Chapter 48 - The Visit of the Heikou City Lord

T/N:

Heikou (Black Dragon Mouth)

Heicheng (Black Dragon City)

Censorate (Supervisory Court)

...

The psychological impact of the announcement on the city's children aside, the Lord of Heikou had finally arrived.

The Lord's delegation consisted of eight people, arguably the most presentable demons from Heikou.

Even so, the traces of hardship were unmistakable on their bodies.

At first glance, Yin Jixue could tell that this city lord was a good person.

The reason was simple: while their clothing was relatively decent with few patches, each of them was emaciated, looking only slightly better than refugees.

The delegation was received by Lou Zhao's Ministry of Foreign Affairs—a demon king and two children who didn't seem particularly bright.

However, the mere fact that they could meet the Demon King in person brought tears to the Lord of Heikou's eyes, and he trembled as he prepared to kneel.

"No need for formalities. Let's go inside to discuss."

Yin Jixue instructed the maids to bring out the prepared food.

Sweet taro, when eaten raw, has a texture similar to fruit.

Since they were here to discuss serious matters, it wouldn't be appropriate to munch on sweet taro. The city lord and his delegation had traveled far, and it wouldn't do to have them negotiate on an empty stomach.

Thus, the kitchen, following Yin Jixue's instructions, served the sweet taro at room temperature, peeled and cut into pieces, arranged on a plate. They also carved a few wooden sticks, which the queen called "toothpicks," for skewering the fruit.

This presentation was indeed refined, befitting the queen from a civilized nation.

"This year, we are grateful for Her Majesty's kindness in sheltering the elderly, weak, women, and children of our city. Otherwise, Heikou would not have survived."

Lou Zhao sighed, "Once we overcome this hurdle, the Black Dragon Clan will be revived."

Lou Zhao had been tirelessly working to resolve the Black Dragon Clan's plight, using every means at his disposal to secure food.

However, with several cities under his care, it was impossible to focus solely on one.

Heikou was in a dire state, but it was close to Black Dragon City, allowing the two to support each other.

Places like Black Dragon Bay and Black Dragon Ridge were practically isolated, left to fend for themselves during extreme weather.

Lou Zhao had been constantly on the move, never stopping, yet his efforts felt like a drop in the ocean.

The people would never blame their king. They would never regret being born into the Black Dragon Clan, even in death. This was the cohesion of the demon race.

Lou Zhao felt powerless, but he couldn't stop.

The previous Demon King had done the same, choosing to birth Lou Zhao to succeed him and continue his mission.

Now, in his third century of rule, he had encountered a turning point.

The Black Dragon Clan was like a dragon pinned under a massive boulder. It could hear and see, barely clinging to life. Its limbs were free to move, but the boulder pressed it into a deep pit, making it impossible to rise. Then, a passing girl took out a small hammer and tirelessly worked to clear the boulder from the dragon's back.

The maids entered one after another, placing fruit plates beside the delegation.

"Please, enjoy."

The city lord swallowed hard, and the envoys couldn't help but glance at the fruit plates.

They had tasted this before but had never indulged, sharing it sparingly among the city's residents.

"Eat while we talk," Lou Zhao said, using a giant "toothpick" to skewer a piece of fruit, subtly demonstrating for the envoys.

The envoys, who had initially planned to use their hands, silently picked up the small sticks beside them.

They had thought these were for picking their teeth.

The sweet taro was quickly finished, and the discussion was nearly done.

However, they certainly wouldn't be sent back the same day.

Yin Jixue arranged for the envoys to stay at an inn, while the city lord was accommodated in the palace. The rest was left to Lou Zhao to handle.

During the discussions, the topic of building a road came up. Yin Jixue had plenty of road construction materials left, but she wasn't sure of the exact distance between Black Dragon City and Heikou.

The construction team was now running smoothly, even implementing a shift system to ensure every member got their working hours.

Due to the demand for road construction outside the city, Yin Jixue ordered the construction team to split into two groups: one for road construction and the other for building houses, allowing them to decide their roles.

They remained part of the same construction team but had to specialize. Road workers couldn't build houses, and housebuilders couldn't work on roads. Their future training would also differ.

This halved the construction team's manpower, but surprisingly, they didn't request more workers.

The feedback made Yin Jixue both amused and exasperated. The construction workers were practically fighting for work. If not for the regulated working hours, they would have sneaked out to work at night.

"Do you feel that four hours of work a day isn't enough?"

The current head of the construction team, Meng Zhuang, nodded vigorously: "Yes, it's not enough at all. Everyone thinks at least eight hours would be better."

Eight hours would be sixteen hours a day. Were these demons insane?

Lou Zhao took the letter from Yin Jixue's hand, read it, and nodded: "It is indeed a bit short. You've underestimated the stamina of demons."

Yin Jixue gave up: "Fine, let's do it your way." If these demons lived in the modern era, capitalist bosses would be overjoyed.

After revising the working hours, there was no need to recruit more workers. It seemed there was still a need for a large labor force and job opportunities.

"Do you know of anything that could serve as an energy source?" Yin Jixue suddenly asked Lou Zhao.

Lou Zhao tilted his head: "What are you planning?"

"I want to create lighting tools. You've probably seen kerosene lamps, but they're not bright enough. I need lights that can make the night as bright as day."

"Demon crystals can be used as an energy source, but will the lights you're talking about work?"

Yin Jixue shrugged: "Let's try. I'm not entirely sure." Without incandescent lights, she couldn't write or draw at night, forcing her to retreat to bed early and use the system as an e-reader to study in secret.

The main issue was that the Demon King learned too quickly. After just a few lessons, his efficiency was terrifying. She was running out of things to teach him.

After Gou Chen personally measured the distance between the two cities and reported back, Yin Jixue had a rough idea.

Construction Team One would work outside the city on road construction, while Team Two would focus on building houses.

To make it easier for the workers to commute, Yin Jixue approached the Demon King.

"Can you build a vehicle?"

She drew a three-dimensional sketch of a bus and handed it to Lou Zhao: "It looks like this, with four or six wheels at the bottom. Use demon crystals as the energy source, similar to the principle of the flying machine, but it can only run on the ground."

"Since we have flying machines, carriages could also meet your requirements."

Yin Jixue patiently explained: "It's not the same. How many people can a carriage carry? And where would we get the beasts to pull them? Buses are a crucial part of public infrastructure. Think about it—after working hard for eight hours, who would have the energy to walk such a long distance home?"

Lou Zhao: "They're all very motivated."

Yin Jixue felt like hitting him: "Just say whether you'll build it or not!"

Lou Zhao covered his mouth to hide a smile: "Of course, I'll listen to you."

The bus parts could be obtained from the system, but the system only provided components and blueprints. A fully assembled bus wouldn't just appear out of thin air.

Lou Zhao looked at the pile of parts, stacked like a small hill, while Yin Jixue added fuel to the fire by handing him a blueprint.

"I believe you can build it from this blueprint. Good luck!" She even gave him a fist pump of encouragement.

Lou Zhao was speechless. With just one blueprint, where was he supposed to start?

He could only send a message: "Teng She, bring the old man over. It's time for him to contribute to Black Dragon City."

Teng She quickly replied: "The prophet is at the glass factory, making glass."

Lou Zhao muttered to himself: "Since when is he so diligent?"

Since he had no time, Lou Zhao decided to go himself.