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Remember this for a second, as it offers you an exciting novel reading experience.
Cui Ming felt a wave of nostalgia as he prepared several signature dishes from the York Clan during dinner. These were the same dishes he had tasted during his childhood when he used to sneak into the York Clan to steal and con. The flavors weren't entirely authentic, but Mi Xiaonan was nearly brought to tears with joy. On one hand, there was a longing for home; on the other, a happiness in having found good companions, and a deep appreciation for his friend's thoughtfulness.
Ding Ze quietly remarked to Beiyue that Cui Ming was destined to become a politician, and he would surely be formidable. He could squeeze every last bit from the common people, who might even feel grateful in return. However, from Mi Xiaonan's perspective, Cui Ming was undoubtedly a kind and upright person. He promoted fair competition, prevented internal disputes within the clan, destroyed contracts when necessary, and encouraged everyone with warm gestures like hometown dishes.
Once everyone had gathered, they faced the issue of facilities. It was fine for five people to stay in a small villa, but training there would be impossible. The location needed to be spacious, secluded yet convenient for living, and not too expensive. Beiyue had only forty million left; the other four were broke. They had borrowed money from a professor just to scrape together the registration fee, and now even their living expenses were in jeopardy. The main issue was Beiyue's stubbornness; with four hundred twenty million in savings, she borrowed eight million without much thought about borrowing even a thousand more, leaving the Beiyue Team with only one hundred eighty thousand in cash.
Given this situation, they had to take on commissions. Commissions for practitioners were quite expensive; the two million offered by Xiaoyue City Hall was considered relatively low. The commission for their desert expedition was five million—this was the market rate. While commissions could double in the Western Continent due to high demand, here in Dawn City, getting even one commission every two months was already quite good. Beiyue's savings included half left by her parents and half earned from commissions since she was fifteen.
"Robbery," Cui Ming suggested bluntly.
"Robbery? Seriously?" Li Qing pondered for a moment. "How about I go back to Zhenhai Temple and sell some artifacts?"
Beiyue shot Li Qing a glance—was there really any difference between smuggling artifacts and robbery?
Ding Ze asked, "How much money do we need?"
Beiyue thought for a while before responding, "At least two million; one million will go towards renting a venue. We also need to prepare for travel expenses to Hero City and daily living costs."
Ding Ze added, "When I used to hang out at nightclubs, I met a Sugar Mama who charged one hundred thousand for an overnight stay; I could only tolerate that for three days at most."
Beiyue knocked his forehead, exasperated. "Why are you all so out of touch?" Mi Xiaonan looked equally intrigued, while Cui Ming spoke of robbery, Li Qing mentioned smuggling antiques, and Ding Ze talked about selling himself. It all seemed completely at odds with his own worldview.
Cui Ming asked, "Senior Brother, are the antiques from Zhenhai Temple valuable?"
"Indeed, I know a Buddha statue worth over thirty million," Li Qing replied.
Cui Ming stroked his chin thoughtfully. "What if Senior Brother retrieves the antiques from Zhenhai Temple, and then I steal them and sell them for ten million?"
Mi Xiaonan interjected, "Cui, buying for thirty million and selling for ten million doesn’t seem right."
"What's wrong with that? Someone will buy it for ten million, right? We can make nine fakes to sell. Then Beiyue can call the police while I'm making the deal with the buyer. The police will arrive just in time, and the buyer won't have a chance to verify the goods..."
Beiyue could no longer hold back and knocked Cui Ming on the head. "Can you think of something legal and legitimate? It's all theft, deception, robbery, and selling! Mi Xiaonan, what do you think?"
Mi Xiaonan pondered for a moment. "Making money isn't a problem. When I was training as a ninja, I had many ordinary peers who made money quickly."
Beiyue asked excitedly, "How do they make money?" Although it felt awkward, it wouldn't be bad if Mi Xiaonan could earn some cash.
Mi Xiaonan replied, "Killing. The average price for a head is around one hundred thousand. Right now, similar businesses are booming in the Eastern Continent and Western Continent. If luck is on your side, you could take out a dozen in one night... Oh dear..."
Using his height advantage, Beiyue gave him a sharp knock on the head. Mi Xiaonan covered his head in grievance. "Ninjas are a traditional assassin profession from Sakura Island! I was just saying; I haven't done anything!"
Beiyue was somewhat angry. "Forget what I said; I'll figure it out myself."
"Wait a moment, Boss," Cui Ming said. "You want to make money through legal means, while also earning a lot in a short time with high profits, right?"
"Correct."
"Boss, you're really shameless. We currently have one thousand eight hundred in cash..." Cui Ming continued, "Let’s be straightforward. Without some underhanded methods, it’s impossible to make quick money. I have a few suggestions for you to consider. The first suggestion is for Li Qing to go to the casino. With Li Qing's cunning, making one or two million shouldn't be a problem. The second suggestion is to kidnap the child or puppy of some noble and then rescue them for a ransom. The third suggestion is that the entertainment industry in Dawn City is quite developed; many people want to become stars, including children of wealthy individuals. We could leverage the recent popularity of Force to make him a hot topic. The fourth suggestion is black on black; there are plenty of illegal activities in Dawn City, such as smuggling drugs. We could rob their goods and demand a ransom from the Gang to get it back. The fifth suggestion, the most legitimate one, is that we could negotiate with the city lord for some funds in exchange for helping him win a competition match he might need in the future. There are many ways to make money; it all depends on how you want to proceed, Boss."
"I’ve considered the fifth option, but first, our strength is insufficient, and second, there are no disputes in Dawn City," Beiyue said. "As for the other four options... honestly, I don’t support any of them. Even at the casino, gambling is legal in Dawn City and provides significant tax revenue that improves the lives of its citizens." Beiyue continued, "The small villa is still worth several million; we haven't reached a point of desperation yet. I know this is difficult, but if you have better suggestions, please share them. After all, we are cultivators; even if we do something wrong, we should maintain our integrity and not target ordinary people, right?"
The four nodded in agreement. Black on black would be the same; selling drugs like the narcotic powder to the Gang was no different from aiding evil. Moreover, both police and criminals have their own rules; if cultivators got involved, it would disrupt the order.
Beiyue added, "Actually, there’s currently a commission available—ten million for the job—but I’m not very keen on taking it."
"Oh?"
"The Classical Exploration Company has asked me to eliminate that Giant Bug in the desert. Cui Ming, when you all went to the desert last time, you detected metal near your last campsite. This means that area could likely be the site of a lost civilization. However, with that Giant Bug around, the Classical Exploration Company cannot excavate there."
Cui Ming asked, "Why don’t you want to take it?"
"My impression of the Classical Exploration Company has never been good; their attitude towards valuing human life as mere money makes me uncomfortable."
Ding Ze chimed in, "Last time so many people died and their CEO didn’t even frown; he just had finance calculate how much compensation was needed and signed off without asking any questions. The Classical Exploration Team isn’t hiring us to eliminate the Giant Bug or face danger; they want us to protect their valuable Old Expert—the authority on lost civilizations—who is the only person in the entire expedition team who cannot be sacrificed. They wouldn’t care if everyone else died."
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