Chapter 232: Why Not Raise the Stakes
Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Tennesh
Since he had already pulled in one person, Woo Tianhao believed that, in no time, he would be able to rope in a second, a third, or maybe even more.
As for Huo Yi and the others of Wai base, of course they fully approved of Woo Tianhao’s thinking. Pulling more people over would be better. When the time came, some methods could be employed to raise the popularity, and chances for the research base being approved would be higher.
The reason the top brass continuously rejected the notion of a research base was probably due to the slower development rate of planet Wai. There was not much human traffic and the operational costs were high. Furthermore, no large corporations had established themselves here, and places with experimental plots were not just limited to planet Wai. Since there were better choices, there was no need to choose planet Wai.
There was a limited quota for bases, so Huo Yi needed to hurry and declare it as soon as possible. Thus, he had made it more convenient for Fang Zhao and Woo Tianhao. Communication rules were also relaxed, but they still had to be in line with regulations.
With the help of Huo Yi, Woo Tianhao refined his list of who to contact. Roping in a few others would decrease the risk. If there was no human traffic here and they were unable to generate enough discussion, throwing that much money in would not even be able to create a ripple.
While the collaboration was still in the discussion stage, Woo Tianhao did not want to let others know about it. Therefore, during his live broadcasts, he avoided people and filmed on a nearby mountain. When he was doing his live broadcasts, he carefully made his pick of the nearby mountains.
But however much he tried to hide it, Woo Tianhao could not conceal his high spirits from finally roping in a collaborator.
Nearly all of S4’s audience were Woo Tianhao fans and understood him well. When they saw how happy Woo Tianhao was today, they all had their own opinions.
“Do you guys feel that Tianhao seems to be smiling a lot today?”
“I see it too. Perhaps something good happened?”
“Fooling around with a nurse again?”
“That wouldn’t give him such a reaction. I wonder what he encountered?”
Woo Tianhao was oblivious to these viewers online discussions about him. Even if he knew, he would not care. Now, a large proportion of his thoughts were on building the dojo.
After the live broadcast ended, Woo Tianhao stood on the mountaintop and surveyed the horizon.
“That mountain… that one, and that one, as well as that one over there, I… want them all.” Woo Tianhao sighed. It was a pity he had only so much funds available.
Woo Tianhao turned his head and spoke to a bodyguard behind him. “Take note of these few mountains first.”
The bodyguard went blank for a moment. ” All of them?” He thought Woo Tianhao wanted to purchase all of these, but how much would that cost?
“Note down all of them. Never mind, pass me the map. I will do it myself.” Woo Tianhao took the map and started to mark the areas. From among these places, he would choose the best mountain to construct his dojo. As for the rest, he would recommended them to other people he was close to.
At another location, there were also a bunch of people following Fang Zhao around as he took a look at places.
A breeder familiar with the terrain introduced the surrounding conditions to Fang Zhao and, at the same time, kept an eye on the tiger-eared monkey that was still holding on to Fang Zhao’s legs.
With an extra burden on his thighs, he had walked such a long distance without feeling out of sorts. This youngster was rather strange.
“What do you wish to build here? This area is not suitable for constructing skyscrapers with more than a hundred floors. I’m not saying that it is entirely impossible, just that… living here is not necessarily comfortable,” the breeder said.
“It wouldn’t be that high,” Fang Zhao replied.
“Then what do you wish to construct here?”
“An old city street.”
From Fang Zhao’s memory, in his previous life before the Period of Destruction, his old house had been in an area rich with history and culture. There had been a marketplace and many interweaving roads. Although ancient, every year, lots of people had been attracted to the place for tourism. Later, when he had gone to the capital for work, the thing that had left the greatest impression had been that large palace.
The stockman understood Fang Zhao’s intentions rather quickly. “Rebuilding historical sites?” Actually, this sort of idea was not just limited to Fang Zhao. Many youngsters loved to purchase land and construct manors like the aristocrats of the Old Era. It had the same intention and a sense of nostalgia, and it was something people of the New Era found rather flashy.
“There are too many building styles in the Old Era. Different time periods had different styles…” Fang Zhao explained to them different time periods of the Old Era and the special buildings of those different places.
Ancient city gates, markets, and streets that transcended space and time with thousands of years of history. People of the New Era did not understand much about those times and how resplendent each and every period had been.
Unknowingly, everyone accompanying Fang Zhao held their breaths as they listened to Fang Zhao describe scenes that only appeared in documentaries or movies. Even Woo Tianhao, who had concluded his live broadcast and come down the mountains, also slowed his place and listened attentively to Fang Zhao’s descriptions.
Nowadays, the only things left of architecture from different time periods of the Old Era were models, photographs, or emulations in virtual worlds. In reality, there were only a few similar replicas, but the scale was too small compared to the originals, and they were not as stunning.
If Fang Zhao really constructed this sort of place…
The people of planet Wai would have it good.
When they had free time, they could form groups to tour this place and relax a little.
The stockman had told Fang Zhao to build the sort of ancient castles and pastures that younger people would be into, where they could enjoy riding horses on the vast lands. However, when he listened to Fang Zhao’s accounts, he understood that Fang Zhao had a far greater plan.
“All that you have mentioned, even if we only choose and construct one building a week according to how it should be, is still a large undertaking,” a Wai base colonel said. He meant to remind Fang Zhao that although land here was cheap, constructing buildings required quite a bit of money. If there were too many buildings or the buildings were large, the combined costs would amount to an enormous sum.
“Then lets take it slowly,” Fang Zhao replied in a relaxed tone.
“When you think about it, it is actually a nice place, one where you can come over when you get older and retire. The atmosphere at this place is really suitable for retirees,” the stockman said.
However, Woo Tianhao did not take kindly to those words.
Retirement? What retirement? He still wished to open a dojo here! The concept was obviously youthful energy; why did that guy make it sound so lethargic?
Woo Tianhao snorted. “I don’t intend to purchase this land as a retirement plan!”
The stockman and people from Wai base looked suspiciously at Woo Tianhao. Construction at this sort of place, if not for retirement, then is it for reselling? Can it even be sold?
“It’s a dream! Understand?” Woo Tianhao shook his head when he realized these bunch of people had no way of understanding. He didn’t wish to talk to this bunch of salted fish. Salted fish without dreams would never understand what was going on in his mind.
The stockmen and Wai base personnel really could not come to terms with Woo Tianhao’s thoughts. They felt that these people were foolish, that they had too much money and too few outlets for spending. But for planet Wai, this was a good thing, and they would not oppose it.
Woo Tianhao drew a large circle on the map. The land Fang Zhao had chosen and the mountain he had picked were encompassed inside.
“The area has to be enclosed. City walls?” Woo Tianhao asked Fang Zhao.
“City walls will be constructed around the exterior, but current technology still has to be used for defensive measures,” Fang Zhao replied.
“Definitely.”
Fang Zhao’s eyes glanced at the tiger-eared monkey still hugging his thigh, and he asked the breeders. “Where are they raised?”
“There is a park district not too far from here built specifically for raising these sorts of lab animals. However, the park district needs refurbishing. Otherwise, these lab animals will keep escaping.” The breeder’s expression was pained. “Unfortunately, we just don’t have the funds. Besides feeding the animals, every day we are busy chasing these escaped animals. Simple-minded ones are still easy to manage, but when it comes to the more intelligent creatures, we really have our work cut out for us.”
These two breeders felt that it was only because of their temperaments that they been selected to tend to these animals. If they had been anybody less patient, they would surely have found excuses to secretly kill off these animals that loved to “prison break.”
Fang Zhao continued to question them. “Have experiments for them been concluded?”
“For the majority of them, yes. In the past, we captured a few of this planet’s wild animals and brought them to the labs to study. When the soldiers from the base might be scratched or bitten and contract viruses, there is a need to use these methods to find a cure. Thus, animal testing on these creatures was necessary.”
The breeder continued explaining, “Now, those animals in the park district have already gone through experiments and tests and basically would not pose any danger to humans. They also do not carry any untreatable viruses. However, it is best not to consume them. Of course, if you really do want to eat them, it is not entire impossible, but they might be hazardous. After all, they grew up in the laboratory. The food they consumed when young was all experimental foodstuffs. Now that the experiments are finished, they have switched over to their current food, but their bodies might have traces of medical drugs. If you really want to eat one, perhaps it is better to capture some wild ones. However, after capturing them, it is best to bring them to relevant parties for some testing first. You people are not from Wai base and have not had many vaccines administered, so there might be some risks if you eat without supervision.”
Possibly from hearing the breeders talking about eating them, that tiger-eared monkey started screeching again.
However, this time, Woo Tianhao did not grumble about the ear-splitting screeches from the tiger-eared monkey. It was as if he completely paid no attention to the shrieks, simply continuing to stare at the map in his hands, his brows scrunched up.
“Fang Zhao, I suddenly have an idea,” Woo Tianhao said.
“Let’s hear it.”
“I feel that our stakes aren’t high enough. Since this chance is so hard to come by, how about we find a few more people and collaborate to make the territory even bigger. Just like how you mentioned the special architecture of different eras and different continents, if everyone contributes a little, wouldn’t we be able to build it up? If we want to take a gamble, why not raise the stakes!”
The breeders and soldiers of Wai base could not understand Woo Tianhao’s reasoning. You can jump straight into a hole alone, why do you have to drag more people with you?
However, Fang Zhao could immediately understand what Woo Tianhao meant. Laughing, he said, “In the Old Era, some film companies and movie-making firms created large-scale indoor and outdoor sets that were comprehensive. To achieve the most benefits, certain places also incorporated sightseeing tours besides just using them for filming. A place where art and commerce harmonize perfectly: a film studio complex!”
“That’s right!”
Full of fiery passion and complex thoughts, Woo Tianhao stared at the map. At the start, he had not had such big plans. All he had wanted was to purchase some land to build a dojo to fulfill his dream of many years. But after listening to Fang Zhao talk about all that, he changed his mind. Since he was prepared to rope in more people for an investment, why not have bigger plans! With this, he had the confidence to pull in a few more people!
They would bring to life historic sites and cultures that had perished during the Period of Destruction, and not just in virtual reality. Not just table-top models but actual life-size architecture that could be felt and touched would, after thousands of years, reappear at a place outside their home planet!
That… would be a feast for the senses!
