Chapter 146: This Island is Called Lover's Island

In accordance with their previous agreement, Lu Ye and Su Qianqian were set to accompany Crimson home.

Chen Xi and Luo Ying also wished to visit the island to experience the customs of its primitive tribes, and consequently invited Mu Xia along for the journey as well.

This departure was truly a grand affair.

In the city of Mingzhu, only the Huang family engaged in ocean-going shipping. Therefore, Su Qianqian had leased three deep-sea cargo vessels from them, loaded with large quantities of raw materials needed for infrastructure, along with various heavy-duty engineering machinery from the Yiren Group.

Cleaving through the waves, the three ten-thousand-ton freighters headed majestically toward the island.

Before they even reached the shore, the silhouettes of the three giant ships had already caught the attention of the maidens on the island. In the distance, Duoduo could be seen leading the Mulberry Leaf Tribe's patrol squad to the shoreline, forming a defensive battle formation with watchful alertness, interspersed with members of the Imprisoned Fish Tribe.

It seemed that during Crimson's absence, Duoduo had already completed the grand enterprise of unifying the island.

Climbing onto the bow in excitement, Crimson waved at them, shouting, "Duoduo, sisters, I'm back!"

Duoduo thrust her gleaming, razor-sharp Han-dynasty longsword into the sand, rubbed her eyes, and looked closely.

"Chieftain?"

"It's the chieftain back home!"

A cheer instantly erupted among the maidens on the shore...

Upon seeing them, Crimson shed tears of uncontainable emotion. Although the outside world was prosperous, this place alone was her true root!

"Yes, I'm back!"

The fully loaded transport ships had too deep a draft to berth directly at the island. Helplessly, Lu Ye and his party had to take a small boat ashore first.

Meanwhile, the workers on the freighters operated engineering machinery directly, beginning to excavate and build a port.

Su Qianqian had already prepared the corresponding blueprints; it was a manageable task, and she estimated that a simple dock could be constructed in about three to five days.

Duoduo walked up to Crimson and eagerly handed the longsword back to her. "Chieftain, your sword!"

Crimson smiled slightly and nodded. The moment she took the longsword, the peerless, awe-inspiring demeanor of the female chieftain instantly returned.

"Duoduo, you took such good care of everyone while I was away. You've done brilliantly!"

Duoduo nodded happily. "This was only my duty."

Returning to the long-missed territory of the Mulberry Leaf Tribe, Chen Xi and Luo Ying expressed endless amazement along the way, as this was their first visit.

Moreover, Duoduo had directed the expansion of the territory's boundaries. Now, the Mulberry Leaf Tribe and the Imprisoned Fish Tribe had gathered together, their two clans virtually merging into one. The scale of the new settlement already resembled a small ancient town.

The maidens of the two tribes had turned their hostility into friendship, living and laboring together instead of bickering on sight as they used to.

Crimson gave another approving thumbs-up!

Lu Ye teased from the side, "Crimson, do you feel a bit overshadowed? Duoduo makes a much more competent chieftain than you!"

Crimson generously nodded in admission, "Indeed she does."

Duoduo's face flushed red, and she chided, "Mr. Lu, please don't make fun of me. The chieftain will always be our leader, and no one can ever replace her!"

"Haha, Duoduo, I was just teasing you."

After settling their luggage and accommodations, Chen Xi and Luo Ying set off to tour the various parts of the island on their own.

Lu Ye accompanied Su Qianqian back to the shore, as she wanted to personally direct the on-site construction.

Excavators, mounted on specialized floating barge platforms, operated right upon the sea surface. Before long, they dredged a channel allowing a dredger to smoothly enter the bay and perform reclamation work, pumping sand and soil from the shallow waters to areas requiring fill.

In less than half a day, a harbor began to take its initial shape.

The three transport ships took turns entering in a queue to unload cargo, transferring supplies onto the land.

From there, the forces split into two paths.

One engineering team remained on the shore to complete the port's construction.

The other pushed deep into the island's interior to clear the wilderness and launch large-scale building projects.

Su Qianqian had invested a tremendous amount of thought into this endeavor. Most of the buildings utilized locally sourced materials, employing the thick timber found on the island to construct charming wooden villas. The roads, on the other hand, used concrete as a foundation and were finished with a layer of extremely durable shale flooring that retained a raw, primitive aesthetic.

Modern and primitive elements collided and integrated.

Gradually, an island that preserved the indigenous customs of a primitive tribe while boasting fully perfected modern living facilities was born.

The project took half a month to successfully complete and was named "Yiren Island" by Crimson!

The maidens of the Mulberry Leaf Tribe and the Imprisoned Fish Tribe all moved into their new homes. Several hundred three-story wooden villas were more than enough to accommodate everyone.

A quaint, picturesque street featured a dozen shops, where the young women could eventually sell their handmade snacks and crafts.

In addition, there were inns and lodges for future tourists to rest, with prices categorized according to the surrounding environment and location.

Su Qianqian offered Crimson a pricing suggestion for these inns, ranging roughly from six thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight per day down to six hundred and eighty-eight per day, with little fluctuation up or down.

Although these rates were quite high, Yiren Island positioned itself as a relatively high-end destination. Su Qianqian did not want excessively low prices to attract a massive influx of tourists in the future, as that would disrupt the peace and serenity of the island. It was best for the number of tourists and the number of indigenous residents to maintain a relatively balanced state, which would benefit both parties.

Of course, Yiren Island was not immediately opened to the public.

Su Qianqian had specifically hired a group of female mentors to teach the indigenous girls some basic modern common sense and how to communicate with modern people. Only when they were fully prepared for integration with the modern world would she consider opening to outsiders.

Having accomplished all this, Su Qianqian's heart was filled with a profound sense of pride.

That evening, she and Lu Ye sat side by side on the beach to watch the sunset.

Resting her head on Lu Ye's shoulder, Su Qianqian said with yearning, "When we grow old, let's come and settle down on this island too. What do you think?"

Lu Ye gently stroked her long hair and smiled, "Whatever you wish—follow the chicken when married to a chicken, follow the dog when married to a dog!"

"Ugh, that sounds awful! How can you compare me to that?"

Lu Ye playfully slapped his own cheek and chuckled apologetically, "Sorry, sorry, wrong choice of words."

Placing her hands on her hips, Su Qianqian feigned anger and scolded, "Hmph, you stinky gigolo!"

Lu Ye was baffled. "Why am I a gigolo?"

"That's what people in Mingzhu City say about you behind your back, didn't you know?"

"Hmph, it must be those old hags who failed to get membership cards for the Yiren Club spreading rumors to smear me!"

As night deepened, the sea breeze grew slightly cool.

Su Qianqian suddenly sneezed and said, "It's getting a bit chilly, shall we head back to the room?"

Lu Ye smiled and shook his head, a mischievous glint in his eye as he said, "Come here, I'll warm you up!"

With a sweep of his arm, Su Qianqian fell right into his embrace...

Seeing the burning passion in Lu Ye's eyes, she instantly knew he was up to no good and chided, "Not out here, it would be too embarrassing if someone saw us."

Breathing heavily with hot air escaping his nostrils, Lu Ye muttered in a low voice, "Out here in the wilderness, where on earth would anyone else be?"

"Aah!"

Before Su Qianqian could resist, Lu Ye embarked on his grand journey of exploration.

The starlit sky tonight was exceptionally beautiful.

A breeze swept gently through the coconut grove, and the rustling sound of branches and leaves masked certain peculiar movements.

The next day.

Bidding farewell to Crimson and Duoduo with a promise to return when Yiren Island officially opened to the public, Lu Ye and his group set off on their journey back to Mingzhu City.

While still aboard the ship, Lu Ye received a satellite call.

Chen Xiaoting informed him, "Brat, your Secret Agent dossier for the Special Agents has not yet been reinstated and registered."

Lu Ye asked, "Master's master, are you planning to clear our names now?"

Chen Xiaoting replied, "Of course, but before that, there is a secret mission you need to carry out!"

Lu Ye asked, "What mission?"

Chen Xiaoting instructed, "Gather your entire team and head to the European region. Keep a close eye on the movements of Y6 and the Holy Envoy Group."

Lu Ye asked, "Just watch them? Is there anything else we need to do?"

Chen Xiaoting fell silent for a few seconds before saying coldly, "On the surface, do nothing at all."

"However, you can secretly fan the flames. Don't let either side grow too powerful."

"What I want to see is Y6 and the Holy Envoy Group destroy each other. Do you understand what I mean?"

A sudden chill struck Lu Ye's heart. Could it be that his master's master did not know the Queen of Y6 was his own mother?