turned away in anger at the sight. "Master, it's not that I'm stingy about you spending money, but why are you treating a bunch of little street urchins to a meal? No matter how wealthy we are, we can't withstand this kind of reckless spending. I won't stop you from doing good deeds, but doing good deeds shouldn't be done this way. One iron coin can buy tens of pounds of rice; brewing a pot of congee would be enough for every beggar in Flying Eagle Prefecture."

clearly had the talent of a steward, and since all the iron coins were in her hands now, I decided to listen to her. I deeply regretted being overly generous earlier and giving that bag of iron coins to those two. I must find a wealthy household to fleece later; having money will make chasing Zhou Ni twice as effective. Love! Must a foundation built without money truly be so difficult?

I said to , "Don't be angry yet. They are not outsiders; treating them to a meal is nothing. Besides, I still owe her a lot of money. Lend me a hundred or so iron coins in a moment, and I'll pay you all back when I earn some money."

"What did you say!" forgot about pretending to be angry with me and turned back to ask, "I haven't been by your side for this short while, and you already owe someone over a hundred iron coins? W-what is going on with you, Master?"

couldn't be bothered with such matters and remained indifferent. , anxious, snatched the chopsticks from his hand: "Brother , Master has squandered all our money, and you still have the appetite to eat? We'll starve to death on the streets later!"

Before I could explain to , Zhou Ni, having eaten her fill, walked timidly to my side: "I'm full. Are you taking me back to get the diamonds?"

Upon hearing this, realized the beggar before her was a girl. Taking a closer look, although her clothes were ragged, her slender waist, full and firm hips, and faintly swelling chest were precisely what men dreamed of. This infuriated her. "Master, did you do something shameless? Hmph, money? Not a chance! And I’m going back to tell Sister Susu; let's see how you explain this to her."

I was so anxious that sweat almost beaded on my forehead. Why did this person choose such a critical moment to fail me? Zhou Ni, seeing that was just a young girl, felt no sense of caution towards her. She reached up and brushed the stray hair from her forehead, saying to , "You misunderstood. I just sold him a diamond; we didn't know each other before."

When Zhou Ni revealed her face, my heart ached again. She was thin, much thinner, and must have suffered a great deal during this time. No, just giving her money wasn't enough; if a bad person saw her true appearance, it would surely cause trouble. I must take her away.

"Zhou Ni!" cried out suddenly upon recognizing Zhou Ni’s features. She had drawn her portrait twice and wouldn't forget it so quickly.

I quietly stepped on 's foot and gave her a meaningful look. Zhou Ni was stunned when she heard call out, "Zhou Ni, are you calling me? My name is Zhou Ni? I—I don't remember."

immediately understood the situation, gave me a look, and said to Zhou Ni, "Yes, you look just like a friend of mine named Zhou Ni. We got separated not long ago, and I've been looking everywhere for her. C-could you possibly be her?"

Zhou Ni shook her head: "I don't know. Please don't ask me; I truly can't recall anything."

Seeing the pained expression on Zhou Ni's face, said, "Let's not talk about that for now. Didn't you say you were going to get some diamonds? Come on, let's all go together."

"Alright," Zhou Ni felt a lot of goodwill towards this little girl and wasn't as cautious as she was with me. I knew that keeping Zhou Ni would depend on . This clever, quick-witted girl with a kind heart would make it easier to earn Zhou Ni's favor.

The little children were unwilling to leave, so I instructed the boss not to be rude to them before setting off for Zhou Ni’s dwelling with and . On the way, asked about the diamonds, as she had lived in Gourd Village her whole life and didn't know the name Sunstone. I took out a few from my pocket to show her. When learned they were just a few stones that were somewhat special, she secretly pinched my arm in anger. This move is a universal female weapon; regardless of age or whether it was Earth or extraterrestrial civilization, any female in the maternal line probably possesses this tactic. Furthermore, since was young, she had no qualms about separating the sexes and struck without mercy.

We walked for quite a while and ended up outside the city. asked Zhou Ni and learned that beggars were not allowed to stay within Flying Eagle Prefecture. This group only dared to sneak in to beg for food because Magistrate Wu had been lax in his management recently, allowing them to show themselves in the marketplace. However, accustomed to their residence outside the city, they still had to sleep outside the city every night.

It appeared to be a dilapidated temple-like structure. In the main hall, a large communal bed of dry straw lay on the floor, with only a broken wooden plank bed propped up in an inconspicuous corner. Zhou Ni retrieved a few bright diamonds of different sheens from the pile of straw under the bed and handed them to me carefully.

"As far as I know, these diamonds are worth a lot in a place called Earth, especially those with pure colors, which are considered top-grade gems. But here, because their utility value is low, coupled with the lack of refined cutting techniques, no one has discovered their preciousness. Since you treated us to a meal, I'll just give them all to you; I don't want any money."

Before I could speak, interjected, "How can that be? Since they are so precious, we must pay you for them. How about this: we didn't bring much money with us, so why don't you come back with us to get the payment?"

, who had been standing guard at the door, rushed back in when he heard say they didn't have much money. "How much do you need? We have two thousand..."

shoved him out. "When we are talking, you men shouldn't interrupt."

Zhou Ni said, "I really don't want money. I know you are good people. I am already very grateful that you treated us to a meal. Take all of this. There are plenty of these things in the small river behind the temple; I can pick up more if I want them later."

I pretended to ponder deeply and said to Zhou Ni, "I am very interested in what you just said, as I am an interstellar merchant whose ship broke down and stranded me here. I wonder if you would be interested in coming back with me to discuss the processing and utilization of diamonds? Once my ship is repaired, we can take the gem business to Earth."

"You have a spaceship? You can travel between stars? Can you send me back to Earth?..." Zhou Ni looked extremely anxious. Although she couldn't remember her husband, she still remembered many things about Earth. It was her hometown; she surely had relatives there too. To recover her memory, she must return there.

In her anxiety, Zhou Ni reached out and grabbed my hand, which made 's expression turn ugly. As my relationship with grew closer, I shared many of my secrets with her, apart from the group of wives, including the fact that there was an Earth beyond the mysterious wormholes. Although couldn't fully grasp the concepts, she loved hearing these new terms. Recently, whenever she had time, she would pester me to tell her stories. Zhou Ni mentioned so many high-tech terms that she understood most of them.

Heaven has sent help! This was exactly what I needed. I was just worrying about how to find a reason to keep Zhou Ni with us, but said to me, "Master, why don't you and go check out that diamond river behind the temple and look for development potential? I will talk with this older sister alone. Didn't you say I was in charge of business matters?"

When did I ever say that? I wanted to refuse 's suggestion, but then I thought that being too eager might make Zhou Ni misunderstand my motives. If kept her with us, she would surely trust us more, as girls tend to communicate better and have a higher level of mutual trust. Although was young and occasionally threw small tantrums, she was educated by Chang Feng and was clear about the big picture; I was sure she wouldn't mess up my plans. I'd let her handle it.

Although Zhou Ni was anxious to know if she could return to Earth, she was also afraid of running into bad people and regretted her impulsiveness from earlier. wanting to discuss business with her, a twelve-year-old girl, did not make her suspicious. So, the two sat down on the edge of the bed for a detailed talk.

I took to the small river behind the temple. In the sunlight, a dazzling array of colors flashed continuously, blinding us. The river constantly washed over chunks of diamond; the light changed constantly, showing every color, including top-grade, intensely colored gems that were completely unseen on Earth. Of course, at this moment, they were just rough diamonds, but once cut and polished, they would become priceless, top-grade gems. Yet here, they were just a pile of small stones in the river.

reached into the river and pulled out two stones, asking me, "Brother Zhao Qian, are these stones very valuable?"

I replied, "Whether an item has value depends on its impact on the society it belongs to. If the society it belongs to doesn't need it, no matter how valuable it is, it's just a pile of junk. Value is only created when there is a need."

looked at me with reverence: "I don't understand, but as long as you understand, that's enough."

I smiled and stopped explaining: "Let's go upstream and take a look."

The two walked up along the small river and soon saw a waterfall cascading down from the mountain ridge. The waterfall scoured the rock face of the ridge, where dazzling flashes of light shone; it was clearly the source rock containing natural diamonds. These diamonds were large enough that any single one could fetch an astronomical price on Earth.

It appeared this ridge was the origin of the diamonds here. In regions with heavy rainfall, the river's scouring power on the mountains is strong, leading to the formation of a diamond river over millennia. Here, people didn't recognize their value, allowing this treasure to be submerged in the river water for thousands of years.

How natural diamonds are formed is still a subject of debate even on Earth; many theories suggest formation under the high temperature and pressure of volcanic eruptions. This continent is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and after hearing from Qianhu Wu that the ground beneath is all hard rock, it's not impossible that the entire continent was formed by volcanoes. For such a massive cluster of volcanoes, forming several diamond-producing areas wouldn't be difficult.

In the future, this planet could be greatly developed and utilized. Besides their gem value, diamonds are widely used in cutting, grinding, and drilling. With such a massive output here, the Federation would surely profit.

However, this matter couldn't be rushed; I needed to find the other six women before making plans. I said to , "Let's go back. In the future, we can develop and utilize this area, and we can make a lot of money."

"Hehe," shouldered the large wooden bridge, a smile on his face reminiscent of someone seeing a pile of delicious food.

Outside the dilapidated temple, under the sunlight, the two girls were basking in the sun and chatting. "Sister Zhou Ni, my Master is amazing. He can actually cut open a woman's belly and take the child out alive. I swear I'm not lying; I was his assistant. I was so scared my legs went weak, and I almost collapsed.

Zhou Ni smiled: "That's called a C-section, Sister , nothing to be so surprised about. Back on our Earth, it's just a common surgery, nothing mysterious."

"And he cured Madam Wu's severe itching!" added fuel to the fire and recounted the whole story.

"Madam Wu probably had an allergic reaction..."

said in surprise: "Yes, yes, that's the term Master used! Eh, how do you know everything? You and my Master aren't from the same place, are you? The words you use are identical."

Zhou Ni's expression darkened: "I don't know either. I really wish I had the chance to ask him. Maybe he knows a lot of things."

laughed: "Hehe, that's easy. Become my assistant in the future, and I'm the Master's assistant, so we can still be together every day, right? You can ask him anything you want. He's very easygoing and never gets angry with us. You'll find out slowly."

Zhou Ni seemed a little uneasy: "Is it okay if we do this? H-he hasn't agreed yet. These stones aren't worth anything here. What's the use of asking him to develop them? If he loses money, he might blame you. Besides, I only know about agriculture; I know very little about diamonds."

scoffed: "He doesn't care about money at all. Besides, if he thinks these stones are useful, then they must be useful. If you don't know, you can learn! Master can teach you. You don't know, he is the Divine Bird Lord from our place; he knows everything and can even fly."

Zhou Ni laughed: "Flying isn't that strange. I also arrived on this planet via a spaceship, but that ship crashed into the sea. Otherwise, I could have let you see it."

wasn't as interested in flying as her father. She thought for a moment and asked, "Sister Zhou Ni, let me ask you something."

"What is it? I'm working for you now, so ask away."

"If your memory recovers in the future and you want to return to Earth with your friends, can you take me along?"

Zhou Ni laughed: "If it's possible to return to Earth, taking you along is fine. I'm just afraid there's no hope. Interstellar travel can't be done by an ordinary spaceship. I remember that to shorten the journey, one must use a wormhole. Wormhole? Wormhole?..."

Zhou Ni seemed to recall something but couldn't grasp it immediately. Seeing her expression change again, knew she, like Cheng Susu, suffered from memory impairment and shouldn't dwell on recalling things now. She changed the subject: "You and Master are truly the same kind; you always like to use new terms. Let's pack up. You can't live here anymore. Although living here allows you to guard these diamonds, no one knows their value now, so no one will steal them. You must stay by my side and follow my orders."

was delicate and charming, and knew how to please people. After this interaction, Zhou Ni grew very fond of her. Since she couldn't remember what a wormhole was for the time being, she decided not to dwell on it. "Yes, my Lady . It's just that I've lived here for so long, and those little friends helped me a lot. I can't just leave without saying goodbye quietly."

pointed into the distance: "They are back. When we return to the city later, take some iron coins to those friends; consider it helping them solve some immediate difficulties."

Seeing Zhou Ni and getting along like close friends, I knew the matter hadn't gone wrong. Indeed, said to me, "Master, I am your assistant, and now I have also recruited an assistant. You don't have an objection, do you?"

"Assistant?"

pointed at Zhou Ni: "Yes, Sister Zhou Ni. Look, she found a way for us to get rich, and she even knows terms like 'gorgeous diamond.' Actually, I should be her assistant. With her help, we will definitely get rich."

I was delighted: "Yes, developing the jewelry business of the Twin Stars is a long-term path. I need to slowly discuss this with Miss Zhou Ni. Let's go back to the city to talk."

Zhou Ni had no luggage to pack. The four of them just stuffed a bunch of diamonds into their pockets. When they returned to the city, they couldn't find the group of little beggars; they had probably gone off to play after eating their fill. The four had no choice but to return to the guest room at Wu Residence first.

ordered the servants to bring hot water and take out some of her clothes, then kicked me out of the room to help Zhou Ni bathe and change. An hour later, when the two emerged, my vision swam, and blood rushed to my head. Fortunately, the clothes were loose enough, or I would have been exposed with a noticeable bulge underneath. I've been embarrassed a lot recently—getting this excited whenever I see my wives.

said to me proudly, "Master, how do you like my transformation of Sister Zhou Ni? Although my clothes are a bit small, they have an indescribable charm on Sister Zhou Ni. Isn't she beautiful?"

"B-beautiful," I stuttered. Actually, she wasn't just beautiful; she was quite sexy. Those clothes looked loose and baggy on , but she was just a twelve

I couldn't reveal the history between Zhou Ni and me directly right now, or the fragile trust we had just built would certainly shatter. I still had six other women to find, and plenty of time ahead; there was no rush to tell her about our past later, once we had settled in and understood each other better.

Zhou Ni seemed to be processing everything I’d told her. The memories had always been hazy for her, but my reminder had dredged up much more. Her escape pod had crash-landed in the sea, which meant she missed the impact from Cheng Susu’s maneuver. However, the pod had sunk to the bottom, making it utterly irretrievable. Thankfully, she was a strong swimmer and the landing site was close to shore; otherwise, she would have drowned in the ocean.