“You’re right about one thing: setting up a factory in Big Apple is indeed too big a target. The current factory scale is already the limit. The logistics, labor, and venue issues you mentioned do need to be resolved. However, factories are closing every day in the Commonwealth, and people are constantly losing their jobs. Some can do small businesses, some can go home to farm, some have started working in the service industry… But then, there are always people who have no other means of livelihood besides tinkering with machines. To earn a meal, they have no choice but to leave their hometowns. As for these people, if you gather just a tiny bit, you’ll have enough manpower!” Yu Lian said.
“…So, you don’t want me to set up a factory in the Andromeda Colony?” Autumn Mountain Yawata pushed up his glasses, wondering if he was looking at an idiot.
“Hmm, Tulon is a good place, with lonely smoke in the desert and the setting sun over a long river! It’s actually a pretty good place for investment. However, I’m talking about going to the New Divine State Star Region. That area belongs to the remote Star Region of the Commonwealth, which is relatively isolated, but the transportation is very convenient. That’s the most suitable place for you to go.”
Yu Lian felt that for a smart person like Yawata, saying this much was enough.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, he showed a hint of realization: “It seems feasible…”
Yu Lian’s words sounded contradictory, but they weren’t.
The establishment of this Star Region was not long, only a little over a hundred years. It was discovered by a scientific expedition fleet primarily composed of Earthlings—of course, at that time, Earth was already part of the Empire.
There was only one stable stellar jump channel leading to its core cluster of young stars. Compared to the Central Star Region, where “stellar highways” crisscrossed like a dense spiderweb, it did seem a bit secluded.
When the independence movement was launched, this Star Region, because over ninety percent of its immigrants were Earthlings, naturally stood unequivocally on the side of the newly established Commonwealth. Moreover, even geographically, this cluster of young stars, named “New Divine Province,” was much closer to Earth than to the Imperial homeland.
The Volunteer Army, composed of Earth immigrants from New Divine Province, blocked the only stellar jump channel, adopting a stance of one man guarding the pass against ten thousand, fighting to the death. They did indeed block the Empire’s small number of punitive forces.
At that time, the Empire’s all-out war with the Alliance had reached a fever pitch, and Earth’s independence movement was also raging. Even the Empire’s national strength was stretched thin, and it could only temporarily ignore it.
Later, of course, it could no longer manage it.
Of course, if the Empire had known then that the end point of that “only” stellar jump channel was the Gibraltar Star System where Qiming Star Gate was located, their attitude at the time would surely have been different, right?
From White Jade Capital, the capital of the New Divine State Star Region, to the Gibraltar Star System, it only required 6 jumps, and the journey could be compressed to within a week. Ships could easily travel to the Empire and the Alliance via the Gibraltar β Starport transportation hub, at least more conveniently than departing from Earth.
Seeing that the two smart people Present seemed to understand, Yu Lian continued: “In addition, as far as I know, Old Master Bai Boyi, the current administrator of the New Divine Province, is a rare industrialist. Or rather, their Bai family in New Divine Province has always been an oddity in the Commonwealth. New Divine Province is also the only area in the entire Commonwealth willing to support manufacturing and agriculture. As for counterfeit drugs… Heh, if you solve employment, boost the market, and pay taxes legally, never mind counterfeit drugs, they’d even be happy if you sold weapons!”
“They’re not counterfeit drugs! They are affordable medicines to save the lives of ordinary people!” Yawata retorted.
However, Old Master Bai was only two or three years younger than Marshal Paris, right? Although some descendants of the Bai family also had talent, there was truly no one like the Old Master, who dared to go to Earth and scold everyone from the President down to all the senators until they couldn’t function.
Moreover, after all, it was a republic; it couldn’t really turn the dignified administrator of a Star Region into a hereditary position for the Bai family, could it?
But even if the new administrator of the Star Region was a fool, the existing policies of New Divine Province would not change for a long time. It was naturally a good place to open a factory.
Although the Bai family was also a (local) capitalist family, their actions fully conformed to the setting of “enlightened gentry,” and they should be able to serve as his natural allies.
The New Divine Province, it seemed, really did align with his small goals.
Therefore, it was essential to ensure that the policies there, which were so out of step with the rest of the Commonwealth, would continue.
Yu Lian temporarily put these thoughts aside and then said: “You can set up a recruitment point at Gibraltar β Starport. Compared to leaving home and going to the New World, New Divine Province is at least still the homeland. Perhaps you won’t get rich overnight, but at least basic safety can be guaranteed. Some people who like to get rich overnight will choose to go to the New World, but I believe that more people just hope to live a comfortable life with three meals a day.”
Autumn Mountain Yawata nodded, having to admit that Yu Lian made sense.
“In addition, as far as I know, the high-drought spice industry in New Yumen has already received investment from the Alliance consortium and will expand production. Importing raw materials directly from there will definitely be cheaper than transporting them to Earth. If you trust me, I can even act as an intermediary to get you the best goods at a fair price.”
And by the way, accumulate a little more start-up capital for my small goal.
Yu Lian fiddled with the citrine pendant clipped in his wallet, thinking he had forgotten to call that precocious loli who was pretending to be mature after coming back. Would it be a bit too deliberate to try to build rapport now?
Autumn Mountain Yawata, however, gave a dry laugh: “Ah ha, what do New Yumen’s high-drought spices have to do with us?”
The ingredients for your “Autumn Mountain Scented Tea” must include Sea Pearl Grass and Black Mountain Iron Alfalfa. I wasn’t sure in my last life, but after this incident in this life, I can be 100% certain!
You know, your future grandson bought goods from me several times.
Yu Lian stared silently at Autumn Mountain Yawata, his eyes bright, until the other party uncomfortably shifted his gaze.
“At the yacht dock number 124 in the Upper District, there’s a light wheel 2000 hovercraft parked. Its license plate is AO4211. Here’s the key! It only takes two hours to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and it even has an autopilot function.” He handed over a glowing chip.
Yu Lian really wanted to whistle. Even the most basic, low-end version of this thing was worth over 2 million. Who wouldn’t like a hovercar that glows as it moves?
“The 5 million we agreed on will be transferred to your account after dawn. The materials you asked me to prepare are all on the ship now. Although I don’t know why you’re in such a hurry to go to Mist Capital, I do owe you a favor. If you need anything, whether it’s money, goods, or manpower, I’ll do my best to provide it.”
“Brother Yawata, although you have a poker face, you’re truly a straightforward person! But let’s skip it this time. I can handle this small matter myself.”
Because a certain person will do bad things in the future, I’m now preparing to kill him in the next step. If I say something like that, I’d be the one considered the villain, right?
“…Anyway, from now on, we’re spiritual soulmates, right? So you really don’t need to be polite.”
“If you weren’t saying that with a poker face and in a monotone, we might actually be good friends!”
After bidding farewell to everyone from Kuki-gumi, it was already two in the morning when he left. Public transportation in the city had naturally stopped operating long ago… However, after the commotion just now, public transportation probably wouldn’t resume for three to five days.
Fortunately, this area was already close to the edge of the Upper District, and the commotion had not spread here. Crossing this block and then the bridge over the Friendship River would lead to the Upper District. There, he could hail an unmanned taxi, and it would take at most half an hour to get to the yacht dock.
Thinking about it carefully, although a lot happened tonight, it was resolved quite smoothly. Not only did it not delay his schedule, but he even gained quite a few advantages. I really am a master of time management!
Yu Lian walked towards the river with self-satisfaction. After only a few minutes, he suddenly saw the warm light at the intersection of the alley crossroads.
He suddenly realized that he was on a very familiar street.
His future self had lingered here many times. And his current self had originally planned to come here for dinner after finishing his main business.
It was a small restaurant in the alley, with dim lights illuminating a signboard with no design, simply stating “Chen’s Shop.”
Yu Lian very realistically realized that he had been so focused on drinking and business talk at Yawata’s place that he hadn’t eaten anything at all.
So, he was hungry now, very hungry.
He remembered this shop was open late, from 7 PM to 7 AM.
Even with the Atlantic Ocean’s seventy-two hours, one couldn’t go without eating! Didn’t that unlucky guy with only twelve hours, the first thing he did after coming out was fill his stomach?
Yu Lian didn’t hesitate and pushed the door open, walking inside.