Chapter 3484: One Action, Multiple Benefits===GLOSSARY===

"Showing appreciation?"

Bernard Elner's heart skipped a beat; although he had guessed Ye Chen's motive, he still asked nervously: "How would you like me to show my appreciation?"

Ye Chen said: "You decide for yourself."

Bernard Elner immediately began to worry, thinking to himself: "Ye Chen told me to decide for myself—how am I supposed to decide? I can't possibly give him ten or eight billion US dollars as a thank-you fee, can I? He sold me the Rejuvenation Pill and has already made so much money from me inside and out—where would I get that much money to give him?"

Then he thought: "Once this gets out, White Horse Island's future will probably look bleak, after all, dozens of people died on this island—no guest would come without weighing the risk in their mind."

So, he made up his mind, gritted his teeth secretly, and said to Ye Chen: "Mr. Ye, White Horse Island is an investment our group made of seven hundred million US dollars, built over several years, and only recently put into use. Since you and your family enjoy vacationing in the Maldives, I might as well give this island to you! As a small token of my goodwill!"

After saying that, fearing Ye Chen might think it insufficient, he quickly added: "Rest assured, I have signed a 99-year lease for this island with the Maldives, and I will pay the full 99 years' rent upfront, plus invest another one hundred million US dollars into White Horse Island as a future maintenance and upgrade fund, to ensure you and your family can always enjoy the best vacation experience here—what do you think?"

Ye Chen let out two cold laughs and asked: "Mr. Elner, you're truly generous—an island where dozens died, soon to become infamous worldwide due to terrorist attacks. You're giving it to me—isn't this just turning waste into use?"

Bernard Elner immediately felt embarrassed.

Ye Chen said, hitting the nail on the head: "Don't look at the fact that this island received a total investment of seven hundred million US dollars—but the vast majority of that money cannot be moved."

For example, when they reclaimed land from the sea to expand the island's area, that money cannot be taken away at all.

Moreover, all the hardware facilities on this island, though expensive, cannot be recovered in value if one tries to sell them—because if those facilities were dismantled from the Maldives and recycled, the business logic would be almost as absurd as spending a hundred dollars to make a one-dollar fake coin.

Therefore, as long as the incident on White Horse Island today becomes public, the island will almost lose all its economic value.

Even if they drastically lower prices to attract tourists who don't mind these events, their revenue potential will still be greatly reduced.

So, this is practically no different from a piece of discarded waste.

Giving this to Ye Chen may look valuable, but Ye Chen's intelligence sees through the water content at a glance.

Thus, Bernard Elner gritted his teeth and quickly said: "By the way, Mr. Ye, the Maldives still has a seven-star island—JD Island, owned by the Dubai Consortium. Why don't I personally buy that island and give it to you?"

JD Island, owned by the Dubai Consortium, has recently been seeking sale, ranks among the top three in the Maldives, and is worth over five hundred million US dollars.

However, due to the recent sluggishness in the international high-end tourism market, JD Island's revenue capacity has declined, prompting the Dubai Consortium to consider selling it to exit.

During market downturns, most people want to exit, and few have both the ability and willingness to take over JD Island—Bernard Elner can say he is the only one.

He had already communicated briefly with the Dubai Consortium earlier; their psychological price is around six hundred million US dollars, while he believes he can acquire it for about five hundred million. Since Ye Chen saw through his petty trick of trying to get a freebie, he might as well just buy JD Island and give it to him.

So, taking advantage of Ye Chen not having responded yet, he continued adding: "Mr. Ye, why don't I simply give you both JD Island and White Horse Island together? If you find White Horse Island unsuitable for personal residence, you could also use it to let the soldiers of Wanlong Hall take a vacation—they are trained mercenaries and shouldn't mind a few deaths on the island, right?"

Ye Chen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and smile: "Oh dear, Mr. Elner, you'd better not say that—you'd better not say that. Your current attitude is far more sincere than that earlier profiteer's grimace."

Bernard Elner smiled politely and said: "Sorry, Mr. Ye, I didn't think things through earlier, letting you see my awkwardness. Although this incident will greatly affect White Horse Island's reputation, its impact on the entire Maldives should not be significant, after all, this is an isolated case, and moreover, a plot orchestrated by Blackwater Company—so JD Island's future business won't be greatly affected either. If you want to make money from this island, you can simply entrust it to management and earn substantial annual rent. If you like the island, you can keep it as a vacation retreat for yourself and your family."

After saying that, he added: "The overall hardware of White Horse Island is still very good. Although this incident may bring some bad luck afterward, I believe the battle-hardened soldiers of Wanlong Hall won't mind. Rest assured, I will take full responsibility for the island's subsequent maintenance."

At this moment, Bernard Elner dared not harbor even a sliver of lucky hope in his heart.

The money that must be spent must be spent out to take effect.

Wanting to win Ye Chen's favor, this is just a small token of goodwill—indeed, I will have to continuously show goodwill toward him in the future to maintain a relatively good relationship and lay a solid foundation for continuing to obtain Rejuvenation Pills.

Ye Chen also readily said: "Since you're so sincere, I certainly won't disappoint your good intentions—let's do it as you said. However, there's no need for you to transfer ownership of these two islands to me; just keep them under your name, and you can hold them on my behalf."

"No problem!" Bernard Elner said, patting his chest: "You can rest assured—keeping them under my name and having me hold them on your behalf has the added benefit that my funds can be transferred anytime, anywhere through my group to these two islands, to ensure their daily operations and maintenance!"

Ye Chen nodded: "Just get this done and tell me."

Bernard Elner replied repeatedly: "No problem, I'll take care of it! Oh, by the way, Mr. Ye, after purchasing JD Island, how should we arrange it? Should we entrust it to management or continue operations?"

Ye Chen waved his hand: "Just shut it down directly—send away all the island's staff, give them double compensation and severance pay, and you cover the cost. After everyone is dismissed, I will regularly dispatch a unit from Wanlong Hall to come here—part will pose as staff, part as tourists—thus forming an internal closed loop directly on the island."

Bernard Elner couldn't help but praise: "Oh dear, Mr. Ye, you're truly resourceful! This internal closed-loop approach not only makes JD Island appear to be operating normally, but also allows our Wanlong Hall soldiers to take turns resting here. Once you and your family arrive, they can also excellently guarantee the island's safety—truly, a case of multiple benefits from one action!"