“Is there really such a mastermind?” Yang Hao chuckled. “Even if there is, I doubt they’d come help me in my little shop. I’m broke and have no influence. Who would offer to help me out?”
“This is exactly your problem,” Zhuge Jian waved his goose-feather fan. Dressed in black formal attire, he looked rather ridiculous fanning himself. “However, there might not be a mastermind, but there’s still hope.”
“Who then?” Yang Hao slumped back behind the counter, sighing. There were no customers anyway, so he continued chatting lazily with the old man.
“He is far away, yet right in front of you…”
“Far away…” Yang Hao suddenly realized. “You mean yourself?”
“Precisely!” Zhuge Jian tapped his own nose with the fan. “With the wisdom of Zhuge Kongming, who else could it be but me?”
Yang Hao burst into laughter, not caring about appearances anymore. “Come on, old man. Looking at you, you don’t seem to be doing that well yourself. How can you call yourself a talent?”
Although Zhuge Jian looked decent enough, anyone could tell he was far from rich. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken some of those aphrodisiac pills home for free yesterday instead of buying them.
Although slightly embarrassed by Yang Hao’s blunt remark, Zhuge Jian, with decades of experience in ignoring embarrassment, remained unfazed. “You’re right, my current situation is indeed not much better than yours. But this is just a case of unrecognized talent. It’s been like this since ancient times…”
“People usually only go unrecognized for a few decades. But you’re already seventy. Even if opportunity knocks, it won’t be for you anymore,” Yang Hao bluntly replied, his mood already sour.
“Young man, that’s not how it should be said. In ancient myths, Jiang Ziya became a prime minister at eighty and helped King Wen overthrow the Shang dynasty. I’m still quite young, you know.”
“Whatever,” Yang Hao shook his head, clearly unconvinced.
“Hahahaha!” Zhuge Jian didn’t seem discouraged at all by Yang Hao’s refusal. Instead, he threw his head back in a hearty laugh. His beard fluttered with the force, giving him a surprisingly scholarly air. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me, young man, but I assure you, I’m not someone who gains reputation without merit.”
“So what?” Yang Hao was startled by his wolf-like laughter.
“Today, I shall do for you what Zhuge Liang did for Liu Bei—the ‘Longzhong Plan!'” Zhuge Jian smiled, stroking his beard.
“The ‘Longzhong Plan’?” Yang Hao stuck out his tongue. “You mean making couplets?”
“In the Three Kingdoms era,” Zhuge Jian explained, “Liu Bei visited Zhuge Liang three times, and Zhuge Liang presented him with the ‘Longzhong Plan,’ which laid the foundation for the division of the empire into three kingdoms and the rise of Liu Bei’s Shu Han. It was Zhuge Liang’s first major strategy upon leaving his mountain retreat. Today, I, Zhuge Jian, shall follow in my ancestor’s footsteps and analyze the grand trends of the world for you…”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Yang Hao interrupted. “Zhuge Liang analyzed the grand trends of the world, but I’m just selling aphrodisiacs. What does that have to do with the world?”
“Everything! It has everything to do with it!” Zhuge Jian emphasized. “Aphrodisiacs not only affect your own life but are also crucial for the prosperity of the entire world.”
“Crucial?” Yang Hao glanced around the empty shop, not even a mosquito in sight. “I don’t see how it’s that important.”
Zhuge Jian suddenly stood up, pointing out the window at the bustling street. “Since the unification of the Galaxy Empire, the people have been consuming synthetic food. These foods contain strong genetically modified components. Although there were no immediate problems, after generations of evolution, male sexual ability has been gradually declining.”
Yang Hao’s eyes widened. He had once overheard traveling merchants and an ambassador discussing this secretly, believing it to be a major secret. Yet Zhuge Jian somehow knew about it too.
Zhuge Jian continued, “If male sexual ability continues to decline, women’s dissatisfaction will accumulate, creating instability in the world. Therefore, recently, various star systems have been actively seeking sources of aphrodisiacs to counteract this trend. In such favorable circumstances, young man, do you still think aphrodisiacs are unimportant?”
“Well, according to you, they do seem pretty important,” Yang Hao scratched his head, feeling dizzy. “But I don’t really understand what you mean by ’empire’ and ‘star systems.’ Can you speak in terms I can understand? How do I actually sell these aphrodisiacs?”
“This requires analyzing the market in Raymon Star,” Zhuge Jian raised his little finger. “Raymon Star is just a small planet in this star system, mostly agricultural areas where farmers can’t afford medicine. The real purchasing power lies in the capital city of Raymon Star.”
He tapped his foot on the ground to emphasize that this very spot was in the capital.
Yang Hao, being clever, quickly caught on. “So you’re saying, if I can get everyone in the capital to buy my aphrodisiacs, I’ll basically control the entire Raymon Star market?”
“Precisely. Once you establish yourself in Raymon Star, you can expand to other planets in the star system…” Zhuge Jian had a tendency to elevate the discussion to grand strategic levels.
“Wait, wait,” Yang Hao interrupted again, trying to bring the conversation back down to earth. “Let’s just focus on how to capture the capital city’s market first. Right now, everyone there only trusts ‘MillionSex.'”
“You’re right,” Zhuge Jian nodded. “Do you know the background of ‘MillionSex?'”
“It’s an aphrodisiac shop run by an imperial merchant, and it seems to have some connection with the imperial senate,” Yang Hao recalled the conversation he had overheard between the ambassador and the merchant. “They sell chemically synthesized aphrodisiacs.”
Zhuge Jian’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly impressed. “I didn’t expect you, who knows nothing about business, to actually gather intelligence. Indeed, ‘MillionSex’ has become a galaxy-wide chain of aphrodisiac specialty stores with strong backing. Almost everyone in the capital only trusts this brand.”
“Then we’re doomed. Let’s just close down…” X13 popped out of nowhere.
Seeing X13 only made Yang Hao angrier. He grabbed a broom and hurled it at the robot, who easily caught it and sulked away to clean the floor.
Yang Hao shook his head. “Mr. Zhuge, how can we possibly compete with ‘MillionSex?'”
Hearing Yang Hao address him respectfully as “Mr. Zhuge,” Zhuge Jian beamed with pride. He stroked his beard and said slowly, “Although ‘MillionSex’ has money and power, it also has its own weaknesses.”
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