Chapter Seventeen: The Homecoming Agreement (Part Two)
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Chapter Seventeen: The Homecoming Agreement (Part Two)
The female city lord directly ordered the two people behind her to leave. Just as Qian Duo was about to depart on his own, Fatty spoke up to stop him.
“Mr. Qian, you needn’t leave. Stay and listen.”
Qian Duo happily bowed to Fatty, then returned to his place.
The Third Elder seemed to ponder for a moment before finally speaking. “In truth, the reason our three families seize the exiles is that we have no choice. Anyone cast into the Forgotten Star Domain by the various human nations and great clans could hardly be ordinary. Every one of them is proud and unruly. At first, the three families allowed them to develop freely, but none of these people were willing to lead quiet, uneventful lives. Conflicts between them and our three families grew increasingly severe, and there were even dozens of incidents in which our dispatched teams were attacked. In the end, our three families reached an agreement.”
The Third Elder stopped there.
Jing’er immediately understood and said, “Is it because the three of you wanted to control all the exiles, so they wouldn’t threaten your positions?”
The Third Elder glanced at Fatty, then nodded decisively. “That may indeed be the principal reason for the other two families. But it is not the main reason for Tyrant Dragon Peak. The reason we agreed to their proposal was that several hundred years ago, an exile from the Kuang family was ambushed and killed after entering the Forgotten Star. That is something we absolutely cannot tolerate or forgive.”
Fatty nodded grimly when he heard this.
The Third Elder continued, “Besides, the exiles truly represent a considerable fortune. They can tell us about the current state of the outside world, and we can learn from them about the advanced knowledge that exists beyond this place.”
Jing’er’s expression changed when she heard this. After a moment, she said, “Third Elder, do you mean that the so-called Demon Valley came to capture me as well?”
The Third Elder nodded.
Jing’er could not help turning her gaze toward the female city lord.
The female city lord nodded helplessly and said, “Sister Jing’er, I’m sorry. Although I knew about this, I couldn’t tell you. All I could do was stay by your side every day and protect you.”
Jing’er let out an equally helpless sigh, then turned directly to Fatty. “Send a few people to protect me.”
After a pause, she continued, “Fatty, I can cooperate with you to build a spaceship, but you may build only one. Once it is finished, however, you must destroy all the blueprints related to this propulsion system in front of me, along with the manufacturing equipment.”
Fatty nodded without the slightest hesitation. Jing’er’s demand was perfectly reasonable. The newest research achievement of an empire naturally could not simply be given away. Making an exception in an emergency was understandable, but if he appropriated their research results, he might bring endless trouble upon himself from the Floating Wind Empire.
At this moment, the female city lord, standing nearby, anxiously said, “Sister Jing’er, what about us?”
Jing’er smiled. “Our joint-stock company will proceed as usual. We will build ours, and the Kuang family will build theirs. But the propulsion system will still be handed over entirely to Fatty. Once everything is finished, have Fatty give me two complete propulsion units.”
Fatty hurriedly said, “Jing’er, why can you build two units when cooperating with them, while I’m allowed to build only one ship?”
Jing’er pondered for a while before replying, “What we are building here are merely transport ships. Do you really think a single transport ship can satisfy the needs of an entire planet? As for what you build, that is up to you. In truth, the most important reason is that I possess only enough of the key material to make three propulsion systems function.”
With that, she made a face at Fatty, then grabbed the female city lord’s hand and led her toward the door.
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Once Fatty came back to himself, he immediately said to the Fifth Elder, “Fifth Elder, please send several experts to protect Jing’er. Send as many as you can. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
The Fifth Elder hurried after them.
After he left, the Third Elder glanced at Qian Duo and said, “Young Master, what should we do now? Perhaps I should notify the Peak Lord and have him send more experts here.”
Fatty shook his head. He glanced at the small box containing the core of the archive database, which still lay beside him, and smiled.
“How strong are Demon Valley and Azure Smoke Pavilion?”
The Third Elder answered directly, “Very strong. Although they are still inferior to Tyrant Dragon Peak, the difference is not great.”
Fatty nodded and continued asking, “If our space program leaves both of them completely out of the picture, what do you think they will think? What will they do?”
The Third Elder scratched the long fur on his face before replying, “The Young Master has considered the matter thoroughly. If that truly happens, I fear the two families may join forces and fight us to the death.”
Fatty smiled and turned to Qian Duo, who had been standing behind him all this time.
“I’ll give you a chance to distinguish yourself. Represent me and speak with the people from Demon Valley about cooperating. Find out whether there is any possibility of working together.”
Qian Duo nodded enthusiastically and hurried away.
After he left, the Third Elder finally spoke. “Young Master, he…”
The implication was obvious.
Fatty smiled. “That man is exceptionally astute. He is certainly a rare talent. Even if he were not, the fact that he was the first to take the initiative and ask to become my subordinate would be enough to merit my kindness.”
The Third Elder nodded, then asked, “What will his status be in the future? Will he be an outer member of the family, or an outer member of Tyrant Dragon Peak?”
Fatty smiled and answered directly, “Neither. From now on, in the Forgotten Star, he represents only me. He has nothing to do with the Kuang family or with any of you. Is that clear?”
The Third Elder nodded as if he understood, though he did not appear to grasp everything completely. Fatty said nothing more.
The next day, Jing’er entered Fatty’s private bathing chamber alone. After sitting down beside him, she said, “Fatty, Sister Siqing told me that you sent Qian Duo to speak with the people from Demon Valley about cooperation.”
Fatty’s head, exposed above the ant-blood bath, narrowed its eyes as he nodded. “If I didn’t do that, do you think those two families would let us build our spaceships in peace?”
Jing’er naturally understood. After nodding, she said, “But Sister Siqing and the others are unwilling to cooperate with those two families.”
Fatty was stunned. Somewhat puzzled, he asked, “Why? Given the strength of those two families, their participation would greatly benefit the early completion of the space program.”
Jing’er gave a long sigh before saying, “Sister Siqing said that those two families are too powerful for them. If they become part of the company, the company will eventually become their private property. That would severely damage the interests they hold today.”
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Only then did Fatty understand. He fell into deep thought as well. This problem had to be solved. In the past, he had already worried that the other cities might come and cause trouble. Now that two even more troublesome powers had appeared, the matter naturally had to be resolved.
Fatty thought for a long time but could not come up with a solution. In the end, he could only ask Jing’er, “Jing’er, what do you think we should do now? Should we simply hand one of the two transport ships over to them to build?”
Jing’er immediately let out an unhappy snort.
“Do you know how many people live in the Forgotten Star Domain? Do you really think there will be another opportunity to build ships like these in the future? I have only three sets of the core material needed to manufacture this propulsion system. I can also tell you plainly that even if the ship is completed this time, my Imperial Father may still hold us accountable. You had better prepare yourself.”
Fatty was visibly startled. After a while, he shouted angrily at Jing’er, “Are you saying that the Floating Wind Empire may still come after us for building these ships? If that’s the case, we might as well not build them at all!”
With that, he plunged angrily beneath the water. Only after a long while did he rise again.
Once his head emerged, Jing’er let out a long sigh and said, “Fatty, I knew you would be unhappy. But there is nothing we can do about it. You will understand how advanced and outstanding this propulsion system is in the future. I don’t know whether my Imperial Father will pursue the matter, but I am confident I can persuade him not to.”
Fatty hurriedly asked, “How?”
Jing’er smiled. “Haven’t you noticed that the new starship armor developed in Homesick City is more advanced than the armor currently used by our military?”
Fatty pondered for a while, then said, “You intend to use the formula for this armor to silence your Imperial Father.”
Jing’er glared at him crossly. “That makes it sound so unpleasant.”
Not long after Jing’er left, Qian Duo entered with an excited expression. After saluting Fatty, he said, “Young Master, both Demon Valley and Azure Smoke Pavilion are extremely eager to cooperate with us on the space program. They hope to find a time as soon as possible to discuss the matter with you in person.”
Everything was well within Fatty’s expectations. He merely nodded and asked, “Has Azure Smoke Pavilion also arrived in Homesick City?”
Qian Duo quickly replied, “Yes. There are thirty-seven of them in total. I hear that a small contingent from Demon Valley is also on its way here. Apparently, their numbers are not small.”
Fatty gave a cold snort. He knew perfectly well what they were planning.
He could say with certainty that if he refused to cooperate with the two families—or if he failed to take the initiative and meet with them first—the two sides might join forces against him and Jing’er.
After Qian Duo left, Fatty immediately summoned the Third Elder and Fifth Elder of Tyrant Dragon Peak. The two elders had evidently received some information about Demon Valley and Azure Smoke Pavilion as well. The moment they saw Fatty, the Third Elder spoke directly.
“Young Master, Homesick City is no longer safe. We advise you to leave immediately and return to Tyrant Dragon Peak. We have received word that large numbers of experts from Demon Valley and Azure Smoke Pavilion are gathering in Homesick City.”
Fatty smiled. “Your information network is quite impressive. You found out so quickly.”
The Third Elder smiled. “We have lived on the Forgotten Star for nearly ten thousand years. Although we have never entered these nine underground cities, many of the clans within them are actually under our covert control.”
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