Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Darren and the others, carrying these "petty" questions, respectfully consulted Ning Chan.

Ning Chan looked at their eager expressions and shrugged helplessly. "What you're asking about are likely high-level contracts—one-sided divine pacts branded onto chosen souls. Only when they meet the criteria will the contract manifest.

"Unfortunately, so far, no one in the church has ever seen such a contract. Perhaps the divine tests are too stringent, and none of us have yet met His standards.

"As believers of the divine, now entrusted with His 'sacred texts,' you will naturally come under His scrutiny. If you perform well, He may even choose a prophet from among you to guide you toward the path to divinity."

Listening to Ning Chan's description, they began fantasizing about entering the divine palace. They could attain immortality, soar through the skies, and meet noble and holy goddesses. What was mere power? As long as they were guided onto the divine path, all of this would be theirs.

As their eyes dazed with euphoria and delusion, Ning Chan raised an eyebrow. If they performed well, he couldn’t guarantee they’d become gods, but he could certainly add years to their lives.

Aside from nobles like McCann White, who treated commoners like dirt—exploiting and oppressing them at will—most of the people here played the role of exploiters.

They would wring every penny out of the people in their domains, perhaps even forcing some to sell their land or themselves. But as long as those people remained alive, death’s scythe wouldn’t swing too quickly toward these elites.

However, as their ventures began developing here, they could use prolonged contact to assess whether any of these nobles' descendants had good character or strong abilities. They could "groom" them and let them take over.

Survival of the fittest—certain scum would naturally be cleared out bit by bit.

Unfortunately, these people couldn’t read minds and didn’t realize their days were numbered. They still dreamed of the day they would ascend to divinity.

Of course, not all nobles were bad. Darren was an "odd one out" among the elite—privately wealthy and unwilling to exploit the commoners in his domain. He found it far more rewarding to fleece other nobles through trade.

As for lust? Hard pass. He found it utterly boring. Dealing with one wife was enough—adding more would only hasten his early demise.

Darren’s father had died from overindulgence in women, and as a child hiding in a cabinet, Darren had witnessed it firsthand.

Needless to say, this left deep psychological scars on young Darren.

The notion that lust was a fast track to the grave had been seared into his mind, making him reluctant to seek companionship for a long time.

He still had so much money to earn, so many new ventures to pursue—he couldn’t afford to die like this!

If not for the thought that his title and estate needed an heir, Darren might have died a bachelor.

Because he avoided dalliances, the beautiful socialites became even more obsessed with him. It was as if landing him would prove their own allure.

But Darren, who prized his neck and his coin, only retreated further from these persistent admirers.

Many noblewomen envied Darren’s wife, believing she enjoyed a flawless, storybook romance. To this, his wife could only smile wryly.

They had no idea that after every intimate encounter, Darren would rush off to exercise. Worse, he claimed that to avoid excessive physical strain affecting his health, he had insisted on her doing all the heavy lifting for years.

Seriously? Did her effort not count as physical strain? She was certain her back wasn’t what it used to be.

No, she needed to save her strength too. Next time, she’d make sure Darren took the lead.

Unaware that his waist had become a target, Darren was intently studying Ning Chan’s blueprint.

The saint made a good point—these were all new concepts. It was wiser to test them cautiously first.

Darren ordered his steward to gather a group of people from his domain and bring along the necessary raw materials.

Ning Chan had pointed out that using his own people would make it easier to reassign them later.

If they use people from Yangcheng, what if these people learn the skills but refuse to leave Yangcheng? Would they force them to abandon their homes?

While the commoners wouldn’t dare openly oppose this, they might hold grudges in their hearts. What if they don’t put in their full effort when working for him? Would he have to keep an eye on them at all times?

Instead, it made more sense to bring in people from their own lands for training.

Darren liked the idea and immediately put it into action.

While waiting for the people from their respective territories to arrive, Ning Chan had them start by getting workers to build the cement factory.

Naturally, the job went to Guang Wu and his crew.

The one who got the cement formula had initially dismissed Guang Wu’s group, wanting to keep Ning Chan behind to guide them. But upon hearing that the glass teapot from the auction was their creation, their attitude immediately changed.

These were the folks who made things even the gods used—who knew, maybe they had a touch of the divine about them.

Once the cement factory was up, work on the other workshops picked up too.

Before this, only those who had acquired the methods for making ice and gourmet food had already started their businesses.

They didn’t need factories—just a shop with a big cellar.

“Ugh, ice cream and cakes are selling like crazy, but we never have enough eggs or milk. It’s really affecting business,” lamented the man who had obtained the ice-making technique. After teaching his servants how to make these treats, he promptly sent his steward to dispatch more capable people for training.

He dreamed of dessert shops everywhere, letting everyone experience these heavenly treats.

Ning Chan, nibbling on an ice cream cone, heard the man’s complaint and offered him a suggestion.

“Since eggs and milk are in high demand, why not build a farm? The consumption of these things will only grow in the future. Why let others cash in? You could handle everything—from farm to table—and skip the middlemen.

“If you don’t have enough funds, see if you can collaborate with others. Doesn’t Viscount Dalun own a restaurant? He probably needs these supplies too. You could ask if he’s willing to partner with you.”

Ning Chan had done some research. The guy who got the ice-making trick was a marquis’s bastard. Sure, he only got a “tiny” estate, but he was still loaded.

The marquis loved his mom, so he probably got a nice cut. Plus, growing up rural meant none of that noble nonsense—solid partner material. That’s why Ning Chan pointed him in this direction.

Once the farms were up, they’d have all the meat, eggs, and milk they needed—better food for everyone.

Since McCann had died, the pig farming method reverted to the church. Ning Chan called back those who hadn’t secured the formula and held another auction.

The guy who snagged the pig-raising method was just waiting for his pigs to show up. Most piglets got the chop, but the biggest, meanest boars stayed for stud.

After some time, the animal farms were completed, and the selected livestock settled in safely.

But feeding all those animals took a ton of grub every day. They had two options: purchase crops from the locals in Yangcheng or have supplies transported from their own territories.

Doing the math, buying local was cheaper, so they hired Yangcheng folks to grow the crops.

Normally, nobles could just boss commoners around. But with Lis Church watching, they had to play nice.

Step out of line, break a holy rule, and they’d drop dead without a clue why.

Folks looking to cash in either scrounged for crops or started farming themselves.

Church fertilizer made sure the crops grew fast—harvests back-to-back.

Ning Chan also got involved in this. Though he knew the demand for fodder and vegetables was high, he had no intention of competing with the commoners for this business.

He got the pottery place to whip up a bunch of troughs and set up worm farms inside.

These things grow fast and can survive even when cut into several segments, making them very easy to raise.

By then, if you want chickens to lay eggs frequently and ensure the quality of the eggs, you'll have to rely on these "high-protein" supplements for nutrition.

Moreover, once the fishpond is dug and the fish are raised, these will be indispensable.

Watching these squirming pink critters, Ning Chan felt quite pleased. It was as if he could already see a steady flow of tasty meals filling the table.

Apocalypse survivors were downright obsessed with food. If it meant better meals, they’d try just about anything.

Kane, next to Ning Chan, caught his hungry stare and then glanced at the slippery pink things in the troughs, thinking in disbelief—could these things actually be edible?