Chapter 6: Becoming the Mayor

After circling for a while over the territory of the land of the rising sun, the helicopter flew away. Charlie was to take Wang Bo to the courthouse in Omarama to sign for the inheritance; otherwise, their stay here would be illegal. This land does not currently belong to Wang Bo, and New Zealand places great importance on the sanctity and inviolability of private property, meaning they cannot enter someone else's private land

Before coming to New Zealand, he researched information about the country. He is aware that New Zealand's civil servants are appointed through both a hiring system and a public selection system, where positions such as town mayor, city mayor, and prime minister are elected by citizens. Ordinary civil service positions are either appointed by Parliament or publicly advertised for recruitment.

Charlie noticed his confusion and said: "To be honest, mate, the Sun Never Sets Territory is the last piece of noble land in New Zealand, nominally not under the government's rule. To those guys in Parliament, it’s like having a patch of vitiligo on their face, quite embarrassing, and they have long wanted to reclaim this territory. But it’s not possible; you have no idea how stubborn and conservative Sir Roberts is! His territory is like his waistband, absolutely not allowing anyone else to meddle with it"

Wang Bo hesitantly asked, "According to your statement, how much funding can the government allocate each year?"

The helicopter landed at the courthouse, but it was already late, and the courthouse had closed for the day. Charlie arranged a hotel room for him and then mysteriously mentioned that there were matters to discuss with him

From a geographical perspective, New Zealand's South Island is primarily divided into the Marlborough region, Canterbury region, Otago region, West Coast region, and Southern region. The Sun Never Sets territory is administratively located in the Otago region; however, it actually lies in a no man's land, spanning across the Otago region, the West Coast mountains, and the Canterbury region.

Upon seeing this, Charlie suddenly broke into a warm smile. He went over, put his arm around Wang Bo's shoulder, and said, "Wang, my mate, although we have not known each other for long, as the saying goes, 'old friends are like new,' I feel that we have a deep connection at first sight. Do you feel the same way?"

Charlie did not hesitate; he pushed Wang Bo aside and said irritably, "What kind of joke is this? Alright, I'll be straightforward. I suggest that you change the status of the Sun Never Sets territory from private land to that of a national town. The land will still belong to you, and everything above and below it will also belong to you, but you must belong to the state.

What exactly do you want, just say it plainly. Old Wang tightly held onto his belt with both hands, I tell you, I have no interest in same-sex relationships. If you want to use inheritance to tempt me into giving you my body...

Charlie patted his shoulder and said: "Of course, if you choose to become the mayor of the newly established town in the territory, you will have to change your nationality. As for the funding and your position, that is beyond question; we will sign an agreement, an employment contract!"

Wang Bo looked at him warily, not believing this guy's words. Charlie even knew obscure idioms like "Bai Shou Ru Xin, Qing Gai Ru Gu," so how could he possibly confuse "Yi Jian Zhong Qing" with "Yi Jian Ru Gu"?

Wang Bo said casually: "Of course, I am sure, Charlie, I trust you, because just as you said, we hit it off at first sight, I have felt this way since the first time we met, I feel like we met too late!"

Indeed, it is a case of meeting too late

After listening to these words, Wang Bo slowly nodded and said: "Alright, Charlie, my mate, I trust you. I am willing to follow your advice to transform the territory into a town"

Charlie laughed and said: "This is absolutely impossible, because all the land in the town belongs to you. If you are dissatisfied, you can reclaim the usage rights of this land at any time, and then the town government would have to declare bankruptcy."

After listening to his words, Wang Bo pondered for a moment and felt that it was still somewhat untrustworthy

Charlie nodded as a matter of course and said: "Without a doubt, yes. What does receiving an inheritance have to do with whether you are a New Zealander? Besides, you are only receiving a piece of wasteland; foreigners can freely purchase property in New Zealand, let alone a piece of wasteland."

On the way, he had already understood that this was a noble's territory, not merely personal land. Therefore, he did not need to pay a single penny in inheritance tax or the like to the New Zealand government for acquiring this piece of land. In other words, he obtained one thousand square kilometers of fertile land and the legacy of a noble without spending a dime

The civil servants in New Zealand are not valued, but being able to appoint a mayor in this way seems a bit farcical, doesn't it

After closing the door, Charlie said: "Wang, I must remind you that if you accept the inheritance from Sir Roberts, you will be responsible for the Sun Never Sets estate, including the maintenance of the castle. You should be aware of the considerable material, human, and financial resources required to maintain an ancient castle, right?"

Charlie said: "At least two million New Zealand dollars, converted into RMB, is ten million!"

The distance from the castle to Omarama is approximately 100 kilometers, which can be covered quickly by helicopter

Charlie was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting to persuade Wang Bo so easily. He asked, "Are you sure? No other questions?"

In fact, as you can see, the land of the Sun Never Sets is very fertile, the scenery is beautiful, and the location is excellent—right behind it is the famous Twin Lakes. If this territory is well developed and turned into a small town, it could perhaps become the next Queenstown, Charlie said with a hint of regret

At first sight? Wang Bo suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, his face filled with terror

"I am Chinese, not New Zealander, and I can still inherit?" Wang Bo asked in surprise

Charlie was taken aback for a moment, then awkwardly smiled and said: "Sorry, mate, I used the wrong words; it should be like old friends at first sight, right?"

So much? Wang Bo found it hard to believe for a moment, "Ten million? Government funding? And I can be the mayor? I am a Chinese national! Why does this matter seem so unreliable to me?"

The New Zealand dollar is the abbreviation for the currency of New Zealand, as the English name for New Zealand is New Zealand, which is transliterated as Niu Xilan, hence the currency is abbreviated in English as Niu Bi

He hesitated, that one thousand square kilometers of fertile land, that magnificent castle, which is more important than his own chastity? Should he compromise his chastity and integrity a little?

Wang Bo feels even more regretful; if the Roberts family had developed their territory into an outstanding small town, he would have been quite pleased. Inheriting a well-established town and its resources is far better than a piece of wasteland.

Wang Bo looked at him with confusion, his mind quickly processing this news, and then he slowly said: "Do you mean to say that I should submit to the New Zealand government, or are you suggesting that your government wants to recruit me?"

The reason Wang Bo accepted this proposal was not due to his trust in Charlie, but because he suddenly recalled a note he had seen while reviewing the game strategy, which stated that he could take the Heart of the Territory at any time, leave this territory, and choose a new location to start over

Charlie nodded: "Yes, but I think for you, this territory is at most your coat, not your trousers. So what I mean is, if you print a company's logo on the coat, then you can receive an endorsement fee; isn't that a good thing?"

Charlie nodded and said: "Yes, it is about establishing a small town on your private land, and you will be the mayor. In this way, the government can allocate funds to your town every year, and you can use these funds to maintain the castle and develop the territory"

Upon hearing this, Wang Bo was immediately taken aback. He recalled news he had seen before, stating that some medieval castles in Europe were priced cheaply but remained unsold, as purchasing them would entail maintenance, and the cost of maintaining a castle was too high, even for those wealthy individuals.

The two individuals looked at each other and smiled, both feeling that the other's smile resembled that of a fox

This small town is the closest city to the land of the midnight sun. Wang Bo asked if there were any procedures required for receiving the inheritance. Charlie replied that as long as there is court review, it is sufficient, because he does not have to pay inheritance tax, and there is no need for the tax bureau to intervene. Thus, as long as the court verifies his identity, he can receive this inheritance along with the books.

Thinking of the legacy left by Sir Roberts, Wang Bo became excited again and eagerly asked, "What else did the Sir leave behind besides this territory and this castle?"

Oamaru is a small city with a population of only about twenty to thirty thousand, which could also be described as a larger town. In fact, apart from a few major cities, the population in other areas of New Zealand is quite sparse

"My waistband is not allowed either." Wang Bo tightened his belt a little more

The Sun Never Sets Territory is adjacent to the city of Oamaru, which is located in the northwest of the Canterbury region

This metaphor is indeed quite apt, Wang Bo inquired: "Am I allowed to establish a new town in my territory, and can I become the mayor? Will the government be willing to allocate funds for the maintenance of the castle? Will they not kick me out afterward?"

He always feels that Charlie is coveting his beauty, although it is reasonable to say that he does not look particularly good. But who can guarantee that the aesthetic standards of Caucasians and Asians are the same? Even if the aesthetic standards were the same, there are still some people who prefer to eat misshapen melons and rotten peaches and apricots

In this way, what does he have to fear? It would be better to take a step forward as Charlie suggested; if he can truly become the mayor of a small town, that would indeed be a significant achievement

From above, Wang Bo gazed down at the small town. Apart from the relatively numerous British-style buildings within the city, it bore no difference from the small counties in the country, with even fewer inhabitants and shorter buildings.

Charlie shrugged and said, "It might just be hundreds of thousands in bad debts, nothing else really. The financial situation of the Jazz family in their later years was not good. In fact, the last two or three generations of the Roberts family merely held onto a piece of land, and they had little money."