Castle of Black Iron

The day after circumcision was most insufferable. Before the untamed thing’s head was completely exposed, as long as he put on his pants and took a walk, the friction between its head and the underwear would stimulate Zhang Tie so his body quivered all over. So he had to be meticulous even for a walk.

Besides, the wounds also started to hurt.

It was estimated that the anesthetic effect wouldn’t completely wear off instantly, so he didn’t feel very painful on that very day. However, on the second day, after all the senses had absolutely recovered, the impact of the operation was fully displayed. Thinking back to that he and Donder had even got in a fight in the Immortals Gathering Hotel, which left him to be tortured by several women fetched by Donder, Zhang Tie’s sweat beaded all over his forehead. If it was today, he would never do it as it was too foolish.

Two days later, he would have to leave home and register in the Iron-Blood Camp. Six days later, he would face the first duel in his life.

Considering that it was not comfortable to move, Zhang Tie had to stay at home honestly.

In the eyes of dad and mom, he had truly grown up this time.

Zhang Tie’s dad was also taking a rest today. Due to various reasons, the factory that he worked in suffered from an inefficient capacity utilization rate this last month.

Dad said that some Norman Empire’s engineers were employed in their factory. They were commissioning several new installation modules on the assembly line of the factory. After the installation of the modules, the factory would produce uniformed steel components. The Norman Empire’s engineers said the components were the composite modules of a battle castle. After that, half of the production capacity in his dad’s steel mill would be used to produce the composite modules of battle castles.

After devouring Blackhot City, the Norman Empire had started to digest the production of Blackhot City on all aspects. The output of those overtaken productions had only one target - preparing for the war.

This made Zhang Tie slightly muddle-headed. Did it mean that the decision makers of the Norman Empire were preparing for an incoming even bigger war? Zhang Tie recalled Zerom’s words from the survival training, ’the chaotic world is coming’, and his heart pounded swifter with a feeling of urgency.

Sometimes, what was known by big figures would not be known by small figures. This was small figures’ grief. The science teacher called this information asymmetry, which indicated the asymmetry between real forces, benefits, and people’s rights.

It was said that before the Catastrophe there was a miraculous tool called the Internet. It could help people to keep in touch with each other even hundreds of millions miles away. Everyone could share their news with other people. The Internet could connect everybody on the entire continent. People could easily acquire large amounts of knowledge from the Internet and also learn what happened across the entire continent, even in the most remote areas.

That was humanity’s first time using magic called science and technologies to construct an information sharing platform that covered all the human kind. The largest advantage of this kind of platform was the reduction of the information asymmetry between benefits and real forces due to different knowledge levels between people of different standing, greatly advancing social fairness. Commoners all liked this Internet and used their every effort to develop this Internet. However, some big figures who wanted to use information asymmetry to maintain their ruling position and vested interests hated it very much and did all they good to destroy it.

This battle didn’t end until the appearance of the Catastrophe and the Star of the God, which grabbed away the marvelous Internet from human beings forever, sending them back to the age of extreme information asymmetry...

After the operation, Zhang Tie stayed at home for two days, during which he calmly lived with his family members and recuperated.

He didn’t plan to go outside these days if there was nothing urgent to deal with. Every second at home was precious for him. However, on the early morning of the third day after he took the circumcision, a little boy brought a letter to Zhang Tie’s house. Reading it, Zhang Tie had to put on informal clothes and go out again.

It was Donder who had written the letter, asking Zhang Tie to come to the grocery store today no matter what.

The calligraphy of the letter was very familiar. There was even a very hard to locate hidden mark that Donder had taught him to identify whether the letter was true or not.

The little boy said that the boss of the grocery store had given him one silver coin to deliver the letter here.

Zhang Tie didn’t doubt the little boy’s words, but he became somewhat curious about when Donder had become this generous. A silver coin? If it was a normal day, that mean guy would not even pay ten copper coins.

After telling his family members, Zhang Tie went out. He spent several copper coins for a trolleybus and arrived at Donder’s grocery store in less than 20 minutes.

The grocery store had not opened today, leaving only one door half opened, seemingly waiting for Zhang Tie. He entered and saw Donder counting something with another person over the counter.

"Wait a moment, I’ll soon be free!" Donder told Zhang Tie after turning a head to see his entrance. He then continuing counting the items in the store.

Zhang Tie knew the person who was working together with Donder. He was Faires, a guy as thin as a monkey and the boss of another, bigger grocery store near the flea market of the railway station. In the past two years, as he had looked with interest at Donder’s grocery store’s location, he had tried many times to buy it, but previously, Donder had never agreed. Yet judging from the present scene, Donder must have sold his grocery store to him this time.

For some reason, Zhang Tie felt that Donder’s personality was totally different from before.

Zhang Tie then calmly waited for more than ten minutes before the two shop owners finished counting the goods.

After that, Faires satisfactorily covered his account book and said in a tentative way, "Mr. Donder, the records on your account book well match the items in your grocery store. You know, as Blackhot City is suffering from a depressed economy and many stores have already closed, many rich men have also left. Therefore I might not give you as much as before!"

"What’s your price!" Donder calmly asked.

"60% of the previous price; plus your store and the goods inside, 300 gold coins in all; how about that?" Faires’s eyes glittered with a shadow of cunning as he observed Donder’s expression.

Hearing this price, Donder still kept silent while Zhang Tie almost jumped up. Even though the Blackhot City had experienced the crisis, the business of this grocery store was not influenced that much.

On the contrary, its business even improved in the past three months. Due to the large amount of human flow near the railway station, this place was even more bustling than before. Even if the Blackhot City’s properties were a bit devalued, the items in this store were already worth a lot by themselves. For instance, that powerful rat poison and those crystals. 300 gold coins were really too low.

Donder opened his mouth. "400 gold coins!"

For some reason, Donder, who was always complaining normally, only reported his quotation, nothing more.

Faires tried his best to calmly observe Donder’s face with a pair of brown eyes for over ten seconds, seemingly wanting to see through something. In the end, he didn’t even bargain anymore, just nodded. "Fine, 400 gold coins!"

After that, Faires called the notary who brought the transaction text. Donder then took out the certificate of the store while Faires took out 400 gold coins, the notary fee, and other taxes. Soon after, they completed the trade.

"I need a lad who knows this place. The first year, I’ll pay you 35 silver coins a month; the second year, you’ll receive a trading bonus. If you can do it well, I’ll promote you to a manager. How about coming over to help me?"

Out of Zhang Tie’s expectation, after the trading, Faires thought about employing him to continue working here for him.

"Thanks, I’ve got another job!" Zhang Tie politely refused.

Faires felt pity as he stared at Zhang Tie. "Never mind, if you want to work here, I’ll welcome you at any time! It’s really difficult to foster a lad who knows what he’s doing!"

"Let’s go then!" Donder told Zhang Tie after putting away his purse. They then left the grocery store.

Donder looked strange today. Zhang Tie felt like saying something the whole time, but he had forgotten how to open his mouth. Although Donder selling his grocery store had nothing to do with him, not knowing the reason for it, still left Zhang Tie unsatisfied.

After walking roughly 50 m with Donder, Zhang Tie finally couldn’t stand it anymore. "Why did you sell the grocery store?"

Donder turned his head and peered at Zhang Tie. He then shook his head. "I thought that you could hold it a bit longer, but it seems that you’re still not that stable!’

’Bastard!’ Zhang Tie swore in his mind.

However, since he had already asked the question, he didn’t need to pretend anymore, so he immediately argued, "Do you mean that I’ve made you go bankrupt by that meal? If it’s true, I’m very sorry!"

"You can make me go bankrupt by one meal of over 10 gold coins?" Donder cast a contemptuous eye onto Zhang Tie. "That consumption yesterday is normal, you’re really a rustic from the remote area of Blackhot City. I’ve even been to a place where a cup of water would cost 100 gold coins!"

A cup of water would cost you 100 gold coins? Zhang Tie’s mouth twitched as he felt that Donder was boosting. "There has never been such a place in this world. 100 coins would be equal to my dad’s 89 years’ salary!"

Zhang Tie had an expression of clear disbelief.

Donder kept silent, walking on ahead of Zhang Tie. After 10 more minutes, he guided Zhang Tie before a six-story apartment building that occupied over 200 square meters on the Avenue Monet in the east of Blackhot City.

"How about this building?" Donder asked Zhang Tie.

"Not bad!" Zhang Tie casually answered.

"Then it’s yours from now on!" Donder also casually said.

Zhang Tie stared dumbfounded.