Chapter 703: Changle Departs

Zhishou, having learned the ins and outs of the matter, was merely somewhat astonished; he had not yet known that Soybean Oil could actually have such a use. It seemed that as long as they had Soybean Oil, the Xuanyuan Tribe could also make food as delicious as that of Huaxia.

Zhishou told Xuanyuan about this. After a slight shock, Xuanyuan immediately decided to continue trading with Huaxia, even if it meant exchanging grain for Soybean Oil; in any case, as long as Huaxia had enough Soybean Oil, they could keep trading.

At the same time, Xuanyuan also said to Zhishou, "Zhishou, I would like to borrow those few cooks of yours to let them teach my Slaves how to cook. There are other Slaves as well; I also want the Xuanyuan Tribe to have a group of people who can cook well enough."

Zhishou naturally agreed without a second word. In fact, he had wanted to gift these Slaves to Xuanyuan, but Xuanyuan refused. He was generally unwilling to take things that belonged to Zhishou; he did not want to seize Zhishou's possessions.

The Xuanyuan Tribe had enough grain, yet the food everyone ate was not much different from before. Delicious food was the source that could make people feel happy and satisfied.

These few Slaves could also be considered to have lived a slightly better life for a while, because they had become instructors and had a feeling of being superior to others, or rather, Slaves above Slaves. Although once this period passed, they would be beaten back to their original state, it was precisely because of this that they cherished such days even more.

Changle finally took action. Using his own status, he requisitioned two Boats and a few fishermen, though they were not Large Ships, just ordinary small Boats. The deployment of such Boats did not require reporting to the Ministry of War, nor did it require letting Baifeng know.

The Ministry of Agriculture had a portion of Boats used for fishing, and the Ministry of Works likewise had its own Boats. However, after carefully studying the operational model of Huaxia, Changle felt that requisitioning the Ministry of Agriculture's Boats was the easiest.

The Ministry of War's Boats were somewhat large, and even for small Boats, one needed to report because they required the accompaniment of the Navy. Every single Soldier in Huaxia was subject to strict regulations; without a military order, no matter who commanded them, they could not be deployed at will.

The Ministry of Works' Boats were also quite busy, and without a reasonable excuse, he could not requisition them. Moreover, if he were to casually requisition two Boats to take himself to the Xuanyuan Tribe, it might affect the progress of Huaxia's engineering projects.

Although Changle very much wanted to leave Huaxia, he did not want to cause problems for Huaxia's projects due to his own willfulness, as that would make Baifeng angry, even though sneaking away like this would also make Baifeng angry.

The Ministry of Agriculture's Boats were quite simple. No one managed these fishermen; if they wanted to trade for more grain, they had to work hard to catch fish, deploy more Boats, or go to places further away with better fishing conditions. Going away for days at a time and resting or living on the Boat was a common occurrence.

Changle also had a relatively close connection with the Ministry of Agriculture because Changle's research required the support of the Ministry of Agriculture. Therefore, most people in the Ministry of Agriculture knew Changle, including the few people who were tricked into leaving by Changle this time; they were all acquaintances of Changle.

At the time, in order to study some plants in the water, they had become very familiar with each other. The fishermen also liked this Prince who had no airs at all and was willing to be busy in the mountains and rivers. So, when Changle found them and said he needed them to take him on a long journey to find something, they agreed without even thinking.

Along the way, there was absolutely no need to worry about food or anything else. With the fishermen there, on the Dahe with such abundant produce, if they let Changle Prince go hungry, then they, these fishermen, might as well quit early.

There was even less need to worry about water; beneath the Boat was water that could never be finished. The water in the Dahe was fresh water that could be drunk normally, and the water quality was very good now, very clear, not foul water.

Plus, the low-water season had just passed, and the water volume had not yet risen, so the water was still very clear. It was just that because they were used to it, they still chose to boil such clear water before drinking it.

All other supplies on the Boat were very abundant, so Changle only carried a small bag containing a notebook he used to record things, as well as a lot of paper and some small tools. It could be said that apart from the things he used for work, he did not bring anything else.

Baifeng had even made the bag with double straps for Changle's convenience, with various reinforced straps to ensure the bag stayed on Changle's body, making it easier for Changle when climbing mountains or moving forward.

The same went for the Boot; several layers of leather were reinforced together to form a thick sole, with anti-slip patterns carved into the sole. Because it was truly too troublesome to make, Changle was the only one in Huaxia who could wear this kind of shoe; even Baifeng did not have any, because Baifeng had no use for them.

The Boot was relatively high-top and had laces; it could be said that there was not much difference in design from the mountaineering boots of later generations, except that the material was pure leather. Baifeng had considered waterproofing and anti-slip for Changle, and also had to prevent snake bites and insect stings, so Changle's travel attire was unique in Huaxia.

Fully equipped, Changle chose a time when everyone had already gone out to work and there was no one on the road. He quickly jogged out of the city, arrived at the edge of the Matou, and found the two Boats that had been negotiated in advance.

The fishermen on the two Boats had already received Changle's advance notice last night. This kind of thing had happened often in the past, so they did not feel surprised; they just replenished the supplies on the Boats early and waited for Changle at the Matou early in the morning.

After Changle boarded the Boat, he acted very normally, without a hint of panic, and certainly would not explain to them why he had arrived so late.

After boarding, Changle followed his own plan and let them go downstream. As for when to stop or where to stop, Changle did not specify, only telling the fishermen, "I now know of a place with many new species, so I have to rely on you to take me there."

Seeing that Changle had no guards following him, the fishermen were somewhat puzzled: "You have no Soldier following you; what will you do if you encounter danger? We can protect you with our lives, but our Weapon and skills are absolutely no match for the army."

Changle waved his hand as if it didn't matter: "Hey, it's nothing. There is no danger on the road this time, so there is no need for them. The greatest danger is probably me falling into the river while asleep. If I really fall into the river, just remember to save me."

A fisherman rowed the oar and said to Changle with a smile: "Changle Prince, you can rest assured about that. Although our swimming skills are not as good as those of the Navy, they are not bad at all. Even if you really fall in, we will carry you up with our own bodies."