Zhou Yi, along with 703, arrived at the hilly area of the old site of Mao Valley Town, where a piece of land had been allocated to the Tamed Bull Tribe for their living and cattle raising.

In a circle of mushroom houses, several Hooked Horned Bulls were motionless, maintaining a dormant posture.

Two Bone People wearing bull horn hats were maintaining and checking them.

The tribe chief Niu Zhen hurriedly came to greet him.

"Chairman, you've arrived."

Zhou Yi got straight to the point: "You're opposed to repairing the Hooked Horned Bulls?"

Niu Zhen scratched his hat: "Chairman, our tribe only raises bulls. If they all changed, then wouldn't all our hard work be in vain..."

"Now the Hooked Horned Bulls are being used as taxis everywhere, they're doing well and earning money. If they're gone, then we'll have nothing."

"Although they're dumb now, they live long and have few needs. If they become mechanical life forms, repairs, upgrades, energy—every one of them costs money, and we can't afford it."

Zhou Yi said coldly: "The Hooked Horned Bulls need to be repaired into normal mechanical life. That's an order."

"We obey commands!"

The Bone People tribe chief hastily straightened up: "Listen to the company's arrangement! All repaired, repaired!"

Zhou Yi softened his tone.

"Old Niu, I know your concerns. The taming and taxi operation of the Hooked Horned Bulls is an important industry for you and the livelihood of your tribe."

"But think a bit more long-term."

"Think about it, even if you all work hard, one new bull every three months—can that be done now?"

Niu Zhen shook his head: "Not yet, even with the Light Seeds you provided, the fastest right now is one bull in five months. Our tribe produced only 2 bulls this year."

"In addition to the previous ones, that's a total of 34 bulls, right?"

"Right."

Zhou Yi used his words: "Then this year, at most the number doubles, reaching 68 bulls. These 68 bulls can be used for local transport in the Sand River Region as well as transporting various materials."

"But the situation now is, the viaduct has opened a high-speed corridor from Jade City to Sand Port City. Enhanced cars are faster than ox carts, and they're cheaper too because there's almost no energy consumption running on the viaduct."

"In the future, the viaduct will extend to all the market towns here, creating an island-wide highway for the entire Sand Port Region. By then, what will happen to the ox carts?"

The Bone Man tribe chief showed a troubled expression.

Finally, it said: "Then just like in the past, sell the newly born bulls."

Zhou Yi hmm'd: "That is indeed the traditional approach of the animal husbandry industry. But what you're raising are tame half-civilized bodies, there's another path, which can help them get repaired into mechanical life forms."

"Mechanical life forms come with inherent professions, and I'm not certain about the true name and real function of the Hooked Horned Bulls. But the annual salary of a mechanical life form measured in Light Seeds won't be less than 1 Light Seed a year, that is, 1 million Mushrooms."

"The fare for a single trip in an ox taxi is 2 Iron, which is 20 Mushrooms, so it would take 50,000 trips a year to reach this lowest threshold."

"This calculation, given your intelligence, should not be hard."

Niu Zhen was silent.

To possess the animal husbandry technology capable of taming half-civilized bodies, capable of repair, control, the Tamed Bull Tribe is certainly not stupid.

"Chairman, to tell you the truth."

It seemed as if the Bone Man tribe chief had made its decision: "The others don't want to. Everyone knows that this is good for the Hooked Horned Bulls, but actually, every hatched Hooked Horned Bull is a member of our tribe."

"Bone People are incapable of reproduction, so Hooked Horned Bulls are our tribe's new members. If they awaken, they will know that we once treated them as livestock and even sold them... they will certainly despise and hate us."

"Though it sounds a bit odd to say this, and perhaps hard to understand, the Hooked Horned Bulls are the children of our tribe. We just can't protect them and still rely on them to help us earn money to maintain the tribe's various expenses."

Zhou Yi was slightly taken aback.

Aside from the issue of benefits, there were also emotional appeals.

But to see the relationship between the Bone People of the tribe and the Hooked Horned Bulls as that of parents and children.

Indeed, that would then make sense.

For the tribe that domesticates Hooked Horned Bulls, this group is their children and also an important labor force of the tribe.

If these children gained self-awareness and independence, realizing what's going on, they might leave the tribe in pursuit of the life they want.

For the tribe, it would mean the loss of both labor and an emotional connection.

Zhou Yi sat down on a big rock nearby, gesturing to the Bone-man Tribe Chief: "Come, have a seat."

Both sat under a giant mushroom.

Under the sun, the metal luster reflected off the bulls not far in front.

"Old Niu, what do you think of your tribe?"

"We're weak, small-scale, and lack any particularly outstanding skills. It's only after joining the company that we have now secured a stable living environment."

"Hm. The Tamed Bull Tribe is strong in stability, but also stagnant."

Zhou Yi told him: "Because you clearly have special animal husbandry technology, but lack further conditions and opportunities. Now the opportunity is right before you, it's a massive chance for you."

"If Hooked Horned Bulls evolve into mechanical life forms, they will gain growth potential and will interact more deeply with you. The growth of any group is like this—it could turn out better, or it could be worse."

"Perhaps some Hooked Horned Bulls will become distant from you, despise you, but some might understand you, recognize you, it's a matter of probability. Because you didn't mistreat them with ill intentions, your capacities are limited, and you've tried your best to maintain the tribe's bulls."

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