The Ancestral Legacy Begins in the Wild West

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chang'an immediately sensed something was wrong and guessed what was going on: "Will what they're transporting explode?"

He knew beforehand that the Jean-Glaucon family was mainly involved in smuggling, but he thought it was at most tax-evaded tobacco and alcohol, maybe even cigarettes. Now it seems that it might be far more complicated than that.

Zheng Kui explained, "Yes, what they were transporting was whale oil."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chang'an was taken aback: "Whale oil?"

He originally thought it was something like weapons or oil, so he couldn't just fire a gun on the ship. What the hell was whale oil?

"Yeah, whale oil. If the bullet misses and hits a cargo box or ship's hold, it'll explode instantly. Otherwise, why do you think they were afraid to use guns? In the end, they were all scared by you."

After Zheng Kui explained, Zhang Chang'an became even more confused.

He knew that in the early industrial era, sperm whale brain oil was indeed used extensively as fuel and was quite valuable; a barrel of it could be exchanged for a good amount of gold.

However, around 1888, not only had the number of whales declined sharply, but these creatures should have long been replaced by more readily available petrochemical products.

"Why would this be smuggled goods?"

Zheng Kui wasn't annoyed. Zhang Chang'an wasn't new to London, but working in a cotton mill meant he basically had no contact with anything.

"Of course, their main cargo is blue agate, which isn't some common commodity used for street lighting or as fuel in factories. But ordinary whale oil isn't an ordinary commodity either; which machine doesn't use it? It's strictly regulated."

Zhang Chang'an was taken aback again: "Do the other machines also burn this stuff?"

He suddenly felt like he couldn't understand the world anymore.

Zheng Kui nodded: "Yes, cars, factories, ships, the foreigners' technology all came from burning whale oil, and that brass knuckle duster in your hand is too."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chang'an silently took out the exquisite and complex metal knuckle duster from the inside pocket of his coat.

Previously, he dared not casually display this thing outside, but this was the first time he had seriously placed it under the lamp for observation.

He then discovered that there really was a cylindrical glass tube inside the brass knuckles, with a thick, blue liquid slowly flowing through it.

Zheng Kui pointed to the liquid: "This is blue agate. Don't underestimate this tube. It's enough to power our entire office for half a month, including heating and lighting. It would sell for over ten pounds. Otherwise, how could those equipment be so powerful?"

On the surface, Zhang Chang'an seemed only surprised by the price of the item, but in reality, his heart was already in turmoil.

"No wonder it felt inexplicably hot when I used it before, and all the mechanical products in this world emit that strange black smoke."

So, this world isn't really into steampunk, it's into whale punk?

Zhang Chang'an turned his gaze to the table: "You've discovered a hidden secret of history:"

The steam rising from any industrial-age machine originates from whale oil. Historical records of whaling are only the tip of the iceberg, lacking not only information on the quantity of whales caught but also crucial blue agate and mysterious blue gold.

Spacetime Fragments +500.

After the genealogy verification, Zhang Chang'an was completely certain that it wasn't that Zheng Kui didn't understand steam technology, but that the technology in this place had really gone astray.

"Is this what makes spacetime rifts special?"

Zhang Chang'an pondered for a moment, then asked, "What kind of whale laid this?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Kui shrugged and said, "I don't know about that. These things are like this when they get to London. The higher-ups are very strict. Every time we make a purchase, Uncle Li goes with a quota permit to buy them. How would we know what the source is?"

But this thing is quite amazing; it seems to have many uses besides burning.

"It's just that we're all illiterate, so we don't understand it, and we don't need to understand it on a regular basis. We just need to know how to use the equipment."

Zhang Chang'an didn't dwell on it too much. He knew it would be difficult to figure things out here, and instead thought of something else:

"A few grams of fuel can replace several tons of coal, and when used in brass knuckles, the reaction is as fast as a mechanical device, and the combustion efficiency is probably astonishing... No wonder those people are all equipped; this is basically arms dealing."

Zhang Chang'an finally understood.

He said that not only Zheng Kui, but also other brothers who hadn't seen the full details, were starting to accept and even respect him.

To board this kind of person's ship right away and escape unscathed—that takes the fearlessness of a newborn calf.

Seeing Zhang Chang'an remain silent, Zheng Kui instead offered words of comfort:

"Don't panic. Although they make a lot of money selling this, they have to be careful in such a dangerous industry. Anyway, we're just doing the work, and we're in the right this time. The boss will always find a way to deal with them."

He then said, "Especially since you're so capable. They're skilled, so you'll earn a lot in the future. I originally thought you only knew a little bit of freehand fighting, but I didn't expect your marksmanship to be so good. Have you fought before?"

Zhang Chang'an could only casually explain, "His hometown is in a village, where there are hunting rifles. His gun is better than a hunting rifle, so he can shoot more accurately."

Zheng Kui nodded, reached for the brass knuckles that Zhang Chang'an had placed on the table, and took them back.

"You can't keep this thing without permission. If you get caught, the most you can do is shorten your time in jail. If you know how to use a gun, I can get you one later."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Chang'an's eyes lit up. He had a foundation in Chinese martial arts and his fighting ability was not bad, so guns were more attractive than these basic whale oil weapons.

However, he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he asked, "By the way, how much money can we make from this deal?"

This is because the contract he signed stipulated that a portion of the money earned after completing the business would be shared with the debt collector.

He was curious about technology and worried about gangs, but naturally, none of those things were as important as the money in front of him.

Moreover, another key point is that their company is quite avant-garde, actually implementing a KPI upgrade system. To put it bluntly, performance determines when he can be promoted and complete his tasks.

"This mission only lasts a month... If we don't earn enough, we might have to resort to other means."

Zheng Kui didn't find it strange that he asked about this, and said directly, "That kid owes a lot. He only paid a ten-pound deposit out of a 1000-pound order. We just need to investigate to see if we can get the money back."

Zhang Chang'an wasn't surprised at all that they would interrogate debtors. They weren't cops; arresting people was a means to an end, and collecting money was the key. Torturing debtors was just standard procedure.

I knew it wouldn't be a small amount, but I really didn't expect it to be this much. 1000 pounds, that's equivalent to several million dollars in the future.

However, the owner of this order was, after all, a porcelain dealer, and imported porcelain of that era was certainly not cheap. Besides, a small order wouldn't warrant Zheng Kui's involvement.

Zheng Kui thought for a moment and added, "For troublesome orders like this, we take a starting percentage of 10%, and sometimes as much as 50%. You put in a lot of effort this time, so you might end up with a hundred pounds."

Moreover, Boss Chen genuinely treats us like brothers. Although we haven't received the money yet, given our situation, he should be able to give us some in advance.

Zhang Chang'an nodded. That meant that as long as a deal was completed, he could receive tens of thousands of yuan in advance.

They handle such large sums of money, no wonder they aren't afraid of the Jean-Glaucon family.

"So, how much will they record in the performance figures?"

Zhang Chang'an's extra question piqued Zheng Kui's interest.

He took a sip of his drink, then smiled and said, "What, you're focusing on this right away? You're quite observant. They just came in and had no idea about this."

Before Zhang Chang'an could explain, Zheng Kui stated:

"It's alright, having ambition is a good thing. As for performance, it's calculated based on a direct commission from each order. You get whatever you make for the company. Once this order is fully completed, I estimate you'll get a few hundred pounds."

Zhang Chang'an knew this couldn't be rushed, so he nodded, but still asked, "How much do the other brothers usually earn a month?"

Zheng Kui seemed to see right through his thoughts, but he still didn't seem angry. Instead, he calmly said, "The brothers usually don't make that many. Some don't even make more than ten pounds a month."

However, I only take on big jobs, usually earning at least two thousand a month. Besides me, there's another deputy leader in our security team, and he earns about the same as me.

Zheng Kui acted like a senior showing off his achievements and giving a warning to a junior who had gotten too cocky.

Little did they know, Zhang Chang'an simply calmly noted down the number, and then revised his goal: "That's much clearer now, 2000 pounds a month."