Chapter 5

Without waiting for Lei Ming to ask again, the people from the merchant house had already stopped a girl. This time, Lei Ming didn't need to ask; this girl was so famous at the War Orphan School that even someone like Lei Ming couldn't help but know about her.

"Is this Liu Yan? Please wait a moment."

"Yes," Liu Yan stopped, somewhat surprised, and responded. She had seen what had just happened, and she certainly wasn't as exceptional as Yao Jing, with a combat power of just over two thousand, which was only slightly above average among her classmates and certainly not top-notch.

Liu Yan was indeed very famous among her peers, but that was because of her extremely high beauty. No matter how beautiful one's appearance, it was hard to catch the eye of the big shots in the merchant house. With the strength of the three major merchant houses, they certainly wouldn't lack for pretty faces.

At the War Orphan School, Liu Yan was quite confident in her appearance, but outside the school gates, it was just another story. Without a good foundation, how beautiful could a girl be? Especially in terms of demeanor, she was far from the daughters of the nobility, officials, and wealthy merchants.

"You might be a bit confused, right? That's not strange. I often can't see my own strengths and weaknesses either. Take a look at this paper first. If you can give an answer, that would be great." Saying this, he handed a paper filled with writing to Liu Yan.

Du Qian was not far from Liu Yan, about twenty steps away. It was impossible to see the words on the paper clearly, but he could roughly see that it seemed to contain some words and mostly numbers. It looked like an account book.

"946,782.48 yuan, what are you showing me this for? Is it a math test?" Liu Yan asked, puzzled.

From the time the merchant house representative handed the paper to Liu Yan and she gave the answer, Du Qian could be sure that the entire process took no more than two seconds.

At this moment, Du Qian understood why the merchant house representative had stopped Liu Yan. Perhaps Liu Yan didn't have Yao Jing's extraordinary talent as a martial cultivator or her jaw-dropping combat power. However, her mental calculation ability was sometimes just as valuable.

After all, while martial cultivators were rare, if you looked hard enough, you could find some. A combat power of 200,000 was indeed eye-catching, but with enough time, a martial cultivator might achieve it.

However, Liu Yan's mental calculation ability was something that couldn't be taught or learned; it was a natural instinct. From her expression, it was clear that she still didn't understand why the three major merchant houses had found her.

Indeed, those with such mental calculation abilities didn't need to worry about their future. Many institutions would wave their money and cry out to snatch them up.

"Come to our three major merchant houses. We will all offer you conditions, and you can choose freely." The representative of the merchant house smiled. The intelligence was correct; failing to get Yao Jing, they could still get Liu Yan, who might be even more valuable.

With the strength of the three major merchant houses, a 200,000 combat power War King wasn't really that significant. What they valued was Yao Jing's potential. While War Kings were numerous, 18-year-old War Kings were rare.

Liu Yan's mental calculation talent was even stronger than the intelligence indicated. The accounts of the merchant houses were the most numerous and complex. Even with a differential machine, errors often occurred. These data not only represented money but also business opportunities and even potential traitors.

Calculation was a challenge for any merchant house, especially the larger ones, where the complexity of the accounts was unimaginable. Even the best differential machines were just machines, mechanically calculating values, while humans were different.

"Liu Yan, we hope you will join the Military and Political Department. As long as you come, you will start as a major, and you can choose any department." The colonel stepped forward and said, his expression still calm, seemingly not disappointed at not getting Yao Jing and not caring whether Liu Yan would join the Military and Political Department.

The Military and Political Department was very powerful, as everyone knew. As long as the war continued, its status in the empire was unshakable, and the resources it received were unimaginable for ordinary people.

The budget for the Military and Political Department was 23% of the annual GDP, an extremely astonishing figure.

About 25% of the wealth created by the empire each year was used for the construction, development, and maintenance of the military, a vast number.

In addition, the Military and Political Department had many privileges. In the name of war, they could mobilize personnel, equipment, and facilities, occupy roads, requisition land, and transportation, etc.

Though these privileges were temporary and could not be used for long periods, they were enough to make all forces envious. Even the imperial royal family could not do such things so openly.

Compared to Yao Jing starting as a lieutenant colonel, Liu Yan starting as a major was indeed lower, but even so, it was still a rank. Even the elite soldiers who graduated from regular military academies started as non-commissioned officers. The conditions offered by the Military and Political Department were already very high, far beyond what Lei Ming could offer.

The military was a place that revered strength and also valued seniority, with a strict hierarchy and clear rules. This was why Du Qian was unwilling to join the military. In his heart, there was a fierce tiger, and he was never one to follow rules.

Though Lei Ming's emotional intelligence was almost zero, if he joined the military, it wouldn't take long for someone like him to do better.

This result was also extremely surprising to Liu Yan. At the War Orphan School, apart from her sweet appearance, which made her a goddess in the eyes of many orphans, she had nothing special. Who would have thought that something so ordinary to her would be so valued by the Military and Political Department and the merchant houses?

The world of geniuses was beyond the understanding of ordinary people, and vice versa. Arithmetic? Wasn't that something everyone knew? Was it worth paying attention to?

The merchant houses and the Military and Political Department were the two pillars of the empire, along with the City Lord's Mansion, forming the upper structure of the empire, known as the three major forces. The people from the City Lord's Mansion clearly hadn't received this intelligence and left happily with Yao Jing, not realizing that the War Orphan School had another remarkable person like Liu Yan.

"I... I choose..." For a moment, Liu Yan really didn't know how to choose.

Liu Yan's mind calculated at a speed surpassing a differential machine, instantly reaching a conclusion. The power and influence of the Military and Political Department seemed higher than that of the merchant houses, but her ability was clearly more useful to the merchant houses. This choice didn't seem difficult.

"I choose the merchant house. Can I join the Snow Drift Merchant House?" Liu Yan asked tentatively, clearly lacking the confidence of Yao Jing.

"This can be discussed. Since Liu Yan agrees, why don't you come with us? We can discuss the next steps together." The representative of the merchant house smiled. Du Qian saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, suggesting that he wasn't from the Snow Drift Merchant House.

Liu Yan's choice surprised Du Qian. The Snow Drift, Buzhou, and Lei Mo Merchant Houses represented the most powerful merchant houses in the Zhou Shan Empire and were the representatives of the merchant world.

Buzhou represented the imperial royal family, also known as the royal merchants. Lei Mo had the strongest overall strength, and it was said that it was supported by the imperial families. Don't underestimate the families; any single family was far from comparable to the royal family, but all the families combined were many times stronger than the royal family.

The Snow Drift Merchant House, on the other hand, was somewhat mysterious. Outside the royal family and the families, it had carved out a significant share, which was truly impressive.

In fact, Du Qian also knew that behind the Snow Drift Merchant House, there must be a powerful force that the royal family and the families had to take seriously; otherwise, how could it stand in the business world?

However, as a small nobody and a war orphan, Du Qian couldn't know many secrets.

Liu Yan's choice wasn't wrong. At least in Pingchuan City, the Snow Drift Merchant House had a higher reputation and strength than the other two merchant houses.

The representative of the merchant house stepped forward: "Welcome, Liu Yan. Perhaps it won't be long before your status in the merchant house surpasses mine."

After saying this, he turned to look at the war orphans who were watching, a strange smile on his face: "The people from the City Lord's Mansion are too official, and their words are unpleasant to hear, but what they said is true. Being classmates with a genius like Liu Yan is something you should feel honored and proud of."

The representative of the merchant house left satisfied, taking Liu Yan, the human differential machine. Getting someone like Liu Yan was even more exciting for the merchant house than getting Yao Jing. Martial cultivators like Yao Jing were replaceable, but geniuses like Liu Yan were what the merchant house needed most.

Du Qian noticed that the lieutenant colonel seemed to be looking for someone. His steps toward the banner of the Military and Political Department stopped, and Lei Ming naturally stood still.

"Brother Qian, is there still a miracle?"

"Who knows?" Du Qian was just guessing; he really didn't know anything.

"Are you Yu Wuxia?" the colonel asked.

"Damn... What's going on this year? Why are they all girls? Are all the men dead?" a girl who was still watching called out.

"I am Yu Wuxia," the girl who was pulled aside said, clearly a bit excited. She was even more confused than Liu Yan. At least Liu Yan had mental calculation skills better than a differential machine. What did she have? It seemed like nothing.

"Are you willing to join the Military and Political Department?" the colonel asked gently, even more gentle than when he faced Yao Jing and Liu Yan.

"I... I am willing. Can I choose a department?" Yu Wuxia asked cautiously, knowing that Yao Jing and Liu Yan had this privilege.

"Yu, I'm afraid that's not possible. You can rest assured; as long as you are willing to join the Military and Political Department, the treatment will not be a problem," the colonel said with a smile, looking more like a neighbor's uncle than a soldier. Compared to his previous stern and calm demeanor, this change was indeed significant.