Matters of the Future

Li Qi forced himself to stop thinking about those things, took out the food, arranged it neatly, and officially began breakfast.

The rabbit happily finished arranging the items together, occasionally sniffing, seemingly quite pleased.

The two began to eat, and it must be said that these cooked foods from various places were indeed quite sophisticated.

There's a reason it's expensive; the craftsmanship is even comparable to that of the fox I met in Clear Mist City.

The two enjoyed their meal, and while eating, Shen Shuibi also talked about her future plans.

"Li Qi, you are studying at the Imperial Academy. Although I have never left Mount Luofu and have never actually come to the Tang Kingdom, I have heard of the reputation of the Imperial Academy in Chang'an."

"I thought about it last night. There are quite a few sons of noble families in the Imperial Academy. Even the commoners who are Li Qi have their own funding organizations. They must have a lot of resources. If you study at the Imperial Academy, you can connect with them..."

Li Qi was somewhat surprised to hear Shen Shuibi say these words.

The rabbit never used to think about these things, but now it's able to think about them proactively...

I don't know if this is heartbreaking or 'mature'?

Perhaps it's a combination of both.

However, Li Qi shook his head. "It's unrealistic. As you said, most of the students at the Imperial Academy have their own supporters. They won't lack your pills or thoughts. Moreover, resources within the Tang Kingdom are probably allocated according to a plan, so it's difficult to sell them at a premium."

Indeed, in Li Qi's view, the trade regulations and methods implemented by the Tang Kingdom within itself made it difficult to generate profits, and there wasn't even a single large trading firm, which showed that there was no fertile ground for such a system and profits to thrive.

Li Qi took out his old notebook and began to explain his analysis to Shen Shuibi.

"First of all, you see... in the Tang Kingdom, at least in Chang'an, most producers and buyers are self-employed, occasionally hiring a small number of employees."

Li Qi began to analyze.

This one-on-one communication method is impossible to implement elsewhere because communication and transportation have costs that most people cannot afford. These costs can only be handled by specialized trade associations, which gave rise to the profession of 'merchant' who facilitates the exchange of goods and services.

A person who does not engage in production but is solely responsible for facilitating trade.

Then, some producers will emerge among these people, who are responsible for both production and trade, profiting from information asymmetry, and even seizing the means of production, becoming de facto powerful groups.

However, in the Tang Kingdom, the responsibility and authority of communication are fully borne by the terminal and the Dragon Vein, which directly leads to the fact that most of the businesses in the Tang Kingdom are now individual merchants dealing with individual buyers. They do not need to worry about the communication costs in between, and apart from time, it is almost zero cost.

Next is the means of production. Forget about it. Almost all of them are state-owned. At most, private individual businessmen can only contract them out. Trying to control them is just wishful thinking.

Large companies and chambers of commerce, which acted as intermediaries and exploited both parties, were directly eliminated.

It sounds surreal. Li Qi doesn't know how they did it, but they did it anyway, and it seems like there are no side effects...

This is good news for most people, but it's probably not good news for those who want to accumulate wealth through this.

Therefore, under these circumstances and market conditions, it is unlikely that Shen Shuibi will be very efficient in making money by selling her knowledge and skills, and it will be difficult to open up sales channels.

"Is that so...then we'll have to think of other ways." Shen Shuibi followed Li Qi's line of thought and realized that was indeed the case.

In such a society, making money by 'selling' can only yield wealth commensurate with one's abilities, making it difficult to achieve high premiums and high profits.

High profits are essentially a form of exploitation and deprivation of the value of buyers, and in Chang'an, this deprivation has almost disappeared.

The things Li Qi bought at the morning market had almost no markup; apart from the labor costs, everything else was priced at cost.

It's a dreamlike world, but it's not very friendly to merchants who rely on sucking the blood of others to survive.

But for cultivators, this is the best world.

The most important thing in pursuing the Tao is, of course, to conduct research and development and gradually find the true essence of the Tao.

In this process, the more people the better, because more people mean more power and a higher chance of achieving results.

It now appears that the Tang Kingdom's upper echelons expanded and competed for resources in the hope that the Tang Kingdom would remain in a stage of great material abundance, so that all its people would pursue spiritual realms, devote themselves to the path of enlightenment, and pool their wisdom.

Knowledge can be disseminated. In the future, further progress on the Dao Path may depend on the wisdom of others. As for the merchants who were eliminated and those worlds that were drained dry by the Tang Kingdom?

So what if I die? Who cares?

Therefore, this path is not feasible.

So, Shen Shuibi could only continue to think of other ways to earn more money, her face full of distress.

But Li Qi spoke up at this moment, "I've also thought of some other methods, which are not very ethical, but they should be the fastest way to make money right now."

"What?" Shen Shuibi immediately looked up at Li Qi with surprise.

Li Qi is indeed better at these things than she is.

"If Tang Kingdom is no good, let's expand beyond our borders and take advantage of the Tang Kingdom's influence," Li Qi decided.

He said, "The Tang Kingdom's resources are so inexhaustible, and I believe the fundamental reason lies in its plundering of countless foreign lands. Now that we've arrived at the Imperial Academy, why not take advantage of this opportunity and join the ranks of plunderers?"

Following the Tang Kingdom to plunder the endless outer realms, that's probably the fastest way to make money.

"Murder... robbery?" Shen Shuibi's expression was somewhat incredulous.

She was born with a Daoist temperament, peaceful and otherworldly. If she hadn't been accidentally separated from the world, she would probably have stayed in the mountains for another ten thousand years, continuing to live as a deity.

He is a true 'mountain immortal', without any worldly desires.

If it weren't for an accident that turned her into a mortal, Li Qi probably would never have been able to seduce such a fairy in his entire life.

Now, asking Shen Shuibi to directly snatch it is inconsistent with her usual temperament, so she finds it hard to accept.

But...

She suddenly clenched her fist.

Sometimes, there are things that have to be done, and this is for the sake of Mount Luofu.

Seeing that the rabbit suddenly started to become fierce, Li Qi suddenly tapped her on the head.

The murderous intent that had been building up dissipated, and Shen Shuibi looked at Li Qi in confusion. "... Wh-what happened?"

"What are you thinking? Killing and robbing? That's too slow." Li Qi shook his head. "Except for special circumstances, I'm afraid the Tang Kingdom won't choose to take action casually."

"Look, the current plundering methods of the Tang Kingdom are based on its superior productivity and economic distribution, and the establishment of cultural advantages in countless worlds, forming a de facto suzerain state. Using silver as a medium, it harvests from all the heavens and myriad worlds with a whole set of 'rules'. It is bloodless, more efficient, and most importantly, it is sustainable. Other places are probably very happy to do so."

"This method is far more sophisticated than murder and robbery."

Yes, Tang Kingdom's choice can almost be described as a 'win-win' situation.

Because he did not merely plunder, but rather, while plundering resources, he also brought new opportunities.

Imagine that a super civilization suddenly arrives on Earth.

He will plunder your resources and labor through irresistible financial means, but he will also provide you with opportunities and channels to contact other civilized worlds, but you can't usually get those resources.

For example, mineral deposits located 100 kilometers underground are absolutely impossible for humans to extract.

At this point, would Earthlings be overjoyed or terrified? Is this ultimately a good thing or a bad thing?

Undoubtedly, this is an enormous benefit, as it would provide unimaginably powerful technological support, allowing one to leap directly into becoming a part of an interstellar civilization.

They're just resources that even Earthlings can't mine themselves, so giving them away is fine.

Tang Kingdom is playing this role; this is the intelligence gathered on the terminal.

It's hard to say whether it's good or bad; it's a matter of personal preference.

"Then, Mount Luofu..." Shen Shuibi frowned slightly and asked.

If what Li Qi said is true, then what about Mount Luofu? Wasn't it stolen?

"So, I think there's something fishy about what's going on behind Mount Luofu. I've always felt that there's more to this than meets the eye, and now that I've come to Mount Luofu, that feeling is even stronger. But these things are beyond our control. We can't possibly get in touch with that level of decision-making. So let's keep the question to ourselves and look for answers when we have the chance. Right now, we should focus on finding a solution," Li Qi said.

He picked up a piece of Child Fish and put it in his mouth. The fish was tender, boneless, and delicious; it was indeed very good.

"Is that so...? Then you're saying you're joining the trend of plundering...?" Shen Shuibi tilted her head.

"Yes, I've been thinking about your situation all along. Based on the information I've gathered on the terminal these past few days, if you recover to the fifth rank, you should be able to participate in many things outside the domain, like this." Li Qi waved his terminal, which displayed a news article.

The news headline was. "Report on Accelerating the Development of Resources in the Occupied Areas of the East China Sea."

"The Tang Kingdom is currently waging war against the East Sea and has won several victories. It has also acquired a star field that was originally located in the East Sea, which is the Azure Dragon Tail Mansion."

The Azure Dragon is one of the Four Symbols of Heaven.

It looks like the tail is broken off now.

"The Azure Dragon Tail Mansion has just been occupied and needs a lot of manpower to develop it. After you recover from your injuries, you will be a fifth-rank expert, which is considered a high-ranking powerhouse. If you participate, you will definitely have a place," Li Qi said.

Shen Shuibi, however, was somewhat puzzled. "But according to you, the Tang Kingdom is quite cautious in its control of resources, so it's probably difficult to profit from them, right?"

"Of course I'm not asking you to go now. How can the development of an area outside the region be completed in just two or three years?" Li Qi patted his chest. "Isn't that what I'm here for?"

"Just as you said before, Shui Bi, there are quite a few sons of noble families in the Imperial Academy. Although noble families can't gain much benefit in the Tang Kingdom, they still have many channels because of their abilities," Li Qi said.

Based on what we know so far, the Tang Kingdom is fair.

What is fairness? Fairness is receiving what you earn.

No one will exploit you, no one will take away what you deserve; that's fairness.

Fairness is never the same as equality. How can an ordinary person who doesn't even reach the highest rank be considered equal to Fifth-Rank Great Expert?

If it were truly equal, that would be incredibly unfair.

Since Shen Shuibi was able to recover to the fifth rank, if she had the corresponding channels, she should also be able to obtain the status that a fifth rank person should have and join the expansion of the newly occupied territory.

With some additional maneuvering and leveraging the power of the Tang Kingdom, it's not impossible for them to gain a foothold in foreign lands by borrowing the Tang's influence.

"Then, we can use this opportunity to our advantage. We can't directly steal and seize Tang Kingdom's resources, as that would definitely be discovered. But there are more resources beyond the Tang Kingdom than just those in the outer realms. With the fifth-rank status that Tang Kingdom has given you, and with my support, there are many things we can do in some unclaimed worlds."

"We don't need to do business with the Tang Kingdom. The Tang Kingdom is powerful. By leveraging their influence and my diplomatic immunity, I think this is the most reliable plan right now."

"Of course, this is just a plan. During the time you are recovering, I will go to the Imperial Academy to conduct research and then carefully prepare a plan, listing its feasibility. Once it is confirmed to be feasible, we will try this plan."

"If it's feasible, then we'll do it this way. If not, then we'll think of other ways." Li Qi put away his terminal and nodded to Shen Shuibi.

"So... we're using the power of the Tang Kingdom to establish our own influence outside the region, and then making money through that influence?" Shen Shuibi's mind raced, and she understood Li Qi's meaning.

"That's roughly the situation, but we'll need to consider how to implement it. At the very least, we'll have to see how things go at the Imperial Academy first." Li Qi nodded.

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of pastry that came with the fish purchase and fed it to Shen Shuibi's lips.

Shen Shuibi frowned, lost in thought, and instinctively began to bite into the pastry.

However, because she tends to get distracted when she's thinking, she accidentally bit Li Qi while eating.

Fortunately, Li Qi was also an eighth-rank official with a tough body, so taking a bite was no problem.

"Ah..." But Shen Shuibi was a little embarrassed and quickly licked the bite mark on her finger. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Li Qi casually pulled his finger out of his mouth.

Actually, it's a big deal.

The sensation of a finger touching the tongue...

Oh no, my Dao heart, and I can't continue thinking about the next step of the plan!

"So, Li Qi, what are your plans after this?" Shen Shuibi asked Li Qi after she realized what was going on.

Li Qi had originally prepared a statement.

Unfortunately, my mind is in turmoil right now, and I don't know where to begin.

He coughed lightly. "Cough cough, the most important thing right now is your injury. We came to the Tang Kingdom for this. We came yesterday to rest for a day, and today we'll go and get the treatment we scheduled."

"Okay, let's set off after we finish eating!" With the specific arrangements in place, Shen Shuibi stopped talking and began to focus on finishing her breakfast.

Xia Li Qi alone to close his eyes and calm his mind.

He possesses the composure to remain unmoved even when Mount Tai collapses before him, and can even directly resist the demonic influence of the Chanzhi.

But the mere lick from the person in front of you was more terrifying than any demonic thought.

Damn it, that's what makes this rabbit so bad—it's clearly very tempting, yet it has no self-awareness about its own allure.

Like a female student wearing gymnastics shorts during gymnastics class, after all the boys on the roadside have finished saying "uh-huh," she still goes up to them and asks worriedly, "Hey classmate, you're bending over, are you okay?"

Never mind, let's eat!

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