20demayo Chapter 176 Huo Yuhao, the Living Yama
Chapter 176 Huo Yuhao, the Living Yama
Chapter 176 Huo Yuhao, the Living Yama
"What? Yuhao's back? Lordias, why didn't you tell me sooner?!"
Upon hearing the news of Huo Yuhao's return, Bibi Dong's face immediately lit up with joy.
Upon hearing Bibi Dong's reprimand, Lordias immediately looked aggrieved. "No, didn't you tell me to report before coming in? Why are you blaming me now for not saying so sooner?"
Of course, being a smart man, Lordias couldn't possibly speak his mind. After all, his martial soul was the Golden Eagle, and he wasn't an idiot. He knew that under these circumstances, any explanation would only make things worse.
Just then, a gentle and familiar voice came from outside the door: "Teacher, I'm back." Huo Yuhao's voice was like a spring breeze, instantly easing the tense atmosphere in the room.
The moment Bibi Dong heard Huo Yuhao's familiar and gentle voice, a radiant smile bloomed on her face, a smile that could truly captivate a city.
The elders below finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had been gripped by the immense pressure emanating from the Pope's outburst of anger; the tense atmosphere was almost suffocating. Fortunately, Huo Yuhao's timely return eased the tension.
As soon as Huo Yuhao stepped into the magnificent Papal Palace, he keenly sensed that something was amiss.
He slowly walked through the magnificent hall, stood beside Bibi Dong, and asked softly, "Teacher, what happened?"
You seem to have something on your mind.
In public, Huo Yuhao and Bibi Dong still maintained the master-disciple relationship, after all, the face and dignity of the Spirit Hall still needed to be maintained.
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's question, a trace of distress crossed Bibi Dong's face. She softly said to Huo Yuhao, "Yuhao, it's all because of the Soul Tools. We're trying to mass-produce Soul Tools, but the process is a bottomless pit, swallowing up huge amounts of funds. And that Extreme Individual Soldier Project is even more like a bottomless pit, burning through money at an astonishing rate. Now, the Spirit Hall's funds are starting to run into a tight spot."
Upon hearing Bibi Dong's words, Huo Yuhao immediately understood the seriousness of the problem; it turned out they were short of funds.
He pondered for a moment, then quickly came up with two solutions in his mind.
He confidently told Bibi Dong, "Teacher, solving the funding problem is not complicated. I have two methods. If we do these two methods simultaneously, we can not only weaken the strength of the two great empires, but also bring a continuous stream of funds to the Spirit Hall."
As Huo Yuhao's words echoed in the air, not only he himself, but also the elders gathered below couldn't help but focus their attention.
They were filled with curiosity, wanting to know what brilliant ideas this Holy Son had that could bring a continuous flow of funds to the Spirit Hall.
"First, the strategy I came up with was to sell some soul tools to the nobles of the two great empires," Huo Yuhao began to explain his plan in detail.
"It is well known that corruption is a serious problem in both empires, and most of the empire's wealth is actually concentrated in the hands of the nobility."
"These nobles are extremely selfish; even if they possess soul tools, they will never share them with the royal family. Furthermore, the nobles' thirst for life is unparalleled, so we can provide them with high-level, one-time-use defensive soul tools."
He paused, then continued, "For example, we can manufacture a level six or seven disposable protective shield. The cost of this shield is about one million gold soul coins, but we can set its selling price at four or five million gold soul coins. In this way, we can obtain at least four times the profit margin."
Huo Yuhao's plan was clearly well-thought-out. He continued to explain, "We can also customize soul tools of different levels according to the different needs of the nobles. For example, for those nobles who are particularly concerned about security, we can provide higher-level protective equipment, or even equipment with special functions, such as invisibility or remote control. The addition of these special functions will undoubtedly further increase the price of the product."
"In addition, we can also consider establishing long-term cooperative relationships with the nobles, providing regular maintenance and upgrade services. This will not only ensure that our products are always in the best condition, but also bring a stable source of income to the Spirit Hall," Huo Yuhao added.
"Of course, we cannot ignore the competitive mentality among nobles. We can cleverly use this to our advantage by releasing limited editions or offering customization services to increase the appeal of our products, so that nobles will spend a lot of money to buy our soul tools in order to show off their status and wealth."
Huo Yuhao's plan gradually unfolded, and the elders listened intently.
However, at this moment, an elder raised a new question: "What if those nobles don't cooperate obediently? After all, some nobles are like misers, not giving a single penny."
Hearing the question raised by the elder below, Huo Yuhao couldn't help but smile: "That's not up to them. I naturally have ways to make them spit out all the money in their mouths. Moreover, I'll make them willingly hand over the money."
Looking at Huo Yuhao's smile, the elders below couldn't help but get goosebumps. For some reason, although Huo Yuhao's smile seemed gentle, they felt extremely uneasy.
Bibi Dong was quite curious about Huo Yuhao's methods to get those nobles to willingly part with their money. She knew that those nobles were all misers, and getting them to hand over their wealth would be no easy task.
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly and spoke eloquently to Bibi Dong and the elders below: "First, in order to make those nobles willingly pay for protection, our Spirit Hall will send a group of high-level Soul Masters to the nobles' mansions to assassinate them. If we don't kill them, we'll leave them with missing limbs to frighten them. Then we'll go to their mansions to sell our Soul Guidance Shields. I believe they will definitely buy them."
Huo Yuhao had calculated the nobles' psychology and fears perfectly. By creating fear and then providing solutions, Huo Yuhao cleverly placed the nobles in a situation where they had no choice but to buy.
Hearing Huo Yuhao's nonchalant tone, Bibi Dong and the elders present were all intrigued. Why hadn't they thought of these methods? This way, they wouldn't have to worry about the customers not buying. Huo Yuhao's strategy not only ensured the Spirit Hall's economic interests but also consolidated its influence among the nobles.
Huo Yuhao continued, "We can also exert further pressure by controlling the resources that the nobles depend on. For example, we can control some resources held by the Spirit Hall, or manipulate certain key commodities in the market, forcing the nobles to depend on us. Once they depend on us, we can force them to comply by raising prices or setting conditions."
Huo Yuhao pondered for a moment, then continued to explain in detail: "Furthermore, once those nobles successfully purchase the soul-guiding shields, our high-level soul masters from the Spirit Hall will have to destroy them within three days at most. In this way, we can obtain a continuous source of income."
Upon hearing Huo Yuhao's plan, an elder raised his concerns: "But, Holy Son, if we repeatedly destroy their soul-guiding shields like this, won't those nobles suspect our Spirit Hall? If they suspect it's our doing, they might stop buying soul-guiding shields, and then our plan will fail?"
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly: "This problem is easy to solve. If they really decide not to buy soul guide shields anymore, then just kill a few. By killing one to make an example of a hundred, we can let the other nobles understand that the consequences of not buying soul guide shields are extremely serious."
"This way, they will understand that only by purchasing our soul-guided shield can they ensure their safety. Those nobles are intelligent people, and I believe they will make a wise choice in the face of a life-or-death threat."
Elder Lingyuan couldn't help but raise a more direct question: "Since Your Excellency says that we will ultimately have to take forceful measures, why not just rob them directly? Since our actions are no different from those of bandits, why not simply steal them outright? Wouldn't that be more direct and effective?"
Ghost Leopard Douluo also looked at Huo Yuhao with a puzzled expression. He asked, "Yes, Holy Son, according to your plan, it seems we've already robbed them. If that's the case, why not just act directly and skip those tedious steps?"
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly, turned to Elder Ghost Leopard, and said in a calm but meaningful tone: "Elder Ghost Leopard, the risks of directly seizing are much greater than the risks of forcing them to buy soul tools."
Huo Yuhao continued, "You must understand the principle of 'boiling a frog in lukewarm water.' While selling protective soul tools, we can also sell other soul tools. For example, offensive soul tools that can enhance personal strength, or auxiliary soul tools that can improve the quality of life. Most of these nobles hold high positions, and as long as they live, they can use various means to embezzle a continuous stream of wealth. This way of slowly but surely draining the Heaven Dou Empire is much better than a one-time buyout."
The elders present were all intelligent people, and they immediately understood Huo Yuhao's thinking.
What Huo Yuhao proposed was not merely a simple sales strategy, but a far-reaching plan. Through this method, they could not only obtain a stable income, but also indirectly weaken the national power of the two great empires.
Bibi Dong looked at Huo Yuhao with stars in her eyes, her gaze filled with admiration and respect. She hadn't expected that Yuhao could solve so much of their problem with just one method.
It must be said that Huo Yuhao's method was a stroke of genius, using the greed, vanity, and fear of the nobility to make money.
Huo Yuhao was well aware of human weaknesses, and he cleverly turned these weaknesses into advantages. Driven by their competitive spirit or for their own safety, these nobles would undoubtedly purchase a large number of soul tools. They needed these soul tools to protect themselves, and they also needed these powerful and rare gadgets to display their status and power.
Purchasing a large number of soul tools requires a vast amount of gold soul coins. These nobles then engage in rampant corruption within the two great empires. Officials in charge of the Ministry of Works embezzle funds intended for construction materials, officials in charge of the Ministry of Personnel practice nepotism, and some nobles in charge of the army even embezzle military funds. To satisfy their desires, they spare no expense, even at the expense of the nation's interests.
When the nobility across the country begin to embezzle, they will undoubtedly try every means to deceive Emperor Xueye and Emperor Xingluo. They may use various methods to conceal their actions, and may even increase taxes to exploit the people. This will exacerbate class contradictions in society, widen the gap between the rich and the poor, and cause social discontent to accumulate.
When the Spirit Empire is established in the future, these discontents will become a powerful force. At that time, a single call to action will garner countless responses, accelerating the empire's transformation. Huo Yuhao's plan is not merely for immediate profits, but for a long-term strategic layout. He intends to pave the way for the rise of the Spirit Empire through this method.
It must be said that Huo Yuhao's move was truly brilliant, shaking the very foundations of both empires.
Listening to Huo Yuhao and the elders talking eloquently, Lordias, who was huddled in the corner, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. The Holy Son was really too terrifying. To be honest, before joining the Spirit Hall, Lordias was also a local gangster, but in front of Huo Yuhao, he felt like a greenhorn.
This is practically a ruthless scheme! It has to be said, there's a reason why he became a Holy Son. I could never have come up with such a plan. All I could think of was robbery. How could I possibly scheme against two countries?
Lordias even suspected that reciting Huo Yuhao's words aloud could summon Satan.
Just then, Bibi Dong spoke again: "Yuhao, I must say, your plan is indeed brilliant, but what is your second method?"
Huo Yuhao smiled slightly: "The second method is very simple, that is, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."