Chapter 83: The branch base is open, and we'll also recruit some temporary staff and...
After reaching a fragile alliance with the smiling tiger Ryan, Lin Yue felt as if he had just signed a gambling agreement. Half of his heart was filled with excitement about the promising future, while the other half was filled with the pain of the possibility of things going wrong at any moment.
However, Ryan's efficiency was far more reliable than his gentle and refined appearance.
The next day, an official document bearing the seal of the City Lord's Mansion was quietly delivered to the Hope Trading Company. The document was written in a grand and solemn manner, stating that in response to the Duke's great call for "self-reliance and development of agriculture and animal husbandry," the enthusiastic merchant Mr. Lin Yue was hereby granted special permission to establish an official farm in the suburbs for the experimental planting of drought-resistant crops to alleviate the urgent needs of the territory.
Lin Yue almost burst out laughing when he saw the document. This Ryan not only knew how to shift blame, but also how to pin it on people. Now, his land had nominally become an official project, and he, a small businessman, had transformed into Mr. Lin, a concerned citizen helping the Duke. From now on, even if his brother Karl wanted to cause trouble, he'd have to think twice about what kind of crime it was to interfere with an official project.
With official backing, the land transfer went incredibly smoothly. Lin Yue only spent a few gold coins to acquire a large tract of neglected wasteland on the southern outskirts of the city from a drunken land official. The location was superb, backed by a small mountain and with a stream in front, its terrain secluded—it was practically a tailor-made feng shui treasure for establishing a secret base.
With the land secured, the next step is to "procure the goods".
With Ryan's secret connections, Lin Yue quickly contacted several small slave owners who were struggling in the slave market and were most eager to sell their slaves.
The scene of the transaction was even more nauseating than Lin Yue had imagined. He didn't choose to compete with those bloated nobles in the open market; that would be something only a fool would do. Instead, he had Carwin arrange a clearance sale with several slave owners in the backyard of a nearly bankrupt casino in the most chaotic slum of the city.
The dealers, all with slicked-back hair and powdered faces, had eyes that revealed a wolfish greed and a disregard for life. They shoved those shackled, vacant-eyed men in front of Lin Yue like livestock, prying open their mouths to check their teeth, patting their backs to demonstrate their sturdiness, all while boasting about how durable their goods were.
In order to save as many people as possible with minimal cost, Lin Yue didn't bother with morality and directly resorted to force.
Faced with the greedy, overweight slave owner who was trying to raise the price, Lin Yue casually mentioned that he knew a squad leader in the city guard who was short of money and very interested in cracking down on illegal slave trades. The fat man turned pale with fright, and the price was immediately halved.
When dealing with another bidder from the Iron Anchor Merchant Guild, Lin Yue was even more ruthless. He secretly instructed Mia to add double the amount of a natural laxative with a strong laxative effect to the Hope Soup supplied to the casino's kitchen.
Just as the bidding was at its most intense, the manager's face suddenly turned from red to green, then from green to white. Clutching his stomach, he disappeared in the direction of the latrine at breakneck speed and never returned.
In the end, Lin Yue purchased a total of 213 refugees, mostly from villages around Blackrock City, from the slave owners at an outrageously low price, almost as if it were a gift. This included Aunt Leah's long-lost brother and his family.
When these shackled, vacant-eyed, and emaciated people were taken to that wasteland on the outskirts of the city, several suppressed gasps and cries broke the silence.
Aunt Leah held her emaciated brother tightly, crying her heart out. Old Bud also found some of his former fellow villagers; the grown men hugged each other and wept like children.
Lin Yue didn't disturb them. He just stood quietly to the side and waited until everyone's emotions had calmed down a bit before stepping forward.
“I know what you’ve all been through. I also know what you’re thinking right now.”
"I won't lie to you and say that you are free from today onwards. Because there is no real freedom in this messed-up world. There are only people who have enough to eat and people who don't have enough to eat."
"So I'm offering you a deal."
“From today onwards, this will be our company’s first suburban processing plant. You will no longer be slaves, but the first workers in our processing plant.”
“I will provide you with food, temporary shelter, and protection. In exchange, you need to create value for me and for yourselves through your labor. You need to cultivate this land, build your own homes, and produce things that can sustain us all.”
“I will keep track of your working hours. Every hour you work will be recorded. You can use these hours to exchange for food, clothing, and even… in the future, for true freedom, to own your own house and land.”
"What I am giving you is not charity, but an opportunity. An opportunity to earn dignity and hope through labor."
“Those who wish to stay, remove your shackles now, pick up your tools, and start working. Those who do not wish to…” Lin Yue paused, “The road over there is right there; you can leave at any time. But once you leave this area, whether you live or die is up to fate.”
His words carried not a trace of feigned sympathy.
After a brief silence, a young man was the first to step forward, pick up a stone from the ground, and silently begin clearing away the weeds. Then came the second, the third… more and more people, making their choice through action.
However, enthusiasm alone is not enough. Building a brand new base requires a large amount of resources and technical personnel.
The day after reaching an agreement with Ryan, Lin Yue had already made arrangements. He summoned Amu, Shitou, and Feiye to his side and gave them a secret mission—to return to Hope Town and fetch reinforcements. He also instructed Reno, the captain of the guards sent by Ryan, to personally lead an elite team to escort them back, ensuring their safety along the way.
In the letter, Lin Yue detailed the current situation in Blackstone City and his plans, requesting that Uncle Stone Fist and Brother Li, who were staying behind, immediately organize a capable reinforcement team, carrying enough red bricks, cement, iron tools, and food to come and provide support.
Now the reinforcements he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Kavin was entrusted by Lin Yue to greet him at the city gate. He was still wondering to himself, where did Boss Lin find this mysterious helper this time? Could it be that the big shot behind him was finally going to personally intervene?
When he arrived at the city gate with trepidation, he was completely stunned by the sight before him.
On the distant horizon, a massive army was seen, kicking up clouds of dust as it marched menacingly toward Blackrock City.
Leading the way was a rock-walking lizard beast, a species only a large merchant guild could afford to keep. It moved with heavy yet remarkably steady steps, pulling a massive, strangely shaped, yet powerfully imposing four-wheeled cart—one he had never seen before. The cart was lower and wider than any caravan wagon he had ever seen, its four enormous wooden wheels reinforced with iron hoops, exuding an industrial beauty born from the need to transport heavy loads.
Behind the cart followed a team of over forty young men. Though dressed in simple work clothes, they were all full of energy, with rosy complexions and eyes brimming with confidence and vitality. They carried uniform iron tools on their backs, and although their steps weren't as synchronized as a regular army, they possessed a unique spirit of unity, cooperation, and enthusiastic work. It was the kind of spirit that only those who are well-fed and clothed, and full of hope for the future, could possess.
Where...where did this team come from?!
Carwin was startled, but quickly realized that this was not an army at all, but a construction team that was too well-equipped.
Until he saw the familiar face at the front of the group—the honest and sturdy Amu.
Kavin stammered as he approached, almost unable to believe his eyes: "A... Brother Amu? You... you people... this is...?"
“Mr. Kawen,” Amu scratched his head with a simple and honest smile, “we went home. The mayor told us to come back, saying that there was a shortage of manpower and materials here, so he asked us to bring over the second production brigade from home and the newly manufactured Hope No. 1 heavy truck.”
"The town...the town mayor sent you? Didn't Boss Lin send you?" Kaven felt his brain was starting to malfunction. He pointed to the intimidating rock-walking lizard beast, then to the well-equipped team behind it, his voice trembling. "Then...where is that important person who has been supporting Boss Lin all along? He...he didn't come?"
"A big shot?" Amu scratched his head blankly. "No, the biggest big shot here is the mayor himself. We're all here on his orders."
"Is your town mayor... named Lin Yue?"
"Oh? Of course! Who else could it be but him? We don't recognize anyone else!"
Carwin was struck dumb.
He stood there blankly, watching the behemoth pulling the heavy truck slowly drive past him, watching the spirited and well-equipped residents of Hope Town wave to him in a friendly manner, his mind completely blank.
After all that fuss... there was no mysterious, big shot hiding behind the scenes at all.
That young man he always thought had a mysterious force backing him up... he himself was that biggest mysterious force.
He is the ultimate boss who can conjure up magical crops out of thin air, train such an elite team, and even command such a behemoth!
Looking at the energetic construction team before him, and recalling Lin Yue's half-joking, half-serious deception, and his always nonchalant, as if he had everything under control...
For a moment, he was caught between laughter and tears, his heart filled with mixed emotions. In the end, all his emotions transformed into a deep-seated awe for Lin Yue's unfathomable strength and methods.
"Damn it... I think I've hooked up with a super powerful patron this time, one that's even stronger than I ever imagined..." Kaven muttered to himself, his eyes burning with unprecedented intensity as he looked in Lin Yue's direction.
The arrival of reinforcements from Hope Town instantly invigorated the secret base on the outskirts. The builders from Hope Town, upon seeing this vast land where they could fully unleash their talents, all revealed excited expressions, eager to make a big splash, and gradually became infrastructure fanatics.
Under Tie Niu's unified command, they used the red bricks, cement, and advanced iron tools they brought to stage a construction miracle on this wasteland that can be described as a dimensional reduction attack.
"Listen up, all of you!" Tie Niu, now displaying the same flair as Brother Li in his prime, stood atop the Hope No. 1 heavy truck, brandishing a shovel and roaring with spittle flying, "The town mayor said that the foundations for the dormitory area and the first processing plant must be laid within three days. Our Hope Town construction team has no task that we can't complete, so get to work!"
On the construction site, the division of labor is clear and the work is carried out in an orderly manner.
One team was using pickaxes and shovels to quickly dig trenches for the foundation. Another team was rapidly filling the trenches with transported granite blocks and cement mortar, then pouring and compacting the mortar.
After two days of rest and ample food, the people who had just been rescued had recovered much of their strength. Lin Yue did not immediately involve them in the heavy infrastructure construction, but instead arranged for them to do some relatively light auxiliary work first, such as clearing rocks, moving sand, or learning how to process food from Mia and the others.
Whenever they looked up during breaks from work, watching how Tie Niu and his team skillfully operated tools they had never seen before, how they mixed dusty powder and water into magical glue, and how they built straight and sturdy walls from red bricks... they were all dumbfounded, as if they were witnessing a miracle.
During their evening rest, the newcomers sat around the campfire, patiently listening to Mia and Aunt Leah recount the story of Hope Town's growth from nothing to its current size, from a small, dilapidated house with only a few people.
“You wouldn’t believe it,” Mia said with a smile as she handed out steaming potato pancakes to everyone. “When we first came here, we were just like you, unable to even get a clean drink of water. It was the mayor who taught us, little by little, how to filter water, how to farm, how to make bricks and forge iron… The houses we live in now, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, were all made by everyone by hand, brick by brick, stitch by stitch.”
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Author's Note: [I'm sorry] My updates have been a bit unstable lately. It's mainly because my writing style has been changing a bit, and I feel like nothing I write is quite right. The pacing has also been a bit too fast. I'm trying to adjust it.
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