Chapter 12: The Initial Launch of the Business Empire - Fang Xing Mountain
In the afternoon, Bai Feng arrived at Bi Yi Gym without encountering any further incidents on the way.
Actually, Bai Feng didn't just come to Grandpa Fu's Place this time to visit Grandpa Fu and borrow books; he also had a business deal to discuss with Grandpa Fu.
Besides planting, Grandpa Fu had another hobby, which was drinking Tea. So when Bai Feng went to see him, he was leisurely sitting in the Garden, savoring Tea.
As long as no one came to challenge the Gym, Grandpa Fu's days were always very leisurely.
"Good afternoon, Grandpa Fu." Bai Feng waved and greeted Grandpa Fu.
Grandpa Fu nodded, motioning for Bai Feng to sit opposite him, and then poured him a cup of Tea as well.
Bai Feng placed the basket he was holding on the table, inhaled the fragrant aroma of the Tea, and couldn't help but pick up the teacup and take a gentle sip.
"Good Tea! Is it new Tea?"
Although Bai Feng didn't understand Tea, he could distinguish between good and bad. The Tea had a lingering taste upon entry, a mellow and smooth flavor, and a lasting aftertaste. After the faint bitterness subsided, a refreshing sensation that cleared the mind and gladdened the heart slowly permeated from his mouth...
Grandpa Fu said with a chuckle, "You understand it now?" It wasn't the first time he had invited Bai Feng for Tea, but this rough kid always drank it like a cow chewing on peonies, completely lacking elegance.
Bai Feng chuckled, then shook his head, not pretending to understand what he didn't.
Grandpa Fu looked at the basket of Berries on the table and said, "The Berries you cultivated have started to ripen? How is the Berry Quality?"
"Not bad," Bai Feng said confidently, then took out the Test Results he had prepared beforehand and showed them to Grandpa Fu. "These are the Test Results. Please take a look."
Grandpa Fu casually took the Test Results, glanced at them indifferently, and then his eyes widened slightly.
This time, Bai Feng had placed the Test Results for the B-Grade Berries on top, so Grandpa Fu received the most direct impact.
Although Grandpa Fu had always felt that Bai Feng had Talent in planting, he never expected him to be so monstrous. He had cultivated B-Grade Berries in just one year. If he were given a few more years, then...
Grandpa Fu dared not even imagine. He suddenly felt extremely fortunate that he had discovered Bai Feng over a year ago and provided him with the conditions to grow. Otherwise, wouldn't such a valuable Talent have been buried in vain? That would truly be a tremendous loss for the League.
Grandpa Fu suppressed the shock in his heart, looked at Bai Feng with a half-smile, and said, "It seems you came prepared today. Tell me your purpose."
Hearing this, Bai Feng's expression immediately turned serious. He sat up straight, looked directly at Grandpa Fu, and said solemnly:
"Money. I need Money right now, so I hope Grandpa Fu can lend me a sum of Money."
Grandpa Fu suddenly understood. If Bai Feng wanted to achieve something in planting, relying on the current small-scale operation was definitely not enough. But with his current conditions, he couldn't achieve his goal on his own.
Now that he could cultivate B-Grade Berries, he was indeed qualified to find others to invest in him, but Bai Feng definitely didn't want that outcome. He certainly didn't want others involved in his Business.
So he simply wanted to borrow Money.
Despite being optimistic about Bai Feng, Grandpa Fu didn't immediately agree to lend him Money. If Bai Feng were asking him to invest, he would definitely agree without a second thought, but if he merely wanted to borrow Money, he had to consider it.
"I do have Money, but you need to give me a reason to lend it to you," Grandpa Fu said.
Bai Feng was well-prepared. He replied, "I currently have a total of thirty-seven Fruit Trees, and each one can produce B-Grade Berries. Moreover, this is only their first time bearing Fruit. I believe that as long as I continue to cultivate them, they will definitely be able to produce A-Grade Berries in the future.
I will use these thirty-seven Fruit Trees as collateral. If I cannot repay the Money in the future, these Fruit Trees will all be yours."
More than thirty Fruit Trees that could produce B-Grade Berries were extremely valuable, almost representing a continuous source of wealth. Almost no one would be foolish enough to sell Fruit Trees of this level.
Now they had become Bai Feng's collateral. What could he do? This was the only bargaining chip Bai Feng had right now!
Grandpa Fu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this. "Okay, I agree to lend it to you." Since Bai Feng had said this, there was no reason for him not to agree.
If Bai Feng's Business succeeded, he would earn interest. If Bai Feng's Business failed, he would get a batch of valuable Fruit Trees. Either way, he wouldn't lose.
"Truly, the younger generation is formidable!" Looking at the young man before him, who was only ten years old and still had some baby fat on his face, Grandpa Fu sighed sincerely. "How much Money do you want to borrow?"
Bai Feng took out the contract he had prepared beforehand and said, "Five million!"
Grandpa Fu looked at Bai Feng with slight surprise. "Borrowing so much at once? It seems you are truly confident in yourself."
Bai Feng replied, "Time is Money. If I weren't confident, I wouldn't have asked you today."
Grandpa Fu nodded and said nothing more, instead taking the contract Bai Feng handed over and carefully reading through it.
Bai Feng was very well-prepared. This contract was something he had prepared after investigating for a long Time and consulting many people.
After reading for a while and finding no issues, Grandpa Fu signed his name.
There were two copies of the contract. After Bai Feng and Grandpa Fu signed, they each kept one. In addition, they also needed to have it notarized by the relevant department, otherwise, the contract would not have legal effect.
After signing the contract, Grandpa Fu took a Berry from the basket and tasted it, then said knowingly, "No wonder you are so confident in yourself. This Berry is indeed very good."
For an expert with extensive planting Experience like Grandpa Fu, even without looking at the Test Results, he could roughly judge the value of the Berry just by tasting it.
The two chatted for a while longer. Bai Feng returned the books he was holding to the Study, then picked out a few more, and subsequently left Bi Yi Gym.
After returning Home, Bai Feng told Dean Meili about his plan to buy a piece of land to plant Fruit Trees and that he had borrowed a sum of Money from Grandpa Fu, but he didn't reveal exactly how much he had borrowed, because he was afraid of scaring Dean Meili.
Five million! Even selling the entire Orphanage might not fetch five million.
But even so, Meili was still very worried about Bai Feng, fearing that he wouldn't be able to repay the Money in the future. However, she didn't voice her worries. Instead, she encouraged Bai Feng to work hard. She knew Bai Feng was a capable child, so she chose to believe in him.
The next day, Bai Feng started getting busy. Now that he had the Money, the first thing he needed to do was buy a piece of land of his own. Without land, he couldn't expand his planting scale, and his Fruit Trees were no longer suitable for continuing to grow in the crowded Small Orchard at the Orphanage.
The East District of Couriway Town was close to the continuous Mountain Range, so there were many ownerless Mountains nearby, both large and small, scattered like stars. Bai Feng planned to choose one to buy.
The Pokemon World was vast and sparsely populated, with large areas of land unused and undeveloped. Therefore, land prices were much cheaper than in Bai Feng's previous life, especially in the Wilderness far from the City Center.
In some places, to boost economic development, the League would even encourage individuals to buy land.
Moreover, after land was purchased here, it truly belonged to you, not just having the right to use it.
Of course, if you didn't have enough Money, renting a piece of land to use first was also an option. But Bai Feng wouldn't do that, because renting a piece of land for a long Time was completely less cost-effective than buying it directly.
In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Bai Feng had been running around to departments and handling procedures, finally getting everything arranged. The Money from Grandpa Fu had also arrived.
Finally, Bai Feng bought a relatively flat Hill near Bi Yi Gym. It was not too big or too small, and it cost a total of over four million.
The five million he had just borrowed seemed to have evaporated, with more than half gone instantly, but Bai Feng was happy in his heart. He had finally taken the first step in his Business!
For the next period of Time, whenever Bai Feng had Time, he would take Bai Ye and Oshawott to clear his territory, removing weeds, Trees, gravel, and other things from the Mountain.
This work continued for over two months.
To save Money, he didn't hire anyone to help, relying entirely on himself and Bai Ye. As for Oshawott, it was inconvenient for it to move on land, so it could only be considered making up the numbers.
Fortunately, Bai Ye's Psychic ability was very effective and took on most of the workload. It was also because it had become stronger now; if it were before, they wouldn't know how long they would have to be busy.
Of course, Bai Feng had only cleared a small portion for now, just enough to transplant the thirty-seven Fruit Trees from the Orphanage. The rest would be developed slowly later.
The children from the Orphanage also offered to help, but Bai Feng refused.
They were too young and didn't know how to protect themselves. The new territory was some distance from where people lived, and Wild Pokemon often appeared there. It wouldn't be good if they encountered danger.
During these two months, most of Bai Feng's remaining Berries ripened and were sold one after another. The majority were bought by Zhen Li and her classmates.
In addition, Miss Jun Sha and Captain Sanders also bought a lot. They also brought many relatives, friends, and colleagues to buy some.
Some of the remaining scattered Berries were left by Bai Feng for the children at the Orphanage, and some were given as Gifts to customers who bought a lot.
Finally, relying on these Berries, Bai Feng earned nearly 800,000. Excluding the portion left for the children, he actually received over 600,000.
With the Money, Bai Feng specifically found Zhen Li to customize Energy Cubes for Bai Ye and Oshawott. From then on, they no longer had to live frugally.
Besides clearing the newly purchased territory, Bai Feng's biggest gain in these two months was finally clearing most of Oshawott's Energy Circuits.
Now Oshawott was able to use Moves. Although the Move Power was extremely weak, this was enough to make it happy.
That day, when Oshawott summoned a Water Ball smaller than a fist for the first time, it cried directly.
Of course, compared to other Pokémon, the blocked portion of Oshawott's Energy Circuits was still too large. This would require Bai Feng to continue slowly clearing it in the days to come.
One day, Bai Feng found the group of Talonflame and Fletchinder he had hired, planning to discuss something with them.
Over the past year or so, due to Bai Feng constantly clearing their Energy Circuits, coupled with their continuous sparring and battling with Bai Ye, all dozen Fletchling had evolved into Fletchinder, and one of them had even evolved directly into its final form (Talonflame), becoming the leader of all the Fletchinder.
After clearing the Energy Circuits for the Talonflame and Fletchinder, he asked, "I bought a Mountain and plan to use it to plant Fruit Trees. I currently lack helpers, so I want to formally hire you. From now on, I will not only continue to clear your Energy Circuits but also provide food and lodging. Are you willing?"
Such a good thing exists?
"Chirp~ Chirp~"
"Yargh~ Yargh~"
The Talonflame and Fletchinder naturally agreed impatiently.
Not to mention the rewards, just the feelings they had developed from living together day and night for over a year, and Bai Feng's kindness in helping them evolve, were enough for the Talonflame and Fletchinder to follow Bai Feng, let alone providing food and lodging!
Bai Feng was overjoyed to see the Talonflame and Fletchinder agree so readily.
The Mountain he bought was in a remote location, and he currently didn't have the conditions to develop it well, so safety definitely needed special attention. Otherwise, when the Berries grew, Wild Pokemon from all over the Mountain would come to steal and eat them, and then how would he make Money!
That's why he thought of hiring the Talonflame and them.
After over a year of Training, the Strength of the Talonflame and Fletchinder was already considered dominant among the nearby Wild Pokemon. With them guarding the territory, Bai Feng hardly had to worry about safety issues.
"Alright then, I'll take you to see the territory I just bought!" Bai Feng said immediately.
"Chirp~ Chirp~"
"Yargh~ Yargh~"
The Talonflame and Fletchinder immediately cheered.
Then the Talonflame slowly squatted down, signaling Bai Feng to sit on its Back.
"You're going to carry me on your Back?" Bai Feng looked at the Talonflame in surprise. This was a treatment he had never received before.
"Yargh~"
The Talonflame narrowed its eyes and nodded at Bai Feng with a smile.
"Then thank you very much!"
Bai Feng quickly took out Bai Ye's Poké Ball and recalled it, then held Oshawott in his arms, and skillfully climbed onto the Talonflame's Back.
The Talonflame slowly flapped its wings and flew into the air, heading towards the destination of the new territory according to Bai Feng's instructions. The other Fletchinder followed closely behind.
The Talonflame was very fast. In no Time, it brought Bai Feng to the destination and landed on the Mountain Top, which was also the place Bai Feng and the others had spent two months clearing.
Bai Feng had also built several Wooden Cabins here, which were specifically used as dormitories for the Talonflame and Fletchinder. From now on, they wouldn't have to worry about being exposed to Wind and sun.
"This is it," Bai Feng said, pointing to the entire Mountain and introducing it to the Talonflame and Fletchinder. Then he pointed to the Wooden Cabins behind him, "These are the Wooden Cabins I prepared for you. They are a bit rough and simple, but I will rebuild them for you after this place is on the right track."
Bai Feng was an amateur. Although he had tried his best, the Wooden Cabins he built were crooked and uneven, and were useless except for being sturdy and providing warmth and protection from the cold.
However, the Talonflame and Fletchinder didn't mind. Wasn't this much better than their original homes? Their original homes were just Nests piled up from a bunch of weeds.
The eleven Fletchinder and one Talonflame chattered about their new homes, and soon they each allocated their Rooms.
They crawled in and tried them out: Hmm~ Comfortable!
Bai Feng thoughtfully laid dry Grass and Leaves in each Wooden Cabin, and the bottom of the Wooden Cabins was raised a distance from the ground, so there was no need to worry about dampness.
"I will transplant the Fruit Trees here in the next couple of days. From now on, I will have to trouble you to look after them," Bai Feng said.
"Yargh~ Yargh~" Leave it to us!
The Talonflame gently flapped its wings and guaranteed with full confidence. The Fletchinder also followed suit, echoing their leader.
At this moment, Bai Feng remembered that his territory didn't have a name yet, so he released Bai Ye and said to everyone, "Let's give this place a name together!"
"Sha Nai~"
"Wu~"
"Yargh~"
"Chirp~"
Bai Feng's suggestion received unanimous agreement from everyone.
"What should we call it?" Bai Feng pondered.
"Sha Nai~ Sha Nai~" Call it Maple Leaf Mountain!
Bai Ye spoke up and suggested, using its own name and its beloved son's name to name it.
"Maple Leaf Mountain? But there are no Maple Leaves or Maple Trees on this Mountain!" Bai Feng said helplessly.
"Sha Nai~ Sha Nai~" What does that matter?
"Yargh~ Yargh~" How about Flame Mountain?
"That's even less reliable. How is this place related to fire at all?"
"Wu~ Wu~" I think Oshawott Mountain is the best.
Oshawott said impatiently.
Bai Feng patted its head and said grumpily, "Best my foot. Is this Mountain yours or mine?"
Oshawott covered its head and muttered softly, "If it's yours, isn't it mine? Isn't Oshawott cute?"
Seeing the Pokémon getting more and more outlandish with their suggestions, Bai Feng ignored their chattering voices, thought for a while, and suddenly said, "How about calling it Fang Xing Mountain?"
"What does that mean?" The Pokémon were confused.
So Bai Feng explained it to them.
Fang Xing refers to something is just beginning and developing vigorously. His Business had just started and would definitely develop magnificently in the future. Fang Xing represented both the beginning and was full of anticipation for the future.
After listening to Bai Feng's explanation, the Pokémon all abandoned the names they had come up with and chose Bai Feng's. Especially Bai Ye, who praised its beloved son fiercely again, saying that its beloved son was the smartest in the world.
After settling the Talonflame and Fletchinder, Bai Feng took Bai Ye and Oshawott Home.
(End of Chapter)