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Chapter 725: Winds and Waves (1)

Qin Ye wanted nothing more than for these flames to spread across the entire Hell. After all, when the government had its mind set on one goal, there was no reason that it wouldn’t be able to achieve it.

7 February. 10 days before the New Year. It was also on this day that Hell’s Media Group launched a special edition of Hell’s Weekly with emboldened captions: Sea Trade in Full Swing! The Russian Flotilla Arrives! Hell Sets Foot Onto the International Arena!

“... Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Labour has issued a statement confirming that 22 companies have already expressed their intention to submit tenders for the use of the goods imported through sea trade. The Ministry of Labour expects the opening of the Ashmound Port to create approximately 50,000 jobs for all of Ashmound City. Moreover, Ashmound City will see a surge in materials of all sorts, ushering in a new state of abundance. All parties interested in submitting tenders should comply with the following…”

And that was just the headlines.

Everburn City, Qin Gardens. A group of middle-aged Yin spirits gathered around in a small room no larger than 90 square meters, standing around as they huddled close to a set of papers that were spread open on the table, “An auction? But one that auctions agreements and rights, rather than goods?”

“And the fulfilment of these agreements are to be assessed at a fixed time later on. Those who fail to meet the standards that they have committed to will be blacklisted by the government, and thereafter… banned from all commercial activity for a period of 20 years?” The Yin spirit located at the center of the group looked up abruptly with eyes that were gleaming brightly, “It’s a wager. The government is wagering with private enterprises and individuals. How fresh… Those who can earn the trust of the government right now will come out heads and shoulders above the rest of the competition and become industry leaders, while the losers would end up working for Hell’s government for free.”

“How committed is Hell in improving the consumer market? Are they going to plug the gaps between demand and supply more conscientiously moving forward?”

“Over the last two years, three policies were made to stoke the consumer market, but none were effective enough. This is the fourth policy, and the most promising one yet…” A plump-looking Yin spirit pursed his lips and quipped, “But why does Ashmound City get first dibs on everything? Isn’t Everburn City supposed to be the capital city?”

“Dare you make a wager with the government of Hell?”

There were entrepreneurs reacting from as far as Everburn City!

The night came and went, and it was soon the next day. Almost as though confirming their suspicions, another special edition of Hell’s Weekly was released again. Nobody expected consecutive releases of Hell’s Weekly. Sure, the first special release might have alerted the most perceptive of entrepreneurs, but the second special release, and on the very next day no less, was more than sufficient to stir the rest of the Yin spirits in Ashmound City to great interest. Everyone began to meet together to discuss the pros and cons of sea trade.

Meanwhile, another exciting piece of news was also announced on the 8 February special issue of Hell’s Weekly - the fact that 17th was going to mark the day of a shopping festival that would take place concurrently with the submission of tenders! It was a sale that would come straight from the docks to both cities of Hell!

Nobody had expected such taglines to appear on national papers, but the fact of the matter was that it did.

Material scarcity was a disease.

Was there anyone who didn’t want their rooms to look beautiful and vibrant?

Was there anyone who didn’t like travelling and sketching their surroundings in their free time? Was there anyone who didn’t want moments of peace and relaxation in the midst of their busy schedules?

Entrepreneurs only accounted for a small segment of the population. Therefore, Qin Ye knew that if the small flame was to spread into an undying inferno, then he would most certainly need something else that would cause the flame to spread to the hearts of all ordinary citizens. And the Great Sale naturally fit the bill perfectly.

On that day, 17 other companies were added to the register.

Although the registrations were supposed to close on 14 February, there were still a number of people who preferred to adopt the wait-and-see approach. Most of the Yin spirits were considering things such as: What do I do when these raw materials are used up? Can the Frontier Brigades or the Construction Corps discover new materials? How long will sea trade be open for? How many underworlds are we trading with? What’s the scale of our trade routes?

There were always those who rode the wind, and did their level best to catch the first glimpse of dawn. But most of the rest were content with riding the wave when it finally arrived.

Ashmound City and Everburn City were both connected, and Hell’s Media Group functioned as one unit across both cities. Even the monarch beasts were deployed to ensure that the papers hit both cities at the same time.

“Are we really going to have a celebration?!” Everyone could smell the eager anticipation in the air, and even the bluntest of entrepreneurs couldn’t help but grow anxious at the prospects of making a quick buck.

After all, how often was it that a weekly publication launched several special issues releasing news of the very same policy for several days in a row?

“It’s just sea trade! I’ve read the papers, and I don’t see Hell promising continuing sea trade in future! How many underworlds will trade with us? What are the specifications? How many tons of cargo are we talking about?!” A middle-aged man clutched his hair with both hands, “The first shipment might seem like a lot, but how sparse would they be when spread between two large cities? By my estimate, they’ll last a year at most! And then, what happens next?”

“That’s not the right thing to say.” A young Yin spirit in his thirties propped up his glasses, “Everyone, it’s time for us to head over to Ashmound City. No. Rather, we absolutely have to go right now! The companies that dare to launch right now would claim the lion’s share of the profits for themselves! These are the companies that will end up monopolizing the raw materials market!”

“No, it’s precisely because there are whales who are willing to make such wagers with Hell that we can stand up under their shelter and hope to get a bite of the crumbs that fall off the table!” The young Yin spirit responded, “Besides, we can always fight for the subcontracts. After all, even with their commitment, they wouldn’t dare hire a large number of people all at once. This means that they will definitely be outsourcing some work to the smaller companies around! We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of tons of materials! This is a business opportunity that simply cannot be missed!”

10 February. 31 companies had registered for the bidding of contracts by now. Leaders from all walks of life had slowly begun to appear, and the number of people gathered in Ashmound City increased day by day.

Dingxin Technology was a business that started out with high-precision equipment, before making its foray into the real estate industry, the heavy industry, and then several other aspects of the light industry. And this time, the resources he was targeting was none other than the steel substitutes, as well as the establishment and maintenance of operational assembly lines.

The Makino Group was known for their livestock. Their farms included seven fishing grounds along the coastal regions, and twelve livestock farms, amongst other agricultural land that they owned. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that they had a mark in most of the fresh produce in Cathay, including juice, yoghurt, dairy products, meats and so on and so forth.

The winds were churning.

And the clouds were slowly coming together, as though they were on the cusp of a massive superstorm!