"What?"
In the main control cabin section, Leonard sat on the floor with a laptop on his legs, busy working.
Faced with the arrival of the Express crew's three giants, he looked completely dumbfounded.
"Oh oh… I remember now, Brother Zeig, you guys are talking about that…!"
Under the intense stares of the three, Leonard slapped his forehead as memories resurfaced like a bolt from the blue.
"Wow, he really did forget!" March 7th put her hands on her hips and gave Leonard a deep look of disdain.
"No no… I didn't forget."
Leonard quickly placed the laptop on the ground beside him, struggled to prop himself up, and stood.
"Hiss~ Ouch!"
Having sat for too long, his legs had gone numb. After easing them for a while, he barely managed to stand fully.
"Ahem ahem… Brother Zeig, it's not that I forgot to give it to you, but this thing requires your personal presence to confirm it's safe!"
"What thing is so mysterious?" Zeig frowned. "Don't tell me it's a Step-by-Step Point Reader?"
"Ah… I don't have the ability to get something like that!" Leonard waved his hands repeatedly, then fished a USB drive out of his pocket.
He held up the USB drive and introduced:
"This is a program I obtained. After you install it on your phone following the process, you can shoot advertisements!"
"?" "?" "?"
"That's right. This software has already signed a contract with specialists from the Interastral Peace Corporation. As long as you shoot advertisements, you can get commissions!"
Zeig took the USB drive with a dumbfounded look and asked doubtfully:
"Shoot advertisements? This… sounds so troublesome. I thought you would give something like… for example, something that generates money continuously while just standing still."
Leonard wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled awkwardly:
"That would probably require me hacking into the company's network and specially opening a backdoor for you. I don't have that kind of skill. When we make money, we need to have principles."
He continued introducing to the three:
"Shooting advertisements is precisely a way to provide value, right? Exchanging value for value, then transacting in the form of currency — that's the meaning of wealth circulation."
"Relax, Brother Zeig. This is really easy. If I didn't look so unremarkable, I would want to try signing with my own image."
"Signing?"
Zeig seemed to think of something and said nervously:
"This thing won't sign people, right? After we sign, will our entire person become the property of the Interastral Peace Corporation?"
He had heard that after those celebrities sign, they lose control of themselves and become the property of the agency company with no freedom at all.
They might even get shelved if they make the boss unhappy!
"Uh… Brother Zeig, how could I cheat you guys like that?"
Leonard scratched his head awkwardly:
"This signs the works, not the person. After downloading the software, a contract will automatically pop up. But you need to pay attention — only phones that have downloaded the software can record advertisements!"
"…"
The three exchanged glances.
Then Zeig clutched the USB drive and suddenly took a step back.
"?"
This small movement aroused suspicion in Dan Heng and March 7th.
Why did he step back?
Wait.
"…"
"Hey."
March 7th said disdainfully:
"You're not thinking of hogging it all to yourself again, are you?"
Zeig declared righteously:
"My friend, what hogging are you talking about? The one who worked to the bone back then was only this humble one. Isn't it only right for me to enjoy the experience alone? Stop always thinking about stealing last hits!"
"Damn it, we all accompanied you through it."
Dan Heng looked speechlessly at the two. He wanted to say something but didn't know what to say.
Shooting advertisements and such was still too advanced for him.
If he had to choose, it would be better not to shoot.
"Hey hey hey, don't fight."
Seeing this, Leonard quickly stepped between March 7th and Zeig to mediate:
"This advertisement shooting requires quality. How can one person shoot it well alone? It definitely needs teamwork and cooperation."
"Huh? Can't I bloom alone as a single flower?" Zeig looked at Leonard disdainfully.
March 7th laughed:
"Tch, you still want to bloom alone? Fix your hair first. It's as messy as a beggar's. No dog would watch what you shoot! It has to be a beautiful girl like me!"
"?"
"A mere Entwined Edge dares to talk big? Have you forgotten your former red broom head? Your scalp is slicker than the deck of the space station platform. How do you have the face!"
"You're looking for a fight, huh?"
"Come on…!"
Seeing the two about to fight again, Dan Heng sighed and silently walked between them.
"Zeig, March, this is the space station… there are surveillance cameras. If you fight and collapse something again, you'll definitely have to pay."
"?" Leonard asked doubtfully:
"What collapse? Pay what money? What did you guys collapse? Was the mudslide in the space station caused by you?"
"Uh…"
Hearing Leonard trigger the keyword, Zeig and March instantly showed shy expressions like scholars.
The two clenched one fist and lightly coughed with it near their mouths, then their gazes dodged and their steps became unsteady.
March brushed her bangs back with her hand and gave Zeig a handsome look:
"Zeig, this time you can't hog it behind our backs again. Anyway, you can't shoot it well alone. It's better for everyone to cooperate. We earn money together."
Zeig also combed his bangs back with one hand and glanced sideways at March 7th:
"Cooperation is possible, but equal division is impossible. I take forty percent. At most you two get thirty percent each. If you want more, forget it!"
Dan Heng spoke:
"Actually I don't…"
"Fine, let's do it that way! You four, me and Dan Heng three!" March 7th agreed immediately.
Dan Heng: "…"
"Good good, this is how it should be!"
Seeing the three finish negotiating, Leonard also breathed a sigh of relief.
Earlier when Zeig and March 7th were about to fight, passing staff members had all looked over.
Station Master Asta was also standing in a nearby corner, secretly observing and eating melons.
"Brother Zeig, you three run around every day, and you still have to seal Stellar Cores and save the world. It's inevitable to have financial needs."
Leonard smiled:
"Relax, this job isn't tiring. You can accept it anywhere, and you can even incorporate some local characteristics to achieve better results."
Dan Heng glanced at Zeig and March 7th who were glaring at each other with their eyes, finally sighed, and spoke to Leonard himself:
"Thank you. We'll accept your kind offer."
"Haha… Mr. Dan Heng is too polite."
After bidding farewell to Leonard, the three finally resolved all the loose ends in the space station and returned to the Express once more.
Himeko, Welt, and Pom-Pom had been waiting for a long time.
Welt: "You're back."
Himeko: "The route meeting is about to start soon. Don't run around anymore, understand?"
Pom-Pom: "They're right, Pam. After the train starts later, no using that Cosmic Juggernaut to jump off midway, Pam!"
Dan Heng nodded: "Mm."
March 7th pouted: "Got it~"
Zeig did a backflip: "Oh yeah!"
"…"