Chapter 235: Chengcheng County Town Also Comes Into View
After a good while, Li Daoxuan finished sticking out his tongue and caught his breath. He took out his medical nebulizer and sprayed rain around Bai Family Fortress. Then he sat down at his computer, opened a certain shopping app, and found the store where he last bought toy trains. He sent a message to the shop owner: “Boss, I’m back to buy more toy trains and tracks.”
The shop owner was overjoyed: “Dear customer, welcome back! What can I get for you this time?”
“Still two train engines, two train stations, and then... for the tracks...”
Li Daoxuan thought seriously for a moment. The straight-line distance between Bai Family Fortress and Gao Family Village was a good fifteen kilometers. If he accounted for twists, turns, mountains, and rivers, it would be at least twenty kilometers. That translated to 20,000 meters.
Dividing that by the 200-fold scale, he needed 100 meters of track.
It was always better to overbuy than underbuy; preparedness prevented regrets.
“I’ll take 150 meters of track,” Li Daoxuan said.
“Pfft!” The shop owner sputtered, almost choking. “Dear customer, what exactly do you plan to do with such a long stretch of track? Is your house even that big?”
Li Daoxuan replied, “My humble villa takes up half a mountain. My kids’ little play yard is the size of a football field. Is it strange for me to buy my children a 150-meter-long toy train track? Have you never seen a rich person before? Are you going to do this business or not? If not, I’ll take my money elsewhere.”
The shop owner was ecstatic: “Oh, right, dear customer, would you like any overpasses or grand ‘flying-over-the-sea’ bridges? Imagine your kids building bridges in their yard and sending the little train tracks across them, choo-choo-choo, how happy would they be?”
“Good point.” Li Daoxuan wasn’t sure if he’d need bridges, but he figured it was best to buy them and have them ready as backup. “Give me five large bridges that can be freely combined and adapt to various terrains.”
The shop owner was thrilled: “Alright! You truly are my benefactor, dear customer!”
A huge order was placed...
Li Daoxuan thought to himself: *Later, I’ll have to lay toy train tracks all the way from Gao Family Village to Bai Family Fortress. That’s no small task—over a hundred meters long, with twists and turns. I’ll likely need to “level ground” and “build bridges” along the way. It’s going to exhaust me to death.*
But on second thought, it would actually be quite fun, wouldn’t it? This wasn’t just arranging toy trains in his living room; it was setting up toy trains in a real world, and that brought a special sense of accomplishment.
“Cai Xinzhi, I need to modify two more toy trains.”
“Alright, no problem.”
“I’ll pay twenty yuan for a delivery person to bring them to you later.”
“Oh, you’re getting more extravagant, even hiring couriers now.”
“Hahaha, rich and capricious, that’s me.”
“Hey, I’ve made a good bit of money thanks to you. Keep sending me those miniature carving jobs; I’m loving the commission.”
“You’re supposed to run a model shop, don’t turn yourself into a miniature carving broker.”
“Making money is making money, no shame in that.”
As they were chatting, Cai Xinzhi suddenly interjected: “Oh, by the way, after making a few deals with you, I’ve saved enough money. I’m planning to marry my girlfriend, who I’ve been dating for a long time. What about you? You’re a rich man now; shouldn’t you find yourself a good woman?”
Li Daoxuan laughed. “Come on, I’m not keen on entering the grave of marriage. Isn’t it more fun to spend all this money on myself?”
Cai Xinzhi chuckled. “You old rascal... never mind, let’s not talk about it. As long as you’re happy.”
Closing WeChat, Li Daoxuan’s attention returned to the box.
The little people of Bai Family Fortress were having a rowing competition on the lake, each one happier than the last. It seemed Bai Yuan had taken good care of them; he always looked after them quite well.
Li Daoxuan thought carefully.
Since he could now see Bai Family Fortress, he could essentially see more than half of Chengcheng County. He decided to shift his perspective and look elsewhere; perhaps he could take in many other villages at a glance.
He moved his field of view south from Bai Family Fortress, occasionally clicking “east” and “west.” The view swayed southward, and before long, Li Daoxuan spotted a fairly prosperous little town.
This small town actually had defensive walls, a low town wall about three and a half meters tall (one *zhang*). Archers actually guarded it, and a large plaque hung above the town gate, displaying the three characters: “Fengyuan Town.”
Li Daoxuan’s heart stirred: *So this is Fengyuan Town!*
It was considered a crucial bridgehead for Chengcheng County against the rebel armies, so it was no wonder archers patrolled the town walls.
Magistrate Liang Shixian had twice repelled rebel forces here, successively defeating Bu Zhan Ni, Wang Zuogua, and Yan Qian’er... This place must be in a state of battle readiness.
A quick look was enough; all the little people here were “wild,” and Li Daoxuan wasn’t in a hurry to interfere directly.
In a place full of “wild” little people, if he rashly extended his “Thanos’ hand,” it would likely have no positive effect beyond terrifying them all.
A colossal, shimmering golden hand—without Gao Yiye there to explain it, would *he* consider that hand a benevolent deity?
Putting himself in their shoes, it was clear. If he were playing a game at home and a multicolored hand suddenly appeared in the sky, he certainly wouldn’t assume it was benign. He’d be wary, cautious, and his first instinct would be to run as far away as possible!
Humans first feared unknown “giants” before considering whether to worship them. Fleeing to safety before understanding a “giant’s” nature was the default mindset for most ordinary people.
Best not to frighten the folks of Fengyuan Town; everyone was struggling to survive in this year of calamity. He needed to approach these little people with gentle methods.
His view swept on, continuing south.
Click, click, click...
South of Fengyuan Town were many villages, all inhabited. It wasn’t that this area hadn’t suffered, but rather that these villages were all situated alongside a wide “imperial road.”
This imperial road led north from Chengcheng County Town, passing through Fengyuan Town, and stretching all the way to Yan'an Prefecture. Consequently, there was still a fair amount of merchant travel on this road, and the villagers, running tea houses and inns, could just barely eke out a living.
Li Daoxuan followed this imperial road southward. A county town, not particularly large but bustling with people, came into view.
Chengcheng County Town!
This wasn’t unexpected; it had been within his predictions. The distance from Gao Family Village to the county town was similar to that to Bai Family Fortress. His ability to see Bai Family Fortress meant he could also see the county town.
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