Chapter 302: Chapter 243: I’m Going to Save a Woman
In the end, Zhao Wenliang and his companions checked into the Mountain and Sea Station.
Getting a job at the Watch Factory was completely out of the question for them.
The Fire Dragon Trading Company had already begun selling watches. The Watch Factory was under strict supervision, with workers on four shifts producing watches twenty-four hours a day. It was very difficult for any private individual to profit by flipping them.
In fact, watches were considered a rarity even within Eggshell Village. They weren’t yet common among the "big shots" in Eggshell Castle and the major organizations, and many people who wanted to buy one still couldn’t.
Zhang Lengzi had passed word to Eggshell Castle, informing Jelena of the arrival of Zhao Wenliang and his two companions.
Jelena granted them a brief audience.
Now that the Celestial Net Country had surrendered, their delegation was suing for peace. They had agreed to pay war reparations and offer various rare and exotic treasures.
The Jinque Country Court dared not accept these items; they were all ultimately to be sent as tribute to Huaguo Mountain. Furthermore, Princess Longyu was to marry into Huaguo Mountain. This was a grand wedding, so the Imperial Palace had to be concerned with pageantry and the dowry. Zhao Wenliang and his companions were here to negotiate the details.
Jelena could handle matters concerning the tribute of materials. She planned to have her secretary general, Pei Xue, and Yang Wanli from the Foreign Affairs Department discuss the details with Zhao Wenliang’s party.
However, when it came to her father and Princess Longyu, Jelena was not in a position to make any promises. She had Zhao Wenliang and his companions stay at the Mountain and Sea Station and wait for her father to return and decide the matter personally.
’Those three want to flip watches. I imagine there’s a huge market for them in the Capital City. It’s a shame Eggshell Village only has one Watch Factory right now. The production capacity is too low. We need to expand and build more factories. Only Father can do that, but I have no idea when he’ll be back...’
Jelena murmured to herself. She was currently aboard a Floating Cloud Boat, leaving the Mountain and Sea Station under the protection of Feng Feilong, Feng Feihu, and a squad of Bayonet Robots, heading back to Eggshell Castle.
Things were also busy back at Eggshell Castle. A new project had begun today, requiring renovation and expansion. The Eco-Geist Beast, Gegeda, and a large number of master craftsmen from the Hundred Skills Academy had already gathered there.
After the reconstruction, it would no longer be Eggshell Castle, but the Eco-Castle.
In the urban plan that Jelena and the others had laid out, this was considered the first step toward building Eggshell City.
Just as the Floating Cloud Boat was leaving the Mountain and Sea Station, a party of six was hurrying toward it.
They were dressed as commoners in coarse cloth, but the man in the lead, with his fat head, large ears, and potbelly, was clearly no poor man. He was none other than Hu Dachun, the County Magistrate of Qinghe County.
Before the Ancient Barbarian Country’s grand army invaded Qinghe County, this County Magistrate had frantically fled, taking only his son, two daughters-in-law, Master Lin Maoju, and his loyal guard, Yan Tie.
He had originally planned to flee to Huashan County and seek refuge at King Dongsheng’s Prince Mansion. However, he changed his mind when he reached Black Stone Mountain, boarded a train, and decided to settle in Huaguo Mountain instead.
Of course, they were in disguise.
He had a bad reputation and was carrying a great deal of wealth, so he hoped to avoid being recognized and inviting disaster.
"This Huaguo Mountain is a wonderful place. It’s protected by a Divine Being, so no one dares to cause trouble. Isn’t that much more peaceful than Huashan County? For me to settle here is the wisest course of action! It’s just that the inspection to enter the pass is too much of a hassle..."
Hu Dachun shook his head. To get to Huaguo Mountain, one first had to enter Shanhai Pass, which required undergoing a series of tedious procedures like screening and registration. The inspection point was at Eggshell Pier, a place overflowing with vast crowds of commoners. Hu Dachun and his party had no special privileges there. With no one to guide them and no one paying them any mind, they had to wait in line for the inspection like everyone else.
Unwilling to wait, they had come to the Mountain and Sea Station to rest.
"Exactly!" a foppish young man with a powdered face chimed in, frowning. "With Father’s status and position, he actually has to wait in line with those lowly commoners. I think these arrangements in Huaguo Mountain are completely thoughtless. They ought to be taught a lesson!"
The speaker was Hu Dachun’s only son, Hu Jun Hall. He was twenty-five this year and was an infamous rake back in Qinghe County.
"My son, you mustn’t speak like that!" Hu Dachun said hurriedly. "This isn’t our County Yamen. We can’t act recklessly here; we have to play by their rules. If you cause trouble, even I might not be able to protect you!"
"What trouble could I possibly cause? As long as no one provokes me, I’m a perfectly law-abiding citizen!"
Hu Jun Hall said nonchalantly, waving them on. "I’m going inside to get us some rooms. Tao’er, Xing’er, with me!"
With that, he strode off. Two young women in green dresses immediately followed; they were Hu Jun Hall’s wife, Li Tao’er, and his concubine, Li Xing’er.
Hu Dachun shook his head and instructed a large, black-bearded man beside him, "Guard Yan, I’ll need you to look after my son. Don’t let him cause any trouble."
"Rest assured, my lord. I will watch over the Young Master!"
The black-bearded man cupped his hands and immediately went after Hu Jun Hall.
This man was a skilled fighter from the Jianghu whom Hu Dachun had recruited. His name was Yan Tie. He was originally a member of the Capital City’s Forbidden Army, but one day, in a drunken stupor, he was overcome with lust. He raped a married woman and then slaughtered her entire family. After fleeing to Qinghe County, his life was saved by Hu Dachun, who then recruited him. He had been serving as a household guard ever since and was quite loyal.
Hu Dachun then turned to a middle-aged scholar beside him. "Master, what do you think? Can I find a lucrative managerial position here in Huaguo Mountain?"
"My Lord, you are capable of governing an entire county, an official appointed by the Court. To merely be a manager in a tiny place like this would be a waste of your talents!"
The scholar was the Master from the Qinghe County Yamen, Lin Maoju.
Hu Dachun nodded. "I’ve met with Pei Zhi of the Fire Dragon Trading Team several times—we’ve even had tea together. If I spend a bit of money and have him pull some strings, it shouldn’t be hard to land a position."
