At this moment, only Jin Ziyu dared to interject. The others were all listening respectfully.
"Theoretically, yes," Lu Jiamei replied, "but Duckweed also drifts with the current. It gets blown away by the wind and waves. With the current conditions at sea, it’s not realistic for it to cover the entire world! Besides, if other bases were to discover our leader’s ability, I’m sure you can all guess what they’d do!"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"That’s why our leader has repeatedly stressed that we must not leak any information about our base!" Lu Jiamei continued. "None of you want to lose a base as good as this, right?"
Their eyes filled with determination, they all nodded emphatically.
As they ventured deeper into the Banyan Forest, Si Youqin and the others suddenly noticed the wind had died down significantly, and the Duckweed underfoot felt much more stable.
"This Banyan Forest can block the wind?" Jin Ziyu, like a curious child, immediately asked about anything she didn’t understand.
Si Youqin and the others all thought to themselves, ’Ziyu, you really are asking the questions we’re all thinking!’
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly. "This Banyan Forest is the very reason we were able to establish our base in the Seventh-level Wind Sea Region. It acts as a windbreak and calms the waves. The effect is outstanding!"
"Like a windbreak forest on land?" Si Youqin couldn’t help but ask.
"You could say that," Lu Jiamei replied.
Lu Jiamei went on to show them the base’s cultivation area. When they saw the crops, fruits, and vegetables there, their eyes widened in astonishment—not because of the sheer variety, but because the plants stood perfectly upright in the water without any support.
"This is the advantage of our base," Lu Jiamei said with a smile, understanding their surprise. "Alright, now let’s assign your jobs."
Just then, Si Youqin suddenly raised her hand. Lu Jiamei paused for a moment before motioning for her to speak.
"Sister Mei, the yacht is almost out of diesel. I was wondering, does the base have any to spare?" Si Youqin had suddenly remembered the issue.
"Oh, so that’s what it is," Lu Jiamei replied with a smile. "As it happens, one of your tasks for today is to produce diesel."
"Huh?" Si Youqin was completely stunned. "But none of us have ever worked in the petrochemical industry. We wouldn’t know how!"
Si Youqin had already done a headcount and asked about everyone’s previous professions; most had been secretaries, translators, or held similar office jobs.
"Don’t worry, I won’t have you doing any chemical work," Lu Jiamei said, shaking her head with a smile. "Producing diesel at our base is a manual labor task. I’ll have Jin Ziyu make a tool for you later. It’ll make the work much easier."
This left Si Youqin and her group puzzled. ’Producing diesel is manual labor?’
"There are four teams on your side. One will clear the aerial roots of the banyan trees. One will pick the fruits of the Diesel Trees. The remaining two will be in charge of pressing. As for the pressing tool, I’ll entrust that to Elder Hua and Jin Ziyu," Lu Jiamei instructed.
Hua Lingfang nodded and began to explain the manual pressing device to Jin Ziyu.
It was essentially a long metal barrel with a mesh bottom. A threaded metal rod was mounted on top. By turning the rod like a screw, it would apply pressure to a metal plate fitted to the barrel’s inner diameter. This plate would then crush the Diesel Tree fruits inside, squeezing the diesel out.
With a Gold-Type Evolver like Jin Ziyu around, she could easily create several simple pressing machines. If they proved unsuitable or inconvenient during use, she could modify them on the spot.
After hearing Hua Lingfang’s requirements, Jin Ziyu used the metal from an anchor chain to create three pressing machines.
Watching the metal before him quickly morph into the required shape, Hua Lingfang couldn’t help but remark, "Evolvers are truly powerful!"
Seeing that the pressing machines were finished, Si Youqin asked, "Sister Mei, can we start pressing the diesel now?"
Lu Jiamei nodded slightly and pointed to the surrounding Diesel Trees. "The fruits on these trees are already ripe. You can pick them and put them straight into the press."
It was only then that they noticed the trees around them seemed different from the ones that served as windbreaks.
"What about after it’s pressed? Does it need any other processing?" Si Youqin followed up.
Lu Jiamei shook her head. "It doesn’t need any processing. You can use it directly."
Si Youqin and the others widened their eyes.
"It’s that simple?" Si Youqin asked, finding it hard to believe.
"It’s that simple," Lu Jiamei replied. "However, you must keep a precise record of how much diesel you press. You can requisition it when you need it. Just send the data directly to your phones. Someone will come by later to verify the amount."
"Understood!" Si Youqin replied, suppressing her shock.
"Everyone, watch me demonstrate." With surprising agility, Lu Jiamei climbed a tree, picked some ripe diesel fruits, and tossed them into one of the newly made presses. She turned the lever with ease, and diesel came GUSHING out from the bottom.
"Pretty simple, right?" Lu Jiamei asked with a smile.
Si Youqin and the others all nodded in unison.
At that moment, Ren Yuanyang spoke up. "Jin Ziyu, could you make them a ladder? It would be more convenient, and safer."
Jin Ziyu nodded. She glanced at the remaining anchor chain and frowned slightly. "There isn’t enough material. I can only make a short ladder for now."
She had made a container for the Dripping Lotus yesterday, and today she had made three pressing machines. Even though they were simple, they were made entirely of metal and had consumed a considerable amount.
Ren Yuanyang was taken aback for a second, then replied, "Then just use what’s left to make a short one for now. You can make a longer one later when we have more materials."
"Alright." The anchor chains in Jin Ziyu’s hands immediately reformed into a metal ladder.
With that, the metal was all used up. The Iron Mill Hua Lingfang needed would have to wait.
"Your task for this morning is to fill all the empty barrels here. You can rest once you’re done," Ren Yuanyang instructed finally.
"Yes!" Si Youqin immediately rallied the others to work.
The Peach Blossom Base had a limited number of containers, so there was no point in pressing too much diesel with nowhere to store it.
Now, everything depended on whether they could get some supplies from the upcoming undercurrent.
Once Si Youqin’s group was settled, Ren Yuanyang called over Jin Ziyu, and they boarded the military speedboat, heading out of the Banyan Forest.
"Boss, where are we going now?" After the tour of the Banyan Forest, Jin Ziyu’s tone had become much more respectful.
Even with her slightly slow uptake, she now understood that the Peach Blossom Base was, without a doubt, the best base in the world. No contest.
"Yesterday, we received a notice from the Aircraft Carrier Base," Ren Yuanyang explained. "There might be an undercurrent soon that will bring up some materials from the seabed to within ten meters of the surface. There’s a submerged county town near our base, so maybe some supplies will be churned up."
Jin Ziyu paused, then frowned. "They’ve been submerged for so long. Even if there are supplies, most of them would be unusable by now, right?"
"Even if they’re useless, they can still provide us with some metal," Ren Yuanyang said, a little exasperated.
Jin Ziyu’s eyes lit up. "You’re right! As long as there’s metal, I can make lots of tools to improve everyone’s work efficiency. When are the supplies supposed to surface?"
Jin Ziyu seemed almost impatient with anticipation.
"We don’t know for sure yet," Ren Yuanyang replied. "We’re heading out now to see if it’s started."
Nearby, Lu Jiamei washed a peach and handed it to Ren Yuanyang.
Jin Ziyu’s eyes immediately locked onto the peach. Ren Yuanyang made a polite gesture and asked, "Want some?"
"Yes!" Jin Ziyu reached out her hand without a moment’s hesitation.
Ren Yuanyang immediately pulled back the hand holding the peach, brought it to his own mouth, and took a large bite. Juice instantly started dripping down, and the sweet fragrance of the peach filled the air.
Only then did Jin Ziyu realize she had been a bit too forward. ’I’m just an employee now, how could I try to take food from the boss’s hand?’
"I’m sorry..." Jin Ziyu apologized hastily.
Meanwhile, Ren Yuanyang, still savoring the peach, replied, "If you want one, go wash it yourself. You didn’t actually expect me to give you the one I just washed, did you?"
"Huh? I can have one, too?" Jin Ziyu asked in disbelief.
"Have you forgotten my ability?" Ren Yuanyang countered instead of answering.

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