Mercenary Harem in Murim Novel-Chapter 206 - – Yue Yue’s First Request

In the end, the discussion was finished early because Tang Jiaofu left first. Leo didn't manage to give the reward he prepared for the Tang Clan patriarch, but that could wait until later.

His busy day didn't end there. Leo still had another promise with someone.

Moving further from the redlight district, he arrived at a normal house. The wooden door opened and a girl in her early 20s welcomed him. She wore casual clothes and her hair was tied up neatly.

"Welcome to our tavern! Are you here alone?" she said cheerfully.

Leo looked around and replied, "I have an appointment with someone. My name is Leo."

Her smile changed, as if realizing the situation.

"Ah, so it is you. This way, please. Your companion is already here."

He followed her. She brought him to the inner part of the tavern, where there was a table filled with food.

Because this was a slightly high-end tavern, the atmosphere was nice and cozy. It was suitable for relaxation. There weren't a lot of people around and there were a few private rooms.

The waiter led Leo to a table where a man was waiting. The man was wearing a black robe, but the air around him couldn't hide the wealth and authority that he possessed.

Upon seeing him, the man stood up.

"Long time no see. Please have a seat." He smiled.

Leo returned the gesture and sat down. He ordered some beers for himself.

"Indeed, it has Master Ming. How's the development of the stove and other appliances?" He asked. "If it goes as expected, the profit should be really good."

"Yes, of course." He laughed. "Everything is fine, and we are doing very well thanks to the new product. The prototype has been finished and is already being tested by our company. We will begin mass production soon enough."

"I'm glad to hear that." Leo smiled, he was happy hearing his project's development was doing well. "I will be looking forward to seeing the final product."

The man in front of him was none other than Four Wind Merchant's president, the first and biggest sponsor of Mercenary Union, a big merchant organization that spanned throughout the whole empire and its surrounding areas.

Ming Yuchan helped him a lot at creating the second identity as the merchant and worked in the Capital.

Usually, the president always stayed in the Capital, but Leo knew he came to the city because now the city had been relocated. There was also another matter that was more important than a simple stove appliance, the main reason Ming Yuchan came here.

Leo looked at him and said, "Do you want to relocate your main headquarter in Chengdu or..."

He stopped talking and stared at him. The president of the Four Wind Merchant didn't look surprised or angry at all. Instead, he smiled and answered his question without hesitation.

"I plan to create the headquarters in Qin City, the center of the trade. Chengdu will be the sub-branch of my business. It will act as a distribution hub and also a production center. But it is not my main concern right now. I have to ask you about the matter that I mentioned in my letter."

"About oil mining, yes?"

Ming Yuchan nodded, he leaned forward and spoke, "Yes. We don't really have an idea how to start the operation in that place, not until we found a strange substance coming out of the soil. And even so, I don't know how to refine it to become pure oil that can burn longer and cleaner. The sample you sent was already good enough, but it is not something we could easily get our hand on."

"I see." Leo understood where the problem was.

The sample that he gave Ming Yuchan was refined in a warehouse using the cutting edge technology and nanite's help. It wasn't something that could be made by normal method. It would need a special facility to make it.

However, that didn't mean he would give up. Leo had a few tricks to solve this problem.

"Tell me about the substance you find."

"Alright, it is crude oil and we are currently trying to extract it from the earth. They burn so fast that we have trouble controlling it."

"That's crude oil I know." He nodded and looked at him.

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"Do you have any idea to solve the problem?" Ming Yuchan asked.

"We have to refine it first with 4 steps. Heating, separation, conversion, and treatment. We will change the crude oil into petroleum that could burn more stable. This way, we can use the oil in the stove and a lamp."

In this world, oil wasn't something that was treated well. The people only used the crude oil for everything without refining it first.

As a result, it created bad smells, toxic smoke, and burned fast.

"First of all, we need to build a facility in order to refine the oil. I have prepared the design and I will help to build the facility." He gave another blueprint to Ming Yuchan, "You can build it near the new capital. Surely, you will need a lot of workers for this."

The design was simple enough. The refinery could produce the refined petroleum using a steam of pressure and heat to break down hydrocarbons into lighter and heavier components, such as petrol (gasoline), diesel, jet fuel, and fuel oils. But all they had to make was kerosene.

Even normal people could handle it after some instructions. Ming Yuchan didn't seem to have a problem with this, he had done a similar project in the past, after all.

Rather, he looked very surprised.

"It's... a lot of work. Are you sure about this?" he asked while reading the blueprints. "And with this, the problem that plagued the new capital will be gone. People will have work and get paid."

Surprised, Ming Yuchan looked at Leo, who nodded his head and smiled. The man smiled back.

"I will build it. And we will also hire people to work in our oil mine, although it will be a dangerous job."

"It will be fine, don't worry." Leo assured him. "With the new technology, the productivity and the safety of your workers will increase tenfold. I will provide the safety equipment for the new hire as well."

"I understand." Ming Yuchan was convinced. "But what will we do with all that oil? It's still not something common."

"Then let's make it a common thing. We will revolutionize the world. Let's see, should we start creating a train to move from one city to another? We will require coal for that, so it's not a viable option for oil... Ah, we can also create a kerosene lamp. It's cheaper and better than candles, and it can light the night streets, reducing the crime rate."

Ming Yuchan could see what kind of future his collaborator was thinking of, and he couldn't help but get excited. He didn't know what train was, but he had seen the vehicle that the Hallowed Insect Mercenary used.

If this 'train' was similar to the wagon that could run without a horse, then the possibilities were endless.

"I'll leave it to you." Ming Yuchan said, full of expectations. "You can decide how to use all that oil. We will be the ones who realize this project."

Leo smiled and nodded his head.

"Now that's settled, shall we have our dinner? I'm pretty hungry right now." Leo laughed and called a waiter. He then proceeded to order a few dishes and drinks outside beer. He didn't like alcohol.

The dinner continued in a merry atmosphere and it didn't end until late at night.

***

As the sun shone upon the land, people woke up and began their activities.

Leo went to the Mercenary Union base with Yue Yue. Today, he planned to teach her how to finish requests alone. He had promised her in the past and he planned to fulfill that promise today.

Due to the Emperor's declaration, many people made a request to the Mercenary Union now.

There were more requests than what could be completed in a day. This resulted in many requests being put on hold until the next day, and then they were finished one by one. The number of people who wanted protection was increasing, especially merchants and travelers.

As a result, the number of martial artists affiliated as mercenaries was also increasing. This also increased the revenue for the organization as a whole.

People were happy, wandering martial artists were happy. And public safety improved as the number of martial artists became higher. This made it safer for ordinary people to walk around outside their house.

"Alright, what do you want to do, Yue Yue? The request is separated into different types, depending on your ability. But, if you're confident in your abilities, you can choose whatever request you want." Leo explained as they walked toward the board, full of requests.

Many people gathered in the base to read and choose a request. There was no rank or anything in the Mercenary Union. However, the receptionist from Hao Sect would determine whether the taker had the ability to complete it or not. If they didn't, then the request couldn't be taken.

Everything was built on a reputation. No one would hire them if the Mercenary Union was bad, and no one would take their requests either.

Yue Yue looked like a child. Her height didn't even reach 150 cm tall. Her Qi wasn't prominent at all, bordering 3 Stars from the training she did with Leo and Chiaki. She looked cute and innocent.

As such, no one really expected much from her.

However, she had a badge symbolling that she belonged to the Hallowed Insect group. With that alone, her ability was beyond doubt. So she could choose any request she liked,

"Can I choose one for myself?" She asked.

Leo smiled. "Sure."

"Then, this one." She took one paper and showed it to Leo.

"Hmm." Leo nodded his head after reading the content, "A group of thugs attacked the local farmers in the morning. The request is to find the thugs and eliminate them before they do anything else. This request is perfect for beginners, I guess?"

Yue Yue was Anya's apprentice. Her specialty was espionage, not frontal battle. So this was perfect for her.

"I'll take this request." She said confidently.