Chapter 1289 - 778: White Ivy's Scheme_3

"Oh—"

Pond Silk snapped out of his astonishment, secretly pleased. "I've always said, haven't I? I'm a million-year-old friend of Kansui and Giant Taro. They have urged me to look after you all. I must give it my all. I'm a Spider that values emotions and loyalty."

"I don't have any other flaws; my only flaw is my straightforwardness. What I provide you will be at the lowest price in the universe..."

Pond Silk spoke these insincere words while pondering.

'Refinement' ability?

From the description, it seems like a rather unremarkable ability.

It's hard to understand—such a dull Spider, paired with such a dull Ant—what kind of business could they collaborate on? How could they possibly make money?

The only explanation is that the refinement ability is not as simple as they describe.

Pond Silk probed, asking, "Chairman White Ivy, what does your refined Origin Force Food look like? May I see it? Old Spider has some connections; perhaps we have the opportunity to collaborate."

The space in front of White Ivy fluttered slightly, and a metal can appeared out of thin air, floating toward Pond Silk.

Pond Silk controlled it, opened it for a look, and without hesitation, opened his mouth to suck it in, consuming it entirely. He tasted it and commented, "The flavor is excellent! The Primordial Energy is purer too! It should be very popular."

Pond Silk asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, does your refinement ability have other explanations? As the ability strengthens, does the loss reduce?"

Dragon Cypress: "Yes—"

White Ivy explained, "To develop the Azure Star System, Dragon Cypress Ant King mainly uses Water System Divine-Given Origin Force Food for growth and evolution. Combined with daily training and application, the refinement ability has improved, reducing processing losses to a level comparable to technological equipment."

"A can with a market price of 10,000 Primordial Crystals contains Origin Force Food valued at 9,000 Primordial Crystals. We sell it to other cooperative Chambers of Commerce for 9,500 Primordial Crystals. These chambers either use it themselves or display it for sale in their stores."

"The 500 Primordial Crystal price difference includes approximately 250 Primordial Crystals in refinement losses. Packaging costs are practically negligible, allowing us to earn nearly 250 Primordial Crystals per can."

"This business, we started on the home planet, continued to the Venus Star System, and then to the White Crystal Star System. We've made many friends; everyone trusts us, allowing us to operate on a large scale. The profit margin is thin, but with large volumes, the revenue is quite significant."

Pond Silk: "Uh..."

Pond Silk: "Impressive..."

Is it possible to earn Primordial Crystals this way?

If the annual turnover can be grown to billions, it would indeed be profitable.

White Ivy asked, "Chairman Shuigan, do you know the Spider responsible for the Origin Force Food trade at the Luoli Chamber of Commerce? If so, could you introduce me to them?"

"I know of them, but we're not close. I'll ask for you later."

Pond Silk answered perfunctorily, leading the way to the display podium. He quickly walked behind the podium and injected a stream of Primordial Energy.

The lights in the hall went out.

Above the holographic projection podium, the stars sparkled.

Pond Silk ignored White Ivy's disdainful gaze, concernedly asking, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, is the Azure Star System due in about four thousand years? Are you planning to renew the lease?"

Dragon Cypress: "Of course—"

Pond Silk asked, "Is the rent prepared?"

Dragon Cypress: "Rest assured, Chairman Shuigan. We are calculating it; it will definitely be prepared in time."

Pond Silk asked, puzzled, "You don't have a God-Given Life Seed? But I remember last time reviewing your Chamber's data; you had up to 40 Wild God-Given Seeds? And one Divine Grade? Why aren't you using Primordial Gemstones on them?"

Dragon Cypress replied honestly, "We've used six Divine Grade and God-Given Life Seeds. We're not in a rush for the Wild God-Given Seeds right now."

"Oh—"

"Six Divine Grade seeds?"

Pond Silk was inwardly shocked, simultaneously gaining a sense of the numbers.

The Wild God-Given Seeds have not yet used Primordial Gemstones, indicating that the Chamber's funds are not as plentiful as White Ivy says, not endless.

Pond Silk continued to inquire, asking, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, may I ask, how much Primordial Crystals do you earn annually? I mean no harm; I'm just concerned that you're investing all your income into the Zero Level Origin Point. What about the God-Given Seeds? You must pay attention to planning! In the early stages, prioritize the God-Given Seeds."

"Thank you for your concern, Chairman Shuigan!"

Dragon Cypress politely thanked and answered honestly, "The territory income is 3 million annually, and the trade of Origin Force Ant Honey brings in over 6 million each year. The Divine-Given Seeds below the average yield from the Azure Star System are sold directly, which is substantial income as well. Additionally, I have some World Gemstones to use in emergencies..."

White Ivy quickly raised a claw and pressed Dragon Cypress down with one swipe.

White Ivy irritatedly said, "Chairman Shuigan, why are you asking all this? Just focus on introducing Origin Points available for lease."

"Uh~ right~"

Pond Silk asked unhurriedly, "So, what kind of Origin Point do you plan to rent? What price is appropriate in your mind? Do you have any location requirements? Closer to the Sheep Hoof Beetle Star System? How about Origin Points in remote star domains?"

White Ivy inquired, "Is there any Origin Point Star System that lacks water during construction? Something cheaper, we're good at making water."

"A water-deficient Star System?"

"Yes! And it's not very far from your 'Azure Star System', but... never mind, take a look first, you might be interested."

As Pond Silk spoke, a quick flash of light passed through his eyes, manipulating the mind to project a holographic image that kept enlarging.

Pond Silk raised his front claw, gathering a little blue light to mark the spot, saying, "Here is your Azure Star System, heading away from the Sheep Hoof Beetle Star System, at a distance of about 241 light years..."

As Pond Silk spoke, he raised his claw again to mark a blue light on an Origin Point numbered 311034782.

"It's a 0.8-level Origin Point, the specific Origin Force Concentration is 0.841, with a full complement of 9 planets, the top tier in the Zero Level Origin Point Star System."

"It was constructed along with the Azure Star System, gathering materials from the same cluster, and similarly lacking water."

"But that material cluster wasn't entirely waterless. At that time, available water resources were prioritized for the 0.8-level Origin Point, concentrated on two of its planets. One planet has abundant water resources but is undeveloped, in a high-temperature, thick-cloud, and chaotic state. The other planet has water, but not enough, with a shortfall of about one billion cubic kilometers. The other seven are waterless death stars."

After introducing, Chairman Shuigan objectively commented, "So in total, the distance from the Sheep Hoof Beetle Star System reaches 928 light years, making it relatively remote. Apart from that, there's nothing to nitpick."

Dragon Cypress asked, "And the rent?"

Pond Silk: "9 million Primordial Crystals per year, starting at ten thousand years. I'm still giving you two options, the first option is giving you 4,000 years of development time, a lease term of ten thousand years, with a rent of 54 billion; the second option is a lease term of 14,000 years, with a rent of 90 billion."

Pond Silk immediately asked, "Dragon Cypress Ant King, is your chamber expanding?"

Dragon Cypress hesitated, then honestly answered, "Yes. We don't have enough trade union soldiers, so we've recruited many Little Warriors from the Azure Star System."

"Then one district's Territory wouldn't be enough for the Little Warriors to reside, right?"

Pond Silk: "Then let's stick to the old rules; a free district Residence on Potato Leaf Star or Saddle Leaf Star is included. You can live for free for as long as the Origin Point is rented, is that affordable enough?"

"It's affordable, but..."

Dragon Cypress looked at White Ivy.

White Ivy stared intently at the projection, expression heavy, clearly tempted yet troubled...

White Ivy: "Too expensive."

Pond Silk thoughtfully asked, "How much are you short? If it's not much, maybe I can help you figure something out."

Dragon Cypress replied embarrassedly, "We planned to rent a 0.6-level Origin Point like the Azure Star System, so we only gathered 30 billion... missing 24 billion?"

That's quite a large gap~

Pond Silk felt both secretly pleased and worried, saying, "Indeed, the difference is a bit too much. Borrowing? Who could lend you that much? Maybe, consider a loan?"

Pond Silk observed Dragon Cypress and White Ivy's reactions as he spoke.

It was obvious that they were both very tempted by the 0.8-level Origin Point.

With insufficient funds, they were also hesitating.

White Ivy asked, "Can a loan be interest-free?"

"The best discount I can offer, based on the Ten Thousand Years Period, is five thousand years interest-free, and 0.02% interest for the remaining five thousand years."

"No loan!"

White Ivy decisively rejected it.

Pond Silk cautiously suggested, "Then, how many World Gemstones are left? Could you sell off a batch reasonably?"

After finishing his suggestion, Pond Silk promptly hinted, "A 0.8-level Origin Point is highly favored by Major Commerce Chambers with strength. In the past millennium, no fewer than ten chambers have shown great interest in Origin Point No. 311034782, with intentions to lease."

"The price I offered them wasn't as favorable as this, and because the location was a bit remote, no agreement was reached."

"Oh. Oh."

White Ivy turned slightly, squinting, doubtful, and asked, "What about my Shanglu Divine Pattern? Can I enjoy another 5% discount?"

Pond Silk: "Not really..."

"Not really?"

"If not, then forget it. There aren't many World Gemstones left either..."

Switching her tone abruptly, White Ivy said directly, "Chairman Shuigan, let's be frank, just like last time, a 5% discount, passing the transaction through my White Ivy Chamber of Commerce. We'll consider renting it. If not, then forget it. We'll look at other Origin Points."

Pond Silk calculated, hesitated, and said, "Then let me try consulting with the higher-ups..."