Chapter 151: Trying to Get Something for Nothing?
Yue Junxiao had thrown quite the tantrum, acting all cute and pouty when he found out Bai Zhi wasn’t taking him.
But Bai Zhi had held firm.
Not only did they go, but they also brought the construction robots they had purchased a couple of days prior.
They also loaded up on plenty of construction materials.
Bai Zhi and Lang Qiu arrived the next morning. She had only seen a photo provided by the System before and had never actually visited her new star system.
Since it was undeveloped, the system looked as desolate as any barren planet. If Bai Zhi hadn’t learned from the System that this star system was a hidden, bug-like anomaly, she probably would have overlooked it as well.
After all, it looked completely unremarkable.
After Lang Qiu calibrated the robots, they began to work with a great CLANGING and BANGING.
The construction wasn’t complicated; they just needed a simple building large enough to store several hundred combat Mechas.
As expected of local construction robots, the building was finished in just a few hours. They had even taken special precautions against moisture and other factors that could damage the Mechas, laying down a specialized protective flooring inside.
This had been Kate’s suggestion.
Not long after the building was finished, the vendor’s Starship arrived. Seeing it approach, Bai Zhi and Lang Qiu walked over to wait.
The Starship’s hatch opened, and a Beastman who looked to be in his thirties or forties stepped out. He immediately walked up to them and asked, "Hello, are you the female, Bai? I’m Ming Xiu, an employee from the XX store, here to deliver your combat Mechas."
Bai Zhi replied, "I’m Bai Zhi. This is my Beast Husband, Lang Qiu."
She then pointed to the massive, single-story building they had just constructed. "Please move the Mechas into that building."
The Beastman agreed readily. "No problem."
Bai Zhi watched as a long, extendable ramp—or something like it—slid down from the Starship. She guessed it was to help the Mechas disembark.
Sure enough, she soon saw the Mechas descending from the Starship one by one in a neat line. Each Mecha was massive, its weight immense, yet they moved as if they were perfectly obedient.
Two hundred Mechas were soon moved into the building.
After the delivery was complete, Ming Xiu had Bai Zhi confirm the count and inspect the machines. To top it off, he and Lang Qiu each boarded a Mecha and engaged in a mock battle to test their combat performance and data output. The sight left Bai Zhi absolutely stunned.
It was her first time seeing a Mecha duel in person, and it was far more thrilling than watching it on a screen.
Every single move was crystal clear.
Bai Zhi suddenly understood why Beastmen loved Mechas so much. They were just so incredibly cool!
After confirming that the Mechas’ performance was flawless and that they were in no way inferior to brand-new models, the Beastman officially handed them over to Bai Zhi and departed.
Bai Zhi and Lang Qiu didn’t stay long either before returning to the Main Star.
On the way, Lang Qiu said, "I never imagined you owned a whole star system, my wife. Have you thought about how you’ll develop it?"
"I came by it a while ago," Bai Zhi said. "This star system is a bit special."
Her words piqued Lang Qiu’s curiosity. "How so?"
Bai Zhi explained, "This star system can enhance spiritual power, but it can also suppress it. Used correctly, it could be a huge advantage in a war."
Lang Qiu was surprised. It was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing. "A system like that should have been purchased long ago," he said. "And it would have been incredibly expensive."
"Just think," he mused, "a star system that can increase spiritual power... Even with the drawback of suppressing it, if someone could figure out the underlying principles, its value would multiply infinitely."
"It’s on a completely different level than a system with ordinary Crystal Stones."
Bai Zhi didn’t elaborate much. "I didn’t spend a lot on it. It was an Unowned Star System to begin with, and I only discovered its ability to enhance spiritual power by accident."
Seeing her nonchalant expression, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. "You have incredible luck, my wife. No system that enhances spiritual power has ever been discovered before. If this information got out, it would be worth tens of billions of Star Coins, at the very least."
"That much?" The number truly stunned Bai Zhi for a moment.
She knew this type of system was unheard of, but she was still shocked it could be worth that much.
’This way, even if the System were to disappear one day, I could make a living just by renting out the mall and this star system.’
Lang Qiu added, "And if its effects are unlimited, the price could go even higher. After all, the wealthy can earn money quickly, but increasing one’s spiritual power isn’t so simple."
Bai Zhi nodded. That was true.
Bai Zhi immediately began to mull over the future of her new star system.
When she first found out, her immediate thought was how useful it would be for Hu Yan in battle. But after hearing what Lang Qiu said, she realized she could capitalize on its value even without a war.
’I could build countless residences in the area that enhances spiritual power and rent them out. Say, ten million for a one-day session. How much their spiritual power increases would depend entirely on their own potential.’
’I’ll ask the System later if there’s a neutral zone where I can build housing for ordinary people. Or maybe I can concentrate the spiritual power-enhancing effect into one specific area, leaving a large, normal space free. That way, people without money could work for me. Their wages could be one hour in the enhancement zone per day, with room and board included.’
’Or I could encourage immigration. The first wave of settlers could get an hour in the zone every day, plus other benefits.’
The more Bai Zhi thought about it, the more excited she became. She was just about to ask the System, but before she could, it spoke up. "There is indeed a zone situated between the two effects. However, Host, if you check the Mall, you will find a device that specifically counteracts spiritual power suppression. It can nullify the suppressive effect, but its price is also extremely high."
At this, Bai Zhi immediately opened the Mall and found the device the System had mentioned.
When she saw the price—a number with so many zeroes it nearly blinded her—she fell silent.
She had guessed it would be expensive when the System warned her, but she never imagined it would be *this* expensive!
It cost significantly more than her entire mall.
Bai Zhi lamented, "System, is it really okay for you to price things this high?!"
The System replied, "The area you need to cover is massive, Host, so the price is naturally higher. If you only needed to cover a small patch, it would be much cheaper."
’That makes sense,’ Bai Zhi thought.
’To nullify the effect over such a large area... if it were too cheap, I wouldn’t dare use it anyway. I’d be worried something would go wrong.’
After some thought, Bai Zhi tried to negotiate with the System. "How about this? Can I use my mall as collateral? I’ll pay off the debt within a set period."
The System retorted, "Host, are you trying to get something for nothing?"
Although she couldn’t see its expression, Bai Zhi could feel it frowning at her.
She currently had less than a billion in cash; there was no way she could afford this outright.
"It’s not getting something for nothing," Bai Zhi explained. "I’ll pay a fee, like interest, for using it upfront."
The System countered, "The Mall was a gift from the System. You are now trying to use a gift from the System as collateral to obtain an item even more valuable than the Mall itself. How is that not getting something for nothing?"
The System’s words made Bai Zhi pause for a few seconds. ’It does seem a bit unethical,’ she thought.
After a moment of silence, Bai Zhi proposed a compromise. "Okay, how about this? You charge me a daily fee, essentially renting it to me. If I can’t pay the Star Coins, you can deactivate it and take it back."
The System seemed to find this proposal acceptable and agreed.
The final price was set at two million a day.
’At that rate, I’m actually coming out ahead!’ she thought.
Bai Zhi finalized the deal with the System. She wouldn’t rent it just yet; the funds would be deducted from her account when she decided to activate the service.
With her current cash on hand, she couldn’t afford the construction yet.
She wouldn’t dare start the project without tens of billions in cash.
The matter had to be shelved for now. Or, perhaps she could build a few houses first and let her Beast Husbands test the effects.
Bai Zhi asked the System another question. "Is the spiritual power enhancement effect limited or unlimited?"
System: "The effect is unlimited, but the amount of spiritual power a body can absorb and contain is finite. An excess of spiritual power will cause the body to rupture and perish. Therefore, Host, you must not be greedy."
Hearing this, Bai Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. It was a good thing she’d asked. Otherwise, if someone booked a month-long session to enhance their spiritual power and ended up exploding, her new business venture would be over before it even began.
Bai Zhi quickly asked, "What’s the longest someone can stay in one session? And can they go back in repeatedly?"
System: "Yes, repeated sessions are possible. However, it is best to stop once the body can no longer absorb any more; forcing it is not beneficial. A single day is roughly the limit for most. Those with weaker constitutions or less natural talent may only be able to endure a few hours. The more concentrated the effect, the shorter the time one can stay. While it can enhance spiritual power, excess leads to overflow."
With the System’s advice, Bai Zhi immediately decided to set the standard session length to twelve hours. For those with less talent, she’d offer a two-hour session.
The price would be lower too, but this was a much safer approach.
Once she had a clear plan, she told Lang Qiu, "I want to build a few houses first for you all to use. I want to see if you can break through to SSS-level as quickly as possible."
She hadn’t realized it before, but now she saw how much time she had wasted. The moment she acquired the system, she should have had them stay there for a week or two.
At the time, it hadn’t even crossed her mind. If Lang Qiu hadn’t brought it up, it might have taken her much longer to realize this advantage. Since she could also improve her own spiritual power, she hadn’t considered its potential for others. Now that she understood, she realized she had been wasting an incredible resource!
’Having such an amazing resource and just letting it sit there—what is that if not a total waste!’
Lang Qiu was stunned for a few seconds before his expression turned thoughtful. "Should we go back and get the others now? Also, Hu Yan has been leaving early and returning late recently. The situation seems tense. He probably needs to break through to SSS-level more than anyone."
Bai Zhi thought for a moment. "I’ll let him know. I’ll see if he can come home early today. Then you all can test out the spiritual power growth there."
The place they had just landed was likely the neutral zone the System had mentioned, which was why they hadn’t felt any unusual effects.
Lang Qiu nodded. "Alright."