Chapter 1609: Universe City
Meng Chao said, “Now, the foundation under the nine mega corporations is, frankly speaking, still a tool to make money. In the eyes of ordinary citizens, what’s the difference between it and the corporations themselves?”
Shen Yuanbao asked, “Then what does the foundation you’re talking about do?”
“The foundation I’m thinking of mainly performs five major functions.”
Meng Chao counted his fingers and said, “First, it will be responsible for providing various kinds of support to the primary and secondary schools and pre-school education inst.i.tutions in Dragon City, including but not limited to providing training equipment, updating the campus environment, directly exporting teachers or improving the treatment of teachers, providing financial aid for poor students, and bearing the cost of nutritious lunches, and so on.”
Shen Yuanbao frowned and said, “There are already a lot of educational inst.i.tutions under the names of the nine mega corporations.”
“The educational inst.i.tutions under your names are either aristocratic schools that cater to the rich, or various training cla.s.ses that seek profit.”
Meng Chao replied, “In my opinion, although the aristocratic schools and training cla.s.ses are not like monstrous existences, if you want to truly defend Dragon City, you still have to rely on the thousands of students who graduate from the ordinary schools in the slums and old neighborhoods.
“Right now, many people of insight in Dragon City are calling for an improvement in the quality of education in the ordinary schools so that every child has an opportunity to awaken their extraordinary power. However, they are suffering from insufficient funds and resources.
“If the nine mega corporations can establish an education foundation and play a role in this regard, they will certainly be welcomed and supported by most of the ordinary citizens. They will also be able to wash away the negative impact of the ‘underground black market’ to a certain extent.”
Shen Yuanbao was noncommittal. “Continue. What about the second one?”
…
“The second one is that this foundation can be used to find new people.”
Meng Chao said, “Many children of the humble cla.s.s have cultivated to the age of seventeen or eighteen, and they are already beginning to show their prowess. However, because they don’t have the guidance of a master teacher and sufficient cultivation resources, they are always lacking when it comes to the last step. Otherwise, they would be like me back in the day. I practiced blindly and trained until I was possessed. I was seriously injured, and after lying in bed for several months, my future was almost ruined.
“I think that if there is a foundation that can specifically find and help such new people, help them through the darkness before dawn, and help them successfully embark on the road of transcendence, not only will Dragon City’s overall combat ability become stronger, but you will also receive these new people’s grat.i.tude. Naturally, with the opportunity to recruit them and serve under your own command, wouldn’t that be a win-win situation?”
That suggestion was very suitable for Shen Yuanbao.
In fact, he had recruited so many foster children in the past. It was the same as what Meng Chao had talked about: “Discovering, supporting, and absorbing new blood.”
Although there were the Shen Chengyi and Shen Chengxiu brothers among his foster children, they were traitors.
Nevertheless, Shen Yuanbao had to admit that if his foster children had not fought and helped Universe Corporation survive its most difficult moment, the Shen family would have been finished long ago with just his biological children, who were still wet behind the ears at that time.
“That’s not a big problem.”
Shen Yuanbao said, “What else?”
“Also, I think that this foundation can bear part of the infrastructure construction, such as building bridges and roads, schools and hospitals in the Other World, or even building brand-new cities from scratch.”
Meng Chao said, “Don’t misunderstand. I know that a lot of infrastructure construction is profitable, but I’m referring to those relatively remote and poor places. If we invest in them, it’s likely that we won’t be able to make a return for thirty to fifty years, or even more than ahundred years.”
“I won’t be able to make a return in a hundred years?”
Shen Yuanbao could not help but laugh. “Then what’s in it for me?”
“A name!” Meng Chao said matter-of-factly.
“Senior Shen, it would be wonderful if the foundation under your name is really willing to build a bridge, pave a road, build a hospital, and open a school in a remote village in the depths of the Other World. That would bring the friendship of the Earth’s people to the poor natives of the Other World, helping them to leave poverty and become rich, and taking the initiative to join the big family of Earth’s civilization!”
Shen Yuanbao said, “I look like a good person who eats a vegetarian diet and prays to Buddha. Can you convince me with just a few words to give my life’s hard work to an idiot from the Other World to build a bridge and pave a road?”
“Then, what if we add in the naming rights for these infrastructure facilities?”
Meng Chao said, “Think about it. Hospitals, schools, bridges, and even cities named after Senior Shen or Universe Corporation would rise up in the Other World. Countless future sages, mages, and great swordsmen would graduate from Yuanbao Primary School, Yuanbao Middle School, and Yuanbao University. They would even live in a super metropolis named Universal City, which combines the dual characteristics of Earth’s civilization and the Other World civilization, maximizing runic machinery and spirit technology as if it was the arrival of the future.
“Even if you die one day, your bones will be turned into mud. That mud will be burned into ashes, and the ashes will be scattered into the air. The great achievements of your fierce battle against the monsters in the past will be buried in the dust of history and replaced by new heroes and legends. However, Yuanbao University and Universe City would still exist. Together with Dragon City, they could turn into shining stars that symbolize the fire of Earth’s civilization and live on in a brand-new world.
“Isn’t that much better than simply leaving a large sum of money to the descendants of a mega corporation that is suffering from the disease of a being large company?”
“Universe City…”
Shen Yuanbao fell into deep thought.
The proposal had obviously occupied his mind.
“Why do we need to establish a foundation?”
Shen Yuanbao narrowed his eyes. “With Universe Corporation’s power, we have built a city that belongs to us outside of Monster Mountain Range!”
“Indeed. I admit that you have done that.”
Meng Chao said, “However, such a city that is completely controlled by Universe Corporation is destined to not be supported by all the citizens of Dragon City. It is also destined to not be supported by thousands of superhumans from poor families. It is even likely that there will be friction and fierce conflicts with the cities that the other eight mega corporations have built separately and the independent kingdoms that are like prisons.
“Moreover, such a city that was born to pursue profit is not destined to take care of the Other World natives’ interests. It will only resort to desperate means to exploit the natives, inciting their hatred and welcoming their counterattack.
“In the end, when the natives of the Other World decide to attack together, the city where ‘interests are above everything else’ will be filled with a bunch of people who only care about profit. How can they find thousands of people who are willing to defend it to the death?”