The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 617 - 471: Money and Conscience 2

Since the Australasian Government announced nationwide quarantine, the number of immigrants heading from Europe to Australasia has almost halved.

Although the appeal of immigration to Australasia indeed is high, most immigrants are reluctant to accept the quarantine system of Australasia, let alone under the premise where nothing has happened yet.

Arthur doesn’t care about this at all. Once the influenza outbreak occurs, these people will realise how cherished the quarantine system is.

Furthermore, Australasia’s free treatment and supplies for its citizens would certainly attract more immigrants.

The influenza first broke out in the Kansas Army Camp in the United States, which is also a means for Arthur to sanction the United States.

As long as they wait until the influenza is serious and then propagate, the appeal of immigration to the United States will certainly plummet.

In this way, the influence on the appeal of immigration will last at least 3-5 years. Within this period, the attractiveness of immigration to the United States would decrease substantially and Australasia would be the direct beneficiary.

Australasia, Australian Timor, inside Emperor’s Power City.

Inside a department store that should have been inconspicuous, it is quite crowded at this moment.

People are wearing masks, and in this seemingly not a big store, they are picking up the supplies they need.

Outside the store, a conspicuous signboard clearly wrote: During the influenza period, all goods will not be increased in price. Seniors aged over 70 will get 30% off.

When the camera is turned back to the inside of the shop, we can see that most of the people in the shop are stooped; most of them are old people over 70 years old.

Under normal circumstances, the store manager’s face might not be very good. After all, everyone is over 70 years old, indicating that everyone enjoys a 30% discount.

Although it is in Dili—the largest city in Timor, the population of Timor is not too large. Also, it is separated from Australasia by the sea, which implicitly adds to the freight.

If the goods were to be sold at their original prices, the manager would still make a slight profit. However, if it was sold at a 30% discount, not to mention the profits, he might even make a loss from the cost itself.

Ever since the war broke out, Australasia has placed a strict control on the prices of goods. Coupled with the rich produce of Australasia, residents’ income level increased slightly, but the prices did not grow too much.

Normally, if they were running at a loss, the boss’ mood would probably not be too good. Yet, the boss of the store, while watching people select supplies, still had a smile on the corner of his lips while helping seniors who can’t move by bringing their purchases to the door.

Even though the boss knows that it’s the young people who are waiting outside, he doesn’t seem to care at all, as if the money that is lost from discounts is not his own.

"Nick, is there still a need to continue with the discounts? Almost all the elderly in Dili are coming out one by one, and our losses have already exceeded 2000 Australian dollars." Standing next to Nick, a middle-aged woman who was apparently very close to him asked worriedly.

"Of course there’s a need to continue, Alice. We’re all Australasians. Isn’t it meaningful to help each other during this challenging time? Besides, His Majesty is making a much bigger sacrifice than we are, even mobilizing all the military forces.

If we’re not willing to even make this small contribution, then what right do we have to call ourselves His Majesty’s citizens?" Nick, the shop owner, shook his head and reassured his wife, "We can always make more money later. But if we lose our loyalty and patriotism to His Majesty, then life would be meaningless."

Having said that, without any hesitation, Nick placed another two apples in the old person’s basket nearby, saying with a smile, "Go ahead, no charge."

"Oh, you! You always seem to have a point." The woman named Alice shook her head and quickly put two loaves of bread into another elderly person’s basket.

"Ah, I hope this damn flu will pass quickly and not harm us, otherwise, how worried Your Majesty must be!" After finishing his work, Nick suddenly let out a sigh, gazing towards the distant government building.

"Nick! Nick!"

A sudden shout snapped Nick out of his reverie. Looking into the distance, his good friend Henry, a major farm and ranch owner in Timor, was approaching.

"Henry! What brings you here? Aren’t you supposed to be taking care of your cattle, sheep, and farm?" Nick asked, looking surprised.

Henry is one of the main farm and ranch owners in Timor, a well-known wealthy man with more than 2000 head of cattle and sheep, and hundreds of hectares of farmland.

Even though he’s wealthy, because he has so many animals and so much land to take care of, Henry rarely has time for leisure. After all, his business requires his constant attention.

"What’s that you’re saying, Nick? Can’t I take a stroll down the street if I want?" Henry asked with a smile.

"You can, but I doubt any sane person would be out on the streets during such a severe flu outbreak!" Nick looked at his friend disbelief, half-mocking.

"Alright, quit joking around. There’s a major crisis in Australasia right now, and as an Australasian myself, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. I’ve brought 200 head of cattle and sheep, along with over a thousand tons of grain. All of it is for sale here, priced at half the market value. But it’s only to be sold to low-income individuals and the elderly, at limited quantities per person.

The money you make can be used to stock up your store; you’ve been holding on for quite a few days, it’s not easy." Henry slapped Nick’s shoulder and smiled, revealing his real purpose for coming.

"You...?" Nick was taken aback by Henry’s words, at a loss for what to say. He was deeply moved.

"Alright, if you, Nick, can do something for His Majesty and the people of Australasia, why can’t I? Remember, it can only be sold to the elderly and people with low income, with limited quantities per person. Don’t you go lining your own pockets. This is for the low-income people affected by the flu." Henry wrapped his arm around Nick’s shoulder, looked at his friend, and laughed.

"Damn, that’s not me," Nick quickly clarified. The tears that had been welling in his eyes vanished in an instant.

"Alright, alright, I’ve got to go take care of some stuff. Keep up the good work, brother, I’m proud of you." Henry clapped Nick on the shoulder, and had his staff deliver the prepared beef, mutton, and grain to Nick’s warehouse.

Fortunately, Dili doesn’t have a large population, and land isn’t too expensive. Nick’s warehouse is not far from the department store and is spacious enough to hold all the supplies.

Even though there were more than 200 head of cattle and sheep in total, it was wintertime in Australasia so it shouldn’t be a problem to store them for a few days.

Once people found out about the half-price beef, mutton, and grain, they wouldn’t remain in the warehouse for long given the population of Dili.

Watching his friend’s retreating figure, Nick stood dumbfounded at the entrance of his store for a while. Then, filled with admiration, he finally said, "I’m proud of you too, my brother."

As for the new batch of beef, mutton, and grain available in his store, Nick made no attempt to conceal the information or the prices.

But of course, it was necessary to limit the amount each person could buy. After all, collectively, 200 head of cattle and sheep amount to around 100,000 jin (50,000 kg), which divided among the population of Dili would only be a little over a jin (500g) per person.

If only low-income individuals and the elderly were allowed to buy, the number of potential customers would be smaller, but it would still exceed ten thousand.

To ensure everyone could purchase enough beef and mutton, Nick decreed that each person could only buy up to two jin at a time and could only purchase once a day.

Fortunately, Dili isn’t very big, and Nick was quite familiar with the financial situation of most people. He had a rough idea of who the really low-income individuals were and only allowed them to purchase the half-price beef and mutton.