[Employee Count: -1]
As if seeing those very floating numbers drift up from the crate, Ji Jue rolled his eyes and let out a helpless sigh.
Turning his head to look at Lu Feng, he didn't even bother asking.
Whatever that fellow Lu Feng would say, Ji Jue could already predict it.
*He was already like this when I walked in; he slipped and fell by accident; the security team doesn't have it easy either; why don't you take it up with the water ghosts; we're all just fighting to survive...*
Forget it. If he'd been reduced to a meatball, so be it—at least he was still alive.
As long as he was usable, that was all that mattered.
Bits and pieces had their uses too. With this much bulk, and with spirit and flesh mixed so evenly, it could practically be used as a bio-spiritus battery. Once spent, the leftover residue could even be fed to that abomination fish scale.
"To be a proper human, one must run a thrifty household."
Having finished his toil in the grand enterprise of human craftsmanship, Ji Jue looked at the fruits of his labor, let out a gratified breath, and sighed with emotion.
Beside him, Isis, who had watched the entire process with a cold eye, impassively pointed out, "No, Sir. I believe that the moment you chose to make a human, you chose to stop being human—"
"What kind of tongue twister is that?"
"It is a deadpan joke written specifically for you. Aimed at satirizing your conduct, the joke utilizes two uses and two distinct meanings of the phrase 'be human' to profoundly depict your character and mock your actions, provoking irrepressible laughter."
"..." Ji Jue was left speechless.
"What is the matter?" Isis asked curiously. "Is it not humorous?"
"No, it just feels even colder than the previous one." Chilled to silence, Ji Jue said, "Who knows, maybe you actually have a knack for this."
Isis replied calmly, "Thank you for the compliment."
Ji Jue sighed, thoroughly out of words. Whatever—let her do as she pleased.
The occasional loss of a few employees no longer troubled his mind.
At least it was no longer the early days of starting his business, when things were so strained that he had to treat employees like draft beasts. By now, the workforce enjoyed wages and subsidies close to inner-city rates. Though modest, it was more than enough to feed a family out in the wilderness.
Not that Ji Jue had experienced a sudden pang of conscience; rather, the underground complex of Haian currently had far too many free beasts of burden!
They popped up like crops after rain, shooting up continuously from the soil. In particular, the wastelands crawled with countless humanoid creatures. Aside from the heinous villains who thoroughly deserved death, those in need of re-education and reform were practically endless.
By this point, even landing a spot tightening screws on the assembly line required passing a rigorous screening.
Those without specialized skills or basic literacy could only perform heavy manual labor, pouring concrete on construction sites. Fortunately, Xinquan's current labor shortage was substantial. Beyond expanding the underground complex, rebuilding and expanding above-ground structures had also been slated on the schedule.
Ji Jue was no monster. By his estimates, after working non-stop around the clock on a 007 schedule for about twenty years or so, everyone would finally get a good rest.
Presently, everything above ground in Xinquan was thriving in reconstruction, while the layout of the underground complex grew increasingly intricate.
Having Celestial Chosens on hand was great in that regard—no need to worry about structural collapses. Simply find a Desolate Ruins Chosen to reinforce the area, and the job was done. Not to mention the workshop's extending spiritus circuits and field of influence, which brought everything firmly under control.
If Kanemoto could set up a Stagnant Rot zone in his own workshop, why couldn't they do the same for Embers?
If word got out that they couldn't, wouldn't they be laughed at?
This was a matter of winning face for Big Brother Embers—how could he hesitate or shrink back? Big Bro never held back when tipping him, so shouldn't he give this top-ranked patron of his a hefty return?
Incidentally, the underground shelter previously used by Xinquan's residents to take refuge had been cobbled together by Ji Jue from an unfinished underground workshop.
Regarding build quality, everyone who used it gave it glowing reviews—sturdy, stable, and secure. Its only flaw was that it seemed a bit haunted.
Whenever people fell asleep in the dead of night, they could faintly hear weeping and shrieks.
Still, it didn't matter. Living out in the wilderness, everyone made do with whatever they had. If it worked, it earned five stars; if not, you toughed it out anyway.
It had a ceiling, a floor, and walls, shielded against wind and rain, and was completely free of charge. Even if there really were ghosts, people just treated them as an extra neighbor. What was there to make a fuss about?
After a round of behind-the-scenes dealings between friends, not only had new industrial avenues opened up, but the issue of ever-increasing surplus production capacity had also been smoothly resolved.
Order numbers kept climbing.
More than enough to keep Haian busy for a long time.
Booming business! Truly booming business!
The shipyard partnership with the Wild Gathering alone was enough to keep Ji Jue occupied for ages, to say nothing of the cooperation with the Northern Realm and the Seven Cities, as well as the balance payment from the Red States in the Mid-Continent.
Just today, Haian's first batch of civilian-grade exoskeletons specifically designed for heavy manual laborers had been loaded onto ships and dispatched toward the Thousand Islands.
Regrettably, Ji Jue had just received word that, perhaps because Pacquiao's death had stirred a shared enmity among the pirates, the vessel had encountered water ghost raiders and retaliatory attacks right upon entering international waters. The entire shipment was hijacked.
How lamentable and infuriating! It sent Ji Jue into a towering fury, and he proclaimed that Xinquan and these outlaws were utterly irreconcilable enemies!
A stroke of luck amidst the misfortune was that both the cargo ship and the crew returned completely unscathed without suffering any mistreatment; only two bullet holes and a few scratches marred the ship's gunwales.
Thank goodness it returned promptly—had it lingered any longer, those marks might have faded away altogether.
To compensate the client for the loss of time, Factory Director Ji decided to honor the agreement and uphold the spirit of contract, doubling the delivery quantity for next week's second batch!
Surely they couldn't be targeted by water ghosts again, right?
If that happened, well, his hands would be tied.
Meanwhile, prior to this, a batch of bizarre parts and components that looked utterly incompatible with civilian equipment had already arrived in the Mid-Continent via Chen Xingzhou's connections and Wild Gathering channels.
As for what those things were actually used for—Haian was merely an OEM factory, so how could it pry into such matters?
If someone insisted on assembling them this way and that, then cutting rifling into them on a machine tool, what could Haian do besides lodging a solemn protest and reserving the right to take legal action? Right?
And after sweeping through all the settlements across Haizhou over the past few days, along with slaughtering every water ghost who dared set foot ashore, and before the rainy season had even ended, news from Haian Industries was delivered before everyone once more.
This time, it was neither spine-chilling bad news nor an overbearing, brutal command, but a simple announcement:
To facilitate the transport of goods and products, give back to consumers, and bring convenience to settlements across the wasteland, Haian Industries' wholly owned subsidiary—Courier Logistics—had officially opened for business.
In addition to freight delivery, its core business provided convenient online shopping for every settlement.
Beyond placing orders on the official website, thick product catalogs were delivered to each and every settlement. In addition to Haian's own merchandise, they featured an array of inner-city products, spanning daily sundries, medical supplies, vegetables, and fruits—everything one could possibly need.
While the quality was hardly top-tier, it was undeniably worth the price.
As long as customers called the twenty-four-hour hotline printed inside to place an order, delivery couriers wearing eye-catching red uniforms would sputter up on Haian tricycles the next day—or at most within three days—to deliver straight to their door.
Furthermore, alongside recruiting couriers, another service was slated to launch soon: 'Intercity Express,' which was more convenient and affordable than regular convoys, specializing in suburb-to-suburb transport.
Currently, routes were open only between the two core cities of Chaocheng and Yacheng, but subsequent expansions would integrate smaller cities like Jiangcheng and Chuancheng, establishing a cheap logistics network spanning all of Haizhou.
Though express shipping fees were still not cheap, they were far more convenient and significantly less expensive than large convoys and airships. Moreover, the service primarily handled low-cost handicrafts, small parcels, and scattered correspondence.
As for lost packages, there was virtually no need to worry.
In the past, no one could run such a business because the humanoid ecology of the wastelands made trust impossible. Now, however, across the Haizhou wastelands, there was no credit guarantee firmer than the brand of Haian Industries.
Should any loss or damage occur, Courier Logistics would compensate according to the agreed amount.
As for competitors wishing to stir up trouble, or scrapper scavengers whose ingrained habits drove them to ignore the rules and make a quick buck—they had better hope they could evade the eyes of Aether.
Given Ji Jue's relationship with the Tong family, regularly hiring a few Aether Celestial Chosens to cast a glance around was certainly child's play.
As for whether it turned a profit, he didn't particularly care, provided the losses weren't catastrophic.
When Gou Er proposed this concept during a meeting, Ji Jue had adopted it without hesitation and granted him full authority to implement it. It just so happened that he had a massive pool of working capital with nowhere else to spend it.
It also served as a great pretext to rope the Tong and Lou families in as partners—everyone teaming up to accomplish great things!
Profit margins were secondary; the crucial point was that only a stabilized wasteland possessed the potential for development.
While a grand purge was satisfying, if left untended, new poisoned fruit and wicked seeds would inevitably sprout anew from the wilderness. In that case, it was better to offer a new alternative to those constrained by circumstance, who otherwise couldn't survive without turning to evil.
It was grueling, yes, and bitter, certainly—but could it be more grueling than starving with bloodshot eyes, clutching a gun, and waiting for convoys just to throw away your life? Could it be more bitter than crawling into mine shafts to gamble with your neck?
In any case, he had plenty of tricycles, and the opportunity lay right before them. Whether they wished to live with heads held high or willingly descend into ruin was entirely up to them.
At the same time, Courier Logistics could gradually elevate Haian Industries' influence across the wasteland, turning this patch of mud into something a little better...
Why not go through with it?
As for how the future would unfold, it was truly hard to say. If it succeeded, great; if it didn't, no big deal. A project that took ages just to prepare wasn't something Ji Jue had the energy to monitor every single day, so he delegated all the legwork to Gou Er.
That afternoon, a vessel from the North Wind Workshop arrived in Xinquan. The apprentice running the errand brought back Pacquiao's soul after they were finished with it, along with several newspapers from the Seven Cities.
Each headline was more exaggerated than the last, shouting claims like "A Menace of an Era Meets His End in the Seven Cities," "Colonel's Decisive Foresight Captures Bandit Leader with Astute Strategy," "Seven Cities Joint Defense Leaves Water Ghosts Quaking in Fear," and the like.
Evidently, the family behind Lu Feng's friend had already begun leveraging their influence to build momentum. If everything went smoothly, a young general would assume office in the naval fleet of the Seven Cities Joint Defense by the end of the year at the earliest.
Lu Feng would bet anything that this was the most worthwhile time his 'good grandson' had ever called him 'Grandpa' in his life.
Meanwhile, what drew even more attention was the Seven Cities Alliance's ambiguous stance when the northern cities called for aid. One could only say they offered vocal support—who knew what kind of deal had been struck with the Northern Realm, but it seemed Yellowbeard's trip had not been in vain.
Another day passed, and word drifted in like falling leaves.
From distant Yacheng, the Tong family called—
*Your goods have arrived. When are you coming to pick them up?*
The final puzzle piece for Chunjun—[Embracing Simplicity]—was finally in hand!
Overjoyed, Ji Jue didn't sleep a wink all night. At the crack of dawn, he headed over carrying two live chickens. For some reason, he once again failed to see the Old Patriarch; the one greeting him was still Tong Ting.
Seeing those two chickens in his hands, Tong Ting's expression turned even more numb.
He felt an almost PTSD-like tension.
The last time you showed up with chickens, you ate, took things to go, placed preorders, and stirred up a storm of trouble. This time you brought damn chickens again—you're not seriously going to kill Xu Chaoxian, are you?
"We're all old acquaintances now. Next time you drop by... don't be so formal."
Tong Ting looked down at the chickens in his hands and sighed softly. "Chickens don't have it easy either."
How could such little bodies bear the weight of such massive undertakings?
This time, there was no pretentious tea brewing or casual gossip. Before Ji Jue's seat had even warmed up, the boon was thrust into his hands.
Money was not even mentioned.
They were so close, so why stand on ceremony?
Though Embracing Simplicity was rare, it wasn't particularly difficult for the Tong family to procure. Favors were built up precisely through these back-and-forth exchanges.
Besides, the Old Patriarch seemed quite optimistic about Courier Logistics. When Ji Jue offered shares, Tong Shengnian accepted them directly, and beyond opening up the Tong family's own distribution channels, he even poured in an additional investment.
The Lou family did the same, and even helped clean up numerous loose ends for Ji Jue on the side.
After all, these days, talented individuals were plenty, and those with potential weren't particularly rare, but someone who was talented, full of potential, willing to step up and clear out trash heaps to solve trouble for everyone, and who could even carve out an entire market from those very heaps—now that was extraordinarily rare.
The more stable Haizhou became, the more comfort, ease, and profit everyone enjoyed.
And who didn't like clean, easy money?
Only after returning to his workshop from the Tong residence did Ji Jue finally cast his gaze upon the boon in his hand.
Within the amber-like crystal, a minimalist trace resembling a stroke of ink meandered and flowed continuously, ever shifting. Yet no matter how it transformed, it consistently brimmed with a rustic, almost indescribable beauty.
One glance was enough to perceive its singular quality: purity.
[Embracing Simplicity]. Its effect was to strip away all embellishments and pretensions, erasing every interference and distortion, and restoring the affected target as closely as possible to its true essence.
Applied to external objects, it could pierce through to their original form and state.
Applied to oneself, it could correct deviations, dispel extraneous thoughts, and effortlessly locate traces of curses or Heart Pivot interference. Even the most minuscule symptom could not elude its power.
Regrettably, it cleared away negative and positive effects alike, making no distinction and showing zero bias.
Yet this was precisely where its greatest value lay.
With it present, a Celestial Chosen would never lose sight of their original self and could always master their personal changes with absolute objectivity.
It was important to understand that the Path of Aether was intricate and multifaceted. The more one saw, heard, and perceived, the easier it was to lose oneself.
Just as an ordinary person accustomed to luxury, indulgence, and dizzying wealth would unconsciously start spending lavishly; or someone who grew used to large wire transfers at a bank would consider hundreds or thousands mere pocket change; or someone who ate too many KTV fruit platters would want to swap out the lineup upon seeing people line up; or someone who played a certain mobile game too much would find even a G-cup too flat...
Human thoughts and ideas shifted imperceptibly,
often shaped by external environments without their awareness.
For other Celestial Chosens, this was merely a shift in mindset. But for Aether, such gradual, unconscious accumulation of change was often fatal—it could even induce deviation, cause them to lose their own anchoring, and give rise to delusions and hallucinations.
They saw too much.
Whether it was Naming, Observation, or Deconstruction, all had to proceed from the Celestial Chosen's own frame of reference. If one's own standing suffered deviation or contradiction, seeing simple hallucinations was getting off easy; if one truly began perceiving chaotic horrors, there would be no saving them.
Pollution was invisible and noiseless,
just like foreshadowing.
The Great Sin corresponding to Aether lurked within every tiny change accumulated over days and months, and by the time you noticed the distortion and contradiction rising from your heart, it was already too late.
Low-tier Aether pierced through to the truth, yet high-tier Aether could weave reality itself.
Over a century ago, an Aether Celestial-Human of the Empire fell into corruption for seven years without anyone even noticing.
The entire population of a city was drawn into a 'book,' becoming its characters, yet passersby who walked into it sensed nothing amiss.
For seven full years, every soul in that city—young and old, men and women, even cats and dogs—lived as if inside novels, films, and animation.
Romance, office drama, campus life, murder mysteries, suspense, horror, and even high fantasy—they took on roles as supporting actors and protagonists across various genres, playing out cyclical evolutions. Ultimately, when countless contradictions overlapped and erupted, they ushered in the grand climax amidst hysterical madness.
Countless corpses carpeted every square inch of the city's ground. Only the final protagonist walked out of the city gates, and when looking back on the past, it felt like an endless nightmare.
And when he turned his head around, not a single trace of what had once been remained behind him.
To this day, this Calamity of the Scribe continued to resurface repeatedly in the mortal realm, continuing broken fragments. Once the night passed, it would vanish without a trace, taking the newly penned chapters with it.
The details alone sent chills down Ji Jue's spine.
Had every Calamity of the Scribe not been guaranteed to leave behind a protagonist to witness the entire spectacle, perhaps no one to this day would have ever noticed its existence.
What was even more terrifying was that the corrupted Celestial-Human back then had also possessed the boon of Embracing Simplicity... If the boons of the Supreme Virtues were truly omnipotent, how could the Great Sins even exist?
Expecting a boon to resolve every problem was pure delusion.
Still, the effect was undeniably genuine.
With Embracing Simplicity in hand, even before establishing spiritus communication, Ji Jue felt a wave of clarity and peace wash over his heart. Everything he had done in recent days became vividly clear, coursing through his mind like flowing water.
It felt as if he had returned to his origins and pristine core.
Looking at everything he had done from the most objective perspective, he realized: without noticing, he had squandered so many materials?!
Setting aside all the other petty scraps, he clearly held the legacy sacrificial rites of both Mycelium and Scar in his hands—with so many dead water ghosts and scumbags, why hadn't he sacrificed them in exchange for materials?
He had suffered a loss at the hands of his own conscience again!
Ji Jue beat his chest and stamped his feet, gripped by wrenching agony.
He made up his mind: before forging Chunjun, he would fiddle with this thing as much as possible.
*I examine myself three times a day!*
Fortunately, before he even got to his second examination, he received a message from Ye Chun.
His teacher was finally done!
Upon receiving the text, Ji Jue rose without a second thought and bolted straight toward Chaosheng, racing against the clock.
All these days had nearly driven him mad with anticipation.
Too many questions had gone unanswered.
Now that his teacher finally had free time, how could he not seize every second?!
Thus, five minutes later, it was the turn of Ye Xian—who had just emerged from her workshop after a grueling bout of work without even a moment to rest—to fall completely silent.
In the dead silence, Ye Xian held her teacup, quietly staring at the bashful Ji Jue across the table.
All of a sudden, she was seized by a fierce urge to pry open this bastard's skull and see what was inside...
*I only shut my doors to conduct research for a month—how on earth did you manage to stir up this much trouble?!*
Chapter 432