It's been a long time since I've seen Drake, he's obviously a lot older.

His skin was dull, his face was wrinkled, and his eyes were slightly bloodshot, all of which told the person in front of him that he might not be doing well.

Sitting on a wicker chair across the table, Drake slowly sipped the wine I handed him.

This kind of relaxation and comfort made him enjoy it very much, as if he had not been so comfortable for a long time, and it seemed that he had let go of the obsession in his heart, and it seemed very relaxed and pleasant.

"Good wine! Bordeaux wines, right? Drake asked.

Hua Mei and I looked at each other, shook our heads with a smile, and said, "No, no, no!" Mr. Drake, you guessed wrong this time. ”

Hua Mei smiled: "These wines are all produced locally, from the production of the grapes themselves to the winemaking and processing, all of them are produced locally!" ”

"Oh!" Drake was surprised: "I didn't expect that there was such a craft brewing in the barren land here!" ”

Hua Mei smiled again: "You have won the prize!" Qilan doesn't know where to learn some advanced winemaking techniques, almost able to purify the sugar in the grapes, so that this wine is more mellow and fragrant, if you like it, I will give you some when I leave! ”

Drake listened to what Hua Mei said, smiled, took another sip of the wine in the glass, and then sighed loudly: "I was wrong again!" Looks like my time has really passed, hasn't it? ”

"Nope! It's not too late. The Buddha once said that an epiphany is only a momentary thing, and it doesn't matter whether it's sooner or later. I replied with a smile and sincerity.

"Buddha? The God of the East? Drake asked.

"Sort of!" I replied with a smile.

Drake was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Are they okay?" ”

I replied, "Most of them are fine." ”

Drake nodded and smiled, "That's good." Thank you! ”

Those who are not in the know must not understand what we are talking about, but those in the know understand that he is asking about his own private fleet.

And my answer is also very pertinent, most of the people in the fleet are relatively healthy, but when it comes to capturing them, some of the stubborn ones may not be very good, or they may have long since turned into corpses and sunk into the depths of the sea to feed the fish.

In fact, this question can also give rise to a lot of problems, and I happily admit that I arrested him, which is actually equivalent to admitting that I am the chief director of this drama.

Many things have been revealed here, and I'm not afraid that he will know.

Because since he dared to come, it means that he has accepted this defeat. If he still has a pimple in his heart, it should not be him himself, but the British fleet and cannons.

And Drake wisely didn't ask the question of whether the wreck itself was real. The question was actually very clear, and the more he asked, the more embarrassed he became. It's better to add if you don't understand, let everything go with the wind, this is the best choice.

"What kind of price do you want to get?" Drake asked again.

When he said this, he actually meant to surrender to me, in other words, to pay the vote in exchange for his own peace and the settlement of the matter.

After all, at his level, money and other things outside his body have been seen very lightly. All he wants is to leave a name in history, so that future generations will have a positive and preferably strong stroke of his pen in the writings of future generations.

But the current "theft" incident has made him lose face, if this matter is allowed to continue to ferment, then it is obvious that everything he wants will come to naught.

So sitting down and talking to me and having an open and honest conversation is the most effective.

After all, all the initiative is in my hands now, and the more he fights and makes defenses, the more things actually turn against him.

The current Drake is actually completely in a posture of letting go of everything, that is, going straight to the point, that is, not evading it, in his opinion, this will make me feel jealous, and the price will not be too outrageous.

But things were destined to surprise him, and my answer may not be what he thought at all, and I wanted to take this opportunity to blackmail him fiercely, so when he heard the word "cooperation" I said, he couldn't help but widen his eyes!

"Cooperation?" Drake opened his mouth in surprise and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?" I don't quite understand what this price code means. ”

For him, the reason why he didn't understand was not because the price was too high, but because it was too low.

Cooperation doesn't have to be such a fuss, as long as there is communication, you can get a response. But he then remembered the attitude and method adopted by his country to Sun Qilan in front of him some time ago, and the so-called communication was impossible to achieve at all, because the queen refused to let go, so even if Sun Qilan came to the door in person, it would not be able to change the fait accompli.

After figuring out this layer, he suddenly became enlightened and continued to ask, "How do you want to cooperate?" ”

I smiled and replied sincerely, "I don't think I understand what I'm saying, I'm going to work with you personally, not the UK." ”

Drake pondered the meaning of my words seriously, I wasn't in a hurry, waiting for him to figure it out for himself.

Seeing Drake's eyes go from confused to steady to clear, I knew he had figured out a lot of things.

Really! Drake took a sip of his wine glass, then looked at me and smiled: "No matter how big the country's problem is, it is also the country's problem, and the country will bear it no matter what." But the stick that fell on me was real, and no matter how small it was, I needed to carry it myself. Is that right? ”

I laughed twice: "Sure enough! Mr. Drake, we're friends from now on, right? ”

Drake doesn't deny it: "yes! From now on, we will think in the same way, and we will be friends. ”

We toasted together, touched lightly in the air, and the alliance was established in this way.

As for how to cooperate and how to solve the details of the problems that he is now very troubled and entangled in, he is completely relieved.

Because since I was able to set up this game to lure him to the bait, and I unexpectedly lowered my posture and proposed a model of cooperation, it shows that I have actually made up my mind about everything.

Since you have chosen to believe, then simply believe to the end.

That's Drake's line of thought.

And that's exactly what I think. As long as he agrees to cooperate, then I will solve these problems as a matter of course, because this is only a complete part of the situation that has already been conceived.

As for whether he is worried about him turning back again? That's not something I should be worried about, because Drake himself doesn't want this to get out a hundred times more than I do!

If it is preached, it will only be a means for me to divide the enemy, but for him, he will be saddled with the name of a traitor for the rest of his life, and he will not be able to wash it off for the rest of his life!

Most of his life's efforts will be wiped out because of this, and countless people who have been trampled under his feet will jump up one after another, burying him forever in the deepest part of the abyss with endless slander and abuse!

So he chose to bow to me, to the situation.

In my opinion, this is also the wisest choice, because he will suffer a lot less and can easily face the next things.

Sometimes, things in this world are not the most right is the best, but the most suitable is the best.

The model I offered him was the most suitable option for him.

In the time that followed, I took Drake on a tour of my territory, a small part of it, of course, which had now been pushed westward with the Pioneers, across Ohio, all the way to the Great Lakes of Michigan, and to Wisconsin and Indiana.

But just a little bit of it in front of him has already made Drake see a completely different world!

Yes, under my full push, all farming has begun to operate semi-mechanized, and in some of the most advanced places even began to experiment with steam engines and gradually applied them to actual production.

These are all drawings and ideas that I drew and provided for a long time ago, and were studied by Charlie, Halleha, and other craftsmen.

Although the energy conversion efficiency of our steam engine is still very low, and it cannot perfectly replace human and animal power, it provides a development direction for the future.

And it was only after I really had my own territory that I began to sprout this kind of thinking.

Why do I have to follow in the footsteps of others? Why can't I just go my own way?

The development of the times has its inevitability, but there must also be some accidents.

If I have the ability to do this "accident", why don't I try it and wait in place?

Just do it, do it, do it, that's why there is a thriving scene in front of you.

In Drake's eyes, he just thought it was all too magical. The machine that doesn't require human labor and can walk on its own, the blender that mixes automatically, and so many other things that are indescribable, incomprehensible, and incomprehensible, make Drake feel as if he is in a magical world.

"Do you know magic?" Drake finally asked.

I smiled and shook my head, without explanation.

Drake didn't believe it, but still stubbornly insisted: "Isn't what I'm seeing magic?" It turns out that you can do magic! That's why there are so many endless means, right? ”

I laughed and denied, "No! It's not magic, it's science! ”

"Science?" Drake didn't quite understand what the word meant.

I walked in front with my hands behind my back and explained unhurriedly: "The so-called science is to put aside the mystery of God, and the interpretation and application of everything in life is an attitude towards life and the world. ”

Drake didn't know why, and even Hua Mei, who was following me, didn't quite understand: "Qilan, I still don't seem to understand what you're talking about, what do you mean?" ”

I took her hand, but looked at Drake and said, "It's like people have always thought that the earth is the center of the universe, a plane, and ships will fall down when they sail to the edge, which is called geocentrism. ”

Drake nodded: "Magellan and Columbus, the navigators of a hundred years ago, have proved that this theory is wrong, and now we seafarers know that Copernicus's theory is correct." So, that's the science? ”

I smiled and nodded, "It's part of science, or the progress of science." Because heliocentrism is also a theory that is limited to our understanding of the limited space around us, in fact, it is only a small step forward in our understanding of the universe. ”

As soon as I said this, Drake and Hua Mei, who had some understanding, fainted again.

I went on to explain, "Because as technology continues to advance, people keep denying what they have been insisting on, and many things are disruptive. The heliocentric theory is nothing but an evolution of the geocentric theory, but in fact, the sun is just a small particle in the universe, which is not worth mentioning at all. ”

Without waiting for them to ask, I continued: "You don't understand these things now, and you won't understand them in the future, but what you can see and touch is what we're doing right now. ”

I pointed to the experimental steam device in front of me, turned back to Drake, and said, "These gadgets are going to change the world." I need a strong partner to join and accomplish these things with me. So Mr. Drake, would you like to join my team? ”

Drake stopped, stunned, not sure what to answer.

After a long time, he asked, "Why did you choose me?" ”

I was open and honest: "Because you are the person most likely to interfere with my plans, and you are a talented person." If I completely ruin you, it will only eliminate interference for me, but being able to cooperate is tantamount to an extra arm. So it's no surprise that I've made this choice, and what I need is your answer, Mr. Drake, and that's the question I want to figure out the most. ”

I understand very clearly, the consensus we have just reached can make us laugh and hate, but as long as we join this program and team, we can be regarded as our own people.

Drake looked at the machine in front of him, looked at the hot scene, and couldn't help but feel a lot of pride in his heart, stretched out his right hand to me and said in a deep voice: "Happy cooperation!" ”

I stretched out my right hand and shook him heavily: "Happy cooperation!" My buddy! ”