Chapter Ninety-One: Transfer

Fan Bei ignored the absurd banter between the white giant and the orchid, and continued studying the newly acquired Secret Canon of Divine Herbs.

He discovered that this book was on the same level as the Heaven King Jade Control Art. The mysterious techniques glimpsed through a million-fold spiritual power were indeed extraordinary.

It had to be admitted that humanity was still far too behind in the technology tree of the mystical path. They had no foundation in such matters to begin with, so it was like being forcibly elevated into a whole new world.

The core of the book was to cultivate corrupted plants into sentience, have them acknowledge a master, and then let the master, according to his own needs, alter their genes and shape through the manipulation of spiritual essence, so that they would grow into forms most suited to his purposes.

Put simply, this was the fusion of mystical techniques with modern breeding and selection. Its results were obviously far more powerful than mere technological screening could ever be.

Virus resistance, high yield, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, nitrogen fixation, tolerance of barren soil... countless superior crop genes, along with the advantageous genes of other plants, were all introduced in this book. If not for the talk of spiritual essence and mental power, it would look like an extraterrestrial compendium of breeding technology.

In her previous life, in a peaceful world, ton-per-acre grain fields were no longer worthy of praise. The latest agricultural science was indoor farming, which completely eliminated most pests and diseases through high-density cultivation.

There was even a kind of grain tower: one acre of land could be stacked into dozens of acres, and it was already capable of turning a profit, though the initial investment was far beyond what ordinary farmers could manage.

If one followed the methods described in this book and cultivated a plant that combined so many excellent genes into a single body, it would unquestionably be a divine herb.

But Fan Bei had no taste for farming. His main business was system manufacture, not food production.

A little study would do; he only needed to let that orchid develop on its own. He had no interest in promoting it on a grand scale.

Lin Zhongqing clearly was not the sort who liked farming, either. She liked to be in the spotlight, liked being the center of everyone’s attention, and definitely would not enjoy burying herself in the dirt.

But she had people under her command, and she had the technique of soul link, which ensured the loyalty of her subordinates. In her hands, this book could be given to the right person and truly made to realize its value. The wealth it would generate in the future would exceed the five million spiritual power points used to exchange for it by an incalculable amount.

From this point of view, though the housekeeper system extracted its share ruthlessly, it did not leave the source dry.

...

After Lin Zhongqing left, she did not go to Silver City, but instead headed to Copper Fortress, which had just been acquired, to calm the people and announce new management measures.

For the residents here, a change of masters was nothing unacceptable. After all, they had already changed masters once a few years ago.

At first, some people still felt nostalgic for the era of Lord Langsheng. After all, the measures he had introduced had truly brought them不少 benefits.

But just because of those benefits, it was impossible for them to have supported him with their lives back then.

Once the new chairwoman Lin announced her measures, they found that the new regime was no worse than Langsheng’s, and in fact rather better, thanks to its deeper pockets.

For example, basic wages were raised again, and the quota for buying houses was opened up. In the past, no matter how much one had saved, one could not buy a home here; one could only pay exorbitant rent.

Though the rent was later lowered a great deal, in many people’s hearts, paying rent meant the house was not truly theirs, and living there never felt secure.

Thus, in almost the blink of an eye, most people forgot Langsheng and his followers, and began welcoming the new ruler.

The people of the wasteland world might lack many things, but they did not lack endurance or adaptability.

Some especially well-informed people were even eager to rise above the rest under the new ruler.

The Starlight Commerce Association, though only recently risen, could stand against the Silver Commerce Association and even leave the other side helpless. From this alone, it was far stronger than Langsheng’s background by countless times.

Being able to join such a faction would certainly be a deal that could only profit and never lose. As for the Silver Commerce Association, it was already a case of one radish per pit; if the first radish was not pulled out, the next had no hope of getting in.

While everyone else was racking their brains to curry favor with the new master, Feng Erjin, Langsheng’s former trusted aide, was tossing and turning in his own home, caught between two choices.

Langsheng had told him that he could follow him into seclusion and cultivate, and that whatever he knew, he would try his best to teach him.

At the same time, he could also recommend him to the people of the Starlight Commerce Association. After all, as the former seller and a lifetime honorary member, he still had that authority.

Such a recommendation was precious. With it, Feng Erjin would not need to start from scratch; once inside, he would be a middle manager. Such a chance at promotion was extremely rare in a large association, and usually came only after great merit.

And the Starlight Commerce Association, from the moment it appeared, already carried the bearing of a major power.

Its trade contracts were all in the scale of hundreds of thousands or even millions of silver coins. It was certainly no small affair, and it likewise had deep backing behind it, no less formidable than the Silver Commerce Association.

He thought and thought, and in the end decided to go with Langsheng.

After all, the transformation of this elder brother was obvious, and he was surely lying low and biding his time. In the future, he would certainly rise again.

Adding flowers to brocade was never as good as sending charcoal in the snow.

Although there was the negative example of King Goujian of Yue, as long as he was careful and prudent, ending up like Fan Li would not be bad at all.

After making this decision, he suddenly felt a clarity in his mind, as though an unknown power had begun to spread through his entire body.

Then he discovered that in the world of consciousness, on that small island, within the grassland he had planted, a foxtail grass had turned bronze...

He had advanced and become bronze tier, so simple, so effortless.

He was certain this was absolutely related to Langsheng.

Thus he no longer had any doubts. Rising at once, he headed outside.

Just as he opened the door, he saw three or four old brothers coming to find him.

A dark-faced young man asked anxiously, “Second Brother, now that Big Brother has sold the fortress and retired, what do you plan to do?”

“Oh, I’m still going to follow Big Brother.” Feng Erjin did not hide it in the slightest; his gaunt face was solemn.

“Second Brother, Big Brother has taken a blow and is clearly discouraged,” the young man said hurriedly. “What future is there in following him? Everyone wants you to take the lead and bring us into the Starlight Commerce Association together. You can’t just abandon us.”

“Exactly, Second Brother. Big Brother can’t possibly join the Starlight Commerce Association, but you can. And you know so many confidential things; once you get in, you’ll be heavily valued right away,” someone echoed.

“A wise man submits to the times, and a good bird chooses the right tree. Second Brother, you need to see the situation clearly,” the others urged desperately.

Feng Erjin knew that these people kept saying they were doing this for him, but in truth they were all doing it for themselves. They wanted him to enter the Starlight Commerce Association and then gather allies, helping them seize benefits. He had long grown tired of that sort of scheme.

Otherwise, the men left behind by the former regime were destined to be cannon fodder and people on the margins. Only under his leadership and unity could they become a force of real consequence.

“Sorry, brothers. Big Brother has shown me kindness and guided me when I was still obscure. I cannot abandon him at his hour of peril. Since we are brothers, we must speak of loyalty,” Feng Erjin said, cupping his fists.

The three or four of them looked at one another, then hurried to flatter him.

“Second Brother truly is a real man. We brothers admire you.”

“Yes, loyal and righteous to the heavens—that’s exactly the kind of man Second Brother is.”

After a round of praise, one of them boldly said, “Since Second Brother is determined to leave, we brothers can’t force you. It’s just that we heard Big Brother wanted to recommend you to the Starlight Commerce Association before he left. If that opportunity is wasted, what a pity.”

“That’s right, Second Brother. We used to follow you everywhere, never complaining. You’ll be free after you go, but you can’t just ignore your brothers’ final stretch, can you?”

Only then did Feng Erjin understand: this was their true purpose in coming to find him.