Station 50

The wealthy tycoon spent two days enjoying himself in the small village, eating and drinking his fill. Zhan Xiaobai even personally accompanied the tycoon on a hunting trip in the nearby woods, letting him experience the thrill of the chase by felling several deer. Although deer posed little threat, it was still quite a challenge for the pot-bellied tycoon to take one down. With Zhan Xiaobai lending a hand, the tycoon finally managed, drenched in sweat, to kill a few deer, exclaiming with delight at the exhilaration.

The tycoon was thoroughly pleased with the warmth and hospitality shown by Zhan Xiaobai and his people. (Ha, wherever a wealthy benefactor like me goes, I’m always welcomed!)

Back at the village’s administrative courtyard, they served tea and invited him to sit. The tycoon took a sip to quench his thirst, then, in a meaningful tone, asked, “Village Chief, from what I’ve seen these past two days, your village’s market is thriving, and the infrastructure is managed in an orderly and progressive fashion. I wonder what plans you have for the future?”

After two or three days of interaction, Zhan Xiaobai, though at times probing discreetly, still couldn’t figure out the tycoon’s background or intentions. He was deeply curious: what had brought such a wealthy man to Xiaobai Village? He didn’t really believe the tycoon was here simply to build a house or buy a few trinkets.

The tycoon was tight-lipped, never revealing much. However, Zhan Xiaobai, by considering the progress of the game, made a guess at the tycoon’s motive. Most likely, the tycoon was a system mechanism designed to spur players into development—otherwise, there’d be no reason to scatter money so freely, increasing the players’ liquidity and boosting trade.

Zhan Xiaobai smiled and replied, “Since I’ve established this village, my greatest ambition is naturally to build it into the finest of villages, then upgrade it to a town, and perhaps even a large city. Do you have any advice for me?”

The tycoon set down his teacup and chuckled, “I could see your ambition from the start, Village Chief. I only asked again to hear it from you directly. Since you have such vision, I won’t keep my thoughts to myself. From what I know, your village is already among the largest in Longyou. As a businessman, one must always have foresight for investment. As soon as I heard your village had built a tavern and an inn, I rushed here from Wuwei and have observed for two days. I’m very satisfied—if a village like yours isn’t worth investing in, then what village in the world is? Do you have any good investment projects in mind? I may not have much else, but I do have money. Perhaps we could become partners in a small venture. What do you think?”

Zhan Xiaobai’s eyes lit up, thinking to himself, as expected.

He maintained a calm demeanor and said, “I’m not very experienced with business projects, nor do I know which ventures make real money. With your experience, have you set your sights on anything in particular?”

The tycoon looked satisfied, laughing heartily, “I certainly know what to do and how to do it inside and out. But... I can’t say. I want to test your wisdom, Village Chief. Only if your project matches what I have in mind will I invest.”

Zhan Xiaobai forced a wry smile. “You truly enjoy your jokes. If that’s the case, I’ll propose a few ideas. What do you think about investing in several research and development centers here?”

The tycoon squinted his small eyes. “R&D centers? What exactly do you mean, Village Chief?”

Zhan Xiaobai explained, “An R&D center is where craftsmen with unique skills gather to jointly develop various products—for example, creating wooden or iron goods with different functions.”

Zhan Xiaobai didn’t explain much, but the tycoon immediately understood—it was a kind of cooperative workshop.

“Not a bad idea!” he praised, closing his eyes to ponder for a while, but then shook his head. “No, to achieve the collaborative development you mentioned, you’d at least need master-level craftsmen. I could afford to hire masters, but the village’s current security is too low. The safety of the masters and the products can’t be guaranteed. If marauding bandits attacked, and a few died, I’d lose everything.”

Zhan Xiaobai was well aware of the security risks, as well as the potential profits.

They discussed at length, with Zhan Xiaobai proposing various robust protection measures, even offering to have the tycoon hire elite NPC guards in Wuwei as escorts.

But the tycoon kept shaking his head, repeating, “The village’s security level is too low. You can’t build such advanced structures yet, or disaster will befall you. In a place like Xiliang, there’s more than just petty bandits... The Eight Tribes of Xiliang, the Qiang, the Di, the Xiongnu raiders, the Yicong of Huangzhong, a dozen powerful warlords—none of them are to be trifled with. If they set their sights on you, my fortune wouldn’t last them a single meal.”

Zhan Xiaobai was left helpless.

It seemed the system did set boundaries, preventing players from gaining excessively advanced help from NPCs.

But aside from an R&D center, there were few projects suitable for joint investment with the tycoon.

“Manufacturing equipment?”

“No.”

“Producing tools?”

“No.”

…

Whatever lucrative business Zhan Xiaobai suggested, the tycoon refused them all.

At last, Zhan Xiaobai understood fully. The tycoon could lend a small hand, but gaining an advantage over other players through him was impossible.

He smiled bitterly. “Why don’t you suggest a project for cooperation, then? I’m really at a loss.”

The tycoon beamed at him and said, “Since you’re so sincere, I’ll reluctantly make a small suggestion. Since you already have a tavern and an inn for travelers, why not establish a basic courier station? That business is labor-intensive and yields modest profits—unlikely to attract the envy of the powerful.”

Zhan Xiaobai felt sheepish—how could he have forgotten about the courier station? While it doesn’t produce goods or materials, it’s invaluable for saving time and promoting trade.

He quickly praised, “You have a sharp eye, old sir, spotting the perfect project at a glance. I am truly impressed!”

After some negotiation, they agreed to establish a courier station, with profits split evenly between Xiaobai Village and the tycoon.

Xiaobai Village would provide a basic courier station building and a basic stable, and be responsible for the daily feeding and care of the courier horses.

The tycoon would initially supply twenty ordinary tawny courier horses and a groom to tend them. If business prospered, he would provide more horses in batches in the future.

Xiaobai Village Courier Station (Xiliang) — Function: external rental for daily travel.

First routes to open:

Route 1: Xiaobai Village to Wuwei City, fee 100 copper, half a day’s travel.

Route 2: Xiaobai Village to Wutong Village, fee 4 copper, three minutes’ travel. Fees can be adjusted by Xiaobai Village at their discretion.

Route 3: Xiaobai Village to Jincheng, fee 120 copper, half a day’s travel.

Ordinary tawny courier horse: Level 10 courier horse, speed ?? li/hour. For daily riding by players level 10 and above. Not for combat use. Requires basic stable, eats basic horse feed.

Basic stable: Requires one basic groom, can accommodate level 10 ordinary horses, capacity 20. Cannot house high-level horses or warhorses.

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Some of the data in this chapter may be a bit off and is being refined… If anyone has time, help Baili think things through more thoroughly.