Chapter 673
To this end, they even hinted to Lucy that she had the right to access all the resources of the Dedton Group in the New World, without needing to write any reports, as long as it could help Charles.
At this point, Charles had become the master behind the extraordinary forces of Ansu, and the Dedton Group's actions could be seen as paying a "protection fee" to him.
Moreover, the board had long been aware that Charles was still holding the position of "Senior Advisor" at the Dedton Group. Not only did they not raise any objections, but they also continued to issue various performance bonuses to Charles's employees.
For the Dedton Group, these were merely small expenses. Even if Lucy squandered the assets of the New World, it wouldn’t matter as long as it didn’t affect their livelihoods in Ansu and Falos.
Knock, knock, knock.
While Aivina and Charles were still discussing their plans after entering the New World, a knock sounded at the door.
When Charles opened the door, he saw the blonde girl Amy standing there, her face still glowing with the excitement of her first ocean voyage. The illusory dragon scales beneath her eyelids shimmered with a red light.
“Charles! Aivina! We can’t see the shore anymore!” Amy said, adjusting her straw hat as she walked in with a smile. “Aren’t you going to come out and take a look? It’s truly magnificent—the sea!”
Compared to Adele, who had almost zero social experience, Amy, who loved making friends, saw this as just a fun ocean trip with friends. She was also extremely curious about the "mysterious" and "extraordinary" New World.
Among everyone present, Amy embodied the essence of a "young girl" more than anyone else, her youthful spirit surpassing that of the others combined.
This was also because she had always been by Charles's side, with little exposure to the darker side of the extraordinary world. Everything felt fresh to her, and she found all extraordinary events to be "easy."
From Amy's perspective, the world of extraordinary beings seemed incredibly simple. Despite the high-level extraordinary beings shaking the heavens and the earth with their powers, Charles always resolved issues with an air of nonchalance.
Unbeknownst to her, Amy had also become a "high-level extraordinary being" in the eyes of others. The way other extraordinary beings looked at her had shifted to one of reverence, as if they were gazing at a senior figure.
Sometimes, Charles wondered if Amy had taken a wrong turn. If she had chosen the path of a "gambler," she would surely become the strongest "Destined One."
Even as an ordinary person, she had the protection of divine servants... From the moment she stepped into the extraordinary realm, everything had gone smoothly for her, her advancement speed making even some prodigies feel ashamed.
“No, we need to plan what to do once we land,” Charles said, looking at Amy. After a moment of thought, he added, “Why don’t you join us for the discussion?”
While Charles wouldn’t deliberately create trouble for Amy to experience the darker side of the extraordinary, he did want her to participate in the discussion to prevent her from becoming too disconnected from the extraordinary world.
Perhaps it was time to note this issue in his notebook, to remind the real Charles to pay attention to it.
Life on the ship felt incredibly slow. Aside from discussing some details with others, Charles spent most of his time reading the books he had brought along.
Adele was still suffering from seasickness. Whenever she woke up, she had no appetite and would just drink some medicine before falling back asleep...
Fortunately, as a "Newborn," she was resilient. Even without food for an extended period, she could adjust her metabolism to avoid starvation.
Finally, after thirteen days at sea, the captain’s telescope revealed the silhouette of a new continent.
The New World, East Coast.
Chapter 343: The Republic of the Lonely Star
Woo—woo—woo—woo——
As the brass whistle was blown, the short-long blast was met with the ringing of the port's bell.
The docked ships were busy with their handover work, and at that moment, several girls stood on the gangway, watching the dockworkers below with curiosity.
“Charles, I think I can understand foreign languages now…”
A silver-haired girl standing next to the red-haired girl spoke in a voice that sounded like she had just woken up.
Perhaps still groggy, the silver-haired girl swayed slightly, as if she might topple over at any moment, her voice sounding a bit dazed due to her not being fully awake.
“Most of these dockworkers are immigrants from Northern Ansu... Miss Charles, we can disembark now.”
A slightly more mature voice came from behind the girls.
The red-haired girl, referred to as Charles, turned to look at the brown-haired woman and nodded gently, saying, “Alright, please lead the way.”
They were Charles and her companions, who had been at sea for ten days. Fortunately, the journey had been smooth, and they had arrived at the New Kingdom in the New World without any major storms.
The port was filled with tall-masted sailing ships, and many people cast curious glances at the iron-hulled giant ship belching black smoke.
However, once some noticed the Ansu flag hanging from the ship, most of their faces showed disgust and disdain, making it clear that the Ansu people were not very welcome here.
Charles followed Lucy off the ship, and there was no one waiting to greet them. In an age when communication tools were underdeveloped, even the Dedton Manor couldn’t arrange for someone to meet the ship in advance.
“This is the southern seaport. To be honest, it’s my first time here too. I’ve only seen pictures of it from the group before…” Once on land, Lucy chatted with Charles while scanning the area to confirm their direction.
“Over there, I see the group’s building…”
A light, mocking whistle sounded from nearby, followed by a taunting voice from a dockworker: “The Ansu lord has come to the New World to beg for scraps?”
“Hey, when Queen Vitalis donated that 2000 pounds, did she touch the bloodstains on the gold coins? Ansu folks!”
“Get out of the New World, ‘white devils.’”
Many voices with a strong Northern Ansu accent echoed, and the crowd began to press closer.
It wasn’t until Tara, Eleanor, and Percie followed behind and disembarked that other voices began to emerge from the crowd.
“Hey, stop the insults; those are the priests of the Goddess.”
“Oh, Goddess... Our earlier insults were not directed at you esteemed shepherds.”
Among the dockworkers, over 80% were Northern Ansu people. They harbored deep resentment towards Ansu but held great respect for the Church of the Savior Goddess.
They had witnessed the church's actions during the famine in Northern Ansu, and in fact, even after arriving in the New World, they had not abandoned their faith, continuing to worship the Savior Goddess here.
What they didn’t realize was that when they were cursing the “Ansu folks,” they had inadvertently included their own goddess in their insults.
With the presence of the church members, the small commotion at the port was quickly resolved.
Charles had no intention of making things difficult for these Northern Ansu people who had been forced to flee to the New World as laborers. She was here to conduct serious business, and the words of ordinary people couldn’t stir any emotions within her.
All the while, Lucy was introducing the route to Charles, seemingly taking on the role of a tour guide.
Charles had read about the New World and New Town in some books, but the knowledge from books always had its limitations. Compared to what was recorded, it seemed that New Town had developed even better now.
They were currently in the downtown area of the New Town metropolitan area, which was the fastest-growing and most prosperous region in New Town.
Naturally, the Dedton Group had established its headquarters in the financial district here, right next to the New Town Stock Exchange, effectively placing its headquarters at the economic lifeline of the New World.
The port was less than six hundred meters away in a straight line from the Dedton Group, which was why Lucy could spot the group’s iconic gold coin as soon as they disembarked.
Lucy led everyone across the street and arrived at the entrance of the Dedton Group’s New World branch, walking straight in.
Before Lucy even entered, someone had already spotted her wearing a black and gold chip mask around her neck and hurried over.
Lucy glanced at the silver mask-wearing individual at the front and asked, “Are you the general manager?”
“Yes, yes, my lady. May I ask what this is about...?” The general manager, wearing the silver chip mask, seemed taken aback by the sudden arrival of such a large delegation, especially with a board member among them...
Just as the silver-masked manager was pondering where he had fallen short in his performance, a letter was handed directly to him.
“From now on, this place is under my management,” Lucy said flatly. “All resources of the branch are to be at my disposal. Gather all available personnel and resources, and submit the forms to me shortly.”
Huh?
An unexpected leader?
The silver chip mask manager opened the envelope in his hand, and upon seeing the text and seal inside, he took a deep breath.
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