To Raise Operating Funds, a Certain Chairman Actually

Chapter 38: In order to raise operating funds, a certain chairman actually...

After a long while, the students' discussion came to an end.

They divided themselves into several working groups based on their respective situations, preparing to start work from three aspects: schools, factories, and Zaunite communities.

The school aspect was easy to handle. These young people were Zaunite students themselves, usually mixing in their own circles. Whether it was their own school or other schools, they all knew people and could talk to them.

But when it came to factories and communities, when it came to promoting to those Zaunite apprentices, the students were a little embarrassed.

This wasn't because these students were out of touch with the real world and didn't know how to communicate with workers.

On the contrary, these Zaunite students were not the kind of scholars who had never lifted a finger. Almost every one of them had struggled to escape from that hellhole of Zaun and come here by working hard and sweating.

They had all seen what factories were like.

They all knew what the lives of workers were like.

But precisely because of this, they knew how difficult it would be to promote to the workers:

"Teacher Li Wei."

"The lives of Zaunite apprentices are indeed very, very hard. They earn wages that are only enough to barely support a family, and they have to work more than ten hours a day. They can only rest on a few holidays such as Evolution Day..."

"But even so, compared to the workers back in Zaun, their lives are still happy."

That's right. Happiness is relative.

Compared to Zaun, a pure old English-style meat grinder where the average life expectancy of workers is less than 30... living as an apprentice in Piltover can really be considered a blessing.

Therefore, Zaunite apprentices are generally satisfied with the status quo and generally have no rebellious spirit.

"And this is a minor problem."

"The most important problem is: the heavy work of more than ten hours a day has already occupied most of the apprentices' personal time—turning them into cogs on this industrial machine, mechanical parts that don't know how to think, and have no time to think."

"They are already tired enough from work. If we go to promote these things to them, will they really have the patience to listen?"

"Hmm, you're right."

Li Wei couldn't help but think of himself.

When he was in school, he dreamed of buying a high-end computer after work, so he could play whatever games he wanted.

But after actually starting work, he was too lazy to even turn on the computer.

Every day after getting off work, he would just lie on the bed, scrolling through short videos on his phone, and the day would pass inexplicably, as if it had been erased by Crimson King.

Why?

Because work was too tiring.

Exhausted, he didn't even have the patience to play those 3A games that required time and immersion, and just wanted some fragmented entertainment clips to relax his brain.

If that's how it was with playing games, let alone reading, studying, or researching any great principles.

And the work of these Zaunite apprentices was definitely ten times, a hundred times harder than Li Wei's previous work.

Li Wei suffered, woke up, and was able to change his video-scrolling time to reading and studying.

He still had time to think about his ideals.

But these Zaunite apprentices, besides work, had almost only time left for eating and sleeping.

"How can we make them willingly spare a piece of this precious time for us?"

The students were very distressed.

But Li Wei wasn't doing much better.

The same old problem, he had never done this before!

But he still thought of the free vegetarian meals he had eaten with his grandmother at the temple when he was a child, the "five loaves and two fish" he had gotten at the church, the discounted vegetables he had snatched at the supermarket, the free eggs he had gotten at the sales promotion...

Even the useless credits he had earned by attending various events in college.

He got the stuff, and he gave up the time.

"Since the apprentices only have time for eating and sleeping, then let's start with this eating time."

Li Wei put himself in the shoes of the original owner, in the shoes of an ordinary Zaunite apprentice.

How to make the apprentice patiently listen to you?

Of course, first take out something practical.

"Let's set up a breakfast stall at the factory gate, selling things half-price or giving them away, and I guarantee they'll have the patience to chat with you while eating."

Li Wei just gave an example.

For Zaunite apprentices, the attraction of a free black bread is better than a thousand words.

"This method is good! But..."

These students were all smart people, and they quickly realized: "This costs money."

Yes, fighting also costs money.

Without funding, using love to generate electricity, I'm afraid nothing can be done.

But where would the money come from?

These Zaunite students were almost all broke, their pockets so empty they'd make a thief cry.

"I have some!" Viktor stepped forward without hesitation. "I've been saving my salary for years with nowhere to spend it. I can use it to support our cause!"

"Will it be enough?" Li Wei asked, concerned.

"Enough for now..." Viktor also began to worry.

Although his salary was high and he had plenty of savings, in the long run, relying solely on him would definitely not be enough to support the entire organization.

To carry on this cause, they needed to find a stable source of income.

"Wait... I have an idea!"

"A way to solve the funding problem and promote our propaganda work at the same time."

Viktor only thought for a moment before coming up with a solution—

For a genius scientist like him, making money was not difficult at all.

The only reason he hadn't made a fortune before was that he was too absorbed in scientific research and too neglectful of money, fame, material enjoyment... and other external things.

So while other scientists were busy combining production, academia, and research, turning their research results into economic benefits, and even his close friend Jayce was frequently attending social galas to seek benefits for his family...

Viktor was still holed up in his laboratory, happily doing his research.

"After so many years of research, I've actually accumulated many practical inventions."

"Steam-Powered Batteries, Mechanical Grappling Claws, Precision Joint Transmission Devices, Intelligent Microprocessors, Hextech Mechanical Limbs, Laser Cutting Devices, Gravity Field Generators..."

"All these patents are in my hands!"

Viktor rattled off a long list of black technology products that even Li Wei found amazing:

"We can use these research results to raise funds and start a business, recruit apprentice workers from Zaun, and open our own factory!"

This was indeed a good idea.

They could use Viktor's genius to establish a technological advantage, earn high profits from the market, and provide funding for the team. They could also use their own factory as a base to directly promote their ideas to the Zaunite apprentices in the factory.

"But..." Li Wei hesitated. "A factory isn't something you can just start up."

"Like you said, Viktor, we have the technology, but no funds."

"If we want to open a factory without funds, we need to find rich people to invest. To get rich people to invest, we inevitably have to cooperate with business owners, which will expose our cause to them..."

"If these investors realize what we're doing, how will they react? Will we cause trouble before the factory is even built?"

That was the problem.

The Piltover rich were the Wind Takers' natural enemies, and making money with them was like seeking skin from a tiger.

"Ah, if only we knew a rich person who had money, sympathized with workers, had experienced the hardships of life, and had the potential to betray his class origins and stand on our side."

"Ideally, someone who was also from Zaun, could be inspired by national independence sentiments, and whose family already had a factory that could help us start our propaganda work now..."

Li Wei couldn't help but think.

As he thought, he realized...

Wait?

He seemed to know such a wealthy person.

"Um... Seraphine?"

Li Wei looked at the wealthy young lady.

All eyes followed Li Wei and converged on Seraphine.

Honestly, from the moment Seraphine entered the classroom, everyone had been very curious about her identity.

Because this girl was so beautiful and elegant, even her exaggerated princess dress, white stockings, and small leather boots could be perfectly worn by her.

Her temperament was that of a rich family's young lady, like a star who had just stepped off the stage, not like a Zaunite, let alone a poor person.

How could such a person appear with Li Wei?

"Brother, this lady... is?"

Lina finally couldn't help but ask this question on behalf of all the students.

She had originally guessed that Seraphine might also be a chosen one of the goddess Janna, a companion of Li Wei's faith.

But later, Lina realized that this young lady did not have any "white lines" drawn out during the Janna selection process—she was not a believer of Janna at all.

So who exactly was this Miss Seraphine?

"Seraphine is my friend," Li Wei replied.

"Friend?" Lina's eyes rolled suspiciously.

"Yes!" Seraphine not only echoed, but also nodded solemnly: "Mr. Li Wei is my best friend!"

She hadn't been out of the house or made friends for 6 or 7 years, so Li Wei was naturally her best friend.

"No, not just friends..."

"He's still my only kindred spirit!"

Seraphine was prone to getting emotional when she spoke, and when she did, her big eyes would sparkle dreamily.

This only made Lina's expression even stranger.

"Ahem, anyway, Seraphine's family owns a factory. Her father also started as a Zaunite apprentice and has always been sympathetic to the workers."

"Plus, with the friendship between Seraphine and me, we can totally try to collaborate with her father."

Li Wei was in the middle of explaining his work plan.

But his sister seemed to have suddenly realized some terrifying truth, and she abruptly jumped up from her seat.

"Janna above—"

At the first general meeting of the Wind Taker Association, Lina publicly slandered the chairman:

"Bro, you—you've actually latched onto a sugar mama?!"