boyutpedia Chapter 2: The Victorious Fighting Buddha's monthly salary is probably lower than that of a foo
Chapter 2: The Victorious Fighting Buddha's monthly salary is probably lower than that of a foo
When Lin Chen returned to Huaguo Mountain, it was just dawn.
That figure still crouches on the cliff! Clad in golden chainmail, his hairy hands clutching his phone, a look of utter despair on his face.
So this guy didn't sleep all night, he must be really worried.
Sun Wukong's ears twitched, but without turning around, he said in a deep, muffled voice, "So you really came."
"Great Sage, it's a promise, right?" Lin Chen patted his backpack. "I brought breakfast: soy milk, fried dough sticks, and two meat buns."
"I, Old Sun, don't eat vegetarian food."
"Pork and scallion filling."
Sun Wukong finally turned his head, his golden pupils scanning the room before he reached out his hand. Lin Chen handed him a meat bun, watching as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven took a bite, his lips smeared with oil.
The mighty Victorious Fighting Buddha is squatting on a broken cliff, gnawing on a meat bun.
Lin Chen resisted the urge to take out his phone to take a picture, afraid of being turned into a QR code by the Golden Cudgel.
"Speak," Sun Wukong swallowed the last bite, casually tossing away the oiled paper. The paper spun in mid-air before automatically flying into a distant trash can. "You say you have a way to get rid of my debts, and you'd better not be bragging."
Lin Chen found a clean rock nearby, sat down, opened his backpack, and took out a folder.
"Great Sage, let me ask you a few questions first."
Sun Wukong snorted, which was taken as agreement.
How many monkeys are there on Flower Fruit Mountain now?
"A little over 1200, I guess." His tone was a bit hesitant. "It wasn't originally this much, but with the resurgence of spiritual energy in recent years, there are more and more monkeys in the mountains, and some have even come from outside. I, Old Sun, can't just chase them all away."
Lin Chen nodded and wrote down the numbers on the paper.
How much is your monthly food allowance?
Sun Wukong fell silent. He traced lines on the stone with his finger.
After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "Including fruits, nuts, and the occasional honey as a treat... it's probably around eight or nine hundred thousand!"
"Every month?"
"Um."
How much is your monthly salary?
Sun Wukong fell silent.
Lin Chen, observing his expression, understood the situation and changed his question: "How much do you make a month now?"
"...100,000."
"One hundred thousand?!" Lin Chen almost lost his footing. "The Heavenly Court cut salaries? The Victorious Fighting Buddha, one hundred thousand a month? That's less than a food delivery driver's salary!"
The mountain rocks collapsed, flying debris, and a three-meter-long crack appeared in the ground.
"Five hundred years! Do you know how much money I, Old Sun, have saved in five hundred years? Not a single penny! It all went to feeding the monkeys! I can't even bear to buy new clothes; this chainmail is a five-hundred-year-old style! I've sold everything I could to feed these monkeys and their offspring! I'm almost selling my kidneys. Look at this yourself, 'I've borrowed from the Western Paradise, from the Heavenly Court,' I've borrowed from everyone I could!" As he spoke, Sun Wukong placed his phone in front of Lin Chen.
Lin Chen glanced at the screen subconsciously, and it was true.
He realized that this Great Sage Equaling Heaven, on the surface the Victorious Fighting Buddha, was actually a "Buddhist Moonlight Clan" whose moonlight was even more miserable than his, a mortal.
He at least owed money to the bank, while Sun Wukong owed money for the monkeys' meals every month.
"Great Sage, may I see your group chat?"
Sun Wukong paused for a moment, hesitated, but finally handed over the phone.
When the screen lit up, Lin Chen was almost blinded.
Group name: "Huaguoshan Monkey General Group (698 monkeys)", latest news—
"Great Sage, we're hungry." "Great Sage, where's the fruit for today?" "Great Sage, the monkeys on the next mountain have mangoes to eat, we can only gnaw on wild fruit. Are you out of money?" "Great Sage, answer us! We're not rushing you, we're just asking."
Lin Chen scrolled up and found an incredibly dense density of messages.
Every half hour, at least ten posts flood the screen. The theme is highly consistent: "hunger".
Meme: A monkey clutching its stomach and rolling around. Audio: All you hear are mournful monkey cries. @SunWukong, send a crying emoji.
Sun Wukong's replies were few and far between.
The most recent post, made at 2 AM, reads, "I'll buy you guys bananas tomorrow."
More than a hundred comments followed: "Long live the Great Sage!" "The Great Sage keeps his word!" "The Great Sage is the most handsome!"
Lin Chen looked at these messages, then glanced at Sun Wukong, who remained silent beside him.
The mighty Monkey King, being pestered for debt by his own monkey until 2 AM, didn't reply with "Stop nagging me, I have no money," but rather, "I'll buy you bananas tomorrow." It seems the Monkey King is a loyal and compassionate person; such a person would be suitable for doing business together.
"Great Sage," Lin Chen handed the phone back, his expression serious, "Shall we discuss the plan I mentioned yesterday in detail today?"
Sun Wukong took the phone, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "Go ahead."
"I'll develop Huaguo Mountain into a scenic area and operate it. You'll be the security director and chief experience officer, and we'll split the profits 50/50."
"Fifty-fifty?" Sun Wukong frowned. "Why should you get half of my territory?"
"Because operations require costs." Lin Chen opened the folder, pointing to the first page of the table. "The initial investment—infrastructure, roads, toilets, ticketing system, advertising and promotion, employee training—I'll cover those costs. What will you contribute? The land of Flower Fruit Mountain, the fame of the Monkey King, and your security capabilities."
He held up one finger: "Most importantly, I understand operations, you don't."
Sun Wukong opened his mouth, but didn't speak.
"I know you don't trust mortals," Lin Chen continued, "but do you have any other choice now? To keep letting the monkey chase after your debts? To keep putting in 800,000 every month, using up all your retirement savings? Look at this chainmail, it hasn't been changed in five hundred years. If you don't make money soon, you'll have to pawn it."
Sun Wukong suddenly looked at him, his eyes flashing with golden light.
Lin Chen felt a chill run down his spine, but he forced himself to finish saying, "Great Sage, a fixed salary can't fill this huge hole."
The mountain wind blew, and the forest rustled.
Several monkey calls came from afar, rising and falling, as if in response.
Sun Wukong fell silent.
Lin Chen thought he was going to refuse. He had already started planning that if Yang Jian didn't agree, they would try another god, like Erlang Shen. He had heard that Yang Jian's finances were not good recently, and he was reluctant to open his Heavenly Eye to save electricity!
This is absolutely a viable opportunity! All the major tourist attractions are now using real-life IPs! They attract huge crowds; a single successful IP can revitalize an entire attraction! We have one right here, and it's an immersive experience. If we let this chance to get rich slip by, we'll be struck by lightning!
"Tell me," Sun Wukong finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, "how do you plan to operate it?"
Lin Chen was secretly delighted, but he didn't show it on his face.
Take a deep breath and begin presenting the proposal.
"The first step is infrastructure construction: roads, toilets, ticket booths, and parking lots. I have connections, so I can control the costs."
Sun Wukong nodded.
"The second step is positioning. What's the biggest selling point of Huaguo Mountain? It's not the scenery, it's you, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong." Lin Chen looked at him seriously, "You are the most well-known IP in the entire Chinese mythology, bringing your own audience. If you promote the slogan 'Huaguo Mountain Water Curtain Cave, the Great Sage Equaling Heaven' immersive experience, tourists will automatically flock here."
"The third step is content. A scenic area can't just have scenery; it needs experiential activities. This includes opening the Water Curtain Cave to visitors, interactive monkey activities, immersive Journey to the West-themed experiences, a 72 Transformations role-playing game, riding the Somersault Cloud, and the Peach Banquet."
"The fourth step is monetization. Tickets, cultural and creative products, food and beverage, accommodation, and related merchandise. It's not about selling tickets, it's about building a brand."
Lin Chen spoke for twenty minutes straight.
He talked until his throat was dry, then opened a bottle of mineral water and drank half of it before looking up at Sun Wukong.
Sun Wukong's expression was somewhat blank.
He clearly didn't fully understand, but Lin Chen read a signal in his eyes, as if he had been persuaded.
"Um..." Sun Wukong hesitated for a long time before finally managing to utter, "How much do you want for all of this?"
Lin Chen paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Initial investment: five million."
"Five million?!" Sun Wukong's eyes widened in disbelief. "You have five million?"
"I don't."
Sun Wukong was stunned. "Then what the hell are you talking about?!"
"Although I haven't repaid the more than four million yuan I owe," Lin Chen said calmly, "that's a personal debt. I can register Huaguoshan Tourism Development Company to get a loan in the company's name. Plus, I can use this project to raise funds, or find investors. It's not difficult to find investors for such a good project!"
"What a tacky name! Besides, you already owe so much money, why are you borrowing more? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to pay it back?"
Lin Chen smiled, a very open and honest smile.
"Great Sage, do you believe it or not, once the Flower and Fruit Mountain scenic area is established, its annual revenue will be at least 100 million yuan."
"One hundred million?"
"A conservative estimate would be higher, not lower."
Sun Wukong fell silent.
She slowly stood up, turned her back to Lin Chen, and looked at the rolling hills of Huaguo Mountain.
"Lin Chen," he suddenly said, "aren't you afraid that I, Old Sun, will lie to you?"
"What did you lie to me about? Did you steal my money?"
Sun Wukong remained silent.
Lin Chen stood up and walked to his side: "What do I have to be fooled about? Money? If I were really fooled by you, at least it would mean the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain will have food to eat."
Sun Wukong turned his head, his golden eyes staring at him.
His gaze held scrutiny, suspicion, curiosity, and a hint of indescribable emotion.
"You mortal," he muttered, "you've got quite the nerve."
"Not very bold," Lin Chen laughed, "but full of ideas and quick-witted!"
Sun Wukong snorted, and the corners of his mouth seemed to curl up slightly.
I looked down at my phone and saw a new message pop up in the group chat.
"Great Sage, it's noon, we're hungry." "Great Sage, have you bought the bananas?" "Great Sage, you haven't paid your electricity bill yet."
Sun Wukong took a deep breath and put the phone back in his pocket.
"Okay," he said, "come back tomorrow and show me, Old Sun, the specific details of the plan."
Lin Chen was secretly delighted, but remained outwardly calm: "Okay, bring the complete plan tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
"Bring a computer," Sun Wukong suddenly said. "The Heavenly Court gave us a tablet, but we haven't learned how to use it yet."
Lin Chen: "..."
The Monkey King, using a tablet?
He suppressed a laugh and nodded, "No problem, I'll teach you."
Sun Wukong glanced at him again, turned around, and disappeared into the forest with a few leaps.
Lin Chen stood there, watching the disappearing figure, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Looking down at my hands, I saw that my palms were covered in sweat.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't nervous negotiating with the Monkey King.
But at least, the first step has been taken.
Lin Chen clenched his fist.
"Just you wait," he muttered to himself, "I'll turn this mountain into the most amazing scenic spot in the entire world someday."
I took out my phone and glanced at the bank's debt collection message: three million, due next month.
He glanced at the document in his hand again: the preliminary development plan for the Huaguoshan Scenic Area.
The combination of these two things is rather absurd.
An entrepreneur with five million in debt, and a Fighting Buddha who can barely afford bananas.
This is probably the poorest combination in the Three Realms.