Chapter 380 - 270: Building Cars and Toy Cars Together (Part 2)

Chapter 380: Chapter 270: Building Cars and Toy Cars Together (Part 2)

Zog turned his head and said to Benz, "Recite it back to me."

"Ah? Me, all of that..."

"Ha, just kidding. Welcome to Deepwater City—the, uh, ’under construction’ version."

Only then did Benz realize he had arrived in the so-called urban area of Deepwater City.

As far as the eye could see, there were construction sites everywhere. It was hard to imagine what scale this place would eventually reach.

’Would that many people really come to settle here?’

Benz was skeptical.

The famous cities on the Continent had all expanded bit by bit to accommodate their large populations. He had never heard of building a city before it even had residents.

However, he soon felt that this city was different from the rest, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on how.

That is, until a Los Beast also stopped at the intersection, pulling a cart laden with construction materials.

The Los Beast was a domestic animal from underground, bred by the Zor. It was much stronger than an ox or a horse, making it better suited for pulling heavy loads.

It waited for the red light at the intersection to go out, the yellow light to flash, and the green light to turn on before starting to move at the same time as their own vehicle.

Benz understood.

’It was order.’

This city, still under construction, was full of order.

Intersections elsewhere were synonymous with chaos.

Ox-carts, horse-drawn carriages, and pedestrians were all jumbled together in a chaotic mess, with shouts echoing from all directions. Getting through depended entirely on who was better at cutting in.

The construction sites were the same.

Benz had never seen such an orderly construction site. The workers appeared to be in teams with clear divisions of labor, wearing helmets of different colors.

’My god, helmets! They even have safety measures.’

It was unbelievable. This Red Dragon, rumored to be wealthier than some small nations, treated his workers like human beings—and he wasn’t even human himself.

’Perhaps this place really will become the most developed city on the Continent.’

"What’s that light?" Benz asked, although he had already guessed its purpose.

"It directs traffic. Isn’t it obvious?"

Zog had brought this system directly over from Dragon Island. He had even tried to sell it to the City Lord of Twin Tower City.

But the City Lord had refused at the time, deeming it unnecessary. Why spend that kind of money on commoners? It was a waste, and they could cross intersections just fine anyway.

Zog had said he didn’t care, adding that when there were more vehicles in the future, installing traffic lights wouldn’t cost the same price.

As they drove along the road, Zog began to give an overview of Deepwater City.

"This area here will likely be the factory district for producing motor vehicles. Your factory district."

Of course, it wouldn’t actually become Benz’s factory district.

But this polite turn of phrase sent Benz into a state of excitement. In his eyes, the foundations before him had already transformed into one factory after another, endlessly producing cars of his own design.

He wanted to implement all the modifications Zog had mentioned, as soon as possible.

Excellent employees are good at selling themselves on the dream.

Zog pointed to another station under construction in the distance and said, "That’s the station connecting to the Northern Domain. Raw materials from the Northern Domain will be transported directly to the industrial district, and the finished cars will go over there."

Zog then pointed toward the sea.

"From the port over there, they’ll be loaded onto ships and transported all over the world. In the future, you will be synonymous with vehicles. Everyone will ride in one of your cars."

The more Benz listened, the more excited he became. He began to envision countless vehicles on the streets, all bearing his name on their emblems.

"So, to hasten the arrival of that day, so that people all over the world can enjoy the convenience of vehicles sooner, just sign this contract. Transfer the motor vehicle patent to the Zog Group, so the Group can help you realize your dream more efficiently. And believe me, the price is absolutely fair."

Benz, currently in a state of "having lost his mind," signed his name without a moment’s hesitation.

This just goes to show that people who start out in technical fields are easily sidelined and kicked out by those in administration. They’re certainly easy to fool.

’No, that’s called idealism.’

Zog had no intention of kicking Benz out, however. Pulling something like that once would completely destroy his credibility.

It was a scorched-earth tactic.

By holding the patent rights, he would have complete control.

The price he offered was genuinely fair, and he planned to let Benz continue to lead the automotive R&D work.

As they ventured deeper into the city, the number of completed buildings gradually increased.

"What’s that?"

Benz asked, pointing to an open area with a flat running track and many sports facilities, where children of various ages were playing.

"An elementary school. All children in this city can come here to study. It provides a general education, and it’s free."

"Free!" Benz was completely stunned.

"Yes, free."

"You truly are a philanthropist."

"Not really. This is also an investment. As long as a small portion of the children we educate end up serving the city, it’s a guaranteed profitable venture," Zog said cynically.

In reality, the school began to yield returns much earlier than he had anticipated.

Because it provided education, lodging, and lunch—with the most basic dorms and meals being free—it was more effective at attracting people than simply handing out money.

Many families in neighboring cities heard about the school and sent their children over.

Some of those parents, sensing opportunity in Deepwater City, decided to stay as well.

As a result, the school now had nearly a thousand children.

On the Feilin Continent, that was already considered a large school.

Zog was quite hopeful that this place could, like a lottery, produce a "Yuno No. 2," a "Yuno No. 3," and so on...

’Education raises the average, but geniuses are a matter of luck.’

"What’s the name of this school?" Benz asked.

"The Deepwater City Science and Technology Research Institute Affiliated Elementary School."

"Huh?"

"Because the Shenke Affiliated Institute is right next door," Zog said as the vehicle came to a complete stop. "It’s also where you’ll be working from now on."