Sir! Don't close the net!

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime,” Li Yili rubbed her fingers together. “That’s something only good people do. Bad people will monopolize the fishing skills and make everyone else dependent on their fish.”

El nodded, chin in hand. It was easier to understand the saying "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" than "sneak a secret."

“But ultimately, those are just slightly greedy bad people. Truly ambitious people will teach others how to fish,” Li Yili crossed her legs and hooked her right arm around Alma’s shoulder. “Secretary, do you know why?”

"Uh... because wanting to be a good person in this kind of society is an ambitious thing?" Alma blinked.

“Because one person’s ability is limited,” Li Yili shrugged, “but what if we were to unite those petty, greedy bad people?”

Alma gasped; she now understood what Li Yili meant.

“Denigrate the technology, suppress those who possess it, and then win them over,” Li Yili’s lips curled slightly upwards. “That’s why they say it’s better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Those fishermen are the ones who generate the profits, yet they are treated worse than those who don’t even know how to fish, and some even…”

A commander who had never even been to the sea.

Alma opened her mouth, then raised her eyes. "So, what does this have to do with your current situation? Austin controls the fishing industry."

"Ha... Miss Alma, would you build a temple in a place where ordinary people can see it?" Li Yili rolled her eyes.

“Of course…no,” Alma said, pursing her lips.

“People who only plan to stay in one small place for the rest of their lives can’t draw up a blueprint for their dreams,” Li Yili paused, glancing to the side. “Even if you force dreams that don’t belong to them onto them, it will only make a mess of their lives.”

“So… you’re planning to ask those pirates for help? They certainly have the guts to go to even farther places, but…” Alma’s expression turned awkward, “You saw it too, didn’t you? As soon as you boarded the ship, they kidnapped you.”

"If you don't feed the wolf until it's turned into a mutt, things will be difficult later," Li Yili said with a slight upward curve of her lips.

Alma's lips twitched violently. She now understood what Li Yili meant. From the perspective of Sheep Village Logistics, this was definitely a profitable deal, since the one paying was the Flame Elf. But she couldn't say anything.

"So who do you want to help you draw the nautical charts? Do you know where such a person is in Instas?" Alma raised her eyes.

“How can you find dreamers in a place where everyone relies on others to give them social value?” Li Yili snapped her fingers. “El, turn around and head to Maosai District.”

“Understood,” El nodded, then turned and tapped the edge of the carriage. “To the Maosai district.”

"What are you going to that place for?" Alma asked, her face full of confusion. "That place is..."

“That’s the poorest place in Instas,” Li Yili said, resting her chin on her hand and turning to look out the window. “Even if they wear someone else’s face, it doesn’t change the fact that they’ve been eliminated. From this perspective, they are the people in Instas who know who they are the most. They will still have some illusions in their hearts that don’t fit the Instas market.”

"Will it really happen?" Alma couldn't help but mutter.

"It's precisely because they still harbor unrealistic fantasies that they are losers. That's why they constantly do ridiculous things, complain, vent, and immerse themselves in their own world. If even fantasies disappeared..."

Li Yili paused.

"They're just consumables that don't even qualify as human beings."

Alma paused, moved forward, and followed Li Yili's gaze. There was the rental center of Instars, where McCarthy, the best salesperson, would always be sitting behind the counter waiting for customers.

Nobody cares who's behind McCarthy's face.

Chapter Twenty-One: Do you want to try out some new faces?

Mawsay, the poorest region in Instas, has mountains of garbage piled up on its coast. Because of the sheer amount of garbage, no one is willing to clean it up, even if they were offered money. The people of Mawsay lack both the ability and the inclination to spend money on cleaning it up, so the stench of decay permeates the entire region, becoming its most prominent symbol.

Alma couldn't help but frown subconsciously.

“The design has flaws,” Li Yili said, crossing her legs and smiling at Alma.

Alma bared her teeth at Li Yili, not to be outdone, "This carriage is the latest model from the Fire Elves; it hasn't even been officially released yet."

"Wow—thank goodness it wasn't released yet, you're welcome."

“No, it’s that this carriage was never designed to be driven into the Maosai district,” Alma said coldly. “Do you think someone who can afford this kind of carriage would come to the Maosai district in person?”

……

“That’s really reality,” Li Yili snapped her fingers.

El nodded immediately, raised his hand and tapped the wheel. With the heavy thud of the horse's hooves, the wheels slowly came to a stop.

Seeing Li Yili get up and stretch, Alma recalled Li Yili's money-spreading behavior yesterday, and her expression immediately changed. "You don't want to do what happened yesterday, do you? Let's make it clear that we only brought enough money to redeem you!"

Abu Jean was stunned for a moment, then immediately beat his chest in regret, "Damn it—why didn't I consider this possibility!"

"No matter what, I wouldn't do something so stupid," Li Yili said, making a big X with her hands in front of her.

Alma suppressed the urge to grab Li Yili by the collar, shake her, and question her about not remembering what she had done yesterday. She forced a smile and said, "Then, Minister, what do you want to do now?"

"Investing in dreams".

Li Yili pushed open the sunroof, stretched out her hands, pressed down and braced herself, and stood on the roof of the carriage, opening her arms to the dirty and decaying world before her.

"Is there anyone with a dream?"

No one answered him, only gave him strange looks. Some scoffed numbly and continued sitting in the pile of old newspapers, some wrapped themselves in their tattered clothes and continued forward, and some stood by the roadside, looking enviously at the carriage at his feet.

“Defective products,” Alma said softly. “They are defective products of Instas.”

“There are no defective products in this world, only unfortunate results caused by workers’ carelessness during the processing,” Al said, crossing his legs and looking out the window.

"Really not?!" Li Yili raised her voice again, shaking her hands vigorously. "Even if you don't have dreams, you should at least have some unrealistic fantasies!"

"

"Unfortunately, they aren't inanimate objects, but living people," Alma said, spinning around in circles, her fingers tracing her hair. "As human beings, they are defective products of Instas. Even if given a second, third, or fourth chance, they would still be defective. That's why they're in the Maosai district."

Seeing that there was still no ripple, Li Yili put one hand on her waist and sneered.

"You bunch of losers from Instas, can't you even howl to vent your frustrations? Or is the rest of your lives just going to rot in the Maosai district? Look at my clothes, a piece of cloth I could tear off is worth more than your entire lives! I've specially spent my precious time to see your pathetic state, so hurry up and bark a couple of times to make my day a little happier."

"How many failures do you think a person needs to experience before feeling disappointed and frustrated with their own humanity?" Alma's curly-haired fingers paused.

“No matter how many times, a person will never feel disappointed or frustrated about being human,” Al raised his chin, “because people can always find excuses to shift the blame to others, luck, equal opportunity, talent.”

“Unfortunately, there’s no excuse in Instas,” Alma turned to look out the window. Even after being humiliated by Li Yili’s vicious words, the residents of the Maosai District did not show the slightest ripple in their expressions.

"Thirty years ago, Instas experienced a major economic depression. Most people in Instas became superfluous without any distinguishing features. The rise of geniuses made the losers feel even more sorry for themselves. The people of Instas were always envious and always making excuses. Then one day, a group of people appeared in front of the residents of Instas and asked them this question."

"If you could become like them, could you shut up?"

"And then, Instas began selling the faces of geniuses?" El crossed his fingers on his knees. "The craftsmanship of that mask was peculiar, and when combined with the potion, it seemed to truly transform one person into another."

“That’s a dream mask and a magic potion that can turn someone into someone else’s child,” Alma’s right monocle gleamed. “Do you know what that means?”

El didn't speak, but Abu Jean, who hadn't had a chance to get a word in edgewise, raised his hand.

"A person will have many opportunities to succeed!"

“Yes, there are many opportunities. Everyone can be the best salesperson, everyone can be the best teacher, everyone can be the best waiter, but it’s impossible for everyone to be a winner. Winners are always in the minority,” Alma grinned.

"So... welcome to the Maosai District. All you can see are defective products that can't do anything as human beings. Your minister seems to be trying to get a reaction from them through anger, but unfortunately, compared to the reality they know, your minister's humiliation is far too mild."

"However, it really exceeded my expectations. It seems that your minister genuinely treats these defective products as human beings."

El chuckled and shook his head.

"What are you laughing at? Haven't I made myself clear enough?" Alma narrowed her eyes.

"You've used up all your opportunities, and you're still a loser, right?" El's lips curled up slightly.

"Don't you understand yet? The dream mask, the magic potion, the countless opportunities—they're all just tricks used to make a profit. To make a profit, you have to create losers. The more losers there are, the more detailed the division of profits, the greater the profit, and the deeper the profit chain grows."

"Instas's rules of the game are too simplistic; the minister has no intention of playing along."

Li Yili glanced around at the residents of the Maosai area, then lowered her hand that had been supporting her waist.

A call that goes unanswered.

Humiliation has no effect whatsoever.

This place is like a junkyard, piled high with defective products waiting to rot naturally or be burned.

The rules of the game for Instars have been set. You either play according to these rules, quit the game, or...

"Not bad. To be this disappointed in yourself means you've reached a certain level of obsession with your life. You must be constantly telling yourself that it's not that you're incapable, but that you're not suitable. You've tried every opportunity, haven't you?"

The only option left is to cheat.

"Would you like to try out the new face?"

Chapter Twenty-Two: Let's go, let's go to the sea.

Since leaving Guoweidun, Li Yili has been constantly thinking, but realistically, rather than pondering why the residents of Guoweidun would bring about such a reality, he is more concerned about why the black liquid spewing from the Guoweidun temple did not drag him away, but instead passed directly through his body as if it were an illusion.

The black liquid clearly didn't even spare a chicken; it swept them all away.

Finally, he came to a conclusion, probably because he was not a native of Goweton. This wasn't about the simple question of birthplace, but rather about his thinking and understanding. From the very beginning, he had never lived on the land called Goweton. Even though he breathed the air of Goweton, ate Goweton food, and slept on Goweton land, his thoughts still lived alone on Earth.

Of course, loneliness is just a way of describing things. Since we live in this world, we can only live well according to the rules of this world. However... cheating is still necessary.

It's probably what they mean when they say that only my body has succumbed, while my soul still stands tall and proud.

Although I vehemently despise the methods of capitalists,

Li Yili also realized something: when you decide to accomplish something that concerns many people, you are destined to never be able to leave cleanly and cleanly.

Because the world itself is dirty, just like obeying traffic rules. Even if you obey traffic rules, you can't guarantee that you'll get home safely. Most people despise traffic rules in their hearts, and accidents can happen to honest people at any time.

The moment Li Yili saw these people who genuinely considered themselves defective, she understood one thing.

He has multiple choices: to trample on their already meager dignity or to trample on their cheap lives.

“There’s no reaction at all…” Alma let out a soft sigh. “It’s no use. Sheep Village Logistics isn’t well-known, and besides, this is Maosai District. The latest newspaper is three days old.”

"So, that's why they know about Sheep Village Logistics, right?" Li Yili slid down the sunroof and sat back down in her seat, crossing her legs. "I don't care whether they're so disappointed in themselves because of resentment or because they always make excuses and pester others, which is why they've become defective products of society. At least they're still breathing. Knowing this is enough. Let's go back to Sheep Village Logistics."

El nodded and tapped your head.

The wheels rolled through the mud and water, and the carriage turned around under the pull of the warhorse. Because the roads in Maosai District were not easy to travel, and there were defective people from all walks of life wandering around, the carriage could only maintain a steady speed.

Just as the carriage was about to leave Maosai District, a childish voice came from behind the carriage.

"Wait! Wait! Mr. Li Yili!"

El looked at Li Yili.

Li Yili raised her hand and leaned against the car window, her arm sticking out from the window.

El immediately understood what Li Yili meant and knocked, signaling the coachman to slow down the speed at which he was leaving the Maosai area.

Soon a boy appeared, panting, standing beside Li Yili, raising his hands above his head and waving them vigorously from side to side.

The boy was very clean, not just in his hair, hands, and skin, but more importantly in his eyes, which sparkled, completely unlike the people of Mao Sai District who were all defective.

Perhaps it's because he's still a teenager.

“Young man, what’s your name? How old are you?” Li Yili became interested and waved to the young man. “Aren’t you tired of following the carriage? Come on up.”