Legend

Mr. Ivanov left the transformed Annesburg with a broad, genuine smile plastered across his face, a joyful light in his eyes. He rode at the head of a convoy of carriages, their wooden wheels rumbling steadily over the damp earth, laden with a bounty of food, tobacco, alcohol, and brand-new clothing, all purchased generously by Mr. Van der Linde.

As Mr. Van der Linde had so eloquently put it, his words echoing in Ivanov's mind, 'First, let everyone eat and drink well, let them know comfort. Soon, salaries and brand new, gleaming rifles will be issued. I hope everyone can practice their marksmanship well and strive to become a formidable gunfighter for the Van der Linde Gang in the future.' The promise was a beacon.

The future is promising! Ivanov thought, his chest swelling with pride and hope. All of them, every single one, has a promising future under Dutch's benevolent hand!

Mr. Van der Linde is truly as benevolent, generous, and charming as the rumors say! Ivanov would chuckle to himself, a low, rumbling sound of pure contentment, while riding his horse, his eyes distant, as he thought about it all, about the impossible dream made real.

He would even occasionally shout twice at the lumbering carriage convoy behind him, his voice booming with unrestrained joy, his arms thrown wide to the sky, venting the sheer ecstasy bubbling in his heart.

"Good! Mr. Van der Linde is good! The Saint Denis coup is good! Excellent!" His words were a chant of triumph.

Most importantly, this group of people, these hardened soldiers who had originally joined the army only because they couldn't get enough to eat, their bellies aching with hunger, now had a real, tangible goal, a purpose that extended beyond mere survival.

They only needed to practice their marksmanship well in the army, hone their skills. Even if they weren't chosen as gunfighters later, if they didn't make the elite cut, they would still have a guaranteed job with a salary far higher than anything they could have dreamed of in the West, a life of security, which they could step into directly, without fear or struggle. Then, after working diligently for a year, they could finally get married, their children could attend the school generously opened by Mr. Van der Linde, receiving a free education, and after leaving school, they could directly qualify to become workers for Mr. Van der Linde, joining the prosperous fold.

In this way, his children's children, that is, his grandchildren, could also go to school and enter Mr. Van der Linde's factory… generation after generation, endlessly, a secure, upwardly mobile lineage.

Their entire family, for the first time in their lives, would be completely stable, free from the gnawing fear of poverty. From then on, they would only need to work honestly, diligently, and would never have to step into the hell of society again, never again face the crushing exploitation of the old system.

What is a true iron rice bowl? This, Ivanov realized with a profound sense of awe, this was a true iron rice bowl! An iron rice bowl that their descendants could enjoy without any worries, stretching into the distant future!

Ivanov, riding on his horse, his face wreathed in a beatific smile, happily thought about how wonderfully and peacefully happy his future life would be, a dream unfolding before him. As he thought, contemplating this idyllic future, he became somewhat engrossed, lost in the pleasant reverie.

However, after thinking for a while, a subtle flicker of worry, a shadow of unease, began to creep into his mind, disturbing his newfound peace. His smile faltered slightly.

"Ah! With such incredibly high benefits, wages beyond anything we've seen, what if Mr. Van der Linde can't afford to support so many people? What if Mr. Van der Linde, with all his generosity, runs out of money and goes bankrupt?" Ivanov suddenly burst out, his voice filled with a fresh, frantic anxiety, slapping his thigh with a worried hand.

"Damn it, that won't do! Then my children won't have food to eat, will they? Their future will vanish! Oh, no, no, no, no! This won't do, this absolutely won't do! This cannot happen!" He shook his head violently, his face contorted with sudden, profound concern.

"Damn it, it can't be like this. The benefits Mr. Van der Linde gives are simply too high. What if he goes bankrupt, leaving us all destitute again!" He wrung his hands, his gaze darting frantically around the landscape, seeking a solution.

"Damn it, I have to find a way. I have to lead my soldiers, my men, to find a way to save Mr. Van der Linde some money! No, even better, we have to find a way to actively make Mr. Van der Linde money, or even achieve two benefits for one expense, a dual gain!" He nodded vigorously, a plan beginning to form.

"Yes, that's it, it must be like this. We must enable Mr. Van der Linde to sustain himself, to keep this glorious dream alive!" He clenched his fists, a determined glint in his eye.

Ivanov, who had just been full of unadulterated happiness, now began to worry earnestly in his heart, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

He pondered anxiously, his mind racing, trying desperately to find a practical way to save Mr. Van der Linde money, to contribute to the cause.

As his gaze shifted around, sweeping over the familiar landscape, he spotted the farmers diligently planting tobacco and grain in the surrounding fields, their figures bent over the earth. A sudden, brilliant idea flashed in his mind.

"I've got it!" Ivanov exclaimed, a triumphant slap on his thigh. He pointed emphatically at the fields. "I can completely lead my soldiers to grow grain ourselves! We'll cultivate the land, produce our own food! Or raise livestock! Damn it, it must be like this! I'm going to buy some tobacco seeds and plant them too, create our own supply."

He nodded, a fierce determination in his eyes. "In the future, the grain and tobacco we grow can be directly sold to Mr. Van der Linde, which will also save Mr. Van der Linde's expenses, reduce his burden! Damn it, this idea is absolutely brilliant! A stroke of genius!"

"From now on, we'll plant in the mornings and train in the evenings. Mr. Van der Linde has given us so much, such generous salaries; everyone must be mobilized! Otherwise, wouldn't taking this salary for nothing, without contributing, be just sitting around and eating through our resources, squandering his kindness?" He muttered, already devising the new schedule.

One brilliant, self-sacrificing idea after another emerged from Mr. Ivanov's mind, a torrent of innovative thought.

Damn it, he reflected, a strange, almost bewildered feeling, he never used to have such thoughts. He wouldn't think about planting things to subsidize the Saint Denis City Government, nor would he bother with such miscellaneous, mundane tasks. Those were beneath him.

But now, he had started thinking, actively devising ways to contribute, simply and solely to ensure Mr. Van der Linde's magnificent system could continue, could be sustained indefinitely.

Perhaps this was Dutch's true charm, the insidious power of his ideology, subtly interwoven with the undeniable charm of his high salary.

Excessively high salaries, a shocking departure from the norm, made everyone constantly worry that their beautiful, newfound life would abruptly end the next moment due to Mr. Van der Linde's potential bankruptcy, plunging them back into destitution. Therefore, everyone was diligently saving the salary they earned through their labor, meticulously hoarding their money, just to contribute a little, to offer their support, to Mr. Van der Linde, so that he could sustain himself, so his glorious vision wouldn't collapse.

Damn it, the narrator thought, a wry, almost cynical observation, Dutch Van der Linde is the real capitalist, the ultimate manipulator! Other capitalists actively exploit workers, squeezing every last drop of labor for their own higher profits, making workers resentful and wishing to hang these damned capitalists from lampposts. But Mr. Dutch Van der Linde makes workers actively exploit themselves, willingly returning their rightful salaries, even fearing that Mr. Van der Linde wouldn't accept it, fearing they weren't contributing enough.

In this way, he gained an impeccable, benevolent reputation, obtained enormous profits through their self-sacrifice, and operated in a low-cost, infinitely returning stage, a perfectly self-sustaining economic engine. This was simply the most terrifying nightmare for Eastern capitalists, a system that defied their every principle.

Of course, the fundamental reason for becoming such a high-welfare system today lies in the absolute monopoly of technology. Whether it is Valentine real estate or Saint Denis real estate, or the booming clothing business or the lucrative arms business, they are all in an absolute leading position in technology and innovative ideas. This unparalleled advantage allows them to obtain higher profits without facing competitive pressure, which can then satisfy the continuous operation of the high-salary Van der Linde machine.

Just as the profits generated by Western chip technology annually are immeasurable, absolute technological dominance will bring absolute, unparalleled profit levels. Technology truly is the king.

Therefore, at any time, in any era, only technology can achieve true, boundless profit value.

However, if Mr. Van der Linde knew about their worries, about their diligent, misguided efforts to save him money, he would only give another powerful, public speech. He would sternly criticize and instruct them, emphasizing the importance of economic circulation, ensuring that these people spend their salaries freely, enthusiastically, thereby forming a vibrant, self-sustaining wealth circulation within his system.

Damn it, Dutch would think with exasperation, your productivity is completely sufficient for your salaries, and then some! For example, a female worker's mere two days of work are enough to cover her entire monthly salary. For the rest of the time, Dutch is simply making a pure profit, and they don't need their so-called saving at all! It's counterproductive!

Moreover, whether it's New Hanover or Lemoyne, the civilian industries and housing industries at this time—from the food in their mouths to the alcohol in their cups or the firearms on their bodies—are all meticulously controlled industries belonging to Mr. Van der Linde. The money paid out just comes straight back into his coffers. It's like moving money from the left hand to the right, a perfectly closed loop. He doesn't need to pay anything extra to enable these two states to develop continuously, attracting talent and people to flow here endlessly, like a relentless river. Money has long ceased to be a limiting factor for Mr. Van der Linde, so he doesn't need to fear that his system cannot be sustained, not with their loyalty and productivity.

As long as this group of people wants to maintain this system, as long as their loyalty holds, then this system can continue to circulate indefinitely, endlessly, and his Van der Linde Gang, his very legacy, can be immortal and imperishable within it! Carried on the grateful shoulders of these people as an eternal deity, a living legend.