The next morning, Cao Yiyue personally came to wake Cao Yang for breakfast.
At the table, Cao Hua once again asked Cao Yang if he wanted to stay in Nanluo Kingdom, offering to arrange an official position for him.
Cao Yang smiled politely and declined, and Cao Hua didn't insist.
"Dad, I'm done eating. Today, we have a few foreign guests to receive, so I'll get going first," he said, urging Cao Yiyue to finish quickly as well.
Cao Yiyue looked puzzled.
"You speak English well. Help me with translation," Cao Hua said.
"But you already have translators, and I wanted to show Cao Yang around properly!"
"No need, I'll accompany Great-Grandfather. You go handle your guests," Cao Yang replied.
Cao Yiyue huffed and left, and Cao Yang pushed Cao Tailin out for a stroll.
Cao Tailin wasn't disabled; he could walk, but at his age, he preferred to ride in a wheelchair.
"See that river ahead?" Cao Tailin asked.
"Yes," Cao Yang replied.
"That's the Flowing Gold River. The riverbed is rich in placer gold, especially near the estuary. The reserves there are astonishing."
Cao Yang had already heard that Nanluo Kingdom was rich in gold, oil, and rare earths. These resources had been surveyed during the Japanese occupation, but Japan surrendered before large-scale exploitation could begin.
It was said that if fully developed, these resources could make the nation of twenty million wealthy for over a century. Yet in reality, the country remained poor, and most commoners struggled to make ends meet.
One reason was that resources hadn't been fully exploited. Another was that the small amounts extracted were controlled by the royal family and a few major clans—Cao family included.
At the riverbank, hundreds of miners were working under the sun, bare-chested and drenched in sweat.
Armed soldiers patrolled nearby. Any theft or trouble would end badly.
"These are our Cao family's gold mines. The Sangkan river basin has the richest deposits and generates a significant yearly income for our family. It's also the main source of our military funding," Cao Tailin explained with pride.
Cao Yang frowned at the sight of the exhausted, barely-clothed workers.
"Great-Grandfather, how much do they earn per day?"
"About a hundred Luoyuan—a little over one US dollar."
Cao Yang's eyes widened. Doing the hardest work and earning so little? Were the Cao family vampires? Was he the villain here?
"Do you think that's too low? That I'm exploiting them?" Cao Tailin asked.
Cao Yang stayed silent.
The old man chuckled."Nanluo Kingdom is poor. One dollar a day isn't bad. Back home, workers might only earn 20–30 RMB. Actually, I've been generous—meals include meat almost every time. Other families only provide meat on holidays."
"Why not just raise their wages? Let them buy meat for themselves and their families."
"You don't understand. If I raise wages, I have to consider if other clans will accept it. If they don't, it only harms us."
"We're outsiders. The royal family and other clans already distrust us. If I raised wages recklessly, they'd think we're buying loyalty, plotting rebellion."
"Then if they suspect, you might as well stage the rebellion yourself—no shortage of strength," Cao Yang joked.
Hearing that, Cao Tailin laughed heartily."Don't say that outside, boy. You don't understand Nanluo. Toppling the king here is nearly impossible."
"It's not about strength—it's about the people's beliefs."
"Look at these miners. They live hard lives, yet feel happy. They endure beatings from overseers without retaliation. But insult the king, and they'd tear the culprit to pieces!"
"Their loyalty is hardwired, like a program in their DNA. To rebel, you'd need to kill them all!"
"But killing all of them would empty the country, and international society wouldn't allow such slaughter."
Cao Yang frowned."Why not just improve their living conditions, feed them well?"
"No, their faith in the king is stronger than blood ties. Their lives as they know them are the best life imaginable. Outsiders may starve, but they are blessed."
"Information blackout?"
"Yes. Like North Korea, they don't see the outside world."
"Do they not see the king's extravagance?"
"Heh… seeing the king's luxury makes them proud. They say, 'Our king rides a golden throne; yours doesn't.' They feel a sense of awe, like basking in the sun."
Cao Yang was speechless. Cao Tailin let the topic drop.
Next, they walked to the seaside to observe fishermen.
Nanluo's coastline was beautiful, almost untouched. Few modern items or plastic—pollution was minimal.
"See those offshore rigs?" Cao Tailin asked.
Cao Yang squinted. Apart from fishing boats, he saw nothing.
Cao Tailin handed him binoculars. Only then did Cao Yang see a few rusty, abandoned oil platforms in the distance.
"Our offshore oil reserves are also massive, but without technology, we must cooperate with foreign companies."
"These rigs were built years ago by China's Libao Group. They spent huge sums preparing to extract oil. Then our king unilaterally tore up the contract and kicked them out."
"Why?" Cao Yang asked in disbelief.
"He didn't want China to profit. Once the rigs were ready, he intended to claim the benefits himself. But his people weren't up to it, so the platforms remain abandoned."
"Did China just let it go?"
"What choice? As I told you yesterday, our relationship with China is poor—much of it thanks to this king. To put it nicely, he's inscrutable. To put it bluntly… unreliable."
At that moment, a group of foreigners approached, followed by Cao Hua and Cao Yiyue.
"See? Can't manage on their own, so they seek help internationally. Let's see if he changes his mind this time," Cao Tailin muttered.
Cao Yang's attention, however, was caught by a familiar-looking foreign woman among them—blonde, blue-eyed, with a striking figure.
She looked at him, her gaze lingering. Recognition flickered in her eyes too.
"Hi, handsome. Have we met before?"