Above Destiny

Chapter 667 It might not even be a person.

Not 180, not 998, but 18888!

The currency is Federal Reserve, and the unit is ten thousand.

This does not include consumption tax, and I don't plan to pay it.

In short, you're buying this and you'll lose out; you're buying this and you'll be scammed.

Just half a month after the Lou family and the Tong family had been working on both sides, the joint workshop formed by Ji Jue and Lou Feng finally officially opened its sales business in the Taiyi Ring Association, Tianping Chamber of Commerce and Huangji.

The 【Sundial】series is now officially on sale!

Among them, the most prestigious, highest-end, and most exquisite craftsman-signed edition is limited to one hundred pieces, with a price tag of 48.88 million.

So, a week has passed, how are the sales?

Hilarious! Aside from the shills they hired, nobody watches this!
The next-tier premium collector's edition only sold about forty units, most of which were purchased by artisans and merchants within the association at their own expense for research...

Compared to these two models that clearly look like they're sharpening their knives to kill their enemies, the simple and robust upgraded version of the 488 is actually the most popular.

It has all the features that the entry-level model lacks, and it also has the features that the high-end version has, only slightly less.

Not only does it possess an exceptionally keen detection and perception capability that represents the pinnacle of cost-effectiveness compared to similar high-quality products, allowing it to monitor the corruption index of the environment at any time and assess the wearer's health, but it also retains an additional reserve of spiritual energy sufficient to summon Chosen Ones of a higher rank in times of crisis...

Ji Jue even spent a lot of money to cooperate with Wujie Communications. Now, when you buy a sundial, you get three months of automatic alarm service as a gift.

Once the wearer's physiological and spiritual indicators are detected to have fallen below safe limits, the system can automatically trigger and dial the safety number set by the wearer for immediate rescue.

By this point in most advertisements, people would already understand who Ji Jue's target audience is...

That's right, they're still the same old brothers from the wilderness, the garbage collectors far from the city, and even the monsters and freaks who have been active in the chaotic areas outside the city for a long time after leaving the central city.

And... a huge number of newbie white deer in Baibang!
"Sales are excellent, Mr. Ji, better than expected!"

In the phone call from Bishop Long, the old man was unusually cheerful, his hoarse voice full of lightness: "Most of the products you consigned in the church have already been shipped, but... are you sure you want to donate all the proceeds to the church?"
I'm sorry, I originally thought you were referring to profits, and that the accounts were already in place. However, when I spoke with Mr. Gou, it seemed he didn't intend to do so.

"Yes, that's what I mean."

Ji Jue looked down at the ledger and slowly said, "All revenue from the products sold on consignment by the church belongs to the church. We will guarantee the supply of products, but in terms of quantity, we will give priority to other cooperative channels. Please understand."

Elder Longge remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

"That's too much, Mr. Ji... that's already too much."

"Inayat told me that the church has recently been recruiting workers to expand the welfare home?"

Ji Jue said calmly, "In that case, let's treat it as an agreement between Coastal Industry and the church welfare home. This money will be used to provide them with food and education, but the children who are sponsored must ensure their academic performance. In addition, after graduation, they must sign a ten-year work agreement with Coastal Industry. How about that?"
I paid the church to train qualified workers for me; it's a clean transaction, neither party owes the other anything. The same thing happened in Haizhou. Elder Deng has already signed the contract; I'll need your stamp later, and then the matter will be settled.”

"..."

Elder Long paused for a moment, then sincerely remarked, "Sometimes I often feel that you don't seem like a craftsman."

"Craftsmen can occasionally have a long-term vision."

"Then let's do it your way."

Elder Long laughed: "Although it is an old tune, please allow me, on behalf of the church, to thank you for your kindness."

"Okay, I'll take it."

Ji Jue smiled and hung up the phone.

Seeing Lou Feng standing next to him as if he had seen a ghost, he looked at him in disbelief, as if he had witnessed a blond-haired man becoming a monk or a sow reforming herself.

"No matter who you are, don't get off Ji Jue!"

Although Lou Feng was already aware of Ji Jue's actions, he still couldn't quite accept seeing this scoundrel's compassionate demeanor. "You scoundrel, you actually do good deeds?"

Ji Jue sighed helplessly and glanced at him.

It's like looking at a big, idiotic fool drooling at the village entrance.

"How much investment would the church have to make to sell a few dozen defective products?" Ji Jue leaned forward and asked solemnly, "Conversely, if the Chongguang Church says something is good, would you suspect it has ulterior motives?"

"..."

Lou Feng was speechless for a moment, staring in disbelief.

He was genuinely shocked, but after Ji Jue revealed this true color, he felt a sense of entitlement.

I knew it! How could the sun possibly rise in the west?
"You're a real piece of shit, Ji Jue!"

To exploit even the Chongguang Church for such a paltry sum of money, this is no ordinary beast!
"I'll take that as a compliment." Ji Jue continued flipping through the ledgers calmly: "But some people, after doing so many heinous things, are worse than animals."

Lou Feng shook his head.

This is something only Ji Jue could do...

For most people, let alone selling through the church, even getting inside and meeting an elder is a pipe dream. Of all the people worldwide who donate large sums to the church, how many, regardless of their intentions, can truly be considered good people based solely on their actions and traces? How many of them would receive a medal for good deeds?

How many people can truly be like Ji Jue, with more than three elders vouching for him, the church endorsing him, and advertising for him?
less.

Too little!
So much so that every time Lou Feng looked at this bastard, he felt a contradictory feeling of his brain and cerebral system fighting each other.

All I can say is that he's a beast, but he's actually quite good when things are going well.

Unfortunately, he's just a beast...

It's somewhat good.

This is something you can't think about too much; the more you think about it, the sharper it will become.

When do you plan to make your move?

Lou Feng pressed further, "Our colleagues are waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves."

"No rush, just wait."

Ji Jue grinned, completely unconcerned: "Anyway, I won't be the one who gets laughed at in the end."

"You, surnamed Ji—"

Lou Feng has hardened his fist!
It didn't sell as well as expected, but the storefront wasn't deserted either.

If we only consider the sales of the sundial series watches, they have been quite popular in the association recently. However, if we take into account the identities of the two individuals involved, the situation becomes somewhat dismal.

All the current sales figures can only be described as... expected.

Most of it is personal connections.

The security bureaus of Chaocheng and Yacheng received 1,000 yuan from Ji Jue, and Chen Xingzhou generously bought 1,000 yuan worth of support, which he then listed on the desert market to sell slowly.

The garbage collectors in the desolate wilderness of Haizhou had very interesting expressions when they heard about the new gadgets on the coast and discovered it was a watch. The reason they're called garbage collectors is because... the vast majority are still scavenging. Within this group, the wealthy are ultimately a minority; after all, truly chosen ones who become garbage collectors are few and far between.

Many settlement leaders and chosen ones bought one or two upgraded versions out of respect for the coast, thinking that Factory Manager Ji was petty and that buying a couple was just a protection fee.

After buying it, I felt that this thing was really good. It was easy to use, and I occasionally sold some products, which brought in a little revenue.

All of this is income that I should rightfully receive.

Even if Ji Jue were to sell toilets or chamber pots, let alone watches, everyone would still come to support and patronize him.

However, if we disregard the identities of Ji Jue and Lou Feng, the sales figures can only be described as mediocre, not particularly impressive.

Naturally, before the market fully opens up, this improved product can only be gradually upgraded and pursue long-term sales.

Or they might simply throw money at the problem, expand their scale, and create financial games, while the product itself becomes a minor detail.

Unfortunately, Ji Jue didn't like either of them.

Ji Jue is waiting.

We're waiting for the sundial series watches to truly gain a reputation among users, waiting for the scale to expand to the predetermined level, waiting for the opportunity... while our competitors are already in an uproar.

The field of detecting and analyzing the spiritual qualities of individuals is not particularly large. In the early years, everyone was caught up in each other's struggles and could not do anything to each other. They coexisted peacefully for so many years, until suddenly Ji Jue entered the fray.

Everyone felt that the man surnamed Ji had gone mad!

But after they actually bought Ji Jue's products to reverse engineer them, they realized that they didn't know if Ji Jue was crazy or not, but they were really going crazy!

From the moment the sundial was disassembled, everyone knew that they wouldn't be able to survive in the future...

In the Southern City of the Federation, inside the Vision Workshop, a slightly aged craftsman was already drenched in sweat as he looked at the parts on the table.

No matter how you disassemble it, no matter how you look at it, no matter how brute force or ingenious methods you use, to break through the outer layer of protection on the movement and get to the heart of the matter...

They couldn't understand the above techniques and procedures, and they didn't even understand the principles. Apart from some traces left by fluid alchemy and the Lou family's spiritual essence refining, it was completely incomprehensible!

And it even seems quite reasonable!

After all, life thrives over time!

Even a stone, if you wear it close to your body for more than ten years, will acquire a little bit of spirituality, and may even become a malevolent object that harms its owner or a treasure that protects its owner.

Over the years, spiritual essence and obsession will inevitably remain on something, thus giving rise to spirituality.

So, you're going to tell me that suddenly, overnight, thousands upon thousands of watches inexplicably gained spirituality and intelligence, and then inexplicably fell into the hands of that scoundrel surnamed Ji, who then used them to create artifacts and started mass-producing and selling them?

No, bro, why should I?!

Why can't I ever have such good things happen to me?!

After actually seeing the shipment volume from the coast, it's hard to believe it's all natural; you'd be a bit naive. Even if it's not exaggerated to tens of thousands, the methodical and orderly manner shows no sign of production capacity being at its limit!

To be fair, Ji Jue's products were somewhat overpriced.

Even with monitoring of personal spiritual qualities and their improvement, analysis of external corruption indices, and the integration of additional spiritual quality reserves, 4.88 million is still too expensive.

From this perspective, if it really comes down to a price war, our competitors are absolutely not afraid!

But the key question is... do you really dare to fight?

Ignoring Ji Jue's background and the Lou family's power, just look at this pile of junk on the table, family members...

"Really? Not a single blessing?!"

The old craftsman's pupils contracted repeatedly as he stared intently at the movement, almost to the point of strabismus, his breathing rapid.

No matter how many times I look at it, I can't find any clues.

Absolutely no blessing whatsoever!
From a traditional standard perspective, this creation cannot be considered a blessed creation at all; in the association's evaluation criteria, it wouldn't even be rated as a B grade!
But the association's assessment results today are A+!

I almost got to S!
The seven masters on the judging panel all gave it the highest score they were allowed, precisely because there was absolutely no blessing in it!

The jury was lavish in their praise, even to the point of exaggeration: "A perfect fusion of materiality and spirituality, a legendary re-enactment of fluid alchemy, an excellent integration of theory and skill. The jury looks forward to the two craftsmen submitting their related papers soon."

A creation without any blessings, simply through the fusion of its physical and spiritual aspects, achieves an effect that is almost divinely perfect.

The inseparable connection and complementary concepts truly turned the rotten into the miraculous, a manifestation of the essence of alchemy.

It's almost like a dream that an ordinary mechanical watch could reach such a level under the guidance of spiritual inspiration.

The key point is that this thing not only received no blessing, but it was also mass-produced!
It was nothing more than showing off, flexing its muscles to all its peers in the association—did you see your dad's masterful fluid alchemy?
Did you see Father's additions and improvements to fluid alchemy?!

And even...did you see Father's golden ribbon, which was practically a given?!
In this kind of thing, laymen just watch the show, while experts see the intricacies. Whether it's good or bad is up to the users, but how exaggerated the technical content is is something only those in the same industry can understand.

For the craftsmen who accidentally ended up on the same track, it was a nightmare!

I can't understand why such a work exists.

I simply cannot understand how anyone could be so beastly!
—You bastard, you didn't put in any substance at all!

Although the effects are about the same for everyone, you don't even offer a blessing, yet you dare to sell it for so much money. Who the hell gave you the courage?
cost?

Even disregarding the cost of the spiritual essence you cultivate, how many broken movement cores mass-produced on your factory's assembly line could possibly be worth eighteen yuan?
You're willing to sell it for such a high price, but you can't even afford to add a tourbillon!
Four million eight hundred thousand for just a watch and a seed of spirituality, and you expect people to say it's awesome and thank you? Why don't you just rob someone?!

Less than a month after its official release, the association had already called Ji Jue.

His tone was not harsh at all; it was extremely polite.

"Mr. Ji, I believe you have already received the association's notification in your email."

Recently, our supervision department received over seventy complaint letters, all all alleging that you engaged in malicious competition, disrupted the market, violated association guidelines, and interfered with pricing.

"Well, I see."

Ji Jue nodded indifferently, too lazy to offer any further explanation: "So what if you report me? Have I violated any association rules?"

"..."

On the other end, an association staff member sighed helplessly: "Strictly speaking, alchemical creations that do not use rare materials and do not possess the power to bestow blessings cannot be priced so high."

"But I remember that the category I applied for wasn't alchemical creation, but rather the modification of antiques and rare items, right?"

Ji Jue gave Lou Feng, who had stood up beside him, an OK sign, signaling him to calm down: "According to the association's regulations, it is permissible for the price of modified creations to increase by about 20% to 50% based on the craftsmanship."

"..."

In the long silence, there was the sound of pages turning on the other end, followed by a faint "Holy crap!", then another sound of pages turning, and then two more "Holy crap!"s.

Listen to the rustling of the grass!
He let out occasional sighs of admiration, and finally, with a profound and respectful sigh, said, "That is indeed the case, Mr. Ji."

It means, you bastard, you really know how to exploit loopholes!
And you actually managed to drill through it...

Is it still possible to drill through?

Before buying the OEM manufacturer, Ji Jue had Chen Xingzhou bid for the brand himself at the auction in Huangji, which drove up the price of this lousy brand.

Anyway, there are very few of these things left in existence. Most of them are rotting in warehouses and are left for Ji Jue to modify. This is perfect!

If you calculate the prices of different models at the auction and compare them with the prices of various series of sundials today, the increase is exactly at 40%!

Not more, not less, not even a dollar more. I didn't even have to act; I just took advantage of the loophole. So what?
Why don't you guys plug this loophole and see who's cursing the most then? Let's see if it's me or the council who ends up rolling up their sleeves and fighting.

After searching for a while, and having to acknowledge the legitimacy of Ji Jue's pricing, the staff member kindly reminded them: "This situation, although it is like this... however, the association also has exceptions."

If the whistleblower manages to gather enough experts to file charges against the association, the association is legally obligated to hold an inquiry meeting.

"Okay, I get it now."

Ji Jue yawned: "Then let's do it. I'll wait for when it's ready."

Are we really going to fight?!

The staff member felt a chill run down his spine and perked up. Judging from this look, this guy was probably already prepared to fight and tear each other apart.
As expected of Ye Xian's student, he's anything but easy to deal with!

So that's where you were waiting?
Something bad is probably going to happen!

But what does it matter to him, no matter how big the matter is? He's just a lowly employee in an administrative position who doesn't even know alchemy and earns a meager salary every day. Why is he worrying about the chairman's business?
The main purpose of this call was to represent the association and resolve the issue tactfully before the conflict erupted.

But since Ji Jue is already prepared to fight, what are we waiting for?
Let's just watch the show!
I want to see a river of blood!
"The preparation time for the inquiry meeting usually takes about half a month." The staff member's spirits instantly lifted, filled with anticipation: "The specific time will be notified to you separately by the supervision department, and I will also..."

"no need."

Ji Jue was amused and didn't care at all.

Before hanging up the phone, he left only his last words.

"I'll admit defeat if the inquiry meeting can even be held."

(End of this chapter)