Starting with rogue ninjas, building the insect kingdom.

Chapter 411 Onoki, I'm a contractor

The third day after the fall of the Land of Wind.

Keita stood atop the highest point of the former Daimyo's residence in the Land of Wind. Thousands of citizens of the Land of Wind had already gathered in the city. They had been driven out of various districts by ninjas and assembled in the square in front of the royal city.

Men, women, and children, some carrying bundles, some holding children, some leading livestock, their faces filled with fear and bewilderment.

Keita descended from the high place, followed by several civil officials from the Land of Earth.

He walked to the center of the square, stood on a temporary platform, and scanned the dark mass of people below.

"People of the Wind Kingdom, you have no need to be afraid. I have no interest in slaughtering civilians; it does me no good."

"What I'm saying is that the land you live on now is inherently unsuitable for habitation. The desert lacks water, food, and medicine. How many of your people die from famine each year? How many children die from disease? How many elderly people don't survive the winter?"

All the people bowed their heads silently, for he was telling the truth. Although the Land of Wind was one of the five great nations, the vast majority of its territory was desert.

Ordinary people living in the desert suffer more than those in any small country.

The daimyo and nobles of the Wind Kingdom only care about their pleasures in the royal city and have no regard for the lives of the common people.

But isn't all of this the norm? They were born here, grew up here. Living this kind of life, ending up like this—isn't it only natural?

They never expected that someone would stand up and tell them that this was not something they should bear, nor something they deserved.

They no longer have to be trapped in the yellow sand; they can now enjoy the gentle, comfortable sunshine and embrace the lush green grass everywhere.

"I'll give you two choices." Qi Tai held up one finger. "First, if you're willing to leave the desert, I'll send someone to escort you to settle in the oasis of the Land of Earth. There you'll find water, food, and houses, and you can start your lives anew."

He held up a second finger: "Secondly, those who don't want to leave can stay here. But I won't give you any assistance; you must survive in this desert on your own."

The crowd stirred again.

"I...I'm willing to leave!" A middle-aged man was the first to raise his hand.

"I'd like to too!"

"I'm going too!"

More and more people raised their hands.

Qi Tai nodded, then turned to the civil officials behind him and instructed, "Register them and transfer them in batches. Prioritize the elderly, women, and children, and bring up the rear for the able-bodied. Meet all their needs along the way; we must not let them die en route."

The civil official bowed respectfully: "Yes."

Keita turned his head to look at the other side of the square, where a row of Iwagakure ninjas with livid faces stood.

Onoki personally led twenty elite ninjas to this place, ostensibly to assist the daimyo in handling post-war matters, but in reality, he wanted to see for himself what the daimyo intended to do by summoning him here.

At this moment, Onoki's face looked extremely pale.

He had just heard Qi Tai's relocation plan; such a large-scale population migration was something ordinary people simply could not accomplish.

The desert is fraught with danger, and in the end, this arduous labor will inevitably fall upon their shoulders.

Of course, there is another concern: where should such a large population be resettled?

The arable land in the Land of Earth is already limited.

Onoki stepped forward and said, "Daimyo, do you know what your words just now meant?"

"Of course I know," Keita said nonchalantly. "It means your Iwagakure ninjas will have to build roads, escort people, and settle them in this desert. What, is there a problem?"

"This is a huge problem!" Onoki almost couldn't hold back, his voice rising several decibels. "Do you know how big this desert is? Do you know how many people live here? You want us to use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese fantasy novels) to build roads in the sand just to relocate people? Do you know how much manpower and resources this will consume?"

"I know, so I will pay."

Upon hearing about the money, Onoki was speechless for a moment, then asked in silence, "Can you give me more?"

Keita continued, "The toll will be calculated by mileage for each road, by the day for each escorting ninja, and by the headcount for each settled civilian. As for the price, you can send someone to negotiate with my treasurer. In short, Iwagakure will not be at a disadvantage."

Onoki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but for a moment he couldn't find any words to refute it.

Because Keita said he would give money, and it sounded like he would give quite a lot.

"What's wrong?" Keita tilted his head slightly. "Oonoki, you don't actually want to do this deal, do you?"

Onoki took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and said, "Do it."

He turned and waved to his men: "Get to work! What are you all standing around for?"

The ninjas of Iwagakure looked at each other, but still began to take action.

Onoki stood still, watching his subordinates begin to use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese fantasy novels) in the desert, and simple roads slowly stretched out in the desert.

To be honest, he felt quite uncomfortable. He was a foreman, not a construction contractor. But now that his reputation made him a contractor, he couldn't refuse.

Because the big name is a major investor, he gave the money.

That evening, Onoki's financial assistant did the math: Iwagakure would earn 320,000,000 ryo just from the first phase of road repair and escort missions.

Seeing the boxes of money being moved in front of him, Onoki said, "Keep going."

As for the international criticism and accusations? Who cares when we're actually reaping the benefits!

However, just a few days later, the daimyo of the other three great nations and the kage of the three great ninja villages issued their condemnations, albeit belatedly.

The three great daimyo were naturally condemning the daimyo of the Land of Earth, and even went so far as to mock the current daimyo of the Land of Earth, saying that he was illegitimate and that they had been deceived and misled in the past, and that his bloodline was not orthodox.

But they're just talking; they can't really make him have a breakdown or fight. As for the major figures in the Kage, they can't command them right now.

Especially the daimyo of the Land of Fire, whose ascension to the throne was not legitimate. The daimyo prefectures of the past were all slaughtered, and he was a member of a collateral branch who was put on the throne. His foundation was not stable at all.

Although he has gradually established himself over the years, he has never forgotten the path he came from.

As for the three Kage, they mainly denounced Onoki for being too ambitious. The Land of Wind is full of sand and dust, so they weren't afraid he would bite the hand that feeds him.

Although Onoki was furious, he managed to suppress his anger when he saw box after box of money.

What level are you at now? What level am I at now? Since you don't believe me, there's no need to contact me anymore.

Besides, he's over sixty years old, nearing old age, and has a thick skin; he can take a lot of criticism.

To expedite the process, he then mobilized 70% of the ninjas from the ninja village.