179: Bring allies on board

Lolia tucked the last blueprint into a folder and looked up at the workshop lights.

The new molds were half-installed, and a few mechanics were gathered around the dismantled old steam engine, talking.

She walked over, holding a metal box in her hand.

"Stop what you're doing," she said. "Come here for a second."

Everyone slowly gathered around.

Some were still wearing dirty gloves, and some were crouching by crates without standing up.

She didn't rush them, waiting until everyone had assembled before opening the box and taking out a blackened piston ring.

"This was taken off after that 'Skydome-1' ran for a full thirty hours yesterday," she said, holding it up for everyone to see.

"The surface is very clean, there's little carbon buildup, and the wear is normal. The fuel consumption is eighteen percent lower than steam-powered vehicles, and the power is stable."

A worker whispered, "We've been in the boiler business for almost a year. If we suddenly switch machines and something goes wrong with the operation, who's responsible?"

Another team leader crossed his arms and frowned, asking, "What about training? Who's going to teach us?"

"Don't worry," Lolia said, handing them the part.

"We're not replacing everything; we're upgrading the equipment. We won't dismantle the old System; it can still provide heating and power. The new production line is mainly for the vehicle fleet and mobile power stations. We'll start by modifying five vehicles as a trial, with a three-month assessment period. If you meet the standards, everyone gets an extra five hundred faith points per month."

She looked toward the casting team in the corner and said loudly, "Casting team, listen up! By midnight tonight, all new molds must be cast. Starting with tomorrow's early shift, stop production of all steam engine parts and focus entirely on making the parts needed for the 'Skydome-1'. The dispatch office will reassign tasks."

No one spoke again.

An old mechanic touched the old boiler and sighed, "Fine, it was going to change sooner or later anyway."

Lolia leaned against the doorframe, saying with some concern, "But if we switch over completely, what about the veteran masters in the boiler room?"

"Keep some people to guard the old System, and move the others to the new line. For those who really don't want to learn new technology, transfer them to the infrastructure team to pave roads and dig ditches. We can't let people be idle, but we also can't force them to learn."

She nodded. "Then I'll continue to keep an eye on the mold change."

"Go ahead." Shen Xiaochuan paused, then asked, "Has the arrangement for extra meat in the cafeteria tonight been taken care of?"

"It's all arranged! The workers are in much better spirits after hearing there will be meat to eat."

She turned to leave, but he called her back. "Gather all the team leaders for a meeting tomorrow morning. I want to talk about production capacity planning."

"Understood!" She nodded firmly, then left.

After the door closed, the room quieted down.

Shen Xiaochuan opened his panel and pulled up the inventory list of the Faith Mall.

The row for exotic beast meat read: perfect grade, 700.3 tons.

He looked down; Thunder Crystal ore, incense value, and forging Materials were all rising.

Skydome City was gaining nearly eight hundred thousand faith points every day, and the Industrial Zone's production capacity had more than doubled.

Just then, his communicator vibrated, and a light screen floated onto the desktop. There was no image, only scrolling text:

[White Snow Princess]: Among the seven countries that wanted to join the Alliance, four have wavering attitudes. They say resources are insufficient, development is slow, and they're afraid of being dragged down by binding themselves too early. Two others have already made contact with fringe forces of NATO and want to discuss cooperation.

Shen Xiaochuan watched for five seconds, then tapped the screen:

[Reply]: Can we send resources externally now?

[White Snow Princess]: Theoretically yes, but I don't recommend it. perfect grade exotic beast meat is your unique strategic resource; giving it away directly will weaken your advantage. Other deities rely on hunting to grow stronger, which is very inefficient. Since you can provide a stable supply, you can cultivate strong warriors in batches. Once it spreads, enemies will definitely target you.

[Shen Xiaochuan]: I'm not selling it, I'm giving it away for free. Only to countries willing to join the Alliance, one thousand catties per month, no charge.

The light screen paused for ten seconds.

[White Snow Princess]: What did you say?

[Shen Xiaochuan]: I know this meat is precious. Precisely because it's precious, that's why we should use it to recruit allies. Small countries lack resources, so we will provide them; they are afraid of being annexed, so we will give them a sense of security. If we don't recruit people now, who will block the first wave for us when war breaks out later?

[White Snow Princess]: But you also need combat power yourself. If you give it away like this, won't it affect the growth of your core team?

[Shen Xiaochuan]: It won't. We have over seven hundred tons in stock, and monthly consumption is less than five tons. Even with ten more countries, it'll be enough for ten years. Besides, after internal combustion engines come online, transport will be faster, hunting teams can go to more distant places, and production will only be higher.

He thought for a moment, then typed:

[Shen Xiaochuan]: We aren't lacking people to fight wars right now; what we lack is people to set the rules together. If others don't believe we can win, then let them see the benefits. Only by giving the meat away can we win over their hearts.

The light screen remained silent for another half minute before text appeared:

[White Snow Princess]: This plan is too bold. If it gets out, it will cause a chain reaction. NATO will definitely not be able to sit still.

[Shen Xiaochuan]: Then let them be anxious. We aren't plotting conspiracies; we're openly and honestly poaching people. Those willing to develop with us are welcome; those who aren't, don't get in our way.

[White Snow Princess]: How will the admission criteria be set?

[Shen Xiaochuan]: You check the backgrounds to see if anyone from hostile factions has snuck in. I'll prepare the resource pool, ready to distribute at any time. Let's try three countries in the first batch and see the results. Once it's stable, we'll expand.

[White Snow Princess]: A written proposal is needed for discussion at the high-level meeting. If the time is tight, it must be submitted tonight.

[Shen Xiaochuan]: I'll give it to you immediately.

He closed the communication, opened a document, and quickly typed the title: "Preliminary Plan on Promoting Alliance Expansion through Resource Support."

Below, he wrote three points: 1. Recipients must pass a background check; 2. A fixed allocation of one thousand catties of perfect grade exotic beast meat per month; 3. Establish a blacklist; those who violate the rules will have supplies cut off and be held accountable.

After writing it, he checked it once and clicked send.

The light screen flashed, indicating it had been delivered.

Footsteps came from outside and stopped at the door.

Lolia poked her head in: "The casting team says the new molds are preheated and ready for test pressing."

"Got it," he said. "Go to the site and keep an eye on it; make sure all the data is recorded."

"Okay." She stood there without moving. "Just now... were you discussing Alliance matters?"

"Mhm."

"So you're really going to give the meat to others?"

"Yes."

She frowned: "But we can't even bear to eat much of this meat ourselves, why give it away for free?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked at her and said seriously: "Because they are willing to stand on our side. One internal combustion engine can make us run fast, but ten allies can make our territory ten times larger. You feel it's a loss now because you only see this bit of meat. What I want is to change the entire situation."

She pursed her lips and didn't ask again.

"Go get busy," he said. "Tell me after the test pressing is successful."

She nodded and left.

The door closed gently.

Shen Xiaochuan leaned back into his chair and looked out the window.

The lights were on in the distant factory buildings, and the sound of machine tools could be faintly heard.

Conveyor belts were transporting new castings to the assembly area, and a few workers were checking serial numbers.

Construction was also underway at the power station site on the east side, and the progress bar showed it was sixty-three percent complete.

He opened the inventory table again, his finger sliding across the "perfect grade exotic beast meat" row.

The number was still 700.3 tons.

He didn't change it, just circled it with a pen and wrote next to it: Initial usable quota, 30 tons.

Then he closed the panel and walked to the window.

The wind blew in, carrying the smell of rust and machine oil.

He knew that tomorrow more people would know about this decision, and there would be doubts, guesses, and even opposition.

But he didn't care.

Some things must be done by someone first.

Hidden away, it's just wealth; given away, it becomes power.

He stood there without moving until he heard the first test pressing alarm from outside.

Then, the lights in the forging area all lit up, and the sound of the machines suddenly grew louder.

The new production line had begun.