"Never mind, it's just ten taels of silver." After that, Zhou Tai began to seriously read the newspaper.
"In order to ensure the safety of the people, the Duke of Wu, who was also the military governor of Jiangdong, issued an order to relocate all the people of Wu County and Kuaiji County to Wu County as a precaution."
"Hiss, the Duke of Wu is so generous? To ensure the safety of the people, he actually relocated all the people for free. So, he's a good official after all?" Zhou Tai said, his eyes wide with disbelief.
These days, isn't corrupt officials harming people the norm? Just like how ordinary people in later generations, when they think of the government, their first thought is always that there are troublemakers trying to harm the emperor!
The second thought was how the government was a disgrace and how it was harming them! This idea that the government or the court was problematic and that the officials were all corrupt and petty was not only prevalent in later generations, but also very common in the Han Dynasty at that time!
"Hehe, that's right. You know, that's an extraterrestrial world! When people from other worlds attack, won't Wu County and Kuaiji County become battlefields? Therefore, the Duke of Wu's actions are truly for the benefit of the people! Moreover, he doesn't even charge for the journey."
"Wait a minute? I paid the fare! Where's the two coins?"
"Hehe, you're from out of town, not a local from Jiangdong. Without a travel permit, of course you have to pay. Locals like me, with a travel permit, can sit anywhere we want now," the old man said with a grin.
Then, seeing Zhou Tai's hesitation, the old man continued, "Young man, I see you are strong and healthy, why not join the army? You know, the alien invasion is imminent, and then it will be the era of soldiers. At that time, genuine military merits will be the most valuable!"
Seeing Zhou Tai's constantly changing expression, the old man continued, "With these military merits, you can not only become an official, but also be granted a noble title—a real title! That would truly bring glory to your ancestors!"
"But, but as an outsider like me, if I join the army, won't I still be ostracized? I have no connections, and no one above me. When will I ever get ahead?" Although he was very tempted, Zhou Tai still had some sense of reason.
"You can start by joining the wandering knights, gradually accumulating merits by completing tasks, and then building your own small team. In the end, the outstanding ones can even form a private army. Then, you can serve the court as a unit of private army. Of course, there are conditions for forming a private army."
"To form a private army? What are the conditions for that?" Zhou Tai asked hurriedly.
"Well, that's a rather complicated matter," the old man said, stroking his beard.
Seeing this, Zhou Tai casually took out another silver ingot, and the old man immediately laughed.
"Hehe, it's all in this newspaper." With that, he directly took out a newspaper. Obviously, this was all prepared in advance; it was all a routine, a routine! At the same time, he also put away the silver in Zhou Tai's hand.
"By the way, young man, I'm increasingly optimistic about you. Is there anything you don't understand? I've prepared everything thoroughly here. I have the Wu Kingdom Daily from last year to now..."
Looking at the bundle of newspapers beside the old man, and remembering the silver ingot that had disappeared again, Zhou Tai nodded weakly.
"Young man, what's your name? I have a great job for you, perfect for a healthy young man like you."
"Young man, would you...?"
Before they knew it, nine hours had passed. Zhou Tai had already arrived at his destination. After all, the train's average speed was about 100 kilometers per hour, so nine hours was about right.
As soon as he arrived at the station, watching Zhou Taiyuan's departing figure, and touching the twenty identical silver ingots that had just appeared in his pocket, the old man couldn't stop smiling.
Then, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, they went to an inconspicuous little house. They lit a candle, took out a stack of clean white paper, and also took out a pen holder and a quill pen, and began to record information.
That's right. On the surface, this old man was just a greedy old man, but in reality, he was one of the tens of thousands of secret agents in the entire Wu Kingdom.
"Zhou Tai, courtesy name Youping, is from Jiujiang. He is 32 years old this year, unmarried, powerful, and physically strong. He is estimated to be at least a second-level innate master."
"Through numerous exchanges of questions and answers, he spent a total of two hundred taels of silver without showing the slightest sign of distress. This indicates that this person is either very wealthy or extremely generous..."
To be honest, if people who aren't part of the secret system all have a rather troubling crime called "unexplained wealth," then the old man really didn't want to write it out so clearly!
"During the conversation, I found that this person is not very cunning, has a carefree and easygoing personality, and is somewhat introverted. According to psychological analysis, this person belongs to..."
"Furthermore, this person is quite ugly, with a flat nose, large eyes, and an unusually large mouth. Therefore, you can gain a lot by treating him sincerely. Below is the specific dialogue from today."
While writing rapidly with a quill pen, the old man took out a charcoal pencil made entirely of charcoal from the pen holder. At the same time, he took out another sheet of white paper and began to scribble and doodle.
A moment later, a face appeared. Looking at this identical face, the old man felt a great sense of accomplishment. By the way, this thing is supposedly called a sketch. Then, he took another sheet of white paper and began to draw a full-body portrait.
"Alright, all done!"
With that, the old man bound the twenty-odd sheets of paper together. He would then send out this information before starting work the next day.
Meanwhile, the old man was also quickly calculating his income this time.
"Two hundred taels of silver, according to the rules, it's all mine. Besides, this person is at least a Xiantian level cultivator, and Xiantian-level intelligence is worth at least one hundred taels of silver. If it's this detailed, three hundred taels isn't impossible!"
"So, I've earned at least two hundred taels this time? Adding to the previous six trips, I've made over eight hundred taels in one go? Not bad, not bad. I'll take the train back in a bit. I'll go back tonight and do it again early tomorrow morning!"
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Chapter Thirty-Five: Joining the Army?
Ignoring the greedy old man who had just made two hundred taels of silver from him, Zhou Tai tidied up the stacks of newspapers and left the train station.
As soon as he looked up, he saw a huge sign. The sign read, "Welcome, Brother Zhou Tai." Below the sign was a carriage and a wandering swordsman.
"This is?"
"But Zhou Youping, a native of Jiujiang, used to make a living on the water?" As he spoke, Youxia took out a sketch and compared it with the sketch.
"It's me."
“That’s right. I was sent by Boss Jiang to pick you up. Shall we talk as we walk? If we hurry, we might still make it in time for dinner.”
"Um, okay."
Along the way, Zhou Tai kept asking the young knight about things in Jiangdong, about the Kingdom of Wu, about the Duke of Wu, and about Jiang Qin.
In the end, all I could do was lament that all these years had been wasted. Living on the water fortress, except for the occasional business trip, I was practically cut off from the world!
It turns out that the world has changed so much without us even realizing it! So much that we don't even recognize it anymore!
As they walked, they arrived. Jiang Qin was standing at the door, followed by a group of his underlings, waiting.
"Haha, Youping, you've finally arrived! Come in, come in and have a drink."
Upon seeing Zhou Tai, Jiang Qin was overjoyed. He strode over, hugged him tightly, and patted him a few times. Then, he pulled him inside.