"How many days has it been?" Standing on the roof of the Crimson Chamber of Commerce building, Cao Guangkai, in a suit, gazed in the direction of Wanghai without a word.
"It's been six days," the guard standing beside him said respectfully.
[Six days?]
The first rays of dawn dyed the thin mist with a layer of faint golden radiance. Even if one was standing more than ten kilometers away in Su City, they could still smell the fragrance of order and freedom. It was sunny there. There was no smoke in the air for six days.
After a while, Cao Guangkai slowly said.
"That man, how long has he been gone?"
The man he was referring to was obviously Lin Chaoen.
The man who claimed to be the apostle of the supreme civilization.
The guard hesitated for a moment and said with an uncertain tone. "About two months."
Hearing this, Cao Guangkai nodded and slowly said.
"Then he probably won't come."
Based on the agreement, if he didn't come in two months, then it meant the agreement was over.
"Even God can't stop their rise?" Cao Guangkai looked at the direction of the Fishbone base and raised his eyebrows.
Not long ago, the Crimson Chamber of Commerce in Hang sent news that the Merchant Union and NAC reached an agreement to fully cooperate in banking, merchant union, and mercenary union. Although NAC's soldiers didn't take a step into Hang, NAC already exported its influence internally.
The essence of merchants was their currency. What else could control merchants better than controlling the currency?
Cao Guangkai lowered his head.
He needed to seriously consider the future of the Crimson Chamber of Commerce.
…
The Sixth Street was a scene of prosperity.
The crystal content analyzers that could be seen everywhere on the streets had quietly disappeared and were replaced by cash transactions or EP payments. Other than official acquisition, the Sixth Street Bank also injected a sufficient amount of currency into the market through loans. At the same time, the council signed a credit reduction bill to promote "credit" for trade.
At first, people were skeptical of the currency, but as time went on, the exchange rate between credit and crystal gradually increased. It climbed from the initial 1: 2 to the current 1: 4. If it wasn't for NAC's strict restriction on the circulation of currency, people would have thrown all the depreciating crystals on the bank counter.
It was precisely because NAC limited the issuance of credits that the purchasing power of credits became so strong. Endless printing of money would only turn money into a pile of waste paper. On the black market, the exchange rate between crystals and credits was 1: 6.
On the other hand, the establishment of the merchant guild provided the merchants with information about the needs and safety of Suzhou and even further places. At the same time, it provided the Sixth Street factories with orders from outside of Wanghai.
The establishment of the Mercenary Union in Hang City gave the hunters who lost their "hunting ground" in Wanghai a new way out. They would become mercenaries or caravan guards and head to Hang City to open up new trade routes.
Right now, Jiang Chen was walking on the streets of the Inner Circle. Accompanied by Chu Nan and a group of NAC soldiers, they patrolled the ever-changing streets.
"So far, 174 xenogeneic nests have been destroyed. That's 89% of the west side of the city. The remaining 21 xenogeneics are more dangerous, so no mercenary group is willing to take on the mission alone. "
"Then leave it to the NAC soldiers," Jiang Chen said nonchalantly as he examined the bustling street with interest.
"On the other hand, the mine owners in Su City expressed their dissatisfaction with us. Because of the massive depreciation of crystals, their assets instantly shrunk by four times."
Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows.
"Then what does he mean?"
"They want to purchase credits from us at a price of 1: 2," Chu Nan mocked.
"Reject him. Let him negotiate with the Sixth Street factories," Jiang Chen said with disdain and annoyance.
Only the factories at the Sixth Street needed crystals. Although in principle, the bank provided a channel for the factories to purchase crystals with credits, the Sixth Street officials encouraged them to purchase crystals from private individuals. The reality was that credits could be used to purchase more crystals from private hands.
"They said they can't accept the 1: 6 exchange rate. Their messenger should be throwing a tantrum with Zhao Chenwu at the council right now. Do you want to see them? "
"No need. In two days, our people will conduct a military exercise in the no man's land between Wanghai and Su City. 'Fireball-1' will participate. Give them a ticket to the special seats," Jiang Chen said nonchalantly.
Chu Nan replied respectfully with a smile.
"Roger."
After witnessing the extravagant fireworks, all the people who wanted to try their luck would reevaluate their own strength.
The street was filled with the enticing aroma of food. The entire street was filled with all kinds of shops. Although they were all food stores, the most profitable place in the Inner Circle other than the casino was here. Other than normal restaurants, Jiang Chen also saw a noodle restaurant operated by a service robot and a barbecue shop operated by a foreign owner. NAC's food supply gradually increased, and the food for the Sixth Street citizens also became more abundant.
This scene would have been impossible to see a year ago.
Pre-war crops cultivated without soil, non-mutated livestock cultivated by cloning technology, these luxuries were something even the nobles and wealthy merchants could only eat a few times a year. But now, even the ordinary citizens of the Sixth Street, as long as they worked hard, could occasionally enter the Inner Circle and enjoy the luxury.
At the end of the street was also a street filled with bright lights.
But with the ambiguous words on the signboard and the warm neon lights, it was obvious that this was not a decent place.
In the Sixth Street, brothels and casinos were all places that could be operated legally. Even one of the ten council members of the Sixth Street, under Jiang Chen's instruction, operated the largest "entertainment center" in the Inner Circle. After all, most of the survivors living here were outlaws who lived on the edge of a knife. For those people, only these exciting things could give them a "feeling of being alive."
Of course, forced transactions were prohibited. The Sixth Street did not prohibit the slave trade, but no slaves were allowed to enter the Sixth Street. Also, the slave trade was not taxed, and it was not protected by the military police.
In other words, anyone who stepped into the Sixth Street was considered a free person, and their personal freedom was protected by the constitution established by the council.
"Do you want to take a look? I'll keep it a secret for you. "Chu Nan smiled mockingly and looked at Jiang Chen while rubbing his nose.
"Forget it." Jiang Chen looked away at the girl who was throwing flirtatious glances at him.
He was running out of food at home, not to mention he was not interested in these vulgar women.
The team skipped the red light street and ended the day's itinerary early. Next, Jiang Chen would head to the Sixth Street council building to inspect the work of the council this quarter and report on the recruitment and military plans for the next quarter.
Finally, Jiang Chen would also meet with eight invited local businessmen to discuss cooperation.
After turning a corner, the roadblock on the main road attracted Jiang Chen's attention. A few construction vehicles drove across the flat concrete road and used a sharp tool like a pile driver to leave a line of evenly spaced holes on the road. The construction workers in the back surrounded the holes and stuffed the cylindrical black pipes into them.
"What is that?" Jiang Chen pointed at the blocked road.
"They are laying the magnetic rail. A merchant from Hang City invested in the construction. In exchange, we provided them with two years of maglev vehicle franchise and four years of tax exemption. " Chu Nan explained, "Once the magnetic rail is completed, the road will be able to use the maglev vehicle."
The magnetic rail buried under the road had very low resistance to explosions and nuclear explosions, so it was basically demagnetized or partially demagnetized during the war. Now that the Sixth Street had recovered its stability, the economy was rapidly growing, and the per capita income was steadily increasing, the smart merchants naturally began to pay attention in this area.
Maglev vehicle?
Finally, there was a sense of the future.
Looking at the construction vehicles advancing, a smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face.
The seed of civilization had been planted.
He was pleased to see it was germinating.
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