novelhk Chapter 220 Bright as Day
Chapter 220 Bright as Day
The last rays of the setting sun vanished, and night, like ink, soaked into the bustling capital of the Fire Kingdom.
In this era, even in the capital of a country, the nights are quiet and dark.
Apart from the red lanterns hanging in the red-light districts and brothels, most streets only had scattered candlelight, and the people followed the rhythm of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
The streetlights were dim, so dim that they made you want to doze off.
In the red leaf area, a large number of onlookers had gathered to watch the spectacle.
They gathered around the fifty strange metal poles that had just been erected, discussing them animatedly.
"Is this what the Konoha ninja came up with?"
"I heard it's a lamp? How come it's so much taller than a regular lamp? And what's so special about a lamp?"
"I don't know, but that person from Konoha said there would be a miracle tonight."
On the outskirts of the crowd, Nishikawa Tetsu glanced at his watch and then nodded to Nara Shikamori, who was guarding the main switch.
"Senior Shikamori, let's begin."
Nara Shikamori took a deep breath. Although he was well aware of the effects of this thing, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous in this moment of great attention.
He reached out and turned off the knife switch.
"Buzz—"
A low, humming electrical sound suddenly rang out, rapidly traveling along the underground wiring.
next second.
"Sizzle—smack!"
Without any warning, fifty streetlights simultaneously emitted a dazzling white light.
That light was different from the dim, flickering glow of candlelight, and also different from the dim lighting of today; it was a stable, cold, and intense light, like daylight.
The once pitch-black street was instantly illuminated. Even the dust on the road and the moss in the corners of the walls were clearly visible.
"Wow--!!!"
A deafening gasp erupted from the crowd.
The people instinctively covered their eyes, and only dared to open them again after a moment when their eyes had adjusted.
"It's lit up! It's really lit up!"
"My God, it's so bright! You can see even a shadow on the ground!"
"Did...did they pluck the moon off the ground and put it in that glass dome?"
The children ran and chased each other excitedly under the streetlights, stepping on each other's shadows.
The elderly people reached out their hands tremblingly, wanting to touch the cascading light, but then withdrew them in awe.
The shop owners in the surrounding area were practically glaring in disbelief.
They understood what this meant better than anyone else.
With this kind of light, you can do business at night!
With the streets safe, there are more people, which means a lot of money!
……
Daming Prefecture, Observatory.
The daimyo of the Land of Fire was embracing his radiant wife, who had just finished a skincare treatment, as they stood on a high place overlooking their capital. It was a pity that the capital was too dark, and they could only admire the stars in the sky.
However, unlike before, a dazzling band of light suddenly appeared on the originally dim city map, like a galaxy falling to earth, which seemed out of place, yet was breathtakingly beautiful.
"That is..."
Daimyo stared wide-eyed, pointing his folding fan in that direction.
"Your Highness, I heard that little girl, Nono, say today that this is a street lamp."
Lady Daming touched her cheek, in a very good mood, and whispered in his ear:
"She said that Nishikawa Tetsuya was going to make that area as bright as day tonight, and it seems she wasn't just talking nonsense. Even I've never seen such a sight before."
"Those streetlights are so bright! Spectacular! Absolutely spectacular!"
Daming paced back and forth excitedly.
"This is the spirit of my Land of Fire! This is what a great nation's capital should look like!"
He abruptly turned to look at the attendant behind him:
"Go tell Nishikawa Tetsuya that the State Grid project must start immediately, and all related procedures have been specially approved. Anyone who dares to obstruct it is going against me!"
"Also, ask Vice Minister Nishikawa if we could install these kinds of lights all over the Imperial Palace?"
……
In a dark corner of the autumn foliage area.
The guardian Shinobu and Mama held a tin staff, half of their faces hidden in the darkness, while the other half was pale in the light of a distant streetlamp.
He stared intently at the brightly lit street, watching the civilians cheering and jumping for joy under the lights, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the tin staff.
"hateful……"
He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.
He originally intended to use this as a pretext to incite public opinion, claiming that Konoha was disrupting the feng shui and disturbing people's livelihoods.
But now?
Look at the smiling faces of the people, and look at the greedy eyes of the merchants.
If he were to rush out and smash those lights now, the angry villagers would probably tear him apart without the Konoha ninjas even lifting a finger.
"Is this all you've got, Nishikawa Toru...?"
Kazuma took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart.
"Use benefits to win people's hearts, and use enjoyment to corrupt their will."
"This kind of economic and cultural invasion is more despairing than military force."
He knew that he had lost this confrontation completely.
Under the bright lights, his radical remarks, like bats that cannot stand in the light, had no place to stand.
"withdraw."
He coldly uttered a single word, then turned and disappeared into the darkness with a few trusted confidants.
"But don't think this is the end. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. Konoha, we'll see."
……
In the temporary office next to the construction site.
Nishikawa Tetsu was sitting with his legs crossed, listening to Yakushi Nonou, who had just returned, report on the results of the battle.
"...In short, the daimyo's wife was very satisfied and immediately purchased a gold card and booked a six-month care package. The wives of the other ministers followed suit and purchased cards as well, and the pre-deposits for today alone have already exceeded thirty million taels."
Nono pushed up her glasses, and although her tone was calm, she couldn't hide the smile in her eyes.
She placed a thick stack of banknotes and orders on the table.
"Che-jun, it seems your street light project is also very successful."
"That's natural."
Nishikawa Tetsu glanced at the still bustling crowd outside the window.
"Light is humanity's most primal desire."
At this moment, Lu Shou also ran in, his face flushed.
"Vice Minister! Several owners of large trading companies just came to me asking if I'd sell these streetlights. They want to install them in front of their shops! Someone else even asked if they could hang their GG signs on the streetlight poles, offering a high price!"
"GG position?"
Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes lit up, and he gave Shikamori an approving look.
"These businessmen are pretty quick-witted."
He sat up straight, picked up a pen, and began writing rapidly on the paper.
"We don't sell streetlights; they're public facilities. Even if there's a maintenance fee, it's paid by the national treasury. We don't do anything illegal. As for the GG slots... those are based on bidding; whoever pays the most gets them."
"Also, the construction team from the Land of Rain should be arriving soon. Once they arrive, build the wall first, and make sure to leave space for GG (Ghosting) on it."
Nishikawa Tetsu threw down his pen and stretched.
"The situation in the capital has improved somewhat."