Yoe Choin, in Moen Kang Yo's body, stood on a newly constructed wooden platform to monitor the transportation of supplies. His face was covered in fine dust, but his glowing blue eyes, like those of the Blueprint, kept scanning the stability of the support pillars newly installed by the Black Stone Guild workers under Jin-Pyo's watchful eye.
"Foreman, look toward the canyon entrance," the voice of the real Moen Kang Yo interrupted his inner space, its tone a mix of amusement and alarm.
"There's a very orderly mass vibration. Not a thug's gait, but something more... expensive. It seems the beauty variable you eluded in the letter has just completed its 58-hour journey."
Choin stopped jotting down the scroll and turned to face the east of the canyon. Sure enough, amidst the swirling gray dust, a sky-blue banner embroidered with silver clouds—the proud symbol of the Namgung Clan and the Blue Sky Trade Alliance—loomed.
The group moved at a steady pace, a stark contrast to the rugged terrain of the West. Two days and ten hours of travel had left a bit of dust on Namgung Shiri's luxurious horse-drawn carriage, but the dignity radiating from it hadn't diminished in the slightest. In front of him, Jo-Sun led a line of guards with a stern expression, as if he were on a diplomatic mission into the heart of a war zone.
"Sir, we have a guest from the Namgung clan!" Jin-Pyo shouted from below, his voice booming through the canyon walls. He quickly straightened his soiled plate armor and signaled the Demolition Unit to form a welcoming line that, by Choin's standards, should at least look "symmetrical."
Choin jumped down from the three-meter-high platform, landing with minimal vibration. He straightened his black robes, brushed the dust from his shoulders, and walked toward the carriage's stopping point.
The carriage door opened. Namgung Shiri stepped down, her blue veil fluttering gently. Her eyes immediately met Choin's blue ones. There was a brief pause in which the canyon wind seemed to cease its howling, allowing an awkward yet intense silence to envelop them both.
"Two days and ten hours, Young Master Moen," Shiri said, her voice soft yet with a sharp, auditing tone.
"It's been quite a tiring journey, only to find that you'd rather be struggling with the mine dust than welcoming guests at your proud East Bridge."
Choin bowed respectfully, tilting his head slightly to assess Shiri's physical condition.
"Subject Status: Mild fatigue, slightly elevated pulse, 100% mental integrity," he thought automatically.
"The safety of the structure in the West is a priority that cannot wait, Miss Namgung," Choin replied, his professional tone forced.
"Welcome to the Evernight Mining Sector. I apologize for having to welcome you to a site that is... still under cleanup."
Lord Namgung didn't join this trip, handing over full authority to his daughter. Shiri stepped closer to Choin, ignoring the dust clinging to her expensive shoes. She turned toward the mine entrance, where the former members of the Black Stone Guild were hard at work under Jin-Pyo's supervision.
"So, this is how you 'tame' the thugs?" Shiri pointed to Elder Granite, who was now busy counting crates of iron ore with a grim but obedient expression.
"You turned the lions of the mine into cats under your leadership?"
Choin walked beside her, guiding Shiri into the main work area.
"They're not cats, Miss. They're newly recalibrated pillars. Elder Granite realized that the costs of resistance far outweigh the benefits of collaboration. I simply showed them the blueprint for how they can survive and prosper, as long as they follow my specifications."
Shiri stopped in front of a large, newly installed support pillar. She touched the teakwood surface, reinforced with Namgung iron, the material he had personally delivered.
"These things... you really installed them with the precision you wrote in the letter."
"Of course," Choin replied.
"One loose bolt in the West could cause economic collapse in the East. The integration of our logistics system depends on small details like this."
Shiri looked at Choin, her veil now slightly lifted by the breeze, revealing a faint, teasing smile.
"Then, what about my facial 'symmetry test?' Have you prepared the audit report, or are you too busy counting the dust around here?"
Choi coughed lightly, turning his face toward the pile of energy crystals.
"Hahaha! You've cornered yourself again, Foreman!" a genuine Kang Yo laugh exploded from within.
"He's penetrated your emotional defenses!"
"Focus on logistics, Kang Yo," Choin whispered to himself.
"Miss Shiri," Choin tried to steer the conversation onto a safer track.
"I really appreciate the extra materials you brought. Without the Namgung clan's cast iron, it would have taken twice as long to harden this tunnel. Come, let me show you our new 'Business Unit' underground."
They walked into the main tunnel. The atmosphere was much safer now; oil lamps were installed every five meters, and the air was flowing freely thanks to the newly improved vertical ventilation system. Inside, Evernight students and Black Stone members were working together.
"Look at them," Shiri whispered, watching a Year 2 student sharing a drink of water with a rough miner.
"You're not just building bridges and mines, Young Master. You're building a new society. In Jianghu, the losers are usually enslaved or killed. But here... they seem like colleagues."
"Slavery is bad management, Miss," Choin replied, checking the stability of the cave walls.
"People who work out of fear will perform minimally. People who work out of a sense of ownership will perform optimally. I'm simply optimizing the available human resources."
Shiri paused, staring intently at Choin, as if trying to read the blueprint behind his blue eyes.
"You are both the strangest and most interesting person I have ever met. You view the world as if it were a machine, but the way you treat the people in it... is far more humane than many of the Orthodox faction's heroes."
"Perhaps it's because I know what it's like to be 'waste material' discarded in a meditation cave," Choin's voice lowered, a fragment of the original Moen Kang Yo's memory interspersed within.
That afternoon, as work slowed, Choin and Shiri sat on a natural stone balcony overlooking the canyon valley. Jo-Sun stood far back with Jin-Pyo, making room for the two young leaders.
"So," Shiri began, sipping the herbal tea her aide had brought her.
"Once this West is over, what are your next plans? You already have the South (Black Crow), East (Tiger Pass), and West (Black Stone Mine). You practically control three of the four winds around the Black Dragon Mountains."
Choin gazed at the sun sinking behind the gray horizon.
"The next step is internal consolidation. I have to ensure that these pillars not only stand upright, but are also structurally connected. And of course..." she turned to Shiri, "ensuring that the Blue Sky Trade Alliance remains a key partner in the distribution of these mined products."
Shiri smiled, this time without her veil, as the wind had calmed. The twilight shone on her face, creating such perfect symmetry that it made Choin's calculations seem to momentarily glitch.
"The Namgung Clan will always support honest architects, Young Master Moen," Shiri said.
"But remember, the higher you build this building, the stronger the winds will batter its summit. Empress Wei and the elders in the central palace will not allow this petty 'Foreman' to change their world map without a fight."
"Let the wind come, Miss," Choin hissed, his eyes gleaming a sharp blue.
"I have prepared a foundation capable of withstanding even an earthquake. If they wish to topple my building, they will have to topple this entire mountain range first."
Night fell on the Western Valley, bringing with it a piercing chill. But amidst the granite and iron dust, a new alliance was hardening as solid as high-strength concrete. Namgung Shiri had not come merely for an inspection; he had come to confirm that his heart had chosen the right pillar to rest on.