Jiang Ye slept until past ten o'clock in one go.
He got up, washed his face, and brushed his teeth. He wasn't hungry, so he didn't ask his secretary to bring breakfast, deciding to wait for lunch.
He walked to his desk and sat down, crossing his legs.
Isabelle rested her chin on her hand, tapping away at the screen.
"How much has been approved?" Jiang Ye asked.
"At least two more days. Anyway, you're paid by the day, so I'm not in a hurry to finish. I'll take my time," Isabelle said.
Jiang Ye didn't care if she was procrastinating. He wasn't bothered by her salary, and it was good that the approval was slow, giving him time to save money for the new urban area construction.
He took out his phone to check messages as usual.
The moment he unlocked the screen, his eyes widened!
Unread messages: 999+
Jiang Ye felt a sense of foreboding. Usually, only major events resulted in an overwhelming number of messages, but never this many! Could the sky be falling?
He scrolled through the unread list and to his surprise, his worry turned to joy. Although there were many messages, they were almost all good news!
The various teams were expanding their territories. Every time a new area was opened up, data was transmitted back, and each transmission became an unread message.
From last night to this morning, in just over ten hours, over 400 square kilometers of new territory had been expanded, and a massive amount of scan data was waiting to be compiled.
Jiang Ye long-pressed, selected all messages, and chose "Import All."
A blue holographic projection popped up, with the territory map floating on the desk. Isabelle was startled and looked up blankly, seeing a dazzling stream of data. The map rapidly extended outwards, revealing various new locations.
The effect was like a building block model buried in sand; a gust of wind blew away some of the loose sand, revealing more blocks.
"Oh?" Jiang Ye stood up and reached out to tap several marked points on the map.
[Location Type: Mineral Deposit]
[Location Notes: Detected a large-scale deposit of red cloud molybdenum-lead ore, buried three meters below the surface. It is a common molybdenum ore, an essential trace element for humans and animals. Molybdenum metal is hard and tough. All human tissues contain molybdenum, with the highest concentrations in the liver and kidneys. It can be used in the production of kidney tonics, kidney stone medication, and anti-cancer drugs.]
Along with the notes, there were on-site photos. Several spider mechs were parked in a mine pit, and a few soldiers were holding ore.
The ore was stunningly beautiful, blood-red, with an oily sheen on its surface, almost like flesh dug out from a dinosaur.
"Are you going to get rich again?" Isabelle asked, resting her chin on her hand.
"Looks like it," Jiang Ye smiled, closing the location information and opening another.
[Location Type: Mineral Deposit]
[Location Notes: Large-scale deposit of aventurine quartz. Open-pit mine, with both green and brown aventurine detected. Commonly used for jewelry, and after cabochon cutting, can be used to make vases, bowls, and other items.]
The photo was a close-up of green aventurine, which wasn't particularly beautiful, resembling cheap green glass.
Jiang Ye closed this one and opened the last mineral deposit.
[Location Type: Mineral Deposit]
[Location Notes: Small-scale lapis lazuli mine, high quality, with a rich deep blue color, accompanied by small amounts of white calcite and pyrite specks. Can be used for jewelry, cosmetics, pigments, sculptures, and small luxury goods. In ancient Assyrian hymns to the moon god Sin, it is said: "Long flowing beard, bright as lapis lazuli."]
Besides the mineral deposits, there were two small streams, a small mountain entirely made of granite, and the rest were plains. This was the main information about the newly developed territory.
Jiang Ye was very satisfied. Compared to the collective exploration efforts before winter, the decentralized approach was much more efficient.
The speed had increased by about three to four times, and it might increase even further in the future.
The office door opened, and Liu Jizi pushed in a meal cart.
"Steamed Grouper, Lamb with Fish Slices, Vinegar-Braised Prawns, Daokou Roasted Chicken, Honey-Glazed Ginkgo and Ham, Plum-Glazed Ribs, Braised Oxtail," Liu Jizi introduced as he placed the dishes on the table. "Lotus Leaf Wrapped Cabbage, Clams with Loofah, Tomato and Scrambled Egg, Green Pepper and Phoenix Tail Mushrooms, along with steamed buns and white grape juice. For dessert, chocolate and rose cakes. Please enjoy."
After serving the meal, Liu Jizi pushed the small meal cart away.
Isabelle's eyes widened. "Why did I get a bento box for lunch yesterday? And you arrive and it's so extravagant?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention it yesterday, and my subordinates weren't aware. They actually gave you a regular meal." Jiang Ye handed her chopsticks. "So, I severely criticized them and told them to prepare a grand feast to reward you today."
Isabelle beamed. "It's so elaborate just to entertain me?"
"Of course."
Of course not. Jiang Ye's lunch was almost always of this caliber.
This was still because Jiang Ye advocated frugality. If he didn't, the specifications of all three meals could rival those of Empress Dowager Cixi.
After eating, Liu Jizi came in punctually to clear the plates.
"Sir, I have two matters to report," Liu Jizi said, his eyes fixed on Isabelle.
"Are they classified?" Jiang Ye waved his hand. "She's not an outsider. It doesn't involve military secrets, so just say it directly."
"The first matter is that some teams want to use their own money to buy rotorcraft and have asked me to inquire if it's permissible," Liu Jizi said.
"Why do they want to buy rotorcraft? Doesn't each team have a flapping-wing aircraft?" Jiang Ye asked, puzzled.
"There's only one, but everyone wants more. Aircraft are faster than armored vehicles, and they can expand territory faster. Also, the spider mechs have a short operational range and need to return to recharge frequently."
Jiang Ye thought for a moment. "Can't we just supply them with more flapping-wing aircraft? Flapping-wing aircraft are military equipment with firepower. Those rotorcraft are like aerial rickshaws..."
Halfway through, Jiang Ye realized. The military had expanded too quickly, and the number of personnel was too large. If everyone had a flapping-wing aircraft, production capacity wouldn't keep up, and it would take at least another half a year.
"Alright, approved," Jiang Ye nodded. "Remind them to be careful. I've flown rotorcraft before, and they're not very reliable."
"The second matter..." Liu Jizi seemed a bit embarrassed. "Can people in the military date? Is marriage allowed? Are there any institutions in the colony that handle marriages?"
Jiang Ye's expression immediately became gossipy. "You..."
"It's not me, it's a few junior officers below who asked me to inquire," Liu Jizi said.
"As long as it doesn't affect normal work and doesn't violate military regulations, dating is allowed. This is personal freedom, and I certainly won't interfere," Jiang Ye said. "As for marriage institutions... it seems there aren't any yet. Please wait a moment."
Jiang Ye picked up his phone and called Shao Wan.
He explained the situation in a few words. The police department would temporarily handle the duties of the civil affairs bureau and could process marriages and divorces for the citizens of the colony.
The certificates would be easy to make. By modifying the program on the machine used to create ID cards at the police station, marriage certificates could be printed.