Deep Space Wandering Fleet

So because of various restrictions, both sides could only engage in wider cooperation through such market competition. There was no compulsion between them, only freedom. Partnerships could be formed voluntarily and it was fine not to collaborate.

On the other hand, this market pricing model was more compatible, meaning that if more civilizations joined the Alliance in the future, they could directly participate in the market as well.

The New Human High-level was contemplating, seizing various Alien Civilizations from the Virtual World and bringing them into the real world to form a more diverse Alliance. These Aliens plucked from the Virtual World would definitely become Affiliated Civilizations of the new humans, not independent like the Half-sphere Civilization.

These Alien groups taken from the Virtual World were penniless and lacked everything. Using "capital" to control an Affiliated Civilization was actually very straightforward.

If these joining civilizations had any notable technology or intelligence, they would naturally be competitive. Other civilizations could spend a lot of money to purchase their services; if a civilization lacked any technology and pricing power, it would naturally have to engage in lower-value work, providing various raw materials to earn a little hard-earned cash.

As a result, there would also be competition among the Affiliated Civilizations, creating a virtuous cycle.

Zhang Yuan stepped forward and said, "This market competition is currently still publicly-owned economy-themed. All the hundred and thirty superfacs are monopolized by the former public enterprises."

"These large enterprises almost control all the high-end talent and capital, having strong competitiveness. The private economy can play a supplementary role, infiltrating into some details that were not well considered before, but it's not likely for big capitalists to emerge in the short term... Little Li, we don't need to throw out the baby with the bathwater, just avoid privatizing state-owned enterprises."

"Whereas capitalism is profit-driven, it really can't manage the super-projects that cost hundreds of billions of federal coins."

As they chatted, there were already staff members up ahead to receive them.

A welcoming lady greeted them with a smile, "Professor Zhang, this way, please!"

"Hello."

Zhang Yuan passed through a glass corridor and took an elevator to an Artificial Gravity-powered work area that could accommodate a population of millions.

He saw some staff members having face-to-face conversations with Half-sphere people, looking for potential business opportunities. Many of them were young; some were smiling, while others seemed somewhat confused.

The Half-sphere Civilization also knew this new market was significant, an excellent bridge for cooperation, and had sent many hands. In this work area, just by donning basic protective gear, one could have face-to-face interactions.

"Hope this market can flourish," he silently wished, walking into the meeting room.

...

However, the situation wasn't as perfect as imagined.

Among the crowd roaming the work area, some were particularly embarrassed, being jobless wanderers from the Mountain and Sea. Now, full of ambition, they had come to The Kyushu.

They were curiously and nervously approaching this entirely new society.

Unlike the staff sent by the large public enterprises, everything here had to be taken care of by oneself, without the safety net of the New Human Government; how could one not be nervous?

Take, for example, Han Bin and Wang Lirong, two recent university graduates who felt somewhat uncomfortable.

The initial excitement lasted only three hours.

After three hours, they became somewhat pessimistic.

A new life, as if entering an entirely new world.

They stood there, wandering east and west, feeling somewhat more at ease, as the government had allocated them a place to live, rent-free for the first 12 months. Still, they felt somewhat unsteady.

They looked again at their electronic wallet, empty except for a four-figure balance, and really couldn't muster much confidence.

"Entrepreneurship... what kind of business should we start? What kind of job should we look for?"

"I don't know."

"We have to know even if we don't! We'll starve without a job."

These young people, originally from the Mountain and Sea, couldn't find suitable jobs due to their high spirits. On an impulse, they had come here.

The new market surely offered more opportunities. With an economic scale of hundreds of billions, they only needed to earn a few thousand yuan a month to survive. The gap was just too vast; they couldn't even count the zeros—and they truly couldn't believe they wouldn't be able to make that money!

These two were quite ambitious, willing to come here to fend for themselves, which was definitely better than being parasites in the Mountain and Sea. With the growing population of the New Human Civilization, the despised Sinners were bound to increase as well.

"Our currency is already exchanged, now we will start a new life in this new world! We will achieve success here!" Han Bin clenched his fist and shouted with a touch of teenage melodrama.

"Come on, give a round of applause!"

"Applause!"

"Make it louder, show some confidence!"

"Alright, alright, was that loud enough?" Wang Lirong responded with a hint of listlessness.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Han Bin and Wang Lirong were sitting in the residential area's lobby, continuously encouraging themselves, but no matter how loud their applause was, it only restored a little bit of their confidence.

Originally, the currency within the New Human Civilization could be freely exchanged with federal coins. The new federal coins had a purchasing power of about one yuan for one kilogram of rice—this price, set by large state-owned companies, was unlikely to fluctuate much. At least not significantly for a year or two.

But the reality they faced was that if they wanted to cook themselves, they had to buy a complete set of kitchenware, which was quite expensive. The artificial ecosystem was not like the natural environment on Earth; pollution emissions had specific standards, so they needed a complete set of kitchenware and environmental standards to cook.

To avoid hassle, they still ate in the cafeteria, a basic service provided by state-owned enterprises, yet significantly more expensive compared to the Mountain and Sea. A decent lunch cost about six yuan, not a trivial amount, as even state-owned enterprises needed to make a profit, however minimal. They certainly couldn't operate at a loss indefinitely.

Then there were other expenses— toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, tissues, etc.—all had to be purchased separately, adding up to significant costs. If they were unsatisfied with the services, they could even buy machines to make their own toothpaste and toothbrushes.

Their total savings amounted to merely one or two thousand yuan.

Anyway, everything was so free, so cruel, full of competition. If you could find a business opportunity and had the capital, you could succeed where you had previously failed, and whether you won or lost, it was all on you.

But money wasn't easy to earn. Toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels, tissues—humans had been producing them for thousands of years, driving costs to their limits. If you entered this industry recklessly, without enough information, you'd lose so badly you wouldn't even recognize your own mother.

So, the best way was to make money off the Half-sphere people!

The Half-sphere people had greater demand; they were filled with curiosity about the New Human Civilization, and their money was the easiest to earn.