Chapter 117: Crossing the Threshold

Chapter 117: Crossing the Threshold

The Dragon Factory stood on West Palazo Street in Willis.

Behind the orderly rows of rectangular workshops lay a Baroque-style mansion.

This was the forbidden zone of the Dragon Factory—none other than Lord Ajef’s private domain.

At this moment, Sir Bai Ruide, nearing the entrance, instinctively took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

Before he could even raise his hand to knock, the bronze door engraved with magical runes swung open of its own accord.

Startled, Bai Ruide quickly composed himself and stepped inside.

"Please follow me."

A well-dressed magic puppet at the door guided him with refined courtesy.

Passing through the spacious main hall, ascending the spiral staircase to the second floor, and walking several steps along the balcony, Bai Ruide finally entered a vast chamber where he beheld the great Internet God.

Even though he often had the privilege of encountering the divine, Bai Ruide still felt an unreal, dreamlike sensation.

Compared to the elusive gods of Vilia, the deities of this world were far more "approachable."

Of course, approachability did not mean they were any less formidable.

On the contrary, from the intelligence he had gathered during this time, the gods of the outside world were even more terrifying and chaotic, constantly scheming against one another, always ready for bloodshed.

Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that they chose to be approachable—maybe just to more efficiently control their armed forces.

"You needed something?"

Yu Sheng'an asked without looking up, continuing his current task.

He was designing the guild function.

The recent apprentice mage exam had made him realize the power of teamwork, and it suddenly dawned on him that he had overlooked a crucial element of the Fourth Calamity—guilds.

Guilds allowed those with money to contribute money and those with strength to contribute strength.

Though internal strife was constant, from a certain perspective, this also optimized resource allocation and better cultivated specialized talents—such as commanders and combatants.

"Lord Ajef, regarding the sale of the bicycle production line, I have an unrefined idea."

Bai Ruide knew he shouldn’t question a god’s decision, but after careful consideration, he had still come.

He needed to prove his worth—not just as a factory manager.

That wasn’t what he wanted.

Most importantly, the great Internet God was no mediocre deity.

He walked the mortal world as Ajef, promoting agricultural development, enlightening magical wisdom, forging alliances with Vias, keenly recognizing the might of industry, and driving Keville’s Industrial Enlightenment.

He even manifested as Aji De to spread great ideology, gradually dismantling the Empire of Infer at the most negligible cost.

Such a god was undoubtedly formidable, and to follow him was Bai Ruide’s glory!

But securing a place by the side of such a powerful deity was no easy task.

So he had come.

"Oh?"

Yu Sheng'an let out a light hum, leaning back in his chair as he regarded Bai Ruide.

"Personally, I believe selling the entire bicycle production line outright would be wasteful. Instead, we could break it down and sell the production units for individual components separately."

"This way, we not only earn quick profits, share costs and risks, and bind interests by making Keville’s nobility our component suppliers—but we also retain control over the final product’s sales profits."

Sir Bai Ruide spoke eloquently, confident that the Internet God's open-minded wisdom would surely adopt his suggestion.

Sure enough, after he finished speaking, the great Internet God began to applaud.

"Clap clap clap!"

Yu Sheng'an clapped and said, "Well said! I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. You are a qualified manager!"

Sir Bai Ruide didn’t understand what "manager" meant, but he grasped Yu Sheng'an’s praise.

Suppressing his elation, he smiled modestly and gave a slight bow.

Yu Sheng'an maintained his smile. "Do you think the Azerai market is vast?"

"Vast, extremely vast."

"With our current production capacity, how long would it take for the market to reach saturation?"

"Current capacity?"

Sir Bai Ruide froze.

"Ten years? Or a hundred?" Yu Sheng'an’s lips curled into a teasing smile.

Sir Bai Ruide suddenly realized something, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Mr. Ajef, I... I’ve been short-sighted."

"No, speaking purely from a business perspective, your idea is excellent. The fact that you recognized my efforts to unite the Keville Empire proves your wisdom. It’s just that you still can’t forget your past identity."

Past identity?

Sir Bai Ruide’s eyes flickered with thought.

"You are a divine envoy. You must learn to view profit distribution from the perspective of a god."

"Money is only money when it’s spent. Look at those nobles—if I hadn’t tempted them to open their vaults, those dust-covered gold coins would have simply passed into the hands of new nobles upon their downfall, rather than being transformed into power!"

"Don’t think of money as money. Treat it as a tool. As long as you hold absolute force, money will naturally flow into your pockets."

"Remember this: First-class enterprises set standards, second-class enterprises build brands, third-class enterprises make products. Don’t lower yourself to fighting like wild dogs over the scraps at the bottom of the market."

Sir Bai Ruide shuddered. Yu Sheng'an’s business insights, far surpassing those of Vilia, made him feel as though clouds had parted to reveal the sky.

Once again, he was struck by the profound wisdom of the Internet God.

"I understand!"

"Go now."

Sir Bai Ruide imitated the Keville etiquette, placing a hand over his chest in salute before turning to leave, his heart now devoid of any arrogance.

Yu Sheng'an watched Sir Bai Ruide’s departing figure, his gaze flickering.

The decision to auction the bicycle production line was naturally part of his Industrial Enlightenment.

Industrial production was a massive undertaking.

The more complex the product, the more extensive the supply chain involved. Relying solely on Yu Sheng'an’s efforts wasn’t impossible, but the cost would be too high, and it would be meaningless.

For example, certain components had low demand. Setting up dedicated factories for them would clearly not be worth it.

Thus, it was better to outsource such parts and place orders when needed.

By breaking down the vast industrial chain into smaller segments, he could share the profits, ensuring everyone benefited and forming a united interest group.

At the same time, this approach would fully mobilize the enthusiasm and flexibility of each sector, leveraging collective strength to gradually light up the tech tree and ultimately reap the rewards of cutting-edge advancements.

Wasn’t that ideal?

All Yu Sheng'an needed to do was control the industry standards.

In truth, Yu Sheng'an didn’t just aim to ignite the industrial fire of Keville—he intended to gradually set the world’s industrial fire ablaze.

This wasn’t merely about reducing them to suppliers of raw materials and low-end manufacturing hubs.

Moreover, it is essential to dismantle the ideological foundations of the gods' missionary efforts!

Because merchant capital and the working class will be the gravediggers of the feudal lords!

The ruling foundation of feudal lords—and even the gods—relies on land as the nexus, where lords provide protection and peasants offer tribute.

When factories emerge, farmers will naturally break free from their personal dependence on lords and gods.

It can be said that whoever controls industry and capital controls the hearts of the people.

By then, when capital forces you to work overtime to the point of having no time for worship, how will you provide Source Essence to the gods?

Most importantly, a significant number of gods rely on fear-based proselytization.

The precarious nature of agricultural societies, with their inefficient productive forces, naturally provides fertile ground for such intimidation tactics.

When productive forces improve and future gains become predictable, who would still cling to religion?

Even for peace of mind, wouldn’t it be absurd to forsake the Internet God—who governs the present—and instead worship other irrelevant deities?

Ultimately, productive forces determine social structure.

Yu Sheng'an intends to use productive forces to reshape society into the most fertile soil for the propagation of his Internet God.

Of course, all this might sound abstract.

These are the summarized words of scholars.

For Yu Sheng'an, as long as he doesn't "enter the pass," everything he does is wrong. In this world where gods exist, the methods of Blue Star might not even work.

If even the bizarre system of the God of War can persist, what more of others?

Thus, Yu Sheng'an is preparing for both possibilities.

Using machine tools to produce more machine tools, rapidly amassing forces, and charging forward—once he "enters the pass," the great scholars will naturally kneel in submission!

"The plan is grand, but the path must still be taken step by step!"

Yu Sheng'an exhaled, adjusted the guild system, confirmed everything was in order, and then finalized the push.