Castle of Black Iron

As the birthplace of air cavalries and planes in Taixia Country, Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory was the first place having civilian airports. In only 2 years, besides dozens more military airports, over 100 civilian airports were newly built in Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory. It was also the place where Civilian Aviation Flight Brochure and Commercial Airport Service Guidelines were firstly formulated across Taixia Country. So many airports and perfect rules and regulations symbolized the vigorous development of planes in Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory and the leadership of the air cavalries training system of Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory.

Zhang Tie landed on the airport outside Dongyang City, the largest civilian airport outside Dongyang City.

Almost the moment Zhang Tie parked his plane in a standard parking apron for air cavalry I, the ground crew had already pushed the access ladder to the side of Zhang Tie’s cockpit. At the same time, a blue fiery-oil convertible cross-country vehicle drove over here from afar and parked aside Zhang Tie’s plane. A plane service personnel in blue uniform got off the vehicle.

Zhang Tie opened the cover of his cockpit before jumping off his plane nimbly and coming to the front of the plane service personnel.

The plane service personnel was a spirited old man in short hair at his 60s.

“Sir, how long do you plan to park here?”

“One day!”

“Do you need to refuel?”

“Yes, please fill it up!”

“What about the maintenance and overhaul service?” The personnel asked as he jostled Zhang Tie’s needs down onto a notebook.

“Yes, please!” Zhang Tie answered with a smile.

“What sort of maintenance and overhaul do you want. We’ve got 3 levels here. The highest level is comprehensive maintenance and overhaul; the medium level includes the engines and principal components of the plane; the lowest level is only available for regular programs including its frame and undercarriage!”

“The lowest level!”

The old man climbed onto the plane fast. After recording the oil meter calibration of his plane, he got off it, saying, “It’s okay. Look, here’s the deed. If there’s no problem, please sign your name here. Take this copy. We will keep one too. The total expenditure is 26 silver coins including parking fee, fuel fee and preliminary maintenance and overhaul fee. You need to pay it off now. When you come back, please show me your deed. We’re only subjective to the deed; instead of people. If your plane is damaged here due to an accident, you could ask for compensation with this deed!”

Nice service! Zhang Tie took the deed and took a cursory glance at it. After that, he nodded and gave a gold coin to him, saying, “Keep the changes…” After that, he jumped onto the back seat of the convertible cross-country vehicle.

After taking that gold coin, the old man revealed a smile. Closely after that, he sat in the cockpit and drove away from the airport.

Perhaps that gold coin worked, as the old man treated Zhang Tie more passionately. He started to chatter, “You pilots are really in high demand. As long as you could drive a plane, you would be urgently needed outside. Your annual emolument would always be hundreds of gold coins. If I was 30 years younger, I would also learn to drive a plane…”

“Haha, it’s not late for you to learn it now!” Zhang Tie said with a smile.

“Haha, I’m old. I cannot fit this job. Even if I master the driving skills, nobody would employ me given my age. However, I’m also doing a good job at the moment. I’ve not imagined that I could find such a good job when I was young!” The old man glanced at Zhang Tie as he drove the vehicle and sped up his speech, “But if you want to make money, I’ve got some news for you. Some major clans outside Northeast Military Region recruit excellent pilots here all the year round. If you went there and became a coach, you would make at least 400 gold coins a year. If you come from Fire-Dragon Corps, you could have 200 gold coins more. If you could drive big planes such as air cavalry 2, you would enjoy higher compensation and a lot of more benefits…”

“What? Many people in Dongyang City are recruiting pilots from Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory?”

“Not only Dongyang City. If you went to look at the outside of the pilot training academies, you would understand the term “urgent need”. Any young man graduating from pilot training academies would be scrambled by a lot of people right away. Actually, even when they had not graduated, they had already been ordered. Taixia Country was so large. However, only air cavalries trained by our Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory could overlook the world. All the major clans, big business groups and local authorities across the country rushed into Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory for recruiting pilots and coaches. Those graduates from pilot training academies across Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory could never meet the demand…”

Zhang Tie slightly nodded as if he was meditating. Such a shortage couldn’t be met within a short period. Like an imbalance between supply and demand, it was seller’s market, pilots and air cavalries were in urgent need. The demand across such a large country couldn’t be met by those pilot training academies in Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory at all. Even though the existing pilot training academies in Fire-Dragon Bounty Territory were running at overload, Iron-Heart Palace still intended to expand two pilot training academies, although it still fell far short of demand.

Such a situation might be gradually relieved until 2 years later when pilot training academies spread over Taixia Country and air cavalry became an independent armed service in Taixia Country.

“To tell you the truth, those major clans have very good conditions. If I could introduce one pilot or coach to them, I could get 10 gold coins as compensation…” The old man told Zhang Tie as he took out a name card and gave it to Zhang Tie, saying, “Here are the addresses of the offices of some major clans in Dongyang City that recruit air cavalries. If you want to have a try, take this name card and tell them that I’ve introduced you to them…”

“Fine. I will show this name card to them if I went there…” Zhang Tie took the name card with a kind smile.

“Thanks, thanks. You young men are easy to communicate with. When I save enough money, I will also send my grandson to a pilot training academy…” The old man said as he hurriedly apologized to Zhang Tie, “I’m sorry, erm, I don’t mean that. Please don’t misunderstand it…”

“Haha, it’s okay; it’s okay…”

The old man directly drove Zhang Tie out of the airport.

There were a bus station, some hotels and commercial facilities outside the airport, appearing vigorous and boisterous…