I Start with a Mysterious Island

"Boss Wang, I’ve paid for everything this time. Please write me a receipt, just like before..." Lin Li said to Wang Gui, having just paid for all 100,000 pearls.

"Uh... yes, Mr. Lin. Please wait a moment." Wang Gui’s mind went blank for a moment as he stared at the banknotes in his hand—worth one hundred Silver Coins—before Lin Li’s voice snapped him out of it.

Writing a receipt didn’t take long. Soon, an excited Wang Gui handed the completed receipt to Lin Li.

After putting the receipt away, Lin Li told Wang Gui to get the 100,000 pearls ready as soon as possible. He then left the restaurant and headed toward Guangqi Road.

After Lin Li left, Wang Gui once again pulled the ten banknotes, each with a face value of Ten Silver Coins, from his pocket. He carefully inspected them one by one, confirming they were all real.

’A hundred thousand Copper Coins... earned just like that? Earned with that useless junk?’ Feeling like he was in a dream, Wang Gui stared at the light banknotes in his hand and muttered to himself.

But having taken the man’s money, he had a job to do, so Wang Gui’s daze didn’t last long.

Coming to his senses, he immediately ordered his staff to go rummage through the trash heaps and collect the pearls that he considered utterly useless.

Collecting 100,000 pearls was a significant amount of work. Fortunately, Lin Li had visited early in the morning. It wasn’t the mealtime rush, so the restaurant’s employees were all idle.

If Lin Li had come to see Wang Gui during the lunch rush, Wang Gui might not have been able to spare the manpower to quickly help him dig the pearls out of the garbage heaps.

Of course, a deal worth 100,000 Copper Coins was no small matter, even for Wang Gui, who owned several restaurants. No matter how difficult, he would have found a way to help Lin Li collect all 100,000 pearls.

The weather in Dongwu City was poor today. The sky was overcast, and dark clouds blanketed more than half of the city, threatening to release a downpour at any moment.

After concluding his business with Wang Gui, Lin Li stepped out of the restaurant. He decided against taking one of the buses pulled by Mutant Beasts.

The last bumpy ride had left a profound impression on him. Lin Li had no intention of riding one of those buses again anytime soon.

Just as Lin Li was about to set off for Guangqi Road on foot, a coachman driving a horse-drawn carriage pulled up in front of him.

The man was not old, around thirty, and he smiled at Lin Li. "Need a ride, sir?"

Lin Li looked at the horse-drawn carriage stopped before him, and one word immediately popped into his mind... ’Taxi’.

"How much to Guangqi Road?" Lin Li asked the driver.

"It’s pretty far to Guangqi Road from here. That’ll be Ten Copper Coins," the driver said.

"Alright." Lin Li nodded, then climbed into the quaint-looking carriage.

The interior of the carriage was quite spacious and could seat four people.

However, the interior was sparsely decorated, a far cry from the luxurious carriage belonging to Zhu Xinru that Lin Li had ridden in before.

’But that makes sense. How could a carriage meant for earning money by hauling passengers compare to the private carriage of a young lady like Zhu Xinru?’

"Please be seated, sir. We’re about to depart," the driver said to Lin Li, who was climbing into the cabin.

"Mm." Inside the carriage, Lin Li chose a seat on the bench to his right.

Hearing the response, the driver immediately flicked the reins and shouted, "Hyah!"

The horse, which had been with the driver for many years, heard the command and immediately set off at a steady pace.

Swaying and jolting.

’The suspension on this carriage is awful! Nowhere near as good as Zhu Xinru’s private one...’ Lin Li grumbled to himself as he felt the carriage begin to sway.

Still, even though the carriage was swaying, it was far more stable than the bus Lin Li had ridden before. The motion was well within his range of tolerance.

「9:55 AM.」

On Guangqi Road in Dongwu City, across the street from a pastry shop, Zhou Tianci, dressed in a brocade robe, sat drinking tea in a teahouse with his servant, Wang Xiaoliu.

On the table, besides the tea, sat an exquisite, square brocade box.

Zhou Tianci took a sip of tea, then set down his cup. Frowning, he looked at the pastry shop across the street and spoke.

"Xiaoliu! Are you certain we’re in the right place?"

Just as he was about to pick up the teapot to refill his own cup, Wang Xiaoliu heard Zhou Tianci’s question. He quickly set the pot back down and replied.

"Young Master, we can’t be wrong. This is the only pastry shop on this street."

Zhou Tianci looked at the pastry shop, which was doing poor business—hardly anyone had gone in to buy pastries all morning. He said,

"If we’re in the right place, then why is it almost ten o’clock and that Lin fellow still hasn’t shown up?"

Wang Xiaoliu scratched his head. Following Zhou Tianci’s gaze to the deserted-looking pastry shop, he ventured a guess.

"Young Master, if the agreed-upon time comes and that Lin fellow still hasn’t appeared, it can only mean that the person who gave us the tip yesterday afternoon... gave us bad information..."

"..." Zhou Tianci fell silent at his words. After a moment, he spoke.

"We’ll wait another half hour. If that Lin fellow still hasn’t shown up by then, we’re going home."

"Understood."

At 10:30 AM, with noon approaching, the weather grew hotter, and the number of pedestrians on Guangqi Road began to dwindle.