166: Chapter 166 Eight Thousand Base Salary

Less than two minutes later, Luo Ning came rushing up from the underground laboratory.

Zhou An briefly explained the situation to this "Chief Mechanic and Financial Manager."

Luo Ning rolled her eyes, immediately pulled up a holographic screen, her fingers sliding across it rapidly as she muttered to herself, calculating the figures:

"Old Zhang's packaging line currently has seven industrial robots. Each one costs 50,000 Level 5 units. Although they are durable and easy to maintain, the high-intensity, continuous operation means the monthly cost of core lubricant and parts wear is not a small expense."

"Muzi's drone fleet and harvesting robots are even more expensive because they involve micro-operations on legendary grade crops, requiring extremely high precision. The total cost exceeds 5 million Level 5 units! Plus, the maintenance cost for the sensors is outrageous."

Luo Ning drew a circle on the holographic screen and looked up at Grace: "One hundred and fifty people, right? If we recruit them all to replace those high-wear robots and take this opportunity to expand the existing production lines, we could at least double our production capacity!"

"I just calculated the input-output ratio."

"As long as the monthly base salary for these one hundred and fifty people is under 20,000 Level 5 units, using manual labor will definitely be much cheaper than repairing those delicate robots!"

"20,000 Level 5 units? A month?!"

Grace and Ivy's breathing hitched. For disabled Winged people who had already lost their vehicles and combat capability, let alone 20,000, even 5,000 Level 5 units a month with room and board would be a godsend they couldn't find even with a lantern!

This wouldn't just allow them to scrape by; it would even allow them to live a prosperous life!

Hearing the "low" labor cost and doubled production capacity calculated by Luo Ning, Grace was overjoyed, but then she looked at the existing space in Cloud Top Fortress, a look of hesitation and concern appearing on her face.

"Lord Zhou An, Miss Luo Ning's proposal is perfect, but this is 150 people after all."

Grace stood up, her tone sincere and with a hint of a request, "If the production lines are expanded, the space inside Cloud Top Fortress will definitely become crowded. We really don't want to cause you any more trouble."

She took a deep breath and proposed a very sincere cooperative plan:

"How about this? We can provide a much larger space! On our White Feather Guild warships, there are many idle, massive cargo holds in the lower decks that are safe. I wonder if you could expand some of the production lines onto our warships? Our White Feather Guild will not take any profit share from these production lines; the space will be provided completely free of charge!"

Grace looked at Zhou An, her eyes revealing the compromise and hope of a leader trying to protect her people: "I only hope... to provide my clansmen with a place where they can earn a decent living with their own hands."

Watching the sincerity in Grace's eyes as she lowered her status for her people, Zhou An tapped the table lightly and finally nodded.

"You providing the space is a good compromise."

Zhou An agreed to the proposal but then changed the subject, stating his own salary standard, "However, the starting salary cannot be set at 20,000. The initial base salary will be set at 8,000 Level 5 units per month."

Hearing this number, Grace and Ivy were not disappointed at all; instead, they let out a long sigh of relief. 8,000 Level 5 units, for disabled warriors who had lost their combat capability, was still a huge sum that would allow them to stand tall and live a prosperous life within the guild!

"Set it at 8,000 first. The remaining portion will be used as performance bonuses and future salary increases. This will ensure the motivation on the production line and prevent raising idlers who just want to coast by."

Zhou An explained the management logic with experience, then turned to look at Old Zhang and Li Muzi.

"Old Zhang, Muzi, the upcoming production line expansion, equipment transfer, and coordination with the White Feather Guild regarding the space will be left entirely to you two."

Zhou An smiled and patted Old Zhang on the shoulder.

"You've been with me for so long; you can't keep spending all your time on manual labor on the assembly line. With 150 people recruited this time, you can finally be completely liberated to properly act as workshop managers and farm owners, just focusing on coordination."

"Alright, boss! Don't worry, once these Winged brothers are under my command, I will definitely train them into the most skilled senior technicians!"

Old Zhang excitedly patted his chest.

Li Muzi also nodded gently: "I will arrange the coordination zones for the drones and manual harvesting."

"Lord Zhou An, everyone..."

Grace stood up, looking at the benefactors before her who not only saved the life of the White Feather Guild but also paved a way out for them; her eyes were slightly red. She pulled Ivy along and bowed deeply once again.

"The White Feather Guild will never dare to forget this kindness. I will have the space cleared out immediately and will definitely provide the highest level of security!"

...

Late at night, the lights inside the fortress were dimmed to a soft glow.

Zhou An had just finished showering, wearing a loose black bathrobe, his hair still slightly damp.

He pushed open the bedroom door and immediately saw Luo Ning wearing a silk camisole nightgown, lying on the soft, large bed without any decorum, swinging her fair calves, watching a sci-fi comedy playing on the holographic projection with great interest.

A smile tugged at the corners of Zhou An's mouth, and he walked over with light footsteps.

He lifted the quilt and naturally pulled Luo Ning's soft, delicate body into his arms from behind. His chin rested gently in the crook of her neck, his nose greedily inhaling the faint, fresh scent of shower gel from her hair, while his hands restlessly wrapped around her slender waist, even mischievously pinching the soft flesh on her waist.

"Oh... stop it, I'm watching the best part."

Luo Ning giggled from the ticklish sensation, twisting her body symbolically, but instead skillfully pressed herself tighter into Zhou An's arms, finding the most comfortable position to lean against him.

The two of them cuddled together like this, watching the show for a while. Zhou An's fingers were idly twining a strand of Luo Ning's long hair when he suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"When calculating the accounts in the hall today, your formula was padded quite a bit, right?"

Zhou An laughed softly, his tone carrying a hint of certainty.

"With your modification skills as a top-tier mechanic, how could the daily maintenance costs of those industrial robots and drones be that high? It's even exaggerated to the point of not being as cost-effective as hiring 150 manual laborers?"

Hearing Zhou An expose her, Luo Ning was not flustered; instead, she decisively paused the holographic projection.

She turned her head, her lively, large eyes sparkling with a cunning light, and reached out to tap Zhou An on the tip of his nose: "Oh, caught me? I admit, that maintenance cost is indeed negligible to me."

Saying this, Luo Ning changed her position, turning over to face Zhou An, her hands naturally hooking around his neck, her eyes curving as she pierced through Zhou An's facade.

"But... if I didn't 'exaggerate' the maintenance costs, how could I give you a legitimate way to step down?"

Luo Ning's crisp voice revealed a clear, intelligent streak: "You asked me to calculate those figures in front of them, wasn't it because you wanted to find a way for those disabled Winged warriors to earn money? If you really thought they were a nuisance, given your personality, you would have refused the moment Grace spoke. Why would you have kicked the ball to me?"

"You intentionally threw this problem to me because you wanted the recruitment of these wounded soldiers to look like a 'mutually beneficial, cost-reducing and efficiency-increasing' business cooperation, rather than condescending charity and sympathy. This solves their livelihood while preserving their dignity as proud warriors."

Luo Ning looked at Zhou An's deep eyes, her own eyes filled with undisguised laughter and admiration: "Uncle Zhang and Muzi are too honest to see through your twists and turns. But I am your number one head steward; how could I not understand you?"

Looking at this clever, quirky girl in his arms who not only calculated the accounts clearly but even had a firm grasp on social nuances and his own thoughts, Zhou An couldn't help but chuckle.

He lowered his head and gently planted a kiss on Luo Ning's smooth forehead, his tone filled with relaxed doting and tenderness.

"As expected... you understand me the best."

...

In the following days, Cloud Top Fortress completely entered a relaxed "retirement" rhythm.

The White Feather Guild fleet outside was bustling with activity, but the scene on Zhou An's side was completely different.

His daily routine was fixed: sleep until he woke up naturally, go to the cafeteria after getting up to enjoy the top-tier high-energy medicinal meals that Old Zhang cooked with changing varieties, go to the gravity training room to sweat for two or three hours after eating and drinking his fill, and finally lie in the therapy pod for a comfortable bath to repair muscle fatigue.

It was the same every day, repeating in a cycle.

"Phew—"

Zhou An sat up from the therapy pod, put on his loose bathrobe, and walked to the leather sofa in the living room for a standard, relaxed sprawl. He looked at the rolling sea of clouds outside the window, shook his head with some self-deprecation, and muttered a complaint: "Every day is just eating and sleeping; my life lately has really been quite decadent..."

Just as he finished speaking, he reached for the remote control on the coffee table and pressed the switch for the holographic projection.

"Ahem, but then again, this old-era melodramatic sci-fi series that Luo Ning recommended a couple of days ago... once you get into it, it's actually quite addictive."

Zhou An adjusted to the most comfortable position, skillfully turned on binge-watching mode, and began watching with great interest.

Compared to Zhou An's "decadence" in the fortress, everything outside was operating at high speed with an exaggerated pace.

The morning before yesterday, Hila had already piloted her exclusive shuttle vehicle and left the fortress, officially starting her Level 5 combat training.

For safety, Zhou An gave her a strict order: her activity radius was absolutely not allowed to exceed 1,000 kilometers from Cloud Top Fortress and the 'wind chaser'. Once she encountered high-level exotic beasts or enemies she couldn't handle, she was to retreat at full speed and call for fire support immediately.

On the other side, the nine joint fleets of the White Feather Guild scattered across various unknown zones of the Cangyun Airspace were also transmitting back batches of special "supplies" to the 'wind chaser' from time to time.

These supplies were not conventional ores or other materials, but various strange living rare plants and anesthetized low-level mutated beasts.

This was a requirement specifically requested by Li Muzi. Grace took it seriously and directly issued the highest order to all pioneering fleets: encounter any mutant plants or edible exotic beasts, they must be caught alive and sent back!

At the same time, the industrial integration between the fortress and the White Feather Guild was also advancing efficiently.

To provide the most spacious production environment for Old Zhang and Li Muzi, Grace waved her pen and had the logistics department completely clear out two massive LV3 heavy transport ships, remove all unnecessary weapon modules, and convert them into two huge mobile factories and indoor cultivation bases.

As the equipment and assembly lines were gradually set up, Old Zhang looked at the expected data on the holographic panel, his mouth almost stretching to his ears.

With the double blessing of abundant labor and expanded space, once the production line was running at full speed, the output of Old Zhang's canned goods and high-energy drinks would soar by three times! The net profit per day was conservatively estimated to reach a terrifying 5 million Level 5 units!

Behind this staggering figure was Li Muzi's terrifying raw material supply capacity.

With the two LV3 transport ships' spaces put into use, the daily output of crops could not only fully meet this triple consumption but even had a huge surplus.

Moreover, Li Muzi was currently systematically phasing out epic-grade crops. Once the entire agricultural cabin and the new cultivation bases were fully switched to legendary grade plants and mutated beasts, profits would see another wave of exaggerated exponential growth!

Inside the lower cargo holds of the converted transport ships, the atmosphere was unprecedentedly enthusiastic.

Over 150 Winged warriors who had lost their combat capability due to various severe disabilities were now excitedly waiting for on-the-job training.

For them, who had originally thought they could only wait for death in the hold or become a burden to the guild, this was not only a "godly job" that paid a high salary of 8,000 Level 5 units, but also a "second life" granted to them by Zhou An and Grace to regain their dignity.

Just as everyone was full of anticipation, Ivy walked in front of the crowd with a cold expression.

She scanned these comrades who had once fought alongside her and were now disabled; there was no favoritism in her tone as she directly issued the highest-level strict order:

"Brothers, you know in your hearts how precious this opportunity the Guild Master has secured for you is!"

Ivy suddenly drew the short blade at her waist, slammed it into the metal floor in front of her with a "clang," and shouted sternly: "From today on, on these two transport ships, the words of Miss Li Muzi and Mr. Zhang Ming are military orders!"

"All arrangements regarding positions, machine operations, and any skills that need to be learned are entirely decided by the two of them! Even if they tell you to go shovel manure, you must shovel it clean for me! If anyone dares to put on airs because they were once a warrior and refuses to obey management, there is no need for Lord Zhou An to speak; I, Ivy, will be the first to twist off his head with my own hands! Do you understand?!"

"Understood!!!"

The 150 disabled warriors straightened their broken backs in unison and issued the firmest military pledge with loud voices.