Heilong-kou (Black Dragon-Mouth/Pass)
Heilong-cheng (Black Dragon-City)
Censorate (Supervisory Court)
Yuling City (Jade City)
Jingui Town (Golden Turtle Town)
Xuanwu City (Black tortoise City)
…
Yin Jixue insisted on waiting for the results, so the old demon gave up his study for her to rest.
Unable to chase her away, the old demon resorted to playing the pity card: "Why don't you rest a bit in the study? It's still a while until dawn. If that brat comes back and blames me later, I'll be the one getting beaten up. This old body can't take a beating anymore…"
Left with no choice, Yin Jixue went to the study—which was, in truth, more of an office.
She sat at the desk, and Feng Xiu laid the cloak she brought across it: "Lie down and rest a while. I'll wake you at dawn."
Yin Jixue wasn't sleepy at first, but still obediently lay down, lost in thought. Before she knew it, her eyes had drifted shut.
Feng Xiu woke her again around five o'clock. The sounds of excitement filtered in from outside.
Yin Jixue pulled on her cloak and pushed open the door, just as Feng Xiu was about to knock. Her face was lit with joy. "It's done! Tiesheng built a double-decker bus—it can carry over a hundred demonfolk!"
Yin Jixue quickly ran the numbers in her head. A modern city bus usually seats about thirty-eight, and during rush hours can cram in seventy to eighty. A double-decker holding a hundred thirty passengers? Completely feasible.
She had initially planned to send out all three buses, but now, just two would suffice.
Looking at the crowd of workers gathered around, she turned to Tiesheng and said, "Well done. From today on, Tiesheng is promoted to Engineer of the Mechanical Works, and will also serve as Supervisor. Does anyone have objections?"
Although the old demon held the title of factory chief, his actual role was more like that of a mentor. The most talented of his apprentices would take over management duties.
Strictly speaking, there wasn't supposed to be a fixed factory chief. If there was one, it was merely to oversee miscellaneous tasks and serve as Yin Jixue's administrative proxy.
Like the heads of the Paper Mill and the Printing Workshop—they were responsible for compiling and publishing.
But the real decision-making authority lay with the Supervisor.
One of the workers raised a hand hesitantly. "Your Highness… what exactly does 'Engineer' mean?"
"An engineer has the experience to design and build things independently. He's now your teacher."
The crowd suddenly understood, and Tiesheng's face flushed with emotion.
This wasn't the first time the Queen had acknowledged him, but this time, it was in front of the entire Mechanical Works. So long as he could lighten Her Highness's burdens, he would make even more amazing things in the future.
No one opposed Tiesheng's promotion—after all, he was the one who had built the sports car the Queen loved, while the rest of them could only manage bicycles and tricycles.
His public praise ignited a roaring fire of motivation among the workers. If Tiesheng could do it, so could they!
The next day, Tiesheng was put on forced leave—he would serve as the driver of the double-decker bus, along with another worker, heading out with Tengshe to bring back demon folk from the wilds.
"Whoa, what is that thing!" The newly arrived caravan stared with mouths agape—just what kind of merchant team had made this contraption?
"Never seen anything like it before. Looks like the Xuanwu Tribe has cooked up something new again."
"Let's hurry into the city before the Xuanwu merchants buy up all the glass!"
This mid-sized caravan was adorned with feathers from head to toe. Their ornate clothing clashed starkly with the beast hides favored by other tribes—luxurious silks shimmered under the sun.
Leading the group was a young demon who came along for "life experience." "So this is Black Dragon City? Ugh, the walls and houses are so dark and ugly. Nowhere near as nice as the treehouses of Azure Luan City."
"You're new to the caravan, huh? Then you probably don't know just how scary and barren Black Dragon City is."
The youth scoffed. "Scary? What's so scary about it? That so-called Demon King isn't even here! We're here to trade, not to fight. Even if they don't have Immortal Brew, they must at least have Flower Dew, right?"
A demon from his team sneered. "Flower Dew? In Black Dragon City, you'll be lucky to drink river water and sleep on the street."
The youth frowned. "Don't try to scare me. No matter how bad it gets, this is still the main city of the Black Dragon Tribe. Can't be as bad as you say."
The guards checked their travel documents and repeated the same instructions as last time: "There are a few inns in the city. Road signs will guide you after you enter."
The youth turned back to the two demons who had tried to scare him. "See? They do have inns. Who said anything about sleeping on the street?"