The Establishment and Madness of the Enterprise

"Don't worry about that for now. Anyway, let's head inside quickly; Dean Bernas should be in there!"

Charles only then remembered he had seemingly forgotten to mention something. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he promptly changed the subject and pulled his father and uncle toward the entrance.

At this moment, the brothers Saiwode and David exchanged a glance, supporting each other in a daze, their eyes filled with disbelief.

They didn't even know what exactly had happened; the extreme tension had left their memories somewhat scrambled.

They only remembered that when they followed Charles into the room, a silver-haired old man had already been waiting for a long time.

"Dean, I have brought my father and uncle."

Charles stopped in his tracks and spoke in a respectful tone.

"Dean Bernas, greetings. I am Saiwode."

Hearing his son's voice, Saiwode finally snapped back to reality and immediately bowed respectfully.

He wasn't joking around; this was a Saint-level powerhouse, and he dared not show the slightest disrespect.

Even after traveling north and south for many years, Saiwode had never felt this nervous before.

"I have been waiting for you for a long time, President Saiwode, Vice President David. Please, sit."

Bernas's tone was gentle, and he maintained a smile, yet he possessed an aura that made one instinctively want to submit.

This was only natural; every Saint-level powerhouse possessed their own unique aura, and Bernas was no exception.

In front of Lord Huosi, he was a respectful subordinate; in front of Young Master Adkins, he was an elder and a steward.

But to the outside world, he was the Dean of Huosi Academy and the Chairman of the Council of Xuanshen Island, the supreme ruler of the entire island.

His aura was enough to make ordinary people feel immense pressure.

Saiwode and David were slightly stunned. After hesitating for a moment, they sat down cautiously, curiously observing Bernas's face.

As expected of a Saint-level powerhouse, such an aura is truly awe-inspiring!

Following this, the atmosphere became slightly awkward.

"I wonder, Dean Bernas, what is it you need us to do by calling us here?"

After a moment of silence, Saiwode cautiously probed.

"President Saiwode, take a look at this first."

Bernas kept his smile and did not answer directly, instead casually taking a document from his spatial ring and handing it over.

"Hm? This, this is!"

Saiwode only took one look before his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The hall fell into silence, with only the sound of pages being turned echoing from time to time.

Bernas was in no hurry, simply sitting quietly in his chair as if none of this had anything to do with him.

"Hoo, Dean, may I ask why you chose me?"

Saiwode took a deep breath, unable to stop himself from asking.

"Because we need a merchant guild that frequently travels between the major empires, and your ability, character, and reputation are among the best of the major guilds."

Bernas glanced at Charles and continued:

"Not only that, but your heir, your son, is a doctoral student at our academy, which naturally binds us together."

Silence, a long silence. Finally, Saiwode looked at his son and gritted his teeth:

"Dean, I am willing to join Xuanshen Island, serve as the president of Xuanshen Military Industry Enterprise, and invest all the liquid capital of this guild into the company's operations—all thirty billion gold coins!"

"Furthermore, all the channels, goods, and staff of the guild will join as well."

"Good, you have courage. Someone will contact you regarding the next steps."

Bernas nodded, expressing his approval of Saiwode's decision.

"A very wise decision!"

A faint voice emerged, and the figure of Huosi appeared in the room.

"Lord Huosi, you have arrived."

Bernas immediately bowed respectfully.

"Lord Huosi?"

Saiwode was startled, and with a thud, he instinctively pulled his brother down to kneel.

"Alright, get up. From now on, we are our own people; there is no need for this."

Huosi nodded slightly, indicating that such formalities were unnecessary.

"Charles, take your father and uncle outside first."

Bernas glanced at the two stunned men and quickly spoke to Charles.

"Yes, Lord Huosi, Dean Bernas. We shall take our leave."

After Charles finished speaking, he immediately pulled his two elders out of the hall, leaving Huosi and Bernas alone.

"My lord, this Saiwode is the last one. During this period, I have recruited and interviewed merchants from all over, and after careful selection, I have kept twenty-five of them."

Bernas reported.

During this time, he had met with many merchants and had a general grasp of these individuals and the merchant guilds behind them.

"Mm, at the current scale, these should be sufficient."

Huosi nodded slightly.

As the academy finalized cooperation with a large number of merchant guilds, Xuanshen Island began to undergo a massive transformation.

During this period, a large number of merchant guild leaders joined Xuanshen Island and established enterprises with the island's support.

These various enterprises covered every aspect of life. Those targeting commoners included large-scale catering companies, major courier and transport services, and other businesses closely related to daily life.

External operations included the processing and sale of various products, such as exquisite liquors, sodas, juices, and entertainment projects aimed at nobles, including various card rooms and electronic games.

Princes and nobles were never short of money. Although some among them were talented cultivators, the majority were simply fond of indulgence.

In the past, the entertainment available to those young masters was monotonous, sometimes leaving them feeling as if they had money but nowhere to spend it. Now that they had found an outlet for their impulses, they were naturally going wild.

Not only that, but with the establishment of so many enterprises, future commercial circulation would become even more prosperous.

This would lead to more high-quality students who, as they gradually became top-tier talents in the school, would continue to contribute to scientific development, forming a virtuous cycle.

Half a year later, a large number of enterprises began to expand toward the kingdoms belonging to the four great empires and the three great churches.

In an instant, the entire continent began to tremble, and countless people were discussing it fervently.

Various luxury goods circulated wildly among the princes and nobles, and even for daily meals, people insisted on visiting various branded chain restaurants.

All kinds of card and board games became the favorites of mercenaries. As people who walked between life and death, they used to only know how to drink and indulge, but now, with more entertainment available, they instantly poured the money they had risked their lives to earn into these games.

A single gold coin could produce a pile of Coca-Cola, yet in some remote kingdoms, it could sell for a hundred gold coins per bottle, leaving the CEOs of the soda companies feeling utterly dumbfounded.

Many of the new liquors and beverages were not actually complex; as long as one understood the basics, any faction could produce them.

However, their costs were relatively too high to supply the entire nation.

Of course, the most profitable sector remained the military industry. As the saying goes, when neighbors hoard grain, I hoard guns.

War had never ceased between the four great empires and the three great churches. Although the god-level powerhouses had reached an agreement that the Saint Domain would not intervene in combat, the annual wars never stopped. The number of casualties each year was significant, and the resources plundered from one another amounted to astronomical figures.

The various nations tacitly accepted this; after all, cultivating powerhouses required bloodshed.

Training only in the mountain ranges of magical beasts could not produce true powerhouses. Therefore, every year, many warriors joined the army to gain experience on the battlefield.

Even the god-level powerhouses approved of this, as some of their own disciples were geniuses who had emerged from military training.

Xuanshen Military Industry Enterprise sold some of the outdated weapons from Xuanshen Island to the militaries of various nations, as well as to many mercenary groups and assassin organizations, at exorbitant prices—and it was a fixed price, with no room for negotiation.

What? You won't buy? Then if your enemies buy them to use against you, that has nothing to do with us.

These weapons meant little to eighth or ninth-rank powerhouses.

However, on the battlefield, eighth and ninth-rank powerhouses were a tiny minority; the vast majority of ordinary soldiers were only first or second-rank.

If your equipment couldn't match the opponent's, you could only be suppressed and beaten.

The happiest people were the old fellows at the research institute. During this time, their research funding could only be described as insane.

The capital absorbed by the major enterprises was used to purchase various materials and resources.

Materials that the Academy had previously been reluctant to use and experiments they had been afraid to attempt were now being utilized on a massive scale.

In a short time, Xuanshen Island became the most prosperous city on the continent, earning the title of the Pearl of the Continent.

Of course, not everyone was happy. The most miserable person was undoubtedly the emperor of the Linggeste Empire, Aorji Linggeste.

"Bang!"

"What did you just say? Can you say that again?"

In the Linggeste Empire, at the imperial capital Thunder City, the emperor shattered a wine glass, looking calmly at the Minister of Finance kneeling on the ground.

Those who knew him understood that when the emperor was truly angry, he was terrifyingly calm.

"Yo, Your Majesty, at the end of this year, after calculating the taxes submitted by each province, it is approximately fifty percent of last year's total."

The Minister of Finance did not dare to breathe loudly, answering with his head held high.

He knew the emperor was in a rage, but there were some things he simply could not help.

"Scoundrel! How are you serving as Minister of Finance!"

Aojier stood up with a sudden jerk, the murderous intent in his eyes undisguised.

As an emperor, he had killed countless officials; one more Minister of Finance would make no difference.

"Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, I did not want this either, but most of the merchant guilds in our country have gone to Xuanshen Island, and our commercial tax revenue has shrunk to less than twenty percent."

"Furthermore, most nobles have taken their money to buy goods from Xuanshen Island. Many of our industries have been affected, and this year's fiscal situation is truly... there is no other way."

The Minister of Finance could only reply bluntly.

He felt aggrieved in his heart as well; although he was responsible for managing the empire's finances, he could only collect money.

He could neither spend the money nor force those nobles to pay up.

Too many merchants had fled, causing commercial tax revenue to drop, and he couldn't force the merchants to return.

The nobles had spent much of their household reserves on luxury goods, and he certainly couldn't stop them from doing so.

He really wanted to say, "Your Majesty, if you're so capable, go collect it yourself. What's the use of putting the pressure on me? I'm a tax collector, not a mint; what can I possibly do?"

Of course, he could only think these words in his heart; he would never dare to speak them aloud.

He could only kneel quietly on the ground, declare himself a guilty subject, and then silently await his fate.