In a small meeting room in the school's administrative building, several people sat around a long table. Guo Qian sat in the main seat, with Luo Ling, Elaina, Morey, Farrell, Chen Hansheng and Karanda sitting next to him. These people belonged to different departments, but now they sat together because of a task.
Opposite them, a blond young man wearing chain mail and carrying a long sword was the reason for this meeting.
"Mr. Adam, you keep asking about the whereabouts of Master Xiao Chen. Are you doubting my magical ability and the strength of all of you here? You should know that if I hadn't insisted on fulfilling this agreement in the committee, you would probably have no choice but to take some compensation gold coins and go home. More than one person has expressed that they don't want to be involved with you, the descendants of the Black Dragon Empire." Luo Ling placed her fingers crossed on the table and leaned forward slightly, looking very aggressive.
A Dan seemed a little embarrassed. "Sir Luo Ling, I understand. Please don't misunderstand. It's just that according to what we know, Master Xiao Chen is the most powerful mage here. Our ancestors left a message, specifying that we must bring a powerful magician with us in order to successfully obtain the empire's legacy."
"Xiao Chen and I are at the same level. Moreover, exploration requires more than just force. I believe that when faced with complex problems that need to be studied, I will be better than Master Xiao Chen." Luo Ling said.
"That's right. Teacher Luo Ling studies mathematics. We have an old saying: A discipline can only be truly perfect when it successfully applies mathematics. I believe that although magic is mysterious, it cannot escape this law." Guo Qian echoed.
"Morey is in charge of formations and runes, Farrell is in charge of mechanisms and traps, the high-level warrior Miss Kalanda is in charge of our safety, and the high-level Rain Priest Miss Elaina is in charge of assistance and treatment." Luo Ling introduced them one by one. "I think this team should be the most suitable and comprehensive team we can send out."
Adam met Luo Ling's confident eyes and felt the pressure from them. He shifted his butt on the chair and explained, "It's not that I doubt your abilities, but there is a special thing about this ruins that forces me to be extra careful. The teleportation array leading to the ruins limits the number of people that can enter at a time, so I have to make sure that everyone who enters is the best choice that is irreplaceable."
"Do you have a better candidate to replace any of us?" Luo Ling asked back.
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"Stop! Don't run around! Watch your step!" Ji Yijun shouted as he used his fighting spirit to leap onto the roof. Fortunately, the houses in this newly built river bend area were densely populated, so he always had a place to gain leverage.
Twenty meters ahead, there was a figure with fluttering blonde hair. The sunlight shone through her golden hair, and the ends of her hair were like the waves of wheat in the fields, glittering and undulating. She nimbly jumped from one roof to another, sometimes going downstairs, sometimes going upstairs, or lightly jumping over the wall, like a squirrel playing in the woods.
She would look back at Ji Yijun from time to time, sometimes hooking her finger provocatively, and sometimes letting out a string of silver bell-like laughter.
"I say! Can't you walk properly?!" Ji Yijun shouted. He was chasing after Adan's sister Aura. Since her brother was negotiating in the school, she couldn't sit still and asked to come to the school's Hewan New District to take a look. The accompanying task was finally assigned to Ji Yijun.
Ji Yijun remembered that Aola was silent except for the fight with him. But today he realized that it was all an illusion.
When the two of them came in the carriage, she still looked somewhat like a lady, but after getting off the carriage, she became a little mouse running around.
When she heard Ji Yijun say that the industrial zone was not allowed to be visited, she used all her fighting spirit to climb onto the roof and ran towards the heavy industrial zone with several chimneys.
The space inside the school is limited. This new area, located between Camp No. 3 and the school and close to the school wall, will become the main living and working area for the school's students. The school itself will gradually return to its original function and become a center responsible for administration, education and research.
Four or five not-so-tall chimneys were already in sight. Ola ran to the edge of the roof and was about to jump onto the factory building when he suddenly heard a "bang".
"Don't shoot!" Ji Yijun yelled.
Ola was startled by the gunshot and stopped in fear, squatting on the roof in a hurry. Ji Yijun rushed to her side in two steps and grabbed her. He said to the two soldiers of the guard battalion with guns below: "Lao Zhang, don't be nervous, this is our guest, just a little naughty."
After being stopped like this, Ola realized that Ji Yijun was not joking when he said "I can't go and see", so he obediently followed him in the opposite direction.
"They're so mean," she said, pouting.
"My dear lady, it was you who wanted to break into the forbidden area without saying anything. Those old men up there really value these factories. If you want to cooperate with us, don't do anything stupid."
Aura looked at the chimney in front of him, blinked his eyes and said, "I just want to see if there is a fire dragon spewing smoke inside."
Ji Yijun stared at her for a while and asked, "Are you serious?"
"Yeah. The last time I came here, I saw that small chimney and thought so. Now this one is much bigger. If there is a dragon hiding in it, it must be even bigger, right? Ah, are you laughing at me!" Ola kicked, but Ji Yijun dodged it.
"Yes, there is a dragon in there, and we feed it humans every day." Ji Yijun said seriously, and suddenly lowered his voice: "Do you know who the dragon likes to eat the most?"
"Who?" Ola's eyes widened.
"The girl with golden hair. The smoke is from the barbecue."
Ola covered his mouth in fear, and then when he saw Ji Yijun couldn't help laughing, he realized that he had been fooled, and angrily punched him.
Ji Yijun dodged a few moves, and was hit a few more times, and shouted, "Okay, stop it. If you hit me again, the guards will come over."
He took advantage of Ola's distraction and grabbed her arm. The latter struggled a few times but couldn't get rid of it. She snorted and turned her head away.
"Okay, let's be serious. Those are all factories in the heavy industrial zone. The chimneys you see are from the steel and copper factories. There are also wood processing plants, coking plants, brick factories, stone factories and cement factories nearby. Some of the factories are just frameworks, and our people haven't filled them in yet. But next year, everything will be different."
Ji Yijun's words aroused Aura's curiosity again. She stopped pretending to be angry and turned around to ask, "What is a factory? What is heavy industry?"
Ji Yijun let go of her arm, scratched his head and explained the concept to her: "A factory is similar to the workshop you have seen. Maybe the management method is a little different, with more people? More machines? In my hometown, it is not uncommon for a factory to have thousands of people."
"No wonder you guys were not satisfied with eating so many slaves before, and you are still buying slaves from everywhere."
"Yes. We also attract refugees. This winter, a thousand more people came. We are doing a good thing, aren't we? Those slaves and refugees will no longer freeze to death or starve to death here. As long as they work hard, they can slowly live a good life." Ji Yijun said with pride in his words.
"As for heavy industry, it's factories that produce raw materials and machines."
"This is heavy industry... so there must be light industry as well, right?"
"Yes, the glass, clothes, and weapons we sell are all produced in the light industry zone. Light industry is our biggest money maker, but some manufacturers haven't moved out of the school yet. It will be very busy next time you come. Well, since we can't get in here, let's go to other areas."