I run a casino in the immortal realm.

Zheng Yifei didn't delay regarding the newspaper matter.

The day after his family was settled, he got up early and sent a communication talisman to each of the ten inspection team leaders.

The content is the same, three items:

"Starting today, each team will collect the following information within its jurisdiction in addition to its patrol duties."

First, the recent price fluctuations of various spiritual materials, elixirs, and spiritual artifacts are accurate down to the market level.

Second, specify the time and location of major events, folk tales, and strange occurrences of monsters within the jurisdiction.

Third, collect all interesting local customs, folk tales, and cultivation stories.

The format is not limited, but a summary should be submitted to the inspection office every ten days. Valuable information will be counted as bonus points in the monthly performance evaluation.

He did not explain why he collected these.

No explanation is needed.

Less than half an hour after the message was sent out, the reply tokens from each group leader flew back one after another, all conveying the same message: Understood, will do it right away.

People within a framework of interests do not need to be driven by loyalty.

Zheng Yifei put the communication talisman into his storage bag, sat down at the table, unfolded a three-foot-wide blank spiritual paper, and began to draw grids.

He designed eight sections.

The front page is titled "Sect Policies and Current Events," featuring sect policies and major events from various regions. It's authoritative, concise, and only two or three hundred words long, allowing independent cultivators to quickly grasp the latest happenings at a glance.

The second edition is "Spiritual Material Market Report," which provides real-time prices for various spiritual materials and pills, accurate down to the lowest grade of spirit stones, along with recent price trends, saving independent cultivators from being overcharged.

The third section is the "Monster Column," which lists the types of monsters that have recently appeared in the area, their danger levels, and activity areas, along with simple coping suggestions. This message is a lifesaver for low-level cultivators.

The fourth edition is "Cultivation Exchange," which publishes practical cultivation insights and techniques. The articles are extracted from sect classics and simplified so that even independent cultivators in the Qi Refining stage can understand them.

The fifth section is a "Missing Person Notice," which compiles information on missing disciples and missing persons within the jurisdiction, as well as reward notices. A publication fee can be charged to the publisher for this section.

The sixth edition was a "storybook serial," with each issue featuring a fragment of a cultivation story, including cultivation adventures, heroic tales, or stories collected and compiled from folklore, leaving the ending in suspense and keeping readers waiting for the next issue.

Version 7 is "Resource Exchange," a forum for the exchange of low-level spiritual materials, magical artifacts, and elixirs among independent cultivators. It's similar to a bulletin board and also charges a publication fee.

Eight blank pages, leave them for now.

This is the lottery area, but the time isn't right yet.

Zheng Yifei wrote out the contents of the eight sections, marked the approximate word count and layout logic next to each section, and attached a brief feasibility analysis at the bottom of the spiritual paper—information source, printing method, distribution channel, cost estimate, and revenue source, each of which was supported by numbers.

Then fold it up and, together with a sample copy printed using the existing information, put it into the document delivery system of the General Affairs Department.

Give it to Kim Jong-won and ask him to forward it to the lord.

He did not expect the sect leader to react that very day.

But at the end of the next day at dawn, the summoning talisman from Tianyuan Palace flew into the Inspectorate.

Zheng Yifei stood in the center of the Tianyuan Hall.

There was no council of elders this time.

There were only three people in the huge hall—Sect Master Xu Tianyang, Jin Zhengyuan, and a middle-aged cultivator whom Zheng Yifei did not recognize. He was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, with a calm aura, and stood to Xu Tianyang's right, holding the feasibility analysis in his hand.

Xu Tianyang didn't waste any words.

"Your newspaper is very interesting. Please elaborate on the analysis report."

Zheng Yifei cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and spoke.

"The core of a newspaper is not the newspaper itself, but information."

He took out the handwritten sample copy from his storage bag, unfolded it, and laid it flat on the altar in the hall: "Newspapers are the carriers of information, but the information itself is valuable."

Xu Tianyang glanced at the sample magazine but didn't say anything.

"The Qingyun Sect's jurisdiction comprises ten market clusters, belonging to seventeen major large markets, with a population of over one billion scattered cultivators under its jurisdiction."

These billions of people generate massive amounts of information every day—spiritual materials are getting more expensive, monsters are behaving strangely, a major incident has occurred in a market, someone has gone missing—this information only circulates locally. Even with communication talismans, only high-level cultivators possess them; ordinary people simply cannot access them.

"What newspapers do is to collect, review, and print these messages, and then deliver them to various places in a day by fast flying boats. This is called information standardization."

Kim Jong-won sat in the chair on the right, holding a cup of tea, but did not drink it.

"The specific structure is that the General Affairs Office sets up a News Division, and local markets and wards set up News Division offices."

The branch office was responsible for collecting local information and transmitting it back to headquarters via coded messages.

Headquarters reviews and typesets the content, prints it into newspapers, distributes it by airship, and retails it in the market, priced at one spirit coin per copy.

Zheng Yifei paused for a moment: "In the initial stage, we will cover the existing seventeen major markets. The issuance volume for each period is conservatively estimated at five million units. Each office will receive one spirit coin per unit, and the office will sell it for two spirit coins per unit. The daily issuance revenue will be five million units, which is equivalent to fifty thousand spirit stones."

The middle-aged monk paused for a moment.

"The preliminary estimate is that the cost of paper, printing, and transportation will be about half a spirit coin."

Zheng Yifei continued, "This is just retail revenue. Merchants in various regions publish GG (Ghost Stories) on the Spiritual Materials Market and Resource Exchange sections, and charge publication fees for missing person notices and reward orders. The Storybook section can pay authors royalties and sell extra volumes to readers. There are more than one source of income."

Xu Tianyang tapped his finger on the armrest.

"The structure of the Information Department."

Zheng Yifei presented the plan he had already come up with: "The headquarters will be located in Qingyunfang City, under the jurisdiction of the General Affairs Hall. There will be one director and five deputy directors, with a tentative membership of two hundred people. The headquarters will be responsible for coordinating the offices in various places, reviewing information, coordinating printing and distribution, as well as related operations and finances."

Each local market office will have one director and five deputy directors. Staffing will be tailored to the local population. Responsibilities include collecting and organizing local information, reporting to headquarters, and distributing the newspaper. Initially, staff from various groups within the Inspection Department may be seconded to these positions; the number will be expanded once the situation stabilizes.

"Funding".

"The initial setup will require approximately one million spirit stones, covering the establishment of offices in various locations, the purchase of equipment for the printing workshop, the deployment of flying boats, and the salaries of personnel for the first five months. From the sixth month onwards, it should be able to cover operating costs, and it will begin to generate profits after one year."

The hall remained quiet for a while.

It wasn't an awkward silence; Xu Tianyang was settling accounts.

Zheng Yifei stood still, offering no further explanation.

He had seen too many people at the gambling table who, after laying everything out clearly, knew that the smartest thing to do was not to keep talking, but to shut up and give the other party room to settle accounts.

"The more you talk, the more interesting it becomes,"

Xu Tianyang spoke, his tone flat: "I didn't expect the information to be so important."

Zheng Yifei nodded.

"Sect decrees, tax law interpretations, and major decisions are transmitted through newspapers, which is three times faster than current decrees. Moreover, every word is a version reviewed by the sect, so it will not be tampered with or misinterpreted."

Xu Tianyang's eyes lingered on his face for a couple of breaths.

Kim Jong-won.

"exist."

"The funds will be allocated from the General Affairs Department's reserve fund, with an initial allocation of one million, and the budget will be reviewed every three months."

Xu Tianyang picked up the feasibility analysis, turned to the last page, and looked at it: "The Information Department will be established from today, affiliated with the General Affairs Department, and will operate independently."

He closed the analysis report and placed it on the corner of the table.

"Director, Zheng Yifei will concurrently serve as the Director and will continue to serve as the Chief Inspector. The salaries for both positions will be calculated jointly."

Zheng Yifei cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, Sect Master."

"The Inspectorate will appoint a Deputy Chief Inspector to handle all day-to-day affairs, while you will focus your main efforts on the establishment of the Information Department."

Xu Tianyang looked up at him and said, "You recommend a deputy chief inspector."

Zheng Yifei did not hesitate.

"Su Qingwan. She is currently the leader of the third group of the Inspection Department. She is familiar with the situation in the district and market, and she works in an organized manner. She ranked first in the assessment in the previous quarter. I recommend her as the deputy chief inspector."

Everything he said was true.

What he didn't say was that the Su family's 25% stake, the cooperation on the transfer machine, and the oath of heaven binding both parties all meant that Su Qingwan's interests were highly tied to his. Having such a person by your side was more reliable than any stranger.

The right person is always someone whose interests align with yours.

Moreover, it's pleasing to the eye to have a beautiful woman by your side.

Xu Tianyang nodded, picked up the vermilion pen, and wrote two words on the order.

"Granted."