I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 957 - 624: Deep Cooperation, Mutual Benefit

In the parlor, the aroma of tea lingered, as Qin Tian and Katherine sat across from each other.

Katherine glanced casually out the window; the street bustling with traffic and voices, a stark contrast to the desolate and quiet Mingwang Planet described in textbooks. Surprised, she commented, "I really didn’t expect Mingwang Planet, of all places, to be turned into such a lively scene by you, General Qin. Your abilities are truly impressive."

Qin Tian gently pushed a freshly brewed cup of hot tea toward Katherine, a smile forming on his face: "To be praised by the renowned Elemental Empress is truly an honor."

"Don’t call me Elemental Empress, I dislike that nickname."

Katherine frowned, reached for the teacup, and took a sip. Her eyes instantly brightened: "This tea tastes good, I’m taking that jar on your table."

"Hey, you’re outright snatching!"

Qin Tian looked speechless: "This is Dongfang Clan’s Muling Tea, reserved only for elder-level figures. I only have this one jar here, and I usually can’t bear to drink it myself."

"Tsk, so stingy."

Katherine curled her lips: "Isn’t your girlfriend the direct disciple of the Dan Tower Master? When she pays respect to her master, she can secretly divert some for you. Why worry about not having good tea?"

Qin Tian’s brow raised—she had indeed guessed correctly.

This jar of Muling Tea was brought by Ming Yue, stealthily taken from her master’s share.

From Katherine’s words, he could tell she had learned quite a bit about him lately.

Of course, he was also the same.

"I really can’t bear to give it all to you, but I’ll split it in half."

Qin Tian spoke with a face full of reluctance. This Muling Tea was his treasured collection, which he himself only tasted sparingly. The last time he took it out was to entertain the Tier Eight Elder of the Dongfang Clan, Dongfang City.

However, considering Katherine had rescued Xue Yong’s son, Xue Yang, he was willing to part with half of it.

"Then I won’t stand on ceremony." Seeing Qin Tian’s pained yet helpless expression, Katherine couldn’t help but smile.

Initially, she worried that meeting offline for the first time with the "net friend" she’d only interacted with secretly might be awkward, but at the moment, it seemed far more harmonious than she had imagined.

They each carried the same secret, having similar statuses and strengths, thus avoiding unnecessary pleasantries and deliberate probing, their conversation flowed naturally, as if they were old friends.

After a few casual exchanges, Qin Tian’s expression gradually became serious, his tone sincere: "Katherine, thank you really, for rescuing Xue Yong."

"No need to thank me."

Katherine waved her hand, speaking casually, "Even without Xue Yong, I would never let the Blood Demon Cult run wild in my domain. Besides, the Youth Potion you gave me earlier was a great help; we owe each other nothing."

After speaking, she curiously eyed Qin Tian:

"By the way, why would you, as Guardian Envoy of Ice Extreme Pass, Royal Major General, think of selling a beauty product like the Youth Potion? And you’ve actually succeeded."

"Why else? Of course because of financial pressure."

Qin Tian picked up his tea cup, took a gentle sip, his tone filled with emotion, "You truly don’t realize the cost of living until you’re managing the household. I always thought I was rich, never would this life be troubled by money, but now, I wish I could become the richest person in the Empire overnight, with endless funds."

This words came from the heart.

Previously, even a few months ago, he had no great longing for money.

After all, the Youth Potion by Lingfeng Trading Company was immensely popular, bringing in astronomical amounts of money daily, and as the company’s actual controller, all those funds were at his disposal.

At that time, he felt money was abundant with nowhere to spend it, having never experienced the anxiety of lacking funds.

But now, the situation is entirely different.

As his squad continues to expand, with increasing personnel under his command, just the wages, daily expenses, cultivation resources for everyone, plus the construction costs of Ice Extreme Pass amounted to an astronomical number, enough to give him a headache.

However, the most cost-intensive part was Robert’s technological endeavors.

Buying scarce tech products required money; forming research teams and advancing technology required even more; building super factories took financial resources; weapon mass production and equipment updates also needed funds.

Apart from this, Robert had frantically acquired materials like Stardust Sand, Soul Refining Stone, Adka Alloy, each worth a fortune.

These days, Qin Tian truly understood what "spending like water" means—in the face of technological research and industrial investment, however much money there was, it was never enough.

Fortunately, the super factory under Robert’s charge is gradually perfecting, once fully completed and mass production begins, it will undoubtedly leap to become one of the most elite tech companies within the Empire.

By then, all the initial investments will be reciprocated tens or even hundreds of times over.

It’s this ambition that allows him to continually channel funds into it, bearing the pressure steadfastly.

"You’re a distinguished Royal General dreaming of becoming the richest person? Careful or you’ll end up jailed before reaching the top~"

Katherine set down her teacup, teasing.

Qin Tian shrugged.

The idea of being the richest person was just a casual remark, he knew well that regardless of how successful the Youth Potion was or how profitable Robert’s tech company could be, it could hardly rival those old-established families monopolizing many domains of the Empire.