Chapter 242: Isn’t This Too Much of a Coincidence?
“I understand now. Miss, you want to turn that city into the second major trade hub of the wasteland, right? But if that’s the case, it will inevitably compete with Feng City for business. Will Feng City allow that? Given our current strength, we have no way of standing against them.”
Luo Yi, the calmest among them, was initially shocked but quickly regained his composure. Seeing Yu Luo’s unwavering determination, he realized that she wasn’t joking—this was her goal!
Hearing Luo Yi’s concern, Yu Luo’s expression grew pensive.
At the moment, she wasn’t short on money. If she wanted, she could easily support a private army of ten to twenty thousand. With that many troops guarding her city, combined with her father’s ability to craft modern weapons, she wouldn’t need to worry about Feng City trying to seize their territory.
But the real issue was—where was she supposed to find that many people?
“You may still be registered as government slaves, but you’ve been sold multiple times. In a way, you could be considered free men now. Can you return to your original countries?”
Yu Luo turned to look at the group.
Her question left them all stunned.
“Miss, what do you mean? You bought us, so why would you want to set us free?”
To be honest, the thought of regaining their freedom was tempting. But after that initial excitement, they quickly sobered up. There was no way something this good could be real.
Sure enough, Yu Luo continued with a serious expression. “I want to recruit soldiers.”
The group was speechless.
“Miss… are you joking? If you openly start recruiting, you won’t just face backlash from your own Lan Yue Dynasty, but the surrounding nations might also take action against you for secretly raising an army.”
“I know. That’s why I’m only telling you. My goal is to have my own military—whether it’s called a private army or house guards, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they are strong and capable of defending my city.”
Yu Luo’s words made the guards instinctively swallow hard. Even Luo Yi, who was usually composed, looked at her in shock.
She was just a young girl, a delicate and beautiful one at that. Yet, her ambition was far beyond anything they had expected.
“Miss, since you trust us enough to share this, we will undoubtedly remain loyal to you. We will follow your orders unconditionally. However… if I’m not mistaken, you want to recruit a large force, don’t you?”
“Yes. You’ve all seen the size of the city. I need at least ten thousand men—preferably more. That’s why developing farmland is so urgent. If you can help me gather that many people in a short time, I have special means to acquire enough supplies to sustain them.”
Seeing that Yu Luo had thoroughly considered the risks and logistics, Luo Yi no longer tried to dissuade her. Instead, he nodded firmly, cupped his fists, and pledged his loyalty.
“We will do everything in our power to make it happen. Miss, expect good news from us soon.”
“Good. I’ll prepare enough silver for you and arrange for your travel to the border. Use your former slave contracts to apply for travel permits. I trust you won’t disappoint me.”
“You can rest assured, Miss! Since we now serve you, we will be loyal to you to the death!”
Seeing their unwavering commitment, the uncertainty in Yu Luo’s heart faded, replaced by a clear and resolute path forward.
“Let’s go back for now. We’ll discuss further plans later.”
By the time they returned to Stone Mountain, Ye Jiamei and Yu Haojie were still chatting with the crowd, the “foolish” man from the auction standing beside them.
“Father, Mother, let’s head back.”
“Good! Honestly, we should have skipped watching their drama earlier. Just thinking about them ruins my appetite. Looking at our farmland is much more satisfying.”
Yu Haojie sighed in regret, but Yu Luo only chuckled.
“With the sun out now, we should wait until tomorrow. The ground will dry, and it won’t be as muddy. I checked earlier—the reservoirs are completely filled. We won’t have to worry about water leakage.”
“Miss, Master! Something’s wrong! Look over there! A huge group of people is heading this way!”
Back at the stone houses, Zhang Xiaoliang had been helping his brothers prepare to move into Yu Luo’s estate when someone noticed something unusual in the distance.
Zhang Xiaoliang rushed toward Stone Mountain, using his lightness skill to sprint as he shouted toward Yu Luo’s group. His urgent voice instantly broke up their casual conversation.
Even before he reached them, everyone followed his pointing finger.
In the distance, a massive group of people was making their way toward them. They hobbled forward, leaning on sticks, limping along. The sheer number of them dwarfed the one hundred or so exiles they had arrived with—this group was dozens of times larger!
Shock spread across the crowd, faces paling as they took in the sight. Even Yu Luo and her parents furrowed their brows.
“What’s going on? They don’t look like exiles. If they were, how could there be so many at once?”
Liu Mingsha frowned, staring at the endless stream of figures moving toward them.
“Exactly! But if they aren’t exiles, why would such a large group come here? This is the wasteland—how did they even get past the Jiuzhong Mountains?”
The murmuring around them grew louder, filled with confusion and speculation. Yu Luo, too, found it strange.
Could these people be a gift from the system?
After all, the biggest issue troubling her these past few days was her lack of manpower for the new city.
She had just been discussing this problem with Luo Yi and the others, and now, out of nowhere, these people appeared—wasn’t this timing just a little too perfect?
“We’re going to check it out. Father, Mother, stay here. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Alright. Be careful, Xiao Luo.”
Yu Haojie knew he couldn’t stop her, so he could only give her a stern warning.
With that, under the watchful eyes of over a hundred people, Yu Luo and her guards—along with Zhang Xiaoliang—used lightness skill to rush toward the approaching crowd.
As they drew closer, Yu Luo’s confusion deepened.
“Why are they all men?”
“Miss, isn’t this too much of a coincidence? They’re coming from the direction of the Lan Yue Dynasty, and they’re all wearing tattered clothes, as if they’ve been fleeing for their lives. But if they were refugees, where are the women and children?”
