Chapter 903: Chapter 903: Weilante People from Afar
It is worth mentioning that when Chu Guang opened the "Survivor’s Daily" of No.1 Settlement, Yarman’s team had not yet docked, just passing by the North Island in the southern sea area.
Due to increasingly fierce industry competition, this branch had prepared the newspaper’s headline in advance last night to grab the news timing and completed the printing.
More than five thousand immigrants from the west of the Central Continent.
This is almost equivalent to one-twentieth of the current population of Settlement No.1!
And these people are Vellante people.
Considering the current strategic adversarial relationship between the Alliance and the Southern Legion, this large number of immigrants in itself is full of topicality, not to mention those thousands of tons of gold.
At a breakfast stall not far from the dock, a few dock workers wearing hard hats clicked their tongues in surprise at the news on the newspaper.
Some of these workers are Vellante people.
Compared with other Wasteland Wanderers from the Eastern Provinces, they are most sensitive to gold.
"Thousands of tons of gold... how many dinars is that?!"
"The smallest denomination is 5 grams... thousands of tons, at least 200 million!"
A Vellante who once served in the Eastern Legion couldn’t help but lament.
"Damn... those guys to the south are really rich."
In the Eastern Legion, gold is generally in the hands of landowners with vast tracts of land.
These people are usually military aristocracy, either rewarded with land while serving as active Ten Thousand Leaders, or someone in the family has been a Ten Thousand Leader.
In terms of this, the Southern Legion indeed has a certain superiority over the Eastern Legion system-wise.
Their wealth does not depend on land, but more on mines and factories.
Moreover, the Southern Legion’s gold is monopolized by the Vellante people, not by the Ten Thousand Leader.
No wonder the merchants and immigrants of Triumph City like to run to the colonies of the Southern Legion.
While these Vellante people were arguing about how many silver coins 200 million dinars could be exchanged for, Hank, also wearing a hard hat, held his breath in excitement.
million dinars!
He was worried about not having the start-up capital for his plans, and now the money has come, hasn’t it?!
Months ago, he had boasted to Yarman about making back the money he lost at Settlement No.1, but unfortunately, months passed and he was still doing work at the dock, and the grand blueprint in his mind hadn’t even started.
No way.
The risk control of the Alliance Bank is too strict, not friendly at all to entrepreneurs like him who have ideas but lack strength.
Although he had dutifully found a job to restore his credit and obtained temporary status, a dock job with a monthly salary of only 2000 silver coins was not enough for him to borrow a start-up capital above a million silver coins to start rolling his snowball.
Yet, when he was at his wits’ end, those more than a thousand tons of gold about to dock showed him hope!
Quickly throwing down the half-eaten noodles, he jogged over to the foreman and cut straight to the point.
"I’d like to take a leave."
This guy asked for leave every three days, so the foreman had long memorized this face.
Seeing the hurried Hank, he chuckled and said.
"Leave? What hurts you this time?"
Faced with the foreman’s teasing, Hank felt a bit embarrassed but did not back down, lightly coughing, he said.
"Ahem... Did you see this morning’s top headline in the ’Survivor’s Daily’? I have acquaintances on that ship, I have to entertain them a bit."
He was actually not lying, the ship owner named Yarman was indeed his acquaintance and also his lifesaver.
The foreman was dumbfounded for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
However, he ultimately said nothing more and granted this guy named Hank the leave of absence.
"... I advise you to take your work a bit more seriously, at least fulfill forty hours a week, alright? If you can’t make up 168 hours this month, I’ll have to give your job to the Poluo people."
Receiving the leave slip from the foreman, Hank shamelessly joked with a straight face.
"Thanks for being so tolerant with me, when I make it big someday I’ll definitely buy you a drink."
Not taking his blank check seriously at all, the foreman grinned and said.
"Just a drink? You’ve already started daydreaming, I thought you’d at least make me a general manager."
Hank grinned back and replied.
"That’s a different story, I have to put my investors first. But if you’re interested in a career change, I might consider introducing you to my competitors."
Stunned for a moment, the foreman then looked at this slick talker and jokingly cursed.
"Get out of here, you ungrateful bastard, don’t expect any more leave slips from me this month!"
Waving the leave slip in his hand with a laugh, Hank said.
"Thanks for your good words, hopefully! If this succeeds, I won’t need to bother you for slips anymore, and you can give my exoskeleton to those Poluo people."
Although Hank was not a big shot, he had at least owned two large ships of arms before.
He never intended to work at the dock for a lifetime, and this job itself was just a transition.
...
Just as Hank was hastily heading towards the passenger terminal, the twelve immigrant-laden passenger ships finally sailed into the port of the No.1 Settlement.
On the deck of the "Salvation Nest," Yarman gazed at the dock that was within arm’s reach, a brilliant smile carrying a hint of longing.
Thanks to favorable weather along the way, his fleet maintained an average speed of over 30 knots while crossing the Poluo Sea, only slowing down when reaching the Baiyue Strait.
With over 5000 people on board, mostly Weilante people, he avoided stopping at the ports along the coast of Poluo Province to prevent any mishaps.
This was precisely why they managed to arrive at the Death Coast before the first weekend of September.
Honestly speaking, the changes here are quite significant.
Take the port, for instance; previously, the passenger and cargo terminals were crammed together. As the volume of cargo and people increased, the port’s terminals have been divided into different areas based on their purpose.
Moreover, the infrastructure connecting the terminals on the shore has been gradually established.
For example, the cargo railway connecting to the port’s storage area, the shipping building linked to the passenger terminal, and the minibus station, etc.
Yarman recalled that the place used to be rows of container houses, but now there are roads with green belts and dotted with wooden seaside villas.
Though he frequents this place and the intervals aren’t long, every time he docks here, he feels as though a long time has passed.
While Yarman gazed at the shore, Kuran, standing by his side, was also observing the situation there carefully.
Unlike Yarman, it was Kuran’s first time here, and he hadn’t seen what it looked like before, so there wasn’t much surprise on his face.
Compared to Evernight Harbor with its hundreds of thousands of people, the No.1 Settlement, with just over a hundred thousand, is more like a mixture of village and town at the urban-rural junction. The port under expansion looks more like a busy construction site.
The living conditions here certainly don’t compare to Evernight Harbor, especially for those who have left their homes.
But these weren’t his concerns anyway.
And as a new beginning, this place was already quite nice.
"By the way, why is this place called the Death Coast?"
Hearing Kuran’s curious inquiry, Yarman answered in a casual tone.
"Because... this place really wasn’t a good place before. Even when the Iron Tower Organization was around, locals were reluctant to come near. It’s said that before the Alliance arrived, the entire coastline was inhabited by various mutant tribes, the kind with gills and fins."
Kuran’s face showed a hint of surprise.
"Mutants with gills and fins?"
Yarman chuckled and said.
"Of course, they existed, but they couldn’t stay underwater all the time. The nests scattered along the coastline were mostly destroyed by Alliance patrols... Alliance members mentioned that some aquatic mutants retreated to the pre-war sewage systems, but those entrances are usually far away, posing no threat to the people living here."
Kuran nodded to show understanding, directing his gaze toward the distant beach.
Aside from jagged reefs, all he could see were a few folded deck chairs, some closed sun umbrellas, and a few sparse figures.
It was morning and not many people were spending time on the beach, yet he could still feel the peacefulness and tranquility as time slowed down.
It’s hard to believe that this place was once a mutant nest and a battlefield for the Alliance’s landing troops...
Kuran’s eyes held a trace of envy, yet he couldn’t quite explain what it was he envied.
"...Looks like the Alliance’s managers weren’t lying to them, their battles really are over."
Yarman’s wife, Margaret, was holding Little Ruby’s hand tightly, the latter almost leaning over the railing in excitement.
Her bright eyes were full of curiosity. She had been chattering constantly along the way, and now her eyes were fixed intently on the gantry crane in the distance.
Such a thing isn’t rare within the Alliance, yet it left Little Ruby utterly amazed.
She had never seen anything so fascinating. The towering frame of the door had wheels attached underneath that allowed it to change width freely, moving nimbly around the port and terminal.
The red iron claws suspended on the framework were extraordinarily flexible too.
With just a slight stretch and retract, it could lift a massive container over ten meters wide from the deck to the shore.
"What a big door!"
Watching her excited daughter exclaiming, a smile unwittingly crept onto Margaret’s lips.
"That’s a gantry crane."
"Gantry crane?" Ruby turned to her mother, her big eyes blinking with curiosity.
Seeing this inquisitive little one, Margaret smiled and explained.
"It’s used for loading and unloading containers."
She had seen those things before, but it was also her first time witnessing it in real life.
Container transport isn’t popular in Legion’s territory; even Triumph City’s port mainly focuses on bulk cargo, with conveyor belts installed between key areas of the port and terminal at most.
The reason is simple: labor from alien workers is incredibly cheap, and with the army in an expansion hiatus, cargo throughput at the ports rarely sees significant fluctuations.
As integral equipment for container transport, such large-scale handling devices don’t gain popularity naturally.
Even though similar hoisting technology exists in Legion’s factories, it hasn’t spread to other fields.
"Then...why doesn’t Evernight Harbor have it?" Ruby persisted with her questioning.
Margaret gently smoothed her wind-blown hair, holding her in her embrace.
"That’s a very good question, but Mom hopes you will think about it yourself instead of waiting for others to give you the answers."
Little Ruby tilted her head and started to think seriously, but such profound questions were obviously too early for her.
The ship slowly approached the dock and threw down the anchor chain amidst the shouts of the sailors.
Yarman rolled up his sleeve and glanced at the time on his watch, then returned to his wife and daughter.
"We’re about to disembark. I need to go to the port authority to register first... Over five thousand immigrants, I’ve never crammed so many people here at once. Dear, why don’t you take Ruby back to the cabin to pack up our luggage."
Margaret: "Have you already arranged a place for us to stay?"
Yarman nodded.
"Just a hotel we’ve stayed at a few times, but the environment and facilities are decent, definitely better than the ship... We’ll rest there for a few days, and then find a house."
He wasn’t worried about their accommodation since he had been here several times and was relatively familiar with the local situation.
In comparison, he was more concerned about the more than five thousand compatriots on his ship.
Unlike him, who was used to wandering, most of these people were coming to such a distant place for the first time.
Their board and lodging were a problem.
However, Yarman believed that the local authorities at No.1 Settlement would definitely have more of a headache than he did.
What he needed to do next was to talk to the authorities about how to solve the problems.
"... I’ll follow your plan."
Margaret gave him a light kiss on the cheek and then took Little Ruby back to the cabin.
Looking at the backs of mother and daughter, Yarman thought about their future new life, and couldn’t help but smile with happiness.
Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from the dock not far away.
"Haha, Mr. Yarman! We meet again!"
Looking in the direction of the voice, Yarman quickly saw Hank waving from the dock.
He was wearing a neat formal suit, his polished shoes shining brightly, and his greasy hair glistening in the morning light.
This Weilante from the New Continent seemed to have fully adapted to local life and even used his savings to get himself a decent outfit.
Yarman looked at him in surprise for a moment, then smiled and waved back.
"Hank? Long time no see, did you come here just to meet me?"
"Of course! I was supposed to meet someone for business, but when I heard you were coming, I rescheduled!"
Hank raised his sleeve to look at the time but remembered that he had already pawned his watch, so he awkwardly touched his wrist and retracted his hand.
Yarman didn’t notice his embarrassment but instead noticed another person standing next to him.
The man resembled his partner Zhang Ze quite a bit, likely a fellow survivor from the Eastern Provinces.
After stepping down from the deck, he hugged Hank and then politely turned his gaze to the stranger.
"Who is this?"
"I was just about to introduce you!" Hank said with a bright smile and then looked at the person next to him, "This is Gu Ning, the local representative of No.1 Settlement."
"Hello, Mr. Yarman, I’ve heard of you."
As he spoke, the man named Gu Ning offered his right hand with a friendly smile.
Yarman shook his hand, looking somewhat surprised as he said.
"Nice to meet you... Mr. Gu."
More than being surprised by this person’s identity, Yarman was curious why Hank had brought him here.
However, before he could ask, the head of the port authority came hurrying over from the direction of the port office, forcing him to temporarily set aside this matter.
"Sorry, I have something to attend to."
Seeing the slightly apologetic Yarman, the representative named Gu Ning smiled and said humbly.
"I understand, take care of your business first, we can talk later."
Hank, beaming, also chimed in.
"Business is important, we’re not in a hurry."
Yarman nodded and then headed towards the port director.
Before docking at the port, he had already contacted the port authorities via radio and obtained permission to dock.
The one who approved this was Director Sun Youcheng of the official port authority.
However, the expression on the director’s face told him that things might not be as simple as he had imagined.
And as he anticipated, things indeed developed in a problematic way.
When he reached Director Sun, just as he was about to greet him, the other party spoke first.
"You have trouble."
Looking at the expression on Director Sun’s face, Yarman was taken aback.
"Trouble? Hadn’t I already talked about this with you before coming here?"
Sun Youcheng’s expression was somewhat awkward as his gaze drifted to the side.
"That’s correct... but the situation has changed somewhat now."
Changed?
The word he feared most to hear made Yarman’s expression slightly shift, and he said solemnly.
"I hope you can explain clearly... We docked at the port after obtaining your permission."
"That’s indeed the case... but this settlement is not solely my decision."
Perhaps due to being at a disadvantage initially, Sun Youcheng felt uncertain as he uttered these words.
After hesitating for a long while, he sighed and said.
"Alright, I’ll be honest. Some Moon people are holding signs and protesting at the town hall, and you should be well aware of what they’re protesting... Your compatriots did those things."
He could only blame that damned "Survivor Daily," not knowing who leaked the information.
Sun Youcheng cursed inwardly but was helpless.
He had control over the port but couldn’t control the press.
In fact, he felt last night that these Weilante immigrants might encounter trouble.
After all, this time there were five thousand people, not five hundred, let alone coming from the Southern Legion’s territory.
To prevent possible accidents, he specially held a meeting in the bureau, repeatedly urging those in the know not to let the information leak to the media, yet unexpectedly, before the ship even docked, it had already made the headlines in the "Survivor Daily," even the exact number of people was exposed.
Now the town hall was surrounded tightly, and the pressure naturally landed on him.
After listening to Director Sun’s words, Yarman couldn’t help but argue.
"But the people on my ship are all civilians, what do they have to do with it? Let alone they’re also victims persecuted by the legion, and it’s precisely for this reason that they came here."
Sun Youcheng looked at him sympathetically, but ultimately could only sigh helplessly.
"I can’t help you with explanations, the port authority also listens to the town hall, you should go and explain to those protesters... but I must tell you, they are different from you. Especially those Moon people, many joined the Alliance long ago; they have citizenship and political rights."
Yarman was momentarily speechless.
Just as he didn’t know what to do, Gu Ning’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
"The identity of an Alliance citizen is not a shield to do as one pleases, nor a sword to feel superior. Providing shelter to survivors aiming to end the Wasteland Era and uniting all survivors in distress... these words are written in the Alliance’s constitution. Are you indulging our citizens in undermining our foundation, Mr. Sun Youcheng?"
"Ordinary people can be childish and capricious, but such things shouldn’t happen to you."
Earlier, Sun Youcheng’s attention was entirely on Yarman, not noticing the local representative was here.
Seeing Gu Ning’s face, his expression twisted into bitterness.
Though it wasn’t good to offend Alliance citizens, he was even more reluctant to face the representative body’s accountability.
The pressure from that was far greater than shouting a couple of times through a window.
If truly investigated, he could be dismissed in a minute.
"I didn’t mean that... but what about those protesters? Just leave them alone?"
He intended it as a rhetorical question, but didn’t expect Gu Ning to portray a "just do that" look.
"They protest their own issues, that is their right, deal with your matters according to regulations, I’ll handle the rest."
Sun Youcheng found himself at a loss for words and could only nod helplessly.
"Alright... but I won’t be responsible for what happens afterward."
Since the representative body asked him to let them pass.
Even if the mayor questioned him later, he would have something to answer.
"That’s not something you should be handling."
While speaking, Gu Ning looked at Yarman, who was already completely stunned, and smiled while extending his right hand, "Welcome to the Alliance, I hope this minor misunderstanding between us hasn’t made you feel wronged."
"How could it..." Yarman, snapping back to reality, immediately grasped Gu Ning’s extended hand and said gratefully, "Thank you... As for the Poluo people, I’ll go explain to them."
Gu Ning released his hand with a smile and waved gently.
"No need to be polite, as for mediation and clarification, that’s our job."
Pausing for a moment, he continued speaking.
"I believe you haven’t found a place to live yet, have you?"
Yarman swallowed and honestly responded.
"...Indeed, although my accommodation is resolved, the vast majority on the ship don’t have one."
"I understand the basic situation."
Gu Ning nodded seriously, then said.
"The Alliance isn’t a wish machine; we indeed can’t immediately conjure up a community to hold five thousand people... but I believe we can find a solution, can we have a chat on your ship?"
Unexpectedly moved by the other’s care for these ships’ people’s fate, Yarman then made a gesture invitingly.
"Of course, please follow me!"