Munitions Empire

In the streets of Brunas, a middle-aged man dressed in coarse cloth ambling among the bustling crowd caught sight. He appeared to be around thirty years old and sported a pair of handsome mustaches. Hands clasped behind his back, he walked through the throngs of people.

A child carrying a massive bamboo basket followed at his side, displaying an expression of wonder akin to someone who had never before witnessed the ways of the world, marveling at everything he saw.

The two of them, somewhat out of place, continued their walk. The workers and merchants they passed by in Brunas were dressed in much finer clothes than what they wore.

"I say, sir... this place is really strange," uttered the child walking beside the man, with a sigh of amazement at the sight of automobiles speeding past along the roadside as they walked.

Truth be told, before coming here, he had never even seen a carriage without horses, let alone such beautiful ones.

Dissimilar to the boxy horse-drawn carriages, the automobiles in Brunas were sleek and rounded, more aesthetically pleasing, and instantly more appealing to the eye.

Furthermore, these vehicles didn't require horses to pull them and seemed to move even faster than horse-drawn carriages, a clear sign of more advanced technology.

Upon disembarking from the ship, they had inquired and learned that this machine was called an automobile, a mechanical creation produced in Brunas. These automobiles moved quickly, and in less populated areas, they could even surpass the speed of horse-drawn carriages.

The man in his thirties walked down Brunas' bustling streets with an air of composure, hands still clasped behind his back, while onlookers gazed at him with curiosity, "You've already noticed something's off; how could I be unaware of the strangeness here?"

To be frank, they indeed stood out as not quite fitting in—their clothes stood out as particularly unusual in this place.

Brunas was a city with its own culture where the majority of men donned the respectable Brunas attire—that is, suits.

The girls were more casual in their apparel, with dresses and various beautiful skirts all being acceptable, and the latest fashion even featured styles that showed off the legs.

Walking on such streets, their handmade coarse cloth garments were strikingly out of place.

Fortunately, Brunas was a city of immigrants, with people from all corners coming together. Naturally, nobody paid too much attention to the style of one's clothing.

However, the clothes worn by the two were just too old, patched here and there, which seemed excessively shabby—bear in mind that in Brunas, even the poorest workers hardly ever wore patched clothing anymore.

Moreover, not just their clothes, but the conversations between the man and the child as they walked were truly a source of amusement for passersby.

The child walking by the man quickly revealed his naivety once again, pointing towards and exclaiming at a sign in the distance, "Look, look, sir! That sign is lit up even during the day—that's truly beautiful from afar."

Dressed in patched clothes! So poor, yet still with a servant in tow... what a show-off! A disdainful laborer walked past the two, sneering inwardly as he hastened by.

"Indeed," the man replied, following his servant's pointing finger and indeed saw the advertisement shining even in broad daylight.

The sign featured an infectiously smiling girl with bright white teeth, looking radiant and inviting.

In reality, it was merely an advertisement for toothpaste, announcing that daily brushing could reduce tooth decay, with the product name Bailu Toothpaste written in an elegant, artistic font that carried a noble air.

Dodging a young man delivering goods on a bicycle, the two continued their walk on the crowded streets, taking in the unique scenery of Brunas.

This more convenient and affordable mode of transport quickly spread once it came into being. Many workers—who had previously agonized over not being able to afford cars—instantly joined the ranks of cyclists.

At the standard time of day when work ended, streets would instantly flood with thousands of cyclists wearing different colored uniforms from various factories, transforming the entire street into a vibrant rainbow bridge.

This could be considered a unique cultural symbol, while also facilitating the lives of Brunas inhabitants—thanks to this new mode of transport, they no longer had to waste time commuting to work.

The company that developed the bicycle was also an independent enterprise, its founder a worker from the Great Tang Group.

Despite a questionable background, his entrepreneurial story had become a well-known legend, a topic of conversation during leisure times for many.

No joking matter, Brunas was rife with such stories of entrepreneurial success and overnight wealth.

Some became wealthy by flipping mechanical equipment, while others became rich from recycling old parts and scraps.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The most legendary one actually improved the free tea provided by the factory and created a delicious milk tea beverage, selling it on the roadside and eventually opening a chain of stores, becoming a well-known female boss.

In this place, even if you were squatting on the sidewalk selling socks, you could support yourself. It was like a gold mine, as long as you worked hard, there was no such thing as failing to strike gold.

It was like the United States in the 1950s, where just washing dishes or driving a taxi could lead to a prosperous life—the economy was booming, and on the crest of the wave, even pigs could fly.

Brunas was like the Beverly Hills of this world; glamorous and almost devoid of any filth.

With the completion of the entire city's sewer system renovation, its water supply and drainage system could be said to be ahead of its time. The city was so advanced that it was beyond comprehension.

Countless architects, artists, and officials came here to study and inspect, and the roof decorations of any building here could well be the work of a great contemporary artist.

The siphon effect had almost widened the gap between Brunas and the rest of the world, to the extent that after a Prime Minister of a Kingdom personally visited Brunas, he exclaimed with emotion, "If I could choose, I would be willing to swap places with a traffic bureau chief here."

Walking on such streets, even men accompanied by servants were deeply impressed by everything around them, and couldn't help but remark, "The people who built this, they can truly be called giants among men. He has great foresight and a mastery of manufacturing… Very capable indeed."

He truly admired the creator of this place, for before witnessing these miracles with his own eyes, he could never have believed that such a place truly existed in the world.

He had spent a year traveling within the Dahua Empire, then visited Zheng Country and the Mirage Country, reading nearly all the travelogues and histories about Dwarfs he could find.

Later, he personally traveled with a fleet to the Poplar Kingdom, visited the Songmu Kingdom and the Elm Kingdom, and toured the southernmost part of the Endless Sea, a place where pirates started a kingdom, the Taren Kingdom.

Frankly speaking, none of the places he had visited had given him such a tremendous shock, which was why he stopped his travels at the age of twenty-five and returned to his hometown to settle down and shift his focus to scholarship.

The child following him was actually his Attendant Student, a little follower he had picked up during his travels.

At this moment, this little follower excitedly admitted that the journey had been worthwhile, "It seems that the sailor didn't lie to us."

This outing was actually a coincidence—owing to their dire financial straits, the two of them had scraped together enough to make their way to Zheng Country to visit an old friend.

Along the way, they heard of a new city named Brunas rising on the eastern side of the Endless Sea, so they went straight to that old friend to borrow some travel expenses and set off for Brunas…

"Why would someone lie about such a thing, especially when we were the ones who asked around, not them telling us voluntarily," the man said helplessly, feigning annoyance as he scolded his Attendant Student.

"Wow! Young… master! Look, look at that! That sister is so pretty!" Upon seeing a girl in a dress approaching, the Attendant Student quieted down for a few seconds, then burst into excitement.

Truth be told, the girl who came by could not be considered beautiful; it was the dress that accentuated her temperament.

In this world, in this era, the women seen walking in other cities could only be described as cautiously conservative in their attire.

Although not wrapped up completely like the women in the Arab world, their clothing was definitely tightly covered.

However, in Brunas, such outfits had been completely supplanted by new-style dresses—walking the streets and alleys of Brunas definitely had the flavor of a 1970s Hong Kong film.

At least in the realm of fashion, Tang Mo had truly raised the aesthetic standards of the world, and that was an undeniable fact, recognized by everyone.

If there were still some voices questioning the Great Tang Group in the military and other industries, then in the fashion sector, Tang Mo had already achieved legendary status.

This statement was no exaggeration; any design not approved by Tang Mo or the Great Tang fashion was deemed rubbish! You had nowhere to complain or lament because the only standard for fashion was Tang Mo.

The man looked to be somewhat of a lecher, as, hearing his Attendant Student shouting, he indeed turned to look.

Seeing the girl with beautiful curves accented by her outfit, knees and calves exposed, and a fair complexion with a face that could score at least a seven, he admired her thoroughly as she passed by.

However, once the woman had walked away, he turned back with a seemingly righteous demeanor, "To walk on the road dressed like that, without harassment from ruffians or oppression from the powerful, this place indeed possesses the charm of an earthly paradise."

"Young… master… I'm hungry," said the Attendant Student, who was strictly ordered to call his master 'young master' in front of ladies and 'old master' in their usual interactions, clutching his stomach and begging pitifully as they walked along.