The next morning, the first thing Jiang Ye did upon waking was to check the application numbers at the panel.
"8879 people have sent you private messages."
"Whoa, eleven new towns!" Jiang Ye leaned back, utterly shocked.
His original plan was completely shattered. He had expected at most two new towns, and his funds were more than enough. He never imagined the number of applicants would be so astonishing.
Now, the money in his account was completely insufficient. It was impossible to build enough new towns to accommodate over eight thousand eight hundred people.
A new predicament immediately arose.
He either had to find a way to raise money or cut down on the number of people.
Jiang Ye was troubled. He scrolled through the private messages, reading and contemplating.
Everyone pleaded tearfully to join the town. The water ghosts had made their lives unbearable, leaving them unable to sleep soundly or eat peacefully, living in constant fear, fleeing, and sudden combat. Most of them even stated that as long as the Commander could provide them with safety, they would pay any price!
After reading countless private messages, Jiang Ye had an idea.
He tapped on the panel, composed a notice, and sent it to the public channel:
"**Notice**
**Hello everyone, I am Commander Jiang Ye. As of now, I have received nearly ten thousand immigration applications. Thank you for your trust.**
**Due to the overwhelming number of applications, the difficulty in screening them quickly, and the lack of funds for town construction, after careful consideration, the immigration policy is hereby announced. Those wishing to immigrate, please read carefully:**
**1. All immigrants to Jiang Ye's town must be law-abiding and comply with town policies. In case of criminal behavior, the final right of punishment belongs to Commander Jiang Ye.**
**2. This batch of immigrants is required to pay a one-time fee of 200,000 yuan. This fee will be entirely used for the construction of town infrastructure such as the road network, water and electricity grids, and defense lines. Payment completion signifies obtaining immigration qualification.**
**3. Immigrants will enjoy spaceship transportation services. Pickup points will be announced later. You must arrive at the designated location at the specified time.**
These were the three main immigration policies, and their meaning was clear: pay the money honestly, and you will be picked up.
There were over a dozen more items written below, all minor details, such as finding the police for neighborly disputes, no street duels, and the subsequent construction of many factories to provide everyone with job opportunities.
After sending the notice, Jiang Ye sat nervously before the panel, waiting.
The biggest change in absorbing immigrants this time was the requirement to pay money!
The amount was substantial, a full 200,000 yuan, which would be an absolute fortune for most colonial commanders.
Previously, Jiang Ye had subsidized the town's construction because he feared people would be unwilling to come due to poor conditions. Now, with so many people scrambling for a spot, he no longer needed to subsidize and could even try to make a profit.
However, whether people were willing to spend such a large sum was still uncertain. Jiang Ye's biggest worry was that everyone would refuse to come once they saw the payment requirement.
Fortunately, the sounds of transfer notifications suddenly rang out, one after another, becoming increasingly dense, dispelling his concerns.
People had started paying!
They probably read the notice and then transferred the money, very efficient!
Jiang Ye opened his personal account to check the balance.
One hundred and thirty million!
One hundred and thirty-one million!
One hundred and thirty-three million!
In just a few minutes, it had risen to 182,775,000 yuan.
The transfer notification sounds never stopped. Each time it rang, twenty thousand yuan was deposited.
Jiang Ye excitedly stood up, rubbing his face repeatedly. If over eight thousand people paid to register, it would be over 1.6 billion yuan, an astronomical sum!
While monitoring the balance, he opened his private messages with Xu Yan and quickly sent a message.
Jiang Ye: "Order three towns first, and hurry up and bring the construction team. Time is tight."
Xu Yan: "Seventy million per town, a total of 210 million. Money first, then people."
Jiang Ye: "Wait a moment, still need twenty million."
Xu Yan: "You can give me the money for two towns first, and you can raise the rest while construction is underway."
Jiang Ye: "No need, still need ten million."
Xu Yan: "???"
Xu Yan: "Didn't you still need twenty million just now? How much money do you actually have?"
Jiang Ye stared intently at his account balance, beaming. With each notification, continuous wealth was being transferred from across the planet to him, and the numbers kept changing!
Jiang Ye: "Still need five million."
Jiang Ye: "Still need two million."
Jiang Ye: "The money has been transferred to you, exactly 210 million. Please check and come quickly."
Xu Yan: "Damn, you raised the money that fast? Alright! The construction team will be here in four hours. I happen to be on the next planet."
Jiang Ye left the base vehicle and headed straight for the express center.
Going upstairs, the dining table had already been cleared, as it was well past mealtime.
Jiang Ye found her by the balcony window. Wearing a white tank top and gray yoga pants, she was stretching her limbs in a swan-like posture on a yellow yoga mat. Her legs and arms were long, and her figure was gracefully curved. Jiang Ye couldn't help but swallow.
"Something wrong?" Isabel turned her head and glanced at him, seeing his serious expression. She asked immediately.
"The town is expanding significantly and needs you to pick up people. This time, it's a lot of people, at least several thousand." Jiang Ye sat on the sofa next to her.
Upon hearing this, Isabel immediately got up from the yoga mat and stared at him with wide eyes. "Several thousand people? Are you crazy?"
Jiang Ye ignored her complaint and continued, "But picking up several thousand people won't be like before, where you had to rush around to pick them up one by one. It's too troublesome and time-consuming. I plan to have them wait at some assembly points. Once a group is gathered, you can fly the spaceship to pick them up collectively. This will be much more efficient."
Isabel narrowed her eyes and smiled. "You've thought of everything. But the transport fee per person is still ten thousand."
"No problem," Jiang Ye agreed readily. He didn't feel it was a loss for Isabel to earn money. "I'll sort out the list of people for you this morning. Based on their locations, you can set up a batch of assembly points, and I'll announce them."
Isabel walked over and extended her hand. Jiang Ye high-fived her.
"Deal!" she said.
Jiang Ye didn't linger. He turned and headed back to the base vehicle.
As soon as he entered, he heard the continuous sounds of transfer notifications. He was in a great mood. This was simply the most beautiful sound in the world!
The account balance was still rising. It had been empty not long ago, but now it had reached eighty million yuan, a speed comparable to a rocket!
Jiang Ye sat down and began to copy down notes, recording the specific addresses of everyone who had transferred money. Once the addresses of all applicants were compiled, he could determine convenient assembly points based on the distribution of people in each area.
Copying addresses was not an easy task, but Jiang Ye dared not entrust it to anyone else. This was a matter of great importance, and he felt more at ease doing it himself. He had copied homework frequently in school, so Jiang Ye was confident in his copying accuracy.
One page, three pages, five pages...
Just as his wrist was getting sore from copying, the base door was suddenly knocked upon.
"Jiang Ye! Open the door, open the door!" Ju Lanlan's voice.