A night pass surprisingly peaceful. It was as though both the commoners and cultivators family is trying to digest the massive turn of events that actually happen in their insignificant city.

Everyone is affected on this matter but the most affected were the cultivators family. Usually, commoners would just go with the flow when a major reshuffle of power happen in the city due to change of ruler.

However, it wasn't the same for cultivators family. That is because new rulers will try to supress the local snakes of the city.

But happen exceed what they expected. The city didn't just change its lord but it also announce its independency.

Now, they were in dilemma whether to leave and attached themselves once again to the empire, or stay and gamble their lives and livelihood for unknown future.

This was the main reason why the Towering Tree City have a peaceful night. The powerhouse of the city is considering their future action plan.

At the same time, when morning came, the streets in front of city lord mansion were bloated with commoners that intend to leave the city. They were thousands in number and since the city don't have family register, there is no document as a proof for number of heads in their family, the commoners don't have a choice but to bring their whole family. This explains why the street were bloated with numbers.

Looking at the huge number of people, Cole knew that he have to change his approach.

He immediately call for Dian and tell him his new plan.

"Dian, with the number of people outside, it might cause unwanted accident and injury. I can't help but worry at the state of every children and elderly outside. Change our approach, tell them to return to their respective houses and the employee of the city lord's office themselves will visit them from house to house."

Dian immediately busy himself to adjust the whole approach of the city lord's office.

First, he announce to the crowd about the exchange of system of gold coin distribution. Instead of flooding the city lord's mansion that might even lead to accidents and injuries, the officer of the city mansion themselves will visit them from door to door.

He told them to get ready. If they want to leave, the city officer will immediately give them the consolation gold coins while also buying the properties they can't bring with them on the comfort of their own home.

The sudden change definitely acquire the dissafaction of many. However, commoners already have a mentality that it's better for them to just follow the instruction than to create a scene. The world is just unfair to them and they knew it.

With the change of plan, Cole also decided to further adjust it in the end.

After Dian finish on dispersing the crowd, he return on Cole's temporarily office and talk about the changes and adjustment. They talk until they finalize it out.

Last night, Cole have already call all the possible human resource from the [Inner World] and they were currently on the same room as him. Fernan, Fernand, and Fernando were called for ensuring the public security while they have yet to breakthrough to Void Sensing-Stage. They're tasked of stopping chaos the city guards can't control. His brother-in-law, Gino, along with Celia were also assigned on this group.

He also call his older brother, Cold, to help. Lucky were also called for help since he can transform into human form.

After some thought, he also summon Blue. Although he said that he needs to focus on cultivation when he still have room for improvement, it'll be bad if he focus on that one thing alone for a long time. It's better to take a breather and change their environment from time to time to refresh one's mentality.

His mother Mina, and his pregnant older sister, Dawn, were also called out from the [Inner World], not because they were asked to help but for change of environment too. [Inner World] is great and all but they were basically isolated on that place.

He ask Virgo to accompany his mother and Dawn on the outside world for their security.

Ten o'clock in the morning when the new approach is fully finalized and finished the needed preparation. It was only at that time the operation house to house start.

With the city mansion as the center, Cole and his team spread out in the city in four direction. They bring huge amount of gold coins with them. Cole don't reserve anything and took out all the gold coins he has and give everyone with the same amount.

Fernan, Fernand, Fernando, Gino and Celia spread out in the different direction of the city. They take a certain area in the city and act as a sentry that'll supress any chaos that'll appear.

Since it was a first time, the house to house approach they use didn't proceed smoothly. Not only the officers unfamiliar to their work, the commoners were also a little apprehensive on letting a strangers into their house.

When this happen, everyone don't have any choice but to use the deterring means of using the name of city lord. Out of fear, the commoners don't have any choice but to let them in inside their house.

But fortunately, after some hours passed and everyone saw and learn the new city lord officers work, everyone finally let the officers enter their house the moment they knock into their door.

As a matter of fact, what the city officers do were extremely simple. They'll just interview the commoners if they want to leave and migrate the city or stay and continue to live in the city.

If they say they'll migrate, the officers will immediately hand out gold coins on the spot depending on the number of heads on their family. Even a new-born will be counted but unborn is not. This means that the greater the number of members of the family, the greater the gold coins they'll receive.

In addition, the officers will also determine the value of the property they can't bring with them and will be bought on the spot with 80% of their current value.

Those that recieve the gold coins will receive the ultimatum that they have to leave the city as soon as possible. They'll be given a timelapse of one month, the same as the time Cole gave for migrating in the city. If they didn't leave, without regards to their security and safety, they'll be evicted by the city guards whether they like it or not.

On the other hand, if they choose to stay in the city, the officers will proceed into registering their whole family. It was taking statistics of populace of the city.

Afterwards, they'll be asked of their current state.

What is your opinion regarding about the independent claim of the city?

Were your livelihood affected because of sudden shift of power of the city?

Did your household lose its main source of income?

What is one of basic aspect of life that you want to improve first; cloth, house or food?

Yes, since their new approach they come up of is house to house, Cole decided to take that chance to ask the opinion of the citizens.

At first, everyone is afraid of letting the city officers enter their home. It was like inviting the tiger into your own den.

However, after some several examples, the populace saw that the city officers just ask question when they enter their home.

Furthermore, the question actually regard to their current situation. Eventhough it was the very first time they experience that, household that has been interviewed can't help but think that the new city lord seem to put importance to their current state.

Therefore, with the example and spreading of information through the mouth of citizens, the visit of city officers to everyone's home visibly become more smoother. At the least, the citizens open their door and cooperate unlike those before them who look defensively to city officers.

The door-to-door approach of the city office has become successful. And its speed pick up when both the officers become accustomed to their work and the citizens cooperate.

At the same time, Cole busy himself with another important matters.

For instance, due to change that happen to the city, the economy of the city was put into disarray.

Most of the operations and businesses in the city temporarily stop due to massive change of power which leads to many people losing their jobs.

The cost of living in the city were big, specially since most of basic supplies sold have exorbitant prices. This was because they were monopolized by cultivation families.

It could be concluded that many normal commoners family don't have much of savings. They mostly don't have budgets in case of emergencies.

Furthermore, in the morning, shops controlled by cultivator family immediately increase their prices while external merchants outright double their prices.

They were literally fishing in troubled waters.

Unfortunately, Cole can't use his authority at this moment since the city are still on delicate situation. It'll be a bad thing of he leave a negative image to the populace.

If he don't do something, the whole city might face crisis of starvation. There were basic necessities sold but in unbelievable price and commoners will immediately lose their buying power when they use up all of their money.

Since Cole don't want any possible chaos happen in the city, he started to make a move that'll alleviate the burden of every commoners.

The Towering Tree City is practically a normal human city as 98% of its populace were just commoners. As long as he manage to control them, he'll reduce by 80% a chance of chaos to appear in the city.

With a disguise, Cole visit the market and buy the seeds of basic crops consumed by commoners.

The main crop and staple food of the city were corn and rice. Cole even remember that Ricky's mother gave him rice porridge when he first appear in Forest Edge Village.

When it comes to corn, Cole can buy what's available in the market. However, he need an unhusked rice to be use as seeds.

Fortunately, the border of the city is full of farming family. He bought the seeds from them.

Afterwards, he enter the [Inner World]. He create and start to farm intensively inside.

He summon Shelly and use him as magical tractor using his skill [Earth Manipulation]. While floating in the air, every piece of land he pass on got overturned and broke down into soft texture.

Then, using his authority inside the [Inner World], he control the wind with the Five Feathers Yin Fan as a medium and send all the seeds on the ground with appropriate space.

Shelly then flew again on top of the now agricultural field and cover the distributed seeds with soil.

After that, he use [Soul Mimicry] and use Pis-ces' [Water Manipulation] to water the crops from spiritual lake that formed inside.

When Cole is sure that the needed nutrients of the crops were properly given, he then use his skill [Plant Growth Acceleration] to mature the crops in short period of time.

The first crop he planted is the corn.

The moment he use his skill, a sprout instantly sprout from the ground, grow into strong crop, produce corn fruits and finally mature enough to be harvested.

The whole process only takes fifteen seconds, not even a minute. A corn that needs several months to grow and harvested were shortened by Cole into mere seconds.

Even Cole himself were surprised with the thing he just do.

However, after some thought, Cole thought of the reason why it happens.

In the first place, the corn plant itself is just a normal crop. It wasn't even categorized as spiritual crop.

In addition, where he plant the crop were inside the [Inner World] where even the soil and a grass is a treasure. The soil could even nourish a medicinal spiritual herb, not to say the normal crop seed.

And most importantly, his wood-energy carry the properties of his [Immortal Purity True Phoenix Flame]. Don't forget that the Immortal Purity True Phoenix were a mythical beast that could terraform a hostile planet into green forest planet with just a flap of its wings. Eventhough it was greatly weakened, it was still more than enough to mature a normal crop seed.

With all the possible factor he just listed, including those that he can't think of, maturing crops in a matter of seconds is just right.

•

Happy new year!