Jiang Ye: Oh? You go first then.
Cao County Citizen: I want to ask something first, boss, what level is your base at?
Just as Jiang Ye was about to answer, he abruptly stopped himself. This question was too sensitive!
He decided to play it coy.
Jiang Ye: It's probably, maybe, a very good level.
Cao County Citizen: Don't be like that, be serious, what level is your base at? You can say that, right?
Jiang Ye: Of course I can say it! I was just about to answer. I'm glad you asked this question, because all in all, your question is very well-posed. Looking at the current situation, and considering the overall picture, this is a very important aspect. To put it concisely...
Jiang Ye was being incredibly cunning, babbling on and on, but actually saying nothing. It was all empty talk!
The speed of base upgrades was a temporary secret and could not be revealed.
This Cao County Citizen knew quite a few people, and he really didn't dare to disclose it to her.
Cao County Citizen: Alright, if you don't want to say it, then don't. But I know, you must have upgraded to a level three base very early on, right?
A moment of silence.
Jiang Ye: No, it can't always be you asking me. I think I should speak first.
Cao County Citizen sent two sweating emojis. Fine.
Jiang Ye: I noticed you're selling Blood Grenades. You've upgraded to a level three base, haven't you?
Cao County Citizen: Yes, I just upgraded this afternoon. After upgrading, the Galactic Mall unlocks. When I saw Blood Grenades, I knew that Boss Jiang must have upgraded to a level three base early on, right?
Jiang Ye: Yes and no.
Cao County Citizen: Alright, alright! I surrender, I won't ask anymore. You speak, what did you want to talk to me about?
Jiang Ye: I feel that you have a great business acumen. So I want to cooperate with you.
Cao County Citizen: What a coincidence! That's why I'm looking for you too! Please allow me to introduce myself first?
Jiang Ye: Please.
Cao County Citizen: I was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and was sent to the present through the cryogenics program. Before getting cancer, I was a master's student in finance at the University of Saskatchewan, with six months of internship experience on Wall Street, and I had worked on about thirty to forty projects. At the age of 22, I bought my first BMW i8 on my own. In the following three years, I bought four more sports cars and a suburban mansion. Therefore, I have absolute confidence in my business capabilities. Since arriving on this planet, I haven't farmed or mined, and I haven't even left my base much. I've solely relied on bartering to quickly upgrade to a level three base.
Jiang Ye was completely stunned.
Holy crap, a young Wall Street shark?
Is it that terrifying?
Fortunately, I didn't engage in a price war with this girl. If we had, my skills wouldn't even be enough to fill her teeth!
However, from this self-introduction, Jiang Ye gained a deeper understanding of this Cao County Citizen.
Firstly, although the girl spoke politely, she was actually quite proud at heart. If all these dazzling resumes were true, she indeed had the capital to be arrogant.
Secondly, she was truly a business expert. Jiang Ye could already picture the image of a white-collar female elite from a movie:
Wearing a professional suit, carrying a Chanel bag to work, her hair elegantly permed and charming, sitting in an office on a high floor of a glass skyscraper, with multiple monitors and keyboards on her desk, elegantly typing and making millions of dollars flow back and forth.
Jiang Ye: Let me tell you my plan. Currently, I have some goods. These goods are quite special, and I'm probably the only one on the entire planet who has them.
Jiang Ye: But I'm usually very busy and don't have much time to find people to sell goods to in the chat channel. So, I want to find someone to help me sell them.
Jiang Ye: I think you're very good at this. If you're willing, I'll provide you with the goods, and you help me sell them. We'll split the profits.
Cao County Citizen: Too coincidental, that's exactly what I was planning too! I figured Boss Jiang must be at a higher level than us and have things we can't buy.
Jiang Ye: So, I'll be the supplier, and you'll be the salesperson. We'll cooperate, are you willing to this model?
Cao County Citizen: Yes, I plan to set up a Cao County Mall, like an online store, to sell various items in the chat channel. You supply me with goods, and I'll be responsible for contacting sellers.
Jiang Ye: Okay, then I'll state my requirements now.
Cao County Citizen: Please speak.
Jiang Ye: Your mall's goods will definitely be divided into two types. The first type, you don't need me to supply you, like Blood Grenades. The other type, only I can provide you with. For the sales profit of the former, I want thirty percent, and for the sales profit of the latter, I want sixty percent.
Jiang Ye had thought it through very carefully.
Originally, he could make a lot of money selling Blood Grenades himself.
But once Cao County Citizen's business took off, no one would buy his Blood Grenades anymore. This was a loss, and he had to get a portion of it.
The most crucial point was that the market for Blood Grenades was huge and the profit was high. If Cao County Citizen took it all, she would quickly be able to upgrade her base again.
If her base level was the same as Jiang Ye's, then the cooperation would quickly break down, because she would no longer need Jiang Ye to supply her!
Cao County Citizen: Agreed. We'll do as you say. Then, may I state my requirements?
Jiang Ye: Of course, please speak.
Cao County Citizen: My requirement is that our cooperation relationship be maintained for at least five years, and that we will never betray or deceive each other within these five years.
Jiang Ye was very pleased.
This is great!
I couldn't ask for more!
Jiang Ye: It's my honor, we can completely trust each other. So, is it a deal?
Cao County Citizen: Deal!
The cooperation was thus established.
He was very excited.
Being able to cooperate with such a business genius, working together, colluding, forming an alliance – perhaps that last phrase was a bit inappropriate, but that was the general idea – this was truly a great opportunity to make money quickly!
At this moment, Jiang Ye seemed to see piles of cash falling from the sky!
"So, boss, what goods do you have on hand now? Can I get some from you now?" Cao County Citizen inquired.
"I have three types of goods: Physique Enhancer, Colony Officer Set, and Pots. Their costs are 1000, 5000, and 2000 respectively. As we are just starting our cooperation, I won't charge too much. I'll add 500 to each and sell them to you. You'll split the profits with me after selling them," Jiang Ye typed back.
Cao County Citizen: Holy crap! These are really good things!
Over the next five minutes, the two sides communicated in detail about the goods.
Cao County Citizen decided to take three of each item first, a total of nine items.
Jiang Ye quickly traded with her, earning 500 on each item, immediately making 4500 yuan!
His personal assets increased from 55,910 to 60,410.
Although it looked like a lot, he was still a considerable distance from the 500,000 yuan needed to upgrade to a level five base.
After receiving the goods, Cao County Citizen turned to start promoting them.
Jiang Ye squatted down and carefully examined the corpse of the small beast he had killed that day.
The small beast had been dead for several hours, and its body had already stiffened.
There were still traces of blood and excrement on it, making it dirty.
He had originally planned to butcher and eat it the next morning, but looking at its dirty and smelly state, Jiang Ye felt a wave of nausea and lost all appetite.
Maybe I should sell it?
Jiang Ye suddenly thought that he could try throwing the corpse of the small beast into the trading pod to sell it. The trading pod could identify what it was.
He picked up the small beast by its tail and directly threw it into the trading pod.
After a brief scan, a prompt appeared on the panel:
[Item: Unknown Mammal]
[Item Description: Oh my god! The Galactic Empire's species database could not find a matching species. This might be a new species. Scientists of the Galactic Empire will surely be very interested, and it can be sold for a good price!]
[Estimated Price: 100,000 yuan]
Jiang Ye suspected he was hallucinating.
He rubbed his eyes and counted the zeros three times before he was sure.
The corpse of this little beast was worth a hundred thousand yuan!
It was too damn valuable!
Without hesitation, he decisively sold it!
A flash of light passed, and the corpse of the small beast disappeared.
His personal assets increased from 60,410 to 160,410.
Jiang Ye pondered for a moment and decided that he could venture out on rainy days in the future.
Carrying Blood Grenades, he would just blow up anything alive. If he happened to blow up some unknown creature and drag it back, it would be a hundred thousand yuan!
That was almost equivalent to two days' worth of labor.
It was getting late, so he went to bed.
He was particularly tired today. He fell asleep within three seconds, and faint snores began to sound.
At eight in the morning, Jiang Ye pushed open the base door.
He had one task to do that morning: make a stove.
Many of the corn in the base had become hard and inedible. He needed a stove to cook the corn.
He wandered around the vicinity of the base and found a small hill.
The hill wasn't high, only reaching his waist. The soil was quite firm, and many small stones were exposed.
"Hmm, this will do," Jiang Ye nodded.
He picked up a shovel and started digging.
He dug from the side, quickly hollowing out a cavity. Then he dug down from the top of the hill, connecting it to the cavity.
This way, he could place the pot on top and fill the bottom with firewood.
He learned this trick from watching a TV show, a survival program where they dug simple stoves. It was low-tech; anyone with a shovel could do it.
He returned to the base, filled the pot with some water, and threw in five corn cobs.
The water used to boil the corn was drinkable and had a sweet taste. Traditional Chinese medicine even considered it beneficial for the body. Along with the corn, this would be enough to eat for a day.
He lifted the pot and placed it on the earthen stove. Next was to start the fire.
He already had flint. Jiang Ye had dug up quite a bit before and kept four pieces for himself.
He also had firewood.
Although there were no forests or grass nearby, Jiang Ye had planted a large area of crops a few days prior.
The fruits had been harvested, but the dried stems and leaves remained in place. They had been shriveled by the sun, completely devoid of moisture, and were very flammable.
Jiang Ye grabbed his samurai sword and quickly chopped. In a short while, he had gathered a large pile of dry leaves and branches, weighing about ten pounds.
He estimated it would be enough to boil a pot of corn, so he tucked it under his arm and brought it back to the pot.
Jiang Ye carefully stacked the firewood, placing the thicker stalks at the bottom and the easily ignitable leaves and dried flowers on top.
He struck the flint desperately!
*Clack! Clack! Clack!*
The dry flint continuously produced sparks, falling onto the leaves.
However, the leaves just wouldn't catch fire.
Jiang Ye was not discouraged and continued to smash the flint with all his might.
He had thought that with sparks and dry firewood, starting a fire would be simple.
But after ten minutes of desperately striking the flint, he still hadn't managed to light it!
Jiang Ye was panting, feeling like he was about to spontaneously combust.
No wonder primitive people ate raw meat for so many years; starting a fire was indeed a skill!
After a short rest, he continued to try.
He moved the flint closer to the leaves and struck it with all his might.
Another ten minutes passed with this striking.
He watched helplessly as countless sparks fell into the pile of firewood, but it still wouldn't ignite!
Jiang Ye was on the verge of collapse, feeling that he wouldn't be able to start a fire even after ten thousand more years.
There must be something wrong with the method. He decided to go back and ask someone in the chat channel.
Jiang Ye got up and walked towards his base.
After only a few steps, he smelled smoke in the wind.
Jiang Ye turned back in surprise and saw thick smoke billowing from the earthen stove.
It had caught fire!
He rushed back in delight and observed the fire in the stove.
Good, the flames were growing larger and burning!
Jiang Ye sat beside it, adding firewood with his hands. He occasionally threw in dried leaves and straw to keep the fire at a moderate size.
Having grown up in the city, he had never used an earthen stove before. But he was clearly talented. The first time he tried to start a fire, he did it quite skillfully.
After boiling for more than ten minutes, the sound of the water in the pot became louder.
Finally, it began to boil!
Bubbles rose from the bottom of the pot, passed over the corn, and burst on the surface of the water.
Jiang Ye didn't know how long it would take for the corn to cook, but he knew that just boiling water wouldn't be enough, so he continued to add firewood.
One minute.
Three minutes.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
He could already smell the rich aroma of corn, and the water in the pot had turned a faint yellow-green.
Jiang Ye felt it was about time, so he stopped adding firewood and waited patiently.
The firewood in the stove burned for another two minutes, the flames diminished, and gradually extinguished. White smoke rose, choking him.
Jiang Ye turned his head and coughed twice.
The water in the pot stopped boiling and gradually cooled.
The golden corn lay in the water, looking very appealing.
Jiang Ye was excited. This was the first time he had eaten a hot meal since arriving on this planet. When he was a child, he didn't think boiled corn was anything special, but now his mouth was watering uncontrollably. At this moment, boiled corn was like a delicacy to him!
Every ten seconds or so, Jiang Ye would tentatively reach out and touch the corn.
When it was almost cool enough to hold, he eagerly took one out of the pot and took a big bite!
The corn juice exploded into his mouth, sweet and fragrant.
"Damn, this is delicious!" Jiang Ye couldn't help but curse.
In less than two minutes, he had devoured an entire ear of corn like a dog gnawing on bones.
He hadn't eaten enough, so he immediately picked up the second ear and started devouring it.
To be honest, it wasn't cooked enough. The corn kernels weren't soft and chewy enough, and there was a slight raw taste. But it didn't matter. He hadn't eaten in so long that even half-cooked corn tasted incredibly delicious!
After eating two ears of boiled corn, he was almost full. There were still three ears of corn left in the pot.
Jiang Ye drank some of the corn soup and felt very satisfied.
He covered the pot to prevent dust from getting in. He would save the remaining three ears for lunch and dinner.
Jiang Ye let out a satisfied burp, picked up his tools, and headed to the mine pit to begin his work for the day.
Unlike the previous few days, he didn't mindlessly excavate the cryolite.
He decided to design this mine pit properly.
First, relying on his sense of smell for mineral veins, Jiang Ye identified the approximate area with cryolite.
He drew a rectangle ten meters long and eight meters wide on the ground with his shovel.
As for how deep it was, he didn't know. Yesterday, he had dug to a depth of five meters, and there was still a lot of cryolite ore.