To ascend, I had no choice but to create games

Chapter 412: 249

If it had been before, Tang Mo might have asked the other party to listen more to his words and allow himself to explain some issues.

But now, Tang Mo suddenly felt unable to communicate with the other party.

The other party had grown accustomed to his noble status, and even the slightest glimpse through his fingers had become a symbol of his benevolence. He had his own Information Cocoon Room and breaking out of it seemed difficult.

After thinking for a while, he asked, “I have two conditions, the first one is that I want to start a reading salon.”

“May I know what it is for?”

“I’d like to borrow your study, to exchange thoughts with other noble children, and let them learn some history.”

“Hmm…”

After considering it, Kevin felt that this was feasible.

Tang Mo had already made a name for himself in high society; many people knew of the scholarly man with a keen mind and that many significant figures liked to study history.

Opening a salon was akin to creating a bond that allowed him to connect better with these great nobles, and perhaps in his lifetime, he might even further advance his family’s status.

Thus, he readily agreed to this proposal and then asked, “And the second?”

“I would like a permit to visit the quarry occasionally.”

This condition was a bit strange, but not impossible.

After all, Angel Envoys could ignore Shadow Particles, and allowing him a visit from time to time was no harm.

And the welfare and treatment of his own quarry were famously good in Yifate. He never defaulted on wages, provided a meal once a day, and if there were work injuries, he would give some compensation before dismissal. It was a very conscientious place.

As he rode back in the carriage, Tang Mo’s two requests were swiftly met.

The next day, the study was cleared, a wall was breached, new carpets were laid on the floor, and delicate pastries and beverages were provided free of charge, striving to offer the visiting guests the most ultimate experience.

When the salon opened, the first guest was a bombshell, a third-class noble who had once attempted to recruit Tang Mo.

In Yifate, there were only seven first-class nobles, twenty-one second-class nobles, and sixty-three third-class nobles – less than a hundred people comprised the pinnacle of the aristocracy, undoubted personages of consequence.

Although he only came to gift a fruit basket and stayed for a short while before leaving, the salon still caused a sensation, bustling from the day it opened. It made Kevin realize he had indeed struck gold.

Tang Mo remained expressionless, but after engaging in animated discussions with others, he was quietly observing the visitors, only to find none seemed suitable.

He had wanted to see if there was anyone among the nobles who could truly empathize with the lower class, but social status determined mindset, and though these youths spoke eloquently, none were truly useful.

So, he turned his attention to the quarry.

When he reached the quarry through the long pipes, he was met with a scene of bleakness. Over a thousand workers hewed marble in the open-air pit and transported the cumbersome stones to the camp for processing, then sent them to Yifate.

The environment here could only be described as harsh, with dust everywhere, and a moment’s negligence while cutting stone could crush and kill a worker. Yet, it was indeed a place with higher wages in the area and attracted a large number of outsiders to work.

Upon learning that Tang Mo was there for a visit, one worker was pushed forward to act as his guide.

The man was already in his thirties, the same age as Kevin, but looked completely different.

His skin was dark, his body robust. In a place where the average lifespan was forty-seven at the bottom rung, he still looked to be in the prime of his life with a hearty laugh and a friendly presence.

After shaking hands with Tang Mo, he warmly said, “Are you Sir Kevin’s advisor? I’m Drey, welcome to visit Sir Kevin’s business. Would you like something to drink? Is water okay?”

Tang Mo looked at him expressionless.

Upon making contact with him, Tang Mo had opened the man’s information panel, and then discovered that his details were simply explosive.

The NPCs here also had six-dimensional attributes, and the average person’s attributes were all 10, but those of the man before him had an average of 19, indicating that he was definitely an elite given the luxury of his panel.

High attributes meant high penalties, but this man was not a player; he was an NPC.

On his information panel, two high-quality Blessings caught Tang Mo’s attention and made him feel a surge of domineering spirit.

[Luck]: After the age of thirty, your luck is unimaginably good.

[Leader]: You possess extraordinary leadership talents.

Just these three points alone were shocking, but what Tang Mo found most incredible was the sentence in the man’s personal background:

[He is Kevin’s half-brother from the same father.]

This statement made Tang Mo feel like there was a whole lot of story behind this person, and perhaps he was actually the main storyline of this world.

He immediately took a screenshot of the description and threw it into the group chat where the players instantly went wild.

[Tang, go for it, you’re allowed to skip today’s update. You have to get this person no matter what!]

[Don’t go, we’re about to sneak into the quarry. We have to see what’s up with this person!]

[Holy moly, hiding an Easter egg, right? Fang Cheng Studio, you are hiding an Easter egg! You’ve tucked such an important NPC away here.]

[Fang Cheng Studio, you guys are something else!]

[Well, I can only say wow! I’ve played so many games, but you’ve truly stayed true to your original spirit!]

Afterward, they also had a question.

In this world with its peculiar reproductive system, how did this guy end up here?

The current explanation was that Drey and Kevin’s father had silently fallen in love with a female worker, and after a brief affair, Drey was born.

No matter what, there was a significant drama involved here that needed to be savored carefully.

While Tang Mo was switching screens to communicate with others, Drey saw him motionless for a long time and couldn’t help but wonder if something was wrong.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Tang Mo came to his senses and asked Drey, “May I ask, what is your job here?”

“I’m the Head, in charge of managing the workers’ schedules and calculating their remuneration. Don’t worry, I’ve already completed today’s task, so I can accompany you for a look around. What would you like to know about?”

“Could we start with the workers’ living quarters?”

“Sure, this way.”

Unlike the lumber yard, the quarry had separate dormitories, allowing the workers not to have to go home every day.

The dormitory’s structure was very simple, with crude stone used to construct individual stone houses. The tired men who had finished their work took short rests in the dorms and looked at Tang Mo, who followed Drey, with puzzled eyes.

Leading Tang Mo into a private room, Drey turned on the gas lamp and then said to Tang Mo, “This is my single room. Each Head has their own single room.”

“How many Heads are there here?”

“Twenty-one, each in charge of fifty quarry workers.”

“Are there any women?”

“There’s one, her husband got hurt a couple of days ago, but fortunately, Sir Kevin is kind and let her come back to cover for him. It’s tough for her with a child, so I’ve had her help with laundry and miscellaneous chores. Ah, here she comes.”

Outside the window, the woman Tang Mo had seen the night before was approaching.

With her child on her back, she greeted Drey timidly with a nod and humbly said, “Sir…”

“Don’t call me sir, just Head is fine.”

“Okay, Head, I’ve finished washing the clothes. Are you sure I don’t need to carry stones?”

“No need, just take care of your child. Oh, this little colt is so cute.”

After playing with the child for a bit, Drey asked the woman to go and rest. Turning around, he noticed Tang Mo rummaging through the books placed on the shelf in the room.

Different from the valuable books in Kevin’s study, the books here were crudely made, with some even carved directly onto wooden boards.

The books in the study were almost untouched, whereas these books were full of dark traces that made them look frequently read.

Some of the books had crooked writing, but as time passed, the handwriting slowly became neat, and eventually, it even looked quite beautiful.

Seeing Tang Mo browsing through the books, Drey said somewhat sheepishly, “These books are my own transcripts. My mother used to be a nanny for Mr. Kevin, and when I was a child, I would occasionally help out there. That’s when I learned to write and do arithmetic.”

“And your mother?”

“She’s passed away.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

Drey’s personal history seemed to end there, which made Tang Mo feel a bit regretful.

But it didn’t matter, they still had plenty of time ahead.