Chapter 617, I Lived There
At noon, Wu Heng returned to the Lord's Manor.
After having lunch with the maids, Wu Heng selected twenty level 10 skeletons in the courtyard and brought them back to the study.
After opening the realm gate, he walked straight in.
On the other side of the realm gate was still the luxurious hotel suite.
"You all go to the inner room first," Wu Heng ordered.
The skeletons that followed him turned and entered the bedroom.
Wu Heng put on a coat.
He picked up the intercom and said, "Qi Hancai, can you hear me?"
"I can hear you!" Qi Hancai's voice came through.
"Come to the suite."
"Received!"
Not long after ending the call, there was a knock at the door.
Wu Heng looked up and gestured. Skeleton Kashu opened the door, and Qi Hancai came in with the little owl.
"Any problems?" Wu Heng asked.
Qi Hancai sat down nearby and said, "The survivors in the base are all fine. I made noodles for them last night, and there wasn't much resistance.
The detained ones tried to kill the skeleton guards in the middle of the night to escape, but the skeletons weren't harmed. Several of the escapees were killed."
Wu Heng frowned, "With so many skeletons guarding, they still tried to escape?"
"Maybe they thought the skeletons weren't that tough. Oh, and Qian Chengfeng died inside," Qi Hancai replied.
Wu Heng didn't say much—dead is dead.
"Are any of the survivors capable of piloting the warship?"
"Yes, two of them were active-duty soldiers on the warship. I isolated them in case something happened," Qi Hancai answered.
"Bring them here," Wu Heng said.
"Okay!" Qi Hancai left the room.
When she returned, the skeletons escorted two men in, along with interpreter Xinhe.
Xinhe said directly, "This is our leader. Answer whatever he asks."
The two men tensed up, then immediately bowed respectfully.
Their attitude seemed acceptable.
"What are your names?" Wu Heng asked in Korean.
The first replied, "Lee Seunghoon."
The second said, "Ryu Taeyook."
"You two were soldiers on the port's warship?" Wu Heng asked.
He continued, "What's the name of the warship? What weapons and features does it have?"
Lee Seunghoon said, "Incheon-class frigate, displacement 2,300 tons..."
Wu Heng turned to the other, "What weapons are there?"
The man answered quickly, "Five-inch naval gun, RAM short-range anti-air missiles."
From how quickly they responded, they likely were really crew members from the ship.
Otherwise, no one could memorize that stuff on the spot.
Wu Heng asked, "How many people are needed to operate the frigate?"
"Three can sail it normally."
"Can you do it?"
"Yes."
"Me too..."
Wu Heng raised a brow, "Both of you can?"
Lee Seunghoon explained, "Everyone boarding the ship must go through systematic training, so any position can be filled quickly if needed."
Wu Heng nodded and glanced at both of them. "Want to live?"
"Yes, yes!" They nodded frantically.
"I'll give you a chance. Do well, and you'll still enjoy a good life. If not, you can guess the consequences," Wu Heng said directly.
The two trembled and bowed deeply. "Willing to be loyal to you."
"Qi Hancai, bring out the skeletons from the bedroom," Wu Heng instructed.
Qi Hancai opened the door, and twenty skeletons wearing leather armor and carrying weapons stepped out.
The two men began to panic.
They instinctively took several steps back.
Wu Heng pointed at the skeletons, "Your task is to teach these twenty skeletons how to operate the warship and use its weapons. Can you do that?"
The two, now backed against the wall, looked stunned.
Teach skeletons to sail?
How do you even communicate with them?
But faced with no other choice, they nodded. "Yes, we'll try our best."
"Good. As long as you have confidence." Wu Heng looked at Xinhe. "Take them to rest. Training starts tomorrow."
"Yes, Chief." Xinhe nodded and left with the two men and twenty skeletons.
The door closed.
Wu Heng said to Qi Hancai, "When they go on board, assign someone to watch them. Don't let them sail away."
"I'll go with them tomorrow. With skeletons around, they won't escape," Qi Hancai said with a grin.
"Send more people. There might still be weapons on the ship," Wu Heng reminded.
"Understood!" Qi Hancai added, "Our people are coming tomorrow too. That'll make management easier."
"Anyone who can sail?"
"Found two who can."
"Good. Have them bring people over, and also train the skeletons. Eventually, the skeletons will sail the ship."
"Alright."
They discussed more base details.
Qi Hancai gave Wu Heng a tour around the base.
Unlike the early refugee huts, now everyone had housing.
Meals were still distributed in the square.
As Wu Heng walked around, he drew quite a bit of attention.
People whispered among themselves.
After inspecting the base,
Wu Heng returned to the suite.
...…
Lord's Manor, living room.
Shanaila held a concept sketch and explained, "This is the exhibition interior design plan, discussed with Designer 'Yousef.' Since you weren't around these days, I went ahead and approved the renovation."
The sketches weren't modern prints, but hand-drawn.
Still, the visuals were clear.
The overall style resembled the previous consortium auction—vintage and luxurious.
"How many merchant groups are joining the exhibition?" Wu Heng asked.
"Almost all of them. They'll arrive over the next few days. I also wrote to some friends from other lands. They might come to see the show," Shanaila said.
"With your help, everything becomes smoother." Wu Heng put an arm around her shoulder.
Shanaila glanced at the nearby maids and pushed his hand away. "What are you doing? We're outside."
"Master, Sister Shanaila, dinner is ready!" Minnie's voice came from the kitchen.
The two got up and walked toward the dining room.
...…
Emerald Sea.
In a cargo ship cabin.
The chandelier with luminous stones above the table swayed slightly with the ship's motion.
Two well-dressed men sat at the table having dinner.
One sat upright, looking in his forties. The other had a full head of white hair but was neatly groomed like a noble who cared about his appearance.
"The chamber of commerce actually sent us to this product exhibition," the old man spoke softly.
"It's more about their regard for the lord of the island. He defeated Luan and joined the Hongwen Society. He's a rare genius among the younger generation of humanity," the middle-aged man replied, sipping wine.
"Oh? Now I'm intrigued. Tell me about him," the old man wiped his mouth with a white napkin and set down his utensils.
"I don't know much," the man said, putting down his utensils. "He's said to be from a small town in the Kingdom of Ekow, later promoted to captain in Rentam City, then given a special promotion to come to Gold-Silver Island."
"Rentam City? He's been there?"
"You know the place? I heard it's quite remote."
The old man suddenly went silent, his voice tinged with hard-to-express melancholy. "I lived there."
The middle-aged man turned slightly, waiting for him to go on.
"With my wife."