Mentor Fang did not hold any public classes, merely patrolling the training camp once. Seeing his young sprouts growing robustly, he nodded with gratification, a fatherly smile gracing his lips.
Currently, the elite training camp recruits were all 'newbies' accepted after the Blue Star Alliance was established. They hadn't experienced large-scale battles, so their accumulation of mysterious value was slower. Yet, those with four awakenings were commonplace.
These elite trainees also undertook most of the missions within Blue Star's territory. This included tasks like eradicating strange evils, industrial construction, maintaining public order, and pioneering low-risk zones, among others.
As this batch of newcomers gradually matured, Blue Star's manpower became more abundant. Fang You glanced around and noticed some trainees complaining about a lack of missions, sometimes even missing out on work opportunities due to their slowness. If that was the case, it was time to dispatch a batch of elites to explore the strange realms.
After all, the Grand Domain Project had already commenced, and every corner of the strange realms required manpower.
"However, while there are many elites, contract tokens are indeed scarce. Moreover, some important missions can only be assigned to formal members of the Spark of Hope."
In this regard, manpower was still somewhat strained.
But if a batch of seasoned warriors were transferred from the Spark of Hope Oasis, and these elites and experts were formed into small, self-contained units to lead the quasi-official members who had yet to obtain membership cards on missions, manpower could be made sufficiently abundant.
It was worth mentioning that Spark of Hope Oasis was now a Level 6 oasis, larger than Sword Flower City, and was home to three to four million people. The population size was comparable to many established oases in the Falling Star Grand Domain.
In fact, with Spark of Hope's grain production and high-rise construction capabilities, a Level 6 oasis could easily accommodate not just three to four million residents, but even ten to twenty million if they squeezed in.
However, Fang You had no desire to squeeze, nor was it necessary.
Initially, large numbers of pioneers were transported to the Level 2 Spark of Hope Oasis due to the urgent need for manpower. Now, there was no shortage, and millions of people were sufficient for any task.
Concurrently, Spark of Hope Oasis also served as the first stop for many Blue Star trainees venturing into the strange realms.
Many less experienced, informal personnel honed their skills here, delving into the grey fog zones to hunt strange evils, accumulating mystery, and gaining experience in work, exploration, and survival within the strange realms. This was especially true for gaining experience in judging and avoiding danger within the grey fog environment.
Otherwise, abandoning a 'newbie' with little exploration experience in a remote location to work would easily lead to accidents.
Not every beginner explorer possessed An Jianyou's 'Tongyou' talent, nor his invincible combat power that could obliterate any evil.
Caution and meticulousness were the norm for pioneering and exploring the strange realms.
Therefore, experience was sometimes more important than strength when working in the strange realms.
"In terms of experience and knowledge, my Spark of Hope is still somewhat lacking."
There was nothing that could be done about it.
By the general theoretical standards of the strange realms, he, Mentor Fang, was merely a rookie explorer, let alone the Spark of Hope elites who had only debuted a year or a year and a half ago.
What Fang You could do was compile information about the strange realms into volumes for every trainee to study diligently, then organize one or ten or eight professional assessments, and have the forging department produce more life-saving items to equip each team.
Finally, a safety manual would be prepared for each team, and then it would be sufficient.
He thought to himself and subconsciously tapped the panel floating in front of him.
A small head with a ponytail emerged from it, tilting upwards, conveying a look that asked, 'Is there anything you need Little Huan to do?'
Fang You: "..."
"Ahem, check the situation at the first batch of pilot resource points. See if there are any areas needing reinforcement in terms of personnel arrangement and defense construction."
...
...
In the western part of the Falling Star Grand Domain, stood the City of Steel.
This was an oasis of towering, silver-grey buildings, resembling a steel jungle. Due to the City of Steel's considerable background, its Lord had developed this oasis into a Level 6 oasis within a mere hundred years, and it was not far from becoming a Level 7 oasis.
Oases could slowly expand by accumulating 'popularity' and maintaining their internal environment.
The Lord of the City of Steel gazed at the Oasis Heart in his hand – a verdant, nut-sized gem with profound, bright patterns within and surrounded by wisps of pale green light. His eyes were filled with anticipation and worry.
According to his estimation, in a few decades, the 'popularity' of the City of Steel would be sufficient. However, simply accumulating popularity was not enough to advance to a Level 7 super oasis; it also required enduring a 'tribulation'.
Just as awakened individuals needed to face the 'Awakening Tribulation' with each promotion, oases had their own tribulations.
—The tribulation was the invasion of strange evils.
Similarly, just as divine awakening was the most difficult, the tribulation faced by an oasis advancing from Level 6 to Level 7 was exceptionally perilous.
"At that time, the oasis will face the largest scale impact of a strange evil tide, and will also suffer 'direct pollution' from the strange realms."
"The strange evil tide impact will likely feature a seven-star world-ending grade strange evil. However, if luck is unfavorable, the appearance of a second, third, or even fourth seven-star grade strange evil is not impossible."
The Lord of the City of Steel was confident in his ability to withstand one seven-star grade strange evil, but he had no way of resisting two, three, or four.
On such a critical matter of life and death as an oasis promotion, the Lord of the City of Steel dared not leave anything to chance.
"Furthermore, there is the impact of pollution from the depths of the strange realms, which is even more indescribable. There are no direct means of countering it; one can only rely on the oasis's own vitality to resist."
"Much like humans resisting diseases with their immune systems."
"However, overall, by managing the oasis to be more vibrant and stronger, and by minimizing damage to the oasis when facing the onslaught of strange evils, one can weather the pollution... and after a few years or a decade of recovery, my City of Steel will be promoted to a true super oasis."
This was secret information circulated only within the circle of super oases.
Level 6 oases that attempted to advance without such knowledge were most likely to face ruin and death. However, even with the City of Steel's foundation, its heritage, and his presence as a divine being, the Lord of the City of Steel did not have great confidence... He feared unexpected events.
"When the time comes for promotion, I can invite a senior from the main family, but at most, only one can be invited."
The Lord of the City of Steel felt it was not stable enough.
After all, he could not afford to lose! He could not let all his efforts be in vain due to a slight lack of preparation.
Therefore, from the day he ascended to divinity, the Lord of the City of Steel had been contemplating the need to bring in another external helper. In this Falling Star Grand Domain, the most suitable external helper would be a divine being from Falling Star City.
With three divine beings present, the risks during the oasis's promotion could be minimized.
However, how to invite the divine being Borlazemong from Falling Star City, and how to ensure that this divine being would honor the agreement... these were all headache-inducing problems.
Later, when the Burning Flame Merchant Guild emerged, the Lord of the City of Steel saw another suitable external helper.
As a result, he observed the wind direction changes in the Falling Star Grand Domain, not only to earn greater profits but also to secure a suitable external helper.
In the Lord of the City of Steel's view, the Burning Flame Merchant Guild possessed more abundant combat power, making it more likely to invite a divine being from them.
However, the Burning Flame Merchant Guild had only existed for a year. In his eyes, they were not as well-understood as Falling Star City, and he had concerns. Simply put, Falling Star City was a super oasis with a vast empire and its roots were here, making it relatively reliable. The Burning Flame Merchant Guild, on the other hand, only owned a Level 3 oasis. Their foundation and strength could not be compared at all; they could pack up and leave at any time if trouble arose... This was one of the reasons why the Lord of the City of Steel had previously leaned towards Falling Star City.
Now...
"I'll wait and see for a while longer. After all, it will take at least another few decades of preparation for my City of Steel to advance to a Level 7 oasis."
"Combat power and defense deployment are merely the simplest aspects. Oasis governance, resident coordination, warrior training, material preparation, fiscal revenue, and so on, all of these cannot be overlooked. Any one aspect going wrong could lead to the complete collapse of the oasis."
"Managing an oasis is indeed a troublesome affair."
The Lord of the City of Steel removed his hand from his scalp, looking at the few strands of hair in his palm. He fell into silence.
Time flowed silently as he pondered, until a secretary's voice called the lost-in-thought Lord of the City of Steel back to reality.
"Lord City Lord, Lord City Lord..."
"Sword Flower City has sent an invitation, requesting us to visit the pilot resource point they are jointly building with the Burning Flame Merchant Guild. What do you think..."
...
...
"We are approaching Sword Flower City's Resource Point No. 3. It is said that this resource point is a large strange crystal ore vein, and with gentle extraction, it would take at least twenty years to deplete."
"This is not the key point. The key is that it takes at least sixteen days to travel from this resource point to Sword Flower City. Even if a 'high-level safe route' is painstakingly opened, it would take at least three to four days. This resource point can be considered quite remote."
Remote meant extremely high transportation costs and significant risks during transportation.
Not to mention, the strange crystal ore vein was located within the grey fog. To extract it, one would have to withstand the harassment of strange evils at all times. How long could awakened individuals maintain such high vigilance in this environment?
Furthermore, for the mining of strange crystal ore, if too few personnel were assigned, the extraction efficiency would be low. If too many miners were assigned, it would attract more attacks from strange evils, continuously increasing the danger at the mining site.
This was a dilemma.
Converting these risks, personnel expenses, and equipment wear and tear into monetary terms, it was easy to reach a conclusion—they would not only fail to profit but would also incur losses.
There was also the risk that the oasis could not provide timely support in case of danger... or even have difficulty obtaining information.
For large-scale resource points like strange crystal ore veins that required long-term operation and extraction, no matter how coveted they were, they could only be set aside. At most, brute force extraction of exposed raw ore could be done.
Having accepted the organization's mission, Dean Rose, on behalf of Sword Flower City, sent invitations to various oasis forces to visit this strange crystal ore resource point that had recently been constructed and put into operation.
The visiting party assembled in Sword Flower City and was led by her, a divine being... A journey that would normally take over ten days for a regular six-awakened individual to lead, Dean Rose completed in three days.
She had only not expected that the Lord of the City of Steel, a divine being, would personally come.
In the strange realms, visibility was limited. If the route deviated slightly, the distance to the destination could be vastly different. Dean Rose advanced, comparing her map with the real-time map stored in her mind that provided true guidance. Without any deviation, she was about to reach her destination.
"Everyone, we are just ahead."
It was as if they were parting a thick veil of mist, crossing from a grey fog environment into an oasis. Their eyes widened in surprise as a gentle sunlight fell upon the oasis representatives emerging from the grey fog.
"This is an oasis?"
"No, this is not an oasis! But this..."
It was so similar!
If the area were not significantly smaller, and if they could see the sun hanging overhead, they might have thought they had entered some oasis.
Yet, this was not an oasis, but merely an unremarkable spot within the strange realms.
But not a trace of grey fog could be seen.
This resource mining point was approximately a two-kilometer-long and over one-kilometer-wide area. Within the area, it was a bright, fog-free zone. However, it was still different from an oasis. There was no natural source of water, and natural vegetation was almost non-existent. As far as the eye could see, there were undulating grey hills, displaying the most common desolate colors of the strange realms.
However, quite a few mechanical devices had already been set up on these grey hills, and ordinary miners holding tools were industriously mining ore. The number of these miners was not small; some secretly estimated, surprised to find one to two thousand people. And such a large gathering of people did not seem to have attracted an attack from a strange evil tide?
Representatives from various oases ascended to higher ground, looking around.
A ten-meter-high fence of vines and trees had been built around the perimeter of the mine. Guards wearing Burning Flame Merchant Guild combat suits and Sword Flower's three-faction attire could be seen patrolling everywhere or standing watch on the watchtowers.
On the higher ground of the surrounding hills, stood numerous wooden towers about ten meters tall... They appeared to be arrow towers. At first glance, they seemed ordinary, but when one's gaze met the shooting ports, for some reason, even six-awakened powerhouses felt a trace of chill.
In the central part of the mine, four large bonfires burning with fierce orange flames were erected... Building bonfires in broad daylight seemed somewhat strange, but considering that the Bright Flame Torches and Bright Flame Lanterns all worked by burning, and seeing the environment where almost no grey fog was visible, some visitors began to form guesses.
Taking advantage of their status as visitors, someone asked directly.
Dean Rose, being a respected divine being, could not act like a guide, answering every question and explaining everything. However, the purpose of inviting various oases to visit was for them to understand the cooperation model and realize why it was a win-win situation. Concealment was naturally not an option.
Meidisha, who held the position of Vice Dean, acted as the explainer.
"That is the support provided by the Burning Flame Merchant Guild, a facility capable of dispelling grey fog and ensuring a safe working environment. It is also one of the cooperation contents between our Sword Flower City and the Burning Flame Merchant Guild."
"As you can all see, in a fog-free environment, strange evil attacks on mines rarely occur. The entire mine only needs to be equipped with a moderate level of guards to easily ensure safety."
"Furthermore, protected by these bonfires, the mine can fully support the operation of one to two thousand people, or even more. From now on, we will have no worries when mining resources in areas far from our oases!"
Meidisha smiled, her voice gradually rising with excitement.
Perhaps due to emotional resonance, or more likely due to the broad prospects they witnessed, many visiting oasis powerhouses also displayed undisguised excitement on their faces.
After all, as long as safety during operations could be ensured and they were not frequently attacked by strange evils, the difficulties of long-distance mining would be greatly reduced.
The remaining difficulties, such as transportation and costs, were within an acceptable range.
"Then, what is the specific cooperation model...?"
Someone tentatively asked.
Meidisha replied, "For mine construction, the Burning Flame Merchant Guild provides technology and equipment. The cooperating oasis provides the resource point coordinates and miners. Simultaneously, both parties will jointly contribute personnel to form the mine security and transportation escort teams."
"The final profit sharing is: the cooperating oasis takes 35%, and the Burning Flame Merchant Guild takes 65%."
After listening, the oasis representatives fell into contemplation.
Was this profit-sharing ratio too low? No, not at all! After all, during the cooperation, the Burning Flame Merchant Guild would also provide half of the awakened individual power, which was equivalent to halving their personnel costs, not to mention that the Burning Flame Merchant Guild bore the greatest technological challenges.
In the strange realms, there were many resource points that were merely marked but could not be exploited.
However, only the Burning Flame Merchant Guild possessed similar technology—before today, many oasis representatives had never even heard of it.
Most importantly, even with only a 35% share, with significantly reduced investment and maintenance costs, they could still profit, and the amount they could earn was substantial.
Some oasis representatives thought of more possibilities.
Under the shroud of grey fog, there were countless resource points. Sometimes, more than one oasis might discover a marked resource point. In such a situation, to whom would the unclaimed resource point belong? Perhaps, it would belong to the oasis that had cooperated with the Burning Flame Merchant Guild earlier and established a resource extraction area.
This left them with little time to hesitate.
Although eager in their hearts, the oasis representatives maintained the highest degree of restraint, hoping to negotiate for greater benefits.
"Can this profit-sharing ratio be increased? I mean, if we cooperate, our oasis will also bear significant risks."
Asked a representative from an oasis.
After asking, he belatedly realized that Meidisha in front of him was the Vice Dean of Sword Flower City, not a high-ranking executive of the Burning Flame Merchant Guild.
He was so embarrassed he could have dug his toes into the ground, but to his surprise, Dean Meidisha maintained her Sword Flower elegance, smiling and replying,
"Sir, this ratio was negotiated by our Dean Rose and the First Tower Master of the Black Stone Alliance with the honorable head of the Burning Flame Merchant Guild. It is a unified standard. This standard ensures that both cooperating parties can achieve a win-win situation and win a large sum. I believe it is a very sincere standard."
Of course, their Sword Flower City and the Black Stone Alliance received a 45% share, but this was not something to be revealed to outsiders.
What she said was not wrong. This was a unified cooperation standard for external parties, and it could guarantee the profitability of the cooperating oases... These were meticulously calculated by the organization.
She paused, then smiled again, "The cooperation content is not limited to this. Everyone, think about it. If we invest in building more resource points, can two adjacent resource points be coordinated for transportation? This way, another expense can be saved."
"If the goods from several resource points are transported to a relatively close 'cooperating transit oasis' for unified transportation, or directly traded and allocated to the resources purchased by various oases, the transportation costs can be further reduced."
"This is the blueprint constructed by the President of the Burning Flame Merchant Guild, a blueprint for win-win!"
The development blueprint for the Falling Star Grand Domain seemed to slowly unfold before everyone.
This blueprint was vast and contained a great deal of content, but upon closer inspection, two words were evident throughout: win-win!
It was not an empty promise; the situation of the resource mining points had been personally inspected by everyone.
Witnessing this scene, even the Lord of the City of Steel was deeply moved. He quickly estimated that the benefits were considerable. Participating would lead to profits, significant profits. And the larger the scale of the oasis and the more marked resource points it possessed, the more it could earn.
What truly touched the Lord of the City of Steel was the sincerity of the Burning Flame Merchant Guild.
Under this cooperation model, the construction and maintenance of the bonfires capable of dispelling thick fog were entirely handled by the Burning Flame Merchant Guild. This meant that the Burning Flame Merchant Guild's investment costs far exceeded those of the cooperating oases.
After deducting large expenditures, the Burning Flame Merchant Guild's net profit might not be much higher than that of the cooperating oases.
Perhaps, as the mysterious president had said, his aim was not short-term profit, but the win-win of the entire grand domain.