At night, on the pristine, snow-white beach of Star Sea Ind, Chen Yu had Mackie bring over some firewood, lighting up a bonfire and hosting a bonfire dinner.


    Mackie, having long been instructed to fully amodate Chen Yu''s requests, naturally spared no effort in meeting his needs. Besides, it wasn''t anythingborious.


    Of course, the firewood Mackie brought was transported from outside the ind, not cut from the vegetation on the ind itself.


    You have to know, Star Sea Ind is just a tiny patch ofnd no bigger than a handprint, and the number of trees on the ind can be counted on one hand. If the ind''s vegetation were cut down, the ce would quickly turn deste.


    As for how the firewood was transported from outside, or how much the transportation cost, that wasn''t something Chen Yu or Mackie worried about. After all, someone else was footing the bill.


    Looking at the bonfire crackling on the beach, as he sipped on a drink from a beach chair, Chen Yu had a satisfied smile on his face.


    Not far away, his parents were holding Little Yixi while seated at a temporary dining table, yfully feeding the child. Of course, it was just tiny bits of food and a bit of fruit pulp—kids this small could only humorously "taste" the vors; truly swallowing it would still be dangerous.


    Jounouchi Hiromi was also seated at the dining table. She watched Chen Yu''s parents as they teased their granddaughter, chatting with them at the same time.


    Nowadays, Jounouchi Hiromi spoke fluent Chinese, so conversing with Chen Yu''s parents in Mandarin posed no problem at all.


    As for Inomata Naoki, Chen Yu''s close buddy, he clearly knew better than to ruin the vibe right now. Instead, he strolled down the beach with Minami and didn''te over.


    "Professor Chen Yu, may I ask if you''re satisfied with tonight''s bonfire dinner?" Mackie approached with a te of freshly-prepared lobster dishes, cing it on the table next to Chen Yu with the demeanor of a cheerful butler. "These lobsters were freshly delivered today, and our chef''s skills are excellent. You should give them a try."


    "Thank you. Please take a seat while we speak—it feels a bit off to converse while you''re standing," Chen Yu nodded, indicating for Mackie to sit down on a nearby beach chair.


    With Chen Yu''s permission, Mackie finally sat on the beach chair next to him, though his attitude remained respectful and somewhat restrained.


    After all, he knew Chen Yu''s true identity. The powers behind him had filled Mackie in on the fact that Chen Yu was a Demigod, ensuring he wouldn''t offend him. Being allowed to sit down was already a huge privilege.


    "The bonfire dinner tonight is great. My parents are enjoying themselves." Chen Yu was indeed quite pleased with Mackie''s service. Despite Mackie''s plump and round appearance, his work was definitively satisfactory. "I''m curious—is this indpletely devoid of materials? Are all its supplies imported from outside?"


    Hearing Chen Yu''s question, Mackie chuckled twice with a yful air before replying, "The coconuts on the ind are pretty decent, and the surrounding seas have some fish. But aside from that, yes, most resources are brought in via a daily supply ship that docks at the port in the morning. So, you''re absolutely right.


    Since there''s still a construction crew working on the ind, resource consumption is higher for now. Once the project is finished, a weekly supply ship should be enough to keep the vi''s refrigerators well-stocked."


    Upon hearing this exnation, Chen Yu nodded nomittally. Life on tropical inds indeed had this disadvantage—heavy reliance on external resource inputs—and this was one of the reasons ind countries struggle to develop anything beyond tourism.


    Of course, things would be different if it were like the old days of colonial Britain, plundering resources globally, or post-war Japan with financial lifelines from the United States.


    Given all Chen Yu owned now, he could certainly achieve simr feats in the Maldives, but there was no reason to do so.


    For one, he had no emotional attachment to this country. Why expend his resources to bolster a nation he felt nothing for?


    Another reason was that the Maldivescked even the most basic conditions for development. Withoutnd remation, they didn''t even have enough space to build factories, let alone other infrastructure.


    So for this nation, the current strategy was undoubtedly the best—to rely on its natural tourism resources to scrape together modest profits.


    But thinking about development suddenly made Chen Yu curious. He turned to Mackie and asked, "Mr. Mackie, I''m curious—how do you deal with garbage on this ind? You don''t just dump it into the sea nearby, do you?"


    This was a question that intrigued Chen Yu.


    The Maldives'' territorial area wasn''trge, with the country mostlyprising handprint-sized inds like Star Sea Ind. Some were merely reef rocks or shallow banks, barely qualifying as inds.


    Yet the Maldives annually wees over a million tourists worldwide. Even if every visitor produced just one stic bottle''s worth of trash, it would amount to an unimaginable pile of waste—and the reality was that each tourist generated far more than a single bottle.


    At least during his two-day stay on Star Sea Ind, Chen Yu noticed every morning a separate ship would arrive alongside the supply vessel to haul the ind''s garbage away.


    "The trash is taken to v''s Ind, a few kilometers outside Malé. Since 1992, the Maldives has designated it as a garbage ind, where all the nation''s waste over the past three decades is buried." Mackie did seem informed about this. The issue had previously been exposed due to environmental concerns, though the revtions aplished nothing.


    Facing the massive economic benefits brought by millions of annual tourists, the Maldivian government''s priority is to maintain the country''s tourism brand. As to v''s Ind transforming from a coralgoon into a garbage heap, even polluting the surrounding areas—the government opts to turn a blind eye.


    Upon hearing Mackie''s exnation, Chen Yu frowned slightly but didn''t bother delving into the issue. Instead, he simply nodded faintly, saying nothing further.


    Seeing Chen Yu was done speaking, Mackie seized the opportunity to say, "Professor Chen Yu, theboratory is almostplete. Would you like to take some time to inspect it? If there''s anything you find unsuitable, I can arrange for modifications."


    Mackie''s words prompted Chen Yu to ponder for a moment. After some consideration, he agreed it might be worth a look. He nodded and said, "Alright, I''ll check it out with Hiromi tomorrow."


    Though Chen Yu could use his senses to remotely observe theb''s interior, he felt it more appropriate to personally inspect it under the pretense of conducting an official examination—it couldn''t just be all fishing and leisure all the time; he had to show he was getting some real work done.


    "Understood, Professor. I''ll make all necessary arrangements." Hearing Chen Yu''s decision, Mackie promptly and respectfully ensured everything would be prepped for the visit.


    With that settled, Chen Yu motioned for Mackie to take his leave, then grabbed a lobster from the table and began eating. He had to admit, the chef Mackie hired was genuinely skilled.