I am a demonic cultivator, not a capitalist with a conscience.

Chapter 555 Just two by the roadside (56)

On the other side, after dealing with Cao Zhen and the old monk, Chen Yu arrived at the port of Yunduan City.

Although he had only been gone for a little over a day, Chen Yu felt as if he had been in another world.

The shuttle drivers have been brought back, and Traveler Bus Company specially arranged for them to be sent back, using a complete cold chain transportation to ensure that the heads were still fresh when they arrived at the port.

Chen Yu expressed his gratitude, but said he wouldn't do it again next time.

We're not short of money, so let's buy everyone a seat and stop shoving people into the transport truck.

And if you're going to argue, then don't drag everyone's lives and the seafood into it.

Or you can just leave it alone, but could you please not mix it together?

Can you understand the sense of dislocation that arises when food and corpses are placed together?

Besides, the port is right by the sea. What's the point of bringing seafood here? Are you trying to launder the origin of the seafood?
A host of problems left Chen Yu wanting to complain but unable to, so he could only let them be.

The bandaged man is helping with the problem here, so there's no need to worry. Chen Yu just checked the progress and knew that the dispatched workers from Tianmu City were arriving one after another and would probably be in place by November.

After saying goodbye to the bandaged man, Chen Yu boarded the bus for his return journey.

Unlike when we came here, this time the bus ticket cost two yuan, but the service was better than ever before.

The chaos in Tianmu City has made the port in the clouds a highly sought-after prize, and Traveler Passenger Transport has also obtained a portion of the transportation rights there, now treating the bandaged man like a father.

Chen Yu's status also rose accordingly. Before two yuan, he could only buy a push ticket. The car would run in front, and the passengers would push it from behind, emphasizing a sense of participation.

But now, it's a luxury bus with a full range of staff, and a chef on board cooking seafood on the spot—the service is ridiculously high-end.

Unfortunately, the people of Tianyuan didn't like it.

Teacher Zhao scoffed at this kind of service, saying that he disliked such corrupt and decadent bourgeois practices.

Ma Daqiang and the little hamster were not used to being served like this, and said that the food at the small restaurant was still the best.

Chen Yu wasn't used to things that were free, and Dao Lingyun wasn't used to things that Chen Yu wasn't used to either.

In short, I'm not used to it.

While on the way back, Chen Yu calmed himself down and began to review his findings.

To those unaware of the situation, this victory appeared to be a case of a small investment yielding a huge return, a win against overwhelming odds, with returns so high that they would make any capitalist envious.

Chen Yu's expenses cover a week's worth of time.

The harvest includes the vast land of Cloud City, several hundred Cloud City cultivators, a free port (totaling 3.2 billion including warehouses and cargo ships), dispatched employees from Tianmu City, 5 billion in revenue from the Encounter Star Lord (already paid), a small stake in Traveler Passenger Transport, and 300 million in compensation from the Disaster Response Department (pending payment).

The two compensations from the Disaster Response Department included alchemy furnaces, various scriptures, elixir recipes, and the employment of several alchemists.

Upon discovering that the most expensive items were actually related to alchemy, Chen Yu pointed to the list and asked in confusion, "Junior Sister..."

"Just call me Lingyun," Dao Lingyun said earnestly, looking intently at Chen Yu.

"Why don't you call me junior sister anymore?"

"Don't you think Lingyun is more approachable? Besides, my mother also said that Lingyun is just right."

"No, you just had a falling out with your mother in court, how come your relationship has improved again?"

"Isn't that how lawyers are? Work is work, and life is life."

"Um……"

Chen Yu felt that Dao Lingyun's words made a lot of sense, but something still felt off. However, there were plenty of strange things in this broken world, so one more wouldn't make a difference.

Pointing to the content related to alchemy, Chen Yu asked, "Didn't you say that the Rebirth Prefecture and the Calamity Response Department were bleeding money? Why is it all about alchemy?"

"Alchemy is that expensive. Every alchemist pursues pills that are effective, cost-effective, and highly addictive. Ant Mighty back then satisfied both the effects of being effective and cost-effective, which is why it sold so well."

"Did something strange get mixed in?"

"Brother Yu, don't interrupt!"

Are you calling me by some weird name again?

"I already told you, Brother Yu, don't interrupt. Ant Mighty Pill was originally quite good, but unfortunately it's essentially a pill that shortens lifespan, otherwise it might have become Tianyuan's signature product."

"Yes, shortening lifespan is awful."

Dao Lingyun looked at Chen Yu, thought for a moment, and then said, "The key is not shortening lifespan, but cost-effectiveness. In fact, if the effect is good, then cultivators can accept a slight reduction in lifespan, but this is too stingy."

"...So that's what it is! Who do you all think you are! Be a little kinder to yourselves!"

"Brother Yu, you have to think of it this way. Although my lifespan has been reduced, my cultivation speed has increased. If I'm lucky, I might even get into university and successfully establish my foundation. Once I successfully establish my foundation, then the lost lifespan will be made up for."

"What if it fails?"

"Failure means this life is not good enough. Since my lifespan has been reduced, I might as well just reincarnate and be reborn, instead of killing myself and losing moral points in the next life."

Chen Yu stared at Dao Lingyun in astonishment, feeling that what the other party said made perfect sense and was logically sound.

But that's too terrifying.

Shifting his attention back, Chen Yu opened his cultivation interface and began to examine the results.

Mana is reduced to zero; most of the excess positive emotions are consumed, and a small portion is converted into attribute-less mana.

Including the non-attribute mana he had accumulated before, his current mana is 25 million, which looks pretty good.

My mana cap has now reached 30 million, but because the bandaged man made a pirated copy of "My Dream" and released it, my daily positive emotions are now about 1 million and my daily negative emotions are about 400,000.

Moreover, he was well aware of the magic of "My Dream," and the optimized "Mortal's Path" simply couldn't balance out the positive and negative effects, so he had to quickly consume some of the resources to release them.

Just as Chen Yu was pondering how to spend his resources, he heard Dao Lingyun say, "Although the pills are good, the investment is also quite large. This industry is extremely expensive, and the legal and patent disputes involved are very troublesome. I suggest that you don't go in for the time being, Brother Yu."

"A lot of investment? In what areas?"

Extending his hand, Dao Lingyun counted on his fingers and said, "Talent needs to be cultivated, the laboratory needs to be built, and the alchemy furnace can be obtained from this compensation, but it's best to buy it yourself. Then, various materials also need to be purchased. It would be best if a morally upright person took the lead; it can't be done without a lot of money. So I suggest you don't do it."

"I don't accept the suggestion. I'm going back to start preparing!"

"Brother Yu... I have another question. I just saw the news that the Disaster Response Department and the Xu Group have reached a strategic partnership. I feel that the other party is targeting Tianyuan."

"Is it?"

After taking a look, Chen Yu didn't feel a chill down his spine, which showed that the cooperation between the two sides was fine.

Adding one more roadside street to another will at most turn it into three roadside streets, it doesn't matter.

Now, let's think about how to rebuild the alchemy factory.

　I'm working overtime, so I'm behind on the next update. I'll make it up later!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)