In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

Late November.

In the toothpaste factory outside Sumeru City, Wang Yan was paying several apprentices.

Of course, originally there was no need to pay, because with the support of the Order of the Instruction, the initial wages of these apprentices were paid by the Order of the Instruction.

But the toothpaste business is indeed profitable, and the business is opening up very quickly and the situation is very good.

Therefore, after discussing with Kavi and Zakaria, Wang Yan decided to give the apprentices a red envelope as a way of celebrating.

The red envelopes weren't much, only a thousand Mora to each apprentice, but they still made the apprentices from the desert extremely grateful, constantly thanking the three of them.

After accepting the apprentices' gratitude, Wang Yan let them continue working.

Wang Yan, Kavi, and Zakaria then began to divide their accounts.

"A total of 300,000 tubes of toothpaste were produced this month, including 200,000 basic tubes and 100,000 professional tubes, all of which were sold, with a total turnover of 4.2 million Mora."

Wang Yan flipped through the ledger and reported the accounts to the two men.

"After deducting costs such as labor, medicine, energy, and equipment maintenance, there is a surplus of 240 million mora."

Kavi nodded slightly. He had already calculated the cost. The cost per tube of toothpaste, plus miscellaneous expenses, could be controlled at around six molars.

Wang Yan's calculations were roughly the same as his.

Zakaria, on the other hand, didn't care; he wasn't lacking in income anyway.

In fact, if Wang Yan hadn't forced him to share some of the profits, he wouldn't have intended to take the money.

Wang Yan told him, "If you don't want it, Senior Zakaria, how am I supposed to share the money with Kavi? Since everyone has put in the effort, there should be a share of the profits."

Perhaps considering his impoverished junior, Kavi, Zakaria finally agreed to accept the share of the profits.

Of course, Wang Yan wasn't stupid enough to insist on giving the money to others. However, he knew very well that friendships shouldn't be wasted. When it's possible to bind someone with mutual benefits, then use mutual benefits to bind them.

In the long run, depleting friendships will also deplete interests; but sharing interests will increase friendships.

Wang Yan is an adult, and he understands this point.

Of course, this is also because both Kavi and Zakaria are indeed people of impeccable character.

"In addition, although the Church of Christ provided tax breaks, we still have to give the stores a share of the profits because we used the Church of Christ's channels to sell the products."

“Fariha helped with the negotiations. For every hundred tubes of toothpaste we sell, we have to give the store one mora. This month, we'll probably give them three thousand mora, which is also a reward for the staff’s hard work.”

"Farriha said she's already contacting caravans from other countries for us. We'll need to increase production then, but there will be no tax breaks for trade with other countries."

"Therefore, I propose that we take one million Mora from these two million Mora for dividends, and put the rest in the account for future expansion."

After speaking, Wang Yan looked at the two people beside him: "What do you two think?"

Zakaria shrugged: "I have no objection."

Kavi was somewhat excited: "I have no objection either, how much will I get?"

Although Kavi is not a money-loving person, he really couldn't resist the fact that he was short of money.

Wang Yan smiled and said, "According to our previous agreement, I will take half, and you two will split the other half. That means I will receive 500,000 Mora, and you and Senior Zakaria will each receive 250,000."

This dividend was proposed by Wang Yan after careful consideration.

Initially, Wang Yan planned to give each of them 10% and keep 80% for himself, but after seeing how quickly the toothpaste business was profitable, he became less greedy.

Sufficient dividends are needed to keep the two of them on your side.

Of course, it's also because even if they give up this part of the profits, the remaining profits are enough for Wang Yan to use.

As for the future? Wang Yan believes the toothpaste industry can be more profitable, and even if that's not enough, he can develop other industries to make money.

Beside him, Kavi wore a pleased expression.

Two hundred and fifty thousand!

This is quite a sum of money. Back then, he only managed to pay off his debts after getting a million Mora from a single card.

Now, the toothpaste factory's ten-day production capacity has earned him a quarter of the Seven Summoning rare cards, which already makes Kavi very satisfied.

Zakaria, on the other hand, merely nodded slightly, without any change in expression.

Two hundred and fifty thousand Mora might not even be enough for him, the pinnacle of the field of Sumeru medicine, to fund a single experiment.

According to the information Wang Yan and Dixia had gathered, Zakaria had spent far more than that amount on Shahak these past few days.

It can only be said that the "Habantu" of the Shenglun school, coupled with his identity as a doctor, was indeed a wealthy person.

After the three of them divided the accounts, Wang Yan spoke again: "There's one more thing. We need to find a professional manager to run this toothpaste factory."

He paused slightly: "I'm going to the desert with my mentor, Erossan, to investigate the ruins in December, so I won't have time to look after them. Kavi also has his own projects to follow, not to mention senior Zakaria. The Health House can't leave either, so someone definitely needs to help us with this mess."

"So what do you mean?" Zacharia asked thoughtfully.

Wang Yan said frankly, "I would like to ask if you have any talented people to recommend. If we don't have any, then this matter will have to be handed over to the Order of the Teachings."

“I don’t know any professional managers, but…” Zakaria pondered for a moment and said, “It’s not a good choice to hand it over to the Council of the Church. Scholars are usually not good at doing business. Even those who study sociology and are causalists value theory more than practice.”

Even the scholars within the Church of Christendom feel that the Church of Christendom doesn't know how to do business, which shows how poorly the Church of Christendom utilizes its own resources.

Kavi seemed to have thought of something and said, "I do know Dolly. How about we let her give it a try?"

“Old Master Sangge Mahabay is not easy to deal with,” Zakaria joked.

The story of how Cavill built a manor for Dolly and ended up with a mountain of debt is not a secret in the Church of England.

"She's not easy to deal with, but she's actually very accommodating!" BenS said.

The debt between him and Dolly wasn't Dolly's fault; it was Kavi who insisted on building on the foundation of the Dead Zone, and Dolly was the one who advised him to give up.

Furthermore, the Wise Theory faction and Dolly often collaborated, and Kavi generally approved of Dolly's methods.

"Although this woman sometimes raises prices arbitrarily, she treats her subordinates very well, and most of the people who work with her have made money."

Kavi explained, "We now hold patents for the formula, the production line, and the brand. In this situation, we can completely cooperate with Dolly, leave the business to her, and reap the benefits."

Wang Yan hesitated. What Kavi said was true, but given Dolly's greed, wouldn't she figure out the toothpaste production process and start her own business?

Keep in mind that Dolly has a top-tier witch from Teyvat standing behind her. This witch has even traveled through the stars, so toothpaste is no challenge for her.

However, after only a moment's hesitation, Wang Yan nodded.

Dolly's love of money stems from her sister's actions, which leads to her morbid pursuit of Mora. She is not a true bloodthirsty capitalist.

Partnering with Dolly might mean worrying about her not paying taxes properly, but you don't need to worry about her cheating your business partners.

“That’s settled then, Kavi, could you please contact that big businessman?” Wang Yan nodded, then looked at Zakaria, “Senior, is that alright?”

Zakaria: "It's up to you to decide."

“Okay, I’ll contact them then,” Kavi said excitedly.

Chapter 63 Oh Dessia, Oh Dessia, the beautiful and powerful Dessia

The next day.

Wang Yan got up early and went to Falushan's house.

Today is the day I arranged with Erossan to set off for an expedition in the desert.

Since it was his first time, Wang Yan didn't know exactly what to do, so he went to Estée Lauder's house early.

Unexpectedly, Erossen, who is usually immersed in her research and can't get up in the morning, was also waiting at home early in the morning.

Seeing Wang Yan approach, Erosan smiled slightly: "You've been making quite a splash lately, haven't you? How much have you made?"

Wang Yan didn't hide anything either: "After the accounts were split, I took 500,000 Mora."

"Five hundred thousand...not bad, that should last for a while." Erosanne wasn't greedy at all.

Despite her seemingly desperate attempts to secure funding, she can easily make money if she's willing to put in the effort.

Don't underestimate a master of mechanical arts.

Skipping over the topic of Wang Yan making money, Falushan asked again, "Are you all ready to leave today?"

Wang Yan put down his backpack and opened it, saying, "Everything is ready. I consulted the 'Desert Survival Guide' published by the Order of the Teachings."

As he spoke, Wang Yan took out the items he had prepared from his bag one by one: sand-proof goggles, a heat-insulating cloak and water bag, dry food and emergency medicine...

Finally, Wang Yan carefully took out a long, rectangular object wrapped in cloth, revealing a delicate folding crossbow.

"I made this using mechanical techniques. The crossbow body is made of sturdy catalpa wood, and the crossbow string is made of composite animal sinew, which is commonly used by the gilded brigade."

He pointed to several fine lines engraved on the inside of the crossbow arm: "The wind element runes [Rapid Shot] and [Penetrating] are embedded here, powered by elemental fragments, which can accelerate the firing speed and penetration of the crossbow bolts."

Wang Yan handed the crossbow to Falushan: "Although its power is not as great as the moves of the Eye of God, it should be enough to deal with sand foxes, scorpions, or small monsters. The quiver can hold ten short arrows at a time, and it is rune-driven and can be automatically cocked."

Teyvat's Mechanics is an industry that is easy to learn but becomes increasingly expensive the deeper you go.

When you first start out, you can make some small things by whittling wood yourself.

But once you delve deeper, and get involved in genuine self-regulatory mechanisms or extraordinary skills, the money just keeps flowing like water, and you can't stop.

Take this crossbow for example. Even though he bought the parts through Kavi's channels, it still cost Wang Yan almost 10,000 Mora.

Ordinary crossbows aren't actually expensive. For example, the ones used by treasure hunters can be bought on the market for a few hundred Mora, and even the better ones only cost a few thousand Mora.

However, the one Wang Yan made used materials that could withstand elemental power, so it would be very expensive.

Erosham took the crossbow and carefully examined the rune markings. Approval flashed in her eyes: "The rune arrangement is very stable, and the activation structure is also simple... It seems that the basic mechanical arts I learned were not in vain."

She handed the crossbow back, a slight smile playing on her lips: "The equipment is quite comprehensive, but sometimes the troubles in the desert ruins can't be solved with just these things."

Wang Yan put away his belongings and smiled, "That's why I need to follow you, my mentor. When I really encounter a problem, I'll have to rely on your experience."

Eros snorted, turned around, picked up her bag, and walked towards the door: "Stop talking nonsense. We'll set off after the inspection. The beast is already waiting outside the city."

"Okay, mentor." Wang Yan slung his bag over his shoulder and locked the door for Falushan.

The two continued on their way and soon left Sumeru City.

At the city gate, a desert militia was waiting.

The team was small, with only about twenty people, but it had more than thirty pack animals.

Meanwhile, a gilded troupe was watching from the sidelines.

Wang Yan recognized the familiar figure at a glance.

"Dixia?" Wang Yan called out.

The Lion with the Mane, who was chatting with his teammates, heard a familiar voice, turned around, and saw that it was Wang Yan. He smiled and said, "Wang Yan... What a coincidence, it's you who's going to Aru Village with the caravan."

Wang Yan nodded: "It's me, and my mentor too. You two will be responsible for protection?"

“Yes, we got the mission from the 30-person group. It’s to escort the caravan from Aru Village back. You’re on the same route,” Dixia explained with a smile.

Wang Yan looked at the pack animal caravan again. It turned out that this caravan was a merchant caravan from Aru Village.

Turning his gaze away, Wang Yan introduced to Falushan, "Teacher, this is Dixia, my friend."

Erosan nodded slightly: "I know, the rose of the desert, the eyes of the eagle, the soul of the lion, the free daughter of the desert."

Dixia's face froze, a hint of embarrassment showing: "Senior Erosan actually knows these things."

Dixia and Erosan did not know each other, but they both hung out in Sumeru and had heard of each other's names to some extent.

Eros looked at Dixia and said, "You participated in the operation to save the Grass God, you're much more famous in Sumeru than I am, how does that song go again..."

Estelle recalled for a moment, then sang softly:

"Sing with me, sing with me, pick up your instrument and sing with me."

Sing of my sword, sing of my crossbow, sing of my tattered headscarf.

I'm not afraid of anyone getting angry, unless you piss off Dixia.

Oh Deishia, oh Deishia, beautiful and powerful Deishia, our treasure Deishia.

Wang Yan looked slightly surprised: "Teacher, you can sing too!"

Before Erosanne could answer, several members of the gilded troupe next to Desia joined in the singing:

"Flames blazed atop the sand dunes; at the command, who dared to stand in their way?"

Daughter of the desert, with a heart brighter than gold, she is the strongest in the storm.

No matter how many obstacles lie ahead, the sword's point is the direction.