After confirming that the newly discovered Grotto-heaven World was safe inside and that its space was stable enough to last at least another decade before collapsing,
Lin Ze decided to launch his base-building plan.
Building up military strength in the Main World and the Great Zhou Dynasty while openly displaying his ambition to grow stronger could invite a devastating strike from those with vested interests at any moment.
But with a base of his own, he no longer had to worry about that.
As long as he had enough drive, nothing could hold him back. He could accumulate strength without limit and grow at breakneck speed.
"From now on, let's call my base World No. 0. The Main World will be World No. 1, and the Other World where the Great Zhou Dynasty is located will be World No. 2. Any new world worth developing that I discover in the future will be numbered in sequence."
Lin Ze settled on the names as he pondered, then turned his attention to his base-building plan.
Building a base of his own would take three steps.
First, he needed a population base of his own. He had no highly advanced Intelligent Industrial System yet, so he couldn't automate everything. For now, both production capacity and military strength depended on having plenty of people.
Second, he needed an industrial system of his own. That was the next step toward further expanding his production capacity and military strength. Third, he needed a strict organizational structure to make it easier for him to mobilize the base's resources.
"My development in Fengping County hasn't been wasted. By establishing industries, I've won people over, and I've got a population base now. I can pick out a few loyal people and move their households to World No. 0. As for the industrial system, I can find channels to buy one in the Main World."
"Last is the organizational structure. That's not something I can change casually. Once it's decided, I'll have to stick to it for years, uniting everyone in the organization under its mission and purpose."
Lin Ze mulled it over.
His thoughts raced, and inspiration kept bubbling up in his mind.
"Settling on the organizational structure is simple. I only need to look at what I'm doing now."
"I'm constantly exploring new worlds, trading resources that are scarce in one world for those that are abundant in another, and making huge profits. Along the way, I'm using these business dealings to sway countless people's fates, gather fortune, and strengthen my very being."
"In the foreseeable future, I'll explore more and more worlds, linking together more and more living beings and races, intertwining their fates. I'll gather fortune from the rise and fall of their fortunes, while gaining control of more and more resources."
"This is my life's work, and the goal I'll keep pursuing."
"So I'll call this new organization the Gates to Heavens Mall."
Lin Ze settled on the basic structure of the organization.
"The Gates to Heavens Mall is an organization that belongs to me alone, serving to earn me more profit and fortune. Its structure will be completely different from the nations, dynasties, clans, gangs, and sects of Worlds No. 1 and 2. It'll be more like a colossal enterprise."
"Capital can develop to the point where a cosmic megacorporation rules an entire civilization. If my Gates to Heavens Mall reaches its ultimate form, it'll be a multiverse megacorporation."
"First, there'll be the Industrial Logistics Department, responsible for producing all kinds of goods for the entire Gates to Heavens Mall. Then there'll be the Security Department, responsible for protecting the Mall's assets and my personal safety."
"Next, there'll be a Sales Department to open up markets for the Gates to Heavens Mall and earn profits for the entire organization. Finally, there'll be an Accounting Department to audit and oversee the Mall's finances."
"I can delegate production and sales to capable, loyal subordinates. But I have to keep a firm grip on military strength and financial oversight. That's the only way to ensure I stay in control of the whole organization."
"Beneath these four major departments, there'll need to be many smaller departments handling specific tasks. But there's no need to set those up yet. I'll wait until the organizational framework is in place and there's a practical need, then set them up as required."
With that, Lin Ze had finished drafting the Gates to Heavens Mall's basic organizational structure.
"Next are the ranks within the organization. First are Level 0 probationary members. At this stage, they'll mainly learn and master the skills their jobs require. Then come Level 1 full members, who can take charge of specific functions within the Gates to Heavens Mall."
"Then come Level 2 junior managers, who can manage some Level 1 full members and the Mall's operations in a particular area. Level 3 managers can oversee all of the Mall's operations of a certain kind in one world."
"Level 4 managers oversee an entire world. Level 5 managers oversee multiple worlds—that's the scope of my authority for now. As the Gates to Heavens Mall grows, I'll establish higher ranks."
Once Lin Ze had filled out this organizational structure and gotten it running properly, so that it could support him, the Gates to Heavens Mall would be considered established in its initial form.
For now, though, the Gates to Heavens Mall was still just a folder he'd created.
But Lin Ze believed that, given time, he would make this great undertaking a reality.
The continued success of his work over the past while, along with his growing abilities, had forged that confidence in him.
After completing the organizational plan, Lin Ze got to work.
First came the selection of the Gates to Heavens Mall's first group of members. Naturally, he set his sights on the Black Stone Village Coal Mine.
As time passed, the market for coal had now fully opened up.
Coal from the Black Stone Village Coal Mine was always in short supply. People bought it for everyday use and stocked some away as well.
Then there was industrial use. The authorities bought coal to smelt steel, and so did Bright Moon Pavilion and many other powerful factions throughout the land that were capable of smelting steel.
On top of that, the thermal power plant and fertilizer factory had an insatiable demand for coal.
Under these circumstances, the Black Stone Village Coal Mine was constantly hiring more miners.
Though Lin Ze had always picked out ambitious people from among the miners and brought them into the Crescent Moon Escort Agency to turn them into armed militiamen, the mine now had more than twenty thousand workers.
With over twenty thousand miners, there were also countless family members who had gathered around them, along with numerous businesses catering to their food, clothing, housing, and transport.
Black Stone Village was no longer the desolate, monotonous place it had once been. It had become bustling and lively, nearly as prosperous as Fengping County town.
The mine itself had changed enormously, too. The simple wooden shacks that had once made up the entire settlement were now joined by sturdier buildings made of earth and stone.
A school and a hospital had also been added, so the miners' children could go to school and anyone who fell ill could get treatment.
"Lord Lin!"
"Greetings, Lord Lin."
"Good day to you, Lord Lin!"
Lin Ze arrived from Fengping County by carriage, and people greeted him with great warmth.
Whether they were passing through to buy coal, miners on their day off, or merchants by the roadside, they all greeted Lin Ze warmly.
If the hundred personal guards accompanying Lin Ze hadn't held them back, someone might even have come up to him and knocked their head on the ground to show their respect.
Everyone knew that their stable life in Black Stone Village, where they could earn their own keep, was all thanks to Lin Ze. He was the one who had given them their livelihoods.
They weren't showing respect for Lin Ze's noble status. They were showing respect for their own livelihoods.
People in this era might not have much education, but they knew perfectly well who treated them well. Their respect came from the heart.
Lin Ze gave a slight nod, acknowledging their greetings.
It might have seemed a little arrogant, but given his social standing, even bothering to respond was already a great courtesy.
Rather than recruit the Gates to Heavens Mall's first members right away, Lin Ze first went to inspect the mine.
People in the mining area worked in orderly fashion. There were several times more cooks in the kitchen than before, but under the system Lin Ze had established, everything ran smoothly. They kept the food hygienic while doing their best to prepare tasty meals for the miners.
At the warehouse, people queued in an orderly line, paid, received a voucher, and collected their coal.
Lin Ze then went to the school, where Principal Wang Wen and many hired scholars taught the children basic reading and writing.
Finally, Lin Ze visited the hospital in the mining area.
It was bustling. In addition to miners' family members and sick miners seeking treatment, many people from the surrounding area came there as well.
At first, Xu Sheng's brothers had doubled as the doctors at the hospital. Later, they recruited many genuinely skilled physicians to practice there.
Although Lin Ze hadn't brought medicine over from the Main World, the Other World had a martial arts system, and its understanding of human anatomy and medicine far surpassed that of the Main World. With experienced physicians on hand, they could treat most illnesses.
Everyone paid for treatment with Medical Vouchers. The number of vouchers used varied according to the illness and the rarity of the medicines, so there was no chance that miners would end up with too many vouchers and nothing to spend them on.
After inspecting the mine, Lin Ze confirmed that it was still running smoothly.
He went to his own office, where his wife, Li Yunhua, was sternly taking payments and handing out vouchers for customers to collect coal from the mine's warehouse, with servants and guards at her side.
Lately, Lin Ze had been frantically busy setting up two factories and hadn't had much time to attend to the mine, so he'd put Li Yunhua in charge.
From the looks of things, she was managing it quite well.
Generally, Li Yunhua came to the mine once every five days and issued enough vouchers for all the coal that could be sold over the following five days.
"Husband!"
When Li Yunhua saw Lin Ze, she managed to contain her excitement at first.
But after she'd processed the last voucher and the office door had closed, with the servants and guards gone and her maid Bao Qin keeping watch outside,
she couldn't hold back any longer. She threw herself into Lin Ze's arms, then pressed her soft lips against his.
Absence made the heart grow fonder. The last time they'd been intimate had been three days ago.
Lin Ze held Li Yunhua and returned her passion.
After more than half an hour, their lovemaking was over.
Lin Ze let Bao Qin bring him a basin of water and wipe him clean. He felt refreshed, his mind clear and at ease.
After comforting his wife, Lin Ze got down to business.
In the meeting room, Lin Ze began calling miners in to speak with him.
"Pei Da Niu, right? Have a seat."
Sitting at the head of the table, Lin Ze smiled and gestured for the young man to sit, speaking to him as the youth looked on with a mix of awe and reverence.
Although Lin Ze had rarely visited the mine since it began running smoothly, he still had a firm grip on it.
Every day, Lin Ze's servants and attendants gathered information about the mine and compiled it into reports for him to review.
That was why Lin Ze knew the people at the mine inside and out.
"Greetings, Lord Lin."
Pei Da Niu never imagined that a nobody like him, as lowly as a weed, would be known to a noble lord like Lin Ze.
Overcome with excitement, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed right there.
Seeing this, Lin Ze was sure that Pei Da Niu was sufficiently respectful and loyal to him.
After all, he made his living on Lin Ze's property.
With that in mind, Lin Ze asked amiably, "Rise. I have a new job for you. Food and lodging will be provided, and the pay is set at ten taels of silver a month for now. But you'll have to leave the work you're familiar with. What do you think?"
In the past, when choosing guards and trusted servants, Lin Ze had always picked people with families, giving him leverage to keep them in line.
This time, however, he chose ambitious men from among the miners who had no family to speak of.
He planned to take them to World No. 0.
Everything in this small Grotto-heaven World was under Lin Ze's control. Once these men entered it, their lives, fortunes, and status would all be in his hands. There was no need for any extra leverage to keep them in line.
Their fates were bound to his, and they could only act according to his wishes.
In this case, being on their own was actually an advantage. Even if they disappeared from the Great Zhou Dynasty, no one would take notice, and there'd be no trouble.
Lin Ze only needed to confirm their loyalty and ambition before deciding whether to bring them into World No. 0.
The reason he didn't openly move people and industries over from either the Other World or the Main World was that, although Lin Ze had devised an ambitious plan to establish the Gates to Heavens Mall, his organizational structure was still in its infancy.
For now, keeping a low profile and avoiding attention and retaliation while gradually building up his strength was the way to go.
Even in the Other World, where he'd stirred up trouble to gather fortune, he'd first developed quietly until he was strong enough to protect himself. Making a big show of things from the start would bring him nothing but trouble.
Before you continue