If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

The trip to the South China Sea was truly eye-opening.

Upon returning, Li Tiancheng approved the full-scale construction of the railway as quickly as possible.

Thirty percent of the fiscal revenue of Dalong over the next three years will be allocated directly for construction, with Zhou Wu in full charge.

Zhou Wu originally planned to build the railway at the earliest next year or the year after, but unexpectedly, while the experiments were still underway, Li Tiancheng couldn't wait any longer.

It would certainly be a good thing to build the railway ahead of schedule. Zhou Wu and his team planned four main lines based on Da Long's situation.

There are three routes, one each in the east, west, south, and north, all starting from the capital. The north route leads to the former Dazi Kingdom, the east to the former Gaoli Kingdom, the west to the Tubo Kingdom, and surprisingly, the south to Niujia Town.

Zhou Wu thought that if the southern terminus was planned to be located in Niujia Town, the people in the imperial court would definitely have objections, but to his surprise, he didn't hear a single word for several days.

"They didn't accuse me of abusing my power for personal gain?"

"My lord, no."

"No one has come forward to impeach me?"

"No."

"That's weird."

Zhou Wu was a little confused. He had prepared himself to debate with everyone, but no one came forward to challenge him.

"Sir, aren't you being a bit of an unfounded worryer?"

Looking at his adult appearance, Deng Yuanliang felt that he was not used to no one stopping or opposing him.

In fact, Zhou Wu simply did not understand the reputation and status of Niujia Town in Dalong.

In Zhou Wu's eyes, Niujia Town is Niujia Town, his birthplace.

But in reality, thanks to Zhou Wu's many years of development, Niujia Town has long surpassed many cities.

With economic development, Niujia Town is flourishing in all aspects. It is the only high-proof liquor production base in Dalong, the main seafood distribution center in Dalong, and a port for maritime trade, etc.

Any one of these industries, if placed elsewhere, would absolutely lead to a booming local economy.

However, they are all now concentrated in one place, Niujia Town. Given this situation, how could Niujia Town not be famous?

Therefore, Niujia Town's status is no longer that of a desolate place; it is now second only to the capital. This is why no one has voiced their opposition, because there is indeed no city more valuable than Niujia Town.

. . . . . . .

The sheer scale of this railway construction project caused a sensation throughout the entire Great Dragon Empire.

Although no one knows what a train is yet, it has already become a hot topic of discussion among the public.

"What exactly is a train?"

"Hmph, train, train, of course it's related to fire."

"Damn, you're really smart."

Whether in restaurants and teahouses or on the street, everyone is talking about trains.

Inside the restaurant, several old men were having a lively discussion, and the young people next to them joined in.

"I heard that the train is amazing; it can carry a thousand people and tens of thousands of kilograms of cargo at a time."

"You're exaggerating a bit."

Obviously, many people don't believe it.

"Hmph, if you don't believe me, fine. I have a relative who is an official in the court. He personally accompanied His Majesty to the South China Sea and even took a train."

Feeling embarrassed, the young man brought up his relative who was an official.

Fortunately, the imperial court did not order the train incident to be kept secret, so everyone was unconcerned.

"Is it true? If it's as you say, wouldn't that be a divine artifact?"

"What kind of magical artifact is this? You country bumpkins! When Lord Zhou created the Bull Demon King, you all looked just as ignorant as ever."

"What? Another masterpiece by Lord Zhou?"

"Otherwise, speaking of which, it is a blessing for our Great Dragon Empire to have Lord Zhou."

"Hmm, that's right. Muskets, cannons, warships, and now trains."

You say the younger generation is more focused on powerful ships and cannons, but an older person immediately adds.

"And there's fine wine and delicious food too."

No, besides these large items, the delicious food and wine brought by Lord Zhou also allowed the people of Dalong to enjoy a great feast.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Lord Zhou, can’t you just let me go? I’m just a staff member in the Crown Prince’s residence, not a formal official of the Great Dragon Dynasty.”

Qu Yongnian looked frustrated; every time Zhou Wu came to him, it was troublesome.

"Hehe, just saying that out of anger. You're wasting your talents in the Crown Prince's residence. Don't worry, just say the word and I'll definitely petition His Majesty to get you into the official ranks."

"Hey, Zhou Wu, you're really not being polite."

Li Junren was right in front of him, and Zhou Wu was blatantly trying to poach him. Li Junren was furious.

"Haha, just kidding, just trying to lighten the mood, don't take it seriously."

Zhou Wu awkwardly laughed to himself for a long time, while Li Junren and Qu Yongnian both rolled their eyes. Qu Yongnian was only thinking about how to refuse what Zhou Wu was about to say.

Based on Qu Yongnian's understanding of Zhou Wu, everyone was talking about the train lately, so it was highly likely that Zhou Wu's visit was about the train.

"We're brothers, I've come to you with good news, why aren't you grateful?"

"Hmph, when have you ever come to me for something good? This time it's probably about the train, isn't it?"

Qu Yongnian actually guessed correctly. Zhou Wu's eyes widened as he thought to himself, "Has my purpose become so obvious?"

"Haha, look at you, we brothers are really in sync, you can guess before I even say it."

"Come on, this can't be a good thing. The project is so big, my abilities are limited."

Qu Yongnian refused outright, but Zhou Wu was a man who would not have a good life for the next few years if he did not find someone to supervise the railway for him. Therefore, Qu Yongnian had to win him over.

Then came all sorts of gentle persuasion and coaxing. Qu Yongnian was quite firm at first, but he gradually got annoyed by Zhou Wu.

It follows you when you walk, when you drink water, when you eat, and even when you go to the toilet, it appears next door.

Qu Yongnian kept dreaming about Zhou Wu at night, which scared him so much that he couldn't sleep and suffered from insomnia.

Just two days later, Qu Yongnian suffered from neurasthenia, appearing before the Crown Prince and Zhou Wu with dark circles under his eyes and a deathly pale face.

"Holy crap, Lao Qu, are you seeing a ghost?"

The two were startled when they saw Qu Yongnian's appearance.

"Yongnian, what's wrong with you? Your face is so pale. Should we call the imperial physician to take a look at you?"

Li Junren stepped forward to inquire about the other party's well-being, since Qu Yongnian was his most capable assistant in the Crown Prince's residence.

"Lord Zhou, I agree, I'll do it, I'll accept it. Please stop torturing me and disappear from my life and dreams."

Qu Yongnian's voice was almost pleading. Li Junren looked at Zhou Wu in disbelief. In just two days, what kind of sorcery had Zhou Wu used to turn Qu Yongnian into this state?

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything."