Cement Factory! Sand and Gravel Plant! Road Building! Please Keep Reading! Please Vote!

"Negotiations are over?"

In the inner courtyard of the Technology Guild, newly expanded in Suotuo City, Chen Hong saw Ning Lu enter from outside. He immediately jumped down from his chair, smiling as he went to greet her and invited his mother to take a seat.

"That brat somehow got his hands on a Pope's Edict. What I thought would be a long and difficult negotiation turned into them signing an agreement unilaterally." Ning Lu gave her useless son a complicated look, accepted the tea he offered, gently blew on it, and took a small sip to moisten her throat.

"Heaven Dou Empire is willing to pay one million Gold Soul Coins for exclusive rights to the Soul Engine within Heaven Dou Empire. In other words, we can no longer sell it to other kingdoms. Of those one million Gold Soul Coins, two hundred thousand will be paid in cash, while the remaining eight hundred thousand will be repaid in stone of equivalent value, which we can exchange from city-states within imperial territory."

"There's someone formidable within Heaven Dou Empire." Chen Hong's eyes flickered as he sighed softly.

"Indeed." Ning Lu nodded. "I heard it was at the instruction of First Prince Xue Qinghe. It seems he had prepared several plans long ago and would adapt according to our response."

By this calculation, Heaven Dou Empire had effectively spent only two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins to buy out the distribution rights for Soul Engines within its borders. As for the roads, they would be built on Heaven Dou Empire's territory, and ownership would belong to Heaven Dou Empire, so it suffered no losses at all.

Moreover, Heaven Dou Empire could recoup the two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins it spent by reselling the Soul Engine blueprints. After money went in and out, Heaven Dou Empire would essentially obtain the technical blueprints for free, while also binding the Technology Guild into building roads for the country. They might even make a profit in the process.

"Mom, could this be understood as the First Prince giving us a warning?" Chen Hong thought for a moment before speaking softly. "After all, we discovered a precious mineral vein within Heaven Dou Empire's territory, yet immediately reported it to Spirit Hall and assisted Spirit Hall's people in asserting sovereignty over it. It seems some people within Heaven Dou Empire have a problem with us."

Leaning back in her chair, Ning Lu looked at the hazy moonlight beyond the guild and held her tea indifferently. "A warning is just a warning. At worst, we'll go find your grandfather. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still has considerable influence in Heaven Dou Empire."

"True. Others can only fight alone, but I've got my mom, the ultimate boss behind the scenes!"

Chen Hong smiled softly. He did not care about Heaven Dou Empire's opinion. On the contrary, it suited him perfectly. He had originally been considering how to extend the roads elsewhere, but now that Heaven Dou Empire had taken the initiative to build a bridge for him, he could only reluctantly accept.

There were no issues with Balak Kingdom. It agreed to the Technology Guild building roads for free and granting free passage on them. For them, this was a business deal with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Having established trade agreements with both Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall, the Technology Guild was officially founded in Suotuo City. During this period, Chen Lin used his position as Vice President of the Blacksmith Guild to recruit more than twenty Blacksmiths and over fifty Blacksmith apprentices for the Technology Guild, establishing its earliest production department.

Ning Lu also found some friends in the business world for Chen Hong and set up the guild's Operations Department.

This was the joy that people from Zu'an could never experience!

Every employee who passed the assessment and joined the Technology Guild was required to memorize the "Theory of Technological Thinking."

What? You said you couldn't read? Fine, you were a temporary worker now.

Temporary Worker:

"Crush the limestone and mix it with clay according to this ratio."

Inside a workshop filled with lime, Chen Hong watched his father, Chen Lin, teach a group of apprentices how to make cement.

Cement existed in this world, but its strength was rather low. Chen Hong improved the formula and gave it to Chen Lin, letting his father handle the public-facing work.

"Master Li, come dry-burn this powder." Chen Lin called to a middle-aged Blacksmith.

"Understood, President!" A ball of flame suddenly rose in the middle-aged Blacksmith's hand. He calcined the mixed powder on the ground into clinker, after which Chen Lin ordered someone to add a certain proportion of iron slag.

"Let me show you the core product of our guild!"

Chen Lin poured the mixture into a Soul-Powered Grinding Machine nearby and infused it with Soul Power. Driven by Soul Power, the grinding machine began operating automatically. Amid booming rumbles, large quantities of grayish-white powder continuously fell from the outlet below and drifted away in the breeze.

"This is cement! Mix it with water, sand, and gravel, and you'll get a kind of stone material that becomes very hard after setting. Remember to wear masks while working. Inhaling too much powder is bad for your health." Chen Lin explained to the apprentices present.

"Understood, President!" the apprentices replied with nods.

"Good! I'll start assigning work groups now! Each group will handle its own tasks without getting in one another's way. I'm calling names now."

Chen Lin divided the apprentices present according to their duties. He split the entire cement production process into several independent stages, with each group responsible only for its own stage.

Yes, the Assembly Line. Chen Hong had never intended to keep it secret from the start. If outsiders wanted to copy it, then let them copy it. He did not mind.

After nearly a week of work, Chen Lin, with Chen Hong's help, successfully put the Technology Guild's Cement Factory into operation. At the same time, they established a Sand and Gravel Plant beside a river on the Lima Plains near Suotuo City.

The first batches of cement they produced were all used by the Technology Guild to build a road leading toward its riverside Sand and Gravel Plant. A month later, they successfully completed the first improved Cement Avenue.

When the first cement road opened to traffic, ten Soul-Powered Trucks fitted with rubber tires appeared on a snow-white, smooth road in the outskirts, four meters wide on average, beneath the astonished gazes of the entire city!

At the starting point of the road stood a three-meter-tall marble stele. Written upon it in neat characters were the words: This road was sponsored by the Technology Guild for the convenience of all travelers.

"My heavens! Is that the cement road they've been promoting? Judging by the name, I thought it would be a muddy road!"

"I heard the Technology Guild plans to keep building roads! Everyone can use them! Traveling will be much easier in the future!"

"Look! Those are the Soul Tool vehicles rumored to move using only Soul Power! They're beautiful!"

"Hurry and contact their guild! The Baron wants to place an order for those Soul Tool vehicles!"

The moment the Soul-Powered Trucks and cement road appeared together, the Spirit Master nobles from nearby city-states immediately understood what the Technology Guild intended to do!

Build roads! Sell vehicles!

Thanks to Flying Cat, Wind and Rain Destroying Cloud Life, YOGEMOW, Book Friend 6415, Book Friend 8654, One Exclamation Mark, Jiang Mo, and Great Sage Xiao Xiao Was Here for the monthly votes!