Chapter 458: Developing the Northwest

“Brother, so much money,” Anna said, her eyes wide open.

But it wasn’t an exclamation—it was a statement.

For someone of royal birth, this ought to have been a minor affair.

Gao De rubbed Anna’s head and said nothing.

Since the funds have arrived, we can now proceed with the contract to acquire the Harland Shipyard.

Gao De could still use a false identity to conceal his purchase of Ice Jade Wutong Leaves, but personal transactions like this were neither heavily regulated nor regulatable by the Golden Chrysanthemum Dynasty.

But acquiring the Harland Shipyard was not so simple.

Transferring fixed assets required official procedures, numerous official documents, and would inevitably leave traces.

Normally, the Sea Sentinels wouldn’t randomly investigate his assets.

But the problem was, Gao De had no intention of lying low within the Sea Sentinels—he wanted to fully showcase his “talent” to rapidly advance, gain higher status and more resources.

Under such circumstances, especially during rapid military promotion, a background check was almost unavoidable.

Minor assets, like the small shop he planned to buy in Duan City—worth only a few hundred Golden Chrysanthemum coins—wouldn’t raise suspicion even if discovered.

But a shipyard worth nearly ten thousand Golden Chrysanthemum coins represented a stark discrepancy from Gao De’s theoretical official income.

If discovered, and he couldn’t clearly explain the origin of the funds or provide proof of legal income, he might be arrested as a spy the very next day.

Gao De’s original plan had been to find a reliable agent or agency to acquire the Harland Shipyard on his behalf.

——This was already a distinctive business in the Golden Chrysanthemum Dynasty.

It was a consensus that nine out of ten wealth holdings were controlled by nobles and mages.

Yet under the Golden Chrysanthemum Dynasty’s adherence to classical doctrines, to prevent abuse of power and illicit transfers of benefit, the state imposed extra restrictions on officials engaging in commerce.

It wasn’t as extreme as in Gao De’s previous life, where such activity was outright banned—after all, that was unrealistic under the existing noble system.

But certain key department officials were strictly forbidden from engaging in business.

For instance, officials in the finance department weren’t merely barred from commerce; they were also subject to frequent asset audits and rigorous scrutiny of unexplained gray income.

As the saying goes: above, policy; below, countermeasures.

Under these conditions, agents and agencies naturally emerged.

These agencies established shell corporations overseas, exclusively serving officials.

Officials could choose to funnel funds into these agencies, which would then purchase assets under the shell corporations’ names, registering ownership under the agencies’ names to avoid direct association.

Or they could carefully select trusted agents with no personal ties, provide them sufficient funds, and let the agents purchase assets directly in their own names.

The entire transaction was handled by the agent, concealing any link between the official and the asset.

Many officials barred from commerce secretly controlled vast assets and businesses through multiple agents and agencies.

Yet while feasible, the risks were immense: using an agent or agency in such transactions meant, to some extent, handing them leverage over you.

Gao De had his reservations about this.

But now, he had a better option.

“Aisha, could you ask Doctor Danika to come up?” Gao De first sealed all eight chests filled with gold coins using his Mage Hand, then said to Aisha.

“Hm?”

“Earlier, I mentioned I might be able to help Doctor Danika and the Ronggu Orphanage,” he explained.

Aisha’s eyes lit up. “Alright, I’ll go call Doctor Danika right away.”

“My lord,” Doctor Danika bowed as usual, but her eyes remained fixed on Gao De’s face—clearly, Aisha had already informed her why he wanted to see her.

“Doctor Danika, how long can the Ronggu Orphanage continue under current conditions?” Gao De asked bluntly.

“If we’re lucky, three or four months. If we’re not…” Doctor Danika fell silent mid-sentence.

“How many people are there at the Ronggu Orphanage now?”

“One hundred and thirty-two children, plus thirteen members of the sect, including myself, responsible for the children’s daily life, education, and all other needs. Frankly, we’re severely understaffed. Fortunately, the children are very well-behaved—they don’t require much oversight and even help us with our work.”

“Thirteen sect members.” Gao De’s gaze brightened slightly. “Can they be trusted?”

“Of course,” Doctor Danika nodded. “They were mostly orphans taken in by the Hainan Ronggu Orphanage. After growing up, they naturally joined the Tide-Speakers Sect and became sect members, handling daily operations at the orphanage. They hold deep affection for the sect and the orphanage.”

“Even after the sect collapsed and became effectively extinct, they didn’t divide up its assets and scatter like other sect members—they chose to stay, and helped me keep the Hainan Ronggu Orphanage alive.”

“They all follow you?” Gao De confirmed further.

“Yes,” Doctor Danika sighed. “They’re all junior cultivators—mere mage apprentices. I was once a sect administrator.”

“So they can all read and write, and possess some knowledge?”

“Sect members must read and copy scriptures, record church affairs, and preach doctrine—literacy is the bare minimum. Additionally, the Hainan Ronggu Orphanage has always provided basic education to the children, so they regularly teach classes.”

“Teaching… What subjects does the orphanage’s curriculum include?” Gao De pressed.

Doctor Danika listed them off. “Primarily basic literacy and religious instruction, along with some fundamental life skills and arts.”

“Literacy needs no explanation. Religious instruction is mandatory for the children—covering our sect’s doctrines, prayers, and so on.”

“Depending on the child’s gender, they also receive sewing, embroidery, weaving, or woodworking and basic metalworking courses.”

“The arts curriculum mainly offers basic music education—teaching the children to sing, though mostly hymns or liturgical chants of the sect.”

Gao De’s eyes brightened again.

Calling it an orphanage was misleading—it was effectively a small hopeful elementary school.

“If you trust me, I can help you,” he said seriously to Doctor Danika.

“At this point, things can’t get any worse, can they?” Doctor Danika replied calmly.

“Then it’s settled,” Gao De paused, then said: “You and Aisha and Anna leave here and go to the North.”

“There, I can’t guarantee much—but basic food and warmth are assured.”

His idea was simple: transport the entire orphanage to the North.

The thirteen sect members, including Doctor Danika, were precisely the teaching staff Phoenix desperately needed.

Strictly speaking, these members didn’t know much.

But for Phoenix, it was enough.

Because Phoenix’s greatest shortage right now was teachers fluent in Common Tongue.

Though they didn’t know Aslanese, it didn’t matter—they could serve as “foreign instructors.”

“The North…” Doctor Danika opened her mouth, hesitation flickering across her face.

It wasn’t distrust of Gao De—it was that “the North” itself meant “starvation and cold.”

It’s like someone telling you to go to the North Pole and you’ll have food and warmth—even if your most trusted parents said it, your first reaction would be skepticism.

“Doctor Danika, what would Gao De Mage gain by deceiving you?” Aisha, the impartial observer, spoke up.

Indeed, if Gao De were deceiving her, he might still gain something.

But tricking over a hundred children and a dozen junior sect members into going to the North made no sense whatsoever.

At least, that’s how she saw it.

“My lord, may I ask what you’ll need us to do once we reach the North?”

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

He said they’d be provided for in the North—but surely there’d be tasks expected of them. No one would simply support them for nothing.

At their age, after all they’d endured, they understood this basic truth.

“What do you need us to do… Does ‘Developing the Northwest’ count?” Gao De smiled, then grew serious. “Just kidding. The North is desperately short of teachers. Once there, the orphanage’s sect members will serve as instructors, teaching the local children.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

Doctor Danika studied Gao De deeply, then bowed slightly. “My lord, I believe you.”

Gao De clapped his hands. “But transporting the children to the North won’t be easy.”

“It must be done legally. With my position, I won’t engage in smuggling.”

“You mean…?” Doctor Danika naturally understood.

As a Sea Sentinel mage, his future was bright—he wouldn’t risk destroying it.

“I’ve studied the dynasty’s laws. According to the Golden Chrysanthemum Dynasty’s Apprentice Law and the newly enacted Poor Relief Amendment, child indentured labor is now legal and legitimate, especially for orphans without relatives who voluntarily sign contracts to seek livelihood overseas,” Gao De said seriously.

“Moreover, the Golden Chrysanthemum Dynasty is relatively tolerant of religious autonomy—religious institutions can bypass many inspections.”

“Though the Tide-Speakers Sect is effectively extinct, its name still exists—and that’s all we need now.”

“I’m about to acquire the Harland Shipyard. My idea is this: you act as my agent and acquire the Harland Shipyard on my behalf.”

“After the acquisition, Doctor Danika, you will register, under the shipyard and the Tide-Speakers Sect’s name, a charitable organization similar to a ‘Children’s Welfare Association,’ publicly claiming to send children overseas to learn skills and be employed.”

“This complies precisely with Article Twelve of the Poor Relief Amendment—allowing parishes to send poor children overseas as apprentices.”

He laid out his plan in one breath.

This would also completely sever his connection to the Harland Shipyard, ensuring no impact on his future advancement within the Sea Sentinels.

“Agreed.” Without hesitation, Doctor Danika accepted.

Time waits for no one.

The funds were ready. The “agent” had been found.

Gao De wasted no time. He counted the required gold, summoned a carriage, and took Doctor Danika to the Harland Shipyard.

Harland was a shrewd businessman—he had already arranged everything in advance: drafting and filing the contract, securing the signing location, reserving the notary—all waiting for Gao De to initiate the transaction.

The signing took place in Harland’s spacious, well-lit office. The oak desk gleamed, the contract was brand-new, still smelling of ink.

Due to Gao De’s status as a Sea Sentinel mage and his prior agreement to take equity, Harland had made no alterations to the draft.

The terms were precise, complete, mutually beneficial, and fully compliant with laws, regulations, and industry standards.

And when the buyer changed from Gao De to Doctor Danika, Harland raised no objections—money arriving was the only thing that mattered; who the buyer was didn’t matter.

The notary hired by Harland witnessed Daniela and Harland signing two contracts, then spoke in a solemn voice: “Today, Ms. Daniela and Mr. Harland have formally signed the contract regarding the acquisition of Harland Shipyard. As notary, I declare this contract effective from this moment.”

With the contract now effective, the owner of Harland Shipyard changed to Daniela from this moment onward.

Following the contract terms, Harland led Gao De and Daniela through a full inventory of the shipyard’s assets.

After confirming all assets were intact, Harland handed over the shipyard’s ownership documents, land deeds, contracts, technical records, along with machinery and raw materials as fixed assets.

Gao De then produced a metal box he had prepared in advance, opened it, revealing it filled to the brim with Jin Quehua coins.

The purchase price of 9,200 Jin Quehua coins, minus the 50-coin deposit, plus a 10% equity transfer to Harland based on valuation, then minus another 920 coins, resulted in a final payment of 8,230 Jin Quehua coins for 90% ownership of Harland Shipyard.

Even with the [Heavy Burden Technique], carrying this box of Jin Quehua coins had taken considerable effort from Gao De.

But seeing the shipyard now in his hands, he exhaled deeply.

He now possessed his first real asset.

“Mr. Harland, please arrange to bring back the shipyard workers as soon as possible, and reconnect with the original suppliers to purchase raw materials and resume operations quickly,” Gao De said. “I will inject another two thousand Jin Quehua coins into the shipyard’s account as initial operating capital.”

A Harland two-masted sailing vessel, excluding the essential crew, could carry an additional 15 to 30 passengers.

This capacity was clearly far too low to meet Gao De’s needs.

Therefore, he would need to build more ships—his initial goal was to assemble a small fleet.

“No problem.” Harland quickly slipped into his new role.

Seizing the momentum, after completing the ownership transfer of Harland Shipyard, Gao De and Dr. Daniela jointly drafted the “Tide Speaker Children’s Relief Association” charter, fabricating rules of operation, charitable objectives, organizational structure, and financial clauses from nothing.

Then, in the names of Daniela and the Tide Speaker Sect, they submitted the charter, project proposal, and explanatory documents to the Lages City authorities to apply for official registration of the “Tide Speaker Children’s Relief Association.”

But the review process would not be swift.

Even after Harland intervened with connections and spent money liberally, it still took three full days before the association passed review and was officially registered.

Of course, Gao De did not idle during those three days.

On one hand, he posted notices under the shipyard’s name, recruiting seafaring crew and hiring skilled craftsmen at high wages to accompany the ships overseas for “construction support.”

On the other hand, he purchased materials needed for Phoenix’s current construction within the city.

Since the “construction support” term was a minimum of three years and required overseas travel, craftsmen were hard to recruit, so Gao De offered a high salary of 400 Jin Quehua coins per year.

“The nobles and officials of Lages City are like this—arrogant, lazy, and greedy. This is only because you’re registering a relief association that solves their headache of orphan care, so they barely gave you trouble during review. Otherwise—”

After the association’s registration was approved, Harland, who had played a major role in the process, remarked sarcastically to Gao De.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Gao De replied with genuine gratitude.

These past few days, besides helping Gao De with the association’s approval, Harland had also been applying for the mandatory overseas sailing permits.

As expected, bribes were necessary.

Given the local officials’ habits, if no bribes were offered, the reviewing department wouldn’t outright deny the permit—but they could drag out the entire approval process indefinitely.

Harland was long accustomed to this—and had long harbored resentment.

(End of Chapter)