Chapter 6: Making money
After leaving the Fu family, I went to Taoranju, where I taught three master chefs how to cook a dish. After the waiters had served the dish, I asked the three master chefs, “How are the apprentices I asked you to teach?”
“Not yet. For cooking, talent alone is not enough; you must also practice hard.”
“I want to expand the restaurant’s scale, but in order not to affect the reputation of Taoranju, I plan to use the name of a popular restaurant, mainly for college students. I wonder if I can send out those ten apprentices?“
”If they are not associated with Taoranju, these ten people can all be considered master chefs.”
I let out a sigh of relief: ‘That’s good, I will find twenty more people to be apprentices again as backup talent.’
…
In Milan Capital’s Yalan Xuan, I actually treat the service staff as talents to cultivate. I constantly teach them knowledge, skills, and general knowledge about clothing production, and let them learn from the three clothing production masters. Since the clothing I designed was very popular, many people came to Yalan Xuan every day, and the space was not enough. Milan Capital bought the house next door and turned it into part of Yalan Xuan. Today, I bought a lot of young people from the fat guy at the slave market to enrich Milan Capital.
In the past few days, I have been running back and forth between Xin Qixuan’s place, the Fu family, the palace, and other places. Sister Yufeng finally persuaded General Lin to introduce Milan Capital to Wuwei Academy. For this reason, I specially designed several sets of student uniforms, four sets for men and four sets for women, which finally impressed the dean of Wuwei Academy. We were asked to deliver 400 sets in March, with a rough ratio of 3:1 for men and women. The specific number of male and female student uniforms needs to be determined after the start of the school year in March. The price is twelve silver coins for a set. The academy enrolls students three times a year, so one academy can earn 1,440 gold coins a year. After deducting the unit cost of two silver coins, an academy can earn 1,200 gold coins. If there are more than 20 academies in the capital… And if there are also dozens of elementary schools… Then it’s a huge profit.
As for the Mass Restaurant, it has also opened for business and needs to supply 300 meals to Wuwei Academy every day. These are the meals for the staff and faculty. Of course, the restaurant is usually extremely busy. Students who can’t get used to the school meals and whose families have some money all go to the Mass Restaurant. The specially trained chefs are of course very good (although their mental strength is not very high, I still passed on some of their skills to them using the sleepwalking technique). The restaurant has even become a place for students to go after class. Later, due to the overwhelming popularity of the restaurant, it merged with many other restaurants on Xueyuan Road, rapidly expanding its scale within a few months. I never imagined that a restaurant could become a chain store. Looking down the street, there are more than 30 restaurants, two-thirds of which are owned by me. Each restaurant can attract 500 customers a day (there are three colleges here, each with roughly with roughly 8,000 students each), a dish costs an average of 0.8 silver coins, so in a day, a store earns 4 gold coins, excluding the cost of one gold coin, the profit is 3 gold coins, 20 stores is 60 gold coins, and in a year (540 days in 18 months), it is 32,400 gold coins.
How do you play with this? There is never enough money!!! It seems that you can’t make money from ordinary people at all, and you can’t make much even if you want to. For example, Milan’s Yalanxuan sells a single piece of clothing for 100 gold coins, and makes 500 gold coins a day. Taoranju has also doubled in size, and can accommodate 2,000 people a day. It sells specialty dishes all day long (the dishes that cost one gold coin each), which makes the average price of a dish 20 silver coins, and the daily income can be 400 gold coins. Just these two items can earn 500,000 gold coins a year. Of course, the Orcs and Winged tribe of 500,000 people will need 4 million meals a year (in fact, they don’t need that much, these two tribes can at least find a lot of food on their own), plus medicine, tea, salt, etc., the money I make is simply not enough. Oh, right, salt! Salt is controlled by the empire, and private trading of salt is not allowed. Therefore, the profit from trading salt is extremely high. If I can discover mountain salt in the Changbai Mountains and smuggle it, hey, I might be able to make millions of gold coins a year. Well, it is necessary to ask the orcs to look for it in the Changbai Mountains.
Unfortunately, the singing and dancing troupe is busy preparing for the Celestial Festival and won’t be able to make any money. I seem to have miscalculated. The troupe rehearses once every two months and only gets paid 700 gold coins. Even if they get paid 700 gold coins every time, they will only get paid 6,000 gold coins a year. Alas, miscalculation.
Fortunately, I’m still selling weapons and equipment. I’ve signed a contract with the Silla Kingdom of Korea for 100,000 units, which will bring in 900,000 gold coins. Add in 400,000 arrows and the transportation fees, and I’ll make 1.04 million. It would be great if I could supply weapons and equipment to the three warring parties in Korea at the same time. I need to think of a way to do that.
The capital is full of debauchery and greed. We can sell aphrodisiacs and yin-protecting potions, which can range in price from one gold coin to one hundred gold coins. I think these medicines should sell well. We need to get started early, the sooner we make money, the more we make.
In addition, many pharmacies in the northeast have started to distribute our medicinal herbs, but the income is not too much, only 2,000 to 3,000 gold coins a year (enough for a family of three to live on for the rest of their lives).
I returned to the base and summoned the five clan chiefs. I want to send another 2,000 special forces to find the salt mine. Schumann told me that they had discovered a salt mine before, but there were too many impurities to produce salt. I was overjoyed. Orcs don’t know how to produce salt, but I do. It’s actually very simple. Soak the salt mine in water and the salt will naturally dissolve in the water. Then add calcium oxide to the water to remove impurities such as magnesium. (Calcium oxide can be obtained by heating limestone.) Add sodium hydroxide to remove the calcium, and then crystallize. To make the salt crystallize sooner, you can add a complex to speed up crystallization, and you can also heat it (anyway, the magnetic energy reactor produces a lot of energy that hasn’t been used yet).
“Where? Take me there now.” I had an excited look on my face.
After seeing the salt mine, I couldn’t hide my excitement. I would finally be able to get rich, all I had to do was sell the salt. Very little salt from the south is transported to the northeast, and the northeast produces very little salt itself, so selling salt in the northeast is more profitable. Therefore, the official forces in the northeast do not strictly control the sale of salt. However, due to the chaos in the northeast, there is a high possibility of people getting killed while selling salt. I can’t openly use the strength of the orcs and winged people, so it seems that the two groups of subdued bandits need to be trained well. Four or five thousand people trained well can fully handle the task of selling salt.
“Lu Weixian, you immediately lead the Jin, Huo, and Tu groups to the mountain fortress. Well, name the fortress Qitian (Heavenly Tyranny) Fortress. Once you get there, teach them the Tianxingjian (Heavenly Strength) Heart Method, the Zhantian Axe, and the Xuanmen Gangki (Martial Qi) I taught you last month. Also, you can pass on some of Zhang Lao’s unique skills to them. The three groups can set up the Gathering Yuan Formation there. I have just been practicing a lot to strengthen my physical strength and internal strength. Take the pills with you and give them to some people with potential to take. The three groups of Gold, Fire, and Earth will also train them in a special forces training program.”
“Young master, the delivery to the Silla king is due in a month, so let me lead the Orcs and Winged Clan alone?“ Zhang Lao asked.
”The gold group will return in 20 days, and Zhang Lao will still lead the team, assisted by the ten members of the gold group. Send 40,000 goods to the Silla king,“ I said.
”Forty thousand, not twenty thousand?” Lu Weixian asked in puzzlement.
“If I told him to send 20,000 goods, he wouldn’t send someone to rob the shipment. But I sent 40,000, which disrupted his possible deployment. By the way, Old Zhang, when you deliver the goods, tell them that next time you will send 20,000 goods. As for the money, it doesn’t matter. That guy Park Jeong-gyeol is still in the capital city, and it seems that he still wants to buy weapons. If I send him 40,000 goods, I will let him transfer the money to his card. I don’t believe that he will refuse the remaining 60,000 goods.” I sneered.
“By the way,” I turned to Bach Xiang and said, ‘there are several types of medicinal herbs here. Take a look around and find them for me. I need to practice with some of them.’ I handed him a piece of paper with the appearance of several types of medicinal herbs drawn on it (we found these herbs after looking through the imperial pharmacopoeia). These are the herbs needed to refine aphrodisiacs and yin-protecting medicines.
Bach Xiang took the paper and said, ”Okay, I’ll send someone right away.”
“Wait a minute,“ I said to the five patriarchs, ‘You have all reached the fourth level of the qigong I taught you. Now I will teach you advanced techniques for using qigong, which can double its power. Baku, after you have mastered these techniques, you can use them against Xin Qiyuan. Then her blade won’t be able to pierce your body so easily.’
”Okay, everyone, go do what you need to do. I need to go check on our guest,”
I carried a meal into Xin Qixuan’s room and said, “Sister, time to eat.” These past few days, I have been serving her meals. Our relationship has improved, and I listen to her tell stories about the outside world every day. I envy her so much that I want to go out and explore. I have never been more than 20 li from the capital before, and now there is only the base. However, Sister Xuan has also asked me a lot about the demi-beasts and winged people, and I have told her some of the unimportant things.
What I need to consider now is whether or not to let her go. If she were just an ordinary person, or someone from an ordinary martial arts school, I might have just kept her here. But she is someone from the Wuxun Sword School, and once she goes missing, the Wuxun Sword School will have to investigate. If they trace it back here, they will have to force her to stay. This is likely to cause a big problem. The Wuxun Sword School is no ordinary martial arts school. She can easily mobilize the martial arts forces of the surrounding countries to investigate. Although I’m not afraid of them, once the residential area is compromised, we’ll have to move. Changbai Mountain is huge, but there’s no hiding people in the mountains. But it’s not easy for half a million people to find a place to survive, not to mention that I have my base here.
The problem is how can I trust her not to reveal the secret after she leaves.
One thing she told me aroused my interest. She has a younger sister named Yetti Trevitz, who is a member of the Wolf Clan. When she was seven years old, her family was killed by the Human Clan, but Yetti escaped. On the way, she met Xin Qixuan’s uncle and was brought back to the Sword Academy. The super brain and psychic power told her that what she said was true, at least her adrenal hormone secretion was within a reasonable range.
I think I can believe her.
“Xiao Leidi, who else do you serve?” Xin Qiyuan asked
“Just you. In fact, I used to serve no one.”
“Then how come I only see you at mealtimes?”
“I have to practice. They taught me some kung fu techniques, and they usually check my progress.”
“Oh, what kind of kung fu techniques are they?”
“There’s the Golden Leopard Qigong and the Cloud and Mist Heart Method.”
Xin Qixuan’s face showed a look of confusion, as if he didn’t know much about these two methods.
“Hasn’t the Leopard Clan’s Golden Leopard Method been lost? And the other day, I didn’t see that person use the Golden Leopard Method either.”
I also shook my head, indicating that I didn’t understand either.
“Where do you usually live?”
“I’ve always been in this cave, rarely going out.”
A strange look flashed in Xin Qixuan’s eyes.
“Sister Xuan, can you take me out? I want to go out and have a look,“ I begged her.
”Okay, Brother Lei, if I go out, I’ll take you with me,“ Xin Qiyuan’s eyes had a hint of pity in them.
”When are you going, then, sister!?“ I looked at her with pretended hope.
”There are some problems with my body, I can’t go yet.“
”Can I help you?” I looked at her
Xin Qixuan shook his head. “My power cannot be mobilized. It seems that the connection between my spiritual power and my power has been severed by something. I cannot even use magic spells. I have never heard of any strange power, magic spell, or medicine that can cause such a phenomenon.”
I pretended to be trying to remember. “I think I heard Uncle Black Clothes say that there is a talisman that can imprison spiritual power. Let me think about how to undo it.”
As she watched me trying to think, Xuan’s face broke into a smile, and she gently embraced me. “Take your time, there’s no rush. First, tell me, who is this Uncle in Black?”
“Uncle in Black is the one in charge here?”
“Is he human?”
“Yes, ah, I remember now, I just need an antidote, and then run the true qi once around, and I’ll be fine,” I said excitedly.
“But right now I can’t even run true qi!” Xian Qixuan said with a wry smile.
“I’m here, I can help you,“ I said, patting my chest.
”Isn’t it dangerous?“ Xin Qixuan frowned.
”It’s fine, I go into that room a lot, and there are only a few steel monsters watching, I can easily get rid of them.“
”How about your martial arts skills?“
”It’s fine, I just need to stimulate your martial arts skills a bit, and it will move on its own.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for your good news.“
Two days later, I went back to Xuan’s room and said with a smile, ‘I got it. Look, what is this?’ I showed off to Xuan, holding a black pill in my hand.
”Is this the pill? What kind of talisman did he use to create this effect, that it can only be removed with a drug?“
”There seems to be other methods, but they are particularly difficult, so I didn’t remember.“ I pretended to be honest.
”Will anyone come in?”
“No,“ I pretended to be unsure, ‘uncle in black clothes is not here right now, will anyone else come?’
”That’s right, no one has come here except you these few days.“
”Oh yes, I forgot to mention last time, there is a prohibition on this door, I can’t go out.“
”So even if you regain your power, you still can’t go out?“ I said in surprise
”Yes,” Sister Xuan suddenly realized, ”after losing your power, even your wisdom has declined.”
“Let’s get started then!” I said excitedly.
After taking the pill, Sister Xuan sat cross-legged. I sat in front of her, my little hand against her dantian. Using the Cloud and Mist Heart Method, I induced the true energy in Sister Xuan’s dantian. My spiritual energy quietly entered Sister Xuan’s brain, breaking open a small opening in the barrier of the spell that sealed the immortals. The true energy in the dantian was stimulated, and I silently used the “shock” technique, giving it a gentle jolt. The true energy in the dantian was stimulated again by this, and suddenly rushed out, It followed a specific route, and whenever it reached a pressure point in the brain, Xuan’s primordial spirit would fluctuate, and a trace of energy would enter it. Taking advantage of this, I slowly widened the gap, and slowly the immortal sealing spell was gradually destroyed. After another twelve weeks, the effect of the immortal sealing spell disappeared. Although Xinyi Xuan felt that his spiritual power had not fully recovered, he was harmonious and happy, without the slightest hindrance. However, his true energy had not yet recovered, and the drugs in his body were still suppressing the operation of his true energy.
So I pretended to be out of breath and lay in Xin Qixuan’s arms.
“Brother Lei, thank you, I’m already better,”
“Can I walk?” I said excitedly, I’ve been itching to go out and explore for a long time.
“Brother Lei, before you go, I want you to take an oath!”
“What oath?” I asked curiously.
“You swear never to tell the rest of the people what happened here.”
Her spiritual energy was not fluctuating, hehe, it seems that she really is friendly with the Orcs. I hurriedly made a vow.
“Okay, but not today, my primordial spirit has not recovered, and neither has my true energy. Brother Lei, can you do something else for your sister?”
“What is it?”
“I originally had some things on me, a sword and a bag, can you find them?”
“What’s the use of those two things?” I asked.
“My true energy has been suppressed by the medicine. There are some pills in the bag, which can be used together with my movements to restore my true energy.“
”Okay, I’ll go take a look.” I hurriedly ran out.
Damn it, where did I put it? Where did I shove it after I searched it out from her last time? I tried to remember, but it seems that I threw it to the robot. Where did I put it? I might as well search with my spiritual power. Finally, I found it in a corner. Holding the sword and the bag, I came back.
“Xuan, I’ve got it back, look!“ I said, holding the sword up.
”Great, I’ll be expelling the poison in a while, keep an eye on it for me, don’t let anyone disturb me,“ Xin Qiyuan said helplessly. Now I have to protect the sword.
”Okay, how long will it take?“
”More than an hour!“
”Okay, just do your best, I’m in a hurry to get out of here!”
Xin Qiyuan took a pill out of his bag, swallowed it, and then began to practice. Although the true energy in his body was running quickly, some of it could not be mobilized. With the power of the pill and great perseverance, the poison was finally expelled after an hour and a half. Xin Qiyuan carefully felt the condition of his body. The true energy was lively and unrestrained, as if his arms were his fingers. There had also been great improvement, and even his mental strength had grown by leaps and bounds. He had never imagined that he would be blessed by this disaster, and that his mental strength had not decreased but increased instead. (Hmph, if it weren’t for me using the Mysterious Transformation Technique to cultivate your primordial spirit for you, it wouldn’t have turned out this way.)
“Okay, we can go now.”
“Really?” I had been standing for over an hour and was getting bored, so when I heard what Xuan said, I jumped with excitement.
Xuan took me to the door and observed the area carefully for a while. Then she said lightly, “Descend,” and the simple barrier I had set up at the door was temporarily suppressed without a sound.
The robots in the second basement mainly guard the three storage rooms and six laboratories. There are no robots guarding Xin Qixuan, but there are still a few patrolling nearby. I secretly used my spiritual power to make the four robots at the tunnel entrance move aside, so that Xin Qixuan easily flashed to the tunnel entrance, and I also walked to the tunnel entrance with a swagger. However, the first basement is full of robots. These robots do not have any living breath, and they can only be discovered and avoided by their eyes and sounds. They cannot sense these monsters.
Under the calm appearance of Xin Qixuan, his mind was running at high speed. There were too many enemies in front of him, and it was almost impossible to sneak out silently. He had personally experienced the power of the robot monsters. There were at least 200 in front of him, I’m afraid…
“Sister, is it not good to go out?” I asked.
Sister Xuan nodded.
I deliberately tilted my head and thought for a moment: “I can distract them!” After saying that, I dashed out.
Seeing me go out, Sister Xuan didn’t stop me, but instead gave a smile.
After a while, the alarm sounded, and the robots rushed to one place like a tide (actually, I ordered them to go there, otherwise, how could the robots be so stupid as to ignore their posts and rush to one place).
I peeked out of the tunnel entrance on the first basement floor. There was a flash in front of my eyes, and a gust of wind. Xin Qixuan was already standing next to me. “Let’s go up.” He quickly pulled me into the first basement floor. Due to the steel-making process, the noise was extremely loud, and there weren’t many people inside. I pointed at the ceiling, which was a loophole I had deliberately left. There was a crossbeam above my head, and I could pass through it.
“Sister Xuan, now you have to get me out. I can’t get out of the cave without someone leading me,” I said to Sister Xuan.
Sister Xuan put me on her back and tied me up with strips of cloth torn from the bed sheet she had prepared in advance. The noise from the ground also affected the orcs on the first floor above ground, and the guards were a bit confused, and many of them ran down. Taking advantage of this gap, Sister Xuan leapt onto the top crossbeam and once again easily exited the cave.
“What did you do?“ Xin Qixuan couldn’t help but ask me.
”I lit a fire inside, created a little smoke, and then set off the alarm,” I said with a smile.
Sister Xuan shook her head.
There are orcs and winged patrols everywhere within a 40-mile radius. If I hadn’t specifically told the orc special forces to take a day off, there would be even more people here. Even so, we are still in danger everywhere. Everyone has been on high alert for the past two days. During several close encounters, Sister Xuan quickly knocked the guards unconscious, hid the people, and quickly withdrew. However, it is obvious that the orcs have still been alerted. The orcs have begun to gather, but Sister Xuan has already entered deep into Changbai Mountain. This is a place where the orcs have never been before. It is a very large place. Even if tens of thousands of people come to hide a person, they will never be able to find the person. Under the tree where we were hiding, the orcs came three times. The falcon tribe traversed through the forest, and the eagle tribe flew in the air, but they still got nothing.
A whistle sounded, and the orcs and winged people searching in the forest quickly withdrew. Apart from the eagles raised by the eagle tribe in the sky, there was no trace of them.
Carrying me on her back, Xuan sister used her light skills and wind-riding techniques to move quickly through the forest, heading southwest and trying to exit the Changbai Mountains. The twenty divine eagles in the sky searched within a fifty-li radius, and in order to avoid detection, Xuan sister never left the forest until she was sixty li away.