Chapter 820: Pawns of the Big Shots
Chapter 820: The pawns of the big shots.
With the mood of not crying until he sees the coffin, Alman took the shuttle bus of Settlement No. 1 to the ruins of Haibei City and walked the last 100 kilometers of this journey.
Without any surprise, the centurion rolled his eyes when he saw the paper in his hand.
”Go to whoever wrote this paper to you, or you can ask General Lium for it.”
Ten thousand dinars are enough to buy a ton of arms. According to this calculation, a tank is only more than 500,000!
The price given by the Alliance is more than three times this number when converted into dinars!
This guy wants to use a piece of paper to break the price. What a joke!
Alman asked without giving up.
”Then… where is he?”
Anthony said impatiently.
”On the Loyalty airship. If he is not in Ten Peaks Mountain, he has returned to the west to celebrate the New Year.”
In fact, this question is purely redundant. How can a general who has won a battle not return to Triumph City to show off?
The legion also gained a lot from this battle.
Although they failed to obtain the relevant information on the “perfect life form” technology in the torchbearer, which they were most concerned about, the collected gene samples alone were enough to keep the technical officers of various research institutes busy for a while.
If nothing unexpected happens, General Lium will probably be promoted to a three-star captain this time.
The last hope was also shattered.
The corner of Alman’s mouth twitched, and finally he put away the stack of waste paper in his hand.
He swore.
He would frame this thing and hang it in the most conspicuous place in the study, and add the training he wrote himself to pass it down from generation to generation –
only pigs believe in the promises of the Weilant people!
At this time, if he did not listen to the call of Governor Huye, but did the opposite, let the fleet run according to the original route, and send tea and sugar to Triumph City, he might be able to take advantage of the delayed delivery of a large number of goods from the Borneo Province to make a lot of money!
And because it was a familiar route, he didn’t need to go out to sea with the ship himself. In this way, he can stay with his family and spend the most important festival of the year in peace and security, instead of having to look at the faces of these big-headed soldiers and being kicked around by a group of bigwigs.
He was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly noticed that the exoskeletons he had seen at the dock before were also here.
Not only that –
the people wearing those exoskeletons did not seem to be the Weilant soldiers, but their captive slaves.
Alman stopped and asked curiously.
”…Strange, do you have so many exoskeletons here that they can be used for slaves?”
It would be better to sell them to him if there are so many surpluses.
Anthony’s expression suddenly became a little embarrassed, and he coughed and said.
”…That’s not a slave, it’s hired.”
Hired?
Alman was stunned and asked subconsciously.
”…How much?”
Anthony explained.
”It’s not expensive, 8 silver coins per hour.”
The moment he heard this number, Alman’s eyes almost popped out.
”What?! You actually paid him 8 silver coins per hour! Are you crazy?!”
Even at the highest exchange rate between dinars and silver coins, three dinars for one silver coin, that’s 24 dinars!
According to this conversion method, wouldn’t the people here earn more for one day’s work than the workers in Xifan Port for a month’s work? !
”Are you short of people here?” Alman’s eyes lit up and he continued to ask without stopping.
Looking at this guy with fiery eyes, Anthony felt his anus tighten.
”Shortage, that’s too short… Well, calm down first, I know what you are thinking, but according to the agreement of the Sticky Community, we can’t use the alliance’s transportation system to transport slaves here, so there is no way to short of them-”
”We have ships!” Alman was shaking with excitement, “How many do you want? I’ll pull them over for you!”
Anthony rolled his eyes.
”Do you think I can’t think of shipping? It’s useless. This large area to the north is considered our ‘enclave’. Unless you use an airplane to transport slaves here, they will be detained if they pass through the alliance. And the trouble is not just that. They do not recognize the legitimacy of the contract of personal freedom sale. Once the slaves escape into their territory, they become wastelanders. Do you understand what I mean?”
Alman was stunned for a long time, and then smiled bitterly after a moment.
”You… just listen to them?”
”What do you mean by listening to them?”
Anthony was very dissatisfied with what this guy said, and glanced at him.
”This is called game. Both parties take a step back on the terms that are acceptable to each other and resolve the conflict through dialogue. After all, it is not good for anyone to fight. But if you think we are afraid of them, you are really thinking too much… Well, if there is nothing else, you can go away.”
Alman: “…”
…
The Weilantes are still relatively polite to their own people. At least they will not be directly served with rifle butts because of one or two unpleasant words.
However, it is also a fact that merchants do not have a high status.
The civil servants group itself is not well received, not to mention the merchants supported by the civil servants.
Although Alman still wanted to try to fight for it, the centurion in charge of that area did not intend to waste time with him and drove him away directly.
Alman had no choice but to get on the car back to the Coast of Death.
The setting sun stretched the shadow of the gate of the No. 1 settlement very long.
The originally empty dock was full of ships. Looking around
, there were thousands of ships and it was busy. But looking at the empty deck, you can see that most of the people who arrived at the shore today were busy in vain.
Dragging his tired body back to the port, Alman happened to see his crew members having fun at the door of the bar by the port. One or two of them were drunk in the broad daylight.
Although most of the houses here are containers, many wastelanders like to do some small business, such as selling their own cocktails or rolled cigarettes. As long as they are not prohibited goods, the guards of the alliance will not care too much.
Alman suddenly envied these drunk guys.
In the past, he thought that these scumbags had no future. They could not save the salary in a few days and spent it on alcohol or women. They would never be able to get married in their lifetime, let alone have financial freedom… But now think about it, at least they don’t have to worry about whether they might lose everything in the next business deal.
Unlike me, they can get money as long as they go out to sea, and they can use the money to have fun when they land. Unlike me who is always frowning, in the end, my pockets are also emptied. What is the difference between them now?
Thinking of the bills to be faced after returning, Alman felt his scalp tingling. He didn’t dare to think about it at all. He could only mutter to the followers and bodyguards beside him.
”Damn… Let’s have a drink!”
Several people looked at each other. They knew that the boss was in a bad mood, but they didn’t know how to comfort him. They could only follow him and go to the most lively bar nearby.
Unlike other wasteland-style bars, this is one of the few houses built with bricks and cement. Standing in front of the bar is a one-eyed robot. The clock above the bar is actually the image of a holographic projector. It can be seen that the owner of this store is a tasteful guy.
In addition to the workers working in the port, there are also some guys who just got off the ship who drink here.
Seeing the depressed faces of these guys, Alman felt a little comforted in his heart. At least he is not the only one who was wronged.
The whole port was full of Weylanders who had lost money, sitting at the table and drinking beer one after another.
”Damn it!”
”That damned bastard! And that Benoit, none of these civil servants are reliable!”
”Not loyal at all!”
”I hope the mutants greet his whole family!”
How disgusting the praise they gave when they went out to sea before, how vicious the curses they gave now.
Merchants like Alman who have their own team are rare, and most people rent their boats.
In particular, many people are counting on this business to make a comeback, so they mortgaged everything they could, borrowed a large sum of money from the bank in Xifan Port, and rented all the boats that can be rented in the port.
However, now they have come up empty-handed, and all the unused equipment on the entire front line has been monopolized by the thing called “Goblin Technology”.
For these people, that is really a life-threatening situation.
Alman, who was sitting at the bar, ordered a beer, and sent the bodyguards and followers behind him aside because they were annoying.
Looking at the large wine glass with a capacity of one liter on the table, he was about to raise his head and drink it in one gulp, when a voice suddenly came from the side to talk to him.
”Hey.”
Alman glanced at the side and saw a strange face, so he frowned and asked.
”Who are you?”
It was a young guy who looked young, wearing a gray rhinoceros leather jacket.
He smiled, sat down on the stool next to him in a familiar manner, and spoke very talkatively.
”Zhang Ze, I came here a little earlier than you, doing something at the port.”
Without waiting for this guy to ask what he was doing specifically, Zhang Ze continued to talk non-stop.
”It’s rare to see Willant people here. Most of your compatriots are in Haibei City. Are you here to take them home?”
Alman said impatiently.
”Does it have anything to do with you?”
Zhang Ze said with a chuckle.
”It’s okay, I’m just curious. After all, it’s rare for an empty ship to come here. This port is like a hungry dead claw, and it can even digest containers… Is there any treasure here?”
Hearing this, Alman’s brows twitched fiercely, and he slapped the bar with his right hand and stood up.
”Are you here to make trouble?”
Just as he slapped his hand on the bar, the followers and bodyguards at the next table also stood up.
Seeing this guy getting angry, Zhang Ze quickly stood up and raised his hands, indicating to the other party that he had no ill intentions.
”Calm down, brother… I know you may have lost a lot, but anyway, you have lost it, why don’t you listen to me finish what I have to say?”
Although he was angry, seeing that everyone in the bar was looking at him, Alman suppressed his anger, winked at his bodyguards, and then calmed his heaving chest and sat back on the stool.
”Then let me see what ivory you can spit out of your mouth.”
Zhang Ze smiled, sat back next to him shamelessly, and continued in a low voice.
”…I can’t spit out the ivory, but I do have a way to make you make back the money you lost.”
”Oh?” Alman curled his lips and laughed at him, “Are you trying to tell me that you can make a fortune by dragging those broken containers to Xifan Port?”
Not paying attention to the distrustful look, Zhang Ze shook his head and said in a relaxed tone.
”Of course not…how much money can you make from that.”
Alman sneered again and took a sip from the wine glass.
”I don’t think there are more profitable specialties here.”
Zhang Ze said patiently.
”Indeed, there are no specialties here. This place is still in the stage of land reclamation, but it is precisely because of this that there is a great demand for certain things here, such as…population.”
Alman frowned slightly.
”Population? But I heard that the Alliance prohibits the slave trade.”
”You are right, but it is not accurate,” Zhang Ze nodded and continued with a smile, “The Alliance does not recognize only the slave contract, but does not prohibit another more euphemistic way of restricting personal freedom.”
Alman snorted without comment.
”For example?”
”For example, debts, especially debts within a reasonable range, are recognized by the alliance.”
Hearing this unexpected answer, Alman was stunned.
”…What do you mean?”
Zhang Ze continued with a smile.
”It means that if you casually take out an IOU and say that someone owes you money that you can’t pay back in your lifetime, then the relevant departments of the alliance will not recognize it, and they will probably investigate whether you have any problems… What kind of psychopath would lend money to someone knowing that he can’t pay it back in his lifetime?”
”But in another case, if you can also provide a reasonable reason to explain how the debt came about, and make sure that the lender can pay off the debt within 20 or 10 years without affecting his life… then the alliance will recognize the debt.”
”I don’t understand what you are saying.” Alman frowned, “Are you in the loan business? I don’t need a loan now, and I don’t have any extra money to do this business.”
”No, no, no, I’m not in the money lending business, but… I’m very interested in another business.” Zhang Ze put his hand on his shoulder and said in a persuasive way, “Look, there is a shortage of people here, and it’s very, very scarce. We need to build ports and railways, build our cities and streets, and there are places that need people everywhere… and there is a place just a few thousand kilometers away that has the most shortage of people. If we buy them here–”
Alman said with a sneer.
”You can’t do slave trade here. Do you buy people and then release them?”
”So you need to change your mindset. Can’t we find a way to turn their slave contracts into debt contracts? Do you really want them to call you master?”
Looking at the stunned Alman, Zhang Ze continued to explain patiently.
”The specific operation is also very simple. We can register a labor agency and a loan company in the alliance, and then register a labor dispatch company in Xifan Port to buy healthy slaves from the nobles, or help those free people who have redeemed themselves.”
”This is of course not free. We just give them a second possibility in life, and they need to pay the money themselves.”
”1,000 dinars for redemption, 3,000 dinars for resettlement, 10,000 silver coins for ship tickets and travel expenses plus 3% interest, a total of nearly 30,000 silver coins to be repaid in 20 years. Sounds scary, doesn’t it? But it’s only 125 silver coins per month!”
”I think the profit is enough, and we can even waive their labor agency fees and financial service fees depending on the situation.”
”Of course, if they develop well in the future and want to redeem their families or send money back to support them, we can also provide them with similar services.”
”125 silver coins per month is scary enough…” Alman smacked his lips, swallowed a mouthful of fragrant beer, and even spoke in a polite tone.
If 10,000 people are transported here, wouldn’t it be possible to collect more than 1.2 million silver coins every month? !
And it can be collected for 20 years!
Although it can’t catch up with the profit of arms, it is also quite scary.
Thinking that Alman was worried that the workers could not afford the money, Zhang Ze smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
”The money of Xifan Port has been earned by you big noses, of course they can’t pay so much money. But this is the territory of our respected managers. Even if you have no hands or feet, we can lend you money to install an arm. As long as you are willing to work, it’s easy to earn more than a thousand silver coins a month… How about it? Do you want to do it?”
Alman had already figured out the deal in his heart. He didn’t spend a long time hesitating. He drank half a glass of beer in one gulp and slammed the glass on the table.
The decadent eyes seemed to have a second spring, and were once again imprinted with the light of ambition.
”Fuck! Damn it… I have to at least make back the money I made on this deal.”
If this deal goes through, the bank in Xifan Port might be able to loosen the rope around his neck!
Damn it!
When he makes money, he must pay off all the loans!
Looking at Alman who has regained his spirits, Zhang Ze finally showed a happy smile on his face.
In the past few days working at the dock, he has saved enough money to register a company. If this thing can be done, he will be at the peak of his life in no time!
”Wait a minute, my partner will be here soon…”
”Partner? Do you have other partners?” Alman raised his eyebrows slightly, showing an interested expression.
Zhang Ze glanced at the time on the holographic wall clock, then looked towards the direction of the door and said with a smile.
”Of course, I can’t do such a big deal alone, and this idea of labor export is actually brought by my partner from the neighboring North Island… The people have arrived, right over there.”
Alman followed his line of sight and saw four guys in blue jackets standing at the door.
Seeing this, he suddenly showed a surprised expression on his face.
It was actually a blue mole? !
Good guy!
This business is stable!
Although he didn’t like the Alliance and had just been cheated by the Alliance’s goblin technology, if he was a teammate, it would be another situation.
No one would think that their allies were too reliable.
The four people looked around the bar and soon saw Zhang Ze waving at them, so they walked straight over.
Alman immediately showed a graceful smile on his face, looked at the four friends who were coming towards him and took the initiative to extend his right hand.
”I am Alman, a merchant from Xifan Port. May I ask who you are?”
The man walking in front also had an enthusiastic expression and grabbed his right hand.
”My name is Farsighted Eagle, and the one next to me is War Wolf… We are all residents of Shelter No. 404. The names are a bit strange, please don’t mind.”
”Hello.”
War Wolf nodded, and his taciturn appearance made him look like a hidden master.
But in fact, the reason why he behaved like this was just because he had not learned a few words of the human language.
This is the only thing that bothers me about the Strength System.
The intelligence attribute is too low in the early stage, with only three pitiful points, and it is like playing as a retard.
What a strange name…
But when I think that the other party came out of the shelter, Alman is not surprised.
”Then… what about these two?”
His eyes fell on the two friends behind Brother Eagle and Brother Wolf.
They seemed to be residents of the shelter as well, and he asked their names out of courtesy.
However, for some reason, the four people in front of him all showed subtle expressions on their faces.
The far-sighted Eagle coughed dryly.
”Don’t ask about these two… Just pretend that they don’t exist.”
”Gan! What do you mean by non-existent!” [Stick of Shit] glared at him, then smiled and greeted the Willant in front of him, stammering but trying hard, “My name is Stick, and my brothers call me Brother Stick. That guy is Guan, you can call him Brother Guan or Brother Guan.”
Dog of the Catheter: “???”
Alman’s eyebrows jumped involuntarily, always feeling that these guys in front of him were unreliable, but he decided to observe them before drawing conclusions.
So he looked at Zhang Ze and said,
”When do we leave?”
Zhang Ze looked at Brother Eagle, then at Alman, and said with a smile.
”It’s all up to me. I’ll be at the port anyway. You guys discuss the departure time.”
Alman looked at the four residents of the shelter, and the leader, the Farsighted Eagle, immediately said.
”The sooner the better, I don’t want to stay here for a moment… If we return now, we might be able to catch up with her birthday next month.”
Alman suddenly remembered something.
”By the way, I have to buy a souvenir for my daughter… Is there a store nearby?”
The four players were stunned when they heard this and looked at each other.
”Souvenirs are okay… What souvenirs are there here?”
”How about buying a doll?” Brother Dog suggested.
”That’s too unspecial,” Brother Stick shook his head, “It’s better to take a bottle of sand back.”
The warlike wolf clicked on the VM, checked the translation, and suddenly stammered.
”How about mutant specimens? The mutants here are quite special, some with fish fins.”
The other three were shocked when they heard it.
”Good fellow.”
”Fuck.”
”You’re too curious!” “That
won’t do…” Alman said with embarrassment, barely understanding their conversation, “I’ve sent specimens made of mutant heads before, but my little Ruby doesn’t like it… My wife doesn’t like it either, she says it’s scary to see it at night.” Farsighted Eagle
: “……?” Catheter
Dog: “…”
Shit Stirring Stick: “Awesome…”
Listening to what these people said, Zhang Ze couldn’t help but cover his forehead and pat it, and suddenly had an idea.
”How about taking a few photos? Your children should not have been to the wasteland, the scenery here should be quite special.”
Alman’s eyes lit up when he heard it, and he hugged his shoulders excitedly with both hands.
”My friend, you are so smart! Why didn’t I think of it!”
Farsighted Eagle patted him on the shoulder.
”Then go take a picture quickly, the sun is about to set, there are not as many street lights as North Island and French Fries Port here, and you can’t see anything when it gets dark.”
The group left the bar noisily, and took a lot of photos before the sun completely set, recording the scene of Settlement No. 1 at dusk.
Standing on the deck of the cargo ship that was about to set sail, Alman fiddled with the Polaroid camera he bought from the port grocery store. Suddenly, he laughed and touched the back of his head.
”Why didn’t I think of this idea before… Taking pictures, what a good idea.”
Cameras are not rare, and he has been to many more interesting settlements than this one.
If he had taken pictures of them all, the pictures would have covered an entire wall.
What a pity!
As he spoke, he took another picture of the setting sun that was sinking into the sea.
”It’s okay, it’s not too late to start recording from now on, there’s still a long way to go in life…” Farsighted Eagle patted him on the shoulder in a condescending manner, pretending to be serious, practicing his unskilled human language.
”That’s true…”
Alman grinned and put away the camera.
He suddenly felt that these residents of the shelter were not so annoying. Putting aside their positions, it was actually quite interesting to be friends with them.
These guys are quick-witted and always come up with some fantastic ideas… including the legendary space elevator under construction.
He couldn’t imagine these guys calling him master, and it would be a real bummer if that happened.
The crew members who hadn’t finished drinking went up the deck one by one through the gangway. After counting the number of people, the captain walked up to Alman.
”It’s ready, we can set off at any time… Is it okay to go back with an empty ship? We’ve made two trips in vain.”
Alman said in high spirits.
”No problem, and this trip is not in vain. After this trip, we can quickly start a new business that is more profitable… Ah, sorry, the dividends from this business may be–”
Looking at the boss who was high-spirited one second and stuttered the next, the captain made an indifferent expression and shrugged his shoulders.
”It doesn’t matter. Actually, when I heard you say there was such a high profit, I knew it was not a good thing… If it’s not, then it’s not. I just hope I don’t miss my birthday. My family is still waiting for me to go back.”
Farsighted Eagle asked curiously.
”What is a birthday?”
”It’s the day when the Weilant people were born. It’s the beginning of a great legend.”
Alman’s mouth curled up slightly, looking at the sea in the distance, and shouted at the top of his voice.
”Set sail!”
The air whistle sounded.
While those empty-handed cargo ships were still lingering in the port and were reluctant to leave, a group of eight cargo ships had already embarked on a new journey in the direction of the setting sun.
The fiery red light sprinkled in the direction they were heading, and the afterglow of the setting sun filled the entire sparkling ocean.
That burning color.
It was just like blood-stained red.
(End of this chapter)
