Spirit Hall Is Short of Money

"Han'er, take Na'er and let her get familiar with the place first. I still have some matters to deal with."

Seeing the weariness on his mother's face, Bibi Han said, "Mother, what matters? I can help, even if I can't understand them. I can still summarize most of it for you, so you won't have to read it."

"Ah, it's nothing much. Spirit Hall is just a little short on funds."

"Short on funds?" Bibi Han was somewhat surprised. Spirit Hall was the oldest power—how could it be short on money?

His mother explained it to him, and Bibi Han immediately understood. Spirit Hall had expanded too quickly. Originally, only some first- and second-tier cities had Martial Soul Branch Halls, but now they were spread across the entire continent. This had caused the number of Soul Masters to surge again, and more people were claiming Soul Master subsidies.

Furthermore, many Soul Masters had joined Spirit Hall. Every Soul Master needed food and wages, while the funding from the Two Great Empires remained the same. Spirit Hall's income could no longer support its expenses.

Bibi Han came up with a few ideas. "Mother, when I went to Gengxin City this time, I saw many Soul Masters who took money without doing any work. Although you cleared out beasts like Miles, there must still be corrupt officials. We can start there. Fine those people who take money without doing anything, then throw them out."

"That is one way, but it won't work in the long run."

What would they do after dealing with those corrupt people? The fundamental issue remained unresolved—there were simply too many people receiving Soul Master subsidies.

"Mother, we can also start with those receiving Soul Master subsidies. If they truly use the subsidy to cultivate, then so be it. But the problem is that they use the money for eating, drinking, and entertainment."

"The Soul Masters in Spirit Hall's smaller branch halls do not have much cultivation talent, so they are usually quite idle. We might as well have them investigate the daily lives of those Soul Masters receiving subsidies."

"Anyone who uses Soul Master subsidies for eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling should be blacklisted and barred from receiving them. We should also impose age limits for Soul Master subsidies—at what age they can receive them—so they do not lose their motivation to cultivate."

One Gold Soul Coin was enough to cover half a year of expenses for a commoner's family. A Soul Elder received one hundred a month; for an ordinary family, that was an unimaginable income. Your status as a Soul Master might be noble, but what we wanted was for you to cultivate diligently.

Bibi Dong's eyes lit up. "That is quite a good method."

Then he added, "Hehe, I'm out of ideas."

"Not bad, Han'er. This idea is enough to solve the problem."

Seventy percent of the Soul Masters in the world were below the Soul Ancestor rank. Of that enormous group, how many would end up being blacklisted?

There was no need to mention Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun. Then there was Yu Xiaogang, who freeloaded food and lodging at Nuoding Academy, treating Spirit Hall's Soul Master subsidy as savings. All that could be said was, hehe.

As for whether Ma Hongjun was a little unfairly treated—did someone who wanted to sleep with every pretty girl he saw really cultivate diligently? If you were exhausted enough every day that you could only lie on the ground, would you still think about such things?

Next, Bibi Han took Na'er around the Papal Palace before heading toward the rear hall.

"Na'er, your room is here. Mother's room is next door, and if you go ten meters ahead and turn the corner, that's Big Brother's room. Do you understand?"

"Mhm, Na'er understands."

Afterward, Bibi Han went to the Worship Hall to pay his respects to Master Golden Crocodile. He also met Qian Renxue's grandfather, Qian Daoliu, Douluo's greatest homebody.

After returning to his room, Bibi Han kept thinking about how to make some money. Although, according to the original story, Mother would resolve this matter later, who would ever complain about having too much money?

Thinking of the original story, Bibi Han suddenly had an idea. He remembered that vegetables from Holy Soul Village sold well because of its geographical advantages. That meant vegetables were hard to sell in some places.

There was also Dai Mubai. When he first met Tang San, they had fought at the Rose Hotel, and Dai Mubai had brazenly said that he would pay for anything they broke. That meant if some Soul Masters had no money but were quite strong, wouldn't they simply refuse to compensate anyone?

He had an idea. Dai Mubai, you really did have some value after all.

Starting from human desires, what did people want most? For women, it should be beauty, but he did not seem to know how to make any beauty products.

For men, it should be that sort of thing.

No, that would not do. If those nobles got hold of such medicine, wouldn't they harm women even more?

Then he could only rely on food. Hot pot was naturally the first choice. Its seasonings did not require skill like some unique delicacies, and they were simple and cheap to make.

And—

The next day, Bibi Han went to the Papal Palace and told his mother about these ideas. "Mother, we can charge those restaurants a certain amount of protection money. If Soul Masters come to cause trouble, we will subdue them and make them pay double compensation. I believe many restaurants and hotels will agree. Besides, we are in the right, so we don't need to worry about public criticism."

"And these—Milk Tea and Instant Noodles." Who could resist the temptation of these two foods? Instant Noodles were merely ordinary noodles with some boiling water and seasonings, yet they could taste so good. Weren't they more convenient to carry and tastier than dry rations?

And Milk Tea—this was the favorite drink of most women in Huaxia.

"Han'er, I truly don't know how your mind comes up with these things." His mother looked extremely delightedly at the Milk Tea and the Instant Noodles she had already finished, as though she could see Gold Soul Coins flying toward her.

"Mother, I think we should also create different packaging. For those with some capital, we should use exquisite packaging and write 'Exclusive to Nobles' on it."

"Don't those nobles care most about appearances? They think highly of themselves, regard commoners as lowly peasants, and believe they are on a different level from them. What was wrong with giving them some face? If ordinary Milk Tea sold for five Copper Soul Coins, then Milk Tea exclusive to nobles could sell for five Gold Soul Coins—a thousand times more. At most, we would add a little more seasoning to make it taste better. I'm sure they would buy it."

"Also, we must monopolize the rights. Only we can sell them, and no one else is allowed to. If anyone dares to sell them, we will go straight to their door, hold them accountable, and make them pay."

Wait—

"I also plan to make several more versions. I'll go think about them." (Old Altar Pickled Cabbage, Explosive Pepper Beef.)

"Han'er, once you finish, Mother will prepare a gift for you."

"A Spirit Bone?" Bibi Han's eyes lit up.

"You'll find out when the time comes." His mother smiled.