Dawn Spider

2 month 14 day,
With the sea lemon blossoms faded, Jin, along with Yin, Tianlan, Xiangling, and Zhuliao, and the little flame spiders that had naturally appeared on Silk Sunflower Mountain last year, set sail for Ivory Island.

……

Currently, Shanglu Group operates three Shanglu Malls, with the following companies responsible for the mall business: Flame Spider Warrior Shanlan, Xiangling, Red Fang, Chicang, Green Tree, and Rong.

this year,

Shanlan and Rong are in charge of the Shanglu Mall in Huateng Mountain.

Xiangling and Lushu are in charge of the Shanglu Mall in Qingsha Port Trading Plaza.

Chi Cang and Hong Ya are in charge of the Shanglu Mall in Haimeng Peak Square. Lord Hongzhui Mountain can also help out occasionally. When Lord Hongzhui Mountain goes, he can relieve Chi Cang or Hong Ya to return to their territory to rest.

Therefore, returning to work at Haimengfeng Plaza Shanglu Mall is essentially a disguised vacation, with all employees taking turns on duty.

Next year, Red Tooth will replace Mountain Olive, and the year after that, Red Green will replace Green Tree, taking turns to work and take a vacation on the twin islands of Sal.

As for the intern Spider, it is only a 6-year-old advanced warrior now. After a few years, when it evolves into a mountain lord, Jin should have accumulated enough divine resources to open the 4th Shanglu Mall.

……

As planned, Jin set off early in March with Yin, Tianlan, and Zhuliao, starting from Wuchao Mountain and wandering south, visiting all the large, medium, and small tribes along the way.

Loan services will not be offered this year, but we can promote them appropriately and accept appointments from eligible applicants. We also formally inform applicants that those who need loans can directly contact Yinhe Tianlan for assistance.

To officially launch loan operations on Ivory Island, divine resources are certainly not enough.

Therefore, there is one more crucial task: to visit the insect kings in charge of the seven major tribes in turn, and inform them in advance that the contract can be fulfilled next year, issuing 300 million 10-year bonds to each tribe.

The seven tribes together number 2100 million.

Loans will be issued to Zerg warriors with whom we have no cooperative relationship. This amount will certainly not be enough. Depending on the situation, we will issue 5-year bonds of the corresponding amount on Ivory Island and the Twin Islands of Saluo as needed.

...

In the midst of our busy lives, December arrived.

Jin invited Eshu and Shizichongwang to build another 'Shanglu Securities Trading Center' building next to Shanglu Mall in Qingsha Port Trading Plaza.

Sea lemon flowers are sprouting.

January 1, 25th year of Shanglu
The securities trading center officially opened for business.

News of the New Year's arrival spread across the island, and New Year calendars were distributed to various tribes. Many Zerg warriors brought their territories out and arrived at Blue Shark Harbor one after another.

The trading square, which had been quiet for a year, gradually became bustling again.

Yin and Zhuliao stood behind the counter at the securities trading center, in charge of the business.

Golden vines and vibrant flowers were tied into two rows of eye-catching and festive flower baskets and placed at the entrance, their sky-blue hue standing to welcome guests.

A large group of Zerg warriors watched, and some unsuspecting Zerg warriors took the initiative to ask.

"Mr. Jin, what kind of shop is this?"

"Shanglu Securities Trading Center".

"Securities exchange center? What does that do?"

"Our main business is providing loan services and issuing bonds. Zerg warriors who possess the Divine Seed of Destiny and whose evolutionary stage is between the 6th and 9th instar can consider applying for a loan from us to borrow divinely bestowed resources for rapid growth and evolution..."

There are only a little over seven hundred Divine Seeds on the entire island, each with a name and a lineage. Jin has spent 14 years on Ivory Island and knows each one like the back of his hand, as well as the Zerg warriors associated with them. He can tell at a glance who is qualified to borrow and who is just there for the ride.

Jin doesn't actively promote himself, but he'll patiently explain things to any Zerg warrior who asks. Every Zerg warrior has potential; who knows, one day luck might bring forth a divinely gifted seed in their territory, propelling them to the highest level and making them eligible.

I heard that loans are only given to those who possess the Seed of Destiny, and most Zerg warriors immediately lost interest.

The mere restriction of 'divinely bestowed seed' extinguished the hopes of 90% of the insects.

The news spread across the square, and after a brief period of excitement, the stock exchange center became quiet again.

The two Zerg warriors jogged into the plaza, their mental energy sweeping across it before they sped across the plaza and headed straight for the stock exchange center near the dock.

"Boss Jin!"

"Silver! Sky blue!"

"Lord Ke Huai!"

"Lord of the Water Banyan Tree!"

"This must be Zhu Liao from Ziwei Peak, a junior of Lord Yunxun? Have you also been learning trading from Jin?"

"Yes. I work for Boss Kim."

"..."

The one who arrived was a familiar insect, Lord Ke Huai, with whom a loan agreement had already been reached.

The Water Armor tribe is migrating towards Ivory Island, where it has long resided.

The other beetle, with a flat, oval-shaped body and covered in bluish-black spots, is the Water Ficus Lord, which Jin recognizes as belonging to the Star Dragon Beetle tribe, a close relative of the Water Beetle tribe.

The Water Ficus Lord has a Divinely Gifted Rosewood, a wood-type plant, and has purchased granular fertilizer from it.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries,

Lord Ke Huai lowered his mental focus and asked, "Boss Jin, have you started promoting interest-bearing loans on Ivory Island?"

Kim replied, "Yes."

Lord Ke Huai asked, "I heard you've been doing some propaganda work? You didn't go to the Star Dragon Lice tribe at Shuiyan Mountain?"

“I’m quite familiar with the Flower Lord of the neighboring Black Dragonfly tribe, so I was too lazy to go and ask him… It was my oversight.”

"Is this a big client?" Jin greeted them warmly, "Lord Ke Huai, Lord Shui Rong, let's go upstairs to talk."

...

There are many ruins on Ivory Island. When building the Shanglu Mall and Shanglu Trading Center, Jin asked the Great Poison Armor Warriors to help dismantle them, the termite army to help transport them, and used a special primal energy metal that shields mental power.

There was a special, enclosed room upstairs. Lords Gold, Silver, Sophora japonica, and Banyan Tree entered the second-floor room together to discuss matters.

Jin tentatively asked, "Lord Water Banyan, I've heard Lord Cluster Flower mention you before. As far as I know, you should be in your 5th year now?"

Lord Water Banyan replied, "Yes."

"..."

Jin and Yin cast puzzled glances at each other.

Lord Kehuai explained, "Lord Shuirong currently possesses five abilities, and is only one short of meeting the requirements to break through to the Insect King level. To ensure that it can acquire a sixth ability when it breaks through to the 7th instar, it only consumes divinely bestowed primal force food to evolve during its 4th and 5th instars."

Lord Water Banyan said, "Accumulating little by little is too slow. So, I came here to ask if you can lend me a batch of high-quality divine resources to accelerate my evolution and break through the 7th age."

"If I fail to grasp the sixth ability after the age of seven, I will give up and repay the loan as agreed."

"If I successfully comprehend the sixth ability after the seventh instar, I will borrow some more resources to accelerate my breakthrough to the Insect King level."

"This……"

Gold and silver stared at each other.

Yin asked, "Lord Water Banyan, would you mind telling me your age this year?"

Lord Water Banyan replied, "I should be between 120 and 130 years old. I quickly evolved from the 3rd to the 5th age thanks to the harvest from the Cyathea Mountain ruins last time. I am still very young."

Yin said, "Then you're not in a hurry! How about this, we'll arrange a certain amount of bonds for you? You can first use the divine-given Force food produced in your territory to buy bonds, earn interest, and accumulate resources over 20 to 30 years. Then you can quickly evolve to the 6th and 7th stage. After the 7th stage, we'll see if you can take out a loan. This is more cost-effective."

"I know……"

Lord Water Ficus said, "I wasn't in a particular hurry at first, but my Divine Seed of the Rosewood received a comprehensive enhancement after using your granular fertilizer, and it met the conditions to break through to the Tree King level."

"The Seed of Destiny bestowed by the Gods has fulfilled the conditions for breaking through to the Tree King, so I'm also getting a little anxious. I'm now eager to know if I can advance to the Insect King."

Yin hesitated, "I understand... but the way you're lending money, the loan period is too long, and the interest will be extremely high. It won't be easy to repay it in the future..."

As Yin spoke, he looked at Lord Kehuai and suddenly understood their purpose.

The divine resources previously lent to Lord Kehuai were calculated on a tiered basis according to the amount. The first 500 million had an annualized interest rate of 3%, 500 million to 1000 million had an annualized interest rate of 2%, and over 1000 million had an annualized interest rate of only 1%.

Are these two trying to take advantage of a loophole?
Borrow more money at once, at a 1% annual interest rate, to accelerate your breakthrough to the King level?

But these two got the math wrong, didn't they? Loan repayments should prioritize the lower-interest loans; the 500 million with the 3% interest should be repaid last…

The principal is 500 million, to be repaid in full after fifty years, with interest amounting to nearly 700 million.

A loan of 6 yuan will result in a repayment of 13 to 15 yuan including principal and interest.

Such an outrageous amount could easily lead to disputes and reneging on the debt.

Moreover, if the loan amount is too large, and the breakthrough fails and the person dies, the loss would be fatal.

Silver looked at gold.

Jin Mingxian had also thought of this, and after some hesitation, asked, "Lord Water Banyan, you can evolve into the 6th instar this year, right?"

"Yes, we're short by 100 million."

Lord Water Banyan replied.

Before coming, it did the math with Lord Kehuai and then said, "Borrow 100 million this year, and another 500 million in five years to break through the 7th evolutionary stage."

Lord Shuirong then asked, "Lord Kehuai said that there are preferential policies for the loan to break through to the Insect King? For the portion exceeding 1000 million, the annualized interest rate is 1%?"

"..."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Gold and silver answered.

Lord Water Banyan pressed on, asking, "If I successfully comprehend the sixth ability when I break through the 7th instar, and then continue to take out loans to strive for the Insect King title, then all the loan amounts should be counted together, right?"

"Theoretically speaking, that's how it is..."

Jin reminded him, "Lord Water Banyan, we have another rule here: after successfully breaking through to the Insect King level, when repaying the loan, you must first repay the portion with 1% interest, then the portion with 2% interest, and finally the portion with 3% interest..."

The bank warned, "If you borrow for too long, the interest on that 500 million at a 3% interest rate will be extremely high..."

“I know! I’ve done the math.”

Lord Water Banyan questioned, "Boss Jin, Boss Yin, are you worried that I'll renege on my debt?"

"No."

"How is that possible?"

Gold and silver negate.

Yin said, "Lord Water Banyan, we are doing this for your sake; this kind of loan is not worthwhile."

Jin reiterated, "We can provide you with a 10-year bond quota; we suggest you accumulate those resources first."

The Water Banyan Lord shook its tentacles and said, "I understand what you mean, but there's no need."

Lord Ke Huai said, "Gold, Silver, your loan only calculated the resource benefits and ignored the preciousness of time for Force warriors."

"Time is life, and life is priceless. The Insect King is not the end, but a new beginning."

"If you advance to Insect King twenty or thirty years earlier, start comprehending abilities twenty or thirty years earlier, and condense Law Divine Runes earlier, you will have a greater chance to continue evolving upwards in the future, become a peak Insect King, and leave the Force Star Boundary."

"..."

Jin and Yin remained silent, having nothing to say.

This is still an ambitious two-faced worm! Jin hesitated for a moment, then agreed, "Alright. Lord Water Banyan, I'll take care of it for you." (End of Chapter)