Su Fan pondered what to do next while in the carriage. He had kept the five million specifically for startup capital, and the first industry that came to mind was jewelry.
He had the resources – top-tier gems from the game to process – and Jiang Hongwei’s connections could help him enter the jewelry industry.
Su Fan decided to start with the jewelry business!
"Halt!"
A loud shout from outside the carriage brought it to an abrupt stop.
"This mountain is mine, this tree is mine! If you wish to pass, leave your valuables behind!"
The other party had uttered the classic bandit's line.
Su Fan shook his head, knowing it wouldn't be so easy to reach Tianxin City.
In the middle of the road, a胖子 (pàngzi - fat man) wielding a broad axe blocked their path.
"Cheng Yaoyin?"
Su Fan immediately recognized the man.
"You know me?" Cheng Yaoyin looked at Su Fan in surprise. He didn't recall knowing the other person.
Su Fan was bewildered to encounter Cheng Yaoyin here.
Cheng Yaoyin was a story character in the game, a crucial figure who would later meet the protagonist – a bandit with a sense of justice.
"I've long heard of the great hero Cheng's name. Seeing you today, you truly live up to your reputation!" Su Fan, disregarding everything else, decided to flatter him with lines from television dramas.
"Really? Am I that famous now?" Cheng Yaoyin's heart swelled with joy. It was the first time in years a stranger had recognized him.
"Indeed, the name Cheng Yaoyin is known far and wide – robbing the rich to help the poor, a code among thieves, a true chivalrous spirit!"
Cheng Yaoyin was so flattered by Su Fan's praise that he lost all sense of direction.
"Uh, what should I call you, young brother?" Cheng Yaoyin put away his axe and asked Su Fan with a smile.
"I am Su Fan, newly arrived from Qingfeng Village, on my way to Tianxin City," Su Fan said, cupping his hands.
"From Qingfeng Village? I see. Brother, you may proceed. If you encounter any trouble in the future, mention my name, and it will surely help." Upon hearing Su Fan was from Qingfeng Village, Cheng Yaoyin decided not to rob him. Villagers from Qingfeng Village were known for their sincerity and hospitality, and Cheng Yaoyin only robbed those who were wicked and greedy.
"Thank you, Brother Cheng!" Su Fan bowed his hands in gratitude.
Good heavens, he had narrowly escaped danger. If he had to fight Cheng Yaoyin now, he would surely perish.
"When Brother Cheng visits Tianxin City in the future, I will surely treat you to drinks," Su Fan said politely to Cheng Yaoyin.
"Excellent! I'll be waiting for your drinks and food, young brother!" Cheng Yaoyin, as a man of the forest, readily accepted without any pretense.
After bidding farewell to Cheng Yaoyin, Su Fan resumed his journey to Tianxin City. This time, he encountered no further danger and arrived at the city gates peacefully.
"Halt! Who goes there?" Soldiers outside the city stopped Su Fan for a routine inspection.
"From Qingfeng Village." Su Fan presented the letter of recommendation from the village elder to the soldier.
After verifying its authenticity, the soldier allowed Su Fan to enter.
Su Fan looked at the vast Tianxin City with excitement.
This was the beginning of his rise!
He paid no mind to any side quests or main quests, heading straight for the blacksmith's shop.
"Boss! I want to enhance my equipment!"
"Certainly, what equipment would you like to enhance?"
As soon as the boss finished speaking, an enhancement interface appeared before Su Fan.
In the game "Martial Arts Hegemony," there were several ways to craft equipment, and enhancement was also divided into types. The simplest method was basic enhancement, which required Black Crystals. Each enhancement cost five Black Crystals.
Su Fan had no shortage of Black Crystals; they could be purchased infinitely from the shop, provided he had the money.
Black Crystal
Material required for enhancement
Price: 499
Su Fan bought five hundred first, totaling twenty-five sets.
Su Fan had a total of five pieces of equipment. Enhancing once required five Black Crystals. Deducting the Black Crystals consumed during failures, five hundred wasn't a lot.
Su Fan immediately began enhancing his long iron sword.
Although the long iron sword was only white-tier equipment, Su Fan had no choice. He didn't have any higher-tier gear, so he had to make do.
The first enhancement had a 100% success rate. After that, each subsequent enhancement's success rate decreased by 10%.
By the time Su Fan reached +5, he had already consumed nearly a hundred Black Crystals and failed over ten times.
It had to be said, Su Fan's luck was quite poor.
Long Iron Sword +5
Level: 5
Damage: 6-11 (+16)
The damage had more than doubled, and it was now fixed damage.
Enhancing to five was the maximum enhancement with Black Crystals. Further enhancement would require Super Black Crystals, which Su Fan deemed unnecessary.
He then proceeded to enhance his other equipment, stopping only after all of them were enhanced to +5.
Bracelet +5
Level: 1
Strength +1 (+3)
Speed +1 (+3)
Jade Pendant +5
Level: 5
Constitution +3 (+7)
Speed +3 (+7)
Animal Skin Hat
Level: 5
Defense: 7 (+13)
Animal Skin Robe
Level: 5
Defense: 7 (+13)
Animal Skin Boots
Level: 5
Defense: 6 (+11)
Su Fan's attributes instantly increased significantly, especially his defense, which reached fifty-seven points. Most people wouldn't be able to penetrate his defense.
Su Fan checked the time. It was about right. After purchasing some emeralds, he found an inn and returned to reality.
Su Fan took the emeralds out of his backpack.
Twenty per stack, he stored these emeralds away. He didn't need them yet.
"Hello? Boss Jiang?" Su Fan dialed Jiang Hongwei's number.
"It's me, Su Fan. Yes, Brother Jiang, are you free? I have something I'd like your help with."
"Alright, I'll be right over."
Su Fan hung up and headed for the antique street.
"Little brother, is something wrong?" Jiang Hongwei was already waiting at his shop and asked Su Fan with concern upon seeing him.
"Nothing much, I just wanted to ask you about the jewelry industry," Su Fan said directly.
"Little brother wants to enter the jewelry business?" Jiang Hongwei immediately understood Su Fan's intentions.
"Yes, I'm a bit interested," Su Fan nodded.
"This industry isn't easy to enter. The finished product market is dominated by large corporations. Smaller businesses can only do contract manufacturing; it's not as simple as you think. Small-scale operations don't make much money, and large-scale ones lack sufficient high-end raw materials. You can't compete with those big companies," Jiang Hongwei advised, not wanting Su Fan to incur massive debt at such a young age. Starting a business wasn't easy.
"What if I have the raw materials? If I only focus on high-end goods, is there a market?" Su Fan had already planned his path. Competing in the low-end market would be impossible against established big companies. However, targeting high-end consumers would be different.
Hearing Su Fan's words, Jiang Hongwei was stunned and looked at Su Fan deeply. Su Fan's statement implied he possessed materials on par with that emerald.
"If you have high-end materials, you can indeed open up a market, but you'll also need connections," Jiang Hongwei said.
"That's why I'm here to find you, Brother Jiang," Su Fan said with a smile.
"If you can truly provide high-end materials, I have skilled master craftsmen here who will absolutely not waste them," Jiang Hongwei assured Su Fan.
"I have five million now. Let's register a company, and the finished products will be sold under my company's name. Brother Jiang, if you're interested, you can invest," Su Fan didn't intend for Jiang Hongwei to work for free.
"Alright, I'll also put in five million. You can give me a 20% stake," Although their investments were equal, Su Fan was providing the raw materials. Even with a 20% stake, he was still getting a good deal, as he was only providing the carving masters.
"Okay, I'll go register the company right away!"
Su Fan spent a day registering a company and renting an office floor.
Currently, the office was empty, just a shell. Even the accountant for the company registration was borrowed from Jiang Hongwei.
"Brother Jiang, here are three raw materials. Have the master craftsman make three finished products first, and I'll handle the company matters," Su Fan brought three emeralds, each a treasure of the same caliber as the last.
Jiang Hongwei looked at Su Fan with a hint of shock, wondering where Su Fan had obtained so many exquisite items!
Had he robbed the old mines of Myanmar?
Su Fan held a recruitment fair.
Furthermore, Su Fan suddenly realized that as long as he didn't actively enter the game, he could sleep normally. For example, after a tiring day yesterday, he went home without thinking about the game and slept soundly until morning, never entering the game.
Su Fan leaned back in his chair, idle. He had posted job openings on various recruitment websites yesterday, and today, over a dozen people had applied.
Soon, the first applicant arrived.
Su Fan looked at the resume submitted by the applicant, a recent university graduate with previous part-time work experience.
"Hello, my name is Lu Chun. I just graduated this year, and previously..."
"That's enough," Su Fan interrupted Lu Chun.
Lu Chun became nervous. She had already applied to many companies, all of whom rejected her for lacking work experience.
"You're hired. Start working now and help me recruit people," Su Fan decided to hire Lu Chun immediately.
The main reason was the severe lack of manpower. If he had to recruit by himself, he would be exhausted.
"Huh?" Lu Chun couldn't believe it.
"What 'huh'? Come to work," Su Fan patted the chair next to him.
"Okay." Facing her superior, Lu Chun didn't dare refuse and quickly sat down next to Su Fan, beginning the recruitment process.
It was Lu Chun's first time as an interviewer, and she felt unaccustomed to many things, such as not knowing what questions to ask or whether an applicant was suitable for the company's positions.
"Boss, I've never been an interviewer before," Lu Chun said hesitantly.
"It's okay. If you think their abilities are sufficient, you can hire them. The company is short on people right now," Su Fan reassured Lu Chun, encouraging her not to be afraid.
Lu Chun nodded. With Su Fan's words, she felt confident in proceeding with the recruitment.
Soon, the second applicant entered.
"What position are you applying for?" Lu Chun quickly got into character, acting as a seasoned interviewer.
Although she had never been an interviewer, she had experienced many interviews herself. Just in the past month, she had been interviewed over twenty times and was very familiar with the process.
Su Fan nodded with satisfaction. It seemed he had hired a talented individual.