Chapter 372
But so what?
They would move their arms and bodies freely to the rhythm of the music, releasing all the negative emotions they had been suppressing through dancing.
They jumped until they were sweating profusely, jumping with great enjoyment.
The people in the square were deeply moved by the atmosphere, disregarding the opinions of others, and danced with all their might.
If Shi Lei hadn't found it too troublesome, he would have wanted to ask Emperor to record some hit songs like "Little Apple" and "Above the Moon," which have been dominating the square dance charts for years.
In addition to the concert in the Inner City square, other events were held in Liyue City.
For example, the first "Liyue's Got Talent" competition completely abandoned the judges' swivel chairs. There was no behind-the-scenes manipulation or buying rankings. The final winner was determined solely by the volume of the audience's cheers.
The prizes were provided by Shi Lei. Whatever the winner wanted, as long as it was something he could buy with his own money, he would help them purchase it during his business trips.
Surprisingly, the most popular program in town wasn't "Liyue's Got Talent." After all, music is a relatively niche subject, and not everyone is good at it. Most people haven't been exposed to art, and their tastes vary greatly.
The most popular event in Liyue City is the darts tournament.
Anyone with a healthy hand or foot and no disability is welcome to come and try out for the competition and compete against other contestants.
The prizes are the same as those for the Liyue Voice competition; the top eight contestants can make a wish for any item they want.
Such prizes perfectly suit the public's tastes.
Not to mention now, even in the past they had never had anything they could get just by making a wish.
It's true that without comparison, there is no harm done.
To get the items they wanted, almost every contestant gave it their all.
In the first round, anyone who misses ten darts and scores below 90 is eliminated. In the second round, anyone scoring below 91 is eliminated, and in the third round, anyone scoring 92 is eliminated, and so on. In case of disputes over rankings, the remaining contestants will compete in a one-on-one duel to determine the winner.
Due to the large number of participants, the darts competition was divided into an east and west venue, with the main road serving as the boundary.
No matter where you win, as long as you make it to the quarterfinals, you've won and can make a wish for whatever you want.
Shi Lei and others got tired of dancing and came to watch the competition. However, they did not participate.
Exusiai is exceptionally good at this; she can hit the bullseye every time she throws a dart. This is a racial talent unique to Sarkaz, something others can only envy. If this were to compete, it would feel like Dimensional Strike.
After a night of fierce competition, Ines was the champion of the East Arena, and Thorns was the champion of the West Arena.
Shi Lei didn't recognize the Iberia man, but he heard he was Clearstream's bodyguard, the director of the Water Resources Bureau. Through an introduction from Operator from Rhodes Island, they settled in Liyue City together.
At first, they were skeptical. They would leave immediately if they sensed anything was wrong. But the longer they stayed, the more they liked the place.
Both the Qianyan Army and the people of Liyue City were very friendly, and it was a very pleasant experience to get along with them.
There is no discrimination, no contempt, no deceit, no backstabbing, and no distinction between high and low status.
All of this is thanks to Shi Lei.
Furthermore, there is no currency in Liyue City. People barter for goods in their daily lives.
If the party exchanging items feels that they need the other party's items more, then it doesn't matter if they lose a little money.
In this unique environment, a positive social atmosphere gradually developed. Many people would rather suffer a loss themselves than take advantage of others. Everyone used to be unfortunate, and unfortunate people don't make things difficult for other unfortunate people.
After several years of free-range breeding by Shi Lei, and the joint efforts of the Qianyan Army and the people, the Kun beasts have multiplied, and fifteen kinds of vegetables have achieved a yield per acre. Liyue City is now capable of achieving self-sufficiency in food production, truly becoming an ideal, idyllic paradise.
The New Year's Eve revelry lasted until two or three in the morning. People felt that the festivities were not yet over, and most were too excited to sleep all night.
Emperor's heavy metal rap music seems to possess a certain brainwashing magic. Even when lying in bed with your eyes closed, the melody will still linger in your mind.
It and Miss Sora came here to hold a concert without charging any fees. Seeing that so many people in Liyue City enjoyed listening to their songs, the two were very happy.
This carnival lasted for three days.
Shi Lei knew how arduous it was to stand guard during the Spring Festival, so he encouraged them to return to the city to rest. The group spent their days immersed in various recreational activities, finding great enjoyment in both body and mind.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Shi Lei summoned the heads of various departments in the city to the Inner City castle for a meeting. He planned to discuss the future city planning with them. Whether they were new faces or familiar faces, everyone was gathered together today.
"Self-sufficiency in grain production is just the beginning, indicating that we have already met our most basic needs for food and clothing. In the new year, I hope to open up a completely new trade route while ensuring an abundance of resources."
As early as the beginning of the city's construction, I built two roads leading to the southwest of Yan and the west of Higashi. However, they did not connect to the foot of the mountain, so they could not be put into use immediately.
My idea is to choose one of the Yan or the Higashi to establish a trade route. We can use the surplus resources produced in Liyue City to exchange for daily necessities.
Throughout 1097, Shi Lei acted as everyone's courier, airlifting all the supplies purchased by Trimon and Kazimierz to Liyue City.
Sending them in the short term is fine, but in the long term, Liyue City has to solve this problem itself to reduce his burden.
During the gathering, a young man from the Oni race raised his right hand, seemingly eager to express his opinion. Seeing Shi Lei, seated at the head of the table, nod in agreement, he then spoke:
"City Lord, my suggestion is to establish trade with the Yan, and absolutely do not open up trade routes with the Higashi."
Hearing his confident tone, Shi Lei guessed there might be something going on and asked:
"Can you tell me your reason?"
"City Lord, the reason for choosing Yan to establish trade is very simple. Great Yan is currently vast and rich in resources, and can basically exchange for any goods it wants. Moreover, it is closer to Liyue City than Higashi. If we were to open trade routes to Higashi, the increased distance would only increase the risks."
Furthermore, the Higashi is currently divided into two factions, both engaged in large-scale industrial manufacturing. Ignoring the condemnation from the Yan, they insist on discharging industrial wastewater into the eastern ocean. Afterwards, they even strongly protested the Yan's boycott of Higashi seafood products. As a Higashi, I feel ashamed. Therefore, there is no need to open a trade route to the Higashi; the one from the Yan is sufficient."
Shi Lei will carefully consider the matter if the Higashi come forward to share their experiences.
The main reason for wanting to open up trade routes in the Higashi was to make it easier for Lisa to reunite with her father in the future.
However, if the Higashi's intentions are inconsistent, hastily opening trade routes could lead to banditry and unrest, adding unnecessary risks to the already small caravans.
"Okay, then I'll start construction after the seventh day of the month. You can discuss the personnel and form a caravan yourselves."
The next step is the annual reports from each department.
Patriot 'Commander Qianyan Army did not become complacent despite the peaceful life. They were like unsharpened blades, always ready to serve their City Lord.
Shi Lei spends only one or two months a year in Liyue City. To prevent lower-level officials from deceiving their superiors and making it impossible to issue orders, he established an independent Inspectorate, headed by Ines.
This measure wasn't aimed at the elders present, but rather at potential problems many years from now. No one raised any objections, and everyone expressed their understanding.
Remember, a journey of a hundred years begins with a single step.
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443 Wind and Sand of the Frontier 3K
After all the departments finished reporting their annual summaries for last year, today's internal meeting came to a successful conclusion.
For the remaining four days, Shi Lei and the others stayed in Liyue City.
Since there aren't many entertainment options in the city, people have to resort to their ultimate weapon for passing the time—mahjong.
It's Chinese New Year, so it should be celebrated properly. After a busy year, it's time to relax.
Whether they were former Knight who had lived in the Ursus Icefield for a long time, former members of the Knights of Kazimierz, or even W, who worked as a mercenary in Kazdel, they rarely came into contact with this unique culture of Yan.
After watching for a short while, they all showed interest in this game of establishing order amidst chaos.
Seeing that everyone was just watching at the table, Shi Lei made a lot of obsidian mahjong tiles.
Mahjong tiles made of this material feel soft and warm to the touch, like jade, and have a metallic luster like black gemstones. Gently rubbing them in your hands can instantly lift your spirits.
However, they value winning and losing when playing mahjong. They feel it's meaningless without money, so they use dried sweet potatoes as chips. These are one of the agricultural products that can be grown in Liyue City, and mass production is now possible.
Shi Lei Texas and the Texas. Seeing that the people of Liyue City insisted on doing so, he didn't stop them, only emphasizing that small bets are fun, but large bets are harmful.
He had considered creating Mora as the currency of Liyue City. However, doing so would impact the economic systems of other countries. It wasn't the right time to promote it extensively; they would wait until a more suitable time.
Shi Lei and his companions stayed in Liyue City Festival (January 15th of the lunar calendar) before leaving. Before departing, he made sure to remove and collect a large number of Obsidian Mahjong sets, leaving only a few hundred sets for the Logistics Minister, Hegre, to manage.
Enjoying mahjong is understandable, but it shouldn't become an obsession with work. You can borrow a mahjong set to play at home after get off work. If you're caught playing mahjong during work hours, you will be punished.
As for the severity of the punishment and how to determine violations, these can be negotiated by the city's senior generals.
Shi Lei cannot do everything personally and has been gradually delegating his power to his subordinates.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, everyone returned to Lungmen.
Seeing that it was almost March and Shi Lei was still staying on Taiheng Road, Nian asked in confusion:
"Weren't you supposed to be preparing until April? Why are you still spending all your time here after you came back?"
He naturally wouldn't mention the Roleplay Value to Nian, and simply brushed it off:
"Miss Nian, I don't need to prepare anything. I told Miss Ling that we would be leaving after April because I didn't want to travel for work right after the New Year. Do you understand what I mean?"
Seeing Shi Lei's confidence, seemingly certain of sealing the Sui Beast, Nian was deeply influenced by this sentiment and felt that sealing the Great Beast was almost certainly going to succeed.
As expected of the Dragon King, he's different from mortals. A few simple words from him gave her a complete sense of security.
Time flies by like fast-forwarding through a movie.
In the blink of an eye, it's April, the beginning of spring.
Since resuming work after the Lunar New Year, Penguin Logistics has only received one bodyguard commission, which was easily completed.
Shi Lei didn't ask his boss for a long leave until the end of March, saying he needed to go away for a while. He couldn't be sure how long he would be back, but it was something very important.
As Beast Lord had lived for thousands of years, the Emperor had long known that Nian and Xi were no ordinary beings. Without inquiring about the specific reasons, it readily approved a three-month paid leave.
Whether or not he works is secondary; the Emperor's current income is more than enough to support all the Messenger in the company.
As agreed, Nian and Xi will take Shi Lei to Jade Gate to meet their elder brother, Shuo.
Miss Ling will also go to Jade Gate to meet us then, bringing the Great Yan court's attitude toward this matter and a detailed plan.
Upon learning that Shi Lei was going on a long trip, Texas and Mudrock both clamored to go. Even though he clearly stated that the trip might be dangerous, the two were still willing to follow.
Out of concern for their safety, Shi Lei thought about it for a long time before finally agreeing.
Just like nuclear wastewater doesn't need to be discharged into the sea if it's safe, it shouldn't be discharged into the sea if it's unsafe.
If it's safe for them to wear safety belts during this sealing operation, then they should wear them even more if it's not safe.
Texas is quite strong; she can easily defeat ordinary people like gangsters. However, she's still somewhat outmatched against Great Beast like the Sui Beast, which is at least at the Immortal Realm.
Mudrock is his own companion, and after several years of honing his skills, he is among the top beings in the Immortal Realm.
On paper, her abilities surpass those of both Miss Nian and Miss Nian. As his deputy, she should be able to contribute to the operation to seal the Sui Beast.
As for Lisa, she was entrusted to Surtr's care.
Shi Lei's Jade Shield has a limited range. It would be best to have a powerful Immortal Realm expert stationed behind him during his journey to Jade Gate to prevent his base from being raided.
Although Zhongli's name was known to everyone in Lungmen's elite circles, Shi Lei never took any chances and would never allow Lisa to be kidnapped a second time.
Moreover, Wei Yenwu, wary of Liyue City's power, would not stand idly by and watch them get into trouble within Lungmen's territory.
Once everything was ready, the five of them rode in the Rock House built by Shi Lei towards Jade Gate.
What used to take more than half a month by land vehicle can now be reached in just one day by air.
Even if it flies off course, it doesn't matter.
They had built defensive fortifications for Jade Gate in the past and knew the approximate location of the Mobile Cities.
Moreover, unlike Lungmen, Jade Gate is a city that actually moves across the desert. If the flight deviates slightly, a minor course correction won't waste too much of everyone's time.
April 3rd, afternoon. Shi Lei maintained a low-altitude flight and entered the vast expanse of yellow sand within the territory of Jade Gate.
There are almost no clouds here; the sky is a clear, deep blue. It's like a lake reflected in the sky, giving one a sense of unparalleled clarity and tranquility.
As far as the eye can see, yellow sand fills the sky.
The Wind and Sand of the Frontier the sky.
The golden sand dunes, like endless ocean waves, swirl and leap with the scorching, dry wind. The tiny grains of sand reflect a faint glimmer in the sunlight.
In this scorching environment, it's easy to get lost without a guide. Large sections of the roads built by the government are buried under yellow sand. To reach one's destination, one can only determine location by navigating the sand dunes and the drought-resistant poplar trees.
Fortunately, Shi Lei lowered the altitude of the Rock House, maintaining a low altitude of about 300 to 500 meters. With the sun blazing overhead, even if there were people below, they wouldn't be foolish enough to look up at the sky. Doing so would include the sun in their field of vision, severely affecting their eyesight.
Unbeknownst to him, as the Rock House swept low over a stretch of yellow sand, it inadvertently disturbed a mysterious woman dressed in magnificent robes.
April 3, 2:17 pm
Jade Gate, the Left General's Mansion.