After several attempts, Zi Ye managed to catch a few fish from the shallow water. She tossed them onto the bank, drew her knife, and swiftly cleaned them in a few strokes. She then used the most primitive method: starting a fire and roasting the fish.

Tang Wen climbed ashore, dripping water and mud, glanced at the pitiful few fish in his hands, then looked at hers, and an unrestrained grin spread across his face. "I caught one more than you."

Zi Ye looked up at him. "Hmph. If you’re so good, why don't you clean and roast yours?"

Tang Wen held a small fish by its tail, watching it flop uncontrollably. He accidentally snapped the tail off, and the fish tumbled to the ground with a soft thud, continuing its death throes.

Tang Wen lowered his head, looking at the poor creature, and weakly asked, "Can we eat this?" Zi Ye, busy tending the fire, waved a dismissive hand. "Why not?" Tang Wen calmly offered a critique: "Combustion releases high concentrations of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. This land is rich in igneous rock, and the plants growing here have absorbed a vast amount of metallic colloid minerals. If you ingest those, they will enter your stomach and corrode your intestines..."

Zi Ye shot back, "Then don't eat it."

Bu Lan shook his head, let out a sigh, and took the fish from Tang Wen's grasp. "I'll handle this; you go change your clothes."

Tang Wen snatched the fish back. "No, I need to do it myself."

Saying that, he borrowed Zi Ye's knife and mimicked her earlier movements, clumsily stabbing the fish once, twice, three times... reducing it to mere pulp.

Bu Lan decisively couldn't watch anymore, took the knife, and with a few swift shick-shick motions, cleaned it perfectly.

He rinsed the fish in the creek water, then turned back with a soothing tone, "Hurry up and change, or you won't have any fish to eat later."

Tang Wen was furious. "If I don't eat, I don't eat! Who cares!"

With that, he dragged his heavy, waterlogged trousers away to change.

It was only thanks to Bu Lan, the reluctant caretaker, that there were spare clothes in the airship’s storage bay; otherwise, Tang Wen would have been forced to run naked.

When he returned, dressed, he could smell the aroma of roasting fish without even needing to lift his nose.

The fish from the stream was fragrant, crisp, and not at all fishy.

The moment Zi Ye picked one up, he snatched it away and immediately bit into it.

So crisp!

Zi Ye hadn't even eaten yet and frowned, "Aren't you afraid these things will corrode your intestines?"

Tang Wen smiled faintly, unconcerned. "The elemental content isn't high enough to be lethal."

Indeed, it wasn't lethal enough to kill him, but it was certainly enough to give the pampered Mr. Tang a terrible case of the runs.

Half an hour after eating, Tang Wen couldn't hold back any longer. He clutched his stomach in an exceedingly elegant posture, two beads of cold sweat tracing down his delicate face. Strangely, he suddenly looked like a frail, delicate youth. "I want to go home."

Bu Lan noticed something was wrong. "What is it?"

Tang Wen was too embarrassed to say it in front of Zi Ye, so he mouthed three silent words: Diarrhea.

Bu Lan pointed towards a structure barely visible through the trees ahead. "There’s a public restroom over there."

Tang Wen grimaced. "No way. Public restrooms are filthy."

Reluctantly, the outing was cut short, and they set course back to the castle.

Along the way, Zi Ye shook her head, sighing. "How have you managed to survive this long?" Tang Wen ignored her, the culprit, turning his face away, incidentally trying to prevent his stomach from making any strange gurgling sounds—it was entirely unbecoming of the great designer, Tang Wen!

Instead of offering comfort, Zi Ye seized the opportunity to press further. "Tomorrow is the launch day for the Queen-model mecha, and it’s the first step for the Sprout Group into the mecha market. Do you want to attend the viewing?"

Speaking of mechas, Zi Ye felt a pang of shame.

After almost two years in business, they only had two finished mecha models: the Monarch and the Queen.

An Junlie had priority purchase rights and had already bought thousands of Monarch units.

Therefore, the Queen model was slated for the finale of the launch.

For nearly a month, the Sprout Group had invested heavily in image advertising, appearing across various interstellar media. Big Head and Black Beard were currently recruiting talent extensively; tomorrow would be their true debut to the major star domains.

She would be present tomorrow, but not as the founder of the group, but as the designer of the Queen model.

At that moment, she had only one thought: if she could get Tang Wen to attend, it would undoubtedly bring unparalleled glory to her humble efforts.

One Tang Wen was more useful than ten designers from other corporations!

Tang Wen mumbled gloomily, "No."

Zi Ye grabbed his arm and shook it vigorously, dragging out her words. "Teacher..."

The more she shook him, the worse the churning became in his gut. Almost unable to hold it, he quickly distanced himself, escaping the clutches of Zi Ye, and said to Bu Lan, "Go faster."

Bu Lan responded immediately. "Yes, sir." He pushed the airship to its maximum speed, returning to the castle in three minutes and stopping at the landing platform.

Before the airship had fully docked, Tang Wen leaped off, covering the distance across the terrace in a few swift strides, threw open the glass doors, and disappeared into the castle.

The entire sequence was executed flawlessly.

Zi Ye stared blankly for a moment. "That agility... it’s incredible!"

Bu Lan smiled but said nothing.

In his eyes, Tang Wen was the true master of "playing the pig to eat the tiger."

Most people assumed he only possessed outstanding talent in design; who would suspect that his prowess in mecha combat was equally unreachable?

One major reason Tang Wen allowed him to be his assistant and entrusted him with piloting duties was for cover.

Even Tang Wen’s physical conditioning was absolutely top-tier.

It was easy to imagine how formidable someone was who could remain composed while operating under a tenfold gravity field.

However, since Tang Wen himself never spoke of it, Bu Lan would never utter a single word.

After resolving his biological issues, Tang Wen immediately showered and went to sleep.

Bu Lan tried to persuade her, "Tang Wen is asleep now, but he really likes it when you stay over for a few days, perhaps you could—"

Zi Ye shook her head, puffing out her cheeks. "I still need to go back and help prepare for tomorrow's launch. If he’s feeling better tomorrow, can you please bring him over?" Bu Lan couldn't make a definite promise. "I'll try my best."

It could be said that at this time, Zi Ye was the most relaxed person in the entire operation.

The venue setup was handled by robots.

Investment attraction was Big Head’s responsibility.

Marketing and planning were managed by Black Beard.

Group operations were overseen by professional managers.

Recruitment and training were in the hands of specialized trainers.

Robot command and scheduling were managed by Brother Ah Piao.

Zi Ye only needed to focus on the mechas; she was essentially free to wander about at leisure.

The launch was held at Kelaï's largest mecha display venue.

When Zi Ye arrived, most of the preparatory work was complete, and the results were astonishing.

She walked up to the main podium, gazing across the vast hall and the semi-open exhibition area that extended wirelessly into space. A surge of pride washed over her.

She believed that starting tomorrow, the Sprout Group would command worldwide attention.

She believed even more firmly that her future destiny was now in her own hands!

On the morning of the launch, Zi Ye was up early at five, ensuring everything was prepared before rushing to the venue.

This time, only personnel actively working for the Sprout Group were present.

Staff primarily involved with the Wolf’s Den faction, such as Red Hair and Old Dog, did not appear in order to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Zi Ye felt a slight regret about their absence.

Of course, even without them, nothing could stop the Sprout Group’s inevitable progress.

The economic foundation dictates the superstructure.

Only with sufficient capital and adequate economic conditions could the Wolf’s Den become stronger, granting them an unshakeable foundation so they could stand on the interstellar stage without any reservations!

One hour before the launch, guests streamed into the venue like water. Representatives from every corporation, every association, major merchants, media outlets—all the commercial heavyweights of the galaxy were present!

They wouldn't miss an event like this; perhaps a commercial leviathan was hiding behind the scenes.

The Sprout Group had only been established for a short time yet had risen like a surprise attack. No one knew who was truly orchestrating it from the shadows.

Today was their first public showing.

Many felt this was a prime opportunity to understand the Sprout Group, sensing immense potential business opportunities. Adopting a mindset of "no opportunity left untaken," they had all arrived dressed for the occasion.

The main hall was decorated predominantly with roses.

In the words of the "pervert," it saved on material costs, and afterward, the roses could be washed and made into rose jam.

Seeing this, the guests felt even more certain they had made the right choice. Decorating the venue with fresh roses clearly signaled extreme wealth!

In space, where roses cost more than super-fission ore, using them for decoration was akin to scattering massive piles of cash.

Against the backdrop of roses in every shade from red and orange to yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, the attendees smiled with a practiced air of composure.

All the hostesses were K-Beauties. At a glance, they were perfectly uniform, their red skirts flowing. These bare-backed beauties were exceptionally captivating—perhaps the Sprout Group's best advertisement for their robots.

When the designated time arrived, three Starburst charges exploded outside with loud bangs, immediately followed by nine successive barium flares that illuminated the venue's ceiling. The assembled guests all rose to their feet and applauded.

The launch ceremony officially began!

Along the central T-shaped stage, fifty-two different robots strode forward in rhythm with the music.

Their faces were not identical, their figures varied, their expressions distinct, and their attire uniquely designed. At first glance, it resembled an outstanding fashion show.

Because of this realism, the audience was even more stunned.

Who could make robots so lifelike that they were superior to humans in relevant performance metrics?

If even robots requiring true independent consciousness could pass as ordinary people, let alone mechas that needed human control.

This initial performance had already earned thunderous applause from everyone present, even before the mechas were unveiled.

Then, the mechas made their grand entrance!

Given the venue constraints, Zi Ye presented models of over a dozen different mechas on the T-stage.

Amidst the music, the host introduced the main attraction of the day in a sultry voice: the designer of the Queen model, Zi Ye.

"I am certain everyone present is extremely curious about who designed the Queen model."

Ding—

The venue instantly plunged into darkness, then all the spotlights snapped on, illuminating the exact center of the main stage. Zi Ye smiled and offered a slight bow to the guests.

The host’s soaring voice rang out simultaneously: "This is Zi Ye, the designer of the Queen model, only sixteen years old! She is the youngest student from Lingsi and the youngest designer in the entire galaxy!"

A sixteen-year-old designer!

The guests could only gasp in awe or stand in shock.

What were they doing when they were sixteen? Staring at the campus belle until their eyes turned green? Carelessly throwing away their parents' money? Or perhaps they were burying their noses in books, striving to get into their ideal university?

This world never lacked the strong.

Zi Ye’s appearance had once again reset the record: the strong were getting younger and younger!

-RS