HLM – Chapter 177 Two Conditions

The more Atulu spoke, the lower his voice became. His chubby face wore a pitiful expression. Somehow, Wang Bo was reminded of Little Wang at home—both were just as timid and cowardly!

Wang Bo didn’t care much about the past. He waved his hand and said, “OK, OK, Chief, let’s consider that matter closed and never mention it again. I invited you here today to ask if your tribe has found a suitable place to go?”

When it came to the tribe’s resettlement, a troubled look crossed Atulu’s face. He said, “We’re planning to join a distant relative’s tribe. They’re located to the south of Cromwell. Sigh… I really don’t want to leave our homeland.”

Just then, Juan brought in two cups of rich coffee and a plate of freshly baked cookies. Atulu, who had been looking so glum, suddenly lit up at the sight of the cookies. His thick throat began to move with anticipation.

Wang Bo pushed the cookies toward him and said, “Yeah, no one wants to leave their home—take it easy, buddy. You that hungry?”

As soon as the cookies were within reach, Atulu didn’t hold back. Using his fan-sized hand, he grabbed them and stuffed them into his mouth. His eyes widened as he chewed ferociously, as if these cookies had some deep vendetta against him.

With just two bites, half the plate was gone. Juan who hadn’t even left the room yet was stunned.

Atulu gulped down the mouthful and wailed, “You don’t know, Mayor, I am starving. Damn it, the earthquake destroyed all our supplies. It’s been days—I haven’t had a single full meal!”

Juan couldn’t help but interject, “Didn’t the government provide you with relief? How can you still be going hungry?”

That only made Atulu look even more dejected. “Damn it, some doctors showed up out of nowhere and told me I shouldn’t overeat. They even restricted how much I could eat! You know? I’ve lost twenty pounds in these past days!”

Wang Bo was shocked. “Holy crap, twenty pounds?! I couldn’t tell. How fat are you? Bro, maybe you really should eat less!”

Atulu shook his head furiously, clearly not agreeing. He buried his face back in the plate and started devouring the cookies again.

Wang Bo sighed helplessly and said to Juan, “Go check the convenience store. Bring over whatever snacks you can find. Let our brother Atulu finally eat his fill.”

“I like you, Chinese guy!” Atulu exclaimed, deeply moved.

As they sipped their coffee and waited for the burly Maori to finish eating, Wang Bo began thinking about how to bring up the proposal of the Maori tribe moving into his town.

Now that he had a clearer picture of Atulu, he was even more inclined to keep this branch of the Maori people. Judging by their chief’s nature, they definitely weren’t some wild, savage bunch.

But he ended up waiting for over twenty minutes. The Maori hulk devoured more than ten trays of pastries and still looked like he hadn’t had enough. Wang Bo was getting impatient just watching him eat.

Despite appearing rough and slow-witted, Atulu was actually quite perceptive. Noticing Wang Bo’s growing impatience, he finally pushed the tray away, wiped his lips awkwardly, and said, “Sorry, Mayor, I made a fool of myself. I really was hungry.”

Wang Bo quickly waved his hand, saying, “It’s nothing, really. We have a saying back home: ‘Being able to eat is a blessing.’ If you can eat, it means you’re healthy—better than not being able to eat at all…”

But then he looked at the massive Atulu and couldn’t continue. Still, Bartier would surely envy Atulu’s parents. He himself would’ve preferred having a son like this.

Atulu clearly resonated with his words and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes, ‘Being able to eat is a blessing.’ That’s a fantastic saying. I’m going to make it my life motto!”

Wang Bo broke into a cold sweat. With a body like his, that’s the motto you want to adopt?

Now that Atulu had finished eating, Wang Bo got straight to the point. “Buddy, I know your tribe hasn’t found the right place to relocate. What do you think about my town? First, the scenery is beautiful. Second, it’s very close to your homeland. Third, we have good governance and harmonious people—it’s the perfect place to settle down!”

Atulu swallowed and replied, “Mayor, someone had already mentioned the idea of moving to your territory. But I have two conditions.”

“Go ahead.”

“First, I want a government job. You need to assign me a position—something on the town’s payroll. Second, we need a welfare deal, allowing us to buy beef and lamb from your ranch at a discounted price.”

These two conditions weren’t unreasonable. Especially the second—it hardly made a difference. Still, Wang Bo was curious and asked, “Why these two conditions?”

Atulu scratched his nose awkwardly and said, “The first is because I’m unemployed right now. And from what I hear, your town’s government salaries are really high, really high. If I could earn that kind of money, I wouldn’t have to work for gangs anymore to feed my family.”

“And the second is simple—damn, the beef and lamb from your ranch are amazing. The flavor is insane! I’ve had it twice, and I almost chewed through the lamb bones.”

Wang Bo suddenly understood everything.

He tapped the table thoughtfully, then said slowly, “No problem. I’ll agree to both your conditions. You’ll be a police officer. And as for the meat, the Maori people will get a 50% discount—but each household is limited to ten pounds per day.”

Atulu’s face lit up instantly. He clapped his hands excitedly. “Great, great! So when can we move?”

“Anytime.”

And just like that, the negotiation ended. Wang Bo had secured this group of Maori people at an incredibly low cost.

Later, when Charlie heard the terms, he asked doubtfully, “The second condition’s fine. But are you sure about the first one? Making him a police officer? From what I know, he’s extremely timid. Can he even do the job?”

Wang Bo grinned. “Ever heard of the strategy ‘use barbarians to manage barbarians’? I made him a police officer precisely so we can use Maoris to manage Maoris. And look at him—he’s timid and mild. You know what that means? It means I, as the police chief, can completely control him!”

That was Wang Bo’s ultimate goal. The Maoris’ resistance to authority had always been a problem in New Zealand. Calling them the “Aboriginal Australians” of New Zealand wouldn’t be far off.

But if Atulu became a cop, then whenever the Maoris caused trouble, Wang Bo could send him to handle it—let him be the bad guy.

And because of Atulu’s timid personality, Wang Bo had zero concerns that he’d ever defy orders. One strong man could scare him into wetting his pants.

The Maoris were notoriously slow to act. Even by the end of June, they still hadn’t moved. But before they even arrived, a piece of news reached Sunset Town—Zhuang Ding was going to receive an award.

Charlie was the one who told Wang Bo. At first, Wang Bo thought it was a joke. But then Mo Yuning called him too, saying the British royal family planned to award Zhuang Ding the Deacon Medal!