Chapter 2356 - 2085: The Man Who Comes With Gonglu

"So, you want to build too?" Liu Zhang raised an eyebrow and asked. He did indeed want to build roads. Everyone’s not foolish; they all know the benefits of road construction. Didn’t do it before simply because the cost was too high; couldn’t afford it.

"Naturally, I think the guild wouldn’t dare to build a second one for you." Yuan Shu smiled at Liu Zhang.

Liu Zhang heard this and nodded silently. He indeed wanted to build several more, to improve the terrible road situation in Sichuan and Shu. However, no matter what Liu Zhang did, the guild wouldn’t take the contract. Not paying and having someone build roads for free was indeed not something you could find every day.

"I can take on the work from here." Yuan Shu smiled at Liu Zhang and said, "Do you want to build?"

"You can build? Do you know how the road in Sichuan and Shu was constructed?" Liu Zhang frowned and said.

"Don’t worry, won’t require you to pay; you just need to invest your future road income." Yuan Shu said kindly, "I am Gonglu, the highways of this era I can contract. A saint acts before others, checking after others. My name is the greatest achievement of this era; do you think I wouldn’t dare?"

"Are you sure?" Liu Zhang was somewhat uncertain about Yuan Shu’s idea. He didn’t believe a word of Yuan Shu’s later statements, but having someone build a free highway, Liu Zhang thought it’s great. The roads in Sichuan and Shu are a mess; if you’re not charging, why wouldn’t I let you build?"

"I’m sure, what Yuan Gonglu says is final." Yuan Shu looked at Liu Zhang with a faint smile. At this moment, Liu Zhang even saw a trace of arrogance and conceit on Yuan Shu’s face.

"I think we need to have a good talk." Liu Zhang sized up Yuan Shu. Though Yuan Shu had his share of trouble, based on the Jade Seal issue, once he announced something, he wouldn’t take it back.

"I think so too." Yuan Shu replied with a mysterious smile. Others are hesitant to build due to loan issues. If they use their own money, it occupies too much capital, but not for Yuan Shu.

The Yuan Family truly isn’t as affluent as those tycoons in the guild, but behind the Yuan Family are numerous Yuzhou Aristocratic Families, Northern Aristocratic Families, and other families. These families are now under the Aristocratic Family Coordination Committee.

Yuan Shu only needs to inform these people, then take their names to the Central Bank for a loan. He doesn’t even need actual money. As long as Yuan Shu can balance the accounts upstream and downstream, this money actually doesn’t have to be spent; it’s just a matter of transferring funds.

This is the benefit of having enough capital and size; many things can be settled with the left hand moving money to the right. A time difference, Yuan Shu might finish a round, and the road could already be built.

This is a fact Yuan Shu discovered unintentionally. Money might not decrease much after a round, but the industries grow significantly.

Although Yuan Shu couldn’t understand why this change occurs, it doesn’t stop him from using this method to earn money effortlessly. After all, if it doesn’t cost money, or costs less money to earn road income for years or even decades, Yuan Shu stated, Why bother with business? I want to build roads.

Since my name is Gonglu, then I shall build highways. That’s how cool I am, Yuan Shu.

Compared to other industries, once the road is built, besides some maintenance, one could even shamelessly place more tolls and earn back the profits within a few years, then continue collecting money effortlessly.

Yuan Shu even shamelessly considered, in those profitable years after the road is built, not maintaining it, and when handing it over to Liu Zhang, having some issues arise that let them reconstruct the road, which allows earning another wave of small money.

In short, Yuan Shu belongs to the shameless type. He builds roads just to fleece the fat sheep, and in his view, Liu Zhang is the fat sheep. As for whether Liu Zhang would explode upon realizing, Yuan Shu expressed let him explode, if he can swallow the final payment, then I lose.

"Why does yours require six to eight tenths?" Liu Zhang invited Yuan Shu into his carriage and began discussing the road issues with Yuan Shu. However, even if Yuan Shu pretended to be a little white rabbit, he couldn’t hide his cunning.

"That was because Chen Zichuan demanded it. They wanted that price, but Chen Zichuan didn’t agree, so no one wanted to build for you," Yuan Shu glanced at Liu Zhang and said.

"But this is too high, and you didn’t even specify the time here; you’re not here to fleece me, are you?" Liu Zhang frowned, somewhat uncertain, and said.

Yuan Shu now barely understood that wave of Chen Xi’s meaning, because Liu Zhang invested the future income of that artery directly into current road construction, which meant after the road was initially built, Liu Zhang couldn’t earn a cent.

During that time, the guild seizes 50% of the profits from this road, estimating they’ll break even in three to five years. Then Liu Zhang would have standard road profit revenue, and the guild’s earnings would be compressed to the initially set 30%, with a time limit of seven to ten years.

Actually, when Liu Zhang begins to receive profit, the guild has already entered the mode of earning effortlessly, and seven to ten years is entirely profit for the guild constructing this road.

This is why Chen Xi initially said, whether you want to do it or not, if you don’t, I’ll do it myself; the reason being that even though this road’s profit period was limited by Chen Xi, it still promises over double in pure profit.

As for Yuan Shu’s terms over here, they basically disregarded Liu Zhang as a person; first, the absolute national control clause was gone, meaning the so-called half-profit to the nation as protection money was not part of it.

Then Yuan Shu shamelessly stated, "The road I’ve constructed, it’s not excessive to hold permanent rights to sixty to eighty percent of the profits," making him downright unfilial.

"If you think I’m being unfair, you can go find someone else to see if anyone’s willing to build these roads for you without paying," Yuan Shu arrogantly flicked his head, suggesting that if you ignore him today, tomorrow you wouldn’t be able to reach his level.

"Too unfair," Liu Zhang stared at Yuan Shu.

"Think I’m being unfair? Then don’t build it. What did I take from you? Did you pay anything? If you weren’t the landlord, I wouldn’t even give you twenty percent," Yuan Shu looked at Liu Zhang with equal annoyance, "That’s my price, and if you can accept it, we’ll continue to talk; if not, forget it. I’ll go find Shi Weiyan; Jiaozhou definitely wants to build roads too."

"Believe it or not, if I construct roads in their area, they’d absolutely applaud," Yuan Shu said, visibly irritated, "Why are you dragging this out so much? Are you from the Liu Clan or something?"

"I seriously suspect you’re plotting something," Liu Zhang narrowed his eyes at Yuan Shu.

"If you’re worried about conspiracies, go find someone else for the construction," Yuan Shu said, equally irritated, as Liu Zhang was doubting everything despite Yuan Shu giving face; did he skimp him on money?

"That’s true..." Liu Zhang thought for a while and nodded silently, acknowledging Yuan Shu’s point—after all, he wasn’t skimped on money, "Then let’s start with four routes; let me see the project standards."

"Then it’s settled; I won’t be drafting any paperwork. I, Yuan Shu, mean what I say; if I say to construct, I’ll construct. If you, Liu Jiyu, decide to back out..." Yuan Shu proudly said, taking the opportunity to once more disparage Liu Zhang.

"I’m Liu Zhang; there’s no way I can’t afford dealing with merely four routes," Liu Zhang interrupted Yuan Shu, "Without any paperwork, we’ll use our dignity as the guarantee. Does our dignity not mean more than mere money? As for the routes, once we’re in Ye City, we’ll use detailed maps to plan."

"Hey, Hulai, you heard that, right?" Yuan Shu turned and spoke to Jii Ling. [Hengheng, using dignity as a guarantee is ridiculous. According to my speculation, even small roads can easily rake in billions in Sichuan and Shu’s Yizhou; what does dignity matter?]

Liu Zhang similarly turned to Qin Mi, "Zichi, did you hear the conversation just now?"

Both of them had smirks on their faces, mocking each other’s intelligence internally, though it remains unclear whose intelligence was really to be questioned.

Meanwhile, Taishi Ci in Ye City had already met with Ma Yunlu and Lyu Qiling; both were at the peak of Qi Refining to Gang stage.

"Oh, Zilong, your wedding is coming up in a few days; initially, I planned to gift you a lifelike sculpture made of pure silver, but upon seeing your two fiancées, I thought another gift might be more fitting," Taishi Ci said with a red cape flung over his shoulder, turning to Zhao Yun.

"Uh, announcing the gift beforehand makes me feel a bit awkward," Zhao Yun replied with a hint of awkwardness.

"It’s nothing special; since I’ve already given three sculptures, I feel it’s not sincere enough. However, upon seeing your fiancées, I came up with another gift. Pick one," Taishi Ci said while rubbing his chin, realizing that an overly repeated gift feels insincere.

"Could you tell me what the second gift is?" Zhao Yun was actually quite interested in a life-sized pure silver sculpture, even though he couldn’t sell it, he could deposit it as a precious item in the Money Exchange, where it’d be valued at a discount, effectively giving him more money.

Zhao Yun merely needed time for things to circulate; truthfully, he wasn’t short on money.

"Let them achieve Inner Qi Manifestation," Taishi Ci pointed at Lyu Qiling and Ma Yunlu, "There’s a place that can allow them to achieve Inner Qi Manifestation without any drawbacks."

"There’s a place like that?" Zhao Yun said in disbelief, "But are you sure there are no disadvantages? Actually, if it’s just boosting someone to Inner Qi Manifestation, I can do it too, but unless I drain my foundation, it’s impossible to elevate someone without side effects."

"That’s how Wen Xiang managed to achieve it. However, from what I see now, it actually requires some strength of your own. Zifang, Degui, and Wen Xiang are all at the peak of Qi Refining to Gang, but only Wen Xiang seized the opportunity and succeeded," Taishi Ci pondered aloud.

In that previous trip to Fusang, Taishi Ci brought many people to engage in God Creation; those at the peak of Qi Refining to Gang indeed managed to attain Inner Qi Manifestation via the power injected by Takamagahara, but upon leaving Japan, those powers would return; yet, Xu Sheng successfully reached Inner Qi Manifestation during that process of returning powers.