The Unscrupulous Merchant

Thus, Bai Ye had been dubbed an "eagle-watching streamer" and a "hypnotic streamer." The most common comment in his chat was, "Guess I'm sleeping here tonight." He was truly one of a kind on the Bika platform.

The fact that he said even one sentence during a stream could be called a medical miracle...

What was more, Bai Ye was no longer fighting alone. With PRTS assisting him, he had cleared all the work left behind after the previous supervisor's departure in just one morning.

At the same time, he had drafted a plan and set out the upcoming work tasks based on the Players' official login through the game panel and the countdown to the game's launch.

"PRTS, distribute the tasks."

Bai Ye stretched and rose from his chair.

Supervisor Bai Ye, you have worked continuously for more than four hours. It is now 1 p.m.

As an artificial intelligence, PRTS was exceptionally considerate. Not only had it kept Bai Ye company throughout his work, but it also chatted with him.

"It has been quite a while." Bai Ye rubbed his temples, feeling that his mental state was less than ideal.

Though office work was dull and tedious, Bai Ye had discovered that it was a good chance to train his Thought Acceleration talent.

Thought Acceleration leaned more toward being a combat skill, so its effects were somewhat diminished during office work. Still, it was highly useful—it just drained his brain a little.

Bai Ye kept switching it on and off, and after one morning, his proficiency had risen quite a bit.

PRTS naturally noticed this anomaly, because Bai Ye processed information at a speed that simply did not seem human.

For brief periods, he could even rival a humanoid computer. However, as had been said before, this talent was better suited to handling combat information instinctively received by the body. Its boosts to research and learning were nowhere near as outrageous as in battle.

"I'm going to rest too."

As he spoke, Bai Ye left his personal terminal and picked up his mobile terminal, something similar to a phone.

Supervisor Bai Ye, you have not yet confirmed your dormitory design plan.

PRTS thoughtfully reminded him.

"Can I leave this to you, PRTS?" Bai Ye himself did not particularly care. He had no special requirements for accommodations, as long as they were comfortable and livable.

The Rhodes Island database contains the following design plans. All authorized options have been listed.

The system has analyzed your preferences and personal habits, then intelligently sorted the search results. Please select your preferred design plan, Supervisor Bai Ye.

Bai Ye opened his personal terminal and took a look. Just as PRTS had said, it had already thoughtfully arranged everything and was only waiting for him to make a selection.

"It's a shame you belong to Rhodes Island's terminal system, PRTS. Otherwise, I'd carry you home myself..."

Supervisor Bai Ye, do you have some sort of habit of poaching others' employees?

PRTS was blunt.

Bai Ye was left speechless and could only silently choose a dormitory design that looked agreeable to him.

After thinking for a moment, Bai Ye said, "PRTS, can the dormitory be partitioned to create a separate room for equipment maintenance and reagent preparation?"

No problem. Your request has been conveyed to the logistics and infrastructure construction staff.

Only then did Bai Ye breathe a sigh of relief.

Now, he had finally officially settled down within Rhodes Island.

This month's subsidy, benefits, and part of your salary advance have been transferred to your work card. Please check them.

Unlike the heartless companies rumored to exist in his previous life, Rhodes Island was fairly conscientious in some respects. At the very least, the benefits at the supervisor level were undeniably generous.

Bai Ye glanced at the meal allowance on his card and immediately felt reassured.

But there was never enough Lungmen Dollar to spend. This little money of his was not even enough to fill the gap in Swire's business plan.

His personal equipment also needed Lungmen Dollars to be upgraded. A full set of top-tier equipment had to be bought with money. Afterward, more personalized modifications and upgrades would cost money as well.

Some equipment could indeed be entrusted to the Engineering Department for testing and modification, but material costs were also a major expense.

What was more, Bai Ye wanted to forge a weapon exclusively for himself to complement the use of his talent Arts.

"Getting kept and living off a rich woman really does sound nice..."

Bai Ye sighed, thankful that he had talked Swire and Chen into joining him.

They would also establish a business partnership with Rhodes Island later, but he clearly was not cut out for negotiations. He would have to trouble Swire with that.

Lost in thought, Bai Ye left the office.

There was actually nothing else for him to do next. The work had all been assigned, so he was temporarily free.

Of course, it was not as though he had nothing at all to do. He first needed to apply to the Logistics Department for a batch of new portable basic construction material packs, along with other supporting logistical supplies. The External Operations Department would need to expand later, and those things were indispensable.

He also needed to discuss matters with Rhodes Island's instructor team and arrange another round of special training for the external operations operators.

He needed to make another trip to the Medical Department too. Bai Ye had to apply for more medical supplies and, while he was at it, invite an operator to conduct training.

All of that required money. It would be best if he could apply for some funding.

"Damn it, I'm still short on money!"

Bai Ye sighed as he walked out of the office.

He had to make money!

For both the plan and himself.

Swire's money alone was not enough, unless she could obtain financial support from her family. But there was no need to even think about that.

Nor could Rhodes Island provide too much money. The organization's overall budget came first. It had not yet formed a comprehensive strategic partnership with Lungmen, its trade route with Snowfield had not yet opened, and Rhodes Island had no plans to enter the infected medicine market. Thus, it was nowhere near as financially powerful as it would be in the future.

So Bai Ye had to make money himself first.

"If it comes down to it, I'll go dig up treasure..."

Bai Ye suddenly remembered that Players in his previous life had unearthed quite a few treasures across Ursus's endless snowfields.

Because of regime changes, factional struggles, and purges, there were many abandoned Mobile Cities scattered across the Ursus snowfields. Although the assets of all fallen nobles and generals had been thoroughly searched, plundered, and stripped clean.

Bai Ye still knew that many nobles had secretly hidden their wealth and treasures in the endless snowfields.

Some had hidden them with the mindset of refusing to let others benefit even in death, while others hoped that their direct descendants might one day escape the purges and use the treasure to make a comeback.

Beyond that, even older treasure legends circulated across the endless frozen wastes. Some came from Sami, while others came from Gaul...

"How had I not thought of this earlier?!"

A whole new world opened up before Bai Ye.

Terra had a long history, and the wilderness held countless ruins and treasures. There might even be ruins left behind by ancient humans.

Players in his previous life had discovered quite a few interesting things and treasures.

Though Bai Ye could not possibly remember every guide in detail, he still retained a general impression.

"With an organization backing me, I won't have to worry about being unable to deal with whatever I dig up..."

Rhodes Island had its own deep foundations. Intelligence from his previous life showed that this organization was far from simple. After it formed a partnership with Lungmen, it seemed as though it could swallow any amount of gold bars...

And you were telling him this was an ordinary pharmaceutical company?

What a joke!

Chapter 12: Unscrupulous Merchant

Bai Ye wrote his money-making plan into his journal.

There were too many things to do, yet Bai Ye did not have much time. The more thoroughly he prepared before the Players officially logged in, the greater his returns would be afterward.

Every second counted; seize every moment! (A rather violent way of putting it.)

"First the Logistics Department, then the Engineering Department."

Things had to be handled one at a time. Rushing would not help.

As Bai Ye walked through the corridors of Rhodes Island's landship, passing through hub compartments one after another, he continually became the focus of attention.

A new supervisor, and such a young, unfamiliar face at that—even within an emerging organization like Rhodes Island, it was unprecedented.

Of course, some people guessed that Bai Ye's true age might be far greater than his appearance suggested. After all, there was that girl who claimed to be eternally seventeen, whose real age could be traced back to a rather ancient era.

And if the real ages of some of Rhodes Island's old-timers and chief leaders were announced, the numbers would surely be ancient enough to make one dizzy.

But after watching the spectacle, most operators went back to whatever they had been doing. Their work was quite demanding, after all.

Using PRTS's navigation system, Bai Ye arrived at the Logistics Department. He had taken a detour along the way because one section of the corridor was currently under repair and could not be passed through.

Apparently, an operator had accidentally sliced through Rhodes Island's bulkhead with the massive sword on her back while walking. At the same time, she had severed some electrical lines, causing a localized power outage.

"..."

When Bai Ye learned this through PRTS's navigation system and chose to take a detour, he wore the expression of someone who had seen a ghost.

Rhodes Island's bulkhead shell was not something that could be cut open so casually. Just how powerful did that weapon have to be...?

There were many operators in the Logistics Department. Its responsibilities were much like those of External Operations, encompassing every aspect of life, from the cafeteria to the operation of Rhodes Island's landship.

When the person in charge saw Bai Ye, she looked extremely surprised.

"It's quite rare for a department supervisor to visit in person."

Bai Ye smiled. "It's also to improve efficiency. And since I've just arrived, it's a good opportunity to look around Rhodes Island."

He then explained why he had come.

He needed more logistical supplies to support External Operations' activities.

"Is External Operations planning something major?" The logistics supervisor was very curious.

"We plan to establish new sites and later expand both the number and scale of our offices." Bai Ye spoke as he presented the signatures of Doctor Kal'tsit and Amiya.

His plan had already been approved by Doctor Kal'tsit.

"I never expected Amiya to agree to such a crazy undertaking..." The logistics supervisor looked somewhat worried.

Rhodes Island was still too small. Supporting foreign offices and sites on such a massive scale would truly be difficult.

"I'll find a way, but I'll need the Logistics Department to cooperate closely with the preliminary work."

The plan Bai Ye had formulated after taking office clearly required the cooperation of every department, so he had chosen to visit personally.

"The new portable basic construction material packs have just finished development. The Engineering Department manufactured a batch and delivered them to us, but the quantity is currently limited. Be careful when using them. If they are lost or damaged, you'll need to apply for another allocation, and that is a hassle."

Bai Ye accepted the documentation for the construction material packs. They were modular, blast-resistant construction cases with excellent performance and very low weight.

"Can these materials withstand low-temperature environments beyond ordinary thresholds?"

Bai Ye asked while reading the instructions.

"Where are you planning to establish a site?" the Logistics Department supervisor asked curiously.

Bai Ye's slender fingers slid across the screen of his personal mobile terminal. "Columbia, Victoria, Laterano, and Ursus."

"Ursus?! Are you insane?! You actually want to enter that country—our entry application could never possibly be approved." The logistics supervisor stared in disbelief. "No, something's wrong. How could Doctor Kal'tsit agree to such an absurd proposal...?"

"We will not enter Ursus under Rhodes Island's name. We'll go as a geological exploration team from another shell company. Besides, unusual movements have appeared among Ursus's border forces, so we can take the opportunity to enter the northern frozen wastes from the border."

"Doctor Kal'tsit revised our plan and offered guidance."

Bai Ye had reviewed the relevant data and had memories from his previous life to use as reference, so naturally he could make a relatively rigorous plan. (A huge lie.)

All right, that was not really suitable coming from someone who had barged into the Lungmen Guard Department at the very start.

What was more, Bai Ye himself had not been optimistic about his plan to enter Ursus and establish a site there. Yet Doctor Kal'tsit had actually approved it.

"Too crazy. Doctor Kal'tsit is joining in the madness too..." The logistics supervisor shook her head, then opened the manual. "The heat output should meet the requirements for extreme low temperatures. At the very least, it can function normally on the Ursus tundra. Mm, but please assemble it according to the instructions. Otherwise, the thermal packs may explode."

"Explode?" Bai Ye clicked his tongue. This thing was actually so dangerous.

"After all, it was developed by the Engineering Department. It's useful, but it inevitably has a little of their distinctive style." The supervisor spoke casually, then finished examining the approval credentials Bai Ye had provided.

"Doesn't that mean I'm in danger?" Bai Ye wore the expression of an old man staring at a phone on the subway.

"?"

The Logistics Department supervisor slowly produced a question mark.

"You?" she asked, confused. "Do you want to use this on Rhodes Island's landship? No, it's not like a tent. Don't think about camping on the deck—that's not very realistic."

"The last person who did that was sent to Doctor Kal'tsit's office to reflect on their actions."

Bai Ye shook his head. "What I mean is, I'll probably be the only one going to Ursus?"

Columbia and Laterano were relatively normal. Rhodes Island had already established some offices there. Victoria's situation was becoming increasingly tense: the fire had gradually died down, no king sat on the throne, and the great noble lords were tearing each other apart. Yet things had not become too terrible, and Rhodes Island's offices had long since infiltrated the region.

Ursus was more complicated, so Bai Ye ultimately decided to go there himself.