Hong Fa turned sideways, extending two fingers tipped with scarlet nail polish, and pinched Zi Ye's cheek hard. "Not cute at all."

Zi Ye grimaced in pain. "You're cute, you're incredibly capable of being loved."

Hong Fa winked at her. "No forcing it. Since you’re here, I can finally relax. With you around, the ship is secure, and the robots won't be an issue. Little Stink, you’re the best to me, you'll definitely help, right?"

Zi Ye glanced sideways at her. "Can I say no?"

Hong Fa stated decisively. "You cannot."

Zi Ye shrugged, hands open.

Usually, Hong Fa wasn't one for excessive chatter; she only became talkative when she was overly excited, like when Zi Ye arrived. Black Beard just shook his head, muttering, "Pity me, completely ignored."

Hong Fa turned back to the immediate concern. "Go handle your business. Once we're established, when Silver Seal's old crowd comes out, they won't starve. Our Wolf Den Legion, hahaha, we’ll be a first-tier legion in the shortest time possible!"

Zi Ye felt a warmth bloom inside her.

Hong Fa wasn't wrong. To build an empire, to support a large group of people, capital was the first necessity. Hong Fa might enjoy being a pirate, but when she acted as one, she used her abilities to make others work for her. Yet, toward the people of Silver Seal Star, she was protective—those suited to be technicians became technicians, those for trade kept trading. She never forced them into dangerous ventures.

Hong Fa was striving for Wolf Den, for this legion she had casually mentioned once, even though it wasn't officially formed yet, and most of its potential members were still incarcerated.

Fighting for hope, fighting for a dream.

Watching her, Zi Ye suddenly understood. Whether seeking revenge or aiming to be the strongest pirate, only this kind of relentless pursuit of a dream brought true fulfillment.

She, too, could strive alongside them.

Hong Fa and Black Beard would solve the funding, and she just needed to manage the background work: ensuring every ship was perfectly repaired and safe, and handling the robots so Black Beard could sell them—that would be her greatest contribution.

Zi Ye couldn't help but stand up, spreading her arms wide to embrace Hong Fa. Being shorter, her head only reached Hong Fa’s chest, even with Hong Fa’s heels. Hong Fa burst into laughter. "Little Stink, you’ve grown up, learning to lean against your big sister’s chest."

Zi Ye instantly flushed scarlet.

Hong Fa considered teasing her further but stopped, thinking that if she pushed too far, Zi Ye might get angry and refuse to repair her robots, which would be a disaster. Instead, she patted Zi Ye's shoulder and retreated to her room for a nap.

Zi Ye began calculating the timeline on her fingers. She needed to be at school when the term began, so she had to finish repairing everything in the next few days to have time to assess what was missing and fabricate new components.

The standard safety-type warehouse could hold a maximum of three robots. When Hong Fa arrived, she brought a B-series Cream Puff—a somewhat delicate model—and two P-series ammunition assembly robots. Due to lack of maintenance, they all looked a bit rough. Black Beard brought a W-series, a G-series little girl, and a D-series butler.

The W-series was an external trade bot, perfect for negotiating sales. It was already set up in the shop, and the D-series butler was managing the accounts.

Back then, just in case, she had left one airship behind, so she only took two units: A120 and F431. Both were currently at Kaga.

Zi Ye tallied everything up, gaining a clear plan.

The W-series, G-series, and D-series were already in production. Hong Fa’s B-series could serve as the original blueprint, allowing the manufacturer to replicate it; the results should be better than the ones made from blueprints just two days ago.

After consulting with Black Beard, Zi Ye decided to add the N-series Nanorepair bots and K-series Kitchen bots, sending out the blueprints to have the manufacturer start molds.

Lacking physical components, Zi Ye used the simplest tools to clear system clutter, run system upgrades, disassemble and replace damaged components, apply lubricant, and complete the repairs. Then she washed the robots’ faces, wiped their bodies clean, dressed them in smart outfits, tied bow ties or neckties, restoring their pristine appearance.

The only regret was that P121’s face had been accidentally scratched while assembling ammunition. Since the pervert responsible wasn't around, she couldn't perform skin restoration; it would have to remain scarred.

Zi Ye gazed at the completely refreshed robots in the warehouse with satisfaction, thinking that having more personnel really made a difference.

Hong Fa noticed her happy expression and shot her a sidelong look. "Find gold?"

Zi Ye hugged her happily. "We have seven models of robots! Once we start production, selling robots will make us a lot of money."

Hong Fa looked utterly disdainful. "So little ambition! Such a big fuss over such minor things!"

Zi Ye felt wronged. "Can't I be happy for a moment? Oh, right, I still have F431 and A120. I'll go retrieve them; we can put them into mass production too."

Hong Fa flicked her forehead. "I'll go. Give me the coordinates."

"Okay," Zi Ye muttered, feeling for the first time that Hong Fa was truly kind. It would take her half a day by interstellar bus to travel there and back, yet Hong Fa, who constantly traversed the outside world, seemed utterly unfazed.

Hong Fa paused, then asked, "Where is your card? I’ll transfer your allowance."

Zi Ye waved her off. "Uncle Hu already sent me some."

Hong Fa refused to relent. "His is his; mine is mine." Without ceremony, she began patting Zi Ye up and down, searching for the card. Black Beard rushed over. "Don't take too much! It can't exceed fifty million!"

Hong Fa shot him a cold glance. "Why should I listen to you?" With that, she transferred one hundred million.

Zi Ye was shocked. "I don't need that much, really!"

Black Beard was even more disgruntled. If only he were the one giving Zi Ye pocket money, he could at least maintain his 'parental' standing. When Hong Fa tossed over a vastly larger sum, he couldn't even secure that position. He wanted to sigh dramatically: "Why was Black born when Hong already existed!"

Zi Ye’s hands trembled as she held the card.

Damn it, are these two showing off their wealth in front of me!

Do they look down on poor me!

Waaah, they’re both annoying brutes!

Hong Fa pinched her cheek. "Stop agonizing. We're buying a house tomorrow."

Zi Ye gasped. "Buying a house?"

Black Beard grinned widely, clearly delighted. "That's right, buying a house. The shop rent and property prices on Kelai are too high. When more people arrive, crowding in here won't work. We’ll buy several villas in the villa cluster 1000km outside the Kelai Space Station to serve as our base. When people come, they’ll have a place to settle."

Zi Ye stared at him, eyes wide.

Black Beard gently stroked her head. "I’m a businessman; I travel everywhere. Sleeping anywhere, no matter how small the space, is fine for me. But you’re different; you’re a technician. Without a proper workbench, without space for your tools, it’s inconvenient."

Zi Ye was so moved she almost wept.

This was wonderful!

Hong Fa watched Black Beard from the side with dissatisfaction. Seeing him touch Zi Ye’s head, she immediately struck out, swatting his hand away with a sharp smack. "Don't touch my Little Stink!"

Zi Ye was caught between laughter and tears.

Hong Fa always kept her word. She instructed Zi Ye to search for large villa structures outside the Kelai Space Station, pinpoint the targets, and the next day, the three of them met up to go house hunting.

Naturally, as S-rank prisoners of Silver Seal Star, especially Hong Fa, the newly minted pirate, caution was essential. She was a master of disguise; her ability to alter her external appearance was unrivaled. With a slight adjustment to her makeup, her features transformed to look imposing, complemented by sharp eyes, military boots, and a greatcoat, leaving no doubt about her supposed "military background."

Black Beard had only grown his beard after arriving on Silver Seal, so he didn't fear recognition. However, being slightly short, he only matched Hong Fa's height when she wore her combat boots, making him look inferior standing beside her. He decided to adopt the guise of a meek little man, trailing closely behind Hong Fa, appearing thoroughly henpecked.

Zi Ye looked at the pair, suppressing a smile she didn't dare let bloom too fully. She resigned herself to wearing a pink little-girl dress and a beret, walking between them as if they were a family of three.

With the massive expansion of space, land was no longer the fundamental constraint on human development. Real estate had become completely rationalized, priced as a necessity rather than a luxury. The area within 1000km of the Kelai Space Station had formed nearly an encompassing circle.

The New Year period was the off-season for real estate. Many residential pods had only recently been completed, but most residents had returned home for the holiday, resulting in few buyers. Hong Fa selected a newly constructed property and went straight to the site.

To ensure aesthetic appeal, many residential pods were built to resemble villas—round, square, octagonal, or sixteen-sided—all intentionally ornamented with warm colors.

When the trio arrived, they were greeted by a collective bow from the sales agents. Hong Fa wasted no time on pleasantries. She boarded a dedicated sales vessel and toured the villa cluster briefly before pointing to the largest villa, one with the most prime location. "This one. How big is it?"

The sales agent smiled sweetly. "This is the largest villa in our complex. Its floor space is 20,000 square meters, and its volume is 150,000 cubic meters—absolutely ample space. Both the ground floor and the top floor have landing platforms, and there are docking bays on both sides that can be opened if needed."

Hong Fa considered briefly. "How much?"

The sales agent smiled again. "This villa is quite economical. Because of its size, the price per cubic meter is relatively cheaper, plus the current bank loan incentives…"

Hong Fa gave her a cold glare. "I asked how much it costs."

The agent shivered, chilled by the look, almost stumbling. "After all the discounts, it’s only eighty million five hundred thousand."

Hong Fa pointed to the three slightly smaller villas surrounding it. "And these?"

The sales agent dared not waste time on pleasantries and reported the prices directly. "Fifty million each."

Hong Fa’s expression remained blank. "Fine. Two hundred million. I’ll take all four villas."

The sales agent was stunned by the sheer scale of the transaction. "Two... two hundred million?"

Hong Fa’s tone was icy. "Are you selling or not?"

The agent hurriedly replied, "Certainly, certainly! Please wait, I'll call our manager over immediately." She activated her internal comms, briefly explaining the situation. Three minutes later, the head of the sales center arrived, bowing and scraping, offering excessive flattery. Hong Fa didn't even look at him. "Sell, or not sell?"

The manager quickly surveyed the four villas, then looked at Hong Fa. "Two hundred million is slightly low for this package. Perhaps you could consider..."