After a day, Zheng Tao took Zheng San and drove back to Jade City, bringing with them several pieces of equipment.

He introduced them to Zhou Yi one by one.

Zheng Tao first pointed to a simple machine with two metal funnels, one above the other, and a lever on the side and said, "This is a hand-cranked threshing machine that costs 4 gold. The beans from Chicken Head Town and Oasis Town are threshed using this, eventually shelled, leaving only the bean kernels, which can be sold after drying."

"Just toss the peanuts in there and stir the rod to crack the shells. Although it's manually operated, unlike in Mechanical City where it just needs an Energy Pack for propulsion, the good thing is you can adjust the speed and the screen inside, maintaining the breakage at a relatively low percentage."

"The second step is roasting the peanuts because that makes the oil fragrant. Jade City can just ramp up the temperature, so I didn't buy any additional iron drum for mixing and heating."

"The third step is crushing."

The crusher looked like a large iron pot, with a rotatable helical iron blade inside. Again, by turning the handle, the peanut kernels inside could be crushed. The price was 3 gold.

The last step was the pressing.

The oil press was the bulkiest in this entire set of equipment.

It looked like a rudimentary mini locomotive, fully encased in iron, with a funnel for pouring in the raw material. Oil came out the front spout, and the residue was extruded out the back.

Zheng Tao patted the metal machine, "This is also the most expensive equipment in the entire pressing process. I bought it at the Craftsmen Guild for the price of 5 Light Seeds."

"Only the Craftsmen Guild in Human City can manufacture it, as its components are quite complex and require high-quality craftsmanship. However, it can only be driven by Energy Packs; one pack can last 16-22 hours. If it's shut down frequently, energy consumption would significantly increase, so it's best to use it for extended periods."

"I used to have several bean fields and pressed oil. I've used this set and the high-end ones from Mechanical City."

He reminisced, "The high-end equipment is indeed easier to use, but it also has higher environmental demands, requiring the construction of a dedicated room, complete with sealing and dust removal. The requirements for supplementary equipment are too demanding. The goods from the Craftsmen Guild are more suitable for most environments, sturdy and durable, even if they have a bit more wear and produce more waste, but that can be solved by filtering with a clean cloth."

"Finally, boil the filtered oil once more. After boiling, cool it down and pour it into sealed jars and pots, then seal them with oiled cloth. That's how you get the finished oil."

"In addition, as per your request, I purchased three types of grinding and compressing tools, and the total cost for this part was 5 gold."

Zhou Yi examined the machines.

It seemed like there were fewer steps than what he remembered for oil pressing, but generally, it was the same idea.

Zheng Tao had Zheng San fetch a few people to start up the three machines.

The loud noises of creaking and clanging arose outside Jade City.

The machines also produced a lot of chaff and dust.

Zhou Yi watched as the shelled peanuts were threshed, roasted, crushed, and then poured into the oil press, followed by the flow of a brownish grease and peanut residue pressed into what resembled tree bark on the other side.

You had to press the peanut residue twice to extract all its oil.

Zheng Tao picked up a steaming piece of peanut residue from the bucket, his face full of nostalgia: "This peanut cake, when I was poor, I really found it too delicious, fragrant and filling. Sadly, it's not cheap; stores in the marketplace do sell it, but common people can only occasionally afford a little."

Zhou Yi also grabbed a piece and took a taste.

It was a bit hot but very fragrant.

Zhou Yi asked, "If we scale up production, could we bring down the prices of these foods?"

"Bring down the prices?"

Zheng Tao was taken aback, "Do you want to dominate the market with low prices?"

Zhou Yi ate another small piece of peanut cake, "Actually, I just want people to have something nice to eat. If these things are so expensive, no one can afford them. Humans of this era have it tough."

Zheng Tao frowned, "Chairman, agricultural business requires high investment and long cycles. If you can't get substantial profits in the market, it's not worth it."

"But."

He suddenly smiled, "It's great that you're willing to do this."

"First make life better for the people in this area, and then they will become the most loyal supporters of the company. This support will be deeply entrenched, unbreakable from the inside out. By following the company's lead, they'll have a safe and good living environment, jobs that pay far better than their peers, and low-cost, high-quality food."

Zheng Tao looked emotional, "Now I realize that my previous understanding seems to have been wrong."

"Whoever controls the food, controls the hearts, a simple and ancient truth. It's just that those who control the food are unwilling to take the right path, because it's too difficult and too slow. Most choose shortcuts that are more beneficial to themselves."

Zhou Yi licked the residue off his fingers, "We humans may not have strong bodies, but we are not stupid; we can create and use all sorts of tools. If we can solve the basic problems of survival and cooperate peacefully, we can show stronger creativity."

"No matter what others think, I believe humans are no worse than the Guangna Species and Electromechanical Life; we're just inherently physically disadvantaged, which has constantly put us behind."

"I'm thinking of starting with the Mao Valley Town area, investing in human potential."

He had seen the heyday of human civilization with his own eyes.

The Electromechanical Life of today was just a newcomer standing on the legacy of Old Humans.

Although nowadays new humans were forced to stay hidden by day and move by night, relegated to a third-class status beneath the Guangna Species and Electromechanical Life, they could still possibly return to their former glory when the conditions were ripe.

Zheng Tao's expression also grew serious, "I understand, I will center around the goal of developing the human community to propel the company's food strategy!"

"We can't rush this, let's take it slow."

Zhou Yi waved it off, changing to a lighter topic, "I also learned how to make a few snacks, give me some advice on them."

"Zheng San, you keep an eye on things here, guide everyone," Zheng Tao arranged.

"Yes, Master," replied Zheng San.

Zheng Tao explained to Zhou Yi, "Although Zheng San is a bit slow in social interactions, he is really good at getting things done. I've taught him a lot in the past, including pressing soybean oil. He's actually an old hand at this."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "You're really good to him."

"He and I have a bit of fate," the old man said, looking fondly at the servant behind him.

Then the two of them took away a can of oil and began to tinker inside Jade City.

That day, they came up with four snacks.

Fried peanuts, deep-fried chicken skeletons, deep-fried chicken cutlets, deep-fried mushrooms.

Deep-frying was largely thanks to sweet potatoes.

After smashing sweet potatoes and filtering them, you could get sweet potato paste, which was then wrapped in cloth and the starchy water was squeezed out repeatedly. These water starches, once dried by Jade City, became the simplest sweet potato flours.

Coating it with sweet potato flour instead of fried chicken flour and wrapping it around bones, thinned chicken meat, and mushrooms, and frying it for a short while sent the aroma shooting up instantly.

A sprinkle of salt grains on top made for excellent snacks.

Zheng Tao closed his eyes, individually tasting each with his enhanced sensory organ "Food Tongue," stroking his mustache, and a look of rapture spread across his face.

"Good, good!"

"This is also good, the taste is quite remarkable!"

"Not bad, not bad, deep-frying mushrooms at high temperature has its unique flavor."

...

Zhou Yi wasn't surprised at all.

These were all established foods that had passed taste tests and made it onto dinner tables; as long as humans still preferred high fat, high sugar, high carbohydrates, they wouldn't differ much.

Together with peanut cakes, all five types of snacks received high praise from Zheng Tao.

Then came the crucial part, how to utilize them.

Zhou Yi's idea was, "The company should start with a small shop, sell these few snacks from the inside out, step by step. Don't set the price too high, keep it people-friendly so they sell well and are affordable, then gradually promote it outward."

After pondering for a while, Zheng Tao said, "Chairman, I have a bold idea."

"Why not bring Lord Sha Hai on board, and have all the towns in Sand Port Region participate in making these five kinds of food? We have the technology and the farmland, and they have the population, external sales, and transportation channels."

He explained, "This way, by offering a fraction of the profits, we could get all the labor in the Sand Port Region up and running, and Lord Sha Hai would powerfully drive this initiative for his own benefit. With you around, Lord Sha Hai wouldn't dare to play tricks. We could integrate the region's external food output in the short term, achieving a scale effect."

"The company would not only obtain continuous, stable revenues but could also turn Lord Sha Hai into a true ally of interests. Because although the grain industry itself has modest profitability, specialty foods that have been processed have consistently sold well, which can lift the industry rating."

The agricultural consultant smiled, "Chairman, an improved industry rating would increase the credit rating of Sand Port City among Mechanical Cities."

"If the credit rating were raised to B, Sand Port City could take out loans with Mechanical Cities and enter a phase of rapid development."

"Cities with high ratings are also more attractive to professionals, drawing various specialists who prefer to settle in more advanced cities."

Zhou Yi mostly got it.

The credit rating reflects a city's bargaining power.

Similar to past divisions of first-tier, second-tier, and third-tier cities.

Snack exports count as part of the food industry.

He asked Red Kestrel, "What is the credit rating of Sand Port City?"

"E level."

There was plenty of room for growth.

Zhou Yi took Jade City and arrived at the outskirts of Sand Port City, attracting the gazes and discussions of many citizens. This time they were not afraid but looked up curiously from the streets at the towering buildings outside the wall.

Lord Sha Hai was invited to enter Jade City again.

After hearing Zhou Yi's idea, it exclaimed delightedly, "This is just what I've been looking for!"

"Mr. Zhou, you have no idea, I've always been worried about this. Our fish fry, chicken meat, papyrus, these items, they fetch low profits and cannot compete with the outside world at all. The neighboring Steel Refining City relies on its steel industry to reach a 'D' rating... Sand Port City lacks a unique export industry."

Lord Sha Hai rubbed its wide paws, "We have plenty of hands for processing, so don't worry about that, and we're no strangers to external sales. Even though we're a small place, we've made steady progress over the years and now have 12 friendly cities ready to buy our goods. As long as we can ensure these foods reach a certain sales volume, it could boost our industry rating!"

The two sides hit it off right away.

The details were handed over to Zheng Tao and Chen Jiadong for further discussion.

On the spot, Lord Sha Hai shook paws and swore, "Rest assured, Mr. Zhou, I guarantee Sand Port City will not falter! I will be keeping an eye on everything here..."

Suddenly, Zhou Yi frowned, "I have something to attend to and must return for a moment."

"Oh, okay, do you need help?"

"No need, it's a small matter."

Jade City dropped off Lord Sha Hai and turned back toward the headquarters.

Just then, Building 5, which had just finished construction, suddenly left its original spot and moved next to Maria Hospital, circling around it.

Jade City was puzzled by this too, "Too far away, I can't accurately get its feedback."

"I only get a vague sense that it doesn't like quiet, it likes to move."

"After I leave, it starts getting active."

Zhou Yi listened with a bit of a headache.

This was a high-rise residential building with something akin to hyperactivity, which would probably be a handful to manage.

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