Chapter 1257: Playing Toy Factory

Chapter 1257: The Toy FactoryAuthor: Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1206

Chen Ling pushed the door open. He saw a figure with temples streaked with white sitting in an armchair in the center of the room, holding a cup of hot tea. His gaze, passing through the rising steam, fell upon the child he had cherished since childhood standing at the doorway.

"Pu Jianyue, greet your father." Chen Ling mimicked Pu Jianyue's demeanor and actions with uncanny accuracy, bowing to Old Man Pu Six.

Old Man Pu Six scrutinized Chen Ling, noting that his temperament had indeed become much steadier after his training expedition. A satisfied smile appeared on his face:

"Good... I heard that you completed your training mission very well this time."

"I merely did my best."

Chen Ling replied with feigned humility.

Chen Ling knew that Pu Jianyue's so-called mission completion was nothing more than spending a large sum of money and resorting to various underhanded tactics to barely succeed. It had undoubtedly affected countless innocent civilians, but he had managed to suppress all evidence. The real Pu Jianyue was simply not capable of such feats.

Oh, right...

The current Pu Jianyue should have already transformed into "Red Heart 6."

Chen Ling wondered what kind of storm such an incompetent "Red Heart 6" would stir up in the South Sea Domain... Of course, to give this "Red Heart 6" a grand debut and divert attention from himself, Chen Ling had already prepared a "big gift" for him.

"You have advanced to Tier 5 and completed the random training mission assigned by the family. According to family rules, it's time to allocate assets to you."

Old Man Pu Six seemed to have prepared in advance. He took out three folders from under the table and had them placed in front of Chen Ling.

"This time, I've secured three opportunities for you. Choose one."

"The leftmost one is a foreign trade company, primarily engaged in trade between the South Sea Domain and the Spirit Void Domain. Its main categories include vegetables, fresh produce, and some daily necessities. It's also the most valuable of the three industries... However, the outside world is unstable now, and the foreign trade industry is unpredictable. You decide whether to take it."

"The one in the middle consists of several office buildings. These require no real management; you just collect rent regularly. While the income isn't as high as the foreign trade company, the benefit is its relative stability."

"The one on the far right is a toy manufacturing factory. I don't recommend you take this one."

"Why?" Chen Ling retorted.

"This toy manufacturing factory was just seized from a rival family a couple of days ago. Although their family business isn't as extensive as our Pu family's, they do have several high-ranking divine path cultivators and politicians supporting them. Therefore, they are not satisfied with the factory's new ownership. As far as I know, they are secretly preparing to reclaim this factory...

Almost all the workers at this factory have been laid off, leaving only a pile of valueless machinery and a brand. Plus, they send people to cause trouble every few days, so you probably won't have any peace trying to hire staff and get the factory running."

Chen Ling picked up the rightmost folder with little hesitation.

"I choose the toy factory."

"Oh?" Old Man Pu Six seemed a bit surprised. "Why?"

"An asset that can consistently make money is a good asset. Since the opposing party is so unwilling to let go, it indicates that this toy factory, once operational, will yield better returns than the foreign trade company... If that's the case, what's a little risk?"

Old Man Pu Six paused, then a slight smile curved his lips, and a hint of praise appeared in his eyes:

"You are truly my son, ambitious and excellent."

Making money was merely Chen Ling's excuse to deceive Old Man Pu Six. He chose the toy factory because the other two options were unsuitable for settling the Integration Faction.

A foreign trade company requires frequent public appearances and travel to other domains, and its operations are relatively transparent, making it easy for Integration Faction members to be discovered if they get involved. Renting office buildings is too simple and doesn't require hiring hundreds of people... The only option that met Chen Ling's needs was the toy factory.

A toy factory needs workers, has dormitories, and its environment is relatively enclosed, making it perfect for accommodating the Integration Faction.

Chen Ling had originally wanted to acquire an uninhabited island or something similar, but with only two days left until the Integration Faction arrived in the South Sea Domain, he no longer had time for such arrangements. The most crucial task now was to secure the toy factory first.

As for those troublemaking "rivals"...

Chen Ling had his own ways of dealing with them.

Since Chen Ling had made his choice, Old Man Pu Six readily handed over the corresponding contracts. From now on, this would be "Pu Jianyue's" private business, and even the South Sea Domain government would have no right to intervene in its management.

Chen Ling took the documents and walked straight out of the room. Outside, a light drizzle had begun.

"Cousin! Cousin!"

Pu Shu approached, holding an umbrella.

Seeing the documents in Chen Ling's hand, he smiled. "Cousin got an asset? What is it? Can I, your humble cousin, take a look?"

"A toy factory. Good potential."

"That's wonderful," Pu Shu's eyes flickered with a strange glint. "If not for those past events, I should have been able to as well..."

Chen Ling glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

"Ah, never mind. Let's go, Cousin. I've made all the arrangements for your welcome banquet!" Pu Shu waved his hand dismissively.

Chen Ling had to maintain his persona as Pu Jianyue and had also promised to "help" deal with Han Meng, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. After putting the documents away, he followed Pu Shu outside.

As soon as Chen Ling and Pu Shu exited, they got into a car and headed straight for the most luxurious club in the South Sea Domain.

Pu Shu had indeed arranged everything well.

As soon as they entered, a group of figures, appearing to be Pu Shu's subordinates, uniformly shouted "Big Brother," giving Chen Ling ample face. Then, surrounded by the crowd, they entered the room. First, an exaggerated amount of seafood was served, followed by rounds of toasts from the subordinates...

In terms of etiquette, Pu Shu handled it perfectly, having a group of subordinates accompany Chen Ling alone for drinks. The air was filled with various praises and exclamations. If the real Pu Jianyue were here, he would likely have been so flattered he'd float to the heavens... Unfortunately, it was Chen Ling sitting there now.

On the surface, Chen Ling smiled and played the role of Pu Jianyue, but inwardly, he scoffed. It must be said that the Pu family was indeed vast and powerful; even a single Pu Shu could command so many people fawning over him. No wonder the high-level officials of the domain didn't allow their people to participate in the alliance council – the conflicts of interest they were involved in were simply too numerous.

"Cousin, I've also arranged for some good 'goods' this time, all sixteen or seventeen years old. You can pick first later!" Pu Shu, tipsy, leaned close to Chen Ling's ear and chuckled softly.

Chen Ling glanced at him, about to say something, when a figure rushed in, pushing open the banquet hall doors.

"What do you think you're doing?! Can't you see I'm entertaining my cousin?!" Pu Shu roared, furious.

But the next moment, the person's words stunned almost everyone present.

"The council members... It's the council members! Those two council members who visited the Pu family today, they're all dead! Horribly dead, after leaving our gates!!"