Chapter 556, Blood Clan Fleet
Wu Heng slapped his thigh and said, "Look, we were thinking the same thing. That's why I asked her to sign a slave contract earlier, but she refused."
Cough~!
Sheila Grey cleared her throat. "You asked 'Macintosh' to sign a slave contract with you? She's a Level 15 Professional and has been a leader for so many years."
"Ah... Am I unworthy?" Wu Heng countered.
"She didn't curse at you."
"I feel like she cursed me in her heart, almost did with her mouth."
Sheila Grey chuckled. "I knew it... Looks like nothing will come of this. We should just train someone new to gather intelligence."
"Yeah, she hasn't given me an answer yet. She said she'll stay on the island for two days to observe. If she refuses, we'll support someone else."
Sheila Grey nodded but then gave him a suspicious look. "You don't have feelings for her, do you? You like this type?"
"Come on, this is entirely for Gold-Silver Island. If not, why don't you sign the contract with her?" Wu Heng retorted immediately.
"You're the island lord. What kind of situation would that be if I signed it?" Sheila Grey crossed her arms.
She was a steward.
She could be reassigned at any time. Even if Macintosh agreed, she wasn't suitable for the contract.
Wu Heng took a sip of tea, leaned forward, and lowered his voice. "Any news from the Ekow Kingdom lately?"
"No, why? Did you hear something?" Sheila Grey also leaned in and whispered back.
"I heard the old king died."
Sheila Grey's eyebrows furrowed instantly. "Really? Who told you? Is it reliable?"
"Don't forget, I came from the Ekow Kingdom. Some of my old friends are still there. They heard it from others."
Sheila Grey pondered for a moment. "It's possible. There hasn't been any news from the Ekow Kingdom in a while. They're probably keeping it under wraps."
"We should also stay alert on the island in case new pirates emerge."
"Alright!"
Creak~!
As they whispered closely, the meeting room door suddenly swung open.
Shiyali paused mid-step upon seeing the two whispering so closely together.
She quietly closed the door again.
Sheila Grey glared and immediately stood up. "I'll head back first. Let me know if anything comes up."
"Oh, sure. I'll treat you to a meal sometime."
"I'll make time."
Sheila Grey opened the door and quickly followed after Shiyali.
Wu Heng set his teacup aside and headed toward the city hall with his skeletal followers.
He also visited the newly completed design institute.
Together with the gnome designer and several other designers, he discussed future construction plans.
The main focus was selecting sites for several new factories.
They needed to finalize locations early, build roads, and ensure convenient transport.
As dusk approached, Wu Heng returned to the island lord's manor.
...…
Inside the island lord's manor.
After having dinner with several maids, he went straight upstairs to his study.
Glenda was still rewriting her novel, while Xiaoxiao was watching cartoons, giggling like a fool.
Ghosts really weren't bad—at least their intelligence seemed unaffected.
The two ghosts ignored him.
Wu Heng didn't bother them either. He went back to his bedroom, lay on the bed, and began contemplating the past two days and future developments.
"Everything on Gold-Silver Island is going smoothly. Next, we push toward industrialization."
"It'd be best to combine mechanization with rune technology to create energy-efficient rune devices."
The Flame Power Plant had given Wu Heng a lot of inspiration.
Replacing fuel heating with a furnace reduced costs and eliminated smoke pollution, making Wu Heng quite satisfied.
For other industries, he also wondered if runes and machines could be combined to create similar advancements.
It was worth researching.
"Factory construction, potion development, the Golden Cat project, and the entertainment district—these all need to speed up."
All of these plans needed to be gradually implemented.
"As for the zombie world, the first priority is recruiting talented people in various fields. It's practically a talent war with Central Command now. Skilled individuals benefit both worlds."
"The second issue is clearing zombies from cities and rescuing survivors."
According to Qi Hancai, survivors from various cities were broadcasting distress signals to them.
Wu Heng indeed wanted to save more people—it would also boost his reputation.
But the country was vast. Even with smooth transportation, systematically traveling city by city would not be easy.
Not to mention clearing zombies and organizing rescues in each city.
Resting his arms behind his head, he thought, "Spreading out the skeletons to clear the surrounding cities... Seems feasible."
Killing zombies with skeletons would also grant him experience.
And high-level skeletons already had some intelligence. Normally, deploying them to eliminate zombies should be fine.
Over a million skeletons had already been stationed in various cities.
"Skeletons alone won't be enough. Commanding big-headed skeletons and survivor squads is also necessary."
"I can assign trusted people to different roles, letting them lead teams to kill zombies and rescue survivors."
"It's worth a try! Let's see which class is best suited for hunting zombies."
He quickly ran through the issues in his mind.
Then, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.
...…
Late night, Emerald Sea.
The pitch-black sea reflected the cold moonlight.
A fleet with crimson-winged sails moved swiftly.
Waves splashed as the ships cut through the water.
A figure stood at the bow, tall and imposing, his eyes glowing red.
The sea breeze swept past, making his black cloak billow.
Another figure hurriedly walked up the deck and spoke softly, "Master, Gold-Silver Island is ahead. According to intelligence, the island was recently assigned to a Deputy Steward. The one who killed 'Melanis' is most likely the island's steward."
The figure at the bow glanced at the distant glow in the darkness and said, "Avoid the small island. Our priority is rescuing the clan elders. We'll deal with these people later."
"Yes, honorable master."
"Compare the map and increase speed. Lilith also has a copy of this map and might send people over. We must be faster."
"Yes!" The servant turned and went below deck, shouting, "Master's orders! Full speed ahead! Make the slaves work!"
With the order given, the fleet sped up under the cover of night.
They advanced toward their destination.
...…
The next morning.
After breakfast, Wu Heng traveled to the zombie world.
After listening to Qi Hancai's arrangements.
Wu Heng looked at Gao Rong. "How are the printing presses?"
Gao Rong said, "Two of them are fine, but the ink in the cartridges dried up. We are cleaning them now, and they will be usable soon. One machine won't start, and we are still looking for the cause. We'll replace some parts and see if that fixes it."
Two machines were enough—at least sufficient for Gold-Silver Island's printing needs.
"I'll assign a few skeletons to you. Over the next two days, teach them how to compose content and format layouts to complete the full printing process."
Gao Rong nodded. "Alright, that shouldn't be difficult."
Wu Heng then looked at Qi Hancai. "Everything running smoothly at the base?"
"No issues! Everything is operating as usual."
"Good."
Then, Wu Heng made a trip to the warehouse and collected all the bullets produced over the past few days.
After checking the time, he used the dimensional gate to return to Gold-Silver Island.
...…
Wu Heng walked downstairs.
He saw Philipa playing with the wyverns.
Perhaps because they had been originally bred for sale to pirates—or maybe it was the effect of the 'Beast-Befriending Bracelet.'
The wyverns didn't seem so fierce anymore.
Instead, they looked rather docile.
Wu Heng's initial plan was to have them consume corpse cores and observe the changes.
But now that the wyverns were so obedient, it felt a bit difficult to proceed.
"Philipa!" Wu Heng called out.
Philipa turned, nudging the parrot off her head, and skipped over cheerfully.
She said, "I came early! Minnie said you were still resting, so I waited for a while."
"How's the fleet?" Wu Heng sat on the sofa.
Philipa naturally sat on his lap. "The five dragon-smuggling ships have been fully refitted. No one can tell who owns them now. They've also been armed and are all docked at the newly built port."
"Not bad, you take ship matters seriously."
"What do you mean? I used to be a captain, you know! I know how to handle things!" Philipa emphasized.
"Get ready. We're heading out to sea soon."
"Out to sea? Sounds great! I'll go prepare now. Let's meet at the port later." Philipa sounded excited.
"Mm, don't be late. And don't tell anyone—not even Milison."
Philipa clenched her fist. "Don't worry, I got it."
With that, she quickly left, her parrot following behind.
Wu Heng gave some final instructions to Minnie and the others, then donned his cloak and veil before taking a carriage to the designated port.