Chapter 84 The Blue Vests Arrive; I'm Not Training Muscles, I'm Training Discipline...
Hope Trading Company's Blackstone City branch has recently become the hottest gossip center and tourist attraction in the city.
Just when everyone thought the store would continue its affordable, all-you-can-drink approach and cultivate the grassroots market, Lin Yue, the unconventional owner, suddenly announced that the store would be closed for three days for renovations and upgrades.
"Renovate? That shabby place, wasn't it renovated before? It's been like this for decades, how else can it be renovated? Do you expect me to paint it with gold powder?" A local thug who often came to freeload off the soup said disdainfully to his companion while smacking his lips and savoring the salty and savory taste of the soup.
"Who knows? I heard that the young owner thought the shop was too dark and wanted to open more windows," another well-informed source added mysteriously.
People living nearby have seen the shopkeepers making a lot of noise at the entrance every night for the past few days, and they've even brought in several truckloads of gray powder and sand, but no one can figure out what they're up to.
Three days later, when the broken wooden planks that had been used as barriers in front of the shop were removed, everyone who had come to watch with the expectation of seeing a spectacle was utterly astonished.
Are you kidding me?! This isn't renovation; it's like some kind of earth-shattering magic has been performed on the spot!
The once bumpy, muddy dirt road in front of the shop had vanished overnight. In its place stood a smooth, hard surface they'd never seen before, with a peculiar grayish hue. The ground was so smooth it seemed to reflect their image, so hard that even stomping on it with their boots wouldn't leave a dent. Several of the bolder children were already excitedly running and rolling around on it, enjoying the unprecedented flatness and cleanliness.
"My God... is this... paved with a single, massive whetstone?" A mercenary stretched out his foot and rubbed it hard on the cement ground, making a "scratching" sound, his face filled with disbelief.
The changes inside the store were so numerous that they felt they couldn't take it all in.
The walls on the first floor were no longer the mottled yellow mud walls of before, but had been repainted with a smooth, snow-white paste. In the dim light, the walls even shimmered with a soft, starlike glow, making the entire hall bright and warm. The floor was paved with smooth, polished square blue terracotta tiles; walking on them was clean, tidy, and even slightly cool.
All the tables and chairs in the shop were replaced with brand new ones. The furniture, made of dark hardwood and light softwood, with its simple design and smooth lines, and the mortise and tenon structure where every joint was perfectly fitted, made several passing carpenters stare in amazement, wishing they could lie down on the spot to study the ingenious structure.
Several ceramic lampshades with openwork vine patterns hung from the ceiling, each containing a ceramic lamp burning clear animal oil, illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime. In the corners, there were even several potted evergreen plants with lush, vibrant leaves, transplanted from who-knows-where, adding a touch of natural vitality to the shop.
“Brother,” Amu complained to Tie Niu beside him as he carefully checked the verticality of a newly painted wall with a simple 90-degree right-angle triangle, “the mayor’s demands are getting higher and higher. Rebuilding a wall is more delicate than embroidery. I feel like we’re not building a house, but a palace.”
Tie Niu looked at the sheepskin blueprints in his hand with an admiring expression and said with a simple smile, "Stop complaining and learn from him. Did you see the look in Mr. Carwin's eyes? He almost knelt down to the mayor on the spot. I heard him say that if the nobles in the capital knew that we had this skill, they would probably line up to ask us to build houses."
This luxurious renovation, inside and out, was like a game-changer, completely redefining the Blackrock City residents' understanding of the concept of a shop.
However, the real trump card is yet to come.
As the renovations neared completion, the shop's inventory grew. The shelves were now overflowing with snow salt, starlight flour, and exquisite ceramics, and even several steel daggers and machetes, forged by Stonefist himself, gleaming with a cold, sharp light. All of these items were designed to arouse the greedy eyes lurking in the shadows of Blackrock City.
To prevent petty thieves from coveting the business, and to show the entire Blackrock City that the Hope Merchant Guild was not to be trifled with, Lin Yue selected six capable young men, led by the quick-witted Fei Ye, from the order guardians of Hope Town to be stationed there.
The six young men, dressed in uniform dark blue vests dyed with dye produced in Hope Town, with gear and wheat ear emblems embroidered in silver thread on their chests, and wearing standard iron-tipped short batons and tin whistles at their waists, instantly attracted everyone's attention when they appeared in a neat line at the shop entrance.
This team, which Lin Yue jokingly called the Blue Vests, became the most direct and unique symbol of Hope Trading Company's military might.
Of course, Lin Yue did this not just for security. He consciously wanted to let these young people leave Hope Town and experience the complexity and danger of Blackstone City, so that they could hone their adaptability and courage in practice. In his words, "Let's see what they're made of. You can't grow a towering tree in a greenhouse, and you can't raise a flying bird in a well."
During a seemingly casual passing by, Ryan spotted this small squad of blue-vested individuals, whose morale was excellent but whose numbers were few. He astutely realized that this force was insufficient to handle the chaotic situation in Blackrock City. Therefore, he proactively offered Lin Yue a suggestion that he couldn't refuse.
“Brother Lin Yue,” Ryan’s address had changed from “Boss Lin” and “Mayor Lin” to the more intimate “Brother Lin Yue,” and he pointed to the blue vests standing straight at the door, sincerely praising, “Your guard team is elite, but it is still small and lacks experience. The power in Blackrock City is deeply entrenched and far more complex than it appears on the surface. Intimidation alone cannot scare away real wolves.”
He paused, then offered his bait: "How about this? I'll transfer dozens of experienced retired veterans from my private guard to form a joint escort team with your blue-vested men. They can not only assist you in maintaining daily security, but more importantly, they can pass on real battlefield combat skills to your young men. What do you think? Don't worry, although they're retired, they're battle-hardened. After all, you know how the situation has become increasingly... well... they definitely have frontline combat experience."
Lin Yue was overjoyed: "This... how could I possibly accept this? Young Master Ryan, isn't it a huge waste of your talents to use your guards to watch over my house?"
“Oh, there’s no need for such formalities between us,” Ryan said with a smile, waving his hand. “Of course, I’m not helping for nothing.” He pointed towards the kitchen, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes. “I heard your base in the suburbs is experimenting with something called ‘stone-skin potato’ to make a semi-finished vermicelli product that’s more durable and easier to transport? I’m very interested in that. If possible, I’d like to have priority access to purchase a batch of vermicelli at an internal price in the future. The safer your shop is, the more stable our cooperation will be, right?”
This is both Ryan's investment in Lin Yue and a way to deeply bind the interests of both parties. Lin Yue naturally wouldn't refuse such a good thing that came knocking on his door.
"Since you've put it that way, young master, then I'll accept it without hesitation." Lin Yue readily agreed.
The veterans Ryan sent were indeed ruthless. The training methods they brought were simple, brutal, but exceptionally effective. There were no fancy moves, only the most direct techniques of blocking, assassination, squad coordination and cover, and close-quarters combat.
On the training field, Gray and the other blue-vested boys rolled around in the mud every day, undergoing high-intensity physical and combat training. Wooden training weapons were broken one after another, and everyone's body was covered with bruises and wounds.
"Didn't you eat?! Go harder!" A one-eyed veteran slammed a training stick into the wooden shield that Fei Ye was using to block, making Fei Ye's hand go numb. "On the battlefield, your enemies won't be polite to you!"
"You're a unit, not a bunch of mindless boars!" another veteran with a scar on his face roared at a squad that had made a mistake in their coordination. "Your comrade is on your left, so your shield should protect his right flank. You don't even understand such a simple principle? You want to go to the battlefield?"
But no one complained; their eyes, bathed in sweat, grew increasingly resolute and sharp.
Gray's combat talent was fully unleashed during this training. He absorbed all the combat knowledge like a giant sponge. He perfectly blended the cheetah-like agility and precise timing of the Silent One bloodline with the disciplined and efficient battle formations of the human army.
The final assessment of the training was a simulated attack and defense battle between Gray's blue-vested squad and veterans playing the roles of ruthless bandits.
In this battle, Gray displayed astonishing command skills and personal combat prowess. Instead of engaging in direct confrontation, he made full use of the complex terrain surrounding the training ground. He first had Flying Leaf lead two of his fastest men to harass the bandits from the flanks, constantly drawing their attention by throwing stones and creating noise.
Then he personally led the main force, like ghosts, through the dense forest on the other side, and with lightning speed, launched a surprise attack on the bandit's command center—the one-eyed old soldier.
When the one-eyed veteran was pronounced dead by Gray with a wooden sword pressed against his throat, the outcome of the entire battle was already decided.
“Young man,” the one-eyed veteran looked at Gray with admiration in his eyes, “you are a born commander. Given time, you will surely achieve great things.”
With the completion of the renovations and the formation of the joint guard, Hope Merchant Guild now possesses a sufficiently solid hardware and software foundation in Blackrock City. It's time to officially announce their arrival to the entire city.
On a clear morning, Lin Yue personally wrote dozens of sheepskin invitations.
These invitations were personally delivered by Carwin to various factions in Blackrock City, including Ryan of the City Lord's Mansion, the president of the Iron Anchor Merchant Guild, the leaders of various mercenary groups, and even the city's largest grain merchant who had always maintained neutrality.
The invitation read: "Hope Store No. 1 Blackstone City Branch will officially open in three days. We cordially invite you to visit."
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