Chapter 672: The Vibrant French Fries Port
Chapter 672 The Vibrant French Fries Port
Jungle, beach, and sea!
I’m back again!
Inside the cabin of the airship, Fang Chang looked out through the glass window at the pleasant scenery of the French Fries Port, and a smile of secret joy appeared on his lips.
”Not bad.”
This time, he finally got to be the city lord.
However, in fact, he was not the only one who had the final say in this French Fries Port.
Most of the small development projects were subcontracted to specific units or institutions, while the approval of large development plans and projects was jointly decided by the board of directors of “Baiyue Strait Development Co., Ltd.”.
This joint-stock limited company, opened in Shuguang City, is currently jointly held by a number of player institutions interested in the development of the Baiyue Strait. The shares are divided according to the proportion of investment, and the coast of the Baiyue Strait is developed under the framework of the alliance law.
As for the Niuma Group, its business is mainly infrastructure construction and logistics transportation.
And this is what they are best at.
The two airships hovered above the French Fries Port, one in front and one behind, and then slowly lowered the pod.
Seeing Fang Chang coming down from the pod, Daoxialiuren, the construction project manager, stepped forward and glanced at the airship behind.
”Good fellow, you bought another one?!”
”What do you mean you bought another one? That’s for the scientific expedition team! In the future, the job of recovering salvaged objects will be handed over to those professionals, and we will mainly transport goods.”
Fang Chang smiled and patted the brother on the shoulder, then took him to the side of the pod, pointing to the boxes of goods unloaded from the pod and said.
”…These good things are what I bought, ten sets of 蟞-type engineering armor and twenty-five cross spider robots, handed over to you!”
Hearing this, Daoxialiuren’s face suddenly showed a surprised expression.
The performance of the 蟞-type engineering armor in Camp 101 and the reconstruction project in the southern urban area of Xizhou City is obvious to all.
That thing can be called the culmination of personal construction auxiliary equipment, the crystallization of the construction experience of Shelter 100 for two hundred years!
It is like an “SCV” that can shuttle freely in complex terrain. It can not only switch the tools needed by workers according to the construction tasks, but also provide them with visual digital guidance services.
If the K-10 “Iron Wall” exoskeleton is the pinnacle of heavy exoskeletons for battlefield use, then the 蟞-type engineering armor is the K-10 “Iron Wall” exoskeleton designed specifically for construction site workers.
With the cross spider robot that can transport materials up and down the vertical wall, if other construction units can keep up, a group of ten engineering teams can even play the work efficiency of a hundred-person construction team. Even professionals like him who have worked in the civil engineering industry for many years were shocked after a field investigation.
It is precisely because of the excellent construction performance of this set of equipment that its price has remained high. Not only players are rushing to buy it, NPCs are also placing orders, and even the construction companies in Ideal City are full of interest.
I didn’t expect this guy to get a whole set of equipment! He
couldn’t wait to step forward and asked the staff next to him to help open one of the two-person-high cargo boxes.
Looking at the crab-shaped engineering armor, he was so happy that his mouth couldn’t close. However, after a short while of excitement, he soon realized a new problem.
”Wait, I remember that this thing needs training before it can be used, right?”
As if he had guessed that he would ask this question, Fang Chang said with a smile as if he had been prepared for it.
”Don’t worry, I have hired trained workers, and they will come down in a while. Remember to protect their safety. According to the contract, they can only work within the safe zone.”
”Of course! Can I let them go out to work?” Daoxialiuren said with a smile, “Don’t worry, just leave it to me!”
”With you here, I will definitely feel at ease!” Fang Chang said with a smile.
Daoxiong, like him, is one of the earliest old players to enter the game. He has been a member of the Niuma group for a long time.
It’s just that this guy’s play style is too hardcore, or niche, and his combat power is mainly reflected on the construction site, so he is rarely noticed by other players.
If it were someone else, he might not be so assured, but it would definitely be reliable to leave it to this guy.
The two walked towards the center of the camp.
On the way, Fang Chang suddenly noticed that on a pile of goods not far from the beach, there were bundles of furs tied into tofu blocks with hemp ropes.
Some of them were furry, some were not, and they were of different shapes and sizes. There were also a variety of types, and all kinds of colors. There were
at least thousands of pieces in total!
”… My goodness, have you hunted so many prey in the past few days?”
Looking at the surprised expression on Fang Chang’s face, Daoxialiuren made a helpless expression.
”We didn’t take the initiative to hunt, but the prey came to us on their own.”
It’s okay if they came to us on their own…
When did Brother Guang become so generous?
Fang Chang was surprised, but soon he thought of the rumors he had heard from the scientific expedition team before, and said after thinking for a moment.
”…This rainforest is a little weird. I heard that the alien and mutant slime molds here are relatives. Maybe there is a mother nest not far from us. Remember to be careful when you are working, and be sure to pay attention to safety.”
”Don’t worry, I will be careful whether there is a mother nest or not!” Patting his arm, Daoxialiuren said with a smile, “But then again, if we can really dig up the mother nest, we will make a fortune. Just finding the location will give you one million silver coins. This reward is too damn much!”
”Indeed, even I am tempted.”
Fang Chang smiled, looking at the pile of furs, suddenly noticed the blood and mucus on it, and asked with a thought in his mind.
”By the way…are these raw hides that have not been processed?”
Daoxialiuren nodded.
”I guess so. It takes a lot of time to process these raw hides. I heard from those players who do fur business that the salt in the camp is almost sold out, and this is near the sea.”
Fang Chang was stunned.
”Is it so exaggerated?”
”Of course not,” Daoxialiuren said helplessly, “I saw that they recently opened two more salt fields, but manpower is still a problem. I heard that those players who do fur business are thinking about whether to send the raw hides back to Dawn City to find someone to process them.” There
are only more than 300 players in French Fries Port.
Although the Niu Ma Hao brought more than 200 good brothers who came here for the reputation, many of them were dead and resurrected before, and this number of people is not even enough for the construction team and the scientific expedition team. What
’s more, hiring players to do such delicate work as processing leather is a bit of a waste of talent, and it is not very suitable from an economic point of view.
”If we send it back for processing, I’m afraid it will stink on the road…” Fang Chang thought for a moment, and suddenly his heart moved. He looked at Daoxialiuren and said, “By the way, don’t they have people over there?”
Daoxialiuren: “You mean… those Moon Clan refugees?”
Fang Chang smiled and said.
”These jobs are not very intensive, and there should be no problem handing them over to those people. And it’s not just tanning leather, there are also some jobs of processing prey. If they can be handed over to NPCs, it will not only save costs, but also release more high-quality labor from those simple and repetitive jobs… You know what I mean.” Daoxialiuren looked
at the guy in front of him with a strange expression.
When he heard these words, he always had an illusion that the way this guy thought about problems was more and more like a certain NPC he knew.
”Is there something on my face?” Seeing that Daoxialiuren had been staring at him without saying anything, Fang Chang reached out and touched his face, but he didn’t touch anything.
Daoxialiuren, who came back to his senses, coughed lightly, cleared his throat and said.
”Nothing, I just think… your idea is good.”
This idea is indeed good. Although the facilities in French Fry Port are still a bit rudimentary, at least the fence has been built.
As long as you don’t leave the camp, safety is guaranteed.
”I’ll go to the forum to ask their opinions later… By the way, there is one more thing.” Halfway through his speech, he suddenly remembered something.
Fang Chang cast a questioning look at him.
”What is it?”
”About the work of clearing the rainforest,” after a pause, Dao Xia Liu Ren scratched his head and said in an uncertain tone, “According to the reports of some construction teams, when they were clearing the rainforest, they found that this forest has a strange self-repairing ability.”
Fang Chang frowned slightly.
”Self-repairing ability?”
Dao Xia Liu Ren nodded and continued.
”I don’t know if this is accurate, but the situation is that when they inspected the area they had just cleaned the next day, they found some shrubs, grass leaves and vines growing again. They seemed to have spread from the nearby forest. I thought at first that the construction teams that took on the task were lazy, but similar situations occurred in various work areas… This is very strange.”
With abundant rain and sunshine, most forests will naturally expand towards areas with fertile soil. This kind of thing itself is not surprising.
However, this kind of thing is often carried out in units of years, and only by observing it on a time scale of years can we find some clues.
But this tropical rainforest is different.
It is like it is alive, recovering its “wounds” at a speed visible to the naked eye…
Looking at Fang Chang who was lost in thought, Dao Xia Liu Ren suggested.
”I suggest that you mention this matter to the Alliance Biological Research Institute when you go back next time to see what they think.”
Fang Chang nodded carefully and cast his eyes on another airship in the sky.
”No need to wait to go back, they are here with the scientific expedition team.”
”You can just report the situation here to them later.”
…
At the same time when the two airships arrived at the French Fry Port, a dry bulk carrier loaded with cargo was slowly leaving the turbulent Borneo Sea and entering the tranquil Baiyue Strait from the west.
”…Watch it for me for a while.”
The old man in a brown jacket came out of the cab yawning and gave the door behind him to the young man in a white shirt. He went to sit on the recliner under the gangway, picked up the unfinished beer bottle in the plastic basket next to him and took two sips, squinting his eyes and blowing the sea breeze.
Usually he would never allow others to move his boat, but it was an exception when he drove to the Baiyue Strait.
Compared with the open Borneo Sea and the southern waters, this strait that runs through the Baiyue Province can hardly be called a sea, but more like a tranquil river.
In addition, there are reference points on both sides to determine the course, so it is still a bit difficult to deviate to drive the ship back.
That is why he would hand over the work of driving the boat to his young men, and he would come down to relax and rest for a while.
The old man’s name is Song Haining, a resident of the Ring Island, but he has lived in Silver Moon Bay for much longer than on the Ring Island.
Of course, the time he has spent in the two places combined is definitely not as long as when he was floating on the sea.
Years of wind and sun have made his face look like a freshly dried rag, and it is the kind that is black after wiping the bottom of a pot.
As long as he can remember, he has been working on the ship with his father, and he didn’t have his own cargo ship until he was thirty years old.
And now this “Northwest Wind” has been with him for twenty years.
Whenever he sees the mottled rust on the deck, he can’t help but think that maybe he should start to seriously consider retirement.
In the wasteland, the age of over fifty is definitely considered old…
”It’s still so quiet here.”
Walking to Song Haining’s side, the young man in a gray jacket put his arm on the railing on the side of the ship and smiled and said something.
His name is Mogawi. He is a merchant in Silver Moon Bay, Camel Kingdom. He is also the owner of the 5,000 tons of iron ore and coal on the cargo ship, and the employer of 30 mercenaries.
Recently, the Southern Islands Federation and Shelter No. 70 have been fighting each other. The offshore mining stations have been closed one after another due to the war, but the production of factories on the islands cannot be stopped, and the prices of various resources are almost rising.
Although there are considerable risks in doing business in this sea area, there are still many guys who are not afraid of death and decide to wade into this muddy water.
For example, this guy is one of them.
Song Haining doesn’t know his background, but the possibility of problems with the business introduced by the port is not high, and it is a route he is familiar with. Even
if this guy occasionally looks a little off the line, he doesn’t care, as long as the dinar is enough.
Hearing the voice from the side, the old captain who squinted his eyes to look at the scenery smiled faintly and put the empty beer bottle aside.
”I really hope it will always be this quiet here.”
”It will be!”
The man smiled confidently and continued, “Before I went out to sea, I asked someone to tell my fortune! The fortune teller told me that as long as we keep going forward in the direction of the rising sun, the land covered with gold will be waiting for us there.”
The land covered with gold…
Hearing this interesting statement, Song Haining couldn’t help but smile, raised his eyebrows and glanced at the thin sunlight, and then returned his gaze to the green shore in the distance.
He has been busy coming and going in this sea area for most of his life, and has never heard of any island covered with gold.
As for the land on both sides of the strait?
That goes without saying.
There is no way that treasure is hidden in that dense rain forest, only death.
Even if the ships traveling to and from this sea area run out of supplies, they will never consider going to the shore to try their luck. The forest there is like the open mouth of a monster, swallowing up anyone who tries to go deep.
”…You should bring the fortune teller on board so that we can ask him how far away the land covered with gold is from us.”
Song Haining replied lazily.
However, just as his voice fell, two incredible exclamations suddenly came from above the gangway.
”Front! Look up in the sky!”
”What is that?!”
In the sky?
Hearing the voice from above the gangway, Song Haining and Mogawi, who were on the deck, were both stunned.
The latter came to his senses first, and shouted “Silver Moon Goddess” in surprise, and then hurriedly trotted towards the gangway.
Did the prophecy come true?
Looking at the overjoyed guy, Song Haining had a weird expression on his face.
Although he instinctively didn’t believe in mysticism, he still stood up from the recliner and followed the merchant from Silver Moon Bay up the ladder.
”What did you see? What’s in the sky ahead–”
Walking to the guardrail of the observation deck, Song Haining was about to find the sailor who was shouting to find out what he had found, but he stopped talking halfway.
Looking in the direction pointed by the sailor, his sight passed over the rows of cargo boxes full of ore, and two white spheres floating below the clouds soon came into his sight.
Because of the distance, the thing looked as small as a balloon, but he didn’t think it was just two balloons.
That thing is an airship!
But why is the airship here?
Just as Song Haining was stunned, Mogavi beside him shouted out with joy.
”Airship! It’s an airship!”
”I know it’s an airship… I want to know why there is an airship in this damn place!”
After recovering from the surprise, Song Haining’s face was not excited at all, but gradually showed a trace of worry or fear.
The southern seas are not peaceful now. The Southern Islands Federation and Shelter No. 70 have been fighting for more than two months. Both sides are bloodthirsty and have long abandoned their bottom line.
He heard about it in a tavern near the Silver Moon Bay Pier before he went out to sea.
In order to cut off the supply of the islands of the Southern Islands Federation, the submarines of Shelter No. 70 are indiscriminately attacking ships in the southern seas. Many ships have been killed in the past month.
If the airship is an observation airship released by Shelter No. 70, they are afraid that they have been marked on the other side’s chart now.
Pushing open the door of the cab and walking out, the young man who had previously steered the helm for him hurriedly ran behind him and asked.
”Captain, do you want to continue forward?”
Without waiting for Song Haining to speak, Mogawi, who was standing aside, said excitedly.
”I think we should go over and take a look! Maybe there is a surprise waiting for us there.”
Glancing
at this guy who had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation, Song Haining hesitated for a moment and looked at the young man behind him.
”…Keep going.” It was too late to turn around at this time.
Moreover, if they changed their course at this time, they would have to take a detour from the southernmost tip of Baiyue Province, which would double the distance and there would not be that many supplies on the ship.
The young man nodded nervously and turned to run into the cockpit.
Song Haining took out a telescope and stared at the two silver-white airships, trying to see some clues from them.
Unfortunately, there was no obvious identification on the airships.
The only thing that made him a little relieved was that the two airships had wide cargo holds, and they were obviously cargo airships, not observation airships as he thought.
Moreover –
that crude design did not seem to come from Shelter No. 70. Perhaps it was something made by the Southern Islands Federation.
But the problem came again.
What was the Southern Islands Federation doing by releasing balloons in the Baiyue Strait?
Song Haining was puzzled.
While he was staring at the two airships, the Northwest Wind cargo ship continued to move forward, closing in on the two airships.
When the horizontal distance between the two sides was less than three nautical miles, a scenery he had never seen before suddenly appeared on the yellow-green coastline.
He was not the only one who noticed the situation on the coastline.
The sailors and mercenaries standing on the side of the ship watching the excitement almost exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
”There are people there!?”
”And there are quite a few!”
”Spirit of the Sand Sea… Are they dying?!”
There were no ships on the shore.
Those people should have come down from the airship.
Staring blankly at the camp on the shore, Song Haining opened his mouth involuntarily and was speechless for a while.
Mogawi, who was standing next to him, shouted excitedly.
”Port! It’s a port!”
Calling that thing a port is definitely bragging. This place doesn’t even have a pier extending to the deep water area. The golden beach is completely pristine.
However, the rows of tents and iron houses, as well as the surrounding earthen walls and watchtowers, did not look like they had just been built.
A long time ago, there was a rumor circulating in the tavern in Silver Moon Bay that the Baiyue Province was inhabited by demons exiled by the spirit of the sea of sand, and no one could stay on this land for a single day or a month.
Song Haining did not believe in the spirit of the sea of sand, but he believed the second half of the rumor.
The Hump Kingdom had tried to colonize this land a long time ago, but all attempts ended in failure without exception.
Not to mention the settlements of survivors in the southern seas, many of whose ancestors had fled to the island from the Baiyue Province.
Someone actually tried to camp along the Baiyue Strait…
Are these guys going to die? !
Just as everyone on the boat was surprised, two speedboats flying the flag of the Southern Islands Federation approached from the eastern seas.
Seeing the man at the bow of the speedboat from a distance, Song Haining waved his hand toward the cab behind him, gestured to stop the boat, and then shouted to the seamen under the gangway,
”Drop the anchor!”
The anchor was thrown from the stern and hit the seabed heavily. With the reverse propeller, the cargo ship stopped soon.
The two speedboats split into two groups, one on guard in the distance and the other approaching.
Muda boarded the deck with two sailors, looking at the captain who was coming towards him, and said concisely.
”Routine inspection, cooperate.”
Song Haining skillfully took out a cigarette box, took out a cigarette and handed it over, smiling politely.
”Understood, please.”
Muda took his cigarette, but did not take out a match to light it. He just casually put it in the pocket under his collar and led the two sailors to the cargo boxes on the deck.
Seeing the slow movements of the group of guys, Mogawi couldn’t help but walk down the gangway.
”We are delivering iron ore and coal here. It’s impossible to do business with Shelter No. 70. Besides, they don’t have a port to unload goods.”
Muda snorted and replied indifferently.
”That may not be the case. If you plan to sell them some valuables, this is the most suitable delivery point. Even if you throw a box down, no one will find it, right? And the seabed here is not too deep, and there are reference points nearby, so it is easy to salvage.”
Mogawei’s eyes widened.
”Are you kidding? We are such a big ship, and we are doing such a small business?”
What the hell?
Can you play it like this?
If I had known, he would have brought some valuables that Shelter 70 might be interested in!
Muda stopped and stared at him for a few seconds.
Feeling scared by that look, Mogawei smiled embarrassedly and took back his words, obediently stepped aside, and made a gesture of invitation.
”You… please.”
Muda ignored this guy and continued to check the cargo boxes piled on the deck one by one with his men.
In fact, what he didn’t say was that his recent mission was not only to prevent passing ships from trading with Shelter 70, but also to intercept refugees who were planning to go to the southern waters.
Recently, a cargo ship called Rourou stayed in their port and couldn’t be repaired no matter what. More than a thousand people ate and drank from them and couldn’t be driven away.
Although the gang is paying, it is a special period after all, and the supplies on the circular island are not abundant.
On the one hand, out of concern for offending the alliance, and on the other hand, it may be because of unrealistic fantasies about those guys, the Governor’s Office of the circular island did not take tough measures to drive away the cargo ship that stayed at the port, or cut off the supply of the ship.
However, they can’t let those nosy people throw refugees into their homes.
In order to prevent more refugees from being stranded at the port of the circular island, the local Governor’s Office had an idea and applied to the maritime patrol team of the Southern Islands Federation.
If a large number of survivors from the Borneo Province are found in the passing ships, they will be forced to disembark near the French Fries Port of the Alliance.
Don’t those guys like to meddle in other people’s business?
Then go ahead!
However, the ship seemed to be loaded with ore. Muda looked around and didn’t find anyone hiding, so he looked at the captain who was following him and said.
”I want to go under the cabin to take a look.”
”No problem.”
Song Haining smiled, suddenly thought of something, looked at the north shore and asked.
”Speaking of which, do you know those people?”
”Those?”
Muda raised his eyebrows and subconsciously followed his gaze to the north bank of the strait. After seeing the sloppy camp, he hastily retracted his gaze.
”They are from the Alliance.”
”Alliance?!”
Song Haining showed a surprised expression on his face.
”You mean… the one in the Valley Province?”
Muda: “Yeah.”
Song Haining was stunned for a long time before he managed to utter half a sentence.
”…What are those people doing here?”
This place is more than 2,000 kilometers away from the Valley Province!
No wonder they came here by airship…
Muda said impatiently.
”Then you have to ask them.”
Following the patrol captain back to the gangway, Song Haining suddenly saw the restless businessman, who was calling his mercenaries to drag an inflatable boat onto the deck.
”What are you doing?”
Clapping his hands and standing up, Mogawi looked at the captain who was walking towards him with a smile.
”I’m going to get closer to the shore and see what those guys are doing. Remember the divination I mentioned before? That piece of land covered with gold! Don’t you think that beach looks similar? I have a hunch! The opportunity to make a fortune is here!”
Song Haining stared at him blankly, listening to his nonsense.
”…Are you crazy?”
Mogawei said disapprovingly.
”It’s a waste of time to stay here anyway, so why not do something? Besides, I’m just going up to take a look, and I don’t plan to stay on shore overnight.”
Song Haining stared at him and said.
”The inspection will be over soon. There’s nothing to see under the cabin. It won’t take you long. We’ll be on our way soon.”
Mogawei said with a hearty smile.
”That’s perfect. I’ll be down for at most half an hour. Wait for me for a while.”
As he said this, he had already ordered someone to throw the inflatable boat with black iron wood hanging on it down, and hurriedly put on a life jacket.
Looking at this fearless guy, Song Haining’s brows twitched fiercely, but he finally held back his words.
”…Come back early.”
He swore.
For the sake of money, this is the last business he will do with this guy.
Mogawi, holding the ladder with both hands, chuckled.
”Okay!”
(End of this chapter)
