Yama Rising

Qin Ye didn’t stop there. He was merely making an announcement of the general charter of Hell’s direction in the time to come. The specifics would be dealt with by the municipal offices after ground studies were conducted, and white papers were issued.

More specifically, these four orders of business were a combination punch that would determine the direction of Everburn in the near future. Thus, without missing a beat, Qin Ye continued.

“The second order of business is the implementation of the monetary system.”

“This is a good thing!” The older citizens seated far away in a leisurely manner nodded in approbation, “The current City of Salvation-- I mean, Everburn, is a little bit lacking. Even the borrowing of books or loaning of entertainment facilities requires us to place our identification documents as collateral. It’s far more convenient if we have money.”

“That’s right…” Another old ghost sighed softly, “It’s finally time to roll out a monetary system, huh… It almost feels as though we’re witnessing the birth of a new dynasty.”

The older Yin spirits nodded silently to themselves. The monetary system was one of the pillars of social development. Sure, the City of Everburn might not have needed something like this before, but it was simply because nobody had any use for it before. That said, after Qin Ye had managed to glean and gain much for Hell during his few trips back to the mortal realm in the interim. Even though Hell’s specialty products were still the Southsea Huanghuali and the money tree, there were now far more entertainment facilities and amenities to go around than before!

Unfortunately, there were currently only two ways of using these entertainment facilities and amenities - either by issuance, or by renting. What if these facilities and amenities get worn down or spoil over time? Hell doesn’t have any more to issue in replacement. And what if one wanted to give something different a try? They would have no choice but to loan or borrow from others.

But, without a system of currency, one could only imagine the kind of hassle they would have to go through in order to borrow or loan these facilities from others.

However, everything would be resolved with the launch of the monetary system.

That said, the younger Yin spirits weren’t able to appreciate the implications of the launch of a monetary system. After all, they hadn’t garnered enough life experiences under their belt to understand the importance of a monetary system to a developing city. Thus, they waited with bated breaths as Yanluo Qin went on.

“Third order of business.” Qin Ye swept a glance throughout the entire city. The one thing that was unique about Qin Ye was the fact that he… didn’t like to beat about the bush.

For instance, the first and second orders of business were both of profound significance to any nation out there. However, he didn’t do anything more than skim the surface of these matters because these high-level policies weren’t matters that the common man was able to appreciate. That said, the next order of business was something that was far closer to their heart.

Incidentally, it was also the main event of the day.

“Hell will be diving straight into an industrial revolution immediately after the upcoming spring festival at the start of the next lunar new year.” Qin Ye spoke placidly, “As most of you are aware, Everburn has just undergone its second great expansion, and has already grown to the same size as the Insignia Province of the mortal realm… Silence!”

His words instantly caused a stir among the citizens. Everyone couldn’t resist the urge to jump for joy!

Everburn might be a reasonably large city, but it was still small given the sheer number of Yin spirits present in the city. Even though the recent developments in the city had practically given them a complete facelift, they were still faced with the same constraints of several square kilometers of space!

That said, the recent expansion to the size of a province meant that they could finally head out and explore the region!

And who knows - perhaps these developments might even spell the incipience of the tourism industries, where Yin spirits could indulge in their wanderlust and scale mountains or conquer the wild, and so on and so forth!

The sheer prospect of such possibilities made everyone jump with excitement!

However, everyone soon suppressed their excitement and eagerly awaited what Qin Ye was about to say next, “Everburn won’t be the only city located within Insignia Province. There are bound to be several other satellite cities. The provincial plans will be left in the hands of Mr Gu Qing. Bear in mind that this is a process that could potentially take a long time. After all, there will be a need to first survey the entire topography of the entire province. That said, I can assure you that the expansion works here in Everburn City are of the utmost importance in the entire Hell.”

“The fact remains that there’s only one Hell’s Gate in this entire province. With the cooperation of the Lords of the Land in the region, the Yin spirits of the entire Insignia Province will naturally be using this single entrance as the sole gateway into Hell. Naturally, we’re going to start seeing a commensurate rise to the number of new citizens. The present city centre spans only five square kilometers in size. This will clearly be insufficient given the expected rise in the population here. Therefore, there will need to be further policies rolled out to address the expected issues that may arise. More details will be revealed before the upcoming spring festival, but after a more in depth consultation with Yin Construction.”

We’re diving right into the most sensitive order of business now… Qin Ye couldn’t help but draw a deep breath as he continued to pad the ground to soften the impact of the knockout blow he was about to deliver, “Ashmound City located in Eastmount Province will officially commence with international sea trade after the upcoming spring festival. Everburn can expect to see a large influx of crops, agricultural produce, and Yin beasts that can be used to support other industries. Fuelled by that, Everburn can expect a commensurate rise in the speed of its development.”

“Additionally, the expansion of Hell to the size of a province means that there are now more opportunities for the development of new industries, such as tourism, mining, heavy industries, and all other industries related and incidental to these.”

“After this general assembly, Mr Oda will be leading a special team composed of representatives of Yin Construction together with elite Yin soldiers on an expedition to survey every corner of the netherworld’s Insignia Province to make detailed topological maps. All citizens who intend to set up companies may approach the government to see if they qualify for the disbursement of low-interest loans ranging from 5 to 10 million Hel. Interest rates shall not exceed 0.1%... Silence!”

Wild.

The Yin spirits were going wild!

If one were to say that there were still a number of Yin spirits who didn’t quite understand the implications of currency implementation earlier, then Qin Ye’s latest remarks would most certainly have cleared the air. No, in fact, even the daftest of fools out there could see that the development in Everburn City was soon going to kick into high gear!

What’s most important to a city’s development?

Money?

No. It would be governmental policies!

So long as a city’s development was backed by governmental policies, there was simply nothing that could stand in their way!

As Hell’s capital, Everburn was naturally given top priority as far as the government’s policies were concerned!

“0.1% low-interest loans…” The eyes of many Yin spirits lit up at once.

Was there anyone who didn’t have ambition?

Was there anyone out there who didn’t want to lead an easy life and play chess and mahjong all day long?

Qin Ye could tell that the eyes of the Yin spirits in the crowd were all gleaming brightly. A 50 year old Yin spirit stroked his beard and nudged another old Yin spirit beside him, “Old Li, any plans to revive our old textiles factory? We’ll definitely be able to qualify for the loans given our experience!”

“Definitely!” Old Li responded with ragged breaths, “This is the first wave… just like the reforms back in the 90’s! The first-mover’s advantage is practically being dangled right in front of our faces right now! The early bird gets the worm, and those who move late will have to contend with the rest for the scraps off the dining table!”

They weren’t the only ones. At least a thousand or so other Yin spirits had their own thoughts. At once, a series of soft discussions blossomed among the gathering of Yin spirits.

“Old Wang, weren’t you working in one of the top law firms back when you were alive? I used to work for one of the top ten mining corporations in the Insignia Province back then. What do you say to us joining hands in a venture?” “Let me think about it…”

“Old Pan, would you be up for a game of chess at my place later? We can also discuss the matter of… the hotel that we’d been talking about for the longest time?” “Oh, I’d most certainly take you up on that offer…”

Similar conversations were sprouting up everywhere among the crowd. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. In fact, the pull factors were so strong that even some of the younger but more ambitious Yin spirits even began to seriously entertain the thoughts of running with their own ventures.

It took some time before the clamor finally faded away. Even then, Qin Ye could sense that the Yin spirits were all staring intently at him with a renewed glint in their eyes, replete with soft, ragged breaths. It was only then that Qin Ye finally continued, “This is one of the facets of the upcoming industrial revolution. The other facet which is equally as important… deals with the improvement of the citizens’ quality of life.”

“To this end, the government plans to embark on housing construction projects in the coming year. We expect to construct public housing in three phases in order to accommodate one million citizens. Simultaneously, we’ll put into motion the plans for Qin Gardens Phase Two. And--...”

This is the most crucial portion… Qin Ye braced himself and deepened his voice, “Since this will be everyone’s first housing purchase, the government shall be offering a 0.05% per annum low-interest loan without requiring any down payment on your part--...”

There was an instant uproar.

If the earlier instances of clamor were likened to a missile, then the clamor right now could only be described as a nuclear explosion!

Even the old ghosts fanning themselves leisurely in the distance couldn’t help but leap right up to their feet in shock. The expressions plastered on everyone’s faces entailed only that of shock or joy.

Down payment… loan… Why do these words sound so familiar?

That’s right, it was the launch of the real estate industry!

The tiger was finally released from its enclosure!

Holy crap! Can’t I escape from such things even upon death? Does your conscience really allow you to live this down?

The entire city of Yin spirits snapped back to their senses within three seconds, and a wave of deafening chatter erupted at once.

“Real estate?! Is the real estate industry actually launching in Hell? My god! Do I really have to deal with these things all over again?!” “Capital of Hell, capitalism, and capital housing prices?! How much money would I need?!” “How are the prices of housing going to be calculated? Are things going to be just as debilitating like that in the mortal realm?”

“Are there any other requirements before I’m allowed to make a real estate purchase?” “Work… Bloody hell! From today onwards, I swear that I’m going to work the life out of me so that I can rise above the ride!” “Do we need a residence permit? Are there any other special conditions?” “What about Qin Gardens Phase Two? How do we buy it? Or… is it also not for sale?”

As expected, the mere allusion to the real estate industry was no different from stirring the hornet’s nest.

It was only then that Oda Nobunaga finally spoke up, “Silence.”

He immediately built upon Qin Ye’s words, “There’s no need for a residence permit. We will do our best to ensure that each Yin spirit will have a place to call home. To this end, we can assure you that housing prices will start off low. Yin Construction will still need to profit slightly from these endeavours, but we assure you that their profits would certainly not be in the realms of several hundred percent like that back in the mortal realm. After all, we’re not at that stage of development yet.”

Are you suggesting that… there may come a time when it would?

The Yin spirits listened with fear and trepidation in their hearts. After all, everyone knew what kind of prices they were contending with, especially when it came to houses in a capital city. Naturally, they could tell that now was the best time to be investing in the real estate industry!

After all, who knows what the future would hold?!

“However, there are a few things that I’ll have to explain in advance.”

“Firstly, a single person would only be entitled to one apartment or home. All are strictly prohibited from buying and selling. Anyone caught doing so will have their homes forcibly repossessed by Hell.”

“Secondly, Hell will soon issue a permit to all of you. All you’ll have to do is to smear a little bit of your own Yin energy on it. Your Yin energy signature will never change, and everyone bears a unique energy signature. Yin Construction will ensure that each Yin spirit receives one such permit, and this will represent your housing permit.”

“Everyone, the situation in Hell is different from that in the mortal realm. Back in the mortal realm, each family is allocated one such permit to own public housing. But here, each ghost would be entitled to a home. Work hard for now, and your family members are sure to reap the rewards of your efforts. Rest assured, the prices here in Everburn City will be kept under strict control.”

“And as for Qin Gardens Phase Two, it will be just like Phase One, where priority will be given to Yin soldiers, important taxpayers, and all others who have rendered substantial contributions to Hell in some way or another. For instance, those who discover a new mineral or substance, or those who discover an important new use of an existing material or plant. Others to be considered would include teachers, scientists, and other talents important to Hell.”

The Yin spirits were finally appeased after learning of the additional rules and regulations in place.

There was nothing much to be taken advantage of.

At the very least, they could tell that Hell’s government was going to prohibit speculative purchases. Each ghost was to be entitled to only one home, and not a single one more. Furthermore, everyone would have to repay their loans.

The situation here at Everburn was hardly as good as that in Ashmound City. After all, they hadn’t rolled out the monetary system just yet, and they were even relying on government assistance as far as their own ventures were concerned. That said, the launch of the real estate industry supported by governmental policies was quite something different.

Want houses?

Sure! Get cracking! (Sounds of a whip cracking echoes in the distance.)

The Insignia Province was on the cusp of an industrial revolution. But, without any form of motivation or incentives, how long would these works take? This was a pilot programme. It was a pilot test as to how the real estate industry could be launched together with governmental loans to be disbursed in tandem with the launch of the monetary system.

And if this worked… then this would mean that the same move could be used in every other province that Hell reclaims later! Currency implementation would no longer be an issue!

Ashmound City was clearly the only exception to the norm.