After speaking, Wu Liang turned and left the drawing room.
He left Lena alone, staring blankly out the window at that giant steel dragon for a long time.
That evening, the atmosphere in Wu Liang's harem was somewhat subtle.
At the dining table, Sylvia was elegantly cutting her steak.
She appeared calm, but her hand holding the knife and fork was gripping them with slight force.
"I heard you met a businesswoman from the south today?" she asked, seemingly casually.
"Yes, a very clever woman," Wu Liang nodded.
"How clever? Cleverer than Aniya?" Akomann spoke up directly from the side; she couldn't stand Wu Liang praising other women.
Annia puffed out her cheeks. "Sister Akomann, why are you dragging me into this?"
"I just feel like some people have ulterior motives."
Akomann glanced pointedly at Sylvia.
"A certain Her Majesty the Queen was acting cold and indifferent during the day, but now that she hears a beautiful woman has arrived, she can't sit still."
"Akomann! What do you mean by that!"
Sylvia's face instantly turned cold.
"I am merely concerned about the development of the territory. Is there something wrong with 그?"
"Concerned about the territory's development? Why do I smell a hint of sourness then?"
"You!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Wu Liang tapped the table with a headache.
"All of you, settle down!" he said in a deep voice. "One after another, none of you let me have any peace."
Both women immediately shut their mouths, but they still glared at each other, neither willing to back down.
Florgloria tried to smooth things over from the side:
"Alright, alright, we're eating. My Lord is tired today, so everyone say less. I've met that Lena too; she is indeed a formidable character.
My Lord wants to win her over for the future of our entire Western Region."
"Hmph, it better be that way," Akomann muttered under her breath.
Wu Liang didn't bother with their jealousy anymore; his mind was on something else.
What would Lena choose?
He was eighty percent certain that Lena would yield.
Because the temptation he offered was one that no ambitious merchant could refuse.
Once Lena nodded, his tentacles reaching into the south would truly take root.
Next would be shipbuilding, forming a navy, and exploring that unknown ocean.
And... Storm Dragon Island.
That mysterious place on the map, the legendary habitat of dragons, filled him with curiosity.
Just how powerful were the strongest creatures in this world?
Compared to my 155mm howitzer, how would they fare?
At this thought, the corners of Wu Liang's lips curled up in a smile that contained the excitement before a hunt and the fanaticism of an engineer facing an unknown creation.
Three days passed in a flash.
During these three days, Lena's figure moved silently inside and outside Tiee Fortress.
She hardly spoke to anyone, merely using her shrewd eyes to greedily absorb everything she saw.
She saw the bustling steel factories.
Huge Converters spewed flames, turning iron ore into glowing red molten steel, which was then rolled into various specifications of steel products.
She saw the massive textile mills.
Hundreds of looms she had never heard of roared under the power of steam engines; snow-white cotton and colorful silk went in, and out came bolts of exquisite fabric.
She saw the neatly planned residential areas.
Rows of red-brick buildings, clean streets, and a complete sewer system.
The faces of the residents were filled with a heartfelt happiness and satisfaction that she had never seen on the faces of the common people.
She was even permitted to audit a natural science class at the Black Rock First Academy.
Eliza stood on the podium, using a microscope to show a group of children the structure of water molecules and explaining the principles of photosynthesis.
That knowledge completely overturned Lena's worldview.
Everything she saw was ruthlessly dismantling the entire world she had built over the past thirty years.
The business knowledge and family status she took pride in seemed so fragile and insignificant here.
This was no barbarian land; this was a rising industrial empire!
And the man named Wu Liang was the creator and sole ruler of this empire.
Looking back at her own family and the so-called Commercial Federation, she felt they were nothing more than a settlement of primitives still using stone axes to trade for animal skins.
On the evening of the third day, Lena took the initiative to find Wu Liang.
She had changed out of her magnificent gown and into a set of capable, tight-fitting clothes. On that face usually masked by shrewdness, there was now only an unprecedented gravity and determination.
"I have made my decision."
She stood before Wu Liang, her chest rising and falling once with restraint, and then she dropped to one knee and knelt on the ground.
"Lena Martinez is willing to serve you, my Master."
Her voice was low, yet it possessed a solid, metallic quality, each word ringing with conviction.
Wu Liang smiled.
Everything was within his grasp.
"Very good."
He reached out and helped Lena up.
"From today on, you are the general head of my Black Rock Chamber of Commerce in the south. I give you the highest authority and the greatest support."
"Thank you, Master!" Lena stood up, keeping her posture very humble.
She knew very well that from the moment she knelt, her fate was tightly bound to the man before her.
"Florgloria," Wu Liang called out.
"Present, My Lord." Florgloria, who had been waiting outside the door, walked in.
"From now on, Lena is one of us. All factory capacity, inventory, and new technologies in the territory are open to her.
What you need to do is cooperate with her fully to turn our goods into a golden flood that submerges the entire south," Wu Liang ordered.
"Understood!"
Florgloria nodded, and her gaze toward Lena held a trace more of acceptance.
She was a pragmatic person; as long as it brought benefits to the territory, she didn't care about the other person's background.
"Lena,"
Wu Liang turned back to Lena.
"Your first task in the south is not to sell things."
"Not to sell things?"
Lena was somewhat surprised.
"Correct."
Wu Liang walked to the map and pointed at the deep blue ocean.
"I want you to use all of the Martinez Family's connections and channels to buy or lease a fleet for me in the shortest time possible.
The larger the better, the more the better. At the same time, at any cost, recruit enough experienced sailors and captains for me."
"Master, do you intend to... form a navy?" Lena immediately understood Wu Liang's intent.
"Navy?"
Wu Liang shook his head.
"No, compared to my fleet, those little wooden boats on the continent don't deserve to be called a navy."
He pointed at Tiee Fortress and Black Rock City on the map.
"I want to build an invincible steel fleet. And those ships of your Commercial Federation are just toys for me to practice with and training vessels to cultivate sailors."
Lena's heart gave another wild thud.
A steel fleet!
This man actually intended to use steel to build ships!
She couldn't imagine what kind of sight that would be.
"I understand!"
Lena's breathing suddenly quickened, and an ambition and fanaticism that had been suppressed for a long time erupted from the depths of her pupils.
She almost straightened her back and declared, "Give me one month, and I will assemble the largest fleet on the continent for you!"
"Very good."
Wu Liang was very satisfied with her attitude.
"Money is not an issue; Florgloria will provide you with unlimited financial support. Go ahead and do it; if anything happens, I'll have your back."
After dismissing the two women, Wu Liang called for his military production supervisor, Suina.
"Suina, I need you to set aside some of the current weapons production and cooperate with Aniya's Magic Academy to form a new project team."
"A new project? What fun thing is it this time?"
As soon as Suina heard there was something new, she immediately perked up.