Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 253 Personal Strategist, Come Inside With Me (5.8K)

Virtual network, silver-blue space.

It was still that spectacular scene of stars and blue waves blending together. The clear sea reflected the starry sky, and the outline of the blue planet in the distance was faintly visible in the nebula, serene and vast.

This time, however, there were two more visitors in the pavilion besides Lin Yi.

The figures of Clan Chief Liyue and Irelia coalesced almost simultaneously.

Li Yue was still dressed in the elegant attire that represented her status as clan leader, while Irelia stood quietly half a step to her side, nodding slightly to Lin Yi.

"Commander Lin Yi," Li Yue spoke first, bowing respectfully to Lin Yi. "I am deeply grateful for your invitation."

Lin Yi gestured for the two to sit down, and tea naturally appeared on the stone table.

“Chief of Liyue, please have a seat. Ellie has probably already conveyed the general situation.”

"Yes."

Li Yue sat down, placing her hands folded on her knees. "A planet with 100,000 inhabitants. A gift from the eternal gods. This matter is truly too shocking. Please forgive me for still feeling as if I am in a dream."

She shook her head with a wry smile; even with her experience, she couldn't remain completely calm in the face of such a grand gesture.

Lin Yi nodded understandingly, and without much small talk, went straight to the point: "The situation is true. My third senior sister, the Thousand Illusion Goddess, has indeed gifted me 100,000 Life Planets. The reason I invited the clan leader here today is to discuss matters concerning the Xina family."

"Considering the current situation of the Sheena family and our alliance, I intend to sell a portion of the inhabited planets to your family at 60% of the market value to help resettle your people and rebuild your home. What does the clan leader think?"

60% off!

Even though they already knew it was a "discounted sale," Liyue's heart still skipped a beat when she heard the news with her own ears.

This is practically equivalent to selling it for half price or giving it away for free.

Although the life-bearing planet is worth 60% of its market price, its value is still astronomical. However, for the Xena family, who are almost in dire straits, it is undoubtedly the only and best way out.

Because life-bearing planets are a core resource, it's easier to manage if they're few in number, but if they're many, they become extremely difficult to acquire, and few powers would relinquish such a fundamental industry.

Overwhelmed with joy, Li Yue was about to speak on behalf of her family to accept the offer and express her sincerest gratitude when Irelia, sitting next to her, spoke up at just the right moment, with a perfectly timed hint of "difficulty."

"Manager, the 40% discount truly reflects your great sincerity and kindness; my grandmother and I are extremely grateful. However..."

She frowned slightly, looked at Li Yue, and then turned to Lin Yi, "The funds and equivalent resources that our clan currently has at its disposal, even with the additional resources we brought, are probably insufficient to purchase enough planets to settle the entire clan and leave room for future development."

She paused, then looked earnestly at Lin Yi: "Commander, is it possible to adopt a partial payment, partial debt repayment method? We are willing to pay the initial installment, and the remaining amount, with agreed interest and repayment period, will be gradually repaid with the family's future output and income. In this way, we might be able to purchase more planets and secure greater development space for the family."

Li Yue was slightly taken aback. She looked at Irelia suspiciously, and after a moment of thought, a look of understanding flashed in her eyes.

Then, Li Yue immediately followed up on her words, saying to Lin Yi with a slightly embarrassed attitude, "Commander Lin Yi, what Ellie said is somewhat difficult to say, but it is indeed the truth. Our clan is currently short of funds. If you allow us to repay in installments, my Sheena family is willing to draw up a contract, guaranteeing with our family's reputation, and we will never default on a single penny. We only ask to gain more foothold so that our clan can recover its strength more quickly, and in the future, we can better fulfill our responsibilities as allies and repay your kindness."

Lin Yi:
He glanced at Irelia, then at Liyue, and finally said, "Alright. The specific purchase quantity, down payment ratio, interest, and repayment plan will be discussed and drafted by Irelia and your family. I trust the reputation of the Sheena family."

"Thank you, Commander/Commander Lin Yi!" Li Yue and Irelia stood up at the same time and bowed solemnly.

After seeing off the profusely grateful Li Yue and the seemingly calm but actually relieved Irelia, Lin Yi did not immediately leave the Silver Blue Space.

He stood alone at the edge of the pavilion, gazing at the boundless sea of ​​stars reflected below, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

The deal with the Sheena family has been initially finalized. The next step is a more complex issue: how to deal with the portion of the planet left to the Silver Blue Civilization.

With a slight thought, he instructed, "Xuanji, notify the core high-level officials of the Blue Star Federation that an emergency virtual high-level meeting will be held in one hour to discuss the allocation of important resources for the future development of civilization."

"The instruction has been confirmed. The meeting notice has been issued and will be held at 17:00 standard time, 37 minutes from now."

Xuanji responded.

Lin Yi hummed in agreement, but his thoughts were not on the upcoming meeting.

He had already made up his mind about how to allocate these life-bearing planets and did not intend to consult the Blue Star think tank.

He knew all too well that when it came to the distribution of such enormous interests, the think tanks would naturally favor the civilization as a whole, tending to allocate as many resources as possible and as cheaply as possible to the civilization—that was their duty.

But from Lin Yi's personal perspective, he needs to balance rewards, incentives, and initiative.

Irelia's advice enlightened him: directly handing over ownership of the planet to civilization was not the optimal solution.

"Personal interests versus the interests of civilization," Lin Yi muttered to himself.

He realized that as his strength increased and his ability to acquire resources surged, there would likely be more and more situations in the future where personal interests and civilizational interests were not entirely aligned, and might even conflict.

He needs a dedicated advisor who can fully stand in his shoes, analyze the pros and cons, and provide objective advice.

Although Irelia is perceptive and considerate of him, she is ultimately a core member of the Sina family and has her own ethnic stance and demands.

Some judgments involving the Eldar and Human races, or more delicate situations, may not be suitable for in-depth discussion with her.

So, who is the most suitable candidate?
Lin Yi's gaze unconsciously swept over the silver-blue space he had constructed with his mind, his thoughts falling on the one who had always been silently assisting him.

"Xuanji."

He was silent.

Xuanji, as his intelligent life assistant, has accompanied him from the very beginning of his growth.

She is absolutely loyal, executes orders without hesitation, and has an information processing ability far exceeding that of ordinary people.

However, as he has come into contact with higher and higher levels, from the Star Domain level to the Derivation Realm, and now directly communicating with his senior brothers and sisters at the Eternal God level, Xuanji's abilities do seem to be lagging behind.

She is more of an executor and information steward, and does not yet meet the standard of a "think tank" capable of deeply understanding high-level game theory and providing strategic advice.

"Perhaps... it's time." Lin Yi made up his mind.

The initial payment obtained from the Sheena family will be a huge fortune.

Aside from using it for personal cultivation and the development of the mercenary group, a portion could be allocated to upgrading Xuanji.

Upgrade it directly from its current level, equivalent to that of a star vortex, to the level of a star-domain-level intelligent life.

Star-level intelligent life will experience a qualitative leap in its computing power, information processing speed, logical reasoning ability, and ability to understand and assist in complex rules.

She will no longer be just an assistant, but a true strategic analysis node, a dedicated strategist who can help him process massive amounts of information, deduce situations, and find a balance between different interests.

Thinking about this, Lin Yi became even more excited about the upcoming funding.

This is not only a rebirth for the Xina family, but also a significant upgrade for Xuanji and even his personal decision-making system.

"Principal, the meeting will begin in 5 minutes. Participants have been connected to the reserved virtual meeting room."

Xuanji's voice rang out again, interrupting his thoughts.

Lin Yi composed himself, his eyes regaining their clarity and calmness.

"Understood, prepare to connect to the meeting."

The virtual meeting space was designed as a dignified and simple circular conference room.

Beside the huge curved table, the virtual projections of the core high-level figures of the Silver Blue Civilization gradually solidified. When Lin Yi's figure appeared in the main seat, everyone's eyes instantly focused on him.

"Gentlemen," Lin Yi said without any further pleasantries, "I have gathered you all here today to announce a major matter concerning the future of civilization."

He paused briefly, drawing everyone's attention, before slowly speaking, "I have just acquired a resource. Its scale will completely alter the development trajectory and future landscape of the Silver Blue Civilization."

Lin Yi's gaze swept across the entire room as he said, word by word, "I have acquired ownership of 100,000 life-bearing planets."

"."

silence.

Deathly silence.

If the previous meeting in the Sheena family conference room was shocking, then here, it was a complete mental blank.

Each and every one of you here is one of the most elites on Earth. Your brains have processed countless complex pieces of information and deduced countless possible future scenarios.

However, the concept of "100,000 life-bearing planets" completely exceeded the limits of their cognitive system and imagination.

The electronic pen in Li Zhenguo's hand fell onto the virtual desktop, making a soft "click" sound, but he was completely unaware of it. Even Zhou Donglai, who was known for his composure, couldn't help but stare blankly.

The experts in the high-level think tank had a look of utter absurdity that said, "This is impossible."

One hundred thousand life-bearing planets?
What does that mean?
The Silver Blue Civilization instantly gained a material foundation comparable to many established star-domain civilizations.

This is not just a leap forward; it's a direct jump from the ground to the clouds.

A good ten seconds passed before the room erupted in suppressed chatter.

"One hundred thousand?!"

"This"

"A life-bearing planet? One hundred thousand?"

"When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven?" Lin Yi did not stop them, but gave them some time to digest the information.

After the murmurs subsided, he continued, "This is a gift from an Eternal Goddess, but as the leader of the Silver Blue Civilization, I will not leave them unused. Just as I previously provided high-value items to the Civilization Treasury, I will lease the right to use these planets to the Silver Blue Civilization in the form of merit points."

Li Zhenguo pondered for a moment and grasped the key point. After a brief pause, he said, "Commander Lin Yi is far-sighted. Merit leasing can indeed prevent the mentality of reaping the benefits without sowing and can better motivate the entire population to strive. However, the construction of this merit system and the leasing standards for different levels of planets require an extremely complex and precise calculation model."

"This is precisely where we need to pool our wisdom and ideas."

Lin Yi tossed the ball back, "The Silver-Blue Consortium needs to establish a special working group as soon as possible, inviting top experts in sociology, economics, public administration and other fields to jointly design this merit leasing system. My requirements are: fairness, efficiency, and the ability to guide civilization in the right direction."

He skillfully steered the conversation, handing over the responsibility for the specific design to the professional team, while firmly maintaining control over the final direction and standard setting.

"Then, Commander Lin Yi," Zhou Donglai asked in a deep voice, "which direction do you hope civilization will develop in? With such a vast strategic depth, does our overall strategy need a fundamental adjustment?"

"Of course we need to adjust!" Lin Yi leaned forward slightly, his eyes piercing. "And it needs to be a radical adjustment! We can no longer be satisfied with the gradual development model of the past. With so many planets before us, what is our biggest weakness?"

He looked around at everyone, and before anyone could answer, he declared, "It's population! With our current population, if we spread it across 100,000 planets, we wouldn't even make a ripple! We must usher in an era of explosive growth!"

"Explosive growth?"

The head of the civil affairs department muttered to himself, seemingly realizing something.

"That's right!"

Lin Yi asserted, "I demand that the consortium immediately study and implement the most generous birth incentive policy in history!"

He set the tone directly: "My initial idea is to provide every newborn family with a subsidy sufficient to ensure they have no worries, and this subsidy should be long-term and continuous. The specific amount and form should be calculated and determined by you based on your financial capacity and incentive effect. However, I require that this policy must be sufficiently attractive, and at the same time, for the sake of fairness, appropriate retroactive compensation should also be given to existing minors."

"We want all citizens to feel our sincerity and have the most optimistic expectations for the future."

The finance department head looked distressed and was about to explain the difficulties when Lin Yi raised his hand to stop him.

"I know the financial pressure is enormous. But we must take a long-term view. Population is the cornerstone of civilization, and this investment is worthwhile! I will find a way to provide some of the initial funding, but more importantly, you must have the courage to design a plan that can unlock the reproductive potential of the entire society."

He had calculated that this expense would initially amount to only a few hundred thousand star crystals per year, which would have been a huge sum in his previous life. But for him now, it was just a drop in the ocean.

Lin Yi's words resonated like a great bell, shaking the hearts of everyone present.

They began to realize that Lin Yi was not just allocating resources, but forcibly accelerating and expanding the entire civilization.

The meeting then entered into a heated discussion.

One question after another was raised, and one preliminary idea after another was discussed.

Lin Yi mostly just listened, occasionally offering guidance or setting the tone on key points.

Instead of providing all the answers, he forced the world's top think tanks and administrative system to operate at high speed to adapt to this sudden "happy problem."

The meeting lasted for several hours.
-
The next day.

Blue Star, Xia Kingdom, an ordinary residential area in a second-tier city.

As evening fell, the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window onto Chen Ming's slightly tired face.

He had just finished a day's work and was sprawled on the sofa, habitually scrolling through the news.

Li Li, the wife, was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner for the family of three, while her six-year-old son, Dou Dou, was playing with his starship model on the living room floor.

Everything was as usual, peaceful but with a slight hint of weariness.

Suddenly, a bold, pinned emergency news notification popped up at the very top of the screen.

[Community Supreme Announcement: The Silver Blue Civilization Launches the "Cradle of the Stars" Project, and Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Permanent Incentive Policy for Newborns]

Chen Ming frowned, thinking it was some unscrupulous advertisement, and was about to cross it out when he caught sight of the words "Supreme Announcement".

He hesitated for a moment, then clicked on it.

The next moment, he suddenly sat up straight on the sofa, his eyes wide open, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"Lily! Come quick!" His voice was trembling with excitement.

Li Li, wearing an apron and wiping her hands, came out of the kitchen and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did the stocks you bought crash again?"

"No, no! It's about giving birth!" Chen Ming stammered as he handed over his phone.

Li Li took the phone and glanced at the news article.

The news content itself wasn't complicated, but the core information was like a bombshell:

"In response to this historic opportunity for the development of civilization, and with the approval of the Supreme Council of the Silver-Blue Community and the support of Commander-in-Chief Lin Yi, the 'Cradle of the Stars' project is officially launched today."

"All newborns of the Silver Blue Civilization will receive a maternity subsidy of 30 Star Coins annually from the date of birth registration until they reach the age of 28, with subsidies issued monthly upon review."

"The policy is fully retroactive. For existing citizens under 18 years of age, a one-time retroactive payment of the full amount of subsidies from the date of birth to the policy's effective date will be made! For those aged 18 to under 28, subsidies for the remaining years will be retroactively paid."

"The subsidy funds are allocated specifically from the Civilization Development Fund, are strictly protected by law, and are unrelated to family income."

Chen Ming and Li Li looked at each other, both seeing extreme shock and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

30 Star Coins per year!
For 28 consecutive years, that adds up to 840 million Star Coins!
Moreover, their son DouDou is 6 years old this year, which means that their family will receive a one-time retroactive subsidy totaling 180 million Star Coins from the past 6 years!

Star coins are the most basic unit of currency for humans; 1 star coins = 1 star yuan. The purchasing power of 1 star coin is roughly equivalent to 1 Xia Kingdom coin.

For this ordinary family that carefully budgets their money, this was undoubtedly a windfall.

"Is this true?"

Li Li's voice trembled as she repeatedly confirmed the news source and the dizzying numbers.

"The official announcement, coupled with His Excellency Lin Yi's support, cannot be faked."

Chen Ming murmured, overwhelmed by a tremendous surprise that left him momentarily speechless.

Just then, his portable device started vibrating wildly, and almost all his social media accounts, including family groups, friend groups, and colleague groups, were in an uproar.

"See that? They pay you to have a baby! Until you're 28!"

"This is insane! Utterly insane! This is encouraging everyone to have as many children as possible!"

"Hahaha! My daughter just turned one month old! I've hit the jackpot!"

"Let me do the math. My son is 12 years old. He could get 360 million yuan in back pay?! Am I dreaming?"

"Who's getting married? I'm going on a blind date right now! Immediately! Right now!"

"Hey upstairs, stop fighting! Let's go get our marriage certificates as a group!"

Online, the topic exploded to the top of the trending search lists on all platforms, each followed by a bright red "Explosive" sign.

Social media is filled with excited discussions, calculations, and all sorts of jokes and anecdotes.

Offline reactions, on the other hand, are more direct and intense.

The official websites and apps of major dating agencies crashed within half an hour of the announcement, with registrations and inquiries skyrocketing.

The marriage registration office, which was originally rather deserted, was suddenly filled with long queues early the next morning. Many young people had excited and eager expressions on their faces as they discussed their future plans and the tempting "start-up capital".

The phone lines of maternity and baby product stores, postpartum care centers, and early education institutions were overwhelmed with calls, and appointments were booked months in advance.

Real estate agents keenly sensed the trend, and advertising slogans such as "Designated Livable Communities for the Starry Cradle Project" began to quietly appear.

On the streets and in alleys, in teahouses and restaurants, almost everyone is talking about the same topic.

"Old Zhang, I heard your daughter-in-law is pregnant? Congratulations! You've come at the perfect time!"

"Yeah, I was worried about the pressure, but now the community is raising our child for us. What's there to hesitate about?"

"I heard that Old Wang's twins next door got over three million yuan in compensation in one go! Old Wang's family has really struck it rich this time!"

"Commander Lin Yi, what a grand plan! He's taking our entire civilization into the sea of ​​stars!"

Ordinary people may not fully understand the vast cosmic landscape behind the "100,000 Life Planets" initiative, but they have genuinely felt the enormous benefits and unprecedented hope brought about by this policy.

Childbirth, a choice that was increasingly seen as a heavy burden in the past, has been given a completely new meaning overnight.

It has become a glorious way to participate in the expansion of civilization and share the dividends of development.

Chen Ming and Li Li looked at their son Dou Dou, who was excitedly simulating a starship battle on the floor, and then exchanged a glance. A thought that they had never seriously considered before quietly sprouted in their hearts.

"Wife," Chen Ming's voice was a little hoarse, "Perhaps...we can consider giving Dou Dou a younger brother or sister?"

Li Li didn't answer immediately, but she raised the corners of her mouth slightly and nudged Chen Ming with her elbow.

"Come inside with me."

(End of this chapter)