Chapter 333: Why Resist When There Were Benefits?

Chapter 333: Why Resist When There Were Benefits?

If not for feeling that some actions were truly dishonorable, Zheng Yichen even planned to discuss with Irene about adjusting the defense mechanisms of the Pick-up Zone. Those who triggered the minefield wouldn’t be obliterated without a trace by backlash but would instead be teleported to a sealed area. In such a place, they could maintain their bodily vitality but would have no ability to move, existing only as batteries…

A great idea, right?

Zheng Yichen ultimately gave up on this excellent idea. One’s bottom line was broken time and again. He feared that after doing this, he would become even more bottomless when encountering similar situations in the future. After all, he had already done it before, so doing it a little worse wouldn’t matter, right?

Once such thoughts emerged, he wasn’t sure if he could restrain himself. Since he wasn’t confident, he simply decided not to do it.

When Zheng Yichen began selling vehicles using his Tianwang ID’s alternate account, it immediately exploded on the Magic Weapon Forum. This sudden sale was too abrupt. No one expected Zheng Yichen to start selling at this time, leaving many feeling caught off guard.

For the truly large guilds, this situation was expected. While making relevant arrangements, they had already prepared accordingly. Some even felt that the timing of Zheng Yichen’s official sale was not only not timely but somewhat late.

But at least the sale had started. The vehicles occupying significant space were nearly all sold out within just two hours… Among them, the Purple Vine Guild secured a substantial share. After all, Zheng Yichen was now colluding with them, giving them the advantage. Unfair to other guilds?

In business matters, fairness wasn’t that big of a concern. Zheng Yichen had sufficient interests at stake here. As for others’ unfairness, he truly didn’t care. It wasn’t like he was taking their lives. In business competition, this unfairness was simply due to their bad luck. Collaborating with Qin felt good, and Zheng Yichen had no thoughts of changing partners.

Thus, this unfairness would persist for a long time.

“Ahem, what’s going on? They started selling already?” Carlin, who had intended to linger near the Forest for a while longer, looked at the notification in his Magic Weapon Summoning Book and couldn’t hold back. He immediately put away his weapons, left the area, and returned to Kaja City. He already had a Magic Cycle, and driving it felt fantastic. After the new products were released, the first thing that caught his eye was the Sports Car. Its streamlined design, suited for airflow, instantly captivated him. Then he looked at the price… unsurprisingly, it was several times that of the Magic Cycle he bought, with even higher-end models exceeding ten times the price!

Carlin couldn’t help but swallow hard, once again feeling like a poor person. Ahem, this was a common drawback for Professionals working alone. Those truly affiliated with a faction generally weren’t short on money. In fact, those factions were eager for them to spend, as it meant those Professionals would find it hard to leave.

Carlin didn’t belong to that type. As for Zheng Yichen’s side, there didn’t seem to be any intention of paying wages. What a black-hearted Boss!

Upon returning to Kaja, Carlin directly sensed some changes in the atmosphere within Kaja City. In the past couple of days, there had been many unusual signs here. For example, some originally poor roads had been repaired by the City Lord, and narrow roads had been significantly widened.

City-wide projects typically required a lot of time, but one must not forget that this world had Magic. Workers only needed to place some materials in pre-prepared locations, and then Spellcasters would step in to handle the rest—simple, efficient, and quick. If they really put in the effort, completing it in a few days wasn’t a big deal at all.

In fact, this could even be considered slow!

Spellcasters were people too. They needed resources, and to get resources, they needed money. If there was money to be made, and the amount was enticing enough, they would naturally take on such tasks.

Thus, when Carlin returned and passed by a newly built ‘driving school,’ he couldn’t help but stop and watch for a while. This place used to be a large training ground, but it belonged to the Purple Vine Guild. Now that the Purple Vine Guild had converted it into a driving school, there were no issues. He saw many coachmen inside the sizable driving school learning relevant driving techniques.

When they first arrived, they were confused about why they needed to learn this skill. But after instructors explained it to them, these coachmen grew anxious. They typically made a living by pulling carts in the city, a business that wasn’t very profitable—mostly just enough to get by. Extra income beyond that was out of the question. Wealthy people looked down on coachmen’s carts, while those without money simply walked. Why would they need a cart?

Upon learning that the coachman profession in the city would soon be replaced and understanding their predicament, they immediately poured their utmost enthusiasm into learning this new skill. As for tuition? The driving school covered it for now. Once they started working, a portion of their regular income would be deducted until the tuition was fully paid. Even so, their future income would be somewhat higher than before.

Moreover, having these coachmen learn driving skills maximized the use of their human resources. After all, these coachmen ran around Kaja City every day and knew its various roads extremely well. Letting them continue this work only required training time, without needing drivers to slowly familiarize themselves with the routes.

It also prevented the coachmen from banding together to cause trouble. Even though, by this world’s rules, such disturbances could easily be suppressed, there was no need to do so, right? When there was a better solution to turn negative factors into advantageous ones, why harm one’s reputation for petty gains?

The Purple Vine Guild’s approach ensured that very few coachmen in the driving school harbored resentment after understanding the situation. After all, the Purple Vine Guild offered them a more promising future with higher income. Although the guild was responsible for making them unemployed, they also provided a better alternative.

These coachmen were commoners and understood the survival rules for commoners. If the Purple Vine Guild wanted, they could completely ignore their opinions. Yet, that didn’t happen. Therefore, many coachmen not only didn’t feel resentful but were even grateful. Some even couldn’t help but share their experiences with neighbors after returning home…

During the learning period, those who excelled received additional subsidies. These subsidies weren’t counted toward tuition. Though not much, they could make their current lives a bit better. Of course, subsidies were limited and only available to coachmen who learned exceptionally well.

Many people were tempted by this. Unfortunately, those who weren’t former coachmen had to pay tuition directly to join the driving school, without any extra privileges… This made many coachmen feel quite pleased. As for the instructors in the driving school, they had prior experience with Magic Cycles. Although the operation differed from vehicles, they became proficient far quicker than others. Skilled ones could get the hang of it in just a couple of tries. Though there weren’t many instructors, the coachmen had already invested great enthusiasm in learning, resulting in high efficiency, so the number of instructors was sufficient.

Besides, the vehicles Zheng Yichen made included both automatic and manual transmissions. Beginners, like coachmen transitioning to drivers, could simply use automatic transmission. Moreover, for large vehicles like Buses running within the city, Zheng Yichen retained a setting for automatic transmission.

Specifically, when starting, if the accelerator was pressed too hard, it would become ineffective. After all, these were Buses running in the city; there was no need for high-speed starts. A slow start was sufficient. Why high-speed starts? To hit people? This was a newly introduced thing, after all.

It wasn’t something that slowly evolved generation by generation but instantly synchronized with vehicles from Earth. Zheng Yichen implemented ample safety measures. Being cautious wasn’t a big mistake, avoiding frequent accidents that could hinder the development of future transportation. Since such situations could be anticipated, why not implement precautions from the start?

Even other vehicles had related safety features, though those could be turned on or off. Of course, under normal circumstances, they were enabled by default. Additionally, the front of the vehicle had a cushioning Magic Rune Array that activated upon impact, mainly absorbing shock forces. Comprehensive protection reduced the danger rate to the lowest point.

Following the normal training schedule, coachmen in the driving school would officially enter the driver industry within a week. Outstanding ones who transitioned early would receive rewards from the Purple Vine Guild. After all, operating automatic transmission was very simple. What coachmen needed to learn were the skills of experienced drivers. For this purpose, Zheng Yichen even specifically used his Tianwang ID to publish a set of Otherworld Traffic Rules…

The feeling of directly setting rules for a new industry in this world was incredibly satisfying! As for how much of this was his personal influence, Zheng Yichen only wanted to say that Earth was his most solid backing.

These Traffic Rules made many guilds entering the transportation industry feel they could avoid many detours. At the very least, arranging traffic routes became easier. Marking lanes significantly reduced the possibility of multiple vehicles meeting at an intersection and causing a deadlock.

Even leaders of various Empires and Kingdoms specifically had people study these Traffic Rules, finding them quite useful with benefits to gain. For example, vehicles operating in the city that violated Traffic Rules could be directly penalized. For the wealthy, fines weren’t a big deal—they’d just pay them. If they didn’t care, the state would be even happier… This was all income. The more violations, the richer this income stream.

At the same time, it reduced many safety hazards. Why not do it? Thus, these Traffic Rules were tacitly accepted by many nations. When there were benefits, they found no reason to resist.