Crunch!
Da Ross crushed a somewhat hard black bean between his teeth and swallowed it in one gulp. Unaffected, he continued speaking to his brother Xiao Ross and Tai Lande. "A lot of people don't understand Raymond's decision. After all, he'd worked at Shangbala Mine for quite a while, and all his connections were there. Leaving Shangbala and coming to Shalin meant practically starting over from scratch. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn't wise.
But I think that's exactly what makes Raymond impressive. Shangbala Mine really is a good place. It's been built up for a long time, so its facilities are far better than this dump of Shalin. But because of that, the connections there are far too complicated. There are too many people—too many below, too many above. Connections wrapped around connections, abilities piled atop abilities. Getting promoted is extremely difficult.
Raymond is pretty capable, but at Shangbala Mine, there are plenty like him. In fact, there are plenty with better abilities and better connections. If he wanted to make something of himself at Shangbala Mine, it would take at least three years. With bad luck, it might even take five. He must have seen that clearly, which was why he chose to come to Shalin.
Shalin really is a dump with nothing here, but it's definitely easier to rise through the ranks. That's why he's been so eager to show himself off—he wants the people above to notice him and leave a good impression. Then, if luck comes his way someday, it's possible for him to jump several ranks at once."
"I see..." After hearing Da Ross, Xiao Ross nodded in sudden realization. He picked a few black beans from the plate and chewed them as well, then thought for a moment before asking,