"Come on, tell me what's actually going on here."
Nero puffed out his cheeks. When it came to the IPC, if people like Big Sis Topaz or Big Brother Aventurine were in charge, he felt perfectly at ease. But Scott... well, listening to him squawk was honestly more entertaining.
He looked up at Yuanfeng. Despite the small body, an overwhelming presence radiated from him.
Yuanfeng blinked where he stood. Looking at Nero, he suddenly felt confidence surge through him.
Looks like Nero clearly can't bear to part with the food in Aurum Alley. If he's willing to help, that would be incredible.
After organizing his thoughts a bit, he began, "The IPC wants to redevelop this place into a massive logistics transit warehouse. When that happens, all the food stalls and secondhand shops here will have to move out..."
"Ah... so Aurum Alley is going to disappear?" Bailu's face gradually lost its color, panic surfacing in her eyes.
"Yeah." Yuanfeng nodded. "The land itself will still be here, every inch of it. But its atmosphere, its visitors, and everyone's memories of how lively it once was, all of that will vanish."
"N-Nero... what do we do?" Bailu looked at Nero helplessly.
"Not a huge problem. There's no way I'm letting anyone cut off my food supply." Nero nodded, then changed tone.
"But any help I give is only temporary. What happens after that depends on the guild's own efforts. I can't keep paying for everything every single time..."
After saying that, Nero narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke with a faint smile. "So the key is whether you can get the guild running properly. While you still have hope and passion, you might as well take a bold shot."
Of course, Nero could simply demand control over the usage rights to the docks himself. But the only thing he actually cared about here was the food.
And besides, even if he didn't ask the guild for money, if they kept operating at the same level as before, the Aurum Alley Merchant Guild would still end up disbanded, driven out, and replaced by a New Aurum Alley Merchant Guild sooner or later.
That was just how competition worked. Nero could help them fend off the IPC this time, but afterward there would still be a second "IPC," a third "IPC."
If they wanted to keep operating long term, they still had to rely on themselves. After all, the old saying went, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
Judging from the little secretary's current urgency and anticipation, the guild still had plenty of drive. Nero didn't mind offering them his blessing, along with a little bit of help.
Hearing Nero's encouragement, the little secretary nodded vigorously.
From the very beginning, they had never expected Nero to pay for them out of pocket.
First, they understood that they needed to stand on their own eventually. Second, they didn't think Nero even had that kind of money. This kid probably still had to ask Boss Mengming and the General for allowance money.
For them, the fact that Nero was willing to stand on their side was already the greatest help imaginable.
No matter what, they'd spent years immersed in commercial competition, while Nero was practically a "national idol" aboard the Xianzhou. Just the celebrity effect from his involvement alone would generate profits beyond imagination.
And on top of that, there was Lady Bailu too.
Everyone on the Luofu knew that Nero, Yanqing, and Lady Bailu were the three most beloved children on the ship. There was even a secret fan group privately calling them the "Three Treasures of the Luofu."
Sushang couldn't really understand the business side of things, but Nero's stance still made her happy. She spoke straightforwardly, "Let's focus on the problem in front of us first. What exactly are we supposed to do?"
"For logistics, as long as the transportation routes are planned properly, costs can be reduced significantly," the little secretary said.
"Hold on. I'm going to call in outside support!" Nero declared.
He was young and didn't understand this stuff, but that was fine. Someone else did.
The two big sisters far away in Belobog both had plenty of experience.
Nero got the current map of Aurum Alley and the transport routes currently used by Crane Express Logistics from Yuanfeng. After compiling the information together, he sent it to Topaz.
Topaz replied very quickly.
[Topaz: Hm? You're sending me this... are you planning to join that wager?]
[Nero: I could solve this in a simpler way, but the guild still needs to grow. Otherwise, even if I help them once, am I supposed to help a second time? A third time?]
[Nero: I think they still have passion and hope. Help me out?]
[Topaz: Mm... decide for yourself. I'll help you redesign the routes first.]
Topaz was busy, but to her, organizing a logistics route map for Nero wasn't any burden at all. If anything, it was a relaxing break from work.
Nero didn't have to wait long before Topaz sent over the newly optimized route map.
[Topaz: Sent you the route map.]
[Topaz: It's fine. Just have fun. The IPC's always got your back.]
After sending that message, Topaz paused slightly, a strange feeling surfacing in her heart.
The IPC helping a Xianzhou kid deal with IPC employees... no matter how she thought about it, the whole thing felt subtly weird.
'Still, whatever.'
Compared to Scott, she obviously preferred helping Nero, and the higher-ups thought the same way.
Oh, right. She also needed to pass along Aventurine's message.
Thinking of that, Topaz quickly sent another text.
[Topaz: Your Big Brother Aventurine said he's going to make Jettoch lose even his underwear.]
Looking at Topaz's last message, Nero frowned, his expression turning strange.
Then he softly let out a surprised little, "Wow~"
When players on Earth experienced the route planning segment, it was originally just a normal path-planning minigame.
Except there was one cheat function added in.
If players didn't want to think things through themselves, they could simply click Nero's portrait on the right side of the screen, and they would instantly receive the route designed by Topaz.
Basically a one-click clear option.
"Wow, this route planning is perfect."
Yuanfeng sighed in admiration as he looked over the newly revised route map Nero had sent him, the one Topaz had reorganized.
"It's safe and efficient. It drastically cuts down transportation time and reduces costs too."
"Of course! One of the IPC's Ten Stonehearts, Big Sis Topaz herself designed it for you!" Nero planted his hands on his hips, pride written all over his face.
Sure, he wasn't the one who designed it, but he was the one who called her over.
That meant part of the credit definitely belonged to him.
"The IPC..."
Hearing Nero's words, both Yuanfeng and the little secretary frowned slightly, clearly uneasy about that name.
"You don't need to worry about that," Stelle said, reaching up to rub Nero's head.
"Miss Topaz is on this kid's side. Honestly, among the IPC people I've met, someone like that commissioner is pretty rare."
The little secretary and Yuanfeng exchanged glances, then looked back at Nero.
Alright then. That child's adorable face made them trust Stelle's words one thousand percent.
"So how exactly did Aurum Alley end up like this?" Sushang asked.
The little secretary looked at the kind people standing before him, helping both him and the guild.
Three young people, and one outsider...
Then he began explaining.
"Aurum Alley used to be the most prosperous night market in Exalting Sanctum. Back in the day, this alley, famous for its food and commerce, was packed with automatons collecting cargo for their owners. But that prosperity has long since passed."
Nero blinked. He wasn't too clear on the details himself.
But ever since arriving on the Xianzhou, he'd never seen civilian-use automatons like those.
They were probably banned now. After all, the anti-organic equation from the Emperor's War had affected a wide range of things.
After the robot uprising, banning them for the safety of the Xianzhou's citizens actually sounded pretty reasonable.
Nero sifted through the fragmented and incomplete memories from his past life playing the game and made a guess.
And the little secretary's next words confirmed it.
"With civilian automatons restricted and new commercial hubs rising up, Aurum Alley ended up like someone slowly walking down a gentle slope. Everyone knew it was declining day by day, but nobody thought it was a serious issue."