CHAPTER 183: THE FIRST STEP

Listening to Mo Jian, the clan leaders held their breath. Their hearts were pounding with excitement.

This is it! they screamed in their hearts.

From their expressions, Mo Jian knew they were all excited. Just thinking about the huge wealth, they could gain would make their blood surge.

To Mo Jian, he was not against them making profit, but that depended on their capabilities.

He cleared his throat to gain their attention. "For these three projects, the Chamber will not interfere but will monitor your progress. If we detect you’re slacking or not meeting the standards, you will pay the price."

"So, is anyone interested in the tunnel-making project?" he asked.

"Young Master, my clan is interested in the tunnel project," the Fang clan master said quickly.

Other clan leaders looked at him, but no one went against him.

"Good. But remember, this is a massive project that spans throughout the Western Region, and you must complete it in less than a month."

"I know, and I won’t disappoint you," the Fang Clan leader responded, his voice filled with confidence.

"Alright. Come and receive the project approval," Mo Jian commanded, taking out a thick book from his storage artifact.

Brimming with a bright smile, the Fang clan leader stood up from his seat and approached Mo Jian.

He received the project approval with trembling hands. The thick book was a detailed explanation and drawing of where the tunnel would be located.

But his eyes were not on the book. They were on something entirely different.

It was on the massive amount of money that would be given to him. He gasped and widened his eyes.

"Y-Young..." he stuttered, unable to believe his eyes.

"Yes. That is the amount you will receive. I don’t care how much you spend, but the work must be completed, and the workers must be treated well. Otherwise..."

"Ah! You don’t have to worry. This is more than enough," he clenched the book tightly. "Young Master, where can I receive the money?"

"Go outside. Someone will be waiting for you."

"Ah yes. Thank you, Young Master, for this opportunity. My clan is indebted to you forever," he said, rushing out of the room.

All the clan leaders could see the unending joy on his face, and they were jealous.

Nevertheless, they recovered quickly and looked at Mo Jian.

There were two projects remaining.

They still had a chance.

Mo Jian turned to them, his expression calm as usual. "For the metal pipes, my chamber is responsible for the production, but you will be responsible for the transportation."

"So, who wants this project?"

"Young Master, my clan can handle it,"

"Young Master, my clan can handle it,"

both the Lei clan master and the Shi clan master said at the same time.

The two clan leaders glared at each other, their animosity clear.

"You should back down. I said it first," the Lei clan master said, his voice hiding a subtle threat.

"Why? You’re not the Young Master. Let the Young Master decide," the Shi clan master retorted.

Although they were not as powerful and influential as the Lei Clan, as long as they could receive the project from the Thousand Wealth Chamber, no one dared to challenge their clan.

The Lei clan master understood this, which was why he was unwilling to back down. He could not afford to lose this project to a weaker clan.

Watching the two clan leaders locked in a staring contest, all the clan leaders turned to look at Mo Jian.

"That’s enough. I’ve decided. Two of you will receive the project. The Shi clan will handle the area under the Dust Valley Sect, while the Lei clan will handle the other," he declared.

With this, the final decision was made. The two clan leaders glared at each other before walking toward Mo Jian.

When they received the project approval, they were stunned, their jaws dropping in disbelief.

"Y-Young Master... thank you," the Shi clan master said quickly with a deep bow.

"Thank you, Young Master. My clan won’t forget this favor," the Lei clan master said with a deep bow.

Mo Jian nodded and motioned to leave the room. With bright smiles on their faces, the two leaders left with large strides.

Looking at the remaining clan leaders, Mo Jian said calmly:

"For the exploration— it is the most rewarding and dangerous part of the project." His voice was low but serious.

The Bai clan master adjusted his seat. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for. As for the first two projects, his clan lacked the power to execute them.

Certainly! Here’s your story corrected for typos, tenses, wordings, grammatical errors, and punctuation mistakes while maintaining the exact word count:

This was the same thought the other clan leaders had. Although the first two projects promised massive wealth, their difficulty and manpower were beyond what any ordinary clan could handle.

Watching their seriousness, Mo Jian nodded, accepting their behavior.

"The exploration project is the Never-Ending Forest," he announced.

Huh!

Everyone sucked in a cold breath. Even though many did not know of the legend of the Never-Ending Forest, its danger was not something an ordinary clan like theirs could face.

Even the Bai clan master wore dreadful expressions. He was ready to take on any mission, but this... he did not dare to take it.

Mo Jian understood their wariness and said,

"I understand the danger of the Never-Ending Forest, but you don’t have to worry. I’m not asking to kill any beasts or anything, just to explore."

"The exploration is to mark the forest, identify the dangerous locations, the types of beasts, and their tiers."

"Do I know if it is dangerous? Yes. Will people die? Yes. But this is the risk I’m willing to take, and I believe you should be too."

"Also, your clan does not need to bear all the risk. You can hire people to assist you."

"If you accept this mission, your clan will have the full backing of the Thousand Wealth Chamber."

"For every one hundred miles you explore, I’ll give you one hundred thousand middle-grade stones," he declared.

Gasp!

Various gasps echoed throughout the room. The clan leaders widened their eyes in disbelief.

That was an insane amount of money.

"Young Master, my clan accepts," the Bai clan master said quickly.

"Young Master, can my clan also accept the mission?" the Xu matriarch asked with uncertainty.

"Of course you may," Mo Jian responded with a slight nod.

"Thank you, Young Master. My clan accepts," the last clan leader, the Du clan, said with a firm voice.

"Good," Mo Jian nodded with a satisfying smile.

This was the first step toward escaping from this broken continent.