Hot Pot

The snow fell quickly, and the temperature dropped just as fast. Before long, all of Many Countries had become a land blanketed in white.

Snowy days were supposed to be quiet, but Many Countries was especially lively today. Humans, giants, fish-men, and all sorts of other races—

—had gathered together. The children were having snowball fights, while young ladies tried to build a beautiful woman out of snow.

The strongest men competed to see who could roll the biggest snowball.

It was the first day of snowfall, and no one rushed to finish any sculptures. Instead, everyone simply had a thoroughly enjoyable time playing.

"Take this!" Milim launched a surprise attack, hitting Lingling square in the forehead with a snowball.

"Milim!" A vein bulged on Charlotte Lingling's forehead. She casually grabbed a snowball from the ground and hurled it at Milim.

Milim tilted her head and dodged, and the snowball flew straight into Fishman El, who was bundled up in a thick down jacket.

El immediately curled up in a corner, shivering.

"Lingling, is that all you've got? You couldn't even hit me from this close!" Milim's smile was brimming with mockery, and Lingling could no longer hold back. She frantically scooped up snowballs and threw them at Milim!

As Lingling's assistant, Ruka continuously made snowballs from the snow on the ground, replenishing Lingling's ammunition.

Milim was pinned down so thoroughly that she could not even raise her head. Hiding behind a wall, she shouted desperately at Vegapunk, "Vegapunk, hurry up and use that genius brain of yours to think of something!"

At that moment, Lingling's gaze locked onto Vegapunk. The next several dozen snowballs knocked him straight down, and Vegapunk struggled his way over to Milim's side.

"What does this have to do with me? I'm a scientist! I never wanted to join this kind of activity!" Vegapunk protested miserably.

"Hehe!" Seeing Vegapunk in such a pathetic state instantly put Milim in a much better mood.

"Vegapunk, there's no way out now. The two of us are on the same side, so hurry up and use one of your genius inventions to attack them!"

"Damn it! Is this my only choice?" With a serious expression, Vegapunk pulled out a weapon from who knew where. Its rear end resembled a vacuum cleaner, while its front was shaped like a gun.

"You thought I hadn't planned for this? You really underestimate my brilliant brain." A wise-looking smile appeared on Vegapunk's face.

"Back when I was preparing to create the Snow Maker, I had already invented the Snowball Machine." Vegapunk poked his head out and fiercely pulled the trigger.

The vacuum cleaner at the back immediately roared to life, sucking up massive amounts of snow. Perfectly formed snowballs then shot out one after another from the barrel.

In an instant, a barrage of snowballs slammed into Lingling.

Forced back by the attack, Lingling had no choice but to hide behind a wall. "Damn it, you're actually cheating with equipment."

"Ha ha ha ha! This is the wisdom of science!" Vegapunk laughed wildly!

As the snowball fight expanded, everyone in Many Countries joined the battle. Even Bullet, whose injuries had only recently healed, happily ran outside to take part.

On this day, everyone wore bright, carefree smiles.

And so, the pleasant day passed. Snow still drifted down from the sky.

But Many Countries had already fallen silent. Only the occasional lights still showed that some people were staying up late.

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Milim, Charlotte Lingling, Ruka, Vegapunk, El, and Bullet, the disciple Milim had only just remembered she had.

They had originally wanted to invite Giant Uncle as well, but the room was not big enough, so they did not.

Everyone had played to their heart's content today, and now they gathered around a hot pot, eating together.

Bullet was still a little nervous. After every bite, he would glance at Milim and the others. Only after seeing that no one was watching him did he finally let loose and begin eating heartily.

Everyone sat together around the hot pot, except Milim, who had gone to lie on the sofa early. Holding a Game Console in her hands, she played while giggling foolishly.

"What's wrong with her?" Lingling picked up a piece of grilled meat, then pointed her chopsticks at the absorbed Milim.

Vegapunk lifted the small cup before him and took a light sip of baijiu before answering calmly, "That's a Game Console, something I invented before. I don't think it's particularly fun, but Milim seems to like it."

"I haven't seen Big Sister this interested in something for a long time. The last time was probably when she was facing a cake." El took a swig of alcohol and joined in.

"Can that thing be mass-produced?" Seeing how engrossed Milim was, an idea suddenly popped into Lingling's mind.

"A Game Console does not require much to make, and the cost is low. It can easily be mass-produced." Vegapunk thought for a moment before answering.

"Seeing how addicted Milim is, this should be a profitable business." Lingling nodded, confirming her idea.

"And it can create more jobs. I had thought that Many Countries was running out of positions and that we would have to take in fewer refugees!"

"Indeed. As long as we follow the assembly-line method Milim described, both the quality and efficiency—and the profits it brings—will be considerable." El agreed from the side.

As they ate, they discussed the future development of Many Countries.

As they talked, Lingling's gaze suddenly fell on Bullet.

Bullet, who had been eating, jumped in fright. He immediately set down his chopsticks and looked at Charlotte Lingling uneasily.

But Lingling quickly looked away, not saying anything to Bullet.

Instead, she began discussing something else with everyone.

"Many Countries has entered a stable period now. The most important thing going forward is talent." Charlotte Lingling spoke very seriously.

"It is far from enough for us to rely solely on discovering talented people ourselves. We need to establish a school—a school that can cultivate talent."

Vegapunk's eyes lit up upon hearing Charlotte Lingling's words, and he immediately voiced his support. "I agree. Scientific development needs to be passed down. If more people with a love for science emerge, I believe Many Countries' scientific standards will advance even faster."

"I also agree with establishing a school." El responded, but then hesitated. "However, we do not have any mature methods for cultivating talent."

"We can take this slowly. After all, we're still young. We still have plenty of time." Charlotte Lingling raised her glass and took a swig, and the others drank as well.

That was right—they were all still young. Charlotte Lingling was not even twenty yet, her body still developing rapidly and growing stronger by the day.

Vegapunk was young as well. There was still much knowledge he had yet to learn, and much technology that had yet to be developed. His thirst for knowledge was endless.

El had already begun trying to contact the fish-men of Fish-Man Island. From time to time, he was even able to rescue his own kind from slave ships and bring them back to Many Countries.

They did not need to feel lost about the future, because they were the ones who would create it.

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