Chapter 128: I Have a Suggestion

Mo Lie was a bit surprised: "Hm?"

He slowly straightened his posture; the sunlight streaming in through the doorway was partially blocked by him, who was sitting outside, shielding Lin Manzhi.

What advantage does Xicheng Qu have, is it that trained squad?

He watched Lin Manzhi with interest, from above; from this angle he could only see the little female lowering her head.

The white shark netting was not see‑through but very light and thin, making the other's small head, slender long neck, narrow shoulders, and fine lines clearly visible, stirring a deep sense of protection.

Under the white shark veil robe, the other's heartbeat quickened noticeably; the little female's ears must have flushed red, and beneath her thick curled lashes her eyes showed a hint of shyness, their watery sheen surely beautiful.

Ning Tie, who made the suggestion, said: "..."

What a great advantage!

Earlier, to lessen his presence, he had shrunk his posture and stood to the side; now, hearing Lin Manzhi's words, he had to lift his head and look at her.

Hua Zheng had been silent since earlier, his face constantly smiling, and he had been especially confident in Lin Manzhi from the start.

Three male Beast Gods in the room looked over with different expressions; Lin Manzhi looked at none of them, kept her head down, stared at the table before her, and said quickly: "We have a group of obedient and fairly strong male Beastfolk; they used to hunt or raid with their own strength, then live off protection fees. Now I realize their strength can also earn Beast Coins!"

She felt the heat on her face cool, looked up at Mo Lie and said, "Mo Lie! Let's open an escort bureau."

Mo Lie sat down beside her, stared steadily at the sparkling black‑eyed little female before him, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Escort bureau?"

His voice rose at the end, sounding questioning about something he had never heard of; Lin Manzhi turned her head and met the equally bewildered faces of Hua Zheng and Ning Tie in the room.

"Oh, it seems there is no escort bureau here."

Lin Manzhi explained: "It's an armed escort team! The trade routes leading out of Kuangsha City to other places see countless small caravans daily lamenting robbed cargo. Although they each have their own guard squads, even the Luo Lai Caravan constantly hires strong external guards. This shows how desperately everyone needs a powerful, reliable escort team."

Kuangsha City sits in the middle of the continent, bordering the territories of six other lords; the six lords' relations are not harmonious, war is common, yet trade between the cities remains unbroken.

Their territories' resources differ; what you have, I lack, and vice versa, so fighting is fighting, while trade of various supplies is calculated separately.

Take the Ansen City that Lin Manzhi knows, for example: the eastern Ansen City territory is entirely forested, with abundant and varied food; transporting it to other cities lacking food can raise the price severalfold.

Faced with great profit, the six lords formed an invisible tacit understanding, allowing each lord's Beastfolk—or even establishing their own caravans—to trade in each other's territories.

Among the six cities, aside from neighboring lands, to deliver goods as quickly and directly as possible they first use the desert where Kuangsha City lies; the increased traffic of caravans there means the fledgling band of Kuangsha City thieves rarely attack large caravans, and while some small caravans have strong Beastfolk, they don't always succeed in intercepting them.

Thus, Kuangsha City is chaotic and ungoverned, yet the caravans passing outside have never been cut off.

Lin Manzhi said slowly: "We have this group of warriors in our hands, they're formidable in battle. I see that some caravans in the city often look for Beastfolk to escort goods, but rarely find suitable Beastfolk guards. The escort bureau we establish will specialize in professional escort work."

Mo Lie turned his body toward Lin Manzhi, his blue eyes deepening in the backlight, like looking down from high above at the wavering surface of the deep sea.

"Your idea is very unusual," he said with a silent smile. "You always manage to find a path that both surprises and impresses me even in unfavorable circumstances."

Lin Manzhi, hearing the praise, fidgeted her fingers awkwardly on the table. Did Mo Lie's tone mean he found it feasible?

She thought for a moment, then outlined the general process of taking money, receiving orders, and escorting after establishing the bureau, and then asked: "Do you agree to set up the escort bureau?"

"Of course," Mo Lie said with a smile at the corner of his mouth. "This business is essentially a zero‑capital trade; I think it's very feasible."

Lin Manzhi also found it very feasible; this would be a respectable business that could gradually change the corrupt atmosphere of her own territory.

The leader of Kuangsha City fights for power, while ordinary small factions mostly seek food and drink.

Now that they have a way to earn money and fill their bellies, it not only reduces their idle time, but also places Mo Lie, the leader, in a position to restrain them.

The male Beastfolk in Xicheng should also shift from their identity as a thieves' gang.

Compared to roaming a terrifying land where fights break out everywhere, she still prefers a more peaceful living environment.

Lin Manzhi's interest was piqued; her eyes sparkled as she said, "Alright, I'll handle the arrangements! You pick a hundred reliable, obedient, combat‑capable male Beastfolk for me, and I'll train the first batch of escort agents."

Mo Lie's expression was inscrutable; his gaze shifted from Lin Manzhi to the two figures beside him, and suddenly, without warning, he said, "Ning Tie, I'll have him listen to your arrangements."

Ning Tie, hearing the leader call his name, snapped out of the fog of the escort bureau and exclaimed, "??"

"What? How is it me?"

Under the leader's terrifying gaze, he didn't want to go to the escort bureau but dared not object, clenching his teeth and agreed.

With manpower secured, Lin Manzhi chatted a few more words with Mo Lie, then stood up intending to start arranging the establishment of the escort bureau; Mo Lie followed her outside.

Seeing the leader take Hua Zheng to oversee the training of the warrior troops, the remaining Ning Tie took a few steps to Lin Manzhi's side.

Realizing only Lin Manzhi could help him, he lifted his sorrowful face and said, "Lord Mu, could you persuade the leader for me? I enjoy working under the leader, but please ask him not to sell me to a caravan as a guard, okay?"

"Sell me to a caravan?" Lin Manzhi turned her head toward Ning Tie.

"You've misunderstood," she said, half laughing, half crying. "An escort agent is essentially a contracted guard: you receive food or money from the client as payment, escort them from the starting point to the destination, and if anyone tries to rob them along the way, you beat them off. Once the client reaches the endpoint, you collect the reward and return."

Understanding, Ning Tie let out a huge sigh of relief: "Oh, you gave me a fright; I thought you were going to treat us like in those six territories, selling defeated Beastfolk as slaves."