Volume 2 Chapter 161 Is your brain made of stone?
To change the entire Banta City, this wasn’t something that could be accomplished by words or just advertis.e.m.e.nts.
Other than the city square and Sandy River project that attracted the most attention, Banta City’s tentative plan to create new districts was slowly beginning.
The first problem solved for these new districts was the problem of roads.
When this city renovation plan was created last year, the Amrit Chamber of Commerce had been building roads where these districts were planned for outside the city the entire time.
Now that over half a year had pa.s.sed, the main transportation lines had been finished. The Fersen Horse Carriage Company was beginning to open public transportation lines to the various districts.
Setting off from the Fersen Carriage Company’s public transport stands, they could choose to ride the horse carriages to quickly go to many places in the city. Compared to when one could only walk if they didn’t have a personal carriage, it was without a doubt faster than walking.
Hannas spent one gold coin and an entire morning to ride all eleven public transport lines in Banta City. When he came back, he was filled with praise for Xu Yi.
“It’s too convenient! It really is too convenient!” Hannas still had the same slightly exaggerated tone from before, “It just takes a few silver coins to ride a comfortable horse carriage to where you are going and it moves so quickly, it simply is too convenient!”
Xu Yi laughed, “How is it? Who was it who said to me last time that although the idea of a public transport system was good, it wasn’t practical to use it?”
Hannas’ face turned a bit red as he said with a smile, “How could I know that your Banta City would develop so fast that you could build so many roads in such a short amount of time. Moreover, the Fersen Carriage Company really is working well with you. From what I can see, there aren’t that many people riding the public horse carriages yet, so they are definitely suffering a loss.”
“That’s just because people aren’t used to them yet.” Xu Yi said, “Before everyone was poor and most of them didn’t even have a single gold coin, so they are a bit against spending a few silver coins to ride the public horse carriages. But now that the income in Banta City is much higher, when they understand that time is more valuable than money, I guarantee that there will definitely be many more people riding horse carriages. At that time, if you want to ride the public horse carriages, you’ll have to push your way in.”
“How could it be that exaggerated…..” Hannas couldn’t help refuting, but thinking about his investigation of Banta City in the past few days, he found that it wasn’t that impossible.
The population of Banta City was quickly increasing and the income of these people was much higher than when he came last time.
If this trend continues, there might come a time when everyone will be willing to spend money to ride the public horse carriages.
At that time, there might be a situation where it would be crowded.
“Un……This thing really is not bad, I will write in the newspapers when I get back to urge Anvilmar City to also get a public transport system.” Hannas thought about it before saying, “With this, when we go out to play, we won’t have to use our own horse carriages.”
Xu Yi looked at him and coldly said, “You think that Anvilmar City can have this thing?”
“Why not……”
Hannas suddenly stopped.
He suddenly thought that Xu Yi’s question wasn’t wrong at all.
Could Anvilmar City…..really be connected by a public transport system?
Banta City could create this because other than the support of the City Lord Count Sean, Banta City had built large amounts of roads. The horse carriages could quickly travel across these roads, which was not only fast, but also stable.
As for the roads in Anvilmar City, it was made from paved stone. Since it wasn’t as s.p.a.cious and wasn’t as smooth, the road conditions were much worse than Banta City.
Other than that, the other important factor of building a public transport system was whether it could be maintained or not.
Count Sean and Xu Yi were confident in the Banta City public transport system because the average income had greatly increased in Banta City, so even the normal citizens could afford to pay a few gold coins to ride the horse carriages.
Although Anvilmar City had gathered many great n.o.bles and large merchants, with enough people who could afford to use the public transport system, for those great n.o.bles and merchants, they had money, so how could they be willing to take the same carriage as someone else? Why wouldn’t they use their more comfortable, exclusive carriage?
As for the citizens who had the greatest demand for the public transport system, most of them weren’t willing to pay for it or couldn’t even afford it.
For the citizens of Anvilmar City, even if it was only a few silver coins, they needed to carefully consider it.
Thinking of this, Hannas found that when Xu Yi said that Banta City would surpa.s.s Anvilmar City, it wasn’t just an empty boast.
At least in terms of average income for citizens, Banta City had far surpa.s.sed Anvilmar City.
“You want to ask how to raise the average income of citizens?” Xu Yi looked at Hannas’ honest questioning look and said with a smile, “Aren’t you in Banta City now? Instead of asking me, it is better to investigate yourself. Only by directly viewing it can you draw the most direct conclusions. I can only give you a suggestion, if you want to know the reason, go and observe the normal citizens in the villages outside the city.”
Hannas nodded. When he wanted to write down Xu Yi’s words, he suddenly thought of something.
“Actually I think that compared to running around myself, it is better to follow you around. I can guarantee that the benefits of following you are better and I’ll understand the change with Banta City more.”
Xu Yi spread his hands and said, “It’s quite the coincidence, I’m about to head out. I won’t be in Banta City during this time, so I don’t have time to spend with you.”
Hannas was stunned, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to the Black Rice Wasteland to solve a few problems and I’ll take a trip to the Stantine Duchy. There is a fellow there who is anxious from waiting for me and if I don’t go soon, I’m afraid he’ll send someone to Banta City to kidnap me.” Xu Yi replied.
An ambiguous smile appeared on Hannas’ face and he raised a brow as he asked Xu Yi, “It can’t be that you found some little girl in the Stantine Duchy and abandoned the other side, right? Hei, hei, should I go tell Still and let her teach you a lesson?”
Xu Yi rolled his eyes, “I did bring back two little girls last time and now they stay with Vivian and Still all day, do you want to take a look?”
Hannas revealed a surprised look before giving Xu Yi a thumbs up and praising, “You really are quite good. Not mentioning you bringing back two little girls, you actually put them by Still’s side, I really have to admire you.”
“What nonsense is this, it isn’t what you think.” Xu Yi snappily reprimanded Hannas. He was too lazy to bother with this meaningless issue and said, “In short, I will be gone for at least half a month, so I can’t go around Banta City with you. Actually if you want someone to take you around, just grab a reporter from the «Banta Times», they’re much more familiar with Banta City compared to me.”
“Un, I was just talking, I wasn’t really planning on having someone as busy as you go around with me. But…..” Hannas suddenly revealed a strange smile, “Xu Yi…..Let me tell you some news that I don’t know if it is good or bad.”
“What news is it that you don’t know if it’s good or bad?” Xu Yi asked in surprise.
“It’s that…..Sophia might come over in a few days…..”
“She’s coming again?” Xu Yi was stunned before feeling a headache.
Sophia’s first time to Banta City with Kennard had strangely looked down on Xu Yi, even not sparing him a glance.
Although Xu Yi didn’t bother with her since she was a little girl and was Kennard’s little sister, he still felt a headache over this.
Later when Kennard decided to be the general manager for the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, Sophia came here when she was bored.
Although she said that it was to see her brother, she always came looking for Xu Yi and kept provoking him. Xu Yi felt it was bothersome, but he had no other choice.
So whenever he heard Sophia was coming, Xu Yi felt a headache come over him.
It was impossible for him to do anything to this mischievous little girl, but he couldn’t let her keep pestering him.
“Alright, it’s fine if she comes now, I’m leaving anyway. If she knows that I’m not here, she will leave in a few days since she’ll find it boring.” Xu Yi said in a somewhat happy voice, “I really don’t know what’s the problem with her, why does she keep causing trouble for me whenever she comes? Have I offended her?”
Hannas looked at Xu Yi with a somewhat strange expression.
“Hey, Xu Yi, do you sincerely feel this way, or is it deliberate?”
“What deliberate?” Xu Yi was surprised.
“You actually don’t know why Sophia keeps looking for you? Is your brain made out of stone?” Hannas asked with a bit of disbelief.
Xu Yi asked back in a confused voice, “What do you want to say?”
Hannas honestly looked over Xu Yi for a bit and seeing that his expression wasn’t fake at all, he couldn’t help covering his face and saying with a sigh, “I really don’t know why Still likes you and I don’t understand even more how she can stay with you. For a slow fellow like you, could it be that Still was the one who confessed to you?”
Xu Yi thought about it and replied, “Speaking of this, she did take the initiative……But how is that related? I like her and she likes me, that is enough. What are you trying to say?”
Hannas looked at Xu Yi with a defeated look.
After a while, Hannas let out a sigh.
“Sophia, you really are an idiot…..”
Xu Yi looked at Hannas with a confused look.
This fellow, just what was he trying to say?