Two Realms Shuttle Gate: Don't Call Me a Demon!

In the East Qin State of Chan Country, on the road towards Mande City.

Two off-road vehicles trudged along a muddy, dilapidated trail.

Due to a torrential downpour the previous night, the cars had been stuck in mud pits multiple times, forcing the passengers to get out and push while filling the holes, dirtying themselves in the awkward process.

In the leading off-road vehicle sat Wang Xiaotong, Liu Canlin, and Lu Yixin, with a local guide doubling as a translator driving.

The vehicle behind them carried the guard team they had hired to ensure their safety throughout the journey.

"What kind of crap road is this, it's just not meant for driving."

Wang Xiaotong said with a resigned expression, his trouser legs and sleeves still caked in mud from the recent ordeal of pushing the car.

"Boss, this is how it is around here! But once we get past this section and reach the Mande Region, it'll be much better,"

the guide, Cai Geng, explained cheerfully, already accustomed to the bumpy, mucky roads.

In the passenger seat, Lu Yixin, the weakest of the body, turned pale. Suddenly feeling nauseous again, he quickly stuck his head out the window and retched violently.

Liu Canlin frowned, observing the tall, forest-covered mountains on either side of the road—an untamed jungle yet to be developed.

He was beginning to doubt whether the information he had collected was indeed accurate.

Could such a place really have "hair growth original fluid"?

As he contemplated, a road marker came into view, with the characters for "Mande" written in Chan Country's script on it.

The jolting sensation suddenly smoothed out as the car entered a concrete road, a two-way thoroughfare that extended further than the eye could see.

Wang Xiaotong finally understood why Cai Geng had said it would be better once they entered the Mande Region.

"This is Mande. It's very different from other parts of our country, isn't it? Apart from the capital and other large cities, it's rare to see roads like this elsewhere,"

Cai Geng spoke with pride as he slowed down upon seeing several military police on duty ahead, rolling down the window.

Wang Xiaotong thought Cai Geng was going to hand over money to pass through, as they had encountered several checkpoints along the way that had required a bribe to cross.

Unexpectedly, Cai Geng merely greeted the military police.

The officers, accompanied by German Shepherd police dogs and wielding scanning devices, waved them through after not detecting any contraband.
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Wang Xiaotong was surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Do the military police here really not take bribes?"

Cai Geng smiled and replied, "They used to, but since the new leader came to power, they stopped the random exaction of money. They've switched to inspecting for contraband and prevent Opium from being transported here."

The three men looked at each other.

In Chan Country, Opium was rampant and an important source of income for many local warlords. To encounter a place that actually enforced an Opium ban was unexpected.

The two off-road vehicles continued along the concrete road, and Wang Xiaotong made a surprising discovery.

This area was vastly different from what he had seen in other parts of Chan Country.

In territories controlled by other warlords, one could see many human-pulled rickshaws, horse carts, ox carts, and other modes of transportation on the roads.

But here, most of the vehicles were motorcycles and some inexpensive small cars—reminiscent of Hua Country when its economy had just begun to take off.

In some of the fields, Wang Xiaotong also noticed modern agricultural machinery at work, including harvesters and tractors.

In other parts of Chan Country, water buffaloes were still the primary source of labor for fields.

The car entered the Mande Region around noon, right when students were getting out of school.

Everywhere, students could be seen carrying backpacks, joking and playing around, or biking home, their numbers unprecedented.

In Chan Country, the enrollment rate for schools was extremely low; the government hardly allocated any funds for education, with educational expenses accounting for less than 1% of fiscal revenue.

Even the few students who did attend schools were largely concentrated in big cities under government control.

Local warlords didn't bother to spend money on education, leaving most school-aged children without the opportunity to attend school.

Yet in the Mande Region, Wang Xiaotong saw crowds of students, which he found utterly astonishing.

Furthermore, Wang Xiaotong noticed that the people of the Mande Region had a spirit unlike that seen in other cities of Chan Country.

It was an active and optimistic demeanor, unlike other places which conveyed a sense of just getting by.

Seeing the confusion on Wang Xiaotong and his companions' faces, Cai Geng explained, "The people in the Mande Region are now rich. Almost every household has made a good profit from selling insects, so the living environment has improved significantly."

"Selling insects? Can such an industry really become the economic pillar? Aren't you afraid of getting stuck with unsellable stock?"

Liu Canlin couldn't grasp the concept. With a population of seven or eight hundred thousand in the Mande Region, if every household raised insects, the output would be enormous!

These weren't pigs, cows, sheep, or other livestock— who could absorb such tremendous output?

"Jieke Company guarantees to purchase at a fixed price. Here, people are only worried that they don't raise enough insects; there's never been a case of surplus they couldn't sell. Up to now, Jieke Company is still increasing their monthly purchase amount," said Cai Geng, his tone tinged with envy.

Although his salary as a guide and translator was not bad, some insect farmers in the Mande Region with a knack for breeding earned more than he did and could even afford to buy small cars. Unlike his off-road vehicle, he was still paying off its loan.

"Jieke Company?"

Liu Canlin and Wang Xiaotong were both instantly energized.

According to the intelligence they had collected, the miraculous hair growth original fluid was transported from a farm owned by Jieke Company.

However, the company was shrouded in mystery, developing only within the Mande Region and with hardly any more information available from the outside world.

As they spoke, two off-road vehicles entered Mande City.

The streets here were clean and tidy, filled with buildings of distinctive local architecture, bustling and lively in a way seldom seen in other warlord-controlled cities, with streams of vehicles and a constant flow of people.

There were even sports stadiums, libraries, parks, schools, operas, and cinemas—facilities that were rare in other regions controlled by warlords.

Accompanied by Cai Geng, Wang Xiaotong took a tour of the city.

The thing that impressed them the most was an insect collection station they found in the city.

Truckloads of boxed insects were delivered, and Jieke Company employees, dressed in company uniforms, skillfully weighed and sorted them before handing over money to the farmers and citizens who came to sell their insects—and they paid in Hua Yuan, which the farmers accepted with no resistance, but rather with joy.

They also discovered that employees in Jieke Company uniforms could be seen everywhere in the city.

Many of the restaurants in the city were Jieke Company employee canteens, offering very affordable prices.

The shopping malls bearing the Jieke Company logo were selling a variety of scarce goods from the outside world.

The hospitals were fully run by Jieke Company, providing affordable medical care to the local population.

All in all, one could see numerous connections to Jieke Company throughout the city, with the company's influence permeating every aspect of Mande City.