It wasn't that she was timid, but rather that Stone's ideas were too bizarre. Over the course of a full year, Ironforge rose from the capital like a behemoth, and its strange architectural style alone shocked everyone.
Aside from the outer plaza, Ironforge is comprised of massive, interconnected European-style buildings. Entering through the main gate, one finds a colossal shopping mall—a meticulously crafted shopping center by Stone.
"I'll take you to the lounge upstairs first. The opening ceremony will be held in an hour, and you can enjoy a fantastic view from up there." Shi Tou didn't lead Huo Xiaoxiao through the main entrance, so Huo Xiaoxiao missed the bustling shopping mall.
In Huo Xiaoxiao's eyes, Ironforge was a colossal beast with a gaping maw, where sunlight never penetrated, something she, who had grown up in a classical Eastern mansion, could never imagine.
"Xiao Yi, are you sure you're not mistaken? It'll be dark in an hour, and you..." Huo Xiaoxiao felt that Shi Tou was, after all, her nominal sister, so she had at least given him a heads-up.
Stone turned around and gave her a strange smile: "I'm going to wait until it gets dark."
Hehe, it's good that it's dark! Waiting until it's dark...
An hour passed quickly. After finishing the afternoon tea that Shi Tou had specially prepared, Huo Xiaoxiao leaned out the window and looked down at the square.
"This is the tallest floor in Ironforge, a full 100 meters above the ground." A hundred meters wouldn't have been anything special in Stone's previous life. Any random building would be that tall. But it's different in this world. Even the tallest magic tower in the capital is only 180 meters high.
Stone wasn't unwilling to build Ironforge so tall, but he was worried that it would incur the wrath of the Mage Guild. After all, the Mage Guild was, in essence, the local power in the capital.
"Xiaoxiao, the opening ceremony is about to begin." Shi Tou smiled as she looked at the area that had been surrounded by her men. Tsk tsk, natives of this other world, today I'll show you the power of high technology.
Actually, what Stone called high technology was nothing more than a childish toy from his past life that wasn't presentable. But...
"My God!" Huo Xiaoxiao stared in disbelief at the dazzling light in mid-air. "What is that? A blasting rocket launcher?"
Stone whispered mysteriously in Huo Xiaoxiao's ear, "That's not a blasting rocket launcher, but... Boom!"
Huo Xiaoxiao was caught off guard when Shi Tou suddenly yelled in her ear, causing her to jump up. Luckily, the window on Shi Tou's side wasn't open very wide; otherwise, Huo Xiaoxiao might have jumped out of the window.
"Huo Yi!!!" Huo Xiaoxiao immediately exploded: "What are you doing?!"
Stone smiled innocently: "I just wanted to tell you their names. Hehe, do you think this thing called 'Bang' will sell like hotcakes?"
"You're going to sell them?" Upon hearing Shi Tou's words, Huo Xiaoxiao forgot about how Shi Tou had deliberately scared her earlier and hurriedly asked, "Why do you want to sell them? Are you short of money? No, how can you sell these?"
"Why can't I sell it?" Shi Tou shrugged, looking quite greedy. "Don't worry, Xiao Xiao, I'll definitely sell it for a high price. Tsk tsk, there are so many rich people in the capital. If I don't make a killing, how can I face the heavens that brought me here?"
Although Huo Xiaoxiao didn't quite understand Shi Tou's last sentence, she knew that Shi Tou was determined to sell the divine artifact this time: "That's a divine artifact! How could you..."
Seeing Huo Xiaoxiao's accusing expression, Shi Tou suddenly realized: "You thought this was some kind of magical weapon like the Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher? No, these are all just for show and not very useful. Besides, I made them all disposable."
"Really? They have no power? Won't they bring disaster to the Huo family?" Huo Xiaoxiao frowned, clearly not believing Shi Tou's words.
However, after Shi Tou patiently explained, Huo Xiaoxiao finally believed him. Sigh, how could fireworks and firecrackers compare to a rocket launcher? Besides, this was a version improved by Shi Tou.
Instead of using the ridiculous gunpowder-based manufacturing method from the previous life, it adopts a completely mechanical manufacturing method, which makes it safer to store, more effective, and of course, more expensive!
Wow, Stone felt she couldn't resist running down to the mall to see just how much these cheap fireworks could fetch!
Knowledge is power, knowledge changes destiny, isn't that right?!
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Wow, it's Saturday today, this is the first update!
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Chapter 150: Chief Steward Hua Wushuang
Three hours later, the First Steward, whom Stone had resigned himself to, came up to report on the evening's achievements: "Beautiful master, the night is enchanting and the stars are shining brightly. Why don't you come with me for a nighttime date?"
"Pfft!" Huo Xiaoxiao was drinking the taro milk tea that Shi Tou had specially prepared when she saw a young man in a tuxedo walk up to Shi Tou, give him an extremely gentlemanly bow, and then speak in a businesslike manner with a stern face. Instantly, she couldn't hold back anymore.
Stone remained remarkably calm: "My lord, if you want to go on a date with me, you should at least report on tonight's performance, right? Otherwise, even if I wanted to go on a date, I wouldn't be interested!"
The steward cleared his throat, placed his hands behind his back, and spoke in a firm, resonant voice: "Tonight, a total of 1376 toddler-type Pompos were sold, each priced at 2 gold coins, for a total of 2753 gold coins. A total of 3678 children's-type Pompos were sold, each priced at 3 gold coins, for a total of 11034 gold coins. Total sales..."
"Stop! Just tell me the total, I'm getting dizzy!" Stone protested, rubbing his head. "How much did they sell for in total?"
"Tonight's total sales amount to 373,565 gold coins." The steward still had that stern expression. "In addition, someone has come to discuss custom-made 'Peng' items. Please give your instructions, beautiful mistress."
Shi Tou pondered for a moment: "Customizations will be suspended for now. Let your staff focus on producing these items first!"
"Yes!" The steward stared intently at the stone: "Now, will my beautiful master grant me my request to meet?"
"Thump!" Huo Xiaoxiao fell headfirst to the ground. Luckily, this was Shi Tou's private reception room, where thick plush carpets covered the floor; otherwise, she would have definitely gotten a lot of bumps on her head.
“A date…” Stone paused for a moment: “I’ve already accepted this lady’s date, so please be earlier next time, Manager.”
The steward placed his right fist on his chest and bowed deeply to the stone at a 90-degree angle: "Yes, beautiful master, your words of advice are very reasonable. So, are you free tomorrow?"
Huo Xiaoxiao had just gotten up from the ground when she heard this and fell back down.
Even the most hardened heart in the stone couldn't take it anymore: "Tomorrow... we should talk about tomorrow tomorrow. We're here to live each day to the fullest. As long as we make sure we haven't wasted the day before we go to sleep, that's enough."
“Beautiful master, you are absolutely right!” The steward bowed deeply to the stone once more: “I am now yours, please bestow a name upon me, beautiful master!”
They want to bestow a name upon him?!
Shi Tou was dumbfounded. Ever since she named Er Niu Linda, she thought Er Niu wouldn't do anything so foolish again. Heaven knows, she's always been terrible at naming things.
"Well, these flowers are blooming nicely." Stone looked around blankly, trying to find some inspiration for a name, but after a long time, she couldn't think of a good one. Sigh, why can't the people of the six great Eastern families have Western names? She clearly knows plenty of Westernized names. Like Harry Potter…
The steward followed Stone's gaze and glanced at the ornamental flowers on the coffee table. He nodded firmly and said, "Beautiful master, you are absolutely right. The flowers are indeed blooming exceptionally beautifully tonight."
Huo Xiaoxiao fell again, and this time she made a decision. She wasn't going to get up until this person, who was even more eccentric than a stone, left.
Damn, if the flowers are blooming beautifully, your tone becomes a little happier, but why is your tone exactly the same when you're proposing, reporting, or praising someone? Flat, emotionless, and completely flat...
Stone scratched his head: "How about you take the surname Hua?"
The steward's usually calm face twitched slightly, but his voice remained as calm as ever: "Beautiful master, whatever you say goes."
Shi Tou scratched his head again. What should we call her? Mulan? No way, she's a heroine after all, we can't tarnish her reputation. "Um, how about... how about 'Peerless Flower'? Blooming flowers, incomparably beautiful?"
This time, a crack finally appeared on the steward's stiff face, and it seemed the crack was about to widen: "Alright..."
Are you trembling?!
Stone was horrified as he watched the steward, now bestowed the name Hua Wushuang, stagger away from the lounge. He slammed his hand on the coffee table and exclaimed, "Damn it! So he can change his tone of voice?!"
"Xiao Yi..." Huo Xiaoxiao's groan came from the ground. Shi Tou quickly reached out to pull her away, but unexpectedly saw a distorted face: "Hahaha, Xiao Yi, you..."
It took a lot of effort for Shi Tou to pull Huo Xiaoxiao up from the ground: "What's wrong? Don't you like the name I picked?" What a joke! Maybe there are many people in this world who can complain about their naming abilities, but Huo Xiaoxiao can't!
Chrysanthemums, lotus flowers, camellias, osmanthus flowers...
Damn, who's really incapable of naming things?!
"I...I..." Huo Xiaoxiao burst out laughing: "I'm really impressed by you. Where did you find such a bizarre manager?"
“I picked it up from the street,” Stone answered honestly.
So, at Huo Xiaoxiao's insistence, Shi Tou recounted the events of that time in detail.
Six months ago, on a dark and stormy night, Stone was traveling by carriage from the then unfinished Ironforge to the Huo family mansion when, on the way, he spectacularly bumped into someone.
That is the current head steward, Hua Wushuang.
“He told me in all seriousness that although my carriage hit him, he was a good man and wouldn’t blackmail me for it, but he hoped I would take him in.” Stone looked helplessly at Huo Xiaoxiao, who was laughing hysterically again: “Then I threw him into Ironforge to work.”
Huo Xiaoxiao laughed so hard her stomach was almost tied in knots, and she clutched her stomach, panting, "You...you made him the general manager?"
“Of course not, I’m not stupid.” Stone gave her a disdainful look. “As you know, I rarely come to Ironforge for inspections. I waited about two months after I dumped him here before coming back. I didn’t expect that he would give me such a big surprise as soon as I arrived.”
"He confessed to you?" Huo Xiaoxiao asked, clutching her stomach with one hand and supporting her back with the other, looking quite distressed.
Stone rolled his eyes: "He reported to me on the current situation in Ironforge. Because he was very thorough and offered many useful suggestions, I put him in charge of the situation here. Unexpectedly, he has been doing better and better. And just a month ago, he told me that he was willing to sign a master-servant contract with me, but on the condition that I appoint him as the steward of Ironforge."
Huo Xiaoxiao stopped laughing and stared at Shi Tou with a look of astonishment: "Are you kidding me? A master-servant contract?" Despite Huo Xiaoxiao's noble status and the large number of servants around her, those people were merely servants under the Huo family's name. She had the right to punish them, but not the right to sell them.
This brings us to the laws of the Fallen Empire.
The Fallen Empire has clear requirements for servants. Ordinary citizens, including merchants, have the right to hire and dismiss servants, but they have no right to interfere in their servants' affairs. This is similar to nannies or employees in Stone's previous life. Employers can reward or punish employees with money, but they cannot interfere in their employees' other matters. If an employer causes physical harm to an employee, the empire's laws will severely punish the employer.
However, noble families like the Huo family are different. Because such families inevitably have secrets that cannot be revealed, imperial law stipulates that nobles can possess hereditary servants. Hereditary servants are similar to the household servants of ancient times, but with differences. Nobles have the right to dispose of their hereditary servants, even to the point of beating them, but they have no right to take their lives or sell them. In other words, the Huo family's greatest punishment for their servants is expulsion or forcing them to do the heaviest labor, but they are forbidden from killing anyone.
But the master-servant contract is different. Once the master-servant contract is signed, the servant's life and death are in the hands of the master. The servant can never betray the master, but the master can decide the servant's life and death at will.
The master-servant contract is one of the most unequal contracts in the world.
"You didn't force him, did you?" Huo Xiaoxiao looked at Shi Tou with great concern: "The laws of the Empire stipulate that forcing someone to sign a master-servant contract is punishable by law."
Stone rolled his eyes at her bluntly: "Are you stupid? A master-servant contract can only be signed if both parties are willing."
“Of course I know that. But there have been cases in the past where people have kidnapped other people’s family members and forced them to sign master-servant contracts. Usually, once it’s proven, the person who forced the other person will be punished by law.” Huo Xiaoxiao said with a worried expression, pursing her lips.
Stone raised an eyebrow: "There's such a thing? Tell me about it?"
Huo Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, as if recalling something unpleasant: "Our Huo family, well, actually, it's our grandmother. She was originally a very powerful magician, said to have great potential. But she died not long after giving birth to my aunt..."
“Because someone kidnapped my aunt, who was still an infant at the time, and then used my aunt's life to force my grandmother to sign a master-servant contract with him.” A heavy look appeared on Huo Xiaoxiao's face: “By the time my grandfather arrived, it was too late. As soon as my grandmother finished signing the master-servant contract, that person activated the soul curse on the contract, torturing my grandmother to death. Then, my aunt also…”
Shi Tou stepped forward and gently hugged Huo Xiaoxiao: "It's okay, it's all in the past. Besides, I'm not a bad person. The steward signed the master-servant contract with me voluntarily. In addition, I didn't know he had any relatives."
"Then promise me that no matter what happens in the future, you will not take his life." Huo Xiaoxiao's face was more serious than ever before.
Stone nodded heavily: "I won't take anyone's life. Besides..." Stone suddenly smiled slyly: "If such a capable manager dies, who will help me make money?"
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It's time for the second watch!
The actress who plays the head steward Hua Wushuang is the author of "Country Bride," and there's a link below the article.
Hehe~~~
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Chapter 151 Atypical Toilets
"Gaga, Master, you've fallen so low~~~"