Chapter 387: What If I Can’t Pay Back?
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Qingfeng would not go against Bai Wutong’s words. She carefully put away the pearl. “Thank you for the gift, Great Empress.”
Bai Wutong smiled and picked up the pearl to look at it under the sunlight.
The pearls reflected a colorful l.u.s.ter in the bright sunlight. They were exquisite and smooth without any impurities.
This meant that the seawater and light here were very suitable for cultivating pearls.
It would take years to nurture a beautiful big pearl.
First, they had to choose an adult clam of one to one year old and use minimally invasive surgery to transplant the thin cell slices or pearl cores into the clam. Then, they had to place the clam that cultivated pearls into a net cage and hang it in the water to raise it. Two years later, they could open the clam and retrieve the pearls.
This cultivation method could form a sustainable supply of pearls.
In this world, there was no way to raise pearls. The price of pearls had always been high and they were one of the indispensable jewelry for women.
If they could cultivate pearls and form a pearl industry chain, the profits would be quite considerable.
Apart from seawater pearls, freshwater pearls could also be cultivated like this.
The natural pearl color was unpredictable, but pearls could be nurtured by transplanting cell fragments or adding various elements to the water to form pearls, thereby nurturing colorful pearls that would never fade in color.
In addition to jewelry, there were various uses for pearls. They could be b.u.t.tons on clothes, decorations on clothes, additives in food, and so on. Every use could earn a huge profit.
Moreover, pearls were a symbol of beauty. When the beautiful reputation of the southern frontier producing pearls spread, many customers would come because of it. Even if the Ling Kingdom was unwilling to interact with them, Bai Wutong would still think of a way to sell the products to the other side of the sea.
A country’s economic prosperity was the symbol of prosperity.
All Duo knew where pearls were in this sea like the back of her hand. Her people were also good at swimming. It must be a good choice for them to bring the others to artificially cultivate pearls.
Bai Wutong looked at the smiling All Duo. “I know a way to cultivate pearls. 1 wonder if you’re willing to try it with your clansmen?”
Although there were many troublesome things to do to become the Great Empress and she had pitifully little personal time, there was a huge benefit. There was no need to explain any reason to everyone. They could help her imagine everything in her mind.
Those who could not figure it out would also feel that she was blessed by the heavens and was the incarnation of a True Dragon, that she was omnipotent.
Even though they were suspicious, they did not dare to question the emperor’s authority.
All Duo’s eyes widened. “Away to cultivate pearls? Can pearls be cultivated too?”
For thousands of years, everyone had thought that pearls were rare raw gems. Whether they could be found depended entirely on luck. Not to mention All Duo, even Yang Quanzi, who had traveled through the state, had never heard of pearls being cultivated.
Bai Wutong smiled confidently. “Of course.”
“Compared to entering the workshop, 1 think cultivating pearls is more suitable for your tribe. You can earn two sets of income while farming and cultivating pearls.”
All Duo’s clansmen were used to being unrestrained in the wilderness. Even though they could endure working in the workshop, they still yearned for freedom.
All Duo’s eyes lit up. “How? How long will it take to harvest the pearls?”
Bai Wutong smiled and said, “About four or five years.”
All Duo’s smile froze. She asked in disbelief, “That long? This is too long.”
By the time they harvested the pearls, the cauliflower would have turned cold.
Bai Wutong said, “If we don’t cultivate pearls and everyone goes to fish for pearls, do you think you can still get such beautiful pearls often in the future?”
Pearls were valuable. Even if they did not buy them, women liked them very much. Their husbands would try their best to get one or two for them.
Seeing that All Duo and the others had gone into the sea to get some pearls, many of them who were good at swimming secretly followed them into the water and really got some pearls.
Everyone was extremely envious. Recently, there had been a lot of people learning to swim by the sea so that they could have the chance to go into the sea to fish for pearls.
As soon as Bai Wutong said this, All Duo’s expression froze.
That’s right. Now that so many people were fishing for pearls, they would definitely not be able to get many pearls in the future.
All Duo said, “But four or five years is too long.”
Bai Wutong smiled and said, “The big pearls take four to five years. It’s quite a long time. It will take a shorter time to nurture the small pearls. You usually just have to guard the net cage and feed the pearl clams. While farming, you can wait for the pearls to grow. When the pearls are harvested, you don’t have to worry about not being able to sell them for a good price.”
“After all, everyone knows that pearls are filled with treasures.”
All Duo thought for a moment. “Then what’s the difference between the pearls cultivated and the pearls growing in the sea? What about the yield? What if the clams all die if the cultivation is not successful? Or what if the pearls don’t form at all after four or five years? And you have to spend money to cultivate pearls, right?”
They went up the mountain to hunt and sell to everyone, and had earned some money. However, everyone still wanted to use this money to buy big houses and beautiful furniture.
All Duo looked simple-minded, but she had a plan in her heart. She asked Bai Wutong a series of questions in one go, and every question was the main point.
Bai Wutong answered patiently, “Compared to wild pearls, sea clams containing cultivated pearls are fed by people. They absorb good nutrition. With good sunlight, they can grow larger and more beautiful pearls. There will also be more colorful pearls.”
“If we raise them according to the right method, with normal climate and water temperature, there won’t be a large number of pearl clams dying.”
“If you’re afraid of the risk, you can choose not to cultivate it.”
“Of course, if you want to cultivate it, the Imperial Court will definitely support the development of the pearl products and subsidize you with some funds. You can choose to raise the remaining amount yourself or borrow it from the Imperial Court. When the pearl clams can be sold, you can return the money to the Imperial Court.”
Hearing this, All Duo immediately asked in disbelief, “You can borrow money from the Imperial Court?”
Bai Wutong had already planned to build an official bank. She smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll loan you the money in advance. However, you have to repay the money monthly. The amount of interest is very small. If you have extra money on hand, you can also repay the money first. Then, there’s no need to repay the interest.”
The modern bank loan project was strict. Bai Wutong was personally guiding them to raise clams, so it was completely like using a sack to store money.
It surprised All Duo that she still needed to repay the interest. “Then what if we can’t repay it?”
Bai Wutong smiled and said, “There are still many solutions. If because of personal reasons, you are not able to repay the debt, naturally, you will be punished accordingly. If you mortgage your house or land, your personal records will also be affected and your future rights and interests will be restricted.”
When All Duo heard that borrowing money was such a huge risk, she immediately cowered. “It’s too scary!”
Bai Wutong smiled and said, “If you can cultivate the pearls, not only can you repay the amount, but you can also earn a lot of money. You can do whatever you want and buy whatever you want. Moreover, I guarantee that with my method, I can definitely let you grow big pearls.”
“Of course, you can also cultivate pearls without borrowing money. The cost of cultivating them is not high. The silver you save from hunting in the mountains can probably raise a small area of pearl clams.”
The money saved from hunting was to be used to buy a house. Ah Duo was hesitant, but the idea drawn by Bai Wutong was too tempting. She gritted her teeth and said, “Great Empress, let me go back and discuss it with the priest..”