bai bid farewell to the group one by one.

After seeing them off, Zhou Bai returned to her office on the second floor.

Seeing that she had finally finished her busywork and returned to her office, Bayer came in with several well-organized files and documents.

Looking at Zhou Bai’s relaxed demeanor, he asked with curiosity, "They’re all saying you’ve been discussing important matters with a dozen lords and nobles. Are the discussions complete?"

The talks sounded swift; the efficiency was truly impressive!

"Mhm, I’ve introduced them all..." Zhou Bai nodded, briefly explaining her role as a bridge.

After listening, Bayer was taken aback, then looking into Zhou Bai’s clear eyes, a hint of emotion surfaced, "Lord, you are indeed very generous!"

Hope Village had come a long way to get where it was today.

And now! These territories, similar to Hope Village, could make a fortune quietly under Hope Village’s conspicuous sponsorship, gifts they had received from Hope Village itself.

If it were up to him, he felt he would be emotionally unbalanced.

Hearing this, Zhou Bai gave a helpless smile, "It’s not about being generous! Even if I didn’t do this, they would have eventually made contact on their own. It’s better to start off on the right foot, also allowing Hope Village to have more allies in the future. My interests are aligned with theirs at the moment."

She was of course aware that, on some level, Hope Village, by sticking its neck out, had suffered a loss.

But the benefits that came with this loss were also significant!

Of course, besides the benefits, it was nice to offer a helping hand to one’s own people!

She always felt that, in this world, Blue Star territories were definitely not competitors with each other.

Furthermore, she preferred the flourishing of many rather than the dominance of one alone.

All in all, she felt it was worth it!