"Why is there so much gold!?"
Wu Piwu, Yamadai, Lin Heier, and Xu Rongyu all exclaimed in surprise.
Xu Shilan looked at Wu Piwu and Yamadai with an expression of disbelief.
She couldn't help but retort, "It's one thing for them to be surprised, but what are you two so astonished about? Didn't I say this morning that I was going to be busy for a while? You two just sat there bragging and didn't care what I was doing, right?"
Wu Piwu and Yamadai exchanged glances, then asked in unison, "What did you go do?"
Xu Shilan was truly furious.
She angrily tossed down a bag of gold and sat directly on the ground, saying, "Have you all not considered how we are going to build this special Level Two Shelter?"
Wu Piwu scratched his head and said, "Uh... kill the enemies? Kill Empress Dowager Cixi? Or do something earth-shattering?"
Yamadai was also a bit confused.
He thought seriously for a moment, looked around, and even used his hand to measure the distance simply, saying, "If we have enough supplies and engineers, I think we can establish a long-range missile defense position on the hillside behind us, lay landmines in the front, and then build floating... no, that's unrealistic. We could establish two bunkers for support; that would be foolproof."
Xu Shilan shouted, "What about the money!? Where is the money going to come from? And this is a restaurant! It's not a military camp, nor is it your martial arts arena!! Since it's a restaurant, there should at least be a building, right? A kitchen, a dining area, a lodging area—let's not even talk about how nice it should be; at least we need to build it, right!?"
"And since it's a restaurant, there should be employees, right? Chefs, receptionists, waiters, managers... and then we need ingredients, right? Not to mention that this land doesn't even belong to us yet."
Wu Piwu and Yamadai looked at each other and both obediently sat down.
It was simple; neither of them was good at making money.
For example, Wu Piwu had no way to earn money other than robbing, while Yamadai was slightly better off.
He thought being a mercenary was not a problem—killing for money was only natural, right?
But Xu Shilan was even more impressive; she could directly pull out gold!
Xu Shilan sighed and said, "You may not be familiar with the technological level of the twenty-ninth century, but when it comes to some civilian technologies around us, you should at least understand... The machine in the middle of the medical base is called the Anomaly Eliminator.
It can treat, eradicate, and alter genetic-level mutations, deformities, and hereditary changes caused by radiation, bacteria, viruses, fungi, or any other similar conditions, as long as they belong to the genetic level and not deeper levels of life essence, and as long as the mutation time and degree are not too high.
This machine can save them, and this is something that carbon-based nanounits cannot achieve."
"So?" Wu Piwu and Yamadai asked again in unison.
Xu Shilan was too lazy to sigh again and said in one breath, "This is a change at a level deeper than the nano level, as long as we perform simple program adjustments. Not only can it change the human body, but the basic particles of other materials can also be rearranged and altered.
For example, turning metal into gold—the closer the properties are, the less energy is consumed for the change. Unfortunately, this is just a medical base, and the allocation of permissions from the main brain is very small. The energy allocation for a month can only produce about twenty kilograms of gold."
Wu Piwu was genuinely amazed.
He picked up the gold on the ground and weighed it, saying, "There’s about ten kilograms here, so you used half of the energy allocation from that machine?"
Xu Shilan nodded, "After all, we need to leave some for emergencies. The remaining energy can be used about seven to eight times. A medical base is designed for a thousand people, and now there are just the three of us. Half of the energy can last until next month."
This was naturally a very well-thought-out plan.
Wu Piwu secretly admired it and then looked at Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu, saying, "How much can we exchange for this ten kilograms of gold?"
Xu Rongyu also sat down, carefully examining the gold.
Ten kilograms of gold was not much; it fit into one pocket.
Moreover, since Xu Shilan directly converted it using steel bars, the gold was in the form of steel bars—one large and two small.
Xu Rongyu picked up one of the small gold bars, squeezed it, and bit into it, nodding, "It is indeed gold, and of high quality. Unfortunately, I can't contact my father's old subordinates; either they are dead or have definitely betrayed me. Otherwise, I would have channels to sell it."
Lin Heier also picked up a bar and pondered, "I do have connections. There are many foreigners in Tianjin. If it doesn't work, we can send someone to Shanghai; they can also sell it. I vaguely remember that foreigners measure gold in ounces. I don't know the exact price, but gold is expensive; this is a considerable sum."
Gold is naturally expensive.
Not to mention this era, even in the twenty-first century, it is a precious metal, belonging to the category of equivalent exchange.
Even Wu Piwu, who was indifferent to such matters, knew that if a country, a force, or a group had enough gold reserves, they would never have to worry about being squeezed out.
Ten kilograms of gold is about ten thousand grams.
Based on the price before Wu Piwu was frozen, this would be at least five to six million.
Wu Piwu pondered for a moment, then pinched the smallest gold bar between his fingers and broke it in half.
He handed it to Xu Rongyu, saying, "Find someone or a shop in Xuanhua Prefecture to exchange it for silver dollars or silver, buy some rice and flour, and hire some craftsmen. Then we can take over this land. Is that enough?"
Xu Rongyu calculated in his mind and nodded, "That’s enough, definitely enough. Even after some bribes, it will be sufficient. But I can't handle it alone; I need Senior Sister's help."
Lin Heier naturally said, "There’s also my Hongmen branch in Xuanhua Prefecture, and I have some connections and followers. I will take you to a hall; you can be the deputy hall master of Xuanhua Prefecture, light two incense sticks, and you can naturally command them."
Wu Piwu put half of the gold bar into his pocket, then pushed the remaining gold in front of Lin Heier, saying, "Then I’ll trouble Senior Sister to take this to Tianjin or Shanghai to exchange for equivalent items, whether silver, silver dollars, or even US dollars or pounds. How about we split it three to seven?"
Lin Heier's expression turned serious.
She coldly snorted and stood up, saying, "Do you think I am so lowly as to be swayed by money? I fought alongside you against the paper man, and it was thanks to you that I survived. I also learned the truth about the Wusheng Laomu and the Evil Buddha. My life was saved by you, and you saved countless people of Huaxia. How could you think I, Lin Heier, am such a money-grubbing person!?"
Wu Piwu remained seated and expressionless.
He continued, "As the saying goes, clear accounts among brothers, this is not harsh, nor is it looking down on Senior Sister. It’s about fairness. Senior Sister and I have a relationship, but your subordinates do not. This exchange cannot be handled by just one or two people; it requires connections, relationships, and manpower to run errands. This thirty percent is not just for Senior Sister, but for those people as well."
Lin Heier's expression softened slightly but still showed displeasure.
At this moment, Xu Shilan walked over to Lin Heier, took her hand, and sat down, saying, "This is not a one-time transaction. Can I call you Lin Mei?"
Lin Heier was slightly taken aback, then sat down in agreement, smiling, "Xu Mei, you may have misunderstood. I am already twenty-nine this year; I just look young because I practice martial arts."
Xu Shilan smiled and said, "I am seventy-six this year."
"Huh?"
Wu Piwu, Yamadai, Xu Rongyu, and Lin Heier all gasped in shock.
Xu Shilan glared at Wu Piwu and Yamadai, saying, "It's one thing for them to be surprised, but what are you two so astonished about? I am a citizen of the Unified Human Government, okay!?"
Lin Heier was still a bit dizzy.
She stared intently at Xu Shilan and after a long while said, "Could she really be a Celestial Being?"
Xu Rongyu was also very envious.
Unlike Lin Heier, he directly asked, "Brother Wu, and the two older brothers and sisters, do you really come from the Celestial Realm or places like the Immortal Realm?"
Yamadai chuckled, and Xu Shilan remained silent.
Both looked at Wu Piwu, who pondered for a moment and said, "It's not the Celestial Realm or the Immortal Realm. If I had to describe it, it’s somewhat like another world."
Xu Rongyu asked again, "Is it similar to the Small Thousand World, Middle Thousand World, and Great Thousand World in Buddhism?"
Wu Piwu nodded, "It has a bit of that meaning, but it’s not entirely the same... Right now, I can't take you to the world I come from, and that world might disappoint you greatly. Let's wait and see if there are opportunities in the future."
Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu's eyes immediately lit up.
Although Wu Piwu said they would be greatly disappointed, the two were not blind.
In just three days, one Xu Shilan who had already died, and one Yamadai with a broken spine, were now standing before them safe and sound.
Moreover, they could pull out gold at will, and judging by their words, gold would be endless in the future.
Not to mention Xu Shilan was seventy-six years old yet still looked like a young maiden...
The two were lost in thought, unaware of the circumstances of the three.
However, Wu Piwu did not say much more and made no promises, as he did not know what level of shelter would be able to bring living people to Gaia, whether there would be any costs involved, or if there were any taboos.
He was completely unaware, so he did not make any specific promises.
However, he made a decision in his heart that if there were opportunities in the future, he would definitely take the two to see the real... if they were willing.
The five chatted a lot, having fought side by side before and sharing the secrets of the Wusheng Laomu and the paper man, so Xu Rongyu and Lin Heier felt familiar and close to the three.
When Wu Piwu revealed his plans, Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu were naturally shocked, their faces pale.
Wu Piwu then laid out the specific steps, which were nothing more than waiting for an opportunity to strike at a certain time.
Xu Rongyu naturally did not mention it, but Lin Heier fell into deep thought.
After a long while, Lin Heier finally asked, "Brother Wu, if we do this, what will happen when the court is thrown into chaos, and Huaxia is in turmoil? Those foreigners will take the opportunity to invade our territory, kill our people, destroy our ancestral laws, and obliterate our cultural heritage. What should we do then?"
Wu Piwu fell silent.
After a long time, he shook his head and said, "I only have this preliminary idea. How to proceed specifically when the time comes, I am also hesitating. But you can rest assured, although I am not a good person, I am not so vicious as to harm the lives of the common people for my own selfish desires. Moreover..."
Wu Piwu thought of the future after 1900, where righteous people of China would emerge, and culture would not perish; the future would eventually rise...
Wu Piwu shook his head again and finally said, "I cannot see that far. I am struggling to survive myself. I don't even know if I will still be alive in over a hundred days. It will take at least four months for Empress Dowager Cixi to escape to this Xuanhua Prefecture—one hundred and twenty days! I just have this expectation."
Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu both breathed a sigh of relief.
If that were the case, the two felt it was normal.
Seeing the world withering, foreigners invading Huaxia, and righteous people utterly disappointed with the decaying court, wanting to commit violence was rampant in the rivers and lakes.
To the two, Wu Piwu seemed like a great hero, so it was strange for him not to have such thoughts.
If it was just an idea, then it was nothing.
That night, everyone talked a lot about the world, Buddhism, the Wusheng Laomu, and the future...
The next morning, Lin Heier and Xu Rongyu went to Xuanhua Prefecture, while Wu Piwu and Yamadai began clearing the ruins of the charity hall.
By dusk, a team came from outside the charity hall, with Xu Rongyu riding a donkey, followed by a team of craftsmen, a team of laborers, and a team transporting building materials, with over two hundred people in tow.
The Peace Hotel began construction today.
(End of Chapter)