Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

The Dragon Steel of the Great Yan Dynasty is the only remaining metal material that can be used to manufacture ancient artifacts, which can replace some of the recycling needs.

However, some of the most crucial materials and structures still need to be manufactured in the factories of the early inhabitants—which is why the Great Yan Dynasty was willing to sell this shipyard.

It wasn't just because of mismanagement that it became a black hole, but also because, in order to build land-based ships, or at least large land-based ships, it was necessary to purchase these key core technology components from the Great Yan, and the manufacturing equipment for these components was still in the hands of the Great Yan Ministry of Industry.

"The equipment is quite complete, but there are still some things missing. Years?" Ling looked around the shipyard. The equipment was indeed quite complete, but it still needed a lot of supplementary parts before it could independently complete all the processes of a super-large land-based warship. These were the products of the ancient people's technology.

"Yes, yes, yes—" The girl waved her hand, and the Originium Force Field began processing the materials unloaded from the truck. These were the remains of ancient facilities and metal materials unearthed by the Kazdel excavation department. "Why did you make me come when there's a furnace?"

"I'm afraid your skills have become rusty." Inside the newly built "Core Support Structure Workshop," the girl was almost bare-handed, kneading materials. The Originium ingots around her were constantly being depleted into bluish-black waste residue, while the red-hot metal structural parts fell into the insulated box and were slowly cooled down.

Inside the newly built "Furnace Workshop" next door, four electromagnetic furnaces are processing even more materials, remelting the remains of the First Men, which the Terrans had to rely on for their own remnants, and turning them back into new materials.

Compared to the original shipyard, the number of supporting workshops has increased by nearly half. These are all the missing technological parts that Da Yan believes can only be manufactured using the heritage of the ancestors, and more importantly, parts that require sorcerers to manufacture.

Compared to the manufacturing and synthesis methods of the "burners" in Da Yan or almost all countries of Terra, Lao Xia's wet parts manufacturing line is obviously more advantageous, continuously producing a large number of synthetic jade, spare parts, nanochips, cutting fluid, industrial ketone arrays and other necessary consumables and materials.

The demand for cutting fluid is the largest. Previously, the only way to cut and weld these metal materials that were beyond the level of Terra's technology was for warlocks to do it.

Now, after some simple training, the workers have come to like the "tower-type hot melt cutting machines" located in the metal processing workshops on both sides of the shipbuilding canal.

Of course, they thought the thing was named because it looked like a tower, and they didn't associate it with any high-ranking Kazdel executive. They would send the metal workpiece in, and the hot melt bundle would automatically complete the preset processing flow before sending it for assembly.

To give everyone practice and necessary "rehabilitation," the shipyard built a large cargo landship. It has no armor, is 220 meters long, and can carry about 34,000 tons of cargo. Most of its structure is made of carbon nanostructures, which are an alternative to Terra carbon materials, manufactured by Lao Xia. It is also powered by a common, conventional power source.

If they can build cargo ships, the next step is to build larger warships. However, in that case, they'll have to figure out how to get the warship designers on board.

Chapter 51 The Designer

Chapter 51

The town, located about 30 kilometers away from the shipyard, was originally a supporting factory town that provided parts for the shipyard. During the Great Yan Dynasty's construction to fight against evil spirits, it had a population of over one million.

A land-based warship requires tens of thousands of different parts, and these parts are composed of several or dozens of different smaller parts. Almost even the screws have their own dedicated manufacturing plants and unique processes.

Manufacturing a warship that is classified as a "treasure ship" in the Great Yan Dynasty and as a "dreadnought" in Victoria requires at least a year and a half, more than 7500 large supporting factories, and no less than 150 million production and maintenance personnel who directly or indirectly serve it.

These people and their families numbered at least 200 to 300 million, and their living needs could provide jobs for more than 650 million people. The large metropolitan area centered on the shipyard radiated outwards, and dozens of surrounding cities and hundreds of towns became appendages of the shipyard at that time.

However, with the establishment of the northern defense line of the Great Yan, the shipyards were no longer needed as mobile war fortresses to provide supply points and production facilities for the expeditionary force on the northern demonic ice plains. As a result, the shipyards began to decline. When even the Eastern Kingdom established the Great Yan's unique Changhuan defense system, making it difficult for the Hai Si to cross the border, even ordinary tower ships were produced in very small numbers.

They also had to face competition and poaching from commercial shipyards controlled by powerful and wealthy individuals. Basically, the troubles that Little Tiger encountered were the same ones he had encountered before. As the shipyard could no longer support a large population, these people became a huge burden on local officials. In this vicious cycle, local officials became even more disdainful of the shipyard, which had already fallen from its peak and become a liability.

Today, even the surrounding towns have become desolate. When the industry was booming, the ground that was dug up, the mountains that were blasted open, and the toxic wastewater and Originium particles that were discharged did not disappear quickly with the decline of the shipyard. They even have some difficulty switching to agricultural production.

The process of industrial development and decline, and the rise and fall of cities, is crystal clear on this land. The ruins of abandoned cities of the early inhabitants and Terrans are intertwined, making it difficult to distinguish which era those deserted ruins overgrown with weeds and wild animals belong to.

Everyone thought this land would die along with the massive industrial facilities in the distance, rotting and rusting away in the cold wind, becoming a den of scavengers and beggars, until it became a bare metal skeleton that even scavengers no longer visited, its last bit of rotten flesh eaten away.

However, with the invasion of Hai Si, this heart, which seemed to have stopped beating and was waiting to rot, seemed to regain a bit of vitality. Moreover, there are several such heart-level industrial zones on the land of Da Yan. Hai Si's invasion caused Da Yan to lose a lot of military manpower and technical equipment. Even with Da Yan's wealth, it was a bit too much to bear and a batch of warships had to be built.

Perhaps it was because a new Minister of Revenue had been appointed, but the Great Yan court finally managed to do something about the economy. First, they sorted out a bunch of taxes and levies that even the officials of the Ministry of Revenue couldn't understand, and put them into two types of taxes for collection.

Secondly, the unclaimed lands scorched by poisonous fire and ravaged by the sea monsters were decisively distributed to the loyalist army, which could be considered as paying half of the reward. Although the generals and soldiers in the army were not very satisfied with this, they had no objections.

After all, land is a valuable asset that can be passed down to one's children and grandchildren. Even if the amount distributed is small, it is still much more practical than distributing a little worthless paper money and food.

This undoubtedly weakened the army's combat effectiveness. When soldiers were eager to return home to see their allocated land and become farmers, the weakening of military strength was inevitable. However, it also slightly improved the financial situation of the Great Yan Dynasty in the short term.

Finally, instead of cleaning up and tidying up these negative assets to make money, it's better to sell most of them and concentrate the funds to restore the shipbuilding industrial centers that are in the best condition, rather than letting these industrial zones rot away and become an economic black hole even if they are maintained.

Moreover, as long as the core technology is in their own hands, the forces that bought the shipyard will inevitably need to purchase core components and various consumables from Da Yan. Even if they convert the shipyard into other facilities, they will still need to import building materials and hire workers from Da Yan.

However, no matter what, that massive complex of facilities, which could be called a miracle, ultimately belonged to someone else, and the faint yet powerful clanging of metal that resounded again had nothing to do with the people of Great Yan anymore.

"Boss, are you still doing business?"

"Do it, do it, do it!" The elderly man snapped out of his daze, the melancholy on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a slightly fawning smile. He deftly lifted the lid of the steamer, and the colorful buns emitted a faint fragrance as the steam rose.

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

"20 beef buns, to go..." The customer was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a short jacket and a straw hat. He had dark, bluish skin and looked like a farmer who had been working in the fields for many years.

"Hey, where are you going to make your fortune?" Beef isn't cheap, or rather, it's not cheap for ordinary people. Beef buns are the same. Even with lots of celery inside, they're still not something these peddlers can afford to buy twenty or thirty at a time for a treat.

"I wouldn't say I'm getting rich. The village near that abandoned factory is hiring long-term workers to harvest wheat. I heard from my fellow villagers who went there before that there's a lot of work. I figured I couldn't make a living without making some extra money," the guest said without hiding anything.

After all, the business of being a migrant worker isn't a secret, and everyone knows that you have to eat oily food to survive in this line of work.

"Wasn't that abandoned factory supposed to be sold to those demons? Why is it still growing wheat there..."

"Who knows... But it seems there are too many people over there, so it's not cost-effective to buy food from the surrounding areas, so they grow their own."

"Yeah, that's right." It would take at least 3 people to recover their basic abilities to operate that shipyard. Food, drink, and toileting all cost money. If they had to buy everything, the price of grain in the surrounding area would skyrocket. Thirty thousand mouths that only take in food and never give out food are no small burden.

When the shipyard began to decline, the workers did similar things, making use of scattered plots of land and wasteland outside the factory area to plant vegetables and corn wherever they could find space, and some even planted trees in preparation for opening a logging camp using the shipyard's cutting equipment.

To be honest, using those large machines to cut wood, the money earned wouldn't even cover the maintenance costs, let alone break even.

But at least they can earn a wage. Rather than letting these old things rust away, it's better to let them give off some last bit of warmth and value.

"I mean, has that factory really reopened?"

"I don't know, but I heard they're definitely doing something. The chimneys of those furnaces are all huge, belching out yellow smoke. I heard that inhaling that smoke will make you sick, it's really scary." The young man stingily pulled out a bunch of loose change from his bag, counting it as he spoke.

"That's not yellow smoke, it's unsaturated reaction mist. It's the process of adding Originium powder to smelt the Dragon Steel alloy to increase the melting temperature and magical conductivity. Yellow smoke is just waste gas containing unreacted Originium particles produced when there's too little catalyst in the furnace. If it were bluish-black smoke, that would be..."

The young man stared blankly at the breakfast stall owner who had started talking non-stop. The owner, realizing what was happening, stopped talking sheepishly, looking embarrassed. "Look at me," he said, "it's an occupational hazard from working in a factory for a few years."

"Oh!" The young man nodded blankly, took the paper bag containing the steaming buns, and then hurried to meet up with his fellow villager who had also bought breakfast some distance away. "Let me tell you, I just encountered a strange person..."

"Sigh—" The old man sighed deeply, closed the lid of the stove, looked at the fire in the furnace below, picked up a few pieces of charcoal and threw them in, and only sat down on the bamboo chair next to the stall after watching the flames grow bigger again.

Business wasn't good, or rather, business in the surrounding towns wasn't good either. After all, nobody had much money. Luckily, the recent arrival of outsiders had lowered the price of rice and flour, and they had hired many farmhands and tenant farmers, so people had a little more money and were able to buy some beef to make beef buns. After all, the wheat harvest season was just around the corner, and the wheat harvesters would definitely come to their place.

After a busy morning, the steamed buns were almost sold out. After tallying up the income from the small cabinet and deducting costs, it was quite good. "Hey, old man, business is good!"

Several street thugs gathered around; business at the shipyard was getting tough, so they had no choice but to relocate to a more distant location.

The brothels, gambling dens, and secret bases hidden inside the abandoned factory were all wiped out by those demons, especially the circles that raised sluts and practiced prostitution, which were completely destroyed.

Those demons don't care what kind of backing you have, what gang you belong to, or what kind of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) methods you use. They don't even talk to you about evidence and reason like the government officials do, and they don't care about public opinion or so-called popular support.

Those who blocked the gate were directly beaten to death, and those who called on their friends to demand an explanation were driven away. Before they could even go to the officials or contact those writers to write short articles, they were caught up by a group of bandits the next day and hacked to death on the roadside, and then reported as bandits.

All beggars, whether real or fake, will be arrested. If questioned, they will be accused of being bandits who entered the country to rob. It doesn't matter if you are a lonely woman or a benevolent philanthropist. If you are arrested, the entire town will be wiped out. We guarantee that no one will escape alive. As long as there are no eyewitnesses and no survivors, there will be no problem.

This brutal approach naturally deterred these quick-witted hooligans from daring to go that way and court death.

Although they didn't know what had happened, those who went there to make a living disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

When the officials realized that the other party might be colluding with bandits, and that the bandits' firepower and weaponry were at least enough to wage a proper small-scale battle against the government troops, they chose to avoid trouble.

After all, being blind to the truth at most means less filial piety and more curses, especially from the lowest-level thugs and hooligans.

If someone is really stubborn, they won't care whether you're good or bad; they'll wipe out your whole family. Even if there's no such thing, once an armed conflict breaks out, it can't be hidden, and if it's reported to higher authorities, you'll definitely lose your job.

Moreover, for those conscientious bureaucrats, there is no need to investigate. They can simply take a stroll outside the office and notice that the streets are much cleaner, with no idle loafers or beggars.

If you were to do a little research, you would find that cases of missing children, burglaries, and fights are extremely rare. The few that do occur are usually isolated incidents rather than organized crimes.

"Old man, what are you thinking about? Give it to me!" The young men snatched the change from the old man's hand, then counted out a few small bills and tossed them down. "Remember, from now on, if you're doing business on this street, you'd better know the rules. This street is under Brother Ma's protection. From now on, you have to do at least this much every day, otherwise..."

"What else can we do? I've never heard of this Brother Ma. When did this place become his? What about the officials of the Great Yan?"

"Hey! You little vixen, are you fucking sadistic...?" The voice stopped abruptly. Looking up along the black belly armor, the pretty and cute Sarkaz girl tilted her head adorably and then raised the hammer in her hand.

"Please, have mercy on us!" In less than a minute, a neat row of people was kneeling on the ground. "This place is not under our jurisdiction. For now, hand it over to the authorities." The girl smiled. This time, she hadn't come to buy assets, but to ask for help. She just happened to run into them.

"Ah, thank you all for your help, this old man..."

"Don't rush, are these people also outsiders?" The old man hesitated for a moment, then nodded. There are gangs in the area, but the locals don't go too far. Only the newcomers are like this.

"Oh, tie them all up and take them away!"

"You little wench, don't be ungrateful!"

"What? Is your gang planning something?" The girl tilted her head. "If I remember correctly, your Brother Ma ran all night, and we couldn't catch him even with our best efforts. What's wrong? You've become brave just because you've moved to a different place?"

"Who goes there? What are they doing here?" The officials were always the last to arrive, but unfortunately, they couldn't save these people. "Arresting runaway slaves! They signed contracts of servitude and still dared to run away, they've got some nerve..."

"You are..." The leader looked the men up and down, noting their equipment and the obvious appearance of servants from wealthy families. He immediately softened his tone.

"You adults know about this from the shipyard. These people are all shipyard workers who signed contracts with no consequences, but they took the money and ran away."

"I see..." The leading officer squinted at the group of people. They were all unfamiliar faces, not local acquaintances, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it's true that even a dragon from across the river can't suppress a local snake, if the other party really goes against the grain and makes a scene, things will get out of hand. Since these people aren't local acquaintances, it doesn't really matter; giving them face is a good idea.

"Fall back..."

"No, don't go!"

"Take them away!" The burly Ursus men went up and punched each of them to the ground, stuffed a cloth bag over their heads, and took them away.

Little Tiger and most of the group didn't really approve of this kind of expenditure and obligatory work. It was fine within the shipyard, but doing such a huge undertaking elsewhere was completely pointless.

However, since the person in charge of the group was ultimately Lao Xia, he felt that dealing with the surrounding security would be beneficial to restoring the supporting systems at all levels, so no one could say anything and they could only do this kind of volunteer work as a sideline.

"Alright, let's get down to business. Are you surnamed Li?"

"Who are you?" the old man asked, squinting his eyes with some uncertainty.

"It's like this, the shipyard has resumed operations, and we noticed you're still on their list, isn't that right...?"

"I've long since stopped doing that kind of business. Now I just make and sell steamed buns..." The old man waved his hand. "That name is just a figurehead. I've never taken a penny from the shipyard. Gentlemen... please let me go." He wanted to be firm, but these people didn't seem like good people. They kidnapped him without warning.

"Salaries are paid monthly, without delay..."

"This isn't about salary, besides..."

"Based on the salary standard for Level 1 Technicians in Kazdel, the monthly salary is 4500 LMD for the first three months, with a 15% bonus on total salary every six months, 4 days of vacation per month, and a 50% salary increase after three months (4500 LMD = 3 Red Gold, calculate the equivalent benefits yourself)."

"This...this isn't the problem, I've already..."

"We will arrange employment for family members, and immediate family members can be recommended for factory jobs. Their treatment will be the same as that of Kazdel workers."

"This..." The girl sighed, giving him a look that said, "This is really troublesome, don't be ungrateful." "Finally, it includes food, lodging, and school."

"Uh..." The old man took a deep breath and was about to refuse when his wife grabbed him and pulled him back into the house. After about half an hour of arguing and crying, the old man came out with a look of despair. "Okay, I agree. What do you want me to do?"

"Drawing..."

"Getting old, presbyopia, it's tough..."

"Instructing others on drawing..."