From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

The editor carefully put the manuscript away: "The supplement of the Cape Evening News usually pays by the thousand words, so the price for the first collaboration won't be too high. I will send a reply to Wangchaobao within two days."

He looked Edmund over again, his smile now bearing the sharp wit of a journalist.

"Furthermore, the financial backer of the Old Port Investigation is also a detective novelist, which is a great combination for publicity. You probably don't mind if we mention it in our report, do you?"

Edmund, of course, didn't mind: "As long as your newspaper doesn't imply that I'm prepared to do my part in the investigation of the Crown Prince's disappearance."

"Don't worry, I still want to live a peaceful life until retirement."

The two finished their conversation as the banquet was drawing to a close.

At the reporter's request, Count Schenkel had his servants move the old flag below the laurel lantern emblem.

The camera was set up in the center of the hall, and the photographer waved, "Your Excellency, please stand slightly to the left. Mr. Cole, please take a half step forward."

Edmund stood next to Schinkel as instructed, and the photographer peeked out from behind the blackout curtain: "Please both of you stay still."

The intense white light of the flash illuminated the hall, and the photograph would soon appear in the newspapers of Dusk Harbor as part of the news.

Edmund lowered his hand to shield himself from the flashing light and just then saw Parliamentarian Wells bidding farewell to Earl Schenkel.

Even as he left the banquet hall, the congressman's smile remained impeccable. His black car drove away from Wangchao Fort and headed towards the twilight port area along the mountain road.

The congressman sat in the back seat, flipping through the banquet records compiled by his secretary in the dim light of the car.

"Investigate this Adrian Cole." Wells's voice had lost the politeness he had displayed at the banquet.

"I don't believe that an ordinary employee of a bankrupt company could come up with 50,000 gold coins."

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The morning after the banquet, Edmund officially took over the old seaside relief center and the adjacent warehouse complex.

After seeing off the old butler Fritz and the real estate clerk, Edmund stood in front of the old relief center and took a serious look at his own place for the first time.

The old relief center is located on the west side of the port area, about a ten-minute walk from the cargo terminal that is currently in use.

This place was once a shelter prepared by the Knights of Laurel for shipwreck survivors and the families of the deceased crew members. The main building is a two-story stone building facing the street, with three warehouses of different sizes connected to the back.

The building's exterior walls have faded due to years of sea wind erosion, weeds grow in the cracks of the stone slabs, and the wall closest to the sea has even tilted outwards by several degrees.

The place is indeed dilapidated, but its advantages of being "spacious" and "uninhabited" give it hope.

On the same day he received the certified check from the bank, he withdrew money from his own account to order materials and basic tools.

After the banquet, the contacted telephone company and local workers gradually arrived.

The first truck loaded with timber and tools drove into the yard, followed by nearly twenty laborers, with an elderly man with gray hair standing at the front.

As the old man shook hands, he explained, "Otto Halle worked on the warehouses, piers, and breakwaters at the North Wharf for thirty-one years. Later, Red Anchor took over the North Wharf, and I retired early to enjoy my retirement."

Edmund looked at the two missing fingers on the man's left hand: "Were these also lost at the port?"

"Yes, a winch did it." Otto moved his missing left hand.

Edmund first handed him the architectural plans of the old relief center: "I need to clear out an office, a workers' rest area, and two properly lockable warehouses before dark today."

Otto unfolded the blueprints and looked at them for a moment: "This part is more complicated than it appears on paper, but the part you mentioned can be completed before dark."

"Then you'll be in charge of arranging the manpower. We'll settle the wages on-site after we finish work today. If you do a good job, I'd like you to stay and be in charge of the daily construction and worker management here."

Edmund had previously selected a young man from the job application list whose application materials were very neatly organized.

He put Philip Knoll in charge of the registration work, promising him a seven-day trial period before making him a permanent employee. The young man found an old wooden box in the yard to use as a table and began registering the workers' names one by one.

As work began, the old relief center quickly became noisy.

Otto skillfully directed the clearing of the building. By noon, the ground floor of the main building facing the street had been cleared, and the telephone company connected a black landline to the selected office.

At lunchtime, two iron pots filled with stewed meat and beans were brought into the yard, along with plenty of cornbread, bread, and pickles.

At Edmund's request, Philip posted a note next to it stating that a hot meal would be provided on weekdays, without deducting any payment. This note sparked considerable discussion.

Soon, Otto brought a bowl of stew to Edmund, who was inspecting the work: "If you do this, even more people will be lining up outside tomorrow asking for a job, and the union will come knocking on your door."

Edmund took a sip of the tea offered to the workers: "I won't object to workers joining existing organizations. The most important thing right now is to get this place running. We'll hire as many people as we need."

I feel this tea isn't as good as the green tea Ms. Xiao gets.

In the afternoon, Otto and he inspected the basement of the old relief center, which contained a boiler room, coal bunker, food storage room, and a sewage tunnel.

The original boiler room was far from the street, and its thick stone walls still had vents. Edmund immediately decided to convert it into a ceremonial room. Behind the boiler room, there was originally a narrow coal ramp, which could be easily accessed with just an iron gate. The old cold storage room next door had cork partitions and could be used as a laboratory.

Otto led Edmund to the deepest part of the underground level. A brick wall, clearly later than the surrounding walls, sealed the archway, with a ring of damp, dark stains seeping from its base.

"This used to be a drainage channel. More than ten years ago, a storm flooded the basement with seawater." The old man knocked on the brick wall. "It shouldn't have collapsed yet, but I don't know if the exit is still there."

Edmund reached out and touched the damp, cold brick surface, hearing a faint sound of water coming from behind the wall: "Don't open it for now, reinforce this wall."

The work continued. By evening, the old relief center had taken on a completely different appearance.

Weeds have been cleared, and warning ropes have been put up in severely damaged areas. Telephones and locks have also been installed in the offices facing the street.

It temporarily became the first territory that Edmund truly controlled after his rebirth.

After work, Philip distributed wages to everyone according to the ledger. The people here didn't seem used to daily pay; several workers even asked Otto before leaving if they would be hiring again the next day.

Edmund kept the foreman and accountant behind, took them to his office, gave them a brief explanation of their work, and then let them leave.

He stayed there to read the day's newspaper, enjoying a moment of peace.

Photos of the banquet at Wangchao Castle have appeared in the evening paper, with Adrian Cole standing next to Earl Schenkel, with the royal banner and the knightly flag hanging behind them.

This photo will bring opportunities to the agency, but it will also inevitably leave a mark.

Jacob's tentacles have already reached into Plichni's capital; old enemies are closing in.

Edmund opened the drawer and took out the trading list provided by the Shedding Club and the glass jar containing the borrowed skin membrane.

With two days left until the Night of Transformation this month, he hopes to use this opportunity to improve his strength, especially his combat power.

Tools for attacking, protecting, healing, and restricting enemy movement, as well as any materials that can contribute to combat, will be classified as the highest level.

Of course, Adrian Cole couldn't appear at the trading event as a "newly rich tycoon of Twilight Harbor," as any extravagant spending would easily evoke that image.

The right balance needs to be struck.