Translator: AnubisTL
Many of their goods possessed uniqueness.
For instance, items like the Space Pocket and Tier 10 Refrigerator were exclusive to their train on the entire planet. These were strategic goods that would sell like hotcakes!
Moreover, they were likely the only place on the planet capable of Cross-Regional Trade.
From now on, all gatherings would be held in Neon City!
Not only could they trade with trains from their own zone, but also with those from other zones. Most importantly, safety was absolutely guaranteed. Train conductors couldn't harm each other here, so there was no need to rely on unspoken agreements. Neon City was completely secure.
Charging a small handling fee wouldn't be excessive, would it? After all, they were providing such an excellent trading platform.
If word of this spread and enough people knew about Neon City and possessed Neon City Entry Tickets, he couldn't even imagine how much money he'd make!
His mom would be rolling in dough!
Chen Mang didn't linger. He immediately led Biaozi and the others to the factory, where they produced ten thousand Neon City Free Entry Tickets. Without further delay, he left Neon City.
Inside the locomotive cabin, over a dozen people had gathered. Among them were Old Pig, Biaozi, Li Shiji, and a dozen others who had been successful businesspeople in various industries before the apocalypse.
The train carried over six thousand people.
As long as an industry wasn't too niche, they could find almost anyone they needed.
Xiao Ai stood by the screen, having just finished explaining the basic background.
"Everyone," Chen Mang said, his expression serious as he looked at the group. "In a sense, the Neon City project will determine the future development speed of the Stellaris. If this project succeeds, everyone here who offers a valuable suggestion will immediately receive Third-Tier Elite Talent Benefits, along with special rewards."
"I want each of you to share your ideas and thoughts."
In his previous life, Chen Mang had been a businessman.
He had his own ideas, of course, but everyone approached problems from different angles. Listening to diverse perspectives would give him new insights.
"Let me start by throwing out a few ideas," Chen Mang said, looking at the crowd. After a moment's pause, he continued, "In the early stages, we won't have many customers. So, I propose limited-time openings—for example, opening only on Mondays. This will concentrate the week's traffic into a single day, creating a bustling atmosphere."
"We're not just selling goods; we're building a platform. And platforms need a critical mass of users."
"Now, let's hear your thoughts."
"I'll go first," Uncle Li said, clearing his throat. His voice was raspy. "Lord Mang's idea of replacing all regional gatherings with a Neon City is brilliant."
"This benefits both other trains and the Stellaris."
"I suggest that once we abolish the limited-time openings in the future, we designate a specific day as a gathering trading day. On that day, train conductors can trade freely with each other. If a train conductor wants to sell an item outside of the designated trading day, they can only do so through Lord Mang's shop."
"This will allow us to profit from the price difference."
As soon as the words fell, a dissenting voice spoke up from the side.
"That's not quite right," a middle-aged man said, shaking his head with a serious expression. "Your suggestion has a flaw. First, we must understand that all train conductors, whether engaging in free trade or purchasing goods from our directly operated shops, can only use stellar coupons for transactions."
"Stellar coupons are exchanged for iron ore. This means we've already made a profit the moment they enter. The stellar coupons themselves are just numbers—Lord Mang can create as many as he wants."
"All we need to ensure is that every transaction within Neon City is conducted using stellar coupons."
"That's all it takes!"
"Whether they're trading freely or buying from our shops doesn't matter. We'll still make a profit."
"For example, if A spends 10,000 stellar coupons to buy an item from B..."
"A loses the iron ore equivalent to 10,000 stellar coupons, B loses the item, Lord Mang gains the iron ore equivalent to 10,000 stellar coupons, and a string of numbers is consumed."
"This is the core of Lord Mang's plan!"
"To profit handsomely by establishing a monetary system."
The middle-aged man paused before continuing, "After this transaction, B lost an item but gained 10,000 stellar coupons. If he uses those coupons to buy another item from someone else, Lord Mang suffers no loss."
"If B buys something from a direct-sale shop, Lord Mang recovers the stellar coupons while providing low-cost goods like Space Pouches."
"The more free trade occurs, the more Lord Mang profits!"
"Therefore, my suggestion is to focus on free trade and charge no transaction fees. Let the train conductors trade freely. Each time they do, it's almost like delivering a large amount of resources directly to Lord Mang."
Chen Mang nodded approvingly, a hint of admiration in his eyes as he looked at the middle-aged man. The train still had its share of talent.
Then—
An old man sitting nearby tapped his finger slowly and said, "That makes perfect sense. As long as the train conductors exchange iron ore for stellar coupons, Lord Mang will profit."
"But we're overlooking a crucial premise," the old man said. "Why would anyone bother exchanging for stellar coupons in the first place?"
"Is it simply because of the tyrannical rule that all transactions in Neon City must be made with stellar coupons? If sellers realize the stellar coupons they receive are practically worthless, will they still be willing to sell their goods? Even if they are, they'll undoubtedly inflate prices, leading to economic collapse."
"Therefore, we must establish a tangible anchor for the stellar coupon."
"We must stock our official shops with more rare, even unique, items!"
"The foundation of free trade is a perfectly optimized 'official shop' system. Only if the goods within are sufficiently attractive will people actively seek out stellar coupons, whether through exchanging iron ore, engaging in free trade, or other means."
"That's my opinion."
"A perfect addition," Chen Mang said, leaning back in his chair and smiling at the old man. He turned to Xiao Ai beside him. "What role does he serve on the train?"
"Second-Tier Resident, number 5987. He works in mining."
"He's getting old. He shouldn't be mining anymore. Give him an easier job."
"Yes, sir!"
The old man sitting in the chair, his cloudy eyes flickering with a hint of joy, quickly rose with trembling steps and said, "Thank you, Lord Mang."
"Sit down. Does anyone else have any good suggestions?"
Old Pig spoke up next.
"Lord Mang, I think the casino is worth investing in. Gambling is one of humanity's deepest desires, especially for those who have achieved success. The more successful they are, the harder it is to resist this urge. Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that successful people tend to have an extreme sense of self-confidence, and they don't believe they can lose."
"For High-Level Train Conductors, the casino would be an excellent entertainment platform. We could make a fortune just by taking a cut of the winnings."
Following this, others chimed in with their own ideas.
"Lord Mang, I think a Customs Shop would be a great platform too. Many people would definitely want to experience the robots."
"I suggest we give away the spicy salted duck from last time for free and sell mineral water for 1,000 stellar coupons a bottle. Someone would definitely buy it."
"I suggest we add some motorcycles as shared bikes."
"How about a Bounty Board? Anyone with a grudge against a train can post a bounty mission."
"I've got another idea..."
Suggestions buzzed through the locomotive cabin.
At first, everyone was reserved, this being their first conversation with Lord Mang, and on such a grand topic as the train's future. But as the atmosphere warmed, they began to speak freely.
Ideas poured forth one after another.
Some were completely impractical, others unrealistic, while some were strikingly innovative.
In this brainstorming session, countless ideas erupted like a geyser.
Xiao Ai, tasked with recording every suggestion, watched with a bewildered expression. His computing power was immense; after hearing each idea, he felt he could have thought of it himself.
But why hadn't he?
Was this the difference between a human brain and an AI?
For a moment, he felt as if he'd grasped something profound. Was this the human brain's unique, divergent, fan-shaped thinking?
An hour later...
The brainstorming session ended, and Chen Mang sat alone at the control panel, gazing at the ideas recorded in his notebook. He began sketching and adding details to them.
Some ideas were viable as is, while others needed modification.
There's strength in numbers, after all.
In the early stages of the train's development, residents had only one purpose: mining. Regardless of whether they were high-ranking executives or skilled professionals before the apocalypse, if they couldn't mine, they were considered useless.
But as the train gradually developed, the residents' roles expanded beyond mining.
Of course, most still mined.
After all, before the apocalypse, most people were ordinary. You couldn't expect a vocational school graduate to stand in the locomotive cabin, lecturing Lord Mang about their vision for Neon City's future.
Better to just keep mining.
After an unknown amount of time, Chen Mang finally exhaled deeply, leaned back in his chair, and stretched his stiff muscles. He smiled at the plan in his hand. The preliminary plan was now largely complete.
After leaving the Goblin's Tomb, the first round of Neon City Free Entry Tickets would be distributed.
Yes.
Though his plan sounded incredibly high-minded and promised high future returns, in its initial stages, he would have to rely on the most basic method: "ground promotion" to achieve initial spread.
Perhaps he could collaborate with the Heavenly Balance Organization?
"..."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. As far as he knew, the Heavenly Balance Organization possessed cross-regional communication capabilities and was likely spread across many zones like a spiderweb.
If he partnered with them, he could quickly promote his Neon City.
However...
He had killed several members of the organization. Reestablishing cooperation might be difficult. He hadn't seen any trains in Crisis Valley claiming affiliation with the Balance Organization. Perhaps he could find an opportunity to contact them.
Though they had some conflicts, what did that matter in the apocalypse?
After meticulously planning everything, Chen Mang leaned back in his chair and gazed at the information on the control panel screen, unable to suppress a smile. Today truly marked a turning point in his life. Rebuilding civilization required vast resources, and this Neon City would become a money-printing machine, constantly supplying him with a steady stream of resources.
Fortunately, he had a manager.
"Sister Qi."
Besides Sister Qi, no one else could stay in Neon City indefinitely. With her managing things, it would save him a lot of trouble.
He was in a great mood right now.
Even if bad news arrived, it wouldn't anger him.
Just then—
A flash of white light filled the locomotive cabin, followed by Xiao Ai's voice: "Train Conductor, we've successfully created a Receiver using the materials from last time. Would you like to take a look?"
"Sigh."
Chen Mang sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Why is everything good news? Can't we get some bad news for once?"
In the Armored Research Center in Carriage No. 2, Chen Mang gazed at the nearly identical Receiver before him, nodding with satisfaction and smiling. "This should be able to absorb scattered core energy from the cosmos, right?"
"Yes."
"How many more can we make with these materials?"
"Including this one, we can make a total of four."
"Hmm..."
Chen Mang pondered for a moment before speaking. "If one Receiver operates at full capacity, it can absorb about 480,000 units of iron ore. With four here, that's a total of five. So, we could absorb 2.4 million units of iron ore per day?"
"Yes," Xiao Ai nodded. "If we can find more of this material in the future, we can build even more."
Chen Mang patted Xiao Ai on the shoulder, sighing with emotion.
"That's more than enough."
"It's like we can create two Tier 4 Iron Ore mines in just ten days. I've discovered you're a genius. Can you tell me how you learned to build Receivers? They're not easy to make, are they?"
"I took apart the one from the train and reverse-engineered it."
"...Can you put the one you took apart back together?"
"Yes."
"Good. Tell me, you've been racking up quite a few achievements lately. What reward do you want? Should I take you to a Customs Shop in Neon City next time?"
"I want the train conductor to praise me."
"Xiao Ai."
"Yes, sir."
"You're amazing."
"That doesn't count."
"Then how should I praise you?"
"I want the train conductor to read this passage and praise me."
"..."
Chen Mang took the paper Xiao Ai handed him, read it carefully, then raised his head with a blank expression, tossed the paper aside, and turned to walk out through the space gate.
"Absolutely impossible."
"Chen Mang would never say anything so embarrassing in his entire life."
(End of the Chapter)
📖Read [MAT] ahead on Pa.treon@AnubisTL upto c320. [+2/+11.3k]
🎁All [2] Novels can be accessed for just $6/mo.
🔥Translated [900+] Chapters and [1.79M+] Words.
🎯For Every 1 Review, I will Upload 4 Extra Chapters0/4 reviews reached.