Chapter 478, Water Demon Conch
Minnie was full of excitement and ran over to ask.
It could be seen that she was still quite satisfied.
The building had six floors in total, with multiple rooms on each floor.
Wu Heng chose the fourth floor, while Minnie and Andviel chose the third floor.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's arrange the Alchemists and Artificers on the fifth floor, otherwise going up and down would be inconvenient."
Actually, how to arrange the skeletons wasn't something to fuss about too much.
The main concern was whether it would be convenient for their actions.
If they were placed on the sixth floor, having to climb an extra level later would be troublesome.
"Where's that little shorty who makes bombs?" Minnie continued to ask.
Shorty?
Then, Wu Heng glanced downward.
His gaze landed on the skeleton bomber draped in a leather cloak, an Alchemist skilled in crafting alchemical rolling bombs.
The bomber had been a gnome before being transformed, so he was rather short.
"Isn't there a house outside prepared for the guards? Arrange one for him as his laboratory."
Rolling bombs still carried some degree of danger.
It was better to keep him outside.
"Okay!" Minnie agreed enthusiastically.
She let the bomb skeleton wait at the door, then took the other skeletons up to the fifth floor.
At the same time, she brought out some equipment and materials, beginning to set up the rooms.
After the rooms for a few special skeletons were arranged.
Minnie continued assigning tasks to the remaining skeletons, gradually bringing the entire manor to life.
Skeletons climbed onto the roof to install solar panels, hung from the walls on ropes to clean, and worked below to clear courtyard debris and transport items.
The scene was exceptionally busy.
Wu Heng joined in for a while but, seeing he wasn't much help, returned to his room.
He opened the Dimensional Gate and headed to the Zombie World.
...…
Meanwhile.
Stepping out of the Dimensional Gate, it was still the manager's office.
Snowflakes had begun to fall again outside the window.
Though not heavy, they turned the previously cleared roads white once more.
He took out the walkie-talkie and called Li Yanhong.
Soon, Li Yanhong, wearing a long black down coat, and Qi Hancai, in a short white down coat with jeans, walked in one after the other.
"My king!" Qi Hancai greeted with a smile.
"When did you get here?" Wu Heng nodded and asked.
"I came yesterday with the train."
"Come in!"
They entered the room together and found seats to sit down.
Wu Heng asked Qi Hancai, "Everything okay on your side?"
Currently, the two women were managing different areas.
Li Yanhong was in charge of 'Xinfu City,' their home base.
It was considered their foundation.
Qi Hancai managed 'Anhui City,' the first neighboring city they had taken over.
"No issues. I assigned the tasks before coming," Qi Hancai replied, then added, "We had planned to head to the next city to establish a trading post, but it started snowing again."
Establishing the next trading post had been decided for some time.
However, in the northern region, winter snowstorms were frequent.
Plans kept getting delayed.
Wu Heng himself had been tied up with matters on Gold-Silver Island and couldn't visit the next location.
"No rush," Wu Heng said.
Qi Hancai nodded.
Wu Heng then turned to Li Yanhong. "Any issues here?"
Li Yanhong replied, "No major problems. I asked around the base, but the remaining foreign languages are quite niche, and not many people know them. We'll see if we can recruit from outside."
Languages from small countries or less common ones weren't very critical.
After all, advanced technology or equipment was mostly owned by powerful nations.
Small places had rare languages and were unlikely to have anything cutting-edge.
At most, they could offer gold for trade.
Of course, gold was still important.
After listening, Wu Heng.
Seeing the two women had nothing else to report.
Continued, "I need you to gather some things. Arrange them as soon as possible."
The two women straightened up, their faces serious.
Wu Heng continued, "First, engineering vehicles like loaders and excavators. Collect as many types as possible. We'll have the skeletons learn to use them.
Second, find people in the base who understand construction engineering and have them train the skeletons to learn relevant knowledge.
Also, check if the nearby brickyards and cement factories around the city can be restored to operation."
Hearing Wu Heng's words, the two women were momentarily stunned.
Clearly, this was for some kind of construction project.
They exchanged glances but didn't ask further, nodding directly.
"Alright, I'll give the orders."
"I'll also notify my side to start collecting these vehicles."
After discussing business.
The two women prepared to leave.
Wu Heng raised an eyebrow slightly at Li Yanhong.
Her face flushed red. After Qi Hancai left the room, she leaned closer and said, "I promised Sister Hancai I'd learn makeup from her tonight. I'll accompany you next time."
Saying that, she kissed him on the cheek.
Then she walked out.
Chatting with Qi Hancai as they headed downstairs.
"Since when did those two get along so well?"
...…
At dusk, Wu Heng returned to the manor on Gold-Silver Island.
Coming downstairs, he saw Minnie pulling Andviel along to discuss room allocations.
Seeing Wu Heng descend, she immediately smiled. "Master, dinner is ready."
"Alright, in the future, don't wait for me if I don't come down," Wu Heng said, wrapping an arm around Minnie's shoulder as they headed to the dining room.
"This is our first meal after moving in. Of course, you'll eat with us," Minnie said with a smile.
"True!"
They arrived at the dining room together.
The long dining table had 12 chairs set up.
Though the dishes were more plentiful than usual, they still seemed sparse on the table.
After eating for a while.
Wu Heng looked up at Andviel. "Viel, is everything okay at the town hall?"
"No problems. Everyone is quite cooperative," Andviel replied.
"If anyone gives you trouble, let me know."
Andviel smiled. "With you here, Master, who would dare?"
Minnie added, "Master, Viel was saying earlier how big your bed is. She wants to see if it's comfortable."
Wu Heng glanced at Andviel, who pinched the mischievous Minnie.
But she didn't deny it, sipping her soup and softly muttering, "Is that okay, Master?"
"Then tonight, we'll celebrate moving into our new home together."
"Alright!" Minnie shouted happily.
After dinner, the three of them went to the training room for a session.
When they finished, they took a bath and went to the bedroom to rest together.
...
The next morning, early.
Wu Heng woke up from his sleep.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Andviel sitting at the bedside, getting dressed.
Her smooth, white back and fluffy fox tail were visible.
He reached out and touched her soft tail, and Andviel turned to look at him. "Master, did I wake you?"
"No, it's about time to get up anyway."
Andviel glanced at the still-sleeping Minnie, leaned back down, stuck out her tender red tongue, and offered it to him.
Wu Heng hugged her, gently stroking her smooth waist and hips.
After a while of intimacy, Minnie yawned and opened her eyes.
Andviel sat back up and urged Minnie to get up and prepare breakfast.
After breakfast.
Minnie looked at Wu Heng, who was fully armored, and asked, "Master, are you going out today too?"
"Yes, I need to return the old house we rented. We won't go back there anymore."
That property was originally rented from the Snake Emblem Consortium.
Now, it was no longer needed and would be returned.
At the same time, he would settle the commissions previously arranged with the Snake Emblem Consortium.
"Oh, alright then."
After packing up their things.
Wu Heng and Andviel left together.
When they arrived at the central district, Andviel went into the town hall, while Wu Heng entered the Snake Emblem Consortium.
Inside the VIP room.
The door opened, and a man in a purple suit walked in with a smile.
He glanced at Wu Heng in the room, bowed slightly, and greeted, "I'm Rostand, the Snake Emblem Consortium's representative on Gold-Silver Island. It's an honor to meet you, Island Lord."
Rostand was the local representative on Gold-Silver Island.
Wu Heng gave him a glance. He was tall and thin, with upturned eyebrows and narrow eyes.
He looked like a shrewd man.
Wu Heng had met him before, but not during his own business dealings; Rostand usually dealt with other merchants on the island.
After glancing at him, Wu Heng took out his insignia and handed it over. "I'm here to settle the account for the house we rented and the commissions we posted. Are they ready?"
"Understood." The man accepted the insignia and handed it to a staff member outside the door.
Then he sat back down.
He started, "These past couple of days, I've been planning to visit you with some gifts, but work has been too hectic.
After the New Year, the Consortium plans to expand its business and increase trade in the surrounding sea areas. When the time comes, we'll need to trouble you, Island Lord, regarding land matters."
Wu Heng listened for a moment, then replied flatly, "The town hall will have unified planning. As long as it follows the process, there won't be a problem."
The man paused briefly, then continued, "The Consortium's development relies on various collaborations. We're planning to allocate 5% of our local revenue to the Island Lord's estate as funding for island development."
They were even starting to offer money directly now.
Wu Heng understood the implication.
They wanted to secure a good relationship and tie the local Consortium closely to him.
"No need, normal cooperation is enough," Wu Heng responded as calmly as before.
The man raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly not expecting his monetary offer to be rejected.
He glanced at Wu Heng, wondering if he had learned through certain channels.
Perhaps Wu Heng knew the Consortium was limiting the collection of high-level corpses.
But how could that have leaked?
It shouldn't have been possible.
While he pondered, there was a knock on the door.
Three coffins were brought in and placed on the ground.
"Open them," the man said.
The coffins were opened one by one, revealing the corpses inside.
The man checked the records and said, "Three corpses: two Level 12 Ironsmiths and one Level 13 Artificer."
Wu Heng didn't hold any expectations for this delivery.
He had killed so many pirates himself, yet the Consortium was still offering this level of corpses.
"Close them up and settle the final payment," Wu Heng said directly.
The coffins were sealed again, and Wu Heng stored them all in his spatial ring.
While the staff calculated the final payment, the representative continued, "Island Lord, you can post new commissions. We'll do our best to gather the corpses you need."
"No need, it's unnecessary now," Wu Heng replied bluntly.
Besides, their cooperation hadn't been particularly smooth.
Moreover, Wu Heng now held the rank of Standard Bearer in the Guild, a status tied to his identity.
Buying corpses from the Consortium wasn't a rational move.
Even if he had done so in the past, he couldn't continue doing it now.
Of course, he still needed to collect corpses, but he would do so through Lopez City instead.
Hearing Wu Heng's refusal again.
The man quickly said, "Island Lord, previously, pirates were rampant at sea, and many goods were difficult to deliver."
Wu Heng glanced at him. Clearly, the man was aware of the high-level corpse situation.
"We'll cooperate again when there's a need."
The man's casual expression disappeared. He hesitated to speak but ultimately didn't know how to approach the subject.
He could only remain silent.
Meanwhile, the staff finished calculating the price.
Wu Heng paid the final amount.
...
Leaving the room.
The man followed alongside him. "Island Lord, if there's anything you need in the future, please don't hesitate to come by. The Consortium is fully committed to serving you."
Wu Heng continued walking outside without replying.
As he passed the bulletin board, he noticed a crowd gathered in front of it, seemingly looking at something.
Following their gaze, he glanced over.
Wu Heng's eyes narrowed slightly.
[Rare Item 'Water Demon Conch': Provides an effect that summons a 'Sea Shark' formed of water elements to charge at the target, dealing tearing and water poison damage. Exchange requirement: Two bottles of constitution-altering potion.
—Exchange Location: Ekow Kingdom, Netarei City.]
Thanks to 08a for the reward.