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.

"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.