Chapter 26 Ambition

It was indeed very fast. Or rather, fast to an unimaginable degree. In just two minutes, one could finish a meal that tasted decent, far more delicious than dry rations like meat strips, and this creation held genuine value.

Of course, the only flaw might be that it was not quite as tasty.

“What do you plan to use this for?” Qing Yi asked.

Using it could actually be very simply imagined. After all, Su Ziye had already begun selling Academy Happy Water at the academy. This drink was refreshing and delicious, with certain effects in refreshing the mind and boosting the brain. It had already become absolutely popular within the academy and had overwhelmed almost every competitor with its own strength.

Simply this Happy Water had already earned Su Ziye a monthly profit of twelve hundred gold leaves, and on this foundation further expanding the scale to develop beyond the academy might involve quite a few hardships and dangers. Yet with the academy’s basic foothold and endorsement, stepping outside was almost as easy as turning one’s hand.

And this simple bowl of soup noodles, if it could likewise be mass-produced on a large scale, would certainly possess its corresponding scenes and benefits.

These were not things Qing Yi excelled at, however, so she preferred to have Su Ziye explain the matter to her in detail.

Though lazy, it was effective.

“If it could be mass-produced on a large scale, the foremost use would be as emergency rations,” Su Ziye raised his head and said with a smile. “In the hands of civilians, it would serve as convenient food for emergency hunger relief, while for adventurers these more portable soup noodles would become a necessary supplement to adventure supplies.”

“And if applied in the military domain, once the military showed favor, they would be even more excellent military rations—easy to preserve and transport, and convenient for soldiers to carry themselves. The range of application scenarios imaginable was vast.”

Lian Yi listened quietly, silently calculating the figures in her mind, then asked, “Cost?”

“Current market price of flour is two copper xies per kilogram,” Su Ziye said indifferently. “Per kilogram of flour can yield roughly ten portions of noodles, and adding the costs of seasonings and soup packs, the overall price of a bowl of soup noodles comes to three iron mils.”

Iron mils were subsidiary coins beneath copper xies—some iron coins of extremely low value. Roughly ten iron mils could be exchanged for one copper xie.

“You’re joking?” Lian Yi blurted out.

“Do you know how much a bowl of noodles costs when you go out to eat?” she looked at Su Ziye and asked.

“It depends where you buy,” Su Ziye answered calmly.

“Buying a bowl of yangchun noodles in the West Market of Yehye City costs three copper xies,” Lian Yi said seriously.

A bowl of yangchun noodles was almost plain-water boiled noodles. Of course it was not real plain water; noodles bought outside were mainly cooked in chicken broth to add a touch of oiliness, perhaps with some greens, and a dash of salt and soy sauce. That was all. Three copper xies. It could be considered the cheapest meal.

“Because you eat outside, the shop must calculate not only the food’s own cost, labor, rent, business time costs, and so on, plus the necessary profit required. Such pricing already approached the limit.” Su Ziye calmly evaluated. “But this bowl of soup only calculates to three iron mils in cost.”

Su Ziye gave the icy-cold cost price.

The wholesale price to the Golden Flash Chamber for a bottle of Academy Happy Water was one copper xie, while the current retail price outside the Golden Flash Chamber hovered around two copper xies. It had already opened considerable sales channels. It simply wanted Su Ziye to provide more concentrated original juice. Almost certainly, if Su Ziye’s production capacity were sufficient, then merely one Academy Happy Water operated by the Golden Flash Chamber, if it could be spread worldwide, would using the most extreme calculation be the current world’s population scale of nearly one point five billion. If only one-tenth of people developed the habit of drinking one bottle of Happy Water weekly, then through simple arithmetic one could know that Su Ziye would obtain a profit of three million seven hundred and ten thousand gold leaves in one year.

Of course the Golden Flash Chamber could not sell Happy Water to the whole world in one year, let alone even if it could, Su Ziye could not deliver hundreds of billions of bottles of Happy Water.

This already completely exceeded the ability limit of a youth.

Yet now, if this bowl of soup noodles could be mass-produced on a large scale, wouldn’t the restaurants along the street close en masse?

Don’t speak of other matters; merely the price would sweep people away.

Yes, of course some preferred to taste gourmet food, yet most eating was merely to seek a full stomach.

If Su Ziye truly could provide these soup noodles at three iron mils per bowl in mass production, then wherever the Golden Flash Chamber reached, the vast majority of people would eat with this as their staple three meals a day.

No other reason; it was not hard to eat, and it was far too cheap and far too fast.

Of course—the Golden Flash Chamber absolutely would not sell at three iron mils per bowl, after all, as a chamber they still inclined more toward profit.

Yet if Happy Water was merely Su Ziye’s little gadget for earning a bit of extra money, if this thing could truly be promoted, then it would really be able to influence the world.

Because the concentrated syrup of Happy Water was genuinely quite complex, and the filling and carbonation process was not something ordinary people could master.

Yet the raw materials for this bowl of soup noodles, Lian Yi truly saw with her own eyes that they were very simple.

Exactly as Su Ziye had said.

The raw materials were three iron mils, and once provided, even three-year-old children could almost duplicate the same effect.

Lian Yi sighed softly. “You really can surprise others forever.”

“But how do you plan to mass-produce these soup noodles?” she looked at Su Ziye. “Still at the academy?”

Providing the Happy Water syrup production workshop to Su Ziye had already caused many in the academy to mutter complaints. After all, the academy was a sacred and elegant place of learning; how could it allow great young academy students to engage in such lowly and tedious matters?

Yet why this complaint ultimately did not become mainstream, the reason was very simple.

That was, if the academy did not do it.

What then would you drink?

But if it were these soup noodles, one could imagine the raw materials would require carload quantities, the scene would inevitably fly red flags, and even if the academy pinched its nose, it probably would not be able to pinch it anymore.

“Of course not,” Su Ziye smiled. “It is very simple to make, and I also do not fear the method from leaking.”

Saying this, the youth raised his head to gaze at the starry sky outside.

“I plan to open a specialized factory outside the academy, more precisely outside the lake, to carry out production.”

He spoke thus.

Lian Yi had never heard of this strange word “factory.”

“Factory?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, factory. The people who come to work in the factory are working people.” Su Ziye spoke with a somewhat vague smile.

“Working people, the soul of working, working—these are all superior people.”