Xiao Xun waved his hand, "Forget it, forget it, everyone is for the good of the company. Besides, I'm just a figurehead!"
Secretary Fan quickly said, "No one said you are a figurehead. Everyone respects your opinion, including Mr. Feng."
"I know my own worth. I'm not some business prodigy, nor do I have a strong background. I don't understand finance or economics at all. I'm just good at computers. I'm really not good at anything else. Don't praise me too highly."
Secretary Fan wanted to say a few more words to comfort Xiao Xun, but Xiao Xun stopped him with a gesture.
With the Chinese New Year approaching, a multitude of things piled up. His family called almost every day, urging him to come home.
Looking at the promotional materials online, the mountain villa was being developed by Guo Yingxiong in a vivid and engaging way. It was true that someone who had seen the world had methods and approaches that were truly different from ordinary people. Even though the villa was only half-built, many people were already flocking to visit.
It not only spurred the development of the village but also brought along several surrounding villages. Many who had gone out to work said they would not leave after celebrating the New Year, but would stay at the villa to find work.
Xiao Xun called Liu Shijia several times. Liu Shijia would speak hurriedly and hang up after a few words. From the calls, it was clear that she was indeed very busy.
When he returned to the villa area, he found it much quieter. Perhaps most people had gone on vacation. The festive atmosphere of New Year was fading. Most people here, after working for a year, preferred to vacation in warmer seaside locations, either domestically or abroad.
As a big boss now, this was Xiao Xun's first time returning home for the New Year. Relatives from the surrounding ten villages had already gone to Xiao Xun's home long ago. They all wanted to see the boss who was constantly in the news and whether he had changed.
Returning to the other world, everything here was the same as usual. Apart from the vendors and essential services that still operated on demand, everyone else was either planting in the glasshouses or working in factories.
The entire country had a massive demand for steel, and the country with the most abundant iron ore reserves was Winter Country.
However, to import ore from Winter Country, one had to pass through the territory of the Orcs. Therefore, Saila Peisi asked Xiao Xun, who had a good relationship with the Orc Great General Botu, to discuss the matter of passage.
As soon as Xiao Xun opened his mouth, the other party asked about one thing, "Where are the magic artifacts?"
He had completely forgotten about it. He was too preoccupied to search for that item. The key was that he only knew it was lost in Saint Ti Luoman, but Saint Ti Luoman was vast, how could he find it? Moreover, he was truly unable to extricate himself, and the person he had hired previously had also disappeared.
He also knew the importance of the magic artifact, so he withdrew Tian Xie, Shuang Yu, and Mo Jie from the coastal defense line and assigned them specifically to track down the whereabouts of the artifact.
With Xiao Xun's attitude established, Botu did not want to make things too difficult for him and explained the situation to the Beast King.
The Beast King was quite straightforward and agreed to allow passage. He even offered to dispatch wolf cavalry to escort the ore transport convoy, but with one condition: Saint Ti Luoman and the Orcs would open up trade, exchanging grain, vegetables, fruits, and cloth for the Orcs' meat, dairy products, and animal hides.
Saila Peisi felt that these items were of no use to the people of Saint Ti Luoman, but he agreed for the sake of the iron ore.
The matter of passage along the route was settled, and now it was time to send an envoy to Winter Country to communicate this matter.
Winter Country and Saint Ti Luoman had been in a state of prolonged hostility. Although they now had a common enemy, they both feared the other growing stronger. Therefore, to purchase iron ore, a shrewd person had to be sent to negotiate, and it was crucial that the negotiations did not break down.
Saila Peisi wanted Xiao Xun to go personally, but Xiao Xun refused, citing that he was too busy.
The Empress also knew that there were problems with the space ring, and each use caused damage to the body. Therefore, she did not force him but sent someone else.
Xiao Xun went to see Lor Gade and raised a rather critical issue.
The batteries could be manufactured according to the blueprints, and the required materials were also relatively easy to process. However, charging them was a difficult task. Mages with lightning magic could not control it well. If the current was too small, it would not charge at all. If the current was too large, the battery would explode, which was too dangerous.
After hearing this, Xiao Xun immediately thought of a transformer.
No matter how large the current, it could be converted to the voltage required by the battery through a transformer. Furthermore, this world had power plants, and there was lightning in the sky. Many people were lightning mages, making it even more convenient than magic stones.
However, problems also arose. Copper wire suitable for making electrical wires was scarce, and aluminum was even rarer. This was because these two materials were mostly used for handicrafts in the magic world, with low demand. Therefore, they had not been extensively mined and processed, and it would be difficult to achieve mass production in a short period.
Xiao Xun was overwhelmed. By the time everything was available, the armies of the Four Demon Kings would have likely conquered the entire planet.
With no other choice, he issued a final ultimatum, "First, build what the locomotive needs. We'll discuss the rest later."
Therefore, the train drivers in the magic world were all lightning mages. When they saw that the battery power was low, they would immediately recharge the batteries. Basically, one train was equipped with four lightning mages, because one mage could not fully charge the batteries for the train in a short period.
With Xiao Xun's transformer, the batteries could indeed be charged normally. Now, it was up to the motors.
The blueprints were easy to manufacture, but redesigning the entire power system to be compatible with electric power would take some time.
Xiao Xun's funds were limited, and he couldn't directly convert the train into a magnetic levitation one, so he had to make do for now.
As the sky gradually darkened, Xiao Xun sighed, realizing how quickly the day had passed. It felt like he hadn't accomplished anything, and the day was gone again.
Returning to the castle for dinner, all the princes and ministers at the dining table wore grim expressions. It was understandable, as three-quarters of the country's funds were invested in infrastructure and military. These ministers argued with the finance minister over trivial amounts every day.
The most powerful people in the country were haggling like small merchants.
Xiao Xun looked at Bicreis and felt that he had aged much more than himself since he first arrived in this world. The few remaining strands of hair were about to fall off, and a few age spots had appeared on his once smooth head. After dinner, Xiao Xun returned to his bedroom. Mu Jiahe was reading a book.
Xiao Xun took off his robe, got into bed, and gently held Mu Jiahe, "What are you reading?"
Mu Jiahe closed the book and showed him the cover. It was the book "Forbidden Arts of Chaos Magic" that Xiao Xun had borrowed before.
"Why did you start reading this book? You're not of the Chaos element."
"I'm just curious, what kind of magic does this book possess that transformed the once introverted you into someone so imperious and arrogant?"
Xiao Xun was left speechless by Mu Jiahe's words, "Am I imperious? Am I arrogant? Am I not the same as before?"
Mu Jiahe shook his head, "No, ever since you read this book, you've completely changed."
After Mu Jiahe's words, Xiao Xun began to recall the events of the past six months. He realized he was different from his former self.
"Perhaps this is my true nature. Back then, I lived cautiously for fear of being hunted. Now, no matter which world I'm in, I'm a prominent figure in charge, so my true nature has revealed itself."
Although Xiao Xun said this, Mu Jiahe knew that the original him was not like this. It was a change from the core. And it wasn't a change that happened after the war; it began from the moment he encountered the book.
However, occasionally, Xiao Xun would still propose the liberation of slaves, and Mu Jiahe didn't know if he had ulterior motives or if he was truly compassionate.
Mu Jiahe found the current Xiao Xun increasingly inscrutable. Every action he took, every step he made, was calculated.
If Mu Jiahe knew that Xiao Xun was researching a weapon of mass destruction that could annihilate this world, she would wonder how she would feel at this moment.