Chapter 1433 Signal on the Ocean
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Mu Ningxue had clearly made a brilliant choice when she decided to purchase the land. It went without saying that she was working very hard every day with the daily transformation of the city.
Fanxue Mountain was still considered private land. Mu Ningxue did not compromise, even when she was put under great pressure. In the end, the other parties, including the government, had to choose a gentler approach, and decided to cooperate with Fanxue Mountain instead.
Mu Ningxue had put in painstaking efforts to make Fanxue Mountain possible. When the place was still barren land, the government and the other factions had not provided them with any support or help. The members of Fanxue Mountain slowly cultivated the land and gave it a perfect skeleton frame. They would not allow the others to take it away just because it was now part of Feiniao Headquarters City!
The land belonged to Fanxue Mountain, but they did not mind cooperating with the government. Everyone was responsible for ensuring the safety of the coastline, but they would not allow the government to repossess the land!
——
Mu Zhuoyun had left to meet with the Mui Clan and the Dongfang Clan. Mo Fan had only come to pay Mu Ningxue a visit. He did not have to worry about anything else; it was not like he could be of any help.
Mu Zhuoyun had already come back by the time Mo Fan found Mu Ningxue, as if he was afraid Mo Fan would do something to his precious daughter when he was not around… even though it was true that Mo Fan had safety precautions readily available in his pocket…
“Basically, the Mui Clan has always been working with the military, but the Mu Clan is applying a lot of pressure to them, especially since the Mu Clan is in charge of the dam along the coastline. The Mu Clan has been buying the resources that the Mui Clan has been providing the military at an extremely low price. The Mui Clan is planning to rescind the agreement with the military, yet they are struggling to find another party with a large enough demand to meet their supply…
Mu Zhuoyun explained the results of the meeting to Mo Fan. “If we successfully reach an agreement and find a way to excavate the fire vein at Kunlun Mountain, they will focus on excavating the fire vein and sell the resources through Fanxue Mountain. The population of Fanxue Mountain is only going to increase by the day, and the South China Sea’s maritime battlefield is very close to us. There’s going to be a lot of demand for Fire Element resources. They are asking us to lower the tax, and they have offered to split the profit evenly. They will handle the excavation, logistics, manufacturing, and sales together with the Dongfang Clan.”
“What do you think?” Mu Ningxue asked.
“You guys can make the call. My only job is to clear the blockage in the fire vein. You are better at doing business anyway,” Mo Fan answered.
“Then we’ll proceed with it; we’ll still need to discuss the details with Mu Linsheng,” Mu Zhuoyun said.
“I will go around and have a look.” Mo Fan knew Mu Ningxue had lots of things to attend to. He would have to wait until she was free to enjoy some time with her.
Mu Ningxue looked after him and called out, “I’ll give you a call when I’m done.”
Mo Fan waved his hand and left Fanxue Villa.
——
Fanxue Villa was significantly higher than the rest of the immediate area. It used to be just a barren hill, but it was now full of green and trees. It also had a spectacular night view.
A few dizzy and beautiful little moths flew among the trees. Even though they were moths, their colors were brighter than b.u.t.terflies. Mo Fan knew these little moths were Fanxue Villa’s sentries. They were not just at the villa; the little moths were scattered across the entire Fanxue Mountain as long as they were plants around. Fanxue Mountain had implemented strict rules, forbidding anyone from killing the moths. It was a private land, so those that entered had to obey the rules, allowing the little moths to coexist peacefully with the people that had moved to Fanxue Mountain to look for opportunities.
Mo Fan went down the hill. He could see a wide river coming from the direction of Yueyang Mountain. The meandering river flowed through the new city of Fanxue Mountain, with a few artificial bifurcations circling around Fanxue Villa. For some reason, the layout of the bifurcations looked familiar to Mo Fan…
The river originated from Yueyang Mountain and eventually reached the ocean. Mo Fan remembered the estuary was b.u.t.tressed by two magnificent mountains. The river valley’s great depth and width was the perfect place to build a harbor connected to the new city of Fanxue Mountain. The riverways, railways, and highways could meet at the mountain to the east. It was rare to see terrain with such a layout. Most of the time, it was difficult to establish railways, highways, and riverways close to a mountain. Luckily, the valley between the Shuangdong Mountains was flat and s.p.a.cious with access to the ocean. It was also possible to build a dam between the mountains to guarantee the safety of the river valley.
Mu Ningxue had chosen the land after putting the safety of their people first. It was located between cities to the north and the south, while its west and east were warded by mountains. Therefore, even though the land was barren and uncultivated, she still insisted on making it their territory. Now the land had become an important part of the coastline. Fanxue Mountain had already started constructing the st.u.r.diest dam possible along the east coastline. It would soon be transformed into a maritime fortress. One could only say that her kindness and determination were finally getting paid back, after the Heavens had mistreated her for so long!
The current Fanxue Mountain was vigorous and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with life. Mo Fan could already see the outline of a new city. The city had covered the area from Yueyang Mountain in the west to the dam between the Shuangdong Mountains. New ca.n.a.ls and roads were being added daily, like fresh blood that was continuously being injected into the city. Workers, businessmen, traders, Mages, and Hunters ha gathered in the city… the city might not have anything yet, but it would soon have everything. The people that moved in earlier might end up as the founders of the new city!
Bo City had become a military base. Apart from a few old residents, it had gradually lost its appeal as a residential city. Mo Fan rarely went back there, but his heart always felt empty when he did, as if he did not really have a place that he could call home.
However, Mo Fan felt great antic.i.p.ation when he witnessed the changes at Fanxue Mountain. He believed that he would stand on a skysc.r.a.per one day, looking down at the blossoming city with a satisfied smile while admiring a place that belonged to him, a city that would feel like home to him!
Mo Fan recalled Zhao Manyan’s words. After seeing how busy Mu Ningxue had been, he realized he could not just live like a vagabond who only worried about feeding himself anymore. He should think about Fanxue Mountain’s well-being, even when he was not around!
—
Mo Fan approached the dam that was still under construction. He saw rapid movement along it, indicating that something must have happened.
“Viscera Hunters!”
“A s.h.i.+p of ours is surrounded by Viscera Hunters on the ocean. We have to provide them with backup immediately!”
A patrol leader went up to the dam and looked in the direction a Brilliant Light was fired into, but he could not see the s.h.i.+p that was mentioned.
“They are too far away from us. d.a.m.n it, how dare they ambush the s.h.i.+p in revenge while it’s on its way back! Such cunning creatures!” the patrol leader said.
Mo Fan went up to the dam when he heard the noise going around. However, he was told that only authorized personnel were allowed on it.
“Mm? Mentor, why are you here!?” a woman blurted out.
Mo Fan turned around and saw Cao Qinqin. Only Cao Qinqin and Bai Hongfei would address him like that.
“What’s going on?” Mo Fan asked.
“It’s the Viscera Hunters, an extremely vicious and cunning species of sea monster! They are scouts for the sea monsters’ army, but they are also detestable killers at the same time. Lately, we’ve discovered that the Viscera Hunters are preying on our city. Sister Shao Yu put up a job request to hire a few squads of Hunters to annihilate the Viscera Hunters. They just signaled us that they are on their way back, but the Viscera Hunters have surrounded them just as they entered the safe zone. The Viscera Hunters that fled must have gathered some reinforcements and intercepted the s.h.i.+p on their way back,” Cao Qinqin said.
“How many are there?” Mo Fan asked.
“More than a thousand, according to the signal we’ve received. It’s hard to tell if we can gather enough people in such a short period of time,” Cao Qinqin was clearly a lot more familiar with Fanxue Mountain’s new city than Mo Fan. She basically treated it as her new home.
“I can’t fly, nor can I swim, but it sounds like they are in great trouble!” Mo Fan said anxiously.
Battling on the sea had always been a huge problem for Mo Fan. The s.h.i.+p was around five kilometers away from the land. How could he possibly make it?
“Mentor, I can bring you there, I’m a Water Mage!” Cao Qinqin said.
“Sure!”
There were not many Advanced Water Mages around. Cao Qinqin immediately jumped into the water with Mo Fan. The patrol leader also came with a bunch of Mages. He glared at Cao Qinqin and grunted, “Nonsense, do you think you can rescue them on your own? Don’t you know how deadly these Viscera Hunters are!?”
Cao Qinqin stuck her tongue out. She did not explain herself.
Cao Qinqin was indeed a brilliant student of Pearl Inst.i.tute. Her control of the Water Element was very impressive. She was controlling a huge wave to carry them forward like a giant fish, heading for the dark ocean in the distance.
“Follow them quick, we can’t let anything happen to them!” the patrol leader, Tang Peng, shouted.
“Captain Tang, how did you manage to gather a team so quickly? You’ve already gathered six teams in no time!” Cao Qinqin turned around and saw five other teams following behind them.
Tang Peng was Cao Qinqin’s friend, and had great affection for the girl. He was appointed the captain of the patrolling squads of Fanxue Mountain when he first came to the barren land. However, as Fanxue Mountain continued to grow rapidly, his position also rose significantly.
Tang Peng was quite a powerful Mage. He was once a soldier, and had outstanding management skills. Mu Linsheng gladly left the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the Fanxue Mountain coastline to him.
“We are on alert at all times!” Tang Peng had a proud face when he saw the rescue team in great order. In the past, Fanxue Mountain’s patrol was like a sheet of loose sand, a bunch of vagrants, but they were now efficient and quick, like a troop of soldiers!
“Mentor, it looks like you won’t have to get your hands dirty this time,” Cao Qinqin smiled at Mo Fan.
“I’ll still come along;, I have nothing to do anyway,” Mo Fan replied.