After arriving at Lestein Duchy, Yang Qinglan accompanied Li Qianxia to find Beia Triss for negotiations, while Li Changzhou headed directly back to Earth.
There was another negotiation with the Special Warfare Bureau in the evening, and constructing the Moon Base also took a lot of time, so they had to act separately.
If anything came up, Yang Qinglan could "Summon" him over using "Life and Death" at any time.
Back on Earth, upon entering Qing Lan Bookstore, there were three customers inside.
Two female employees were there, one delivering coffee and desserts to a customer, the other standing guard at the bar.
Seeing Li Changzhou, Guo Xue behind the bar teased him with a radiant smile, "Boss, you're back."
"Smooth talker, you'll get an extra thousand yuan in bonuses this month." Li Changzhou liked hearing that.
"Thank you, boss!" Guo Xue was even happier, not just because of the money, but also because the conversation was entertaining, and Li Changzhou was a super handsome guy.
"Where's the boss lady?" Guo Xue glanced behind him.
In the past six months, Li Changzhou either did not show up or would appear with Yang Qinglan; this was the first time he was seen alone.
"She's at a friend's with my sister." Li Changzhou found an unoccupied seat and sat down.
"Boss, would you like something to drink?" Another employee, Ye Jinan, who just finished serving coffee to customers, came straight over, her figure slender beneath her apron.
"You're also good with words, but you'll only get 500 because you're the second."
"That's because she was the first to see you~" Ye Jinan said coquettishly, fully aware that he was the boss lady's boyfriend, but he was just too handsome.
"An Americano." Li Changzhou smiled, picked a book, and said no more.
Having a chat centered around Yang Qinglan was fine, but casual banter between men and women? He didn't even intend to meet the Turquoise Pool, so would he really chat and laugh with Yang Qinglan's female employees?
Sipping coffee, reading a book, as the view outside the window grew gradually darker, the bright yellow streetlights came on, illuminating Yanhe Road in a faint glow, as if he had travelled back to ancient times.
'I wonder which dynasty the next instance will return to.' Li Changzhou occasionally looked out the window, unable to restrain his curiosity.
Behind him, two female customers discussed the supernatural event at Kale Square during the day; such a huge square had suddenly vanished, and while the government claimed it was a sinkhole, surprisingly few people had died.
One of the female customers lifted her phone and took a picture of the glass wall reflecting Li Changzhou.
Around 9 o'clock, Zheng Qing and two men walked into the Qing Lan Bookstore.
"Sit." Li Changzhou put down "The Moon: Alien Spaceship" and leaned back in the chair.
It was a small table against the wall, and even if another chair was brought over, it could only accommodate three people.
Seeing that Li Changzhou hadn't any intention to change seats, one of the men sat across from Li Changzhou, while the other two squeezed into chairs opposite the wall.
Zheng Qing sat close to Li Changzhou, as if they were on the same side.
Ye Jinan came over to ask the three what they'd like to drink, and while writing the order, she looked curiously at the group, resembling... hmm—, the elderly men often seen under the shade of the trees along Yanhe Road, playing chess, and the other two who joined in for the excitement.
The parties introduced themselves to each other.
The two unfamiliar faces were Li Wei and Chu Cheng'en, a deputy director and a director from the Special Warfare Bureau, respectively.
"Where are Qian Xia and Qing Lan?" Zheng Qing asked, as the coffee arrived.
"They're on another planet." Li Changzhou replied.
"Four Seasons Star? Or—" Zheng Qing glanced at "The Moon: Alien Spaceship" on the table.
She had heard about Li Changzhou's Moon Base plan during the day.
"Neither."
Ye Jinan brought over the coffee, but the three didn't drink any.
"Mr. Li, shall we begin?" Deputy Director Liu asked in a somewhat inquisitive tone.
"We can." Li Changzhou nodded, sat up straight, and took another sip of his coffee.
Deputy Director Liu also sipped his coffee and asked, "Mr. Li, what are your thoughts on Four Seasons Star?"
"No particular thoughts, just promised someone I'd do it. The Central King still rules the center, Xia Country is allowed to enter, but they must abide by their laws—I assume the Special Warfare Bureau would also like me to be a man of my word."
"Of course." Deputy Director Liu nodded, "Anything else?"
"There's a Qing Shui Tribe in the summer area, don't touch them either, they are friends of my sister and helped me a lot during the event period. That's all, you're free to do as you please for the rest."
The deputy director and director exchanged glances, expressionless, but deep down they were astonished.
Players like Steel Muscle, Deadly Light Flame, who had teleportation gates to Four Seasons Star, all demanded outrageous prices from the Special Warfare Bureau, or simply got better deals from other forces. Yet Li Changzhou, who actually held dominion over Four Seasons Star, asked for nothing?
"Oh, right."
That seemed more like it, and the two felt somewhat relieved.
It was not the plethora of conditions or their severity they feared, but the absence of any conditions at all.
Only with mutual interests as a foundation could a true collaboration exist, otherwise either party could breach the agreement at any time.
Li Changzhou put down his coffee and said, "About today's incident at Kale Square, I hope the Special Warfare Bureau can help with the compensation, covering all property damage, medical expenses, and mental distress. In the event of any fatalities, a minimum of one million yuan should be paid out depending on the family's situation."
It would be a significant sum, but a mere trifle for the Special Warfare Bureau.
And considering the use for the money—securing interests in Four Seasons Star—it was a tiny trifle.
"No problem," Deputy Director Liu agreed without a second thought.
It was like buying a flat on Yanhe Road for just ten thousand yuan per square meter, suspiciously cheap, as if there might be an issue, like maybe seventeen—not just one—previous homeowners had died, and so on.
"Alright, that's it. Spring, fall, winter, and summer on Four Seasons Star, you can have it all, I won't interfere. If there's a problem needing my intervention, we can negotiate my fee when the time comes." Li Changzhou said.