Chapter 2095: Tempt with Profit

He chuckled, "Throughout the entire Dragon’s Maw Wilderness and Mao River Plain, projects like these are innumerable."

"Innumerable" was an exaggeration, but it didn't matter. He knew Xin Yi wouldn't personally scrutinize every single project.

Was Xin Yi the only one who could offer grand visions? He Lingchuan could do the same; he was also good at it.

Xin Yi couldn't help but glance up. "I've previously discussed business access for mines and forestry with you, but you never agreed. You held onto those rights very tightly."

Ling Shan had once hoped that Dragon City would open up some development and operating rights for ground resources, such as mines, forestry, lake areas, and warehousing. This was partly because some people within Ling Shan wanted a share, and partly because there was too much work for Dragon City to handle on its own; subcontracting it out would make everyone happy.

But Dragon City never agreed. To this day, these operations remain officially managed.

So, even if these public projects were profitable, what did that have to do with Ling Shan?

"Dragon City's history is unique, and it will certainly not relinquish the operating rights for these public facilities." He Lingchuan immediately dashed his hopes, but then opened another window for him. "However, it doesn't matter. Ling Shan can invest and take a stake, enjoying regular dividends."

"Investment and equity?" Xin Yi carefully mulled over these words.

He Lingchuan also gave him time.

After just a few moments, Xin Yi suddenly realized, "Are you saying that Ling Shan should invest money in the dividend rights of these public projects?"

To put it another way, Dragon City wouldn't let Ling Shan's people in, but it wanted Ling Shan's money to come in.

"You truly are Mr. Xin!" He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up. "It's so much easier talking to a clever person!"

Considering Xin Yi's age, he was indeed exceptionally quick-witted and open-minded; He Lingchuan even felt a little admiration.

Generally, the older one gets, the more stubborn and rigid one's thinking becomes. It was truly not easy for him to maintain such an open mind.

"You—hahaha!" Xin Yi couldn't help but slap his forehead and burst out laughing. "Who on earth came up with this?"

So, Dragon City not only didn't want to give Ling Shan money, but also wanted to take money *from* Ling Shan!

When those old fuddy-duddies in Ling Shan heard this, wouldn't they be hopping mad? It was a pity he wasn't in Ling Shan to see their furious expressions.

What a pity.

He Lingchuan waved his hand. "Stop laughing, be serious. This could be called 'mutually beneficial'!"

Xin Yi finally managed to stop laughing and coughed a few times. "Alright, tell me more. Try to win me over."

If he was won over, then there was a possibility of the matter being negotiated successfully.

"The first benefit is a slow but steady stream of income," He Lingchuan explained. "Dragon City can only produce nine hundred jin of high-grade profound crystals annually. No matter how Mr. Xin negotiates with Dragon City, this amount won't fluctuate significantly. You know that Commander Zhong is resolute and rarely changes his mind."

Even if Xin Yi were the most eloquent negotiator, three or four more rounds of negotiation wouldn't turn nine hundred jin into eighteen hundred jin.

And frankly speaking, eighteen hundred jin of high-grade profound crystals wouldn't be much for Ling Shan either; those old monsters are all huge energy consumers.

"We naturally hope to maintain our relationship with Ling Shan," He Lingchuan said softly, "but if this matter becomes irreversible, Dragon City will find other ways. The worst-case scenario is simply returning to how things were before. The people of Dragon City have been forged by harsh winds and bitter frost; they can endure any hardship or toil."

The resilience of Dragon City's people was the basis for his confidence in speaking this way.

This was not a threat; it was a statement of fact, thus his attitude was calm and pragmatic.

Once Dragon City and Ling Shan fell out, both sides would suffer significant losses.

Apart from other considerations, Ling Shan's subsequent plans for fighting the Sky Demons would certainly be significantly affected.

Furthermore, Dragon City was a rare force that didn't need much support from Ling Shan but could still grow resiliently and strive for strength on its own. Ling Shan had previously struggled to foster even two or three such forces, so naturally, it cherished this one.

Hmm, this probably aligns with the saying:

Capable people are difficult to manage, while subservient people, though easy to manage, are useless.

The more capable and skilled one was, the more temperamental and demanding one tended to be, and the harder it was for Ling Shan to control it.

"Dragon City has already thoroughly calculated this," He Lingchuan continued. "Money currently invested in these public projects will yield excellent returns in the long run. Assuming I personally invest one hundred liang of silver right now, the average annual return for the next two years would be at least thirty-five percent. After three or four years, it might fall to under twenty-five percent. If the timeframe is extended to fifteen years, direct returns would decrease, but dividends would increase, averaging an annual return of at least over ten percent, likely exceeding fifteen percent."

He Lingchuan spoke earnestly: "Mr. Xin is an intelligent person; you can clearly calculate the accounts. Think carefully, where else in the world could you find such long-term and stable returns?"

An average annual increase of fifteen percent over fifteen years—Xin Yi certainly knew how to calculate that. But there was one thing he couldn't bring himself to say:

Could Dragon City last for fifteen years?

But he couldn't ask, because He Lingchuan would immediately retort, "Why not?"

Dragon City had stood here, enduring the attacks of Xianyou Baling, for over twenty years now. Its days were only getting better, its people's morale increasingly stable, and its army increasingly strong. Why couldn't it last another twenty, or even forty, years?

If it could, then He Lingchuan's proposed calculations might hold true.

"Rapid development in a region often brings exceptionally high dividends," He Lingchuan continued to persuade him. "Mr. Xin is well-traveled and knowledgeable; you should know that such opportunities are incredibly rare. If you don't join now, how can you enjoy the development dividends of these most prosperous years?"

He also knew that Ling Shan would certainly find the investment period too long.

It didn't matter; he would emphasize the exceptionally high early returns.

Ling Shan would then think, "Why not earn from the first three or four years?" This was the period of highest returns, and earning enough from it would be like eating the plumpest part of a fish. As for the remaining tail, they could withdraw their investment at any time to avoid risk.

"More importantly, there's no cap on the annual dividends; it's certainly not limited to a mere thousand jin of high-grade profound crystals," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Mr. Xin understands the development of Dragon Territory better than anyone in Ling Shan. From the perspective of actual gains, this is truly a source of ongoing income, flowing continuously and endlessly."

He leaned slightly forward and lowered his voice. "If I were Mr. Xin, whether Ling Shan invested or not, I would certainly invest some myself."

Xin Yi gave a faint smile.

This young man talked a good game, speaking of high returns from minimal investment, but the premise of 'profit' was that his side had to first put up the capital. And the more they put in, the greater the future profits would be.

"You kid, you have a silver tongue." Xin Yi sighed. "What you just said really impressed me, but that's just me. Those old geezers in Ling Shan won't listen at all. I can't make a decision on this matter by myself. If you don't have a more powerful argument—"

He shook his head.

He Lingchuan immediately understood his underlying meaning:

Was Xin Yi truly impressed? Perhaps a little, but not much. Simply talking about "profit" couldn't truly impress him and wasn't enough for him to advocate for Dragon City in Ling Shan.

This was probably because, although the "pie" He Lingchuan drew for Dragon City was perfectly round and appealing, its size was still a bit small for Ling Shan. Ling Shan still hadn't gotten what it wanted most.

Alright, so the "temptation by profit" part was over. He Lingchuan would now have to appeal to reason.