Chapter 57

Looking at the blue dragon, Li Xian suddenly felt elated, and the wicked thoughts in his heart... cough, were already bubbling up.

"Your Highness, the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan, greetings. Could you please tell me what kind of major deal you have in mind? This will help me report back."

Ao Han was immediately flattered by the word "noble" and blurted out, "Aren't you trading for Sea Soul Silk? Five thousand pounds of stainless steel weapons for one pound of Sea Soul Silk. Tell Li Xian that I, the Prince, am very generous. Ten thousand pounds of stainless steel weapons can get you three pounds of Sea Soul Silk."

"Ore?" Li Xian asked.

"Ah, ore is such a hassle, just throw it away. That stuff isn't valuable; it's everywhere in the sea."

Hearing this, Li Xian's eyes lit up. "Your Highness, the Third Prince, what our boss values most is not the Sea Soul Silk, but the ten thousand pounds of ore. The sea contains many minerals and metals that are not found on land, which is what our boss values the most."

"Really? Is that so!" The Third Prince of the Dragon Clan actually paused in mid-air, scratching his chin as if in deep thought. To be honest, this thinking pose was quite amusing, and Li Xian almost burst out laughing.

After much thought, seemingly considering many "difficulties," the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan finally made a decision. "How about this: ten thousand pounds of stainless steel weapons, and I'll give you two pounds of Sea Soul Silk and five hundred thousand pounds of ore. But you'll have to transport it yourselves."

"Transport it ourselves? Where do we transport it from?"

"I'll designate a small island in the sea, and I'll dump all the ore there. You can contact Wei Zhe when the time comes."

This was a great deal! Li Xian didn't continue to be greedy and "squeeze" more. Before his strength was powerful enough, it wasn't wise to act rashly. But the next moment, Li Xian pointed to the mirrors, colored lights, and other items in the room. "Does the Third Prince not want these treasures?"

"They're all mundane items, how can they be considered treasures!" The Third Prince of the Dragon Clan was very shrewd!

Li Xian remained calm. "Alright, then we'll cancel the trade of these items in our future transactions."

"What?!" The blue dragon's head shot up in front of Li Xian. "You dare to cancel? No, you must give them as gifts. For each transaction, you must give me 10, no, 100 colored lights, 100 mirrors, and 100 other glass items. They're all mundane items, and you're being so stingy."

"That's right, they're all mundane items. How could the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan be interested in them? I forgot to introduce myself; I am Li Xian. Your Highness, it's an honor to meet you."

"What, you're Li Xian?" Ao Han circled around Li Xian several times, finally shaking his head in disbelief. "You don't have horns on your head, and your cultivation isn't even at the Foundation Establishment stage. How can a mere mortal like you create so many exquisite items?"

"I didn't make them; the craftsmen did." Li Xian was now certain that this blue dragon was definitely a problem child, and one of the most outstanding ones at that.

Ao Han's tail tapped the ground, and his two front claws were crossed over his chest, looking quite comical. "I see. Hey, don't forget the gifts."

Li Xian smiled. "Sure, but I need to discuss it with Princess Ao Qingsnow first, otherwise..."

Hearing this, Ao Han's tail started wagging. "No! You can't discuss it with her! Absolutely not!"

"How about this: I'm planning to build some ships, and the number might be 'a bit' large, and the size might be 'a bit' big. I want to run transportation along the coast. I'll need to borrow the Third Prince's name and convenience. Of course, as a return, I'll give you one-twentieth of the cost price of the goods."

"As long as I lend you my name and convenience, I don't have to do anything and can still get one-twentieth of the income. This income can be in gold or silver, or you can buy any items from Li Xian. And for the items you need, Li Xian will prioritize your supply."

"Hmm?" Ao Han scratched his chin, entering a "deep thinking" state. "No, one-twentieth is too little, one-tenth!"

"Alright, one-tenth. No one can go back on this, let's swear to the heavens."

"Yes, let's swear to the heavens, and never go back on it."

Thus, the poor Third Prince of the Dragon Clan sold the lucrative maritime trade for one-tenth of the price—considering that on Earth, customs duties were often 100% or even 200% of the goods' value, the Third Prince sold it for just 10% and swore "never to go back on it."

Most importantly, Li Xian specified that it was the cost price, not the actual selling price!

Indeed, it was a big deal, but the big deal for the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan and Li Xian were different. In fact, the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan was quite pleased, thinking that just by letting Li Xian run maritime transport, he could collect one-tenth of the value of the goods, which was a great deal.

In reality, no one at the time could fully grasp the profits of maritime trade—no one dared to venture out to sea. When the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan returned and proudly told Ao Qingsnow about the deal, the Dragon Princess was also very pleased.

Of course, that's a different story. For now, Li Xian was overjoyed and threw Ao Han into a small warehouse of glass items and colored lights, letting him go wild.

Ao Han indeed went wild. He had initially planned to sneak a few items, but now he had a warehouse full of treasures—thousands of glass items and some exquisite colored lights, which kept the Third Prince of the Dragon Clan entertained.

The Third Prince of the Dragon Clan was having a great time, and Li Xian was ecstatic. On one hand, he sent people to receive the ten thousand tons of ore, and on the other, he began to gather everyone to discuss the future development strategy.

This discussion lasted for half a month and ultimately laid the foundation for the future development of the Brilliant Starlight Trading Company.

First, the Brilliant Starlight Trading Company was renamed the Brilliant Starlight Group, a large group integrating scientific research, cultivation, education, industrial production, commerce, and services, and for the first time, the concept of a "commercial kingdom" was proposed.

We don't seek to dominate, we don't seek to establish a country, and we don't seek independence, but we will be able to influence the fate of a nation! This is a commercial kingdom based on science and industry, a nominal and conceptual kingdom!

This grand vision excited Xu Ren, Bei Chen Yuqing, and Fang Shijing the most. As strategists, they most hoped to have a place to apply their skills; and the grand vision Li Xian painted gave them a glimpse of a bright future.

Second, Xia Qingqing sighed in relief; for a while, she had been worried—was Li Xian planning a rebellion? Yes, Li Xian had a hidden star destiny, but he also had an older brother! Now that Li Xian proposed this idea, Xia Qingqing felt relieved.

Moreover, the senior management of the Brilliant Starlight Group was also overjoyed. Everyone liked development and prosperity—this was called a bright future.

Then, the leadership structure of the Brilliant Starlight Group was basically determined.

Xu Ren was appointed as the Director of the Group Planning Department, a position akin to the "leader of the group's think tank," responsible for all related matters and directly accountable to Li Xian.

Under Xu Ren were Bei Chen Yuqing, Fang Shijing, and Ling Zhifeng. Bei Chen Yuqing was temporarily responsible for external business expansion and market strategy, while Fang Shijing handled internal affairs, including finance and procurement. Ling Zhifeng was an exception, as every plan required his assessment of auspiciousness.

Xia Qingqing, being a princess who had endured much hardship, was not to be underestimated. After careful consideration, Li Xian assigned her to education, which was his top priority.

Next were the various factories and departments.

Liu Leigang was responsible for armed security. In the current environment, Li Xian needed his own armed force, and it had to be strong enough.

The Research Department was still led by Tang Rong. The department was now researching engines, generators, electromagnetic furnaces, various arrays, and many other things, all arranged by Tang Rong.

According to Tang Rong's report, He Wenlong was specifically responsible for conductors, Huang Bingchu for engines, and Hu Juncai, promoted from the smelting department, for the smelting and research of black iron and red copper. A new power department was also added, led by Peng Yongguang.

A new welding department was also added. With large-scale production, spells alone were no longer sufficient. Zhang Xiaowu was in charge, but welding was still in the research stage.

The Machinery Factory was still led by Liu Bin, but three new departments were created: locomotives, led by Xie Wenjie; ships, led by Wan Sheng; and aircraft, led by Yun Feihong. Yun Feihong was one of the few women promoted and received much attention.

There was a bit of a subplot here. Many people couldn't understand Li Xian's special emphasis on the aircraft department and concept, thinking it had little use—after all, one could fly with a sword at the Golden Core stage. Only Yun Feihong was interested.

The Textile Factory also had a new deputy manager, Wu Juanjuan.

A new concrete factory was officially added, led by Xiang Yun. With the advent of electromagnetic furnace technology, Xiang Yun finally overcame all the challenges, and the first batch of cement was successfully produced, with excellent results, earning high praise from Xu Ren.

The Smelting Department also added a new "components department" responsible for the production of bearings, main shafts, screws, and tools. The head of this department was Ma Xiaoliang.

A separate department was also created from the machinery department, responsible for precision measurement, including the research and production of various precision tools and timekeeping devices. The head of this department was Zhou Ruikai.

Additionally, a new factory was established—the Rubber Factory. It would not only research ordinary adhesives and tapes but also rubber and tires! Currently, tires were made from cowhide and other animal skins, which were usable and quite good, but Li Xian still wanted "rubber." The head of the Rubber Factory was Tang Xiaoni, promoted from the Textile Factory, who had many excellent family traditions, such as making cowhide tires.

Thus, with the support of cultivators' almost cheating-like methods, Li Xian's industrial foundation was finally established.

Finally, Xu Ren made a small suggestion: "Young Master, we are short of manpower again, and food supplies are also starting to run short. I plan to buy refugees from all over the Great Xia Kingdom and simultaneously purchase food."

"Brilliant!" Hearing Xu Ren's plan, Li Xian was overjoyed. Indeed, he was a strategist.

Now, a large number of refugees were causing serious problems for the regional authorities. In this world of cultivation, there were no shortage of experts among the refugees, and attacks on armies by refugees were common. If these refugees could be "bought," the regional authorities would be overjoyed; thus, buying food would also be much easier.

For the refugees, as long as Li Xian could provide good conditions, there would be no objections.

But this was just a plan. Could Li Xian, who had completed the initial accumulation, continue to move forward?

(If you like it, please cast your valuable vote, thank you.)

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