308: Chapter 302: Agree 308: Chapter 302: Agree After divining the situation at Black Stone Reservoir and its connection to the unknown Fierce Blade, Chen Hai already had a solid understanding of the matter.
The last time Ye Cheng sought his help, he had not yet entered the Object Controlling Realm.
The Green-haired Zombie, unfazed by bullets to its body,
But against the Corpse Transformation Talisman from Chen Hai, it was completely subdued.
Although Chen Hai had not yet visited Black Stone Reservoir, if there were no surprises, the unknown entity there would likely be similar in form to the Green-haired Zombie.
Had he previously thought that entity might pose a certain danger to him,
Now, in dealing with the thing in the reservoir, he felt at least seventy to eighty percent assured.
More importantly, having seen the Fierce Blade for the third time through divination, he felt a connection to it and was naturally intrigued, considering a visit to the reservoir to get a closer look.
“Elder Wei, due to interference from unknown forces, the divination I conducted for you did not reveal the origin and hiding place of the entity in the reservoir.”
“Perhaps, the only slight possibility to thoroughly resolve the issue with that entity is for me to personally make a trip there!”
Opening his eyes, Chen Hai looked toward Wei Zhidong who was gazing back with eager anticipation, and responded expressionlessly.
Considering he had previously stated more than once that he would not go to Black Stone Reservoir,
His mind, though somewhat stirred and already contemplating a visit after all, found it inconvenient to voice such intentions directly in front of Wei Zhidong.
“That entity is so formidable?
With Master Chen’s abilities, you couldn’t divine its origins?”
Wei Zhidong heaved a long sigh, his face bitter with regret.
Because of the problems at Black Stone Reservoir, he had already sought several experts.
Yet in Wei Zhidong’s eyes, none of those experts could compare to Chen Hai!
Setting aside other aspects, it was just Chen Hai’s ability that had caused his nephew to tumble all the way to the reception room’s entrance just by a glance.
None of those so-called experts, in Wei Zhidong’s opinion, even qualified to carry Chen Hai’s shoes.
The only advantage to hiring these experts for Black Stone Reservoir was that, comparatively, they were cheaper.
Like the Taoist who was recommended to him the day before yesterday!
That person appeared ethereal, with kind eyes and a benevolent gaze, making one falsely assume at first glance that he had great abilities.
After discussing the situation of Black Stone Reservoir with Wei Zhidong’s people, the Taoist patted his chest and claimed he could resolve it with ease.
But as soon as the topic of payment arose, that guy quoted merely eight hundred yuan.
Hearing his asking price, Wei Zhidong felt cold inside.
Though he didn’t send the man away, he had already mentally categorized him among those charlatan fake Taoists.
Logically, today was supposed to be the day the Taoist went to perform exorcism rites at the reservoir, as agreed upon.
However, Wei Zhidong couldn’t be bothered to go himself; he simply had his subordinates attend to the Taoist.
In his view, he genuinely didn’t believe such a cheaply priced fake Taoist possessed any real abilities or could handle the troubles at the reservoir.
Not sending him away and actually paying him eight hundred yuan, Wei Zhidong saw this purely as a last-ditch attempt at remedy.
On the other hand, Chen Hai’s starting price was one hundred thousand yuan.
This price was indeed steep, but if someone had no real skills, would he dare to charge so high?
How others felt, Wei Zhidong was not sure, but that’s what he believed!
For him, he wasn’t worried about others charging high fees; he was worried about their inability to resolve Black Stone Reservoir’s issues.
“Master Chen, are you truly not confident in doing me this favor, in resolving this matter?”
“As long as you are willing to go, regardless of the outcome, I will certainly not shortchange you for the travel expenses!”
“If the matter can be successfully resolved, as for the remuneration, I will make sure you are satisfied!”
Wei Zhidong was somewhat disappointed with the divination result.
He frowned, stood up, seemingly ready to leave.
But just as he turned, his face filled with reluctance, he turned back and spoke tentatively, making another plea to Chen Hai.
“Elder Wei, an entity capable of harm in broad daylight is inherently difficult to handle!”
“With my abilities, I can at most be fifty to sixty percent confident in dealing with that unknown presence.”
“If luck were not on my side and some mishap occurred, whether I could make it out unscathed is very much in question!”
Chen Hai sighed, expressing his concerns.
Compared to his crisp, straightforward refusals before, his tone now seemed considerably more flexible.
The cunning and experienced Wei Zhidong, hearing this, visibly brightened up.
Sitting down again, after a moment’s contemplation, he clenched his teeth and declared, “I plan to carve out Black Stone Reservoir to form an independent company for its sole operation.”
“Master Chen, if you can completely solve the reservoir problem, I’ll give you forty-nine percent of the shares of the new company free of charge.”
“Afterward, every time the company earns one hundred yuan, you can take forty-nine!”
“What do you think of my proposal?”
As the saying goes, no pain, no gain.
To make such a proposal at this time, it must be said, Wei Zhidong truly understood the essence of sacrifice to an extreme degree.
Offering up forty-nine percent of the shares and just giving them to Chen Hai might seem like a huge sacrifice.
But upon closer reflection, the brilliance of his proposal became clear.
After all, if the Black Stone Reservoir issue wasn’t completely resolved, Wei Zhidong would not only fail to make money from the reservoir, he would have to keep losing money in it every year.
If Chen Hai truly solved the problem, even though he would take nearly half of the profits from the reservoir,
At least the operating rights and the controlling shares would still be in Wei Zhidong’s hands, and the majority of the earnings would still end up with him.
Moreover, the aquaculture business he ran relied heavily on the various aquatic products raised in Black Stone Reservoir, which was a vital link.
Once the reservoir issue was resolved, his entire business portfolio would once again form a closed loop and be revitalized.
Otherwise, due to the lack of supply sources, searching for other production areas would not only waste time but also significantly increase costs.
Because of the rise in costs, his products would surely become less competitive, and he would start losing market share…
After thinking it over, Wei Zhidong felt that his proposal was fundamentally beneficial and not harmful.
“Give shares to me?
And forty-nine percent at that…” Chen Hai was stunned and a bit surprised.
Wei Zhidong’s generous offer made him see him in a new light.
“Yes!” With a face full of certainty and a nod, Wei Zhidong added, “Last year, Black Stone Reservoir made a profit of over six hundred thousand.”
“With these forty-nine percent of shares, as long as the reservoir operates normally, I dare not say more, but taking a dividend of two to three hundred thousand a year should be no problem!”
“As per your status, Master Chen, you might not care for that sum of money.”
“But the thirty-year operating rights to Black Stone Reservoir are in my hands.”
“Perhaps, as the domestic economy grows and prices rise, the profits of the reservoir could multiply by several times in a year?”
Wei Zhidong explained earnestly.
Regarding Chen Hai’s remuneration, if he wanted to pay in cash, he truly did not know what amount to offer!
After all, Chen Hai had already declared that he charged a starting price of one hundred thousand for divination.
Compared to divination, the task of solving the reservoir’s problems was undoubtedly many times more difficult.
A million yuan to get Chen Hai to take action?
After some thought, Wei Zhidong didn’t feel like it was worth it.
Indeed, the various aquatic products from Black Stone Reservoir were a crucial component of his business empire; that was true!
However, the yearly profit from the reservoir really wasn’t that high.
Apart from the poor domestic economy and cheaper prices,
The fact that the reservoir’s output was mostly wholesaled to his own aquaculture company at relatively low prices was one of the main reasons for the minimal profit.
Considering these factors, Wei Zhidong based his new company on Black Stone Reservoir and offered its shares as payment in exchange for the reservoir’s future benefits to engage Chen Hai.
Upon reflection, this indeed seemed like a rare masterstroke.
While explaining these points to Chen Hai, he glanced at Chen Hai’s expression.
According to his experience, Chen Hai seemed quite tempted by his offer.
“Elder Wei, you are so generous with your offer, holding me in such high regard, I really cannot refuse!”
After briefly pondering, Chen Hai chuckled, nodded, and replied.
Having seen the Fierce Blade for the third time and feeling a connection with it, he had already considered visiting Black Stone Reservoir.
Only, because he had previously refused Wei Zhidong too directly, it seemed somewhat inappropriate to change his mind so suddenly, so he continued to play coy for a while.
Now, moved by Wei Zhidong’s proposal, whether truly or feigned,
At least it had given him an opportunity to gracefully accept.
It was the perfect chance for him to go along with the flow, agreeing to Wei Zhidong’s request to check out Black Stone Reservoir.
“So, Master Chen, are you agreeing to help me with the reservoir issue?” A surge of joy in his heart, Wei Zhidong quickly sought confirmation.
“Mhm!” With a nod, Chen Hai stood up.
“Xiang Dong, take care of things here at the company.”
“I’ll accompany Elder Wei to have a look at his reservoir!”
After instructing Xiang Dong who was at the side, Chen Hai greeted Wei Zhidong, and the two of them headed out of the meeting room one after the other.