National destiny survival: I am weak and rely on luck to fly

[Day 62 of Survival in the Fog, Day 14 of Resource Battle]

[Territory: Dawntown]

Lord: My friend Nan

Level: 3

Population: 6886 (3886 ordinary residents)

Military: 3000 people

Production: 266 mu of farmland (continuously being reclaimed...), one coal mine (in production...)

Economy: 1000 gold coins

Special buildings: Shops, taverns, churches

That morning, the last jar of fine wine was sealed with a "thud".

Shen Nan packed the twelve thousand jars of Jisheng wine from his territory's inventory into his backpack. After bidding farewell to Lu Jia, he and Xi Te rode a giant bird straight into the sky, heading towards the heart of the continent—the royal capital—ten thousand miles away.

Whether he will come back after this departure, Shen Nan doesn't know the answer.

If this were just a game, he could easily walk away, but this was no game.

Every citizen in the territory is a living being. Adhering to the principle of responsibility, on the eve of his departure, he summoned all the citizens and publicly appointed Luka as his successor.

Then, a group of highly loyal and capable individuals were selected and given troop enhancements.

He believed that even in his absence, Luca could lead the Dawn Territory to prosperity.

The setting sun turned the sea of ​​clouds into crimson gold, and the giant bird slowly descended from the ashes.

The battlements were low, yet people came and went, and the air was filled with the aroma of baked wheat cakes.

After dinner, led by Sit, Shen Nan emptied all the shops in the city that sold flying mounts, acquiring a total of 4,237 flying mounts.

After leaving the Illusion Forest, the flying mounts for sale became more diverse, such as griffins, hippogriffs, and armored giant bats... all of which Shen Nan had never seen before.

However, four thousand or so is but a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions of survivors in the Xia Kingdom.

Shen Nan knew this in his heart, but he also understood that even if only one more person flew out of the fog, it would still be a gain.

This continued for the next six days.

Whenever they arrived in a city to rest, Shen Nan would empty all the flying mounts in that city.

Seventh day.

The giant bird swept over the seven beacon towers on the outer ring of the capital and finally landed in the colossus square in front of the city gate.

In the center of the square, the white stone knight statue draws its sword to the sky, the tip of the sword pointing at the setting sun, like a golden-red banner.

There are two city gates.

The outermost part is the drawbridge gate tower, with each iron rail as thick as an adult's waist, gilded and cast into vines that twine around roses.

The interior is made of oak wrapped in copper, with royal coat of arms, double-headed eagle and flaming sword in relief.

Shen Nan and Xi Te waited patiently in the long queue for a full quarter of an hour. Only after Xi Te took out 6 copper coins to pay the city entry tax did they finally cross the drawbridge and step into the outer city of the capital.

Between the outer city and the inner city lies a tree-lined avenue known locally as the "green belt," lined with shops and scattered with houses, a place where ordinary people make a living.

On the other side of the high walls, in the inner city, lived the royal family and nobles of all ranks.

After passing through the second city gate, Sit raised his hand and beckoned a dark-skinned, slightly hunched middle-aged man who jogged up to greet him, bowed, and said in a hoarse but solicitous voice, "Sir, would you like to hire a carriage? My carriage is clean and reliable, and the price is fair."

Xi nodded and explained to Shen Nan, "Flying is prohibited over the capital, and flying mounts are not allowed to enter the city. It's still a bit of a journey to the inner city, so taking a carriage is the most convenient option."

Shen Nan said, "Okay, you can arrange it."

Upon receiving the order, the driver shouted "Yes, sir!" and turned to pull the cart.

Before long, a black carriage with copper-trimmed corners creaked to a stop in front of us.

Shen Nan looked up and examined the "horse" pulling the cart.

The beast looked no different from an ordinary steed, but a single, jet-black, spiraled horn protruded from its forehead, its tip gleaming with a cold, iron-like luster, like a tightly screwed-on bolt.

The unicorn snorted, its horseshoes stomping on the bluestone slabs and sending up tiny sparks.

After the two boarded the carriage and settled in, Sit lifted the curtain and asked, "Would you like to buy a mount first, or rest at the post station?"

Having traveled together for several days, Sit didn't understand why Shen Nan wanted to buy so many flying mounts, but wisely refrained from asking further questions.

Who doesn't have some secrets they can't tell?

If Shen Nan didn't speak, he wouldn't ask.

"Let's go collect the mount first," Shen Nan replied crisply.

They traveled for seven days, resting at post stations at night and traveling by small wing during the day. They spent very little time actually eating and sleeping outdoors, so they were not very tired.

Sit said no more and instructed the driver: "Auragi Square, Libao Pavilion."

"Alright, sir, please sit tight!" The coachman cracked his whip, and the unicorn galloped off.

The wheels rolled over the stone slabs, making a fine, continuous "shush-shush" sound, like a light rain on a spring night.

It took more than half an hour to travel from the outer city to the inner city.

The carriage came to a slow stop. Shen Nan lifted the curtain and jumped down. Looking up, he saw a five-story building rising from the ground, its golden light shining through the sunlight.

Above the main entrance hangs a huge plaque with gold lettering on a black background. The calligraphy is vigorous and the light is dazzling. The three characters are clearly visible: "Libao Pavilion".

Sit tossed a few silver coins to the coachman and stepped into the Li Bao Pavilion amidst the coachman's repeated thanks.

As soon as Sit stepped across the threshold, the figure behind the counter who was flipping through the ledgers suddenly froze.

“Sit…Sit?” The manager’s voice trembled. He looked around in a panic and saw that the workers were all busy with their own things. He rushed over and grabbed Sit’s wrist, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"follow me!"

The small cubicle was dimly lit, with only an oil lamp burning.

The door to the cubicle was closed, and Ma Weiqi leaned against the door, his chest heaving.

How dare you return to the capital?

"Why are you just swaggering out like this without making any attempt to conceal yourself?"

"Is your injury...healed?"

The barrage of low questions made Sit chuckle.

"You're still laughing!" The steward punched Sitter on the shoulder.

"Mawich".

Sit raised his hand and pressed heavily on the shoulder of the steward named Ma Weichi, his palm steady and strong. "The injury has healed, thanks to this man beside me. I'm back to collect the interest on that debt from three years ago."

Ma Weiqi was stunned. His gaze passed over Sit and then he noticed Shen Nan in the shadows.

"And who is this?" Ma Weichi asked in a low voice.

“This is Lord Shen Nan.” Sitter turned his head and said solemnly, “My injuries were treated by Lord Shen Nan, and I owe him my life. The reason I came to Libao Pavilion is that Lord Shen Nan needs to purchase some flying mounts.”

Ma Weiqi suddenly realized, quickly straightened his clothes, and gave a half-bow: "So it's Lord Shen Nan. My name is Ma Weiqi, and I'm Xi Te's childhood friend. Xi Te's benefactor is my benefactor! May I ask what kind of flying mount you'd like? Do you have any preferences regarding speed, load capacity, etc."

Shen Nan replied readily, "I don't have any requirements for the type, speed, or level. As long as they have been simply tamed, ordinary people can handle them. The more the better."

As the last word fell, the cubicle fell into dead silence.

Ma Weiqi opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, but he couldn't utter a sound for a long time.

After a long silence, he asked in a hoarse voice, "Your... Your Excellency's 'the more the better,' exactly how many?"

Fearing that Shen Nan might not understand, he continued, "Libao Pavilion controls 70% of the kingdom's exotic beasts, of which flying beasts account for 30%. Just the five stores in the capital that jointly operate the enclosures, floating ports, and animal training grounds alone account for at least that many."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, making an "O" shape with his thumb and forefinger, giving a standard "OK" sign.

Shen Nan stared at the three fingers, his eyes lighting up: "Thirty thousand?"

“It’s 130,000.” Ma Weichi’s voice was trembling.

Shen Nan's lips twitched.

What causal connection does his gesture have with the 130,000?

But the next second, that slight speechlessness was crushed by an even more intense emotion.

His eyes lit up suddenly. "That's even better! 130,000, I'll take it all!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the air in the cubicle seemed to be sucked out instantly.

Maweichi gasped.

Fortunately! !

Upon learning that Lord Shen Nan was Xi Te's savior, Ma Weiqi secretly decided in his heart that no matter which mount Lord Shen Nan took a fancy to, he would give it to him at his own expense.

Thank goodness he didn't blurt it out, otherwise he would have been burdened with a debt of tens of millions of gold coins!