Chapter 479: Not Enough Luck Value

Early the next morning.

Wu An was woken up by a phone call.

He picked up his phone and saw it was Wang Jingli from the shipyard calling.

Wu An posted a moment, revealing he was in the county town, and Wang Jingli warmly invited him to a meal.

Wu An thought about it and agreed.

Anyway, there was nothing else, so he'd have a meal and go look around the shipyard.

He thought, since he now had money, he might as well order another boat; with two boats working together, even if the catch didn't double, there would be backup.

A trawler over twenty meters out at sea takes several days per trip and goes far; although a bigger fishing boat seems more stable, its risk factor is actually higher than that of a ten‑meter boat.

If the two boats operate together, should one encounter trouble and be lost, the crew can still return safely.

Thought, then done.

Anyway, it's just a matter of one or two million.

If it weren't for the lack of suitable crew, he would even have considered ordering five or six boats to form a near‑sea fishing team; he only needed to point his finger and boost his Luck Value each time he went out, then he could sit back and wait for the harvest.

For now.

Not to mention two fishing boats, even the crew for a single twenty‑five‑meter trawler isn't fully assembled yet.

But there's still time.

Before the fishing boat arrives, he feels he should be able to solve the manpower shortage.

Meals have to be eaten bite by bite.

Many things aren't smoothly settled just by having money, especially for someone like him who's a cheat; he must be extra cautious in everything he does.

After breakfast, he drove straight to the shipyard.

He arrived at the shipyard.

Manager Wang warmly received him.

After checking the fishing boat's progress, Wu An was quite satisfied; he lingered until mealtime, downed a glass of wine, then stated his purpose: he wanted to order another boat.

Manager Wang looked astonished, then laughed: "A An, you're just joking."

"This boat of yours is still on installments, with many payments left."

Wu An said solemnly: "I'm not joking, and I'm not trying to mess with you."

Manager Wang picked up a cigarette, lit it, and said: "You're serious?"

Wu An nodded.

Manager Wang shook his head: "Even if you wanted to order, you couldn't; this fishing boat is already on installments, and you have no idea how much pressure I'm under."

"Adding another boat, I don't have that much authority."

"Even if you went to my boss, my boss wouldn't agree."

"I'm telling the truth."

"Why?"

"On one hand, they're afraid Wu An won't make money and will default; on the other, they're afraid the fishing boat will meet with an accident at sea, in which case it would be all for nothing."

"The risk is too great."

Wu An sighed: "I understand."

"But Manager Wang, I'm just a fisherman."

"Lately I've just been lucky and made a bit of money……"

Manager Wang blinked: "You made money? I said why you suddenly wanted to order another boat—how much did you make?"

Wu An shook his head: "Not much."

Although the money from the ambergris hasn't arrived yet, Wu An now has over two million in hand and said: "Manager Wang, let's lay it all out."

"Besides the final installment, I can pay the amount in one lump sum."

"The precondition is that the second fishing boat be delivered within three months."

Having the first fishing boat, the price is almost transparent; he doesn't fear being cheated by Manager Wang, so there's nothing to haggle over.

Manager Wang was overjoyed, rubbing his hands: "This is a real windfall!"

"Congratulations, congratulations."

"It should be shared joy." Wu An said: "I'm just bold; you can't catch a wolf without letting go of the child— the bolder the person, the greater the land."

Manager Wang laughed heartily, nodded, and said: "Exactly, you're right."

"Since you've said all that, I can't find a reason to refuse."

"Then it's settled like that."

Wu An nodded.

Manager Wang raised his wine cup: "You're truly a savior sent from heaven; with your order, this factory can survive, maybe even be reborn."

"Come, A An, I'll toast you."

"I'll finish mine; you do as you like."

They'd drunk quite a bit, but they still had to sign a contract in the afternoon; Wu An didn't drink much, Manager Wang also moderated his intake, and it was the same contract as before, mainly with a few tweaks to the details.

Although he knew there was no problem, Wu An habitually sent the contract to Lao Mai's lawyer friend, who is now also his friend.

The man's name is Chang Ji, and he has officially become his legal advisor.

Not long after.

Chang Ji sent a message saying the contract was fine.

They signed the contract.

Wu An made the payment.

Wang Jingli received news that the payment had arrived, his face breaking into a smile, he repeatedly assured Wu An that the fishing boat delivery would be completed on time.

Wu An nodded, indicating it didn't matter if not completed; when the time came, they'd just compensate according to the contract.

Wu An asked, "Our shipyard apparently doesn't have a 40-50 meter ocean-going fishing boat."

Wang Jingli gave a wry smile, "That definitely doesn't exist."

Our shipyard is small; without you, we'd be done for.

Not to mention our shipyard, even in the city it's hard to find a shipyard capable of doing that.

What, you still want to go deep-sea?

Wu An chuckled, "Just saying it casually."

He certainly had ideas.

But for now he could only think about it; although ten-odd meters, twenty-odd meters, thirty-forty meters sound similar, they're actually worlds apart.

From his current ten-odd-meter fishing boat, which costs tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand, ordering a boat at the shipyard, a twenty-plus-meter trawler would already be in the seven-figure range.

The larger the fishing boat, the more the cost increases exponentially.

A 40-50 meter fishing boat needs at least several million, and a better one would definitely be in the eight-figure range.

Of course.

The more you put in, the more you naturally get out.

For now.

His money is actually just enough.

But there's no need.

Better to save it for later.

For now.

The constraints on his rapid growth aren't just funds and manpower; the biggest hassle is the limit of his Luck Value.

And the Luck Value boost from an ocean-going fishing boat would definitely be an astronomical figure.

He must strive to raise the limit of his Luck Value.

Otherwise, once he has the boat but insufficient Luck Value, he's done for.

Thinking about it, he also worried that a deep-sea trip isn't easy—it's not just a few days, but a round trip of several months.

He wouldn't like that.

By then he definitely wouldn't go along.

Wang Jingli patted Wu An's shoulder, saying, "A An, I have high hopes for you."

You're not ordinary.

If you ever have the money to build a tens-of-meter ocean-going fishing boat, come find me.

I'll help you make connections.

Wu An acknowledged, kept the contract, and drove off from the shipyard.

He was just about to return to the hotel.

Then he got a call from Liang Rong.

A An, Brother has the money ready.

If you're free now, let's meet at Elder Zhang's antique shop.

Wu An had nothing to say; he readily agreed, "Free, I'm still in the county."

Let's meet in half an hour.