The Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School

"Boss, Mr. Zhang Yang and Mr. Ailan are here!"

That day, Lind had just finished breakfast and was about to head to the training grounds to check on his subordinates when his second secretary, Liana, suddenly appeared and stopped him.

"Hahahaha! Have those two made up their minds? Where are they now? Come on, let's go welcome them!" Lind said excitedly, his face lighting up with delight.

Zhang Yang was a restaurant owner Lind had met during an incognito visit to Oran Port. He was an outstanding cook, and the two got along exceptionally well. Lately, he had been helping out by teaching Lind's enormous team of cooks.

Zhang Yang had come to visit Lind this time because of a partnership they had previously discussed: opening a hotel chain with restaurants attached.

With recipes from both himself and Zhang Yang, combined with the hotel management models he remembered from his previous life, Lind felt certain that the Oran Grand Hotel could flourish and expand across the world.

Besides making money for Lind, it could also handle intelligence work and similar tasks. It would undoubtedly become an important part of his future power network.

As for Ailan, he was a friend Zhang Yang had introduced to Lind and an exceptionally accomplished educator.

Lind had gained a great deal from talking with Ailan, especially an awareness of something many of this world's powers lacked: education.

After several conversations with Ailan, Lind had decided to establish schools, creating Oran Elementary School, Oran Middle School, and Oran University to form a comprehensive education system like the one in his previous life.

After a preliminary assessment of Ailan's character, he had planned to establish Oran Elementary School in Oran Port and invite Ailan to serve as its first principal.

Later, he would gradually establish Oran Middle School and Oran University as well, cultivating future talent for his organization.

Unfortunately, most people in this world were prejudiced against pirates, and Ailan was no exception. Faced with an invitation from a notorious pirate like Lind, he had been visibly reluctant.

It was only because his interactions with Lind had given him some understanding of Lind's character that he had not refused outright.

Ailan's reluctance had more to do with his own reputation. He was perfectly happy to be friends with someone as honorable as Lind.

But asking Ailan to set aside the good reputation he had maintained for decades and work for an "evil" notorious pirate was indeed asking a great deal.

In the end, Ailan had said he needed to go home and give it serious thought, partly out of respect for Lind and partly because establishing Oran Elementary School truly was a good thing.

His coming to visit with Zhang Yang today probably meant he had reached a decision. Lind felt that Zhang Yang, as Ailan's close friend, might have played a part in that.

Following Liana, Lind soon found Zhang Yang and Ailan in the reception room, both dressed formally.

"Hahahaha! Sorry for the wait, gentlemen!" Delighted to see them, Lind spread his arms and gave each man a hug.

"Have you come today because you've made up your minds to accept my invitation?" Lind asked first once they had all taken their seats.

"That's right, Captain Lind. Ailan and I gave it serious thought and decided to accept your invitation to head the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School."

"We trust your character. You're different from those other pirates, and we're very much looking forward to building something great together with you!"

Zhang Yang spoke with some excitement. Through his recent conversations with Lind and several of his officers, he felt he understood Lind well enough and was willing to believe that Lind would not disappoint him.

"Hahahaha! Thank you both for your trust. The honor is mine!" Lind said with a smile, delight written across his face.

"Then, gentlemen, let's have a proper discussion about establishing the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School!" After thanking them, Lind got down to business.

"Gentlemen, these are some basic ideas I wrote down earlier for the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School." As he spoke, Lind took out two documents from behind him and handed them over.

These were the proposals Lind had previously written for the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School.

"Gentlemen, you can start by looking at the table of contents. This is..."

For the rest of the day, apart from a short break for lunch, they spent all their time discussing matters related to the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School.

As a result, Lind missed his training instruction that day, but he did not mind. After all, his elite squad was essentially on track now and no longer needed his constant supervision.

By comparison, Lind felt that the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School were more important.

"Then, Mr. Ailan, I'll leave finding teachers for Oran Elementary School to you. Sorry for the trouble!" At the reception room door, Lind shook Ailan's hand as he said goodbye to the two men.

After an entire day of discussion, the three of them had settled most matters concerning the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School.

The most troublesome issue was finding suitable elementary school teachers.

In this world, good teachers were unquestionably scarce. Even people who could read might well be in the minority.

As this would be the first school he established, Lind wanted it to have a solid foundation rather than be a hollow imitation riddled with shortcomings from the start.

Although Lind could simply find some literate people among the island's various factions to teach, he would have difficulty guaranteeing the quality of their instruction.

Recruiting directly would pose the same problem. After all, Lind was a notorious pirate. How many respectable teachers would accept his offer?

Thus, Lind pinned his hopes on Ailan, hoping he could use his connections to recruit a number of excellent teachers, build the overall framework of Oran Elementary School, and give it an ideal foundation.

With that foundation in place, there would be no problem filling out the teaching staff, whether by requesting people from the major factions or through direct recruitment. Lind would only need to assign people to provide proper oversight.

After seeing the two men off, Lind and Liana did not return straight to the manor. Instead, they visited the training grounds first.

Although several officers were there and Lind had little to worry about, he still made a habit of checking on his subordinates' training.

Seeing that everything was proceeding as usual, Lind gave a few subordinates some casual pointers and words of encouragement. Only after leaving Axel and the others to continue overseeing the training did he return with Liana to the manor on the farm.

Ever since building the manor on the farm, Lind had rarely stayed in the palace in central Oran Port.

By comparison, the manor he had built himself suited his tastes better.

If not for his desire to find an excellent designer in the Flower Country, along with the considerable amount of work involved in creating a large landscaped garden,

Lind might have torn down the palace complex in the center of the island himself and built a garden in its place.

I wonder when that friend Master Zhang Yang introduced will arrive. Hopefully, he'll be just as capable as Zhang Yang and Ailan! Lind thought.

It had to be said that Zhang Yang truly had extensive connections. Besides Ailan, the master educator,

Zhang Yang had also introduced Lind to a master architect while they were discussing the designs for the Oran Hotel and Oran Elementary School.

He was a close friend of Zhang Yang's. They had both previously worked in the Flower Country's imperial palace, one as an imperial chef and the other as an imperial architect.

Judging by Zhang Yang's culinary skills, this architect, who had likewise served the Flower Country's imperial court, was certainly not someone to underestimate. Lind had very high expectations of him.