Leaving Building No. 3, Zhou Yi and Qian Su headed for the Guangtai Dam.

Jacob worked at Window 221.

The window stations there had been turned into numerous workstations, where each worker had their own number that matched the working window. Each worker was stationed permanently at their assigned window, making the collection process orderly and efficient.

Now, during the daytime, the new humans of Jade City were not afraid to be out in the sunlight, keeping busy.

However, Zhou Yi couldn't find Jacob at Window 221.

Qian Su asked a nearby worker.

The person said, "Jacob was called away by Yuan Tong, he's on the ship."

Indeed, after the dam was built, two small boats could still occasionally be seen appearing and disappearing on the Dead Sea.

Zhou Yi didn't ask what Yuan Tong was doing.

A drone located the target ship, and under a high-definition camera, Yuan Tong was seen comparing the weight of two barrels and talking to someone next to him.

Red Kestrel then lowered its altitude and began recording sound.

"...The output is really too low, this modification won't work, it demands too much expertise and experience."

"There are also risks involved, not everyone can do it like you, Jacob."

Beside him was a Bone Man.

But this Bone Man was different, its skull wrapped in bandages, and unlike the neatly dressed Sun Chonglai, it maintained its natural skeletal state, wearing no clothes.

Zhou Yi listened for a while before understanding.

Yuan Tong wanted to modify two small enhanced ships by equipping them with fin-like giant nets, aiming to capture large quantities of Light Soot Sand by sailing on the Dead Sea.

However, the practical tests were constantly failing.

The wood produced in Mao Valley Town was neither strong nor durable enough, easily breaking and getting damaged. The nets relied on the navigation of the ships to deploy, which demanded a lot from the helmsmen; even an experienced sailor like Yuan Tong found himself drenched in sweat.

After barely managing to complete the dredging, the weigh-in showed it was even less efficient than the old method of manual extraction.

Bone Man Jacob, being able to survive in the Dead Sea, became an experimental assistant. He specifically climbed to one side of the ship's railing to inspect the condition of the sand-collecting fins and made immediate adjustments or retrievals.

Yuan Tong wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve: "Jacob, you were right."

"The sea surface of the Dead Sea will melt the snow, making the temperature lower than on land, many materials become brittle... Humidity also increases the weight of the Light Soot Sand, further increasing the power needed for dredging; I haven't found a solution to these problems yet."

Jacob remained silent.

Yuan Tong continued, "There's no helping it. The first month of the dam's operation went smoothly, but I also noticed that some workers were slacking off. This was expected as I've encountered this in my past maritime jobs..."

"So, it's time to standardize further. After all, the chairman has provided such high salaries; it wouldn't do not to work."

The one-eyed foreman laughed, "It's also time to set a standard."

"I've done the calculations, each person needs to collect a basic amount of 600g per month, a salary of 6000 mushrooms can be paid in full, this quantity isn't large. If one doesn't reach this basic weight, the salary will be proportionately deducted, and if it continues, they will be fired."

"Of course, collecting more means higher salary. In this way, those like you who work efficiently will see a significant raise in salary, curbing those who are just lazing around."

When the topic turned to salaries, Jacob immediately said, "Exactly right, exactly right! You're speaking the truth!"

"This is just my personal suggestion, let's see what the chairman finally decides. The company invested so much in the initial phase, it can't be influenced adversely by a few; most people are indeed working earnestly," Yuan Tong explained.

Zhou Yi watched the remote screen, his expression slightly bemused.

Because the Red Kestrel's "Bird's Eye View" had picked up something different.

Jacob was thinking.

— "I feel the Sea God's Staff is getting weaker and weaker, I must quickly save up for an ocean-going ship to reach that place, otherwise the Sea God's Staff will be completely digested by the Alien..."

— "No, don't boss me around. Why should I do something so dangerous? The salary here is so high, it's more important to go to the Bone-man Bar and have fun! The Bone Woman there is super hot!"

— "Idiot, think with your rotten brain! With the Sea God's Staff, you could become a sea lord, dominating the Dead Sea, and then what would you lack?"

— "Dominate the Dead Sea? More like being dominated by the Dead Sea, I've never heard of a sea lord who could defeat the Dead Sea."

— "Short-sighted!"

— "First, I need to get surgery to fix my skull, to stop you from always popping up, saying some inexplicable nonsense, and scaring others."

— "I am you!"

— "Then stop quarreling, making money here is more important."

...

Zhou Yi looked on, Jacob seemed to be experiencing a split personality.

He was divided in two.

One was an idealistic version of Jacob who aspired to attain the Sea God's Staff and vie for the Dead Sea.

The other just wanted to make money, spend time at the bar, and live a life of pleasure and leisure.

Zhou Yi quietly left.

By evening, Jacob had arrived at the 31st floor of Jade City.

"Welcome, please come in."

Zhou Yi gestured with his hand.

Bone-man Jacob wasn't naked, but instead he wore a clean black coat, gray trousers, and a pair of linen shoes, showing he took this visit seriously.

"Sit."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "We also have a Bone-man here, Sun Chonglai; have you met him?"

"No."

Jacob cautiously sat on the chair, sitting bolt upright involuntarily, "I've heard about it, manages the Mushroom Forest, and is an old employee of Wasteland Development Company, but I've never met him."

"You should meet more often when you have the chance, exchange ideas; there are very few Bone-men here."

Zhou Yi made small talk for a bit, then asked, "Is there a voice in your head?"

Jacob was shocked, "You know?"

"I've heard of similar things before."

Zhou Yi sat on the sofa, observing the Bone-man, "When did this begin?"

"I'm not very clear on that."

Jacob touched his bandaged head, "When I woke up, I was on the Land near Sand Port, and the memories in my head were all jumbled. I don't even know who cracked my head open, but I do remember some fragments from the Dead Sea."

"In the past, I seem to have been a navigator, active on the Dead Sea. Sometimes I'd sit on a boat on the surface, and sometimes I'd dive to the sea floor, seemingly looking for something, probably treasure hunting."

"But those fragments are all fragmented, and I can't piece them together, I don't know where I came from, and no one here in Sand Port recognizes me..."

Listening to his confession, Zhou Yi also used the Red Kestrel's "Bird's Eye View" to read his mind.

—He's definitely coveting the Sea God's Staff, wants you to tell him.

—Don't be used.

—Only I truly have your best interests at heart, I am you, no one else can care for you like I do.

—But telling him is also okay, if the Sea God's Staff were that easy to obtain, it would have been taken by a sea lord long ago. Without us, they can't get in touch with the Sea God's Staff.

...

The one talking was the hedonistic version of Jacob, the idealistic version in his mind continued to exert influence.

Zhou Yi looked at the Bone-man before him, "I'm not very interested in the Sea God's Staff you mentioned. I heard it's being devoured by a special Alien, I'm quite interested in the Dead Sea Alien though."

Jacob was stunned, "You... you also know about that?"

"Only heard."

Zhou Yi extended an invitation, "Care to collaborate with me?"

"You help me find that Alien, I help you save the Sea God's Staff. I will provide a sum of money for you, for locating and searching, and the company will also assist you..."

The Bone-man was taken aback.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind.

—Shouldn't agree!

—It's a trap, no doubt...

"That would be great! I have always wanted to collaborate with a powerful person like you! I've been waiting for such an opportunity!"

Yet the indulgent Jacob had already answered faster than his brain could process, happily agreeing.

—Fool, fool! Go die, it's hopeless!

Zhou Yi tried hard to keep his composure to avoid laughing.

He immediately handed a Guangna Box to the Bone-man, "Here are 50 Light Seeds, enough to purchase a small enhanced ship, consider it my sponsorship to you."

Seeing the real money in front of him, Jacob also said, "Rest assured, what I've mentioned is absolutely worth it."

"In the fragments of my memory, the Sea God's Staff is a very powerful weapon; it moves freely in the Dead Sea, and enemies are destroyed without even seeing it."

Zhou Yi nodded his head.

It sounded like a concealed heavy cannon from the sea.

But then again, the architectural life that could capture the Sea God's Staff, almost devouring it, obviously seemed even more formidable.

Zhou Yi's target was the latter.

"The Alien that captured the Sea God's Staff is indeed very special and terrifying... It has many gaping mouths, nearly an endless desire to feed, and what's unimaginable is that it would not lie dormant in the Dead Sea, instead hunting all over the sea surface."

Jacob's words further intrigued Zhou Yi.

The architectural life roving the Dead Sea.

Could it also be a Floating Island? Circling the Dead Sea on a mountain of fecal-matter code?