The cargo ship departed from Port Ormos and sailed straight to Yilong Wharf.
The journey was smooth and peaceful the entire way.
Whether passengers, merchants, or the captain, everyone was very satisfied.
It was said that the pirates who had recently appeared on this route had all been driven away by the Crux Fleet.
Speaking of the Crux Fleet, the Liyue people present had plenty to say.
"Our Captain Beidou is no ordinary person.
She's the ruthless one who slew Haishan when she was still young.
What kind of existence is Haishan?
It looks like both a fish and a dragon, enormous as a nightmare, powerful as a god.
A light strike from it can raise waves dozens of meters high!"
The speaker paused deliberately and took a sip of tea.
"One strike. Just one strike.
Captain Beidou's strike cut through clouds and moon, like mountain and sea, completely severing the leviathan's head!"
The pink-haired reporter elbowed the person beside her. "Is what he said true?"
The young man only smiled faintly and did not reply.
The ship soon arrived at Yilong Wharf.
Mu Yang leaped lightly back onto the dock.
The pink-haired reporter didn't have such skill and could only hurry after him on foot.
In truth, the distance from Fontaine to Yilong Wharf was short enough that Mu Yang could have skipped the ship entirely.
But this was a major project he had invested in and built.
He should experience it more himself to see where improvements were still needed.
As for the pink-haired reporter.
Charlotte had originally only wanted to report on the current situation of Port Ormos. It was said that the infrastructure there had been mostly perfected, so she came to take a look.
She hadn't expected to run into Mu Yang.
During one of the "girls' gatherings" after Fontaine's prophecy ended, Charlotte had learned that Mu Yang was the true financier behind Port Ormos' construction.
So, wasn't this perfect timing?
Reporting on Mu Yang would definitely attract more attention than a dry report on Port Ormos.
Unfortunately, when Charlotte approached him in her capacity as a reporter, Mu Yang's answers were all official, proper, and watertight.
"Fine, fine, I give up."
Charlotte admitted defeat and stopped playing word games with Mu Yang.
She couldn't win. She simply couldn't win.
Learning that Mu Yang was returning to Chenyu Vale this time, Charlotte shamelessly tagged along.
"Just following a friend back for a visit. You don't have to look at me with such disdain, right?"
"I'll write an article about Chenyu Vale's development. I'll cover all food and lodging during this period."
"Is this bribery? I'm a reporter who pursues truth. I only speak the truth!"
Charlotte patted her [Monsieur Verite].
"Then never mind."
"Hey, don't go! Wait for me, we can negotiate!"
Both of them knew this was just a small joke.
Seeing the development of Port Ormos, Charlotte knew Yilong Wharf definitely wouldn't be any worse.
Because this was Mu Yang's hometown.
He had invested in Port Ormos precisely for Yilong Wharf.
Sure enough, as soon as Charlotte got off the ship, she noticed the changes here.
Just the scale of the harbor alone had more than doubled.
Compared to that, Mu Yang paid more attention to the increased number of Millelith at the dock.
This meant the matter he had asked Ningguang for had been handled.
No wonder the shipping route was so peaceful.
Beidou's reputation alone couldn't achieve this level.
It still required regular troops.
An escort master nearby set down the cargo box in his hands. "It's a little past three, time for tea first!"
Charlotte was stunned. "Bro, it's only three o'clock!"
"You're resting at this hour?"
"Don't work too hard. Rest when it's time to rest. It's already three o'clock, time for tea."
This answer actually surprised Mu Yang as well.
Logically, shouldn't they be busier?
"You guys are way too relaxed, aren't you?" Charlotte couldn't help complaining.
"Can't be helped. We've already finished half a year's escort work. Of course doing odd jobs feels leisurely."
It turned out that not only had Ningguang sent Millelith to guard the area,
she had also sent people from the Heyu Tea House to help.
They reviewed the records and found that the escort agencies' planning was somewhat chaotic.
Some established agencies were so busy they couldn't handle everything in a year,
while the newer ones or those without reputation couldn't even get a sip of soup.
This was a serious imbalance that affected local development.
Thus, the Heyu Tea House stepped in.
The people Ningguang sent were quite capable.
They carried out redistribution while protecting the interests of all parties.
Take the current escort master for example.
He used to run ten escort trips a year with almost no rest time.
Now, he only needed to run two or three.
And he wasn't earning much less than before.
He had even gained a good reputation among his peers.
"If I earn a bit less, I can still eat well and drink well. But if those young lads lose these jobs, they might not even have food to eat."
This person had a good mindset.
Now that he had free time, he could still do odd jobs at the dock. His days were even more comfortable than before.
"When we were still mediocre, we fought with our own skills. Consider it doing a favor for the Heyu Tea House and the young lads."
"Always fighting others for business — when you get old, you won't live comfortably. Haha!"
His companion laughed and shouted, "Save those words for the tea stall!"
"Coming."
Mu Yang continued walking forward. It seemed that during this period, Yilong Wharf had indeed undergone many changes.
But the local customs here were simple and honest.
Everyone could understand one another.
This was why, after going to so many places, whenever Mu Yang wanted to rest, he would still return here.
Not even the Three Bowls Won't Cross the Harbor in Liyue Harbor could compare.
Not far ahead of the dock was the Sword Casket Escort Agency.
Mu Yang strolled in casually.
The two of them had just eaten at Port Ormos, so there was no need to worry about Charlotte getting hungry.
"Oh, isn't this sir? What brings you here today?"
"That kid Gaming took on some Film Festival job. He should be looking for Master Lan right now."
The third-in-command of the Sword Casket Escort Agency, Han Qian, spotted Mu Yang at a glance and came over to chat.
He thought Mu Yang had come looking for Gaming.
"Just looking around. Why are you personally training the newcomers?"
Han Qian sighed. "Ah, it's all because of the Heyu Tea House matter."
"Sir, you know how it was before. Our Sword Casket Escort Agency could take on half of Chenyu Vale's jobs…"
"Cooperating with the Heyu Tea House is a good thing, but for some reason Big Brother has suddenly become lazy. He doesn't even practice anymore. He used to be the ruthless one who did horse stance under waterfalls."
"Second Brother got a waist injury before. His tendons and bones are still recovering."
"The manager saw all this and also threw in the towel. Now only I'm left…"
"If we want to restore the glory of the Sword Casket Escort Agency, we can only rely on this younger generation."
Mu Yang looked toward the group of new recruits.
Not bad. They were indeed quite diligent.
Several of them were members of the [Mighty Water Beast Dance Troupe].
They seemed to be the same type as Gaming.
Charlotte became interested and immediately took out her notebook for random interviews.
Mu Yang did not stop her.
What he wanted to see was the most authentic reporting.
After the interviews, the two left the escort agency.
On the way to the teahouse,
they ran into a blue-haired beauty head-on. (She's just my sister…)
Out of professional habit, Charlotte immediately took a photo of Lingyuan…