Kays Translations

Chapter 10: The Trend of the World

“Strategist?! Then do you know my identity?” Li Xian was a bit surprised. Could it really be that someone had proactively come to offer allegiance? Could this be what’s called ‘a display of dominance’? But what is a strategist?

Xu Ren smiled confidently, “If one is to offer allegiance, one must naturally understand the young master's identity. The young master Li Xian, son of the Censor-in-Chief, right?”

“Alright, I can accept your allegiance. However, I cannot make any promises at this time.”

“Although Young Master Li’s words may seem harsh, they are sincere. And Xu must make one thing clear: if I am unable to fully utilize my talents by staying beside Young Master Li, I will leave on my own.”

“I understand. I am going to visit the Brilliant Stars Trading Company now. You can wait at the Li residence first; here is my token.”

“No need.” Xu Ren refused Li Xian’s token, “I will stay by the young master’s side.”

“Very well.”

The group continued to walk slowly forward. However, Shangguan Yong finally couldn’t help but speak up, “Brother Xian, you haven’t said why the purchasing power of the small and affluent classes is the greatest? Shouldn’t it be the highest among the extremely wealthy and the extraordinarily rich?”

Li Xian smiled without speaking, turning to look at Xu Ren, implying—answer this question.

Becoming my strategist is not such a simple matter!

Without hesitation, Xu Ren responded, “This class of people is the largest! Rough estimates show that they make up almost one-twentieth of the entire population. In contrast, the truly wealthy and extraordinarily rich classes are extremely few, less than even one-thousandth.”

“I see.” Shangguan Yong and Yuan Zhao both understood suddenly.

Soon, the five of them arrived at the “Brilliant Stars” store, only to find the entrance somewhat crowded. Inside, it was packed with people, with no order at all and a cacophony of bargaining voices.

Some of the shop assistants and waiters nearby were also overwhelmed and in a state of panic. Facing these wealthy and influential customers, the waiters were clearly struggling.

“This store is a complete mess,” Li Xian said with a frown. He immediately found his equally flustered third uncle, Li Youwei.

Wuyang City is the imperial capital, filled with power and influence. Although Li Youwei was doing well, he was still somewhat overwhelmed.

“Uncle, this store cannot continue like this; otherwise, it will be trouble sooner or later.

I think we should do the following. Build a new three-story building: the first floor for items priced below 50 taels of silver, the second floor for items priced below 100 taels of silver, and the third floor for items priced above 100 taels of silver.

On the third floor, we should have dedicated reception staff and offer custom orders. We can provide blueprints and samples, but only blueprints and samples; no supervision or additional conditions.

Additionally, the third floor should include a few offices for accommodating bulk buyers and even wholesale merchants.

For bulk purchases, we can offer tiered pricing. For example, a 5% discount for purchases over 100 taels of gold, a 10% discount for purchases over 500 taels, an 12% discount for purchases over 1,000 taels, with a maximum of 15% off.

We don’t need to worry about the prices or services of the goods sold by wholesalers; that’s their business. As long as we provide excellent products and build a strong brand, wholesalers will come.

Moreover, we should allocate half of the space on the first and second floors for a tea lounge. Serve a cup of tea to every guest to minimize disputes.

All products must have clear prices; no bargaining allowed. However, we can add a lottery element to increase enjoyment.

All shop assistants must undergo training and wear standardized uniforms. However, uniforms for regular assistants, team leaders, managers, and guards should differ, but all must be friendly. Uniforms for the first, second, and third floors should also differ to provide employees with a clear progression path.

Try to include female shop assistants, but ensure they are not subjected to harassment.

Appropriately increase the salaries of shop assistants to boost their sense of honor and enthusiasm for their work. We aim to build a branded store, and the staff must have the confidence of a brand store.”

Over the next half day, Li Xian personally trained the staff, established new regulations, and reassessed product pricing. During this time, Xu Ren also showcased some skills, particularly in the specific etiquette regulations, such as what to say to different people and how to address them. The intricate arrangements left Li Xian deeply impressed.

In fact, Xu Ren was equally astonished by Li Xian. The business ideas and concepts Li Xian proposed had a greater impact on Xu Ren. It turned out that business could be done this way! The staff, upon hearing the new system, were so excited that they eagerly wanted to start training overnight and begin their roles the next day with increased salaries.

The most important thing was that Li Xian promised that those who performed well would be promoted to store managers! Store managers!

It wasn’t until evening that Li Xian, amidst the clamor of “Brother Xian” from his three younger brothers, bid them farewell and returned to the Li residence with Xu Ren. Upon returning, Li Xian first took Xu Ren to meet his father, Li Yulong, hoping that Li Yulong could help assess Xu Ren.

To Li Xian’s surprise, Li Yulong was quite pleased. It turned out that Xu Ren was not an unknown figure; he was somewhat well-known in the strategists’ circles of the Great Xia Kingdom. He was the chief strategist of Gao Bin, the Prefect of Songzhou and a third-rank official.

“Mr. Xu, I apologize for any offense,” Li Xian said, formally addressing Xu Ren and changing his manner of speech.

“Master Li has done the right thing,” Xu Ren said, showing no concern and even a hint of admiration. “If Master Li had not done this, it would have been a disappointment.”

“Then, I must dare to ask a few questions. Why did Mr. Xu leave the original Gao Bin to support me, a person of bad reputation?”

Xu Ren’s expression became serious. “Before answering that question, please allow me to ask one: do you know what a strategist is?”

“Please enlighten me.”

“It’s a long story.

Firstly, there are two major premises. The first is that for countless millennia, the celestial methods have been completely scattered among the people. Techniques that once were kept secret by numerous prestigious sects are now commonplace. Naturally, practitioners are everywhere.

The second premise is that resources are extremely scarce. Whether it is materials for forging or rare treasures for cultivation, they are in severe shortage. With practitioners everywhere, almost all cultivation resources have been exhausted.

It is said that tens of thousands of years ago, storage rings were standard equipment for foundation-building cultivators, but now even Nascent Soul cultivators might not have a storage ring.”

It is said that in the past, during the transition from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, there was a type of Foundation Establishment Pill to assist, but now it is even difficult to find materials from a hundred years ago.

It is said that in the past, every Qi Refinement practitioner had a magical artifact; but now even Foundation Establishment practitioners might not have a magical artifact.

It is said that in the past, cultivation was supported by a large amount of spirit stones and celestial stones. Now, only the lowest grade spirit stones are available, and celestial stones have long become a legend. Even the lowest grade spirit stones are rare to find in the Great Xia Kingdom.

Cultivation techniques are incredibly numerous, but resources are extremely scarce. This situation is worsening, leading to Qi Refinement practitioners being everywhere, few Foundation Establishment practitioners, Golden Core practitioners remaining as absolute experts, and Nascent Soul practitioners still being regarded as ancestors.

This is the basic situation today.

Having discussed the premises, let’s talk about the current situation.

Due to the scarcity of resources and the spread of cultivation techniques, the Celestial Domain, which used to be based on sects and families, has undergone changes. A large number of rogue cultivators have risen, and numerous forces have emerged. The result of these rising forces is the establishment of their own powers, and after many years of development, they have gradually formed the current situation, which consists of nations and central group states.

Nowadays, not only have rogue cultivators established their own nations, but even some of the former families and sects have also established their own countries, using national power to gather wealth and experts.

The Celestial Domain now has a known total of eighty-one states. In our own Yingzhou alone, the land stretches for over a million miles, with hundreds of large countries and countless small ones.

Does the young master have any questions about this?”

Li Xian laughed heartily, “What you said is very well explained and insightful. This is the first time I’ve received such a systematic understanding of the changes and current situation in the Celestial Domain. Please continue.”

Seeing Li Xian’s reaction, Xu Ren seemed particularly excited, “Then I will get to the main point.

Since the era of nations has been established, some things need to change.

For example, in the past, a sect or a family might have tens of thousands of members, and many had only a few hundred people, so there was no need for complex management. With one command from the sect leader, who would dare disobey?

However, the era of nations is different. Take our Great Xia Kingdom as an example: with a span of five thousand miles east to west and four thousand miles north to south, a population of over seventy million, and a complex web of various forces.

In the past sect era battles, it involved only a few sects and thousands of people; all the needed battle supplies were carried in storage rings.

In the era of nations, battles often involve hundreds of thousands of troops. The largest battle in the past thousand years was between Wei and Zhao, where both sides mobilized over ten million troops, more than twenty million laborers, eight million horses, and over thirty thousand craftsmen, with the battlefield spanning five hundred miles.

The total usage of weapons and armor amounted to over twenty million units, arrows exceeded three million bundles, grain and fodder amounted to over thirty-seven million stones, silver, gold, and jewels totaled eighty-seven million taels of silver, cloth reached five million rolls, and medicinal herbs amounted to 800,000 carts.

Young master, may I ask if such a situation can be managed with just a hundred or so people from a sect?”

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