Chapter 72: Return to Earth

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White Orchid Star lay just over ten thousand light-years from Earth.

At the speed of a Class C starship, it was possible to make a round trip within a single day.

Combined with its convenient transportation and the planet’s remarkably low property costs, it naturally became Jiang Chen’s top choice for building a “base” outside of Earth.

Among the more than a million inhabited planets in the Galactic Empire, White Orchid Star’s living conditions ranked near the very bottom.

The extreme cold rendered the planet uninhabitable for anyone below the Planetary Rank. Even those of the Planetary Rank would hardly find the wilderness appealing; most of the time, they were forced to remain indoors where it was warm. This made property values on White Orchid Star plummet.

—This referred specifically to fixed assets such as land and buildings.

In the frigid northern zone of White Orchid Star, massive warehouses stood in neat rows. Under the planet’s harsh climate, there was a desolate beauty to the scene.

Now, however, a group of White Orchid Star’s high-ranking officials waited patiently for something on the snowy plain outside one such warehouse.

Suddenly, a silver-gray starship streaked across the sky, coming to a near-instantaneous halt before the warehouse, then gently descending.

“He’s here!”

An official’s eyes lit up; with a glance, he urged his subordinates to stand at attention.

The starship landed, and its hatch opened.

The officials immediately forced their most enthusiastic smiles, gazing expectantly at the hatch.

One by one, formidable figures flew out, not sparing the local officials a single glance, instead lining up in two orderly rows.

The aura radiating from these individuals made the local officials’ hearts tremble with fear.

The leader alone—a Stellar Rank psychic—was enough to annihilate this backwater planet countless times over!

Even the royal family of the Silver Blue Empire, unless of the most direct lineage, would not receive such deference.

After all the slaves had disembarked, Jiang Chen himself strode out, clad in a black combat suit, his pace unhurried.

He glanced over the welcoming party, his brow furrowing. “Which of you is Director Bart?”

“That’s me—I’m Bart, Director of the White Orchid Star Commerce Bureau,” a rotund man hurried forward, bowing respectfully. “You must be Mr. Jiang, the purchaser of this warehouse base? May I give you an overview of the facilities?”

“You don’t even bother to verify identities?” The frown between Jiang Chen’s brows deepened, his tone laced with dissatisfaction.

‘Would I dare verify your identity?’

The thought flashed through Director Bart’s mind, but his smile became all the more humble as he replied obsequiously.

Jiang Chen didn’t press the matter, simply waving his hand. “Let’s finalize the handover quickly—I’m short on time.”

“Yes, sir!” Bart responded without hesitation, summoning a subordinate to expedite the transfer procedures.

In less than ten minutes, the handover was complete. Director Bart bowed respectfully to Jiang Chen, then swiftly departed with his staff.

Throughout the process, Jiang Chen hadn’t bothered to ask for a single additional name.

What Jiang Chen had acquired was a tract of land spanning over a hundred thousand square kilometers. But land on White Orchid Star was worthless—especially in the “extreme cold zone,” where prices were absurdly low.

Such a vast expanse, with enormous warehouses dotting the surface and residential districts capable of housing tens of thousands, had cost Jiang Chen only tens of millions of Black Dragon Coins—a bargain by any standard.

On a planet with even slightly better conditions, the price would have been at least ten times higher, if not more.

On a high-tier world like Horned Dragon Star, even selling all of White Orchid Star might only buy a single estate.

“Butler,” Jiang Chen turned to the short, green-skinned slave who resembled a goblin. “I’ll remain here until the factory’s construction is complete. After that, you’ll be in charge of this base. If you encounter any problems you can’t resolve, contact me through the Virtual Universe.”

“Butler” was merely a designation. Jiang Chen couldn’t be bothered to remember the names of his slaves.

Aside from a few key “leaders,” he didn’t even assign them codenames.

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“Yes, Master. Our task is to follow the intelligent modules you’ve provided, manufacture a certain type of machinery, ensure the production line runs smoothly, and coordinate with material suppliers and product buyers?”

The goblin-like “Butler” confirmed his primary responsibilities.

Jiang Chen nodded. “The production process should be governed by the AI I’ve installed. Do not make decisions on your own. With the exception of the ‘psychic guidance’ stage, no human intervention is required in any other step. Your main duties are to keep the factory running and to handle upstream and downstream logistics.”

The process for manufacturing “Goliath Giant” mechs was already highly refined.

Aside from the core “Alchemical Rune Enchantment” stage, the entire process could be completed under Jarvis’s control without any human input.

Even for the essential enchantment phase, Jiang Chen had developed a quasi-assembly-line method: as long as a few Planetary Rank psychics provided mental energy, the rest could be automated.

This, too, was for secrecy.

Jiang Chen did not want his most lucrative “cash cow” to be immediately reverse-engineered and mass-produced by competitors the moment it hit the market.

Once competitors flooded in, profits would be slashed to the barest minimum.

Eventually, it would devolve into a contest of who could produce it cheapest.

Only a monopoly truly brought wealth.

Although alternatives to the “Goliath Giant” existed in the universe, the unique properties of alchemical technology meant costs were much lower than mainstream methods.

As long as this core stage remained a secret, Jiang Chen could maintain a cost advantage and crush his rivals.

Of course, reducing human involvement was only one of several secrecy measures; the system’s very design included numerous anti-reverse-engineering features.

But such details were irrelevant for these slaves.

“Yes, Master,” Butler responded quickly.

Moreover, Jiang Chen wasn’t leaving immediately; he would stay until the factory was complete and the first batch of products passed inspection. During this period, any questions could be clarified with him directly. Butler understood there was no need to pester his master now and risk his displeasure.

———

Jiang Chen remained on White Orchid Star for more than half a month.

Through the Virtual Universe, he procured vast quantities of equipment and raw materials. With SCV’s assistance, he established the “Goliath Giant” production line, which passed inspection flawlessly.

An AI modeled after Jarvis’s source code was left in charge of the entire factory.

Other managers and technical slaves could only participate in peripheral tasks. The most critical processes were entirely under the control of the AI.

Additionally, intelligent self-destruct systems were installed, achieving the highest degree of secrecy.

The first “Goliath Giant” mech produced in the trial run met all performance specifications during Jiang Chen’s tests and was ready for a strong showing on the interstellar market.

Once testing was complete, Jiang Chen saw no reason to linger.

He left behind all managerial and technical slaves, half of the combat slaves, and all skilled brewers on White Orchid Star. Then, with Number Two, Number Four, and the other members of Team B, he boarded his starship.

On the way back to Earth, Babata was still tabulating the finances.

“The materials left on White Orchid Star are sufficient to produce two hundred Goliath Giants, with some surplus. Assuming minimal waste, let’s base our calculations on two hundred finished units.”

“The market price for a Goliath Giant is between 120 and 150 million per unit, but you’ll be selling in bulk; retail prices don’t apply. The distributors need their cut. Let’s be conservative and say you sell for 100 million each.”

“So, two hundred units equals twenty billion. Subtract costs, and the profit is about ten billion—a one hundred percent margin.”

“Don’t forget, the proceeds from the previous starship sale included Luo Feng’s share. As for those slaves and miscellaneous funds, I won’t get into the details. But for this batch of Goliath Giants, you owe Luo Feng half the profits! And in the future, at least thirty percent of ongoing profits from this project must go to Luo Feng!”

Babata analyzed carefully, seeking to secure a generous share for Luo Feng from Jiang Chen.

“The factory producing the Goliath Giants is registered as a company, right? Most of the early profits will go toward expanding capacity; there won’t be dividends for now. But I can give Luo Feng some company shares.”

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Jiang Chen laid out his terms: “We’ll split the capital fifty-fifty, and I’ll take an additional forty percent as technical equity—so seventy percent to me, thirty percent to Luo Feng.”

He paused, then added, “But Luo Feng doesn’t get that thirty percent for nothing. If I ever need assistance from you two, you must help me unconditionally—within the bounds of business, of course.”

This wasn’t merely because Luo Feng had contributed startup capital.

Jiang Chen’s real interest lay in a significant “inheritance” left by Huyan Bo—the five-star account at the Cosmic Galactic Bank.

As a VIP client, Huyan Bo’s account came with many privileges.

Used wisely, it could avoid unnecessary risks and offer great convenience.

Although Jiang Chen was a disciple of the Meteor Star lineage, he was not Huyan Bo’s direct disciple and thus couldn’t inherit that bank account.

Babata hesitated only briefly before agreeing on Luo Feng’s behalf.

In Babata’s eyes, Jiang Chen’s “little venture” was hardly worth mentioning, but for Luo Feng, the profits from the Goliath Giant project would greatly accelerate his growth.

To fulfill Huyan Bo’s final wish to cultivate his true disciple, Babata was willing to compromise elsewhere.

Seeing Babata agree, Jiang Chen smiled. “Then it’s settled. Once Luo Feng’s citizenship registration is complete, I’ll transfer the shares.”

“What do you plan to have me do?” Babata hadn’t yet grasped Jiang Chen’s real motive.

“For now, I’ll mainly need you to look up some information. When the time comes, I’ll let you know,” Jiang Chen replied, not giving a direct answer.

After all, there was no way to explain the knowledge of the “Cosmic Galactic Five-Star Account.”

Once Luo Feng entered the wider universe and reached the Stellar Rank, inheriting Huyan Bo’s first legacy, it would no longer seem out of place.

——

Upon returning to Earth, Jiang Chen avoided attracting attention. He quietly met with Luo Feng, then dispatched his Stellar and Planetary Rank slaves.

Some remained to guard his own base, but most were secretly assigned to the homes of Luo Feng, Wei Wen, and other close friends.

Since arriving in the world of Swallowed Star, Jiang Chen had only a few confidants.

Luo Feng was one; Wei Wen another. The three had grown up together, friends since before they even started school.

Jiang Chen’s childhood had been harsh, his parents absent. Luo Feng’s and Wei Wen’s families often helped him, sparing him even greater hardship.

Without this bond, Jiang Chen might never have grown so close to Luo Feng and Wei Wen.

As for other childhood companions, their paths had diverged long before Jiang Chen acquired the System.

Still, Jiang Chen was sentimental; he quietly assigned slaves to protect them in the shadows.

With their minimum strength at the ninth level of Planetary Rank, these slaves could remain hidden with ease. Few on Earth could detect them—fewer than one hand could count—and those who could would never bother with “ordinary people.”

Thus, Number Two, Number Four, and their dozens of Planetary Rank subordinates blended seamlessly into Earth, lying in wait under Jiang Chen’s orders.

Jiang Chen did not immediately reveal anything about the universe to humanity’s leaders. Even items specifically brought back for human advancement—Virtual Universe logins, Violet Light Dew, and so on—were kept hidden.

Only Luo Feng, knowing Jiang Chen had traveled beyond Earth, received a cache of metal for the Golden Horned Beast, ten kilograms of Blue Wave Marrow, and an anonymous Virtual Universe login device.

After returning to Earth, Jiang Chen spent less time in the laboratory or System Library, devoting himself instead to research in the Virtual Universe, poring over information to better understand the vast cosmos.

Only when he felt sufficiently informed about the universe’s environment and situation did he finally call Jia Yi, proposing a “high-level meeting.”

(End of Chapter)