Ruby Base
The following day, the site leveling work in the dock area was completed, and the main roads and dock access roads were also paved.
Large quantities of building materials were continuously transported to the site. Construction also began on the foundation structures for the mooring bollards and large hoisting frames.
The main building of the port center has taken shape, and the construction team then began to steadily advance the construction of the cargo yard, large warehouses, and supporting living areas.
On the chosen reef in the open sea, with the help of Zijin's magic, Beianqi erected the base of the Lighthouse. Then, a group of necromancers began transporting huge, quarried stones and stacking them up the tower layer by layer, like building blocks.
Su Ming inspected the area for a week, then returned to the Pansy, gathered materials, and began the equipment transfer.
First, regarding power supply. The core power source still uses a steam boiler with the lowest requirements for fuel quality, and a matching steam turbine generator set. Su Ming and the members of the turbine team are already quite familiar with this system.
While setting them up, electricians also laid cables connecting various power outlets in the surrounding area. They used the most traditional method, erecting wooden utility poles along the way to extend the reach of electricity to every corner of the port area.
Regarding the Lighthouse equipment, the initial solution provided by Jisu was to use a 4KW power light source. This solution uses a high-efficiency LED emitter, combined with a Fresnel lens group, to converge the diverging light beam into a parallel beam, theoretically achieving a visibility distance of about 100 kilometers in a clear night sky.
After reviewing it, Beianqi felt that while it met the basic requirements, she still hoped the Lighthouse could provide guidance over a greater distance. In this alien world lacking sophisticated navigation methods, the Lighthouse, as the most crucial beacon, was given the highest priority for its reference value.
When other observation methods yield contradictory results, all captains will unhesitatingly choose to trust the Lighthouse.
Jisu clearly didn't accept any criticism. He added a zero to the number of light wattage figures and upgraded the corresponding heat dissipation and lens assembly.
Security and monitoring equipment were also delivered successively. This time, instead of using the cumbersome method of burying network cables, a new type of low-altitude suspended base station, "Dandelion," was adopted.
This silver-white spherical base station will be stably suspended in the air at an altitude of approximately two kilometers, providing wireless signal coverage and data relay for a ground area within a thirty-kilometer diameter below.
The floating air balloon supporting the "Dandelion" and its anchoring system were developed under the leadership of Zijin. She used otherworldly alchemy to create a large hydrogen balloon with excellent sealing properties to provide a long-lasting and stable dwell time. It was then anchored to the ground by taut, reinforced cables arranged in a triangular pattern.
The power required by the base station's information equipment is continuously supplied by the solar panels covering the surface of the balloon.
According to design specifications, the routine inspection and maintenance cycle for this aerial base station is approximately one month.
With the communication support of "Dandelion", Su Ming built a 24/7 security system in the area around the dock and set up a security duty room equipped with monitoring screens.
Thanks to the efforts of the engine room crew, the steam generator set finally roared into operation. One electric light after another lit up throughout the harbor, and all the lighting circuits were tested.
Seeing that things were going well, Su Ming happily announced, "Everyone can work overtime tonight!"
****
Even with the blessing of "Elemental Resonance", the Magic Power in Zijin's body was still being consumed at an extremely rapid rate, and it was already exhausted by the middle of the morning.
After lunch, she quietly stayed in the Pansy's workspace and began to study the "Dragon Race Reform Proposal (First Draft)" that Su Ming had sent over.
The reform proposals regarding the top-level political structure are actually the easiest to implement. The core of this part lies at the level of elders. The previous Dragon King Gelie's work on "ideological unification" was very effective, and the elders agreed to let Zijin intervene and become the ruling official with real power.
Under the new structure, Zijin will oversee the overall situation, and the elders of each tribe will no longer have their authority divided according to their respective tribes, but will be redistributed according to their specific responsibilities. In response to the potential for elders of each tribe to show favoritism or protect their own after the reform, the "Plan" does not suggest designing complex institutional constraints, but instead directly proposes the "Dragon Rule" solution.
Specifically, the current Dragon King Gelie will personally be responsible for "gently persuading" those who violate the rules.
After all, the total number of individual Dragon Race is only a little over ten thousand, and the scale of their administration is equivalent to that of an ordinary town in Su Ming's motherland. To establish political checks and balances on such a scale would be a waste of resources and lack practical significance: after all, the other world is a society dominated by individual power.
However, reforms that extend to the grassroots level are much more complicated, and almost all the long-standing problems that the Dragon Race urgently needs to solve are concentrated at this level.
According to the proposal, the position of "village chief" should be formally established in each Dragon Race settlement and directly incorporated into the vertical management of the Dragon Court.
Previously, these affairs were managed by the elders of each tribe.
In short, we should first streamline the management structure and power operation within the Dragon Race, and then gradually address the complex issues of security, taxation, and resource allocation brought about by the millions of "floating population" mainly composed of humans, goblins, and dwarves across their vast territory.
"I plan to go to the Dragon Court first to organize the internal data and existing management system of the Dragon Race," Zijin said to Su Ming.
Although the port construction requires her in many places, the Dragon Race is an extremely important force. Streamlining its internal affairs as soon as possible will greatly facilitate the smooth progress of future plans.
Su Ming agreed, "For specific details regarding the changes, you can contact Miao Xin directly. The Dodder Group will provide you with full consultation and guidance." After a moment's thought, he added, "Bring a Dandelion base station and install it above Dragon Court."
The effective coverage radius of the Dandelion base station for ground equipment is 30 kilometers, but this does not mean that the communication distance between base stations is limited to this. In the unobstructed high altitude, with high-gain antennas that are much larger than portable ground equipment, the handshake distance between them can easily exceed 400 kilometers.
The distance between Sapphire Port and Dragon Court is approximately 250 kilometers.
After reaching an agreement, Zijin set off together with Elder Mo Yuan of the Black Dragon for the Dragon Court.
****
During communication with Earth, Sangzi, who had not appeared for a long time, reappeared.
"Good afternoon!" Su Ming greeted.
"Good morning!" Sangzi replied.
The two greeted each other according to their own time and place.
"How is the cross-dimensional communication test plan progressing?" Su Ming asked.
"It's progressing steadily, currently in the key principle verification experiment phase," Sangzi Zi reported. "However, the experiment on transmitting ordinary photons can now be scheduled."
The photon teleportation experiment mentioned by Sangzi was primarily aimed at verifying whether Su Ming's "Summoning of All Things" ability could teleport photons.
"Why has this experiment taken so long?" Su Ming asked, somewhat puzzled.
In his understanding, this experiment should be one of the earliest basic verifications. Designing a receiving and verification device, transmitting it to another world, and then firing a laser beam with specific parameters from Earth to test whether Su Ming can successfully "summon" it there is not technically difficult.
"In fact, we've already tested it," Sangzi explained to Su Ming. "In the previous teleportation experiment, we discovered that your ability cannot capture the laser beams present."
"Is it possible that only an extremely small fraction of the photons were transmitted?" Su Ming proposed a hypothesis.
"Our measurement precision can detect changes in photon flux at the level of one ten-thousandth," Sangzi replied. "Therefore, we deduce that either the photons themselves cannot be transmitted, or a higher energy density or more specific conditions are required. So, we plan to use a new type of light source with a wider spectral range and brightness that is millions of times higher, to conduct more precise verification experiments."
"I see." Su Ming nodded, understanding the reason. "So you've been preparing this new light source all this time?"
"That's right." Sangzi nodded. "The equipment has been basically debugged, and we plan to start experiments in two weeks." She gave a clear timetable.
Su Ming readily agreed.
****
Then, Sangzi took out a document and handed it to Su Ming.
"Regarding the Dragon Race flight observation data you provided last time, our analysis team has reached preliminary conclusions."
Su Ming flipped through it and found that the report was quite long, filled with numerous charts and professional analyses.
Su Ming flipped directly to the conclusion and was immediately shocked by the wording—"Ionization hydrodynamic propulsion (EHD)?"
The principle is to create a high-intensity electric field around the dragon's body, causing nearby air molecules to ionize and form a large number of charged ions. These ions move at high speed and direction under the action of the electric field, constantly colliding with the surrounding neutral air molecules, thereby generating a continuous thrust.
"That's not surprising," Sangzi replied calmly. "The theoretical basis of EHD is not complicated, but it has been unable to be put into practical use on Earth due to limitations in material strength, energy conversion efficiency, and high-voltage insulation technology."
However, in the magical world, given the Dragon Race's powerful physique and Magic Power control, this method of flight is plausible.
Su Ming continued reviewing the report, which included a detailed analysis of the performance potential of this flight mode. Theoretical calculations showed that EHD propulsion was theoretically sufficient to support supersonic flight.
However, according to Su Ming's understanding, the actual maximum speed of elite dragons is currently around 200 knots (about 370 kilometers per hour).
This is likely due to the limitations imposed by the dragon's physical structure and Magic Power output.
However, the dragons' advantage lies in their ability to flexibly switch between multiple propulsion modes: at low speeds, they rely on flapping their wings for efficient, health-preserving flight; at medium speeds, they use ordinary wind magic to achieve hovering and gliding; and when bursts of speed are needed, they activate EHD mode.
This multi-mode combination endows them with extremely formidable aerial agility.
"Are there many intelligent races in this other world that possess this technology?" Sangzi then asked.
"Only the Dragon Race possesses this technique known as Lightning Dash," Su Ming answered confidently. "Even the Feather Race, whose flying ability is second only to them, doesn't know it at all."
At that moment, Fengshou walked in carrying a document identical to the one Su Ming was holding, clearly having just received the report himself. "Based on this flight capability, does our air combat system need to be redesigned?"
Su Ming shook his head. "The dragons are our allies. With Zijin by our side, this bond won't break, so we're not considering it for now."
"Then let's start the preliminary research project and build up our technology reserves." Fengshou nodded. "Although the dragons reached one-third the speed of sound, their absolute speed is still far lower than that of modern jet aircraft. Moreover, their EHD mode consumes a huge amount of energy and lacks endurance; these are all tactical weaknesses that can be exploited."
"What about the Feather Race?" Sangzi asked.
"I also investigated the Feather Race," Su Ming replied. "Although their maximum speed isn't as exaggerated as the 'Dragon's Lightning Dash,' their flight efficiency is extremely high, and their endurance is astonishing."
He thought for a moment, "The two most skilled flying intelligent races in this other world are both our allies. Therefore, if we pursue an aerial power strategy, we should be able to establish an advantage."
"We're just waiting for your logistics to be completed," Fengshou sighed. He had been waiting in line for all the good stuff for a long time, but Su Ming hadn't even gotten rid of high-quality aviation fuel yet.
Besides fuel, the pressure that air-based combat forces exert on the entire system is enormous.
"It's being done right now," Su Ming said.
"EHD itself is a very promising research direction," Fengshou reported, pointing to the report. "If we can transmit more high-precision observation data, such as high-definition video recordings or real-time physical parameters obtained from sensors installed on the Dragon Race, we might be able to try to reproduce some of it."
"So we're waiting for the interdimensional communication system," Su Ming sighed.
****
Later, a lean Black Dragon landed at the port, flapping its wings, bringing with it detailed meteorological data of Dragon Valley over the past decade.
Su Ming immediately arranged for people to make copies of these valuable documents and then returned the originals to the Black Dragon Envoy.
Because it was lunchtime, the logistics team mobilized urgently to treat the other party to a meal. Su Ming suspected that the Black Dragon had deliberately timed the meal at that moment.
After dinner, the construction team trainees, filled with high enthusiasm, threw themselves back into the intense nighttime construction work. On the shore, one bright light after another lit up, illuminating the entire beach as if it were daytime.
Looking at these tireless, hardworking figures under the lights, Su Ming seemed to see himself in the factory workshop years ago.
Of course, he wasn't idle either. Su Ming directed the crew to push the "Rainbow No. 5" drone onto the flight deck and begin mapping the terrain around the port.
The reason it was number five is because he had tried to perform the same mission with "Rainbow No. 4" during the day, but forgot that this was Dragon Valley.
Although Rainbow No. 4's flight altitude far exceeds the dragon's flight limit, some sharp-eyed dragons still managed to spot this high-altitude "strange bird." At first, one or two curiously chased and observed it, but then they called their companions, and soon a large flock gathered.
As the dragons gathered, their numbers increased, and the atmosphere became increasingly restless.
Su Ming sensed something was wrong through the monitoring footage and immediately controlled the drone to climb and return, but it was too late. A large group of dragons raised their heads and roared in unison, then spewed out multicolored, scorching dragon breath.
With their astonishing numbers and overwhelming firepower, they managed to blast the poor Rainbow No. 4 into a burning mass of debris from the air, despite the altitude difference of several thousand meters.
Okay, I must admit, they are far superior to some country on Earth in shooting down high-altitude targets by far compared to their balloon-shooting skills.
Although the dragon was urgently dispatched afterward to issue notices to various places, repeatedly emphasizing "do not attack reconnaissance aircraft" and "high-altitude aircraft have no meat and cannot be eaten," Su Ming had reservations about the speed and depth at which such propaganda could be effective.
For safety reasons, Su Ming decided to conduct the topographic survey at night. Taking advantage of the distance from the high altitude and the cover of darkness, Rainbow No. 5 was finally able to safely carry out the surveying work this time.
After confirming that all parameters were functioning normally, Su Ming set the drone to automatic cruise mode and mapping route, and then went to sleep.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight touched the sea, the "Rainbow No. 5" UAV successfully completed its mission and returned home.
Su Ming landed it on the Pansy's spacious flight deck. He removed the hard drive containing valuable data and took it back to the bridge to begin analysis.
As expected, the map provided by Elder Zhimeng Weaver contained numerous inaccuracies in geographical information such as coastlines, mountain ranges, and river distribution, some of which were quite serious.
Based on the high-precision terrain data from the drone, Su Ming quickly located an ideal mountain range, "Red Ridge," approximately eighty kilometers from Sapphire Port.
This is a large, extinct volcano with a long geological history. Its surface vegetation is extremely sparse and the environment is desolate. Through in-depth analysis of the surrounding topography, it can be inferred that this volcano experienced a rather long and violent eruption period in history.
This means that it almost certainly contains abundant mineral deposits deep underground! The only difference lies in the variety, quantity, and grade of the minerals.
But this is only one aspect that attracts Su Ming.
The "Red Ridge" also possesses several other unique advantages:
First, it is very close to the main channel of the White River. This not only means an extremely abundant supply of fresh water, but more importantly, the upper reaches of the White River are located within the territory of the Dwarf Kingdom, and the river flows through the Silver Moon Forest, eventually meandering through the Dragon Valley.
This is equivalent to opening up a golden inland waterway directly from the Dwarf Kingdom's mining and industrial areas to the base!
In the future, various types of ores, metal ingots, and other bulk raw materials needed can be conveniently transported here via inland waterway vessels.
Secondly, according to meteorological data provided by the Dragon Race, the Dragon Valley region possesses considerable and stable wind resources. The relatively isolated "Red Ridge" extinct volcano and its towering terrain make it an excellent site for installing large-scale wind turbines!
Of course, the open, sunny slopes of the crater are also extremely suitable for large-scale installation of solar photovoltaic panels. The sparse vegetation on the ground actually becomes an advantage for construction and reduces maintenance.
Furthermore, the vast surrounding area covered by the numerous eruptions of the "Red Ridge" volcano throughout history has formed exceptionally fertile volcanic ash soil. Today, this fertile land is home to an astonishingly large and dense forest. These resources are ideal raw materials for agricultural and forestry chemical industries.
As for the long-term supply of materials, branch forest bases can be established in other parts of Dragon Valley, or materials can be purchased directly from the elves of Silver Moon Forest. The elves will be responsible for sustainable logging and will bundle the timber into huge rafts, which will then float down the White River to this future industrial center.
As for the fact that the "Red Ridge" area has shallow soil and stable rock foundations, which is very conducive to large-scale industrial infrastructure construction, it is just an icing on the cake among many advantages.
(The map uses 3D modeling; the site plan is available in the relevant sections of the artwork.)
****
With the data analysis complete, Su Ming decided to personally go to the site for investigation.
After Elder Mo Yuan of the Black Dragon Sect went to the Dragon Court with Zijin, Elder Yin'er of the Silver Dragon Sect took over his duties.
This Silver Dragon stayed by Su Ming's side, specifically responsible for handling various matters related to the Dragon Race's territory.
Dragon King Gelie indeed showed great respect and courtesy to Su Ming upon his arrival.
Su Ming rode on the broad back of Yin'er and flew towards the "Red Ridge" mountain range. High in the sky, he carefully compared the terrain mapping data transmitted back by the drone with the actual landform. At the foot of the mountain range, he selected a relatively open and flat area and signaled Yin'er to land.
Yin'er used its powerful Dragon Claw to try digging a few times, and soon a solid layer of rock was revealed beneath the surface soil.
"The foundation conditions are quite ideal!" Su Ming commented.
"Are you going to build a lot of houses?" Yin'er asked.
"Yes, we need to build a lot of very large houses."
Su Ming roughly surveyed the environment around the crater. A faint smell of sulfur permeated the air, and bright yellow sulfur crystals were clearly visible on the ground and in the rock crevices, which at least confirmed the existence of sulfur mines.
As for other types of exposed or partially buried minerals, Su Ming could not identify them and further excavation, sampling, and detailed analysis were required.
But simply confirming the existence of sulfur ore was enough to give Su Ming a boost—it meant that the core raw materials for establishing sulfuric acid and related chemical industry chains had been secured.
On the White River side, this section is a canyon, which is very unsuitable for building a port. This also exceeds the adaptability of terrain magic and requires extensive earthwork excavation. However, it is not an insurmountable problem.
During his subsequent visits, Su Ming discovered another problem: the location of this extinct volcano was far too close to the settlement of a Blue Dragon Race.
"It's no big deal," Yin'er said casually. "Just let them move out."
Su Ming immediately felt a sense of unease upon hearing this. Even dragons have burrows, serving as shelter from the wind and rain. If it involved demolition...
"What price would it take to relocate them?" Su Ming immediately pressed.
"Oh, it won't be too much trouble," Yin'er explained. "Dragons can't stay in one place for too long, otherwise the excessive consumption of resources will seriously disrupt the balance of the surrounding ecosystem. Regular migration is one of our natural instincts."
"I see."
Led by Yin'er, they quickly found the alpha dragon of this Blue Dragon settlement. Su Ming took a closer look and couldn't help but smile inwardly—it was the very same dragon that had been the first to appear in the Land of Ancestral Spirits, and had its wings caught by Zijin, causing it to fall hard.
But the Blue Dragon clearly didn't care about what had happened, and even greeted Su Ming cheerfully, "Hello! Knight of the Zijin Clan, my name is Lan Mao."
After understanding Su Ming's intention to have them relocate, he barely hesitated before patting his chest and guaranteeing that he could lead his entire clan to move out of the area ahead of schedule.
"However," Lan Mao changed the subject, setting a condition, "You have to buy up what we can't take with us."
"What things?" Su Ming asked cautiously.
Lan Mao led them to a wide cave nest, pointing with his paw to the mountain of various items inside—mostly stones, crystal clusters, and mineral blocks that shimmered with an unusual luster, collected from various parts of the volcano.
"You know, we Dragon Race love collecting these shiny little trinkets." He swept his tail across the ground with a hint of helplessness. "But we can't take them all with us when we move."
Su Ming looked around the small dragon's lair, which was filled with these kinds of "collectibles," roughly estimated to weigh at least a hundred tons.
"Here," Lan Mao her paws, "That's all. You pay 1..."
"All 000 gold coins are yours."
"Does every dragon in your clan possess this much?" Su Ming frowned slightly as he looked at the enormous "treasure trove" before him.
"Yes, everyone's about the same," Lan Mao readily admitted, then tentatively asked, "How about I talk to everyone and try to get you a discount?"
"No need to discuss it further," Su Ming said decisively, "Deal!"
Just kidding, this isn't a demolition compensation condition, it's a reward for him!
Dragons generally think directly; they are accustomed to solving most problems with force and rarely scheme or bargain like humans or goblins. If he were facing the latter, Su Ming would have to pretend to pull and tug at the problem, afraid that the other party would realize that he had gained the upper hand.
Finally, with Yin'er as witness, the two parties reached a clear agreement: a total of forty-five Blue Dragon would complete their relocation within a week, and Su Ming would have to pay the agreed amount of gold coins and accept these minerals, which the dragons considered "useless decorations," before they left.
****
With this, the location of the production base was officially finalized.
Su Ming was in a very good mood. He solemnly marked the corresponding location on the topographic map and wrote down the name "Ruby Base".
Afterwards, he once again rode on the broad back of the Yin'er and embarked on his return journey.
"Elder Yin'er," Su Ming raised his voice amidst the howling wind to discuss, "Now that the base is settled, I plan to begin bringing the main force here for development and construction. Would you consider assigning a few Silver Dragon to be stationed at Sapphire Port for daily guard duty?"
His plan was to initially retain about one hundred necromancers to handle the finishing touches after the port was completed, and once operations were stable, only a few dozen people would be needed to maintain daily operations.
"Hmm, this requires payment," Yin'er's calm voice came through. "For this kind of employment involving a single dragon, if it's just for guarding and patrolling without any extra work, paying 3 gold coins per day, provided food and lodging are provided, is reasonable."
The price was indeed reasonable, and Su Ming agreed almost without hesitation.
However, "enclosing" means that a suitable nest needs to be dug for the dragon, but think of it as building a large guardhouse.
"All-inclusive meals" would actually be a bit troublesome. But judging from the dragons' dietary standards, it shouldn't be too much of a burden. After all, the last time they were treated to a meal of braised pork rice in Green Thorn Port, even the Dragon King Gelie turned back halfway after hearing the news, which is enough to imagine how "simple" the dragons' usual meals are.
****
On the fourth day after the Pansy arrived at Sapphire Port, Su Ming began to organize the main force of the Final Bone Mad Machines and set off for the Ruby Base.
About one-third of the personnel served as an advance team. Their task was to immediately begin construction of the living quarters, establish stone and timber quarrying sites near the base, and simultaneously complete the exploration, collection, and storage of water sources, laying the foundation for subsequent large-scale construction.
Most of the personnel then began to build a simple road connecting the "Ruby Base" and the "Sapphire Port" so that supplies and equipment could be transported along this road continuously.
The remaining staff at the port have moved on to more detailed construction work, such as reinforcing the outer breakwater.
The detailed design of the berthing area and the dredging and excavation of the waterway.
Su Ming carefully considered the scale of each project, especially road construction, which involved large-scale earthwork. Obviously, it would be much more efficient to let the enormous and powerful dragons handle it.
So he approached Yin'er again and proposed hiring a group of dragons to participate in the earthwork.
However, this time, Yin'er looked troubled. "If it's physical labor, then the price for hiring a dragon is usually between 20 and 50 gold coins per day."
Su Ming frowned deeply this time. "So expensive?"
Yin'er explained simply, "The vast majority of dragons have a very low demand for gold coins. Our food mainly comes from the natural resources within our territory, so we usually don't need to buy them. Occasionally, a dragon with a craving for meat might want to treat itself, and then it will earn some money to buy livestock from human or goblin merchants. Apart from that, the Dragon Race have very few other needs for money."
The dragons wouldn't mind taking on easy jobs like guarding the port, which are basically equivalent to sleeping and strolling around. But getting them to actually put in physical effort is much harder to entice them with low wages.
This explains why only a very small number of dragons were seen working in Dragon Gorge Port previously. Except in very rare special cases, hiring dragons for manual labor is very uneconomical in terms of cost.
Su Ming suddenly realized that these powerful creatures were indeed living a leisurely and carefree life, just like retired elderly people!
No wonder the Dragon Race's high-ranking members are all in a panic. In such a comfortable and lazy atmosphere, it's no wonder the Dragon Race has become a bunch of "useless" people!
No matter how cunning the humans and goblins who contracted the territory were, they would never dare to let the dragons go hungry. As long as they filled their bellies, basked in the sun, and played with some sparkling stones, it was a perfect day for them!
A strong sense of mission welled up in Su Ming's heart—he absolutely could not sit idly by and watch these more than ten thousand "super engineering machines" remain idle! He couldn't even imagine what the entire Dragon Valley would look like if this power could be fully mobilized!
Since the root of the problem lies in the dragons' lack of consumer demand, the solution becomes exceptionally clear—no demand? Then create demand!
A series of plans quickly took shape in his mind.
****
Su Ming acted immediately, contacting Miao Xin and bombarding the Dodder Group with a long list of customized requests.
An unprecedented wailing instantly filled the Dodder Group's office area. Immediately afterwards, almost everyone seemed to be put on fast-forward, plunging into a frantic flurry of activity.
Attracted by the commotion, Jisu peeked over and grabbed a team member who was hurrying by, asking, "Weren't you guys working hard to help Zijin set up the Dragon Court's administrative center these past few days? Managing an administrative system of ten thousand people must be as easy as child's play for you, right?"
He had barely finished speaking when the sharp-eyed Dodder caught him red-handed. Without a word, the Dodder shoved a blueprint into his hand, "This is for you!"
Jisu unfolded the blueprints with a puzzled look, and what came into view was a design draft of a giant clamp that was over two meters long.
"We're from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences!" Jisu exclaimed, both amused and exasperated. "You want us to work on cold weapons?"
Dodder gestured for him to continue reading. Jisu's gaze fell on the technical specifications, and his eyes widened instantly. "The cutting edge requires a Mohs hardness of 9?! What is Su Ming trying to clamp? A 50mm thick special armor plate?"
"These are nail clippers designed for dragons," Dodder explained expressionlessly. "Cold weapons can be used for tilling the land too, so keep it up!" As she spoke, she stuffed a few more blueprints into Jisu's arms. "Keep these up too, they're all daily necessities tailor-made for dragons."
The Fengshou, also drawn by the excitement and trying to slip away quietly, couldn't escape the Dodder's watchful eye.
"Perfect timing! Don't just sit around doing nothing. Here, these projects are yours!" She patted a thick stack of design drawings onto Fengshou's chest.
Fengshou picked up the top sheet and felt the design resembled some kind of exoskeleton, but it lacked power and was ridiculously large. "What is this—for?"
"This is a flight posture corrector for baby dragons, worn on their backs," Dodder replied succinctly.
"----Isn't this just a baby version of the Back Back Better?!" Fengshou blurted out.
"In short, the design must conform to the principles of dragon body ergonomics, and the materials need to combine high toughness and comfort." Ignoring his complaints, Dodder said, "Keep it up!"
Fengshou continued flipping through the pages and discovered a variety of strange and wonderful toy designs: some flew in the sky, some rolled on the ground, and some made all sorts of sounds—a dazzling array.
"Nail clippers and other everyday items are just minor perks," Dodder added calmly. "You know, for any race, children's money is the easiest to earn."
"So, now that these have been distributed to us, what are your groups busy with?" Jisu couldn't help but ask.
Dodder gestured for the two to follow, and pushed open the door to a laboratory next to them.
Inside, several researchers in white lab coats were carefully observing and studying several dark, rough-skinned crocodiles. Their workbenches were piled high with samples of skin wax of various brands, textures, and colors. Assistants were using tools to gag the crocodiles, applying different types of wax to different parts of their bodies, carefully observing the effects and making detailed records.
"The color should be bright and long-lasting, with good resistance to dirt and stains, while also ensuring breathability and waterproofness."
One researcher emphasized to his colleagues, "Everyone must make sure to compare all the characteristics."
Before Jisu and Fengshou could ask any questions, Dodder revealed the answer directly, "This is a research and development project to create skincare products tailored for Black Dragon."
"Fine—even Black Dragon can be waxed, huh!" Fengshou looked at the crocodiles, their lips twitching.
"So, would you two experts like to share some of the research on dragon cosmetics and skincare products?" Dodder smiled as it looked at Jisu and Fengshou.
"No need! We'll go get the daily necessities right away!" Jisu immediately raised her hands in surrender and turned to leave.
A piece of paper floated out from the Dodder's arms.
Fengshou bent down to pick it up, glancing at it before returning it to Dodder. The list clearly showed a demand for a hundred sets of equipment and supporting software.
"Damn it!" Fengshou couldn't help but swear, "This Su Ming, is he really not afraid of divine retribution?!"
****
In the captain's cabin of the Pansy, Su Ming gathered several trainees in charge of logistics and catering.
"Ah~ Tch~!"
As he was assigning tasks, he suddenly sneezed loudly without warning.
"President, you should still take care to keep warm after flying on the dragon's back for so long," a student reminded him with concern.
Su Ming rubbed his nose, nodded to indicate that he understood, and then asked, "Does everyone understand the mission?"
The group nodded in agreement, and one of them summarized, "In short, our core task is to conduct in-depth research on the dietary preferences of the Dragon Race, and on this basis, develop a series of food products that are inexpensive, plentiful, large in portion, and delicious, and then establish a chain of restaurants."
Su Ming nodded in satisfaction.
"Then, President," another student asked, pointing to the planning map Su Ming had spread out, which clearly marked the layout of the future chain stores, "Why does the food and beverage area only take up one-tenth of the entire store? What do you plan to do with the remaining 90% of the space?"
"We provide entertainment services," Su Ming replied succinctly.
The trainees stared at the price tags on the map for the entertainment area, which read "Five gold coins/hour, half price for the first hour, double the price if you accumulate more than three hours in a single day." They couldn't understand what kind of entertainment could possibly make the dragon willing to waste money like that.
The sign next to it reads "Accept payment in the form of ore of equivalent value" and "Accept collateral in exchange for services." Is that even possible?
What kind of entertainment services could make these old men, known as "dragon elders," bring out their treasured "minerals" or perform hard labor to repay their debts?
"You don't need to worry about that; I'll personally arrange the equipment." Su Ming gestured for everyone to leave.
As everyone stood up, one member asked one last time, "President, what's the name of our chain store?"
Su Ming, "Let's call it -- Chicken Dinner Internet Cafe!"