Chapter 547

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Chen Yi

Although it was not his first time visiting Chen Yi's office, the Iyar High Priest remained deeply curious about this room with its two floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

Viewed from outside, this massive, staggering expanse of glass was a reflective mirror surface, but viewed from inside, the beautiful West River lay spread out in full view.

The broad river surface rippled with plain white clear waves, green trees on both banks swayed verdantly, and fish and porpoises in the river occasionally leapt up spraying water, forming an absolutely beautiful scene.

The room's furnishings likewise came from a master's hand; Yu Weichao had poured no small effort into them. The Iyar High Priest especially liked the new-style Eight Immortals Table, and opened with praise: "Since the Divine Art Knight came here, this place has practically become a divine palace on earth. Beautiful, truly beautiful."

He stroked the carving on the Eight Immortals Table, nodding twice now and then. A knight's hand may be steady, but what he carves is full of mere craftsmanship, incomparable to the artistic youth who pursue art. This new-style Eight Immortals Table's workmanship was exquisite, its materials thousand-year-old great timber — calling it wasteful would not be excessive; the furniture produced from it was dignified and elegant, most suited to the priests' aesthetics.

Seeing his manner, Chen Yi smiled freely and said: "If the High Priest does not disdain it, this set of table and chairs is yours as a gift."

"How could that be acceptable."

"You can uphold principles and responsibly maintain the sanctity of the contract; a set of table and chairs amounts to what? The real gift, I haven't even taken out yet."

The Iyar High Priest was overwhelmed with surprise and joy, repeatedly saying he dared not accept.

Chen Yi laughed heartily, patted his shoulder warmly, and said: "From today onward, for all materials sold to the temple, I am prepared to give you five ten-thousandths commission, equivalent to you buying into my Chen Family. However, I won't give you a contract."

A Divine Art Knight's word is his bond; why need a contract.

The Iyar High Priest was beside himself with joy, lips dry as he said gratefully: "Lord Chen Yi's words are truer than a contract; what need for signatures. It's just... just five ten-thousandths seems a bit much."

Today's temple materials — aren't they the materials for the Temple War? That is a chaotic melee of races numbering tens of millions. Not even counting those barbaric tribes' vassal armies and mercenaries, and the numerous logistics corps. With West River City-State's astonishing production capacity, five ten-thousandths commission meant what kind of tycoon?

The Iyar High Priest was dizzy and dazed, wanting it yet not daring to take it.

Chen Yi pretended not to see his loss of composure, nodded smiling: "As long as you understand, that's best. We've associated for a long time; five ten-thousandths amounts to what? As long as the High Priest can continue to uphold the contract's sanctity and safeguard both our interests, this five ten-thousandths, I give without loss."

In truth, even if he gave Iyar not a penny, due to his superior position, Iyar would not dare slight him for a moment. But he could not look only at the present; the tight supply situation was caused by a dual structure: Earth materials' influx had just begun, and the Temple War was not yet over.

If one layer of the dual structure changes, the seller's market will change then; at that time, trying to win over a temple priest would cost only more, not less, and Chen Yi ultimately needed to win over a temple priest — choosing Iyar, starting now, could profit the Chen Family.

Simultaneously, it also cut off other families, including families within the Chen Clan, from any designs on West Continent political power. Chen Yi did not mind them making money on the West Continent — this was the best way to rally hearts — but in the short term he would not relinquish West Continent political power.

Probes like Zhang Jing's were precisely what he intended to strike down severely.

Any religion can share adversity but cannot share prosperity; Iyar's rise to High Priest was absolutely checkered with misdeeds, just like other religious figures and politicians.

That he previously dared not extract money from Chen Yi's hands did not mean he lacked that inclination.

A more practical reason: he needed to first secure his current position.

Once he sat firmly in this position of conveying orders up and down, if Chen Yi still did not share benefits with him, Iyar would certainly harbor resentment, and would surely find ways to bring it up.

Rather than that, better to shift from passive to active.

The Iyar High Priest was almost delirious with joy, and guaranteed to Chen Yi with grateful devotion: "Beneath your lordship's care, I will certainly exert my utmost to safeguard your interests."

These words could be called nakedly blunt, yet they were precisely the content Chen Yi wanted.

He safeguards Chen Yi's interests — not the Chen Family's, not the Chen Clan's, not Earth's, and certainly not the temple's.

Chen Yi nodded slightly, picked up his teacup, moistened his parched throat, and said: "Let it count from this Divine Art Knight's long spears then; the price still follows the originally agreed price."

Long spears earn long-term income — high profit but low gross margin — yet what Chen Yi promised was gross margin, so the Iyar High Priest did not mind at all, and instead contributed: "Actually I know, your West River City-State has a merchant surnamed Liu, who is discussing medicine with the Ma La Council of Elders' Chairman Gasa Ye."

"Medicine?"

"Called antibiotics; supposedly just three pills can save a soldier's life."

Oral Penicillin.

Chen Yi realized at once.

He previously felt Injection Penicillin was too troublesome — not only were the many bottles and jars hard to transport, but users also needed certain medical knowledge. But changing the angle of thought, the Other Continent natives with not a shred of drug resistance — why must they use Injection Penicillin? Oral Penicillin's dosage would be plenty.

As for allergy issues, for the Other Continent where human life is worthless, it's also no big problem. Just pay slight attention, and those soldiers who easily die of infection would still be very willing to take antibiotics.

"How much quantity have they ordered?"

"The nobles are still doing experiments. However, I heard they prepared Ten Large Boxes and gave them to the First Cavalry Regiment's Heinuo."

"Mm, I understand." Chen Yi's expression was calm.

Iyar seemed to feel he had failed to play a role, and added: "Divine Art Knight, although I cannot decide what medicines the nobles purchase, if it truly works, I can purchase in the Water Dragon Temple's name..."

Antibiotics in cold weapon warfare are extremely useful; medicine is also an extremely profitable business, yet Chen Yi laughed: "Forget it; antibiotics are not easy to produce, let them do it first."

Back when he reorganized Chen Group, he sold off the PC industry and electronics industry, and purchased a Pharmaceutical Company. However, the latter was primarily a biopharmaceutical company developed for cloning Mounts, unlike traditional pharmaceutical companies. For a war on the West Continent's scale, to make money required batch quantities of medicine; the Chen Family had no power in the Health Department and no production capacity; rather than building from scratch to encroach on others' turf, better to save energy and focus on priorities.

One must let others earn something too.

Shared benefits are the main principle for maintaining the system; since the Liu Family thought of the oral antibiotic angle, they have the qualification to earn this money.

Failing to play a role made the Iyar High Priest somewhat restless.

Before he could speak again, Chen Yi stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling glass, smiling: "High Priest, look at the scenery outside."

Iyar was baffled, gazed at the surging river water, and cooperatively smiled: "Truly beautiful!"

Chen Yi nodded, said: "If we could let the West River extend inward, that would be even better."

"Extend inward?"

"Expand the Xijiang Wharf, all the way to the former Yun Village's location." Chen Yi stretched out his arm; he had had this plan for more than a day or two.

Even with current train transport, monthly material supply volume struggles to exceed the 400,000-ton standard — already double the previous volume.

But if switched to water transport... the increase in capacity would be far more than tenfold.

The ocean is humanity's best-obtained gift. As early as 1999, 900 million tons of materials were transported via ocean. As for air transport, which humanity prides itself on — Truman in 1948 mobilized the whole nation's power, or rather, the whole NATO's power, to achieve a historic feat: the Berlin Airlift, sustaining a mere 2 million people's livelihoods.

However, water transport's problem is also obvious: it must have suitable geological conditions. Berths of 10,000-ton class and above often require water depth of five or six meters, even 10-meter class. This not only means the docking shore must have 10 meters of depth, but also that at least one waterway's depth exceeds it.

Such natural conditions, West River City-State itself does not possess, but if dredged and remodeled, it could possibly be achieved.

The West River waterway before one's eyes is a large inland river even wider than the Amazon.

Its water volume is extremely abundant; if a waterway were dug straight to Yun Village, cargo ships emerging from the Subway Tunnel would be equivalent to mooring at an extension of Xijiang Wharf.

Of course, there is still the problem of ships navigating inside the Subway Tunnel.

Chen Yi's solution to this is simple: coat the floor with lubricating oil, have Divine Art Knights use Strength Scrolls to add power, and pull!

Ships traveling over land were not Chen Yi's invention. Historically, the Turkish King Mehmed II, in order to capture the impregnable Constantinople, laid thick wooden planks to form ship slots, coated them with animal fat, and within one night dragged eighty warships to the Golden Horn on the other side of the city walls, thus giving modern Turkey the historic city of Istanbul.

Divine Art Knights are not inferior to ship engines in terms of strength; the only thing to consider is how to persuade a large number of Divine Art Knights to willingly serve as towmen.

Once the waterway is completed, the number of Divine Art Knight towmen needed will not be just one or two, and it cannot be done in a day or two.

Yi Yaer thought instead of the enormous workload of the waterway: how much earth would need to be dug out for a length of nearly ten kilometers to allow ships to pass?

He did not yet know that what Chen Yi wanted to pass through were giant ships tens of meters wide and ten-plus meters deep; otherwise he would surely not have considered it at all.

However, this was the first formal request Chen Yi had made, and Yi Yaer had no mind to refuse, only saying: "With Ma La's capabilities, such a project may be willing but lacking in strength. Perhaps we should first dig two kilometers of waterway; that way we can also moor over a hundred more ships."

The over a hundred ships he spoke of were inland river ships of several hundred tons.

Chen Yi laughed loudly and said: "High Priest, I have seen the West Continent map you drew. If one follows the West River to the sea and crosses the Strait, the sea transport distance to the God Temple Battlefield is more than five times shorter than land transport. As long as the God Temple is willing to put effort into digging the waterway, I will build and purchase the ships, and exempt them from one year of shipping fees. How about it?"

"There are giant beasts in the sea; without Divine Art Knights presiding, one cannot cross the Strait. This..."

"I will provide the Divine Art Knights."

Iyar High Priest hesitated no more, patting his chest as he said: "I will definitely report faithfully to the God Temple High Priest."

"Before that, I must ask you to explain to Ma La and the surrounding city-states, and ask them to agree to our construction."

"This is a good thing; who would disagree?"

"I'm afraid it will be very noisy." Chen Yi said meaningfully.

Yi Yaer thought he was referring to a large number of slaves, and agreed: "Then I will make a personal visit myself, and won't let people speak nonsense."

Dock expansion means selling more goods, and Zhu Ji Ge is also eager for it.

... (Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to come to Qidian (qidian. com) to cast Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)