The Scottish Highlands are indeed sparsely populated, which is why human settlements that manage to survive here always have some unique industries to sustain their existence.
For instance, the town of Fawkes was originally a small town centered around pastoralism and gradually became a supply point on the northern route and the location of the only comprehensive school, from elementary to high school, in a large surrounding area.
Despite being better developed than some of the gradually disappearing villages and towns, the overall development has now reached a bottleneck.
According to the mayor, people in the town and the surrounding villages are more inclined to move to major cities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, or London, so the population drain from this entire region is a problem that cannot be ignored.
"We also know this problem is basically inevitable, as the economic development here is not high, and incomes are limited, so naturally, the young people don't want to stay," the mayor said, clearly troubled by this core issue.
Liang En and Joan of Arc listened quietly on the side. As newcomers, it was best for them to listen more and speak less without a thorough understanding of the specifics.
The mayor's speech was essentially just a vent, so after a few sentences, he shifted the conversation to the local history, which Liang En was most eager to learn about.
But the local history was indeed nothing to write home about. As a wilderness in the minds of most Britons, there are indeed not many traces of human activity in the Scottish Highlands.
For example, the most historic remains in this town are merely a church built in the mid-18th century, while the mansion used during noble hunting trips has long been reduced to ruins.
"Actually, the residence you're staying in now was built just five or six years ago on the ruins of that hunting lodge, though it was not realized at the time that there was anything special about the place," the mayor finally mentioned.
"I have to say, this town does indeed feel a bit dull," Liang En said to Joan after the mayor left. "Hunting here might be the only somewhat interesting activity."
"But the problem is that the hunting season doesn't start until August 21st, and that's still a month away," Joan noted, checking the date on her phone. "No wonder not many people come here."
However, there was one advantage to this place: it was possible to step away from worldly concerns and focus on things there was usually no time for, especially since this location was very conducive for Liang En to transport novels.
"Although the spelling of the English letters is different, both the town of Fawkes and the continually rainy climate make this place very suitable for continuing to transport that book, 'Twilight.'"
Realizing what he needed to do, Liang En spent the next few days in his room, transporting the previously unfinished novels.
Joan, meanwhile, was responsible for various logistics during these days, almost daily checking on the situation in town.
The days of writing were naturally dull and uninspiring, even though transporting was much easier than writing oneself, it was not a particularly enjoyable task.
The only consolation was that in this nearly distraction-free environment, the pace of copying was very fast, so they finished their work in about a week.
"Finally, the work is done." After completing the third part of 'Twilight,' 'Eclipse,' in this place, Liang En excitedly came downstairs, only to unexpectedly find Joan absent.
"Joan, Joan—strange, it's lunchtime, where could she have gone?" After searching the room and not finding Joan, Liang En scratched his head in confusion. "Perhaps she had something to do in town."
Just as Liang En was about to head to the kitchen to cook, the room's door was opened, and Joan walked in, accompanied by his friend Pierce.
"Pierce, welcome!" Liang En was surprised to see his friend come in, but he warmly welcomed him. "You probably haven't had lunch yet, I've just made lunch, you can join us."
"Thank you, it's still quite cold in the Scottish Highlands, I indeed need something warm," Pierce said, rubbing his hands. "Your place is a bit remote, and the mobile signal is bad, I got lost twice on the way here."
"After all, I won this in a contest, so you can totally accept some flaws," Liang En said as he cut a slice of lasagna and placed it on the plate in front of Pierce.
"But why did you come here today? I remember this season is usually your busiest, you normally can't leave at this time," Liang En immediately looked up at him.
"That's mainly because I hired two waiters this year, so there's no need for me to keep an eye on the shop," Pierce said after tasting the lasagna.
"As for coming here today, one reason is to visit you, and the other is to see if you're free to join me at
the Edinburgh Airport auction."
"I remember you don't usually do business with airport auctions," Liang En said as Pierce mentioned it. "You've said before that airport auctions are too risky, it's hard to find many valuable items."
"Yes, but now our business has expanded, and the original channels aren't enough to supply sufficient goods," Pierce seemed somewhat helpless. "Now half of the items in the store are those modern crafts you sourced."
"Of course, I'm not saying these modern crafts are bad, at least compared to those inconsistently supplied antiques, these crafts provide a stable income for the store."
"But after all, we are an antique shop, and not only can we not stop dealing in antiques, but we also need to place them in a more prominent position. So, I must develop some new supply channels."
"Understood, I appreciate your approach," Liang En nodded in agreement with his friend's method. At least for now, Pierce's approach seemed full of a fighting spirit and quite admirable.
After finishing their meal, Liang En and his friends drove with Pierce to Edinburgh, as their business here was almost settled, and their writings were complete, so it was time to leave.
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