“Dawn,” the First Light Before Daybreak

"It’s Lord Yun Chuan!"

"Lord Yun Chuan is here!"

Some sharp-eyed people spotted Yun Chuan holding an umbrella in the distance, and their shouts drew the attention of those around them.

"Stop! Put down whatever you’re doing!"

Old Overseer’s eyes immediately lit up. He called for everyone to take a break, then trotted over to Yun Chuan.

"Lord Yun Chuan." Old Overseer flashed a mouthful of white teeth and pointed at the completed houses behind him. "What do you think? We followed the design you gave me as closely as we could. If there’s anything wrong, just tell me, and the old boys and I will fix it right away!"

The thug-like air around him had not completely faded, but his respect and gratitude toward Yun Chuan were plain to see.

"Good work, Uncle Kirito." Yun Chuan smiled and looked up at the houses in the distance, satisfaction flashing through his eyes.

The Land of Rain’s environment was indeed unique and harsh.

But life itself was a miracle.

Extreme, hostile environments gave rise to extraordinary life!

There was a plant similar to a banyan tree, one with aerial roots. Its branches could absorb more than thirty kilograms of moisture from the air every day.

Its sap could replace special waterproof coatings, purify rainwater into usable household water, and make it an ideal building material for the Land of Rain.

The houses were mainly built from this material, raised on stilts and divided into two levels. People lived upstairs, while the lower floor was used for storage.

These things would definitely need to be upgraded in the future. After all, beyond water supply and drainage, the Land of Rain’s strongest industry was actually steel. But for now…

"Not bad. Really not bad!"

Yun Chuan nodded, a smile curling his lips. Looking at Old Overseer, he said, "Keep up the good work! Once the houses are finished and you’ve settled down here, I’ll introduce wives to all you bachelors!"

Old Overseer froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. He abruptly turned toward the others, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted, "Listen up, you old bastards! If you want wives, work hard! Lord Yun Chuan has promised us! Work hard, and you’ll get wives!"

"Don’t drag us into it! You’re the one who wants a woman, you old fossil!"

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone else burst into laughter.

"Bullshit!" The heckling from his old companions made Old Overseer blush. Spittle flew as he roared, "Quit talking nonsense! Get back to work!"

"Yeah!"

The others raised their tools and shouted in agreement before laughing and joking as they got back to work. Their enthusiasm was clearly greater now. It was as though the warmth and noise radiating from them had driven away much of the surrounding chill.

"…"

Yahiko’s expression turned complicated, and a trace of envy flashed through his eyes. He murmured, "Does this guy really have that much personal charisma?"

Though he did not want to admit defeat, he could not help marveling at Yun Chuan’s influence and approachability here.

"Of course… not."

Yun Chuan raised a brow and smiled. "You didn’t think I was relying on nothing but my mouth, did you? I’m paying them twice the market rate!"

He would not distribute disaster relief from the granaries like Hanzo, nor would he foolishly think he could make people work for free with nothing but words.

Yun Chuan’s method was actually very simple.

—Work relief!

At the beginning of this chaotic era, the common people had already lost faith in the nobles and Lords. Simple disaster relief could no longer gain traction, because they did not even believe the nobles would kindly hand out food for no reason.

Even with people spreading Hanzo’s good name, those displaced by war were unwilling to believe it.

Unless they were useless people with no skills who had starved to the point of having no way out, no one wanted to become worthless cannon fodder in a war. They would rather rely on their own skills to fill their stomachs.

The people willing to serve as cannon fodder had to be fed before the war even began. They would only become a burden, and the cost was completely disproportionate to the return.

"Thousands of able-bodied people, if guided properly, can create far more value."

With that in mind, Yun Chuan had never tried to earn a reputation through disaster relief.

Since no one in this country, from top to bottom, was trustworthy anymore, it was better to establish new rules. Yun Chuan could even slip in a few benefits for himself.

So, he had the refugees work and paid them in food and money at the end of every day.

If you could work, you could eat. Perfectly reasonable!

This work-relief arrangement completely eased the refugees’ worries. No matter how many people there were, their wages were paid daily without delay.

"Twice the wages? Paid every day?" After hearing Yun Chuan’s simple explanation, Konan froze, then asked instinctively, "Big Brother Yun Chuan, are you really that rich?"

As if he had thought of something, Yun Chuan could not help laughing. "You should be asking where all that money went."

Since he was developing the place, commerce was naturally indispensable!

As the old saying went, give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.

Yun Chuan taught them to build houses themselves. Once the houses were finished, they could use the money they earned from him to buy the homes they had built.

If they did not have enough, they only needed to pay a down payment to move in, then pay back a fixed amount every month.

Once they made up the difference, the house would be theirs.

Likewise, if you worked and got hungry, you had to eat and drink, right? Now that you had money, wouldn’t you go enjoy yourself at a tavern?

Yun Chuan even selected some talented people and taught them new dishes and brewing methods. It promoted commercial development while satisfying his own appetite.

After all, bread was still the most popular food in the Land of Rain. Yun Chuan truly did not think highly of the culinary standards across the ninja world.

The dishes he taught always received heaps of praise.

Where there was a market, people wanted to make money from it. But whether you wanted to farm or open a tavern, you needed land, didn’t you?

Commercial land. Agricultural land.

I have land here!

Where did the land come from?

Of course, it was seized from mountain bandits…

Pah, of course it was confiscated!

No money to buy land?

No problem. I can rent it to you!

Thirty percent tax, twenty percent rent! Rent for ten years—just ten years—and the land would be yours. After that, you only had to pay taxes, not rent!

"…"

"…"

"…"

The expressions on the three children’s faces gradually synchronized. The way they looked at Yun Chuan became strange, as though they were looking at a living demon.

Still, compared to Jiyun and Yahiko, Konan seemed thoughtful.

Yun Chuan took the money from his left pocket, sent it around in a circle, and it returned to his right pocket. From beginning to end, it never left this small town.

"Don’t look at me like that. I never said I was a good person." Yun Chuan shrugged and said frankly, "But only those with permanent property can have a steadfast heart. For people who struggle just to eat their fill, being full is the truth."

"I merely gave them hope, an opportunity. Those who want to live will naturally clutch it desperately. Those who cannot seize it are not qualified to live."

Like those construction workers, they were all people from the lowest rung of society with nothing but brute strength.

When times were good, they were construction workers. When times were bad, they picked up hammers and became mountain bandits.

They might not understand grand principles, but they knew who treated them well and who gave them hope of survival.

Who could make them stop being numb, stop suffering, stop crying, stop starving…

That was why they stuffed Yun Chuan with food they could not bear to eat themselves, or things they considered treasures. Some even left them outside his office and turned to run, as though terrified he would return them.

They might have seemed crude and rough, but this was how they expressed goodwill and respect.

Just as Yun Chuan had said, as long as people were fed and clothed, they could understand propriety and honor.

Yun Chuan did not mind blending in with these exceptionally clumsy people.

Just that alone made his image and reputation soar among them. They knew Lord Yun Chuan, but scarcely knew Lord Daimyo.

Lord Daimyo?

What was that supposed to be?

They believed in Yun Chuan!

"Big Brother." Jiyun raised her head slightly and suddenly asked, "It seems like we haven’t seen the Security Force. Then who is maintaining order and protecting this small town?"

They could not possibly rely entirely on everyone’s self-discipline, nor could they rely on Yun Chuan alone. He could not be here all the time.

What if someone came to raid the place while he was gone? It did not seem reliable to depend only on those refugees…

"You simply can’t see them." Yun Chuan shook his head and corrected her. "That doesn’t mean they don’t exist."

As his words fell, it was as though some switch had been flipped. The curtain blocking the children’s view was pulled aside.

In the dim alleys nearby, in inconspicuous corners, and even among the workers.

Silently, figures of different heights and builds, with ordinary, unremarkable faces, appeared around Yun Chuan and the others in a silent manner, like people stepping out from the shadows.

Every person standing there looked like a born assassin.

"I gave them a name."

Looking at the still-startled children, Yun Chuan’s eyes became deep and unfathomable. He smiled faintly. "Dawn."

It was the moment when night met dawn, yet even the faint daylight was obscured by mist, flickering as though it had melted into the rainy fog.

Only a dim glimmer of light fell at their feet, reflecting halos of dew and faintly illuminating the flock of owls behind him, their wings not yet washed clean of night.

That was the first ray of light before daybreak.