Chapter 83
Vase
Caesar's deliberate display of magnanimity inspired admiration in the residents below, who also felt ashamed of their narrow-minded speculation.
"But, Al, your beloved Mr. Al sent Frank to invite me to resist the exploitation and oppression of you by Connor and his gang of bastards."
Caesar stepped aside, gesturing for Frank to come forward.
Frank strode forward, his voice low and tinged with sadness: "That's right, El told me to go find Caesar and ask him to help us."
"And after we defeat Connor, Caesar will become our leader. I believe Caesar will give us a good life."
Al's cabin had burned down not long ago, and his body was still warm. Everyone held Al in high esteem and trusted Frank. Hearing Frank's words, their gazes toward Caesar softened considerably.
Caesar glanced around at the crowd, thinking that they should have accepted him by now.
But that's not enough.
Caesar needed them to worship and revere him.
Caesar smiled slightly and pointed to the warehouse behind him, saying, "Gentlemen, this warehouse behind me is full of Horus's reserves. When Horus made you work, he didn't give you the compensation you deserved, and left you only with enough food to barely survive."
"And he and his lackeys feast on the fruits of your labor, preferring to store the leftovers in warehouses rather than leave them for you."
Caesar's voice boomed, echoing above the crowd. They looked up, a glimmer of light appearing in their eyes, a vague suspicion forming in their minds, yet they dared not believe it was true.
So they could only look at Caesar with hope while suppressing their own inner thoughts.
Caesar deliberately stopped to admire the hopeful looks in everyone's eyes, then turned to the warehouse and said, "I will open the warehouse and distribute all the food inside to everyone."
"Wow!!!!"
"OMG!!!"
"Really?!"
The crowd erupted instantly, like a pot of boiling oil, extremely noisy.
Some people stared wide-eyed at Caesar, muttering, "Impossible, this is impossible."
Some people readily accepted it, opening their arms wide, cheering and jumping for joy, even leaping onto those around them and waving their arms as if they had been reborn.
Some people couldn't help but smile, while still saying, "He's lying to us."
Contradictions and joy were intertwined, but everyone quickly came to believe Caesar.
Caesar had his men open the warehouse doors, and grain was gradually pushed out.
Corn, wheat, sorghum, barley, oats and other crops were laid out on the ground, piled up into small hills less than a person high. Ordinary grains in the past seemed particularly sacred at this time.
The grain is still being transported out.
Caesar pointed to the grain: "One person from each household shall come to collect the grain, which shall be distributed according to the number of people in the household, with extra grain given to those with children or the elderly."
"..."
No one listened to what Caesar said after that.
Everyone's attention was focused on the food. Some people swallowed hard, took two steps forward, and were immediately brought to their senses by the cold gaze of the soldier holding a gun next to the food.
They couldn't help but think of Horus and Connor, and then look at Caesar—the difference was like heaven and earth.
Caesar didn't care about the food. Horus Ranch didn't have much food reserves, and if they were all distributed, it would be difficult for these people to live for even a week.
So they were grateful to themselves for simply receiving something that was rightfully theirs.
Caesar was very satisfied with his speech.
The food was distributed quickly; no one cut in line, no one made a fuss, and no one tried to take advantage of the situation.
For no other reason than the fear that doing these things would anger Caesar, and that he would stop distributing food to them.
After receiving the grain, their simple faces beamed with joy, like blooming flowers.
A joyful atmosphere filled the crowd.
Even Frank, in this atmosphere, stopped being immersed in the grief of Al's death.
After the food was distributed, the relocation work began.
Caesar said, "Now that the food has been distributed, everyone can decide for themselves whether to stay or leave. Those who wish to stay must come with me to Caesar's Ranch."
The entire Black Pine Valley has a population of just over a thousand, an extremely low density. Caesar wants to gather all the surviving people of Black Pine Valley at Caesar Ranch and build a small town.
At that time, we could recruit manpower and collect supplies from outside, which would be very promising.
Soon, very soon, that moment will come.
Caesar's ambition never waned; his gaze swept over every resident, who had no other choice.
All the territory in Black Pine Valley will belong to him sooner or later; even if they choose to leave, they won't be able to leave very far.
Of course, having just received a wave of favors from Caesar, no one on the scene stepped forward to say they would choose to leave the ranch.
Caesar nodded in satisfaction and said loudly, "Since no one has chosen to leave, then everyone will have to move to Caesar's Ranch."
After the presentation, everyone at Horus Ranch returned home and packed their belongings.
Caesar then sent Moore back to the ranch with his men and had them bring in other empty trucks to load things up.
Most of the ranch residents are hired by the ranch owners, so the houses on the ranch actually belong to the ranch owners, and they don't have any attachment to these houses.
They didn't bring any furniture, only their own belongings.
Several heavy trucks made two round trips and brought all the goods and people to the ranch.
The ranch's population doubled, and it seemed much more lively.
Caesar returned to the stone house, while Carol, Amy, and Beth went to help settle the new residents.
"Caesar, there are too many of them. We can't stay here!" Amy complained as she returned to the stone house, panting.
Caesar reached out and embraced Amy, who naturally lay down in his arms, burying her head in his chest and taking a deep breath.
A cool breeze blew through Caesar, who reached out and pinched Amy's soft cheek. "Want to grab something to eat with me?"
Amy finally looked up, smiled, and shook her head. "I don't have time to eat with you, Chief."
As she spoke, Amy stood up, hands on her hips, and glared at Caesar: "So many newcomers have arrived at the ranch, and I have to arrange their accommodations, food, and work..."
Amy held up one finger for every one she said, her words carrying a hint of complaint.
Caesar raised his hand to interrupt Amy, deliberately saying, "Then you don't need to go to work. I'll have someone take over your job."
"Eh~" Amy paused for a moment, her fingers still counting, and she froze. Her mouth opened slightly, her eyes widened, and she looked very cute.
"Um... well, actually, there's no need for that, right? I'm perfectly capable of doing this job."
Amy said shyly that she didn't want to stay at home doing nothing and be a useless vase.