"No, those aren't problems," Xia Yu shook her head upon hearing this. "Because my target customers have never been the general public."
"You mentioned so many countries just now, why skip Kazdel?"
"Ah? Kazdel?" Swire was stunned. "The city of the Sarkaz..."
She hesitated, stopping herself mid-sentence.
"Say whatever is on your mind," Xia Yu signaled that she didn't need to worry.
"Kazdel... erm," Swire flashed an awkward yet polite smile. "First of all, do they even have money?"
"Secondly, even if they do have money, are you sure the Sarkaz won't just choose to rob you instead of buying? It's not that no one has looked at that market, but..."
That single 'but' explained everything.
"First, once I settle things in Lungmen, I'm heading to Kazdel," Xia Yu said leisurely. "I've heard the current Demon King, Theresa, is an interesting person, and I plan to take a look."
"Secondly, even if the market in Kazdel can't be opened, I have some connections in the Ursus Snowfield. Whether it's mobile platforms or various agricultural products, I believe they'll be very happy to purchase them."
"As for high tariffs? Heh, let Ursus try and collect them if they have the guts. But I suspect that until their new generation of warships is fully fielded, they won't have the courage to collect a single cent of tariffs from me."
They really aren't afraid of a beating from a Dragon Lord.
Hearing this, Swire was breaking into a cold sweat; this was sounding incredibly illegal.
But thinking about it being Ursus, then it was fine.
"Wait, you're leaving Lungmen?" She finally caught the key information in those words.
"What's wrong?" Xia Yu looked at her in confusion. "I only came to deliver a letter to Xiao Chen; the free clinic was just a side thing. I never planned to settle down here."
"I expect quite a few people on the continent have already started heading toward Lungmen..." Swire felt a headache just imagining the scene.
"Then let them go find me in Kazdel... forget it, that really isn't a good place," Xia Yu couldn't help but laugh herself at that point. "Consider it their bad luck."
She couldn't stay in this world forever.
"I see..." Swire was full of disappointment.
"I want to ask your family to help me set up the framework for these three companies," Xia Yu said bluntly. "I don't have money, so I can only give you this as payment."
As she finished, a large jar of wine slowly emerged beneath a Golden Ripple.
"Jade Nectar. You should know its effects," Xia Yu introduced. "I've only saved up this much for now; consider it a deposit. I'll make the rest slowly. When I return from Kazdel, I'll send four more jars as the final payment. How does that sound?"
"It's a deal!" Swire agreed without a second thought.
She had seen the effects of this wine with her own eyes. Her grandfather, who was bedridden just the other day, had been able to get out of bed these past few days. All sorts of check-ups showed his body was incredibly healthy; this wasn't some harsh, temporary stimulant.
But there was only one small bottle of that wine, no bigger than her palm. Once it was gone...
Swire had been wanting to ask for more wine, but she understood how precious that liquid was and had never been able to bring herself to ask.
She didn't expect it to be this easy...
Honestly, a wine jar the size of a human head, and five of them in total, was more than enough for the Swire Family to take action. What was setting up the framework for three companies to provide jobs for a hundred thousand people? For the wealthy and powerful Swire Family, that was nothing.
A little something leaked from the gaps of Adams Swire's—her grandfather's—fingers would be enough.
This was a good item that would allow him to truly enjoy his twilight years. For a super-wealthy man like him, as long as it didn't cost the Swire Family's lifeblood, it was fine.
Not to mention, this wine wasn't just for him to drink. As a member of that social stratum, how could he not have connections? There were plenty of wealthy men his age in the world.
With just a little effort, this could bring unimaginable benefits to the Swire Family. Compared to that, the employment of a mere hundred thousand people... was truly not worth mentioning.
"The family will go all out for your request," Swire promised. "Forget a hundred thousand people; even a few hundred thousand more wouldn't be a problem!"
"That's what you said," Xia Yu's eyes lit up as she looked at her.
"Uh..." Swire froze for a second, then gritted her teeth. "Yes, it's absolutely not a problem!"
In the face of her grandfather's health, problems had to become non-problems.
Although the Swire Family looked prosperous right now, undercurrents had long been swirling within.
Everyone knew Grandfather's body couldn't hold out for many more years. But among the next generation of successors, her own father... sigh, he wasn't exactly... sensitive when it came to business.
Because he used to be a playboy who didn't like business. She heard from Grandfather that he was a major headache in his younger years...
It wasn't until she was born that her father gradually settled down and began learning to inherit the family business. But without having gone through the forge, he was naturally full of flaws and had caused quite a few jokes.
To this day, Grandfather still felt his ability wasn't enough to shoulder the entire Swire Family.
But what choice was there? The people of that generation in the Swire Family... their abilities were generally mediocre. Her father was already the best of a bad bunch, which led to the current situation.
Grandfather's time was nearing its end, and the other branches were also restless, all wanting to snatch more for their own homes.
If Grandfather could hold on for a few more years... the significance for the Swire Family would be completely different. This was a consideration for the family.
For Swire herself, Grandfather was one of the few who completely supported her ideal of being a police officer.
When she originally chose to be a cop, she didn't know how many people had mocked her, feeling she was just as shiftless as her father... only Grandfather had firmly supported her.
Having grown up under Grandfather's protection, Swire naturally didn't want to see the old man pass away on a sickbed. No one could change the fact that one's time was up.
But at least on the day he left... let it not be so painful.
"Miss Bailu," after calming down, Swire did the math. "How about you make a few more demands?"
She felt that compared to the other party's five jars of wine, what the Swire Family had to give was simply not worth mentioning. This wine was too hot to handle!
It wasn't like they were asking her family to support those Infected, just to set up a company system. The subsequent operations wouldn't require her family's intervention.
No, this really was too much.
"Don't worry, there will be many things I'll need your help with in the future," Xia Yu didn't mind. If you want the horse to run, you have to let it graze, right?
After all, she was a complete hands-off manager; there would definitely be plenty of places where she'd need others to worry for her.
And while the Jade Nectar was precious, for her, it was just something that refreshed punctually at midnight every day.
Besides, a scale of a hundred thousand people?
She didn't think she would only have that many people in the future.
She still had a large group of people in the Snowfield. If she waited for them to develop the Snowfield slowly on their own, how long would that take?
For the upcoming trip to Kazdel, if talks went smoothly, Babel would also be partly hers. Tens of millions of Sarkaz—how big of a market was that?
Why be mercenaries, fighting and killing all day? Such good physiques would be a waste if they weren't used for farming and pulling plows!
There would be plenty of use for the Swire Family in the future. Swire felt she had given too much; Xia Yu felt she had given too little.
These hundred thousand people and three companies were just the beginning.
"Have you heard of Babel?"
"Babel?" Swire looked confused. "I don't know. Is it some kind of building?"
"Legend says that in ancient times, people were united and built a giant tower that reached the heavens," Xia Yu began the tale. "But that high tower angered the gods. The gods sent down a divine punishment, confusing the people's accents so they spoke different languages and subsequently scattered everywhere."
"From then on, humans could no longer unite to build such a magnificent tower."
"So, it's a mythological story?" Swire blinked.
"I heard a while ago that in Kazdel, the current Demon King established an organization called Babel," Xia Yu said. "The people who know this name... are very few now."
"So, I'm thinking of heading there. Maybe I'll see some old friends. And since she chose Kazdel, chose Theresa... maybe I'll stay there too."
"To witness her choice."
At this, she looked at Swire. "But given the environment in Kazdel, you know, when visiting a friend, one must bring a gift."
"So there will still be many places where your family's help is needed. No need to decline."
Hearing this, Swire didn't know what to say.
Until the meal was over and Xia Yu hopped onto Chen Huijie's motorcycle and left, Swire was still standing on the street, clutching the wine jar.
"Wait!" Looking at the jar in her hands, Swire suddenly panicked.
Such a precious thing—what if it got chipped or bumped?
So she made a phone call home. Before long, a Swire Family motorcade with a hundred burly bodyguards appeared in front of the restaurant.
The troop hurriedly and carefully protected her and the wine jar as they rushed back to the manor.
Upon returning home, Swire told her grandfather everything that had been said tonight in minute detail.
"Five jars..." Adams Swire looked at the head-sized wine jar in front of him and sighed.
"This is a massive favor we're owing."
"Tell me about it," Swire sighed as well.
"Beatrix, let your father personally oversee this matter," Old Swire finally spoke after pondering for a while.
"Ah? Doesn't Father have group business to attend to?" Swire was somewhat confused.
"This should have been your job," Old Swire looked at his granddaughter helplessly. "This was originally an opportunity you secured for the family, but I suspect you definitely can't let go of your ideals, right?"
"...Sorry, Grandfather," Swire said sheepishly.
"Therefore, it can only be your father," Old Swire said slowly. "She only sought us out for cooperation for your sake. Otherwise, in all of Lungmen, would she really be unable to find anyone else?"
"So, this task must fall on you father and daughter. I wouldn't be at ease giving it to anyone else."