Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 397 Ruby Base (1 words)
The following day, the site leveling work in the dock area was completed, and the main roads and dock access roads were also laid.

Large quantities of building materials were continuously transported to the site. Construction also began on the foundation structures for the mooring bollards and large hoisting frames.

The main building of the port center has taken shape, and the construction team then began to steadily advance the construction of the cargo yard, large warehouses, and supporting living areas.

On the chosen reef in the open sea, with the help of Violet's magic, Beanche erected the lighthouse's base. Then, a group of necromancers began transporting huge, quarried stones, stacking them layer by layer like building blocks to form the tower.

Su Ming inspected the area for a week, then returned to the Pansy, gathered materials, and began the equipment transfer.

First, regarding power supply. The core power system still uses a steam boiler with minimal requirements for fuel quality, along with a matching steam turbine generator set. Su Ming and the turbine team are already quite familiar with this setup.

While setting them up, electricians also laid cables connecting various power outlets in the surrounding area. They used the most traditional method, erecting wooden utility poles along the way to extend the reach of electricity to every corner of the port area.

Regarding the lighthouse equipment, the initial solution provided by Jisu was to use a 4KW light source. This solution uses a high-efficiency LED emitter, combined with a Fresnel lens group, to converge the diverging light beam into a parallel beam, theoretically achieving a visibility distance of about 100 kilometers in a clear night sky.

After reviewing it, Beianqi felt that while it initially met the basic requirements, she still hoped the lighthouse's guiding distance could be extended. In this alien world lacking sophisticated navigation methods, the lighthouse, as the most crucial navigational beacon, was given the highest priority for its reference value.

When other observation methods yield contradictory results, all captains will unhesitatingly choose to trust the lighthouse.

Ji Su clearly didn't accept any criticism. He added a zero to the number of light power figures and upgraded the corresponding heat dissipation and lens assembly.

Security and monitoring equipment were also delivered one after another. This time, instead of using the cumbersome method of burying network cables, a new type of low-altitude suspended base station, "Dandelion," was used.

This silver-white spherical base station will be stably suspended in the air at an altitude of approximately two kilometers, providing wireless signal coverage and data relay for the ground area within a 30-kilometer diameter below.

The aerosol balloon supporting the "Dandelion" and its anchoring system were developed under the leadership of Violet. Using otherworldly alchemy, she created a large, highly airtight hydrogen balloon to provide a long-lasting and stable abode. It was then anchored to the ground via taut, reinforced cables arranged in a triangular pattern.

The power required for the base station's information equipment is continuously supplied by solar panels covering the surface of the balloon. According to design specifications, the routine maintenance cycle for this aerial base station is approximately one month.

With the communication support of "Dandelion", Su Ming built a 24/7 security system in the area around the dock and set up a security duty room equipped with monitoring screens.

Thanks to the efforts of the engine room crew, the steam generator set finally roared into operation. One by one, electric lights lit up throughout the harbor, and all the lighting circuits were tested.

Seeing that things were going well, Su Ming happily announced: "Everyone can work overtime tonight!"

****
Even with the blessing of 'Elemental Resonance', the magic power within Violet's body was still being consumed at an extremely rapid pace, and it was already exhausted just after noon.

After lunch, she quietly stayed in the Pansy's workspace and began to study the "Dragon Clan Reform Proposal (First Draft)" that Su Ming had sent over.

The reform proposals regarding the top-level political structure are actually the easiest to implement. The core of this part lies at the level of elders. The previous Dragon King Ge Lie's work on "ideological unification" was very effective, and the elders agreed to let Zi Jin intervene and become the ruling official with real power.

Under the new structure, Zijin will oversee the overall situation, and the elders of each tribe will no longer have their authority divided according to their respective races, but will instead be reassigned based on their specific responsibilities. Regarding the potential for elders to show favoritism or protect their own tribes after the reform, the plan does not suggest designing complex institutional constraints, but instead directly proposes a "Dragon-led" approach.

Specifically, the current Dragon King Ge Lie will personally be responsible for "gently persuading" those who violate the rules.

After all, the total number of individual dragons is only a little over ten thousand, and the scale of their administration is roughly equivalent to that of an ordinary town in Su Ming's motherland. Attempting political checks and balances on such a scale would be a waste of resources and lack practical significance: after all, the other world is a society dominated by individual power.

However, reforms that extend to the grassroots level are much more troublesome, and almost all the long-standing problems that the Dragon Clan urgently needs to solve are concentrated at this level.

According to the proposal, the position of "village chief" should be formally established in each dragon settlement and directly incorporated into the vertical management of the Dragon Court.

Previously, these affairs were managed by the elders of each tribe.

In short, we should first streamline the management structure and power operation within the dragon race, and then gradually address the complex issues of security, taxation, and resource allocation brought about by the millions of "floating population" mainly composed of humans, goblins, and dwarves across their vast territory.

“I plan to go to the Dragon Court first to organize the internal data and existing management system of the Dragon Clan,” Zi Jin said to Su Ming.

Although the port construction will require her presence in many areas, the Dragon Clan, as an extremely important force, will benefit greatly from streamlining its internal affairs as soon as possible, which will facilitate the smooth progress of future plans.

Su Ming agreed, “For specific details of the changes, you can contact Miao Xin directly. The Cuscuta Group will provide you with full consultation and guidance.” After a moment’s thought, he added, “Bring a dandelion base station and install it above Longting.”

The effective coverage radius of the Dandelion base station for ground equipment is 30 kilometers, but this does not mean that the communication distance between base stations is limited to this. In the unobstructed high altitude, with high-gain antennas that are much larger than portable ground devices, the handshake distance between them can easily exceed 400 kilometers.

The distance between Sapphire Port and Dragon Court is approximately 250 kilometers.

After reaching an agreement, Zi Jin set off together with Elder Mo Yuan of the Black Dragon Clan for the Dragon Court.

****
During communication with Earth, Sangzi, who had not appeared for a long time, reappeared.

"Good afternoon!" Su Ming greeted.

"Good morning!" Sangzi replied.

The two greeted each other according to their own time and place.

"How is the cross-dimensional communication test plan progressing?" Su Ming asked.

"It's progressing steadily, and we're currently in the key principle verification experiment phase," Sang Zi reported. "However, the experiment on the transmission of ordinary photons can now be scheduled."

The photon teleportation experiment mentioned by Sang Zi was primarily aimed at verifying whether Su Ming's "Summoning of All Things" ability could teleport photons.

"Why has this experiment taken so long?" Su Ming asked, somewhat puzzled.

In his understanding, this experiment should be one of the earliest basic verifications. Designing a receiving and verification device, transmitting it to another world, and then firing a laser beam with specific parameters from Earth to test whether Su Ming can successfully "summon" it there is not technically difficult.

“In fact, we have already tested it,” Sang Zi explained to Su Ming. “In the previous teleportation experiment, we found that your ability cannot ‘take away’ the laser beams present.”

"Is it possible that only an extremely small fraction of the photons were transmitted?" Su Ming proposed a hypothesis.

“Our measurement precision can detect changes in photon flux at the level of one ten-thousandth,” Sang Zi replied. “Therefore, we infer that either the photons themselves cannot be transmitted, or a higher energy density or more special conditions are required. So, we plan to use a new type of light source with a wider spectral range and brightness that is more than a million times higher to conduct more precise verification experiments.”

"I see." Su Ming nodded, understanding the reason. "So you've been preparing this new light source all this time?"

“That’s right.” Sang Zi nodded. “The equipment has been basically debugged and we plan to start testing in two weeks.” She gave a clear timetable.

Su Ming naturally agreed.

****
Then, Sang Zi took out a document and handed it to Su Ming.

"Regarding the dragon flight observation data you provided last time, our analysis team has reached preliminary conclusions."

Su Ming flipped through it and found that the report was quite long, filled with a large number of charts and professional analyses.

Su Ming flipped directly to the conclusion and was immediately shocked by the wording—"Ionization hydrodynamic propulsion (EHD)?"

The principle is to create a high-intensity electric field around the dragon's body, causing nearby air molecules to ionize and form a large number of charged ions. These ions move at high speed and direction under the influence of the electric field, constantly colliding with the surrounding neutral air molecules, thereby generating continuous thrust.

“That’s not surprising,” Sang Zi replied calmly. “The theoretical basis of EHD is not complicated. It’s just that on Earth, due to limitations in material strength, energy conversion efficiency, and high-voltage insulation technology, it has never been practical. But in the magical world, with the powerful biological physique and magical control of the dragon race, it is reasonable to realize this kind of flight.”

Su Ming continued reviewing the report, which included a detailed analysis of the performance potential of this flight mode. Theoretical calculations showed that EHD propulsion was theoretically sufficient to support supersonic flight.

However, according to Su Ming's understanding, the actual maximum speed of elite dragons is currently around 200 knots (about 370 km/h).

This is likely due to the limitations imposed by the dragon's physical structure and magical output.

However, the dragons' advantage lies in their ability to flexibly switch between multiple propulsion modes: at low speeds, they rely on flapping their wings for efficient, health-preserving flight; at medium speeds, they use ordinary wind magic to achieve hovering and gliding; and when bursts of speed are needed, they activate EHD mode.

This multi-mode combination endows them with extremely formidable aerial agility.

"Are there many intelligent races in this other world who possess this technology?" Sang Zi then asked.

“Only the dragon race possesses this technique known as ‘Lightning Dash,’” Su Ming answered confidently. “Even the winged race, whose flying ability is second only to them, doesn’t know it at all.”

At this moment, Feng Shou walked in with a document identical to the one Su Ming was holding, clearly having just received the report himself. "Based on this flight capability, does our air combat system need to be redesigned?"

Su Ming shook his head. "The dragons are our allies. With Violet by our side, this bond cannot be broken, so we will not consider it for the time being."

“Then let’s start the preliminary research project and build up our technology reserves.” Harvest nodded. “Although the dragons have reached one-third the speed of sound, their absolute speed is still far lower than that of modern jet aircraft. Moreover, the EHD mode consumes a lot of energy and has insufficient endurance. These are all tactical weaknesses that can be exploited.”

"What about the Feathered Clan?" Sangzi asked.

“I also investigated the Feathered Clan,” Su Ming replied. “Although their maximum speed is not as exaggerated as the dragon’s ‘Lightning Dash,’ their flight efficiency is extremely high and their endurance is astonishing.”

He thought for a moment, "The two most skilled flying intelligent races in the other world are our allies. Therefore, if we take the route of air power, we should be able to establish an advantage."

"We're just waiting for your logistics to be completed," Fengshou sighed. He had been waiting in line for all the good stuff for a long time, but Su Ming hadn't even gotten rid of high-quality aviation fuel yet.

Besides fuel, the pressure that air-based combat forces exert on the entire system is enormous.

“It’s being done right now,” Su Ming said.

“EHD itself is also a very promising research direction.” Harvest pointed to the report and said, “If we can transmit more high-precision observation data, such as high-definition video recordings, or real-time physical parameters obtained by sensors installed on the dragons, we may be able to try to reproduce some of them.”

"So we're waiting for the interdimensional communication system," Su Ming sighed.

****
Later, a lean black dragon landed at the port, flapping its wings, bringing with it detailed meteorological data of Dragon Valley over the past decade.

Su Ming immediately arranged for people to make copies of these valuable documents and then returned the originals to the Black Dragon Envoy.

Because it was lunchtime, the logistics team mobilized urgently to treat the other party to a meal. Su Ming strongly suspected that the black dragon had deliberately timed the meal at that moment.

After dinner, the construction team trainees, filled with high enthusiasm, threw themselves back into the intense nighttime construction work. On the shore, one bright light after another lit up, illuminating the entire beach as if it were daytime.

Looking at these tireless, hardworking figures under the lights, Su Ming felt as if he were seeing himself in the factory workshop back then.

Of course, he wasn't idle either. Su Ming directed the team to push the "Rainbow-5" drone onto the flight deck and begin surveying the terrain around the port.

The reason it was number five is because he had tried to perform the same mission with "Rainbow Four" during the day, but forgot that this was Dragon Valley.

Although Rainbow-4's flight altitude far exceeds the flight limits of the dragons, some sharp-eyed dragons still managed to spot this high-altitude "strange bird." At first, one or two curiously chased and observed it, but then they called to their companions, and soon a large flock gathered.

As the dragons gathered, their numbers increased, and the atmosphere became increasingly restless.

Su Ming sensed something was wrong through the surveillance footage and immediately controlled the drone to climb and return, but it was too late. A large group of dragons raised their heads and roared in unison, then spewed out fiery, multicolored dragon breath.

With their astonishing numbers and overwhelming firepower, they managed to blast the poor Rainbow-4 into a burning mass of debris from the air, despite the altitude difference of several thousand meters.

Okay, I have to admit, they are far superior to some country on Earth in shooting down high-altitude targets by shooting down balloons.

Although the dragon was urgently dispatched to various places afterward to issue notices repeatedly emphasizing "do not attack reconnaissance aircraft" and "high-altitude aircraft have no meat and cannot be eaten," Su Ming had reservations about the speed and depth at which such propaganda could be effective.

For safety reasons, Su Ming decided to conduct the topographic survey at night. Utilizing the distance from the high altitude and the cover of darkness, Rainbow-5 was finally able to safely carry out the surveying work this time.

After confirming that all parameters were functioning normally, Su Ming set the drone to automatic cruise mode and mapping route, and then went to sleep.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight touched the sea, the Rainbow-5 drone successfully completed its mission and returned home.

Su Ming landed it on the Pansy's spacious flight deck. He removed the hard drive containing valuable data and took it back to the bridge to begin analysis.

As expected, the map provided by Elder Dream Weaver contained numerous inaccuracies in geographical information such as coastlines, mountain ranges, and river distribution, some of which were quite serious.

Based on the high-precision terrain data from the drone, Su Ming quickly located an ideal mountain area, "Red Ridge," about eighty kilometers from Sapphire Port.

This is a large, extinct volcano with a long geological history. Its surface vegetation is extremely sparse, and the environment is desolate. Through in-depth analysis of the surrounding topography, it can be inferred that this volcano experienced a considerably long and violent eruption period in history.

This means that it almost certainly contains abundant mineral deposits deep underground! The only difference lies in the variety, reserves, and grade of the minerals.

But this is only one aspect that attracts Su Ming.

The "Red Ridge" also possesses several other unique advantages:
First, it is very close to the main channel of the White River. This not only means an extremely abundant supply of fresh water, but more importantly, the upper reaches of the White River are located within the Dwarven Kingdom, and the river flows through the Silvermoon Forest, eventually meandering through the Dragon Valley.

This is equivalent to opening up a golden inland waterway directly from the Dwarven Kingdom's mining and industrial areas to the base! In the future, all kinds of raw materials such as ores and metal ingots needed can be conveniently transported here via inland waterway vessels.

Secondly, according to meteorological data provided by the Dragon Clan, the Dragon Valley region possesses considerable and stable wind resources. The relatively isolated mountain and towering terrain of the "Red Ridge" extinct volcano make it an ideal location for erecting large-scale wind turbines!

Of course, the open, sunny slopes of the crater are also extremely suitable for large-scale installation of solar photovoltaic panels. The sparse surface vegetation, in this case, becomes an advantageous factor that facilitates construction and reduces maintenance.

Furthermore, the vast surrounding area covered by the numerous eruptions of the Red Ridge volcano throughout history has created exceptionally fertile volcanic ash soil. Today, this fertile land is home to incredibly abundant and dense forests. These resources are ideal raw materials for agricultural and forestry chemicals.

As for the long-term supply of materials, branch forest bases can be established elsewhere within Dragon Valley, or materials can be purchased directly from the elves of Silvermoon Forest. The elves will be responsible for sustainable logging, binding the timber into massive rafts, and floating them down the White River to this future industrial center. The fact that the "Red Ridge" region has shallow soil and stable rock foundations, making it ideal for large-scale industrial infrastructure, is merely an added bonus among many advantages.

(The map uses 3D modeling; the site plan is available in the relevant sections of the artwork.)
****
After completing the data analysis, Su Ming decided to personally go to the site for investigation.

Since Elder Mo Yuan, the Black Dragon, went to the Dragon Court with Zi Jin, Elder Yin Er, the Silver Dragon, took over his duties. This Silver Dragon stayed by Su Ming's side, specifically responsible for handling various matters related to the Dragon Clan's territory.

Dragon King Ge Lie indeed showed great respect and courtesy to Su Ming upon his arrival.

Riding on the broad back of Silver Two, Su Ming flew towards the "Red Ridge" mountain range. High in the air, he carefully compared the terrain mapping data transmitted by the drone with the actual landforms. At the foot of the mountain range, he selected a relatively open and flat area and signaled Silver Two to land.

Silver Two used its powerful dragon claws to try digging a few times, and soon a solid rock layer was revealed beneath the surface soil.

"The foundation conditions are quite ideal!" Su Ming commented.

"Are you going to build a lot of houses?" Yin Er asked.

"Yes, we need to build a lot of very large houses."

Su Ming roughly surveyed the environment around the crater. A faint smell of sulfur permeated the air, and bright yellow sulfur crystals were clearly visible on the ground and in the rock crevices, which at least confirmed the existence of sulfur mines.

As for other types of exposed or partially buried minerals, Su Ming could not identify them and would need to conduct further excavation, sampling, and detailed analysis.

But simply confirming the existence of sulfur ore was enough to give Su Ming a boost—it meant that the core raw materials for establishing sulfuric acid and related chemical industry chains had been secured.

On the Baihe side, this section is a canyon, which is very unsuitable for building a port. This also exceeds the adaptability of terrain magic and requires extensive earthwork excavation. However, it is not an insurmountable problem.

During his subsequent visits, Su Ming discovered another problem: the location of this extinct volcano was far too close to the settlement of a blue dragon clan.

"It's no big deal," Yin Er said casually. "Just let them move out."

Su Ming immediately felt a sense of unease upon hearing this. Even dragons have nests, serving as shelters from the wind and rain. And if it involves demolition—

"What price would it take to relocate them?" Su Ming immediately pressed.

“Oh, it won’t be too much trouble,” Yin Er explained. “Dragons can’t stay in one place for too long, otherwise the excessive consumption of resources will seriously disrupt the balance of the surrounding ecosystem. Regular migration is one of our habits.”

"That's it."

Led by Yin Er, they quickly found the alpha dragon of this blue dragon settlement. Su Ming took a closer look and couldn't help but smile – it was the same dragon that had been the first to appear in the Ancestral Spirit Land, and had its wings caught by Violet, causing it to fall hard.

But the blue dragon was clearly unconcerned about what had happened and greeted Su Ming cheerfully, "Hello! Knight of the Violet Clan, my name is Lan Mao."

After understanding Su Ming's intention to have them relocate, he barely hesitated before patting his chest and guaranteeing that he could lead his entire clan to move out of the area ahead of schedule.

“However,” Lan Mao changed the subject, setting a condition, “you have to buy up what we can’t take with us.”

"What things?" Su Ming asked cautiously.

Lanmao led them to a spacious cave nest, pointing with his paw to the mountain of various items inside—mostly stones, crystal clusters, and mineral blocks that shimmered with an unusual luster, collected from various parts of the volcano.

“You know, we dragons love collecting these shiny little things.” He swept the ground with his tail with a hint of helplessness. “But we can’t take them all with us when we move.”

Su Ming looked around the small dragon's lair, which was filled with these kinds of "collectibles," roughly estimated to weigh at least a hundred tons.

"Here you go." Lan casually fiddled with a few colorful crystal clusters with her paws. "Anyway, these are all you have. You can have them all for 1000 gold coins."

"Does every dragon in your clan have this much?" Su Ming frowned slightly as he looked at the enormous "treasure trove" before him.

"Yes, everyone's about the same," Lan Mao readily admitted, then tentatively asked, "How about... I go and talk to everyone and see if I can give you a discount?"

"No need to discuss it further," Su Ming said decisively. "Deal!"

Just kidding, this isn't a demolition compensation condition, it's a reward for him!
Dragons generally think directly; they are accustomed to solving most problems with force and rarely engage in calculation and bargaining like humans or goblins. If facing the latter, Su Ming would have to pretend to pull and spar, afraid that the other party would realize that he had gained the upper hand.

Finally, with Yin Er as witness, the two parties reached a clear agreement: a total of forty-five blue dragons would complete the relocation within a week, and Su Ming would have to pay the agreed amount of gold coins and accept these minerals, which the dragons considered "useless decorations," before they left.

****
With this, the location of the production base was officially finalized.

Su Ming was in a very good mood. He solemnly marked the corresponding location on the topographic map and wrote down the name "Ruby Base".

Afterwards, he once again rode on the broad back of the Silver Dragon and embarked on his return journey.

"Elder Silver Two," Su Ming raised his voice amidst the howling wind to discuss, "Now that the base is settled, I plan to start bringing the main force here for development and construction. Do you think it would be possible to arrange for a few silver dragons to be stationed at Sapphire Port for daily guard duty?"

His plan was to initially retain about one hundred necromancers to handle the finishing touches after the port was completed, and once operations were stable, only a few dozen people would be needed to maintain daily operations.

“Well, that requires payment.” Yin Er’s calm voice came through. “For this kind of employment of a single dragon, if it is just a guard post and patrol, and no extra work is required, it is reasonable to pay 3 gold coins per day, provided that food and lodging are provided.”

The price was indeed not expensive, and Su Ming agreed almost without hesitation.

However, "enclosing" means digging a suitable nest for the dragon, but think of it as building a large guardhouse.

"All-inclusive meals" would actually be a bit more troublesome. But judging from the dragons' dietary standards, it shouldn't be too much of a burden. After all, the last time they were treated to a meal of braised pork rice in Greenthorn Harbor, even the Dragon King Ge Lie turned back halfway after hearing the news, which is enough to imagine how "simple" the dragons' usual meals are.

****
On the fourth day after the Pansy arrived at Sapphire Port, Su Ming began to organize the main force of the Bone-Beast Mad Machine and set off for the Ruby Base.

About one-third of the personnel served as an advance team. Their task was to immediately begin construction of the living quarters, establish stone and timber quarries near the base, and simultaneously explore, collect, and store water sources to lay the foundation for subsequent large-scale construction.

Most of the personnel then began to build a simple road connecting the "Ruby Base" and the "Sapphire Port" so that supplies and equipment could be transported along this road continuously.

The port staff who remained on the port side then moved into a more detailed construction phase, such as reinforcing the outer breakwater, refining the berthing area, and dredging and excavating the channel.

Su Ming carefully considered the scale of each project, especially road construction, which involved large-scale earthwork. Obviously, it would be much more efficient to have the enormous and powerful dragons handle it.

So he approached Yin Er again and proposed the idea of ​​hiring a group of dragons to participate in the earthwork.

However, this time, Yin Er looked troubled. "If it is a job that requires physical labor, then the price for hiring a dragon is usually between 20 and 50 gold coins per day."

Su Ming frowned deeply this time. "So expensive?"

Yin Er explained simply, “The vast majority of dragons have a very low demand for gold coins. Our food mainly comes from the natural resources within our territory, so we usually don’t need to buy them. Occasionally, a dragon with a craving for meat will want to treat itself, and then it will earn some money to buy livestock from human or goblin merchants. Apart from that, dragons have very few other needs for money.”

The dragons wouldn't mind taking on easy jobs like guarding the port, which are basically equivalent to sleeping and strolling around. But getting them to actually put in physical labor is much harder to entice them with low wages.

This explains why only a very small number of dragons were seen working in Dragon Gorge Port previously. Except in very rare special circumstances, hiring dragons for manual labor is extremely uneconomical.

Su Ming suddenly realized that these powerful creatures were indeed living a leisurely and carefree life, just like retired elderly people!
No wonder the dragon clan's high-ranking officials are all in a panic. In such a comfortable and lazy atmosphere, it's no wonder the dragon clan has become a bunch of "useless" people!
No matter how cunning the humans and goblins who contracted the territory were, they would never dare to let the dragons go hungry. As long as they filled their bellies, basked in the sun, and played with some sparkling stones, it was a perfect day for them!
A strong sense of mission welled up in Su Ming's heart—he absolutely could not sit idly by and watch the powerful productivity of these more than 10,000 "super engineering equipment" be left idle! He couldn't even imagine what the entire Dragon Valley would look like if this power could be fully mobilized!

Since the root of the problem lies in the dragons' lack of consumer demand, the solution becomes exceptionally clear—no demand? Then create demand!

A series of plans quickly took shape in his mind.

****
Su Ming acted immediately, contacting Miao Xin and sending a long list of customized requests to the Dodder Group.

An unprecedented wailing instantly filled the Dodder Group's office area. Immediately afterwards, almost everyone seemed to be put on fast-forward, plunging into a frenzied flurry of activity.

Attracted by the commotion, Ji Su peeked over and grabbed a team member who was hurrying by, asking, "Weren't you guys working hard to help Zi Jin set up the Dragon Court's administrative center these past few days? Isn't managing an administrative system of ten thousand people as easy as child's play for you?"

He had barely finished speaking when the sharp-eyed dodder caught him red-handed. Without a word, the dodder shoved a blueprint into his hand, saying, "This is for you!"

Ji Su unfolded the blueprints with a puzzled look, and what came into view was a design draft of a giant clamp that was more than two meters long.

"We're an agricultural research institute!" Ji Su exclaimed, both amused and exasperated. "You want us to work on cold weapons?"

Dodder gestured for him to continue reading. Ji Su's gaze fell on the technical parameters section, and his eyes widened instantly. "The cutting edge requires a Mohs hardness of 9?! What is Su Ming trying to clamp? A 50mm thick special armor plate?"

“These are nail clippers designed for dragons,” Dodder explained expressionlessly. “Cold weapons can also be used to till the land, so keep up the good work!” As she spoke, she stuffed a few more blueprints into Ji Su’s arms. “Keep up the good work on these too; they’re all daily necessities tailor-made for dragons.”

The harvest, also drawn by the excitement and trying to slip away quietly, couldn't escape the dodder's watchful eye.

“Perfect timing, you shouldn’t be idle either. Here, these projects are yours!” She patted a thick stack of design drawings onto Fengshou’s chest.

Harvest picked up the top sheet and felt that the design resembled some kind of exoskeleton, but it lacked power and was ridiculously large. "What... is this for?"

"This is a flight posture corrector for young dragons, worn on their backs," Dodder replied succinctly.

“…Isn’t this just a baby dragon version of the ‘BackJoy’?” Fengshou blurted out.

"In short, the design must conform to the principles of dragon body ergonomics, and the materials need to combine high toughness and comfort." Dodder ignored his complaints, "Keep it up!"

Fengshou continued flipping through the pages and discovered a variety of strange and wonderful toy designs: some flew in the sky, some rolled on the ground, and some made all sorts of noises... a dazzling array.

“Nail clippers and other everyday items are just minor peripherals,” Dodder added calmly. “You know, for any race, children’s money is the easiest to earn.”

"So, now that these have been distributed to us, what are you guys busy with?" Ji Su couldn't help but ask.

Dodder gestured for the two to follow, and pushed open the door to a laboratory next to them.

Inside, several researchers in white lab coats were carefully observing and studying several dark, rough-skinned crocodiles. Their workbenches were piled high with samples of skin waxes of various brands, textures, and colors. Assistants were using tools to gag the crocodiles, applying different types of wax to different parts of their bodies, carefully observing the effects and making detailed records.

"The color should be bright and long-lasting, and it should be resistant to dirt and stains, while also ensuring breathability and waterproofness," a researcher emphasized to his colleagues. "Everyone must make sure to compare all the characteristics."

Before Ji Su and Feng Shou could ask any questions, Cuscuta revealed the answer directly: "This is a research and development project to create skincare products tailored for Heilong."

"Fine... even black dragons can be waxed, right!" Harvest looked at the crocodiles that were coated with oil and gloss, his mouth twitching.

"So, would you two experts like to share some of the research on dragon cosmetics and skincare products?" Dodder asked with a smile as she looked at Millet and Harvest.

"No need! We'll go get the daily necessities right away!" Ji Su immediately raised her hands in surrender and turned to leave.

A piece of paper floated out from the dodder's arms.

Fengshou bent down to pick it up, glancing at it before returning it to Tusi. There was a list of a hundred sets of equipment and supporting software that he needed.

"Damn it!" Feng Shou couldn't help but swear. "This Su Ming, is he really not afraid of divine retribution?!"

****
In the captain's cabin of the Pansy, Su Ming gathered several trainees in charge of logistics and catering.

"Ah~ Tch~!"

As he was assigning tasks, he suddenly sneezed loudly without warning.

"President, after flying on the dragon's back for so long, you still need to be careful to keep warm," a student reminded him with concern.

Su Ming rubbed his nose and nodded to indicate that he understood. He then asked, "Does everyone understand the mission?"

The group nodded in agreement, and one of them summarized, "In short, our core task is to conduct in-depth research on the dietary preferences of the dragon race, and on this basis, develop a series of food products that are inexpensive, plentiful, large in portion, and delicious, and establish a chain of restaurants."

Su Ming nodded in satisfaction.

"Then, President," another student asked, pointing to the planning map Su Ming had spread out, which clearly marked the layout of the future chain stores, "why does the catering area only take up one-tenth of the entire store? What do you plan to do with the remaining 90% of the space?"

"We provide entertainment services," Su Ming replied succinctly.

The trainees looked at the price tags on the map for the entertainment area, which were as high as "five gold coins/hour, half price for the first hour, and double the price if the cumulative amount exceeds three hours in a single day." They couldn't understand what kind of entertainment program could make the dragon willing to spend such a waste of money.

The sign next to it reads "Accept payment in the form of ore of equivalent value" and "Accept collateral in the form of labor." Is that even possible?

What kind of entertainment services could make these old men, known as "Dragon Grandpas," bring out their treasured "ore" or perform hard labor to repay their debts?

"You don't need to worry about that. I will personally arrange the equipment." Su Ming gestured for everyone to leave.

As everyone stood up, one member asked one last time, "President, what's the name of our chain store?"

Su thought for a moment, "Let's call it 'PUBG Internet Cafe'!"

(End of this chapter)