Life is full of surprises

Wang Yan fully supports Lauma's idea of ​​building roads.

Although he was not a member of the Frostmoon Children, as a Chinese person, Wang Yan had a special feeling about road construction.

When they were in Sumeru, Wang Yan would complain every now and then about the inaction of the Teaching Academy and its failure to repair roads.

It's not just the Order of the Fathers; most other countries in Teyvat are the same. The better roads in the wilderness are paved with stone slabs, while the worse ones are just dirt roads.

At first, Wang Yan thought it was because the authorities were incompetent, but later he learned that it was due to various reasons such as wild monsters, elemental erosion, and even the natural environment that the construction and maintenance costs were too high and difficult to maintain, which led to this situation.

However, Wang Yan's dream of building roads has not disappeared.

"What kind of renovation are you planning to do? What materials will you use? Have you had someone design it?"

Wang Yan asked La Uma.

"Unfortunately, no decision has been made yet. The only goal is to make trade routes more convenient," Lauma said, shaking her head.

Wang Yan: "Do you need any help? I once planned to build a road when I was in Sumeru, but it was delayed for some reason. If needed, I can help you design a road that is sufficient for the Frost Moon Child to travel between the outside world and the outside world."

"? I remember... aren't the scholars of Wangyan the school of knowledge? As far as I know, in the Academy of Teachings, subjects involving road construction should belong to the school of subtle theories, right?" Lauma asked hesitantly.

Although the Frostmoon Children are very secluded, Lauma is still quite well-informed about some of the outside world's news.

In particular, news about the Sumeru Buddhist Academy.

Last time, in the fight against the Moon Hunters, they received help from the equipment sent by Nasita and Dolly, and Lauma was particularly impressed by the Order of the Church.

In addition to Nefer, Lauma gained a deeper understanding of the Order of the Church.

Therefore, Lauma is quite clear about which school of thought within the Academy is the leading authority on civil engineering.

"Oh, my situation is a bit complicated. My mentor teaches different sects, and I also have a fondness for infrastructure, so I've been involved in all of those areas." Wang Yan explained briefly before continuing, "The situation on Xixi Island is relatively complex. Coupled with the isolation of the sea, building a road connecting it to Lunbo Island is actually very difficult."

Building a road between two islands is much more difficult than building a road between a rainforest and a desert.

Although shallow sea areas are relatively shallow, they are highly susceptible to the influence of monsoons, typhoons, or sudden storm surges. Of course, even if the waters around Teyvat were very stable and free from these problems, the high salinity and high humidity of the marine environment would make ordinary building materials highly susceptible to corrosion.

Moreover, Wang Yan himself had been to the shallow sea near Xixi Island. Although it was not so much a reef or a rugged terrain, there was a lot of soft silt.

In this environment, it is impossible to build a road without sufficient architectural knowledge.

Do you really think road construction is something you can just do haphazardly?

If you dare to fool the road, the road will dare to fool you.

"Hmm... Wouldn't helping with the design interfere with Wang Yan's own affairs?" Lauma was somewhat tempted.

Indeed, there is no one within the Frostmoon Child who can design road plans.

Even the Child of Frostmoon is somewhat unable to explore salinity, humidity, and even terrain.

Having lost knowledge of the Golden City, the Frost Moon Children, who have maintained their original appearance for thousands of years and even live in ruins, still possess some infrastructure capabilities, but they are not as numerous as before.

"Of course not. My laboratory isn't finished yet, so there are some things I want to do but can't. I might have to go back to Xia Town again, and while I'm at it, I'll go over the sea and do an environmental inspection. Once the laboratory is finished, the road design can be submitted."

Wang Yan said confidently.

Although Farusian's greatest skill is in mechanical arts, she is also proficient in architecture.

She's an archaeologist; if she's not an expert in architecture, she won't be able to emerge unscathed from ancient ruins.

In addition, after becoming friends with Kavi, they often talked about his architectural design philosophy over drinks.

Therefore, Wang Yan really does know how to design roads.

"Then... I'll have to trouble Scholar Wang Yan," Lauma agreed.

"Haha, leave it to me." Wang Yan was very happy.

On the side.

Serene said, somewhat speechless, "Weren't we here to prepare the lunar torque charging element? How did we end up with this job?"

"Because life is full of surprises," Wang Yan said with a smile in a low voice. "Is suddenly breaking the original plan in accordance with or against predetermined fate?"

If you say that, I'm no longer sleepy!

Serene immediately became serious and leaned close to Wang Yan's ear: "If we exclude you as a factor and let someone else do it, then it will naturally be appropriate, because no matter what choice he makes, it will be in accordance with the predetermined fate until he breaks free from his anchored destiny."

What does that mean?

This means that within the sacred plan of the Dharma King, you may think that your decision violates the plan, but in reality, it was the Dharma King who planned for you to make this decision.

Decisions that defy fate are also within the plan of fate.

That's what makes predetermined fate so terrifying—you don't know if what you're doing is truly a form of resistance against fate.

"Then why must I be included as a factor?" Wang Yan asked.

Serene: "That so-called witch couldn't have predicted your fate. Perhaps you were never meant to be."

This is one of the reasons why she chose to follow Wang Yan.

As a rebellious angel, she hated predetermined fate, while Wang Yan was outside of fate, so Serene was willing to follow Wang Yan.

"Tsk, looks like I really am special."

Wang Yan chuckled softly, then looked at Lauma.

Lauma had just taken two steps toward the Falcon Deer after seeing the human and the fairy whispering to each other, but now that they were done talking, she came back.

"Is there anything else we can help with regarding the design of the road plans?"

"Let's calculate the budget you can come up with first. No matter what kind of blueprints you design, budget is always the most important thing."

Wang Yan didn't want to be like Kave.

Kawi designed the palace, built it halfway, but encountered a dead zone problem. Unwilling to give up, he added money to complete the Casazale Palace, but ended up going bankrupt.

Wang Yan wasn't as stubborn as Kavi.

But this is his first time designing blueprints, and he would be unhappy if there were funding issues that prevented the project from being implemented.

"Currently, the tribe can only provide about ten million Mora," Lauma said.

"Ten million?" Wang Yan was stunned, somewhat incredulous.

It's not too much, it's too little.

Previously, Farusan had calculated for Wang Yan that even in a rainforest environment, paving one mile of road would cost tens or hundreds of thousands of Mora.

So, moving to the shallow mudflats between Xixi Island and Lunbo Island would cost even more.

"Is there any difficulty?" Lauma asked.

Wang Yan nodded: "It's not that it's difficult, it's that it's completely insufficient. If you only have ten million Mora, I suggest you build a simple dock and go directly by water."

Although Wang Yan really wanted to build the road and test his knowledge, he couldn't let the Son of Frostmoon fall into this trap.

Building a pier on Xixi Island is much simpler than building a road across the sea.

Ten million Mora is definitely enough, and there will be a lot left over to buy ships.

Lauma hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I understand. I will discuss it with someone. Thank you for your reminder, Scholar Wangyan."

"If you want to entrust this to me, I will definitely take responsibility. You're welcome." Wang Yan waved his hand. "In short, there is a body of water separating Xixi Island and Lunbo Island. The best way to build a road that connects them is to build a bridge that crosses the sea directly... Even if I provide you with rune support for free, it will still require an investment of at least 30 to 50 million."

"If it's about building a dock, all we need to do is build a road leading to Frostmoon Castle along the coast, and then find a relatively deep area. Ten million Mora should be enough."

Lauma nodded again: "Okay, I've got it. I won't bother you any longer."

She called to the priests who were feeding the Frosty Horned Deer, then quickly left, presumably to discuss something with someone.

Serene flew onto Wang Yan's shoulder: "This is really full of surprises. The thing you just agreed to is now gone."

"That's what makes life interesting. If it were too rigid and had no variation at all, wouldn't that be so boring?"

Wang Yan replied with a smile.

"You have a good attitude, but what are you planning to do next? Are you really going to that town of Naxia?" Serene asked.

Wang Yan shook his head: "No need, just ask someone to help us."

"But the person you just contacted failed, didn't he?" Serene asked curiously.

"Guess who I'm allowed to ask for help. If you guess right, I'll buy you a velvet blanket," Wang Yan joked.

"Really?"

"I have no reason to lie to you, do I?"

Serene immediately became excited. She had been asking for a velvet bed yesterday, and even if there wasn't one, a blanket would do.

Her intelligence instantly gave her the upper hand.

"First of all, if you're asking me to guess, it must be someone I know, otherwise this question would be meaningless."

"Then, the people I know, and you know too, are nothing more than the Witch's Guild, that traveler, and that fairy."

"So the answer is simple: it's Nico. You're going to ask Nico for help because she can help you contact other people, and you have something to contact her with, right?"

Serene said with great certainty.

Wang Yan smiled and said, "You guessed right. I'll buy it for you later."

As he spoke, Wang Yan took out the Dudu communicator from his pocket.

This was given to him by Nico, who told him to contact Serene anytime if anything happened to her.

But... it didn't say we can't contact each other normally, right?

Activate the Dudu communicator.

The little thing makes a "beep beep beep" sound.

The communicator was quickly disconnected, and then Nicole's voice came through Wang Yan's mind: "What's wrong? What's wrong? Is there a problem with Cleoceline?"

"I knew you wouldn't speak, so how could we communicate via communicator? Is this how it's solved?" Wang Yan thought to himself, then replied to Nico, "Serene is alright, but there's something I need your help with."

"Hmm? Serene? Oh... that's much easier to call her. Is there anything I can help you with?" Nicole asked, her tone still friendly.

Wang Yan: "Please inform Dolly and ask her to purchase a batch of Moon Torque Charging Components when she delivers them to me. The base quantity should be ten times that of the Moon Torque Cannon in Xia Town. Also, ask her to send a velvet blanket."

Nico: "Okay, is that all? Is there anything else you want to inform me about?"

"That's all for now. I'll contact you again if I need anything else," Wang Yan said bluntly.

Nico didn't feel like she was bothering anyone and cheerfully agreed, "Okay."

For Nicole, who still possesses angelic qualities, asking Wang Yan for favors can actually bring her pleasure.

The call has ended.

"How's it going? How's it going? Did you get me the velvet blanket?" Serene flew next to Wang Yan's head and kept shaking it.

Wang Yan nodded, grabbed it, and placed it back on his shoulder: "Of course, I wouldn't lie to you."

"Hehe, Wang Yan, you're so nice." Serene happily rubbed her face against Wang Yan's.

"Alright, now that we've finished this, let's go to the construction site canteen for lunch, and then we'll continue reading."

"Seriously? We're supposed to read those nonsensical poems and hymns? Can't we read something useful?"

"I'll look at the books I brought from the Order of the Order, instead of going to the Frostmoon Children's Library."

"Oh, okay, hehe."

The little fairy was very satisfied and rubbed against Wang Yan again.

Wang Yan felt that if he kept rubbing against her like this, his skin would definitely get thinner.

……

Naxia Town.

Dolly's Shop.

"Hello, Lord Sanggomahabai."

Dolly, who was counting Mora, suddenly heard a voice in her mind.

"Huh?" Dolly exclaimed in surprise, but quickly realized, "Hehe, is that Ms. Nicole?"

As Alice's partner, Dolly is quite familiar with the Witches' Guild. She knows Nicole, Barbie, and Alice, the three relatively active witches.

"it's me."

"Hehe, Ms. Nicole, is there anything I can help you with?"

"It's not my business; I'm just relaying Wang Yan's message."

Dolly exclaimed in surprise, "What? Ms. Nicole actually knows Wang Yan? And he wouldn't happen to know Ms. Alice either, would he?"

"Uh... I don't think so. Alice hasn't met Wang Yan yet, and I've only known him for a short time." Nicole was a little confused by Dolly's surprise.

Dolly patted her chest: "That's good, that's good. I was even planning to sell him the Witch's Guild's magical artifacts at a high price."

"...Then I hope you can successfully complete this deal." Nico wished Dolly well, and then relayed Wang Yan's words, "He needs you to purchase ten times the base amount of Moon Torque charging components for the Moon Torque Cannon, and also send a velvet blanket."

"A personal shopper, huh? Did he say how much it would cost?"

"Uh... I didn't say."

"Oh, I see. Thank you for passing on the message, Ms. Nico. I recently received a batch of light novels from Inazuma. Would you like me to prepare a set for you?"

"Is it Yaedo?"

"Of course, I only stock the best products, all the latest publications from Yaedo."

"Then please prepare one for me, and deduct the money from the Witch's Guild's account."

"Okay, do you need me to deliver it to your door?"

"No, no need. I'll come to pick it up in a few days."

"Then I'll be waiting for you anytime."

End the call.

Dolly squinted her eyes and happily began to sing the Mora song: "Mora, Mora, shiny Mora; Mora, Mora, countless Mora; beautiful Mora, is my Mora; other people's Mora, come to my house quickly~"

With the charging components of the ten-month torque cannon, she can make a fortune from Wang Yan again.

As for velvet blankets? They are indeed only used by wealthy families, but compared to the cost of the charging components, they are insignificant.

It would be perfectly fine to give it to Wang Yan as a bonus!

After finishing her song, Dolly cheerfully called Urva to watch the shop, then she went out and ran towards the Voynich Chamber of Commerce.

(The background shows the location of the Voynich Chamber of Commerce and its employee Tarno.)

"Oh, isn't this Lord Sangmahabai? What brings you to the Chamber of Commerce? Let me make this clear first: your application to join the Voynich Chamber of Commerce was rejected by Nefer. It's no use coming to me; I'm just an ordinary employee."

Tarno of the Voynich Merchant Guild saw Dolly running towards him and immediately greeted her with a smile.

Tarno is an employee of the Voynich Chamber of Commerce. Generally speaking, his word carries weight when the bosses behind the Voynich Chamber of Commerce don't show up.

"That's not it, Tarno. I need to place an order, urgently."

Dolly climbed onto the counter and shouted loudly, attracting the attention of many customers around her.

Tarno's smile widened: "It seems to be a big deal. Then, Mr. Bai, please come with me."

Tarno gave a look to the person next to him, who then stood behind the counter in his place. He then led Dolly into the back room of the merchant guild.

Once outsiders were no longer watching, Tarno smiled and said, "What does Master Bai want? As long as the Vonich Merchant Guild has it, we will certainly prepare it for you."

In order to gather the raw materials needed by Wang Yan, Dolly has placed many orders with the Voynich Merchant Guild in the past few days, so Tarno's attitude is very good.

"Ten months of torque cannon base charging components, and then a velvet bedding set."

Dolly said magnanimously.

As for whether the velvet is for a blanket or a set? She didn't care; she'd just give it to Wang Yan as a bonus.

Tarno's eyes widened as well: "Ten bases? That'll cost a lot of money."

To put it another way, the Moon Torque Cannon's energy alone restored some of the Moon Hunters' strength, demonstrating its immense power and energy consumption.

Ten base units... Normally, even a Moon Torque Cannon wouldn't stockpile that many ammunition units.

"Hehe, I'm not short of money, I'm not short of money. Just tell me if you can get it ready today, I want to pick up the goods tomorrow," Dolly said with a smile.

Is Wang Yan's money with her enough? Dolly doesn't care. Anyway, if this month's dividend isn't enough, she'll just use next month's to make up for it.

The toothpaste project is healthy, and Dolly isn't worried about Wang Yan not having money.

"The Voynich Chamber of Commerce certainly has the goods in its warehouse, but, Mr. Bai, I must remind you that Moon Torque Charging Components are contraband in many countries. Once they leave the territory of Nordkalai, they are not considered normal trades."

The implication is that if you try to smuggle it and get caught, the Voynich Chamber of Commerce won't help you.

"Don't worry, sir, I know the rules."

Dolly didn't say where the goods were going, and Tarno didn't ask any further questions. He simply nodded and said, "Then let's pay the deposit first. The energy base of the ten-month torque cannon... pay a deposit of 200 million first, and make up the rest after delivery tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll have someone bring the money over in a bit."

Although it would cost several million Mora at once, Dolly wasn't too bothered, because she could quickly earn it back from Wang Yan.

"Please take care, Mr. Nabai."