There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

Having experienced the parallel travel event, according to Mr. Rhodes and Old Yorkson, the same subject in different worlds is like the different shadows cast by light shining on an object from different angles. Although they are very different, they are connected by subtle quantum entanglement.

For example, in a parallel world, I was drowned by a mudslide and died, while I myself was thrown into a spacetime turbulence on the same night. It was because of this that when I first arrived in the parallel world, I didn't notice the difference between the two worlds.

From this, we can speculate that countless versions of myself in parallel universes probably encountered different unexpected events at the same time—because all of this is interconnected.

That is why Old Yorkson chose to confront the "Man of a Thousand Faces" head-on to prevent the destruction of the parallel world from affecting our world.

Regarding this theory, I have a vague feeling that I've overlooked something, but now I can at least confirm one line of reasoning:

Condition: The ranch in the parallel world has been completely destroyed.

Condition: I am stranded in the wilderness.

Conclusion: The creatures on my ranch must now all be scattered across this planet!

Although traversing the wormhole will cause time disorder, the result is the same: I will most likely be able to find all the ranch members here!

I recalled briefly that the ranch's members were quite simple, including this meme pony and two young fighting chickens.

Oh right, and that kappa in the pond, I wonder if it swam back to Mount Mads that night and escaped its fate?

Next, the 460th Legion must increase its patrol area to ensure these animals don't wander off. They are the precious assets of my ranch; we can't afford to lose a single bit!

"Hmm... In that case, I can't expect those old bastards to help me travel back... To bring all the animals back, we'll still need to go back via space..."

"You've worked so hard, after all. Don't worry, as long as I have food to eat, you won't go hungry." I hugged the pony and groomed its mane, brushing off the bits of grass stuck to its body. "I will definitely take you back to Mineral Town!"

As I stroked the horse, I pondered slowly, when Burnett secretly came over to ask, "Boss... is there anything different about this horse? Why does it seem so familiar to you?"

I glared at the guy who was trying to steer my train of thought, and casually replied, "This is also part of that person's plan, don't ask any more questions..."

“Okay, okay!!” Burnett immediately showed a “I knew it” expression, as if knowing this secret was a very exciting thing for him.

However, after a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Boss... I don't mean to pry into secrets... I just want to know if this horse, like the agave, has any special qualities?"

I glanced at this gossipy person, nodded casually, and indicated that I didn't want to talk to him.

But Burnett's eyes lit up with excitement, and he whispered, "I knew it! Let me guess what special ability it is... traveling a thousand miles a day? Immense strength? Finding a way around?"

I casually said, "No, but it uses emojis."

"...Huh? Emojis?" Burnett was completely unable to accept it.

I continued, "Okay, actually it's not just this..."

"Boss, what kind of special ability is that?!"

“I’m rich. Lin Bei’s horses can be released. You can choose one.”

"..."

Chapter 444 They're all sick

“This horse even went to university. Would you like to see its degree certificate?” I asked coldly.

Burnett finally gave up on asking further questions and went to the side to take care of the wild horses' food.

At this point, I said to Ganan, "Guests from the tribe, rest assured. I agree to everything Burnett promised, whether it's a business cooperation plan or a personal commitment. You can stay and represent the tribe in the trade without worry."

Ganan quickly nodded with a smile, "That's wonderful! Boss Zoffy, this place is truly a treasure trove. I've already suggested it to the new leader, and we'll definitely have more and more contact with him in the future."

I nodded. "Very good. You weren't very opposed to trading before; to be honest, everyone used to think of you as barbarians. Why are you so open to it this time?"

Ganan said awkwardly, "That was in the past... in the past... Although our new leader is also skilled in combat, with combat abilities that are unprecedented, he is very interested in the outside world and is willing to exchange technology and culture. He specifically sent us to try to make some connections..."

I quickly picked up on the key phrase: "Hmm? The new leader is pretty good at fighting?"

The young man brought by Ganan said somewhat indignantly, "Is there any need to doubt it? The new chief defeated all the warriors of the tribe by himself a few months ago, and was unanimously elected!"

They actually elect their leader by fighting?

Unless your leader has eaten a heart-shaped fruit, is nicknamed "Black Panther," and possesses absurd alien technology, fighting like this from childhood to adulthood, from beginning to end, will drive you crazy. How can you possibly choose a decent leader?

No wonder they used to act like brutes with nothing but muscles in their heads and no love in their hearts.

I smiled and said, "Then I must pay a visit another day. I happen to know a bit about fighting."

I spoke without thinking, but the listener took it to heart. Ganan probably remembered my terrifying strength in carrying a bag of ore in each hand, as well as my legendary feats, and quickly signaled his men to stop talking nonsense.

I don't care about this kind of offense.

It's a good thing they love to fight; after all, when it comes to fighting, who can beat me with the system's constant assistance? Once I've consolidated my power, I'll also visit the Cedar Clan and spar with their supposedly formidable leader. With a bit of luck, I might even be able to subdue this savage, independent tribal force and further expand my strength!

Right now, all I can think about is expanding my army, waging war, seizing spaceships, and finally happily flying back to the ranch in my spaceship to continue my peaceful life. That's much better than wasting my days in this godforsaken place.

In order to get home, I can't fight on my own; after all, one person can't operate the spaceship.

I need a group of trustworthy subordinates, and then, through coercion or kidnapping, I need to get a spaceship and a professional crew so that I can return home safely.

"Lord Zoffy, your men heard you've returned and wish to come in and pay their respects!" Burnett, who was feeding the horses at the door, perfectly served as a messenger.

“Oh? Let them in,” I said.

Then, a group of people slipped in through the tavern door, led by Zero Lion, whom I personally named. As soon as they entered and saw me, they knelt on the ground and shouted loudly.

"My lord! You're finally back!"

Kneeling Lord, get up! I'm not some crooked-mouthed war god; I don't need to be begged to come out of seclusion like this.

“Get up. Lions, how’s your training going lately?” I said.

A hint of excitement flashed across Zero Lion's face as he looked up and said, "Don't worry, sir! We're training hard every day! Especially Jungmi Lee and Sean Quinn in the team, although they're still not as good as me, they're still among the best in the team and are perfectly capable of completing the weighted cross-country task!"

"So you're saying your training was the most effective? Are you that confident?" I asked casually.

Zero Lion hurriedly replied, "Of course, sir! From the day you promoted me to captain, I was determined to fulfill my mission and strive for excellence!"

“Every day when I wake up, I do basic physical training and weighted running training. When it is effective, I increase the intensity and keep training. When I stagnate, I constantly adjust and look for ways to break through.”

"I have kept your training methods in mind. I have dealt a heavy blow to my subordinates' doubts about the training methods. For the past three months, I have been looking forward to your return, so that you can become my guiding light and illuminate my way forward!"

"Although I know that my level is still far from that of adults, I never get discouraged. As long as I keep working hard, there are endless possibilities!"

"My lord, you must believe me!"

When he got emotional, Zero almost rolled on the ground with tears in his eyes, expressing how cruel and unfair my misunderstanding of him was.

I kicked him away, my face darkening, and covered my cheek, saying, "Where did this nonsense come from? Are you trying to write your own Bible? Did I ask you to say all this? Shut up!"

Zero Lion quickly retreated to his original position and loudly explained, "I'm sorry, sir. Everyone says my way of expressing myself is a bit fanatical, but my loyalty is genuine!"

I frowned and said to Jungmi Lee, a lean and wiry man behind him, and Sean Quinn, a burly man with thinning hair, "I'm giving you two a task: from now on, when Lionheart has a fit of madness, you're responsible for stopping him! I suspect this disease might be contagious!"

The two henchmen awkwardly replied, "Yes, sir!" Then, following my signal, they lifted Zero Lion off the ground, one on each side, to prevent him from having another emotional outburst.

I went outside and asked Burnett at the door, "Where are the other two members of the 460th Legion?"

Burnett quickly stuffed the wheat in his hand into the wild horse's mouth, then clapped his hands and reported, "The Four-Legged Chicken Squad is transporting grain and steel in Silent Valley!"

Oh right, I forgot about that, they took the camels with them too.

"What about the six-wheeled noodles? Shouldn't it be their turn to collect food today?" I asked.

Burnett said, "Yes, the Six-Wheel Face Squad is fishing on the beach!"

"Dare to slack off? Throw them all into the sea to feed the sharks!" I roared.

Burnett quickly explained, "No, boss, they go along the beach to look for schools of fish and then throw them with wooden spears. We call that 'fishing by touch'!"

"This title is no longer allowed; it sounds too lame!" I commanded.

Burnett quickly replied, "Yes! Oh, by the way, Mr. Zoffy, Six Faces said he's planning to recruit workers from the free trade zone."

"Hiring?"

"Yes, the six-wheeled men are far inferior to the other two teams in terms of physique and willpower, and are the farthest from the standard deviation you proposed, so we have been looking for suitable candidates to replace them."

That would be considered a historical issue.

When the 460 Legion was being assigned, due to the order of assignment, Zero Lions picked the group with the best physical abilities, Four-Legged Chickens picked the group with the best minds, and so on down to the final Six-Wheel Faces...

It can be said that this team, including himself, consists of a bunch of idiots and simpletons. Their average strength is indeed quite poor, and their only advantage is that they are obedient to discipline.

"Tell them to allow three squads to replenish their ranks locally, and the replaced members to be included in the standing armed forces of the free trade zone. As long as they don't mess things up and form three all-female squads, I won't interfere!"

I looked at Burnett and said, word by word, "I'm about to carry out new orders. Under no circumstances can the free trade zone be disrupted!"

Chapter 445 Market Operation Model

Seeing my serious expression, Burnett whispered to me, "Boss Zoffy, but I feel like the development of the free trade zone has hit a bottleneck. I have absolutely no idea how to continue developing it..."

"Yes. The organization has already taken your difficulties into consideration, so I'm here to do some ideological work with you."

I went back to the bar and poured two glasses of amber-colored tequila. It seemed the tequila had aged slightly, its aroma transforming from a pungent, strong fragrance to a subtle, mellow one, its quality becoming increasingly apparent.

"Boss, how do you think the free trade zone can develop?" Burnett took the wine from my hand with some distress, stared blankly at the liquid in the glass, and slowly expressed his inner confusion.

"The problem now is that the market area is expanding continuously, while the workshop area, limited by the number of artisans, has almost stagnated in its development. If this continues, the goods transported by merchants will exceed the goods produced, and the prices we control will begin to soar..."

Fortunately, he raised this question proactively, avoiding navigating uncharted territory. While Burnett, as the former head of town trade, had some experience in physical trade, he needed further experience in his role to truly grasp the overall market.

I took the glass from his hand, placed the two glasses together, and asked him, "Let's look at it this way. These are two glasses of wine, right?"

“Yes,” Burnett said. “You mean… the free trade market is a zero-sum game, where you only need to maintain a balance in the total volume?”

“…Keep watching!” I shook my head, drank half of my glass, and asked, “Now there are still two glasses, right?”

"Yes, it's obvious, but it's too little."

Burnett tentatively asked, "Are you saying that scarcity caused by the consumption of goods is a natural market phenomenon? And that we should intensify supply-side reforms?"

I shook my head, then filled the glass again from the barrel, a layer of foam naturally rising to the top. "Think back to my actions... Do you understand now?"

Burnett frowned at me, swallowing hard as he was drawn in by the aroma of the wine. Suddenly, he clapped his hands excitedly. "I get it! Boss! You mean the market operates like pouring and drinking wine, naturally creating economic bubbles? But people will still drink! There's no need to deliberately change it; the market will regulate itself?!"

"..."

I looked at him speechlessly and said with a look of disgust, "Can you be a little more magnanimous?" After saying that, I poured a full glass of tequila on the ground, drank another glass myself, and stuffed the empty glass into his arms.

"Boss... what does this mean...?"

"What I mean is, I can drink this wine whenever I want, have more if I want, and pour it out if I want. If I say I won't give you any, then I won't. Do you understand?"

I looked at him with dissatisfaction: "You still don't understand your own position—you're no longer the lowly trader you once were; you're now a representative of a powerful force!"