Chapter 2095: Luring with Profit

He chuckled: "There are countless projects like this across the Panlong Wasteland and Maohe Plains."

"Countless" is an exaggeration. But it doesn't matter—he knows Xin Yi; this man won't personally investigate each project one by one.

Is it just Xin Yi painting him a big pie? He Lingchuan can paint one too, and he's good at it.

Xin Yi couldn't help but lift his eyelids: "I've talked to you before about the operating permits for mines and forestry, and you all refused, keeping it tight."

Lingshan once hoped Panlongcheng would open up some surface resource development and operating rights—such as mines, forestry, lakes, warehouses, etc. —first, because some people in Lingshan also wanted a share; second, there's too much work, and Panlongcheng certainly couldn't finish it all, so it'd be better to subcontract it out, making everyone happy.

But Panlongcheng never nodded. Until now, they've remained under official operation.

So even if these public projects are profitable, what does that have to do with Lingshan?

"Panlongcheng's history is special, so the operating rights to these public facilities definitely won't be relinquished." He Lingchuan spoke up and crushed that hope, but then opened another window: "However, it doesn't matter—Lingshan can invest and acquire shares, enjoying regular dividends."

"Invest—————·acquire shares?" Xin Yi pondered these words carefully.

He Lingchuan also gave him time.

After just a few breaths, Xin Yi suddenly understood: "You mean, let Lingshan invest money in these public projects'——. —dividend rights?"

Put another way, Panlongcheng won't let Lingshan's people in, but wants Lingshan's money to come in.

"Not bad, Mr. Xin!" He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up: "Talking to smart people saves effort!

Compared to Xin Yi's age, this man truly has a rare agility of mind and openness of thought—He Lingchuan even admires him a little.

Normally, the older one gets, the more stubborn and rigid in thought they become. That he can maintain such an open mindset is truly not easy.

"You————hahaha!" Xin Yi couldn't help but slap his forehead and laugh: "Who exactly came up with this?"

It turns out Panlongcheng not only doesn't want to give Lingshan money, but wants to take money from Lingshan!

If those old fogeys in Lingshan heard this, wouldn't they be so angry they'd jump up and down? Too bad he's not in Lingshan—he can't see them stroking their beards and glaring.

What a pity, what a pity.

He Lingchuan waved his hand: "Don't laugh, don't laugh—be serious. This can be called 'mutual benefit when in harmony'!"

Xin Yi finally stopped laughing, coughing a few times: "Alright, say it—I want to hear how you plan to move me."

Only if he's moved can this matter possibly be settled.

"The first benefit is steady, long-term gains." He Lingchuan indeed opened with that: "Panlongcheng can only spare nine hundred catties of top-grade xuan crystals each year. Even if Mr. Xin negotiates with Panlongcheng however he likes, this number won't fluctuate much. Commander Zhong's temperament is set in stone—he rarely changes, and you know that."

Even if Xin Yi is eloquent and comes back for three or four more negotiations, it's impossible to turn nine hundred catties into eighteen hundred.

Moreover, to be frank, eighteen hundred catties of top-grade xuan crystals isn't much for Lingshan—those old monsters are all big energy consumers.

"We naturally hope to maintain our relationship with Lingshan, but if this can't be salvaged, Panlongcheng will think of other ways." He Lingchuan spoke softly: "The worst case is simply going back to how things were before. Panlongcheng's people have their tendons and bones forged by wind knives and frost swords—they can endure any hardship or fatigue."

It's because of Panlongcheng's people's innate foundation that he dares to say this.

This isn't a threat—it's a statement of fact, so his attitude is calm and factual.

Once Panlongcheng and Lingshan fall out, both sides will suffer great losses.

Not to mention, Lingshan's follow-up plans for the demon-war campaign will definitely be severely affected.

Moreover, Panlongcheng is rare in that it doesn't need Lingshan's support—it can rely on itself to grow tenaciously and strive vigorously. Lingshan once exhausted itself trying to foster two or three such powers and failed; now, naturally, it cherishes this one.

Throat, this roughly proves that saying:

Talent can be useless if misused, but servants are useful yet cannot be used.

The more capable and talented someone is, the more temperamental and demanding they tend to be, making Lingshan harder to control them.

"Panlongcheng has already calculated: investing money in these public projects now will yield good returns in the long run. Assuming I personally invest one hundred taels of silver now, the average annual return over the next two years will be at least thirty-five percent, possibly dropping to twenty-five percent or less in three to four years. If extended to fifteen years, direct returns decrease but dividends increase, averaging at least over ten percent annually, possibly exceeding fifteen percent."

He Lingchuan spoke earnestly: "Mr. Xin is a sensible man, and you calculate accounts clearly. Think carefully—where else in the world could you find such long-term, stable returns?"

An average annual increase of fifteen percent over fifteen years adds up to this account—Xin Yi would certainly calculate it. But he has a sentence held in his mouth that he can't say:

Can Panlongcheng persist for fifteen years?

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

Panlongcheng stands here, having withstood the attack of Xianyou Bataling for over twenty years, and life keeps getting better, people's hearts more stable, the army stronger—on what grounds couldn't it persist another twenty,

forty years?

If it can, then He Lingchuan's calculation might hold.

"Rapid development of a region often brings super-high dividends." He Lingchuan continued to persuade him: "Mr. Xin, you're well-traveled and knowledgeable—you should know such opportunities are rare. If you don't join now, how can you enjoy the development dividends of these most vigorous years?"

He also knows Lingshan will surely complain the investment term is too long.

No problem—he'll just highlight the super-high returns in the early stage.

Lingshan will think: otherwise, why not first earn the super-high returns from these three or four years? This is the peak of the wave—earning this money is like eating a fish and finishing the fattest part. The remaining fish tail, they can withdraw investment anytime to avoid risk.

"More importantly, this annual dividend has no upper limit—it's certainly not just a few thousand catties of top-grade xuan crystals." He Lingchuan smiled: "The development of Panlong Territory—Mr. Xin understands it better than anyone in Lingshan. Speaking from actual gains, this is truly the source of water, flowing endlessly."

He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice: "If I were Mr. Xin, whether Lingshan invests or not, I myself would definitely invest some."

Xin Yi gave a faint, dry smile.

This kid is blowing wildly, talking about "fangli," but the premise of "fangli" still requires one's own side to put up the capital first. And the more one puts up, the greater the future gains.

"You little silver-tongued devil." Xin Yi sighed: "What you said earlier could indeed move me, but only me; those old fogeys in Lingshan simply won't listen. This matter isn't something I can decide alone—if you don't have stronger arguments—"

He shook his head.

He Lingchuan instantly understood his implied meaning:

Was Xin Yi truly moved? Perhaps a little, but not much. Just talking about "profit" isn't enough to truly move him, nor worth his going to Lingshan to fight for Panlongcheng.

This might be because, although He Lingchuan painted a pie for Panlongcheng that's round and beautiful, that head is still too small for Lingshan. Lingshan still hasn't gotten what it truly wants.

Well then, the "lure with profit" part is over—He Lingchuan must now move on to "enlighten with reason."