In the manor, finding a secluded spot, he took out the Extreme Fox, opened the car door, got in, and left the Duke's manor.
The task ahead required him to act alone.
The Extreme Fox sped along the concrete road in near silence, passing the iron mine and workshops, heading directly to the dock beside the aluminum refinery.
The transport ships had already received orders to depart. The dock was deserted, with only two guards on duty.
After dismissing them, Fang Er waved his hand, and four fishing boats appeared on the river, lined up end to end in a straight line.
He then looked at the other boats in his space with a hint of exasperation.
Those trawlers and transport ships drew too much water compared to the fishing boats; they couldn't navigate these inland rivers and would have to wait for an opportunity to enter the sea before they could be retrieved.
He sent someone back to bring Chai Lingwu over, along with a few off-duty boatmen, as he couldn't pilot four boats by himself.
The previous two fishing boats had been repurposed as oil transport vessels. Due to frequent long-distance voyages, taking three to five days to return, the boatmen were entitled to rest days, with one day off for each trip.
After waiting for a full half hour, a tractor chugged its way from the distance.
As it drew closer, Fang Er was startled to realize that Chai Lingwu was driving the tractor. When had this fellow learned to drive?
"Brother, you're really not being fair. You drive the Extreme Fox over yourself and make me drive this piece of junk!"
Upon seeing the Extreme Fox parked nearby, Chai Lingwu immediately began to complain.
"Hahahaha, Second Brother, don't mind this. See the boats in the river? Why don't you pick one yourself?"
Fang Er quickly pointed to the fishing boats in the river and chuckled.
Chai Lingwu then noticed that there were four identical boats docked in the river!
Each boat was over forty meters long; they were so imposing!
He rushed to the dock in three steps and patted the hull. It wasn't made of wood.
He didn't know much about boats, but as long as they were big, that was enough. A man needed size!
So, he called out to Fang Er with satisfaction, "Brother, you're too kind! Hahahaha, Second Brother wants this one!"
Six boatmen jumped out of the carriage. The moment they saw the four boats, their mouths gaped open in astonishment.
"Gong, Gong, Gongye, are these… our new boats?"
"Yes, new boats. You all go and test them. If they're satisfactory, we'll set sail tomorrow." Fang Er nodded with a smile.
The boatmen excitedly ran towards the dock. Chai Lingwu was reluctant to get off the boat, so Fang Er had no choice but to go along. Otherwise, if he left this guy alone, who knew how Fang Xin would be tormented upon their return.
However, the boat had barely sailed three to five li when Chai Lingwu started to feel unwell, clutching the ship's railing and retching uncontrollably.
"Brother~ *cough*~~"
"Brother~~"
"*cough*~~"
"Quick, quick, stop the boat~~"
Chai Lingwu felt as if his stomach was churning like a stormy sea, and he quickly cried out to Fang Er for help.
"First, take the boat back to the dock and send this Duke and Young Master Chai back." Fang Er, suppressing a smile, gave the order to the boatmen.
Stopping the boat was out of the question. Since he was already throwing up, it would be better to just go back.
But as the boat turned back, Chai Lingwu became unwilling again.
"Why are we going back! Stop for a moment, let me recover. Second Master must adapt today. Damn it, I refuse to believe this!"
Fang Er was speechless. He waved his hand at the helmsman, signaling him to stop.
Then, looking at Chai Lingwu, he said, "Second Brother is amazing."
Although in pain, Chai Lingwu still put on a smug expression: "That's a given."
"It's just vomiting. You get used to it as you keep vomiting."
"*cough* *cough*"
"*cough* I'm not talking anymore, I'm going to vomit for a while!"
It was unclear what this guy had eaten that morning. As he vomited while holding the railing, soon, splashes of water erupted on the surface of the water below. A group of fish, no one knew from where, had gathered and were frantically feeding.
This scene made Fang Er extremely embarrassed.
-_-||
After vomiting for a good ten minutes, Chai Lingwu wiped his mouth and straightened up, waving his hand at the boatmen: "Sail for Second Master!"
Fang Er stood quietly by, beaming and giving Chai Lingwu a thumbs-up: "Second Brother is mighty!"
"Hahahaha, that's a must. How can a man of our Chai family be a coward?"
Chai Lingwu lay sprawled on the deck, speaking the most boastful words in the weakest tone.
The test sail of the fishing boats went smoothly. After all, they were produced by the system, and their quality was absolutely top-notch. This test sail was just a formality.
However, Chai Lingwu's vomiting had been quite arduous. By the time they turned back, he was so exhausted from vomiting that he was like a puddle of mud.
He had to be helped back to his courtyard by servants upon returning to the manor.
The next day, the fleet officially set sail. Besides the boatmen, Fang Er, and Chai Lingwu, they also brought Zhuzi and 100 soldiers.
The fleet departed from the dock and entered the sea at Panjin.
In Panjin, the new shipyard was still under construction, a scene of bustling activity.
As the head of the shipyard, Li Shun didn't need to concern himself with trivial matters; the foremen below handled those.
Bored, he moved a stool to the dock and set up a barbecue grill.
Beside him was a fishing rod. The fish he caught were directly gutted and placed on the grill. With just a sprinkle of chili powder, not even salt was needed, and the fragrant grilled fish was ready almost instantly.
The fresh, tender small yellow croaker continuously released juices as they were grilled, dripping onto the charcoal and sizzling.
Along with it came a pervasive aroma of fish, making one's mouth water.
High-end ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.
High-end authors often require only the simplest water-filling techniques.
(Dog head protection~)
Just then, a ship's horn sounded from afar.
Li Shun stood up and looked, and four new ships, identical to the oil transport ships, appeared in the distance.
He felt quite dejected. He was clearly the number one shipbuilding expert under the Duke, so why didn't the Duke involve him when building these new ships?
A few minutes later, the fleet docked. Fang Er and Chai Lingwu disembarked via the gangplank.
Li Shun had already been waiting respectfully nearby.
"Duke."
Fang Er nodded slightly: "Have the people from the Fifth Division arrived yet?"
"They have arrived; it's Vice Division Commander Ma Baoguo."
"Call him over."
"Yes."
Li Shun casually beckoned to a subordinate and asked him to fetch Ma Baoguo.
After doing this, he turned, picked up a small yellow croaker from the grill, and offered it to Fang Er: "Duke, it's freshly grilled, would you like to try some?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, small yellow croaker, this is good stuff!"
"What, are there many of them around here?"
Fang Er had seen the grill earlier but hadn't clearly seen what was being grilled. He took it and took a bite. It was tender, juicy, and the spiciness was just right. It tasted very good.
"Replying to Duke, yes, there are quite a few, and not just this type of fish, but others as well, which I don't recognize."
"Look at the birds out on the sea in the distance; they're all catching fish."
Li Shun said, pointing towards the distant sea.
There, seagulls flocked in groups, at least a thousand of them, circling over the sea, occasionally diving into the water to snatch small fish.
This, damn it, there must be a school of fish below!