Chapter 76 Are They Really Second-Generation Abomination? <TOC> Chapter 78 Visitors from Energy Storage City
Translator: SumTLMan
Yuan Tong gathered his former subordinates and began pushing the two enhanced ships out of the snow.
Seeing that their movements were too strenuous, Zhou Yi summoned the Warrior Crabs to help. The ships were easily carried by them from the neighborhood to the seaside.
Yuan Tong boarded the ship, asked the others to clean the deck and clear the accumulated snow, and then went into the bottom of the cabin himself.
After a while, he emerged again, exhaling white breath, and said: “Chairman, the ship is fine. The two Light Prints on the keel are intact, and there are still energy packs, enough to go out to sea.”
Zhou Yi followed him down the ladder into the bilge.
The keel at the bottom of the ship was coated with a layer of black oil resembling pitch, but stepping on it didn’t feel sticky at all. There were white lines on this black oil.
The linear structures covered the entire keel frame, creating a very special mathematical visual effect.
Zhou Yi discovered that the white lines were actually in grooves. First, fine grooves were chiseled into the keel, then the white lines were filled in, and finally sealed with a layer of glue.
Yuan Tong pointed to the layer of black oil and said: “Chairman, this is the Light Wall made with Light Sand, mixed with insect-repellent spices, resin, oil, and some stone powder. Although it’s the simplest primary Light Wall, it’s enough to carve Light Prints and fix them on it.”
“Look, these Light Ridges encapsulated with Light Amber are so neat and beautiful——Although this ship is small, its quality is not bad. The two E-Class Light Prints ‘Propulsion’ and ‘Light Float’ are connected through the Light Ridges; one is connected to the rudder, and the other covers the bottom.”
He pointed to those straight white lines above.
Zhou Yi didn’t understand and asked: “What’s the deal with Light Amber and Light Ridges?”
Yuan Tong looked slightly surprised and explained: “Light Amber is a kind of viscous oil accumulated at the bottom of the Dead Sea, somewhat like clay. They are distributed in some special areas on the seabed. Sea Domain Lords and cities are exploring these resources everywhere. If we can find a mining area nearby, it’s like sitting on a money-making machine.”
“After removing impurities, the Light Amber is mixed with a portion of metals like gold, silver, or copper in proportion, then cast and filled into the carved Light Wall. This is the Light Ridge, representing the backbone of the Light Print.”
“The Light Wall made with Light Sand, plus the fixed connecting Light Ridges on it, form the simplest Light Print. The raw materials and processed products related to Light Prints are basically in high demand everywhere; they are strategic materials.”
Zhou Yi remembered that he had indeed seen similar oily substances at the bottom of the sea.
Those things were pitch black, seeping out in strands, sometimes writhing like lifeforms, looking somewhat mentally disturbing.
Approaching them would make one’s ears buzz, very strange.
“Ah! What you mentioned are the natural high-concentration Light Amber vents——”
Yuan Tong’s single eye widened, murmuring: “High-concentration Light Amber does cause discomfort to various lifeforms. This stuff is the paste-like substance of Dead Light deposits. It requires special methods to collect; after purification and impurity removal, it turns white.”
Zhou Yi was delighted.
In the future, he could take the Warrior Crabs to the seabed to dig for Light Amber.
The Dead Sea is really a good place.
He took out his diary, which he carried with him, and noted down the situation of the Light Amber.
A good memory is not as reliable as a worn pen.
More importantly, writing it down in the notebook could urge himself not to be lazy; after achieving the previous goal, he should rush to the next progress.
Next, Yuan Tong demonstrated the specific operation of collecting Light Sand.
He used a tool resembling a cloth bag, probed into the mist of the Dead Sea, carefully dragged it, drawing circles clockwise again and again.
After about five minutes of repeated scooping, Yuan Tong pulled up the long rod and placed the cloth bag into a prepared wooden bucket filled with snow, scraping the inner layer of the bag with a wooden board.
There were more tiny black particles on the snow layer in the bucket.
“This is Light Sand.”
Yuan Tong pointed to the particles, a slight smile appearing on his face: “Chairman, don’t underestimate it; the price of Light Sand is four times that of copper.”
“Collecting Light Sand requires a ship or building special port facilities. This requirement is not low in itself. Ship operations require energy pack power, which is another expense, so the threshold is actually quite high.”
“Plus, the Dead Sea itself is very dangerous. You need to ensure that you won’t be attacked by nearby Light Absorber species to carry out the collection operations. Because collecting Light Sand is a job that requires patience and stability.”
He rubbed his hands: “The company’s Jade Emerald City deters the shallow sea area of the Dead Sea, coupled with the patrols of the Warrior Crabs, so I had this idea.”
All the prerequisites were met.
Now there was only one key issue left.
Zhou Yi said in a deep voice: “Tell me about the costs and benefits.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Yuan Tong seemed to have detailed calculations in this regard and spoke readily: “The costs include two parts. One part is manpower; this is simple. Jade Emerald City currently lacks nothing more than manpower. The second part is the consumption of energy packs.”
“The enhanced ships driven by Light Prints consume one energy pack every 12 hours. According to the universal price, 10 energy packs are worth 1 Light Seed, or 100 gold; the cost is very high.”
He counted on his fingers: “If we keep two ships working alternately, each working half a day, then in a month of 30 days, the cost is 60 energy packs, equivalent to 6 Light Seeds, or 600 gold.”
“As for the benefits, because we only did sporadic work for a few days before, we can use that as a reference.”
Yuan Tong recalled: “At that time, we worked half a day and rested half a day, with some people scouting around and others working. After selling the Light Sand, the daily per capita income was about 200 Mushrooms.”
“If we operate around the clock, plus not having to allocate half the manpower for vigilance, the benefits are at least twice that.”
Zhou Yi thought this was good.
“Then let’s try it out first. We’ll set the salary based on your previous income, setting a monthly salary of 6,000 Mushrooms.”
The farming group in Chicken Head Town is considered a good job in the Sand Port area, and their monthly salary is only about 3,000 Mushrooms.
Creating new employment positions allows community residents to obtain rewards through labor and change their lives, and it can also generate some income for the company, which is beneficial for the long-term stability of Jade Emerald City.
“However, Chairman, the most difficult is the selling problem.”
Yuan Tong scratched his head and showed a wry smile: “Collecting and operating processes are things many people know, but to sell the stuff, you have to send it all the way to the city. Small-scale sellers are easily bargained down heavily, and there are many risks along the way.”
“I’ll handle this.”
Zhou Yi said: “You first find some residents from Grub Grain Town, teach them to collect Light Sand. I’ll have Hunter Sea and the Warrior Crabs patrol to ensure your safety.”
“Okay, I’ll get on it.”
Yuan Tong was a man of action. He first returned the ships to the shore with the Warrior Crabs, then took people straight to Building No. 2 to recruit.
Selling channels for Light Sand.
Zhou Yi first thought of Recursion City.
The good thing about trading with machine lifeforms is that they have clear pricing standards, so you don’t have to worry about being lowballed.
It’s just that the distance from here to Recursion City is 2,000 kilometers.
Transportation is a problem.
Red Falcon suggested: “Why not trade with a nearby city? Energy Storage City is closer to this area, just 800 kilometers to the northeast.”
“They take energy as their core industry, and the prices are fair. As far as I know, their freight capacity is very strong, whether it’s purchasing raw materials or exporting processed goods, they have a sound transportation and logistics system.”
Zhou Yi was overjoyed: “Can we contact Energy Storage City?”
“There is no Machine Stack Service with them. I’ll go over there to check out the situation and wait for my news.”
“Wait, take some Light Seeds and go activate the service.”
Zhou Yi transferred 500 Light Seeds to it.
“I’ll be back soon.”
After saying that, the drone took off into the sky.
Chapter 76 Are They Really Second-Generation Abomination? <TOC> Chapter 78 Visitors from Energy Storage City