The evolution of business empires shows that even powerful dragons can't suppress local snakes...

After hesitating for a moment, Kuwano still asked, "Did eating these foods... help you feel better?"

Lin Changli answered while eating, his hands still busy: "Yes, but it's not very effective. But I've also heard that it's quite useful for others." As he said this, he glanced at Sang Ye.

Sangye also felt a little strange, because the news coming back from the snow mountain branch base and the hospital, although it could not be cured, had good feedback. With the help of the guide's mental counseling, the effect was twice as good with half the effort.

Why is it basically useless when it comes to Lin Changli?

That being said, what exactly is Lin Changli's mental level?

Whether they are guides or sentinels, the Empire's spiritual entities are not publicly known and can only be passed down orally, making their credibility extremely low, especially when encountering ancient spiritual entities, where all sorts of rumors can be circulated.

However, the spiritual level has always been public; anyone who awakens within the Empire can be viewed on the intranet. People here are registered as part of the population from birth, so there are virtually no omissions.

There are only five active S-class guides; there are far more active S-class sentinels than guides, but Kuwano has not counted them carefully.

Lin Changli was the only one not seen.

In his file, his mental level is followed by a simple description: "Level unknown, questionable for many years."

Even within the organization, opinions differ on this matter. Although Lin Changli has retired, his legend and influence remain strong.

The sentinels who accompanied him on his expedition and witnessed it firsthand said he must be S-rank;

Some people think he might not even be at the A-level, otherwise the royal family wouldn't be so secretive about it;

The two sides argued fiercely about this issue on the StarNet, with some even producing secretly recorded battlefield videos to prove their point of view, which were later banned because they were too bloody.

However, Wu Huansheng, who briefly served as a subordinate, secretly told Sangye that Lin Changli had probably surpassed S-rank, and might even be SS or SSS.

However, the higher his mental strength level, the more dangerous he becomes.

This is a level that even the most advanced instruments cannot measure, which is why it was marked "questionable for many years" on the internal network, and why even the five top-level S-class guides were unable to analyze his mental state back then.

Sangye felt that her mission was becoming more and more difficult. You should know that healing the other sentinels was only a bonus, but healing Lin Changli was the key to passing the mission.

Lin Changli watched as her expression changed several times in a short period of time, finally settling on dejection, and couldn't help but find it amusing: "What? Are you worried that you can't cure me and that we'll never leave this Black Tower Star?"

Sangye remained silent.

Who knew this person would chase after and kill them?

"You should know that my mother once gathered the five S-class guides of the empire to help me with my mental manipulation, but it all ended in failure; although you are a bit special, your abilities are too limited." Lin Changli was very sarcastic.

"You should look on the bright side. Although you'll have to stay here until you die, at least you've saved your life, right? And although Aso Ment dislikes you, she can't get rid of you or interfere with what you do. If she passes away and a new executive takes over, you might not have such a good life anymore."

"You might be required to work 18 hours a day, constantly giving mental support to the sentries; or you might be assigned to several branch bases on rotation, specifically to the most dangerous front lines..." Lin Changli described the future to Sangye with a mischievous grin. "Don't expect labor laws to protect you; Black Tower Star is a lawless place."

“Shut your mouth,” Sangye said, his anger rising, and made a gesture at him—four fingers together and thumb clenched tightly, “Shut your mouth.”

As if under a spell, Lin Changli shut up and started eating.

Sangye felt a bit of satisfaction. This was a popular phrase on the capital planet and several neighboring planets recently. If Lin Changli were an extremely powerful and vain person, she wouldn't make such a joke.

In fact, Lin Changli also had something he didn't say aloud: these meals did have little effect on him. It couldn't be said that they were completely useless, but the rebound after the brief calm would be more severe, far less effective than the other sentinels.

but......

More than food, this unexpected guide exuded an aura that inexplicably calmed him. Being near her was like being immersed in the depths of a tidal wave—clear, lucid, and calm. Even the usually restless phoenix found a rare moment of slumber within the mental landscape, giving Lin Changli a chance to catch his breath.

Lin Changli suddenly became curious about her spiritual body.

But he didn't ask, intending to find an opportunity to review the internal registration information.

"Internal registration information of the spiritual entity?" Lin Tengyuan's first reaction to the email from a distant relative with whom he had received no news for years was that it was a scam.

Moreover, why did he go to such lengths instead of asking the emperor or the eunuchs around him, and instead ask this retired chef who was in a deep mental sleep?

Lin Changli was getting impatient: "Why is this kind of information locked? Why can't I access it?"

"Of course it needs to be locked. If the database is hacked, the enemy will know which of our A-level and S-level Sentinel spirits have rioted or gone into a deep sleep. Moreover, spirits can upgrade and mutate, which is classified information." Lin Tengyuan rolled his eyes. "As for access, it's not that you can't open it, but that you need cross-access. You have to go through with His Majesty."

"Oh, never mind then," Lin Changli said decisively. "I'm hanging up."

"Hey, hey, wait!" Lin Tengyuan hurriedly called out, "You haven't been heard from for so many years, staying on Black Tower Star without sending any messages to His Majesty and the Princess, and every now and then you're piloting your warship to other planets..."

"What else is there to say?" Lin Changli asked rhetorically. He looked up at the clear blue sky above the base, where there were no clouds. Outside the base, the atmosphere was a completely different color, polluted by continuous radiation from the minerals, with a cold, hard silver-gray hue.

He looked out the window again and saw three people wearing bright hats with flowers hanging from the brims, busy in the kitchen and the courtyard of the west building. The youngest one seemed to be making things worse. A miniature garden corridor was already taking shape.

The air was still filled with the soft, sweet aroma of red bean bread baked by Sangye for afternoon tea.

Lin Tengyuan scratched a pimple on his face: "The princess misses you quite a bit and often talks about you."

“She’s grown up now, we can tell her the truth. I’m not an imperial hero, I’m a thorn in my side who can no longer go to the battlefield but I can’t deal with her.”

Even I am still...

Thinking of the past, Lin Changli's gaze softened, and he ended the call. His terminal was always on silent, and he ignored all messages on it.

Lin Tengyuan had barely hung up the phone and hadn't even finished rolling his eyes when the emperor's eunuch stood before him with a beaming smile, his tone as kind as a mother's: "Your Highness has news to report?"

"......"

"News has come from the snow-capped mountains that a new batch of sentries is returning for their shifts." Rong Cheng read the email on his terminal. "This time, the major branch bases will apply to the base for funds to purchase your ingredients."

Kuwano's semi-finished products were very effective for the sentinels. These were just a few simple quick meals. If they could eat fresh food, like the sentinels in the hospital, it would be much better.

For the past few days, the hospital has been sending messages to Sangye, repeatedly telling him about the effects and urging him to increase the quantity and variety of purchases.

Increasing the purchase volume is easy to say; it just means the robots will have to work harder.

As for developing new varieties, that's something Kuwano is currently thinking about; she can't rely on just one type of instant noodles forever.

However, preservation, transportation, and production difficulties remain perennial challenges.

It's best to package the brine recipe powder for easy transportation. If you mix it according to the proportions, the taste of the finished product will be similar.

Rice, flour, and other grains have a long shelf life; as long as they are kept dry and away from fire, they can be stored for a very long time.

To be more thoughtful, you could pre-package ingredients that can be cooked with rice, such as red beans, mung beans, red dates, and raisins, and then sell them.

These measures ensure that ingredients remain fresh during long journeys and long periods of transportation, even under less demanding conditions.

But how can we guarantee that customers will know how to cook after receiving the semi-finished products? You know, many people don't even have a "kitchen" as a functional area in their homes.

While fertilizing the flowers, Sangye whispered her concerns to Rongcheng.

Rong Cheng multitasked, planting trees while simultaneously controlling the various flames inside the kiln.

She raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned: "But that's not something you should be thinking about."

Sangye was somewhat puzzled.

“It’s a seller’s market now, not a buyer’s market. You don’t need to worry about how users adapt to your product,” Rong Cheng explained. “Besides, if Jiang Siwei gets these ‘semi-finished products’ that need to be made, and you’ve already stated that they require specific kitchen utensils and cookware to make them, what do you think she’ll do next?”

Rong Cheng threw the question back to Sangye.

“She will quickly produce a batch for bundled sales, and even if it’s not produced in her own factory, she will sign agreements with other commercial factories.” Sangye instantly came up with the answer.

Rong Cheng shrugged: "Isn't that it?"

Looking at Wu Jianing, who was still diligently digging a hole, Rong Cheng leaned closer to Sangye and said, "You can't look at this era with the mindset of our time. We rarely traded with foreign countries back then. Do you know how big the galaxies and universe are in this era? Human territory is constantly expanding, new planets are being discovered, and resources are being developed; new products, new things, and new technologies are constantly emerging, and the scope of trade is also expanding. The economy is very active, and some families can actually support an entire planet with their tax revenue."

This sounds like a vibrant and upward-looking era, where everyone has the opportunity to advance.

As long as you identify your target audience, you don't need to worry about your unique product not selling.

“But I don’t recommend that you leave everything to Jiang Siwei.” Rong Cheng said meaningfully, her voice even lower, “As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can’t suppress a local snake, and the base also has its ‘local snakes’.”

General Asso Ment treated her subordinates with kindness and generosity, even spending her own money. However, her love of giving away money did not prevent her from also accumulating wealth.

General Aso did not come from a prominent family, and since arriving on Black Tower, he has had no ambition to advance his career. Accumulating wealth has become more of a hobby, a habitual behavior.

Jiang Siwei's high-profile comings and goings meant that her deal with Sangye couldn't be kept secret from Aso Mente, but it wasn't worth her making a fuss about it at the moment.

Sangye understood Rongcheng's meaning.