One Year

Time passed in the blink of an eye.

Amidst countless matters and external contacts, the newly built Evernight City welcomed its first anniversary.

Early in the morning, Vivian stood on the top-floor terrace of the newly constructed council hall, gazing down at the sight before her. She couldn’t help but be overcome with emotion.

Exactly one year ago, this place had been nothing but ruins—crumbling walls, collapsed buildings, desolate streets… Back then, Evernight City had, in a certain sense, perfectly matched the grim, stereotypical image of a “Demon Lord’s domain.”

But now… a new city, though still rudimentary, had risen from the ground, complete with all essential functions.

Inside the city, broad streets crisscrossed in an orderly grid, flanked by neat rows of buildings—residential homes, shops, workshops, as well as public facilities like academies and barracks.

At the city’s heart stood the newly built council hall, towering proudly as Evernight City’s administrative center. Beside it lay the spacious central square, where many citizens were currently exercising or chatting idly.

Indeed, after the initial phase of liberating labor and productivity during those exceedingly difficult times, Vivian’s plan for Evernight City had been to begin establishing basic infrastructure.

Gradually, she eased away from strictly planned economic development, loosened controls, and allowed citizens who had accumulated some resources to rent better houses within the city, open shops, and restart commerce.

As affairs multiplied, the tiny tent Vivian had once lived in naturally became insufficient to handle so much work—let alone provide space for her and Lucia to rest from time to time.

Thus, she later decided to construct a proper administrative building—not a traditional Demon Lord’s fortress, but a far more egalitarian council hall.

Strictly speaking, it should probably be called a government office building… but whatever, it’s all the same thing.

Farther off, she could see the bustling market district. Vendors were setting up stalls, goods of every kind dazzling the eye.

There was also the newly built public bathhouse, steam curling gently into the air—that had been Vivian’s special design, using magic crystal blocks to heat water sources so citizens could enjoy comfortable baths and maintain a certain level of urban hygiene.

Of course, Evernight City’s transformation over the past half-year had been nothing short of astonishing.

This was thanks to the Golden Commerce Caravan’s commercial settlement, which brought in numerous other caravans and resources. Combined with the work system Vivian had established early on, and with ample manpower and building materials, infrastructure naturally sprang up overnight.

Yet although the surface appeared prosperous, behind this flourishing scene Evernight City was, in truth, “deeply in debt.” Everything was propped up by several crystal mines she controlled that had resumed mining, plus a considerable amount of “credit” from the Golden Commerce Guild and other partners.

Vivian, however, remained utterly calm about it—she firmly believed that as long as they advanced steadily according to her plan, Evernight City would soon establish a healthier, more diversified fiscal system and shake off excessive dependence on raw resource exports.

Besides, when you owe someone a hundred thousand, they’re the boss. When you owe enough, you become the boss instead. Sometimes being too deep in debt could become a strange kind of “advantage.”

“It really is wonderful,” Vivian murmured, gazing at the reborn Evernight City with a gratified smile. “It might not compare to modern cities from my previous life, but in this world, it’s already quite an advanced town.”

“Lord Demon Lord, so this is where you were.”

Just as Vivian was admiring her new city, Lucia’s voice suddenly came from behind her.

Vivian turned to see Lucia approaching with a huge stack of documents in her arms—even for her, carrying so many looked a little strenuous.

“What is it?” Vivian asked, her eyes falling on the documents.

“The latest census and resource statistics report has been fully compiled,” Lucia said, carefully placing the stack on the stone table before handing the summary to Vivian, her face barely containing her excitement. “Lord Demon Lord, Evernight City’s population has broken eighty thousand!”

“Eighty thousand?!” Vivian was genuinely surprised. She took the documents and quickly skimmed through them.

Indeed, according to the detailed statistics, Evernight City’s permanent population had reached eighty-one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven.

This included original Evernight residents, refugees who had poured in from other regions, merchants and artisans who had voluntarily relocated, and the [double-register] personnel provided by the Golden Commerce Caravan.

“This growth rate… is a bit beyond expectations,” Vivian murmured.

The population was nearly back to the level of the old Demon Lord’s city.

“This is all thanks to Your Lordship’s excellent governance,” Lucia said earnestly. “Now demons everywhere know that the Evernight Territory is a place where you can eat your fill, find work, and even gain knowledge. Many who couldn’t survive in other territories now want to come pledge allegiance to you.”

Vivian pondered for a moment. “Population growth is good, but we must also pay attention to management—an eighty-thousand-person city places no small demand on administrative capability.”

“I’m already handling that,” Lucia replied. “Following your earlier instructions, I’ve divided the city into ten districts, each with its own district affairs committee responsible for grassroots matters. Each committee reports to the council hall, forming a complete administrative system. Thanks to the literacy campaign you conducted earlier, those night-born who learn quickly are now attending remedial classes at Evernight Academy. That’s how we’ve trained a batch of personnel capable of reading, writing, and handling basic administrative tasks. The first cohort of faster learners can already manage basic clerical work, statistics, and coordination, greatly easing our manpower shortage.”

“Very good.” Vivian nodded in approval—her earlier efforts had not been in vain.

“You’ve done excellent work, Lucia.”

“This system is still rough around the edges, but at least the framework is in place.”

She paused, then asked, “I remember another batch of new migrants arrived recently. Have those new refugees been properly settled? There were quite a lot of them.”

“Most have been settled,” Lucia answered. “We provided temporary housing, assigned jobs, and registered their skills and needs. However…”

“However what?”

“Some of the older residents are unhappy about the massive influx of refugees.”

Lucia looked troubled as she continued, “A portion of the early settlers feel that the flood of newcomers is diluting public resources. They worry their job opportunities and benefits will decrease because of the new arrivals. This xenophobic tendency isn’t widespread yet, but it does exist.”

Vivian frowned.

She had anticipated this problem long ago—resources were limited, and when outsiders poured in en masse, local residents would naturally feel threatened.

Resource allocation and group integration were always inevitable challenges in development.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” she said after a moment’s thought, quickly issuing instructions.

“We need to tackle this from two sides. First, strengthen propaganda and guidance. Through every channel, make the old residents understand that population growth means a larger market, richer labor pool, and stronger overall productivity. The city’s prosperity will eventually benefit everyone.”

“Second, in actual resource allocation and policy-making, we must strictly adhere to fairness—protect the legitimate rights of old residents and recognize their earlier contributions, while resolutely eliminating any discriminatory policies against new migrants and ensuring equal opportunity. Striking the right balance here is crucial.”

“Understood!” Lucia earnestly recorded Vivian’s words.

“Oh, right!” Vivian suddenly remembered something. “How’s the usage of public facilities?”

“Excellent!” A smile bloomed on Lucia’s face. “Especially the public bathhouse—it’s packed practically around the clock. Many citizens say it’s the most comfort and cleanliness they’ve ever experienced in their lives, and they’re endlessly grateful for your initiative. Market transaction volume keeps rising, commercial vitality is booming, and tax revenue looks very promising.”

“Mm, that’s a good sign.”

Vivian nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look out over the city once more.

On the streets, demons, beastfolk, and even members of other races—after long hours of working side by side—seemed to be slowly melting away the barriers between them, managing a tentative harmony. Children of different bloodlines played together on the sidewalks, vendors enthusiastically hawked their wares, artisans busied themselves at work… This was a city brimming with life.

The entire city was like a machine that had finally been carefully tuned—though its parts were still rough, it now burst with powerful, vibrant energy.

“Lucia,” Vivian asked suddenly, “what do you think they see when they look at me now?”

“Huh?” Lucia blinked, clearly not expecting the Demon Lord to ask that.

She thought seriously for a moment before answering cautiously, “If I may be so bold… I believe they truly support you from the bottom of their hearts.”

“Truly? How is that different from before?”

“Yes, completely different.” Lucia said firmly. “In the past, the feelings most demon citizens held toward a Demon Lord—aside from the core vassals—stemmed from bloodline awe, fear of overwhelming power, and traditional obedience. But toward you… it’s genuine gratitude and respect.”

“Because you’ve given them things they never had before—dignity, hope, the expectation of a future, and the possibility that hard work can actually change one’s fate. That is my judgment based on all the intelligence and what I’ve seen with my own eyes.”

Vivian fell silent for a while. Only after a long pause did she say softly, “I only did what I thought needed to be done.”

But she couldn’t let her guard down, because she knew—this was only the beginning.

The Evernight Territory still had a long road ahead, and as its leader, the burden on her shoulders would only grow heavier.

Yet looking at this city filled with hope, she felt it was all worth it.

“However, Lord Demon Lord—” Lucia blinked and added, “among the old nobility in other parts of the territory, those forces not yet fully integrated, dissatisfaction has been growing lately.”

“The news of Evernight City’s rapid development has spread to every village and town in the territory. Many of the younger generation have been drawn here, eager to seek opportunities. This has shaken the old nobles’ control over the grassroots.”

“They strongly resist your new policies, especially the decrees concerning land, taxation, and citizen status.

Passive resistance is widespread; many policies simply cannot be implemented in their domains.”

“No matter.”

Vivian’s tone was perfectly calm, as if discussing the most trivial of matters.

“Earlier, we were too busy with Evernight City’s construction to spare attention for them. Now the city has stabilized, and the internal framework is in place… If we calculate the time, yes—it is indeed time to thoroughly resolve these ‘historical leftovers.’”

In the future she envisioned, there was no place for old nobles clinging to privilege and obstructing progress.

They would either integrate into the new era, or be mercilessly swept away by its tide.

That was exactly Vivian’s intention, and she knew full well that these stubborn diseases would require the personal intervention of this Demon Lord to cure.

Ordinary orders were no different from hot air.