My Demon Friends-Chapter 492 - 472 Leek_2

"The second point: breaking dormancy and promoting seed germination."

"It can induce the synthesis of α-amylase in the seed’s aleurone layer..."

"I remember when I was in college, after learning this, I planted peaches..."

"Boys all love to drink beer, and I love it too. No bragging, but I estimate my drinking capacity could knock down 80% of the male students in my class without a problem... I’ve also tried brewing my own beer... You guys here are all incredible... Anyway, let’s leave the idle chat there. Actually, this mechanism is also applied on the industrial beer production line..."

"..."

Zhou Li had now also learned to multitask, listening to the teacher and memorizing all this knowledge while chatting with Boss Xiong on WeChat on his phone.

His Little Cousin might have been his lucky star. She had just borrowed a thousand yuan from him when Boss Xiong immediately sent him a WeChat message, asking to buy a statue from him on behalf of an old friend.

Yes, asking to buy.

At an outrageously high price.

These bosses were even scared he wouldn’t sell, adopting such a deferential stance. Their words revealed a very obvious attitude: If the money isn’t enough, I can add more. As long as Master Zhou is willing to sell, I’ll agree to anything. If Master Zhou has any requests in the future, I will oblige without a second thought.

This indeed gave Zhou Li a new idea.

Yet he hesitated, unsure whether to agree, so he typed to Boss Xiong: I need to think it over first and discuss it with my friends as well.

Boss Xiong: It is indeed rather imposing of me to trouble Master Zhou repeatedly.

Zhou Li: emmmm...

He tugged at the corner of his mouth, unsure what to say.

Boss Xiong: In any case, I apologize for the disturbance.

Zhou Li: Not at all.

In fact, Zhou Li was considering, This is simply free money, and far too much of it; it doesn’t feel right to accept. Yet, for some reason, Boss Xiong always thought Zhou Li was making things difficult for him. Boss Xiong believed that creating such a Magic Artifact was an incredibly demanding task, possibly requiring harsh conditions, and that his ability to secure this statue was a great honor.

I really can’t understand the thoughts of the wealthy...

He put down his phone.

The female teacher on the podium had gradually drifted into rather esoteric topics. It was common for her to deviate from the textbook, and now she had even abandoned her PowerPoint presentation.

"It’s very popular to give flowers in our society: boys to girls to express affection, girls to boys to express affection, or on Valentine’s Day and the Qingming Festival to express emotions with flowers. Frankly, for us students from the Life Sciences Institute to still go out and buy flowers to give as gifts is really embarrassing. If we from the Institute are to give flowers, we should plant a pot ourselves. We should nurture it, pour our feelings into it, spare no effort, and then present it as a gift."

"How much you like someone will be reflected in the flowers. Whether the flowers bloom well or not directly shows whether you’ve put in the effort to care for them..."

"..."

Zhou Li felt embarrassed.

He caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye.

Brother Nan sat with his mouth agape, staring blankly at the teacher.

Meanwhile, Cotton Swab, Baozi, and others in the know had already turned their heads, casting teasing glances their way.

At that moment, the teacher began to teach everyone how to make a plant grow well and how to make a flower bloom beautifully. She explained how to care for them, how to prune, and which hormones and fertilizers to use. Zhou Li glanced around; the other students had already bowed their heads and were diligently taking notes.

Zhou Li paused for a moment and then hurriedly picked up his pen to write.

This is valuable information!

「In the afternoon.」

Zhou Li told Huai Xu about Boss Xiong’s proposition.

After hearing the price, Huai Xu was stunned. He also quickly sensed the business opportunity and immediately started calculating on his fingers: One for millions, ten for tens of millions, a hundred...

"I think it’s a bit too expensive. The Celestial Master Department has already been established, and in the future, there will be more and more Gifted Ones." Zhou Li gently interrupted Huai Xu’s daydream. "The Carving Technique isn’t some highly sophisticated Spell. It doesn’t require a very high skill level to make a statue that can calm people. Even Gifted Ones who are only now being discovered could make similar statues after just a year or two of learning."

"So what?" Huai Xu also frowned. "In the future, the prices of these little trinkets will definitely decrease, that’s certain. But what does that matter? That’s all in the future!"

"But by then, they’ll realize they’ve been ripped off," Zhou Li paused, "ripped off by me."

"It doesn’t matter; they’ll console themselves," Huai Xu disagreed. "They’ll consider themselves pioneers, the first to enjoy the conveniences that Spells bring to life, and thus feel proud."

"Like Tesla?"

"What Tesla?"

"Anyway, I don’t feel right accepting it." Zhou Li was somewhat troubled; he had nothing to hide from Huai Xu. "Besides, I’m not good at negotiating. Boss Xiong always contacts me. He’s a bit more reasonable, but his previous friend spent a considerable sum, and this time the offer is even higher. They still think... If I lower the price, perhaps some cherished belief of theirs will shatter."

"What’s there to feel uneasy about?" Huai Xu stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I understand what you mean, but have you considered that even if Heavenly Masters become commonplace in the future, the value of these crude statues you’re making now might not decrease? In fact, it might even appreciate."

"Ah?"

"Early works of the contemporary Master Ming would certainly be very valuable." Huai Xu pondered with his hand on his chin. "Especially after you die... You should make more for me to keep as mementos."

"emmm..."

The tightness in Zhou Li’s chest strangely seemed to ease considerably.

Then Huai Xu continued to fantasize, "Our immediate priority is to open up the market and establish sales channels! While Heavenly Masters aren’t yet swarming everywhere, let’s make a fortune. After all, these are mutually consensual transactions; even if the Celestial Master Department found out, they couldn’t say much!"

"Do we really need money that badly?"

"That’s true. In that case, let’s sell fewer! Otherwise, after you die, if your works flood the market, I won’t be able to get a good price for them either."

"..."

A moment later, Zhou Li sat on the sofa and pulled out his phone.

Zhou Li: What style do you want?

Boss Xiong: Thank you so much! I’ll thank Master Zhou properly on behalf of my friend... My daughter mentioned a character called Hello Kitty that she says is very cute. I was wondering if Master Zhou could make something like that?

Zhou Li: Possible.

Boss Xiong: Thank you very much!

Zhou Li: It will be shipped in half a month. Thanks for your support.

Actually, his carving skills and his proficiency with the Carving Technique had improved significantly. It wouldn’t take him long to carve such a smooth-surfaced cartoon figure with few details. Even adding the Spell component wouldn’t take half a month. He just felt that, Perhaps this way, the buyer will feel a bit better.

Almost immediately after Zhou Li sent the message, Boss Xiong transferred the money.

A model buyer.

Looking at the numbers that had suddenly increased in his account, Zhou Li couldn’t help but think of a certain electric car brand.

An old friend of Old Zhou, with whom he was on good terms, had bought an electric car from that brand. He had spent over a million yuan and ordered it from abroad. After a long wait, he finally received the car just in time for the New Year. When everyone gathered, this friend bragged extensively at the dinner table about how good the car was. He highlighted all its advantages and proclaimed that the era of electric cars was imminent.

Of course, it wasn’t necessarily that he was wrong.

It was just his tone—as if he had personally and profoundly participated in this revolution, placing himself at the vanguard of the era, utterly superior—while the rest of them hadn’t even realized this new age had dawned, making them all just unsophisticated bumpkins.

What happened later is common knowledge.

Old Zhou could be mean. Last year during the New Year, he deliberately pretended he also wanted to buy an electric car and asked that friend about his. Before Old Zhou asked, the friend was all smiles, but the question ruined his entire New Year.

Truly mean.

Thinking that his future customers might face a similar predicament, Zhou Li felt a pang of guilt.

With a heavy heart, he began to carve. With a heavy heart, he set out to earn a large sum.

He heard Huai Xu’s voice nearby: "By the way, isn’t it almost a year since you got your driver’s license?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean we can go to Qingjiang then?" Huai Xu had been looking forward to this for a long time. As his memories gradually awakened, fragments concerning Qingjiang kept surfacing in his mind. Humans, after all, are creatures who enjoy chasing memories. "I’ll take you to eat roasted lamb leg."

"We’ll see during the winter break."

"What’s there to see?"

"There’s the pandemic to consider, the holiday schedule, and Qingjiang is also quite far away," Zhou Li said. "But anyway, I’ll go with you."

"That’s settled then."