Chapter 612: Buying A Research Center (3)
Su Yu went straight to the point and said, "I'll take a look at the research center. If it fits my requirements, I might consider buying it. I do have Prefect Zhu's support, but I prefer some things to be truly mine. That is the only way I can get true freedom.
"Let us do a little calculation. You now owe multiple outsiders a total of 220,000 merit points. You have used the faculty as collateral for a loan of 100,000 merit points. The students will require 30,000 merit points for the semester. In total, you need 350,000 merit points to solve everything. If your research center meets my requirements, I am willing to buy it for 450,000 merit points."
Su Yu smiled, "That's not a small sum of money. With that much money, I can easily buy a top-condition research center anywhere I want."
"You're taking advantage of my situation!" Hu Xiansheng was furious, "Don't even think about buying my research center for so cheap! I have three great formations installed in the research center. All three are Sunmoon formations. They can block the prying and attack of Sunmoons, and one of them can even be used offensively. Just these formations are worth 150,000 merit points!
"My research center is also not an ordinary building. The floors were built with yellow iron, capable of withstanding even the attacks of Cloudbreaches! Some of the labs in the research center are top-tier in quality. I even have a Spatial Cutting Room! All these things are more valuable than money! If I take them apart and sell them separately, I can easily get hundreds of thousands of merit points!"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Sure. Do that, then."
"You—"
Hu Xiansheng asked, "Didn't you say that you have no money?"
"I can take a loan." Su Yu said, "If that doesn't work, I can sell some of my stuff as well. Or I can even look for the Xia Family and sell them the full rights to my Acupoint Fusion Art. In our previous deal, I was promised one merit point per copy sold. Just because I don't have any money now doesn't mean that I can't get any."
Hu Xiansheng glared at Su Yu gloomily and said, "You're too greedy. How can you buy everything with only 350,000 merit points? If I sell at that price, wouldn’t I be left with nothing after repaying my debts? I will get nothing for so many years of hard work!"
He felt miserable.
Su Yu said, "Faculty Head, that's better than being forced to hide in your room because of your debts, right? It's not like I'm going to steal your research results. You can take all the data regarding your research away. Perhaps you will succeed if you restart the research after gaining more strength and money."
In short, Su Yu only wanted the research center. He had asked Manager Xie about it before and he had to admit that Hu Xiansheng was truly generous in terms of spending money. That research center of his was so sturdy that it could resist the invasion of Sunmoons for a very long time.
And as Hu Xiansheng said, the machinery and other facilities in the research center were also top-notch. For example, the Spatial Cutting Room will require at least 700,000 merit points to construct. It allows one to cut space apart, touching upon a domain normally exclusive to Invincibles. This research center was worth a lot more than the Wentan Research Center.
Su Yu couldn't understand why Bai Feng had decided to leave for Great Xia back then. Things were really pretty good in Great Ming. At the very least, the research facilities here were much better than what one could find in Great Xia.
Hu Xiansheng grumbled, "If I sell the research center to someone else, I can get at least 500,000 merit points."
Su Yu laughed, "You won't be able to find a buyer. The experts of Great Ming already have their own research centers. The weaklings don't have any, but they also can't afford it. To be honest, your research center is kind of pointless. It's too high-end. Unless you're researching some top secret subjects, you don't really need such a high-end research center."
Yeah.
Hu Xiansheng was feeling very helpless. Su Yu was spot on.
Those with the money didn't need his research center, while those who needed his research center did not have the money. And his research center was too high-end for many people. Who would be willing to spend so much money on a research center? Thus, it would be very hard for him to find a buyer.
"Won't you lose money buying the research center?"
Su Yu smiled and said, "It's fine. I focus on researching cultivation methods. I only need a single useful cultivation method to make a return on my capital and some profit on top."
"Are you talking about cultivation methods similar to the Acupoint Fusion Art?"
"Yeah."
"..."
Hu Xiansheng asked, "The Acupoint Fusion Art has already been produced. Don't tell me you're going to produce an aperture fusion art."
"It depends."
"Do you want me to invest in your research center?" Hu Xiansheng smiled awkwardly and offered, "I can use my research center as an investment. I only need sixty percent of the shares. If you disagree, we can even do a fifty-fifty split."
"No thanks."
"Come on, think about it. I can even do forty-sixty!"
Su Yu smiled and said, "Forget it. I'm not buying your research center anymore. I'll build my own research center."
"..."
Hu Xiansheng was feeling terrible. He was very reluctant to part with his research center. After thinking about it, he said, "I can sell it to you, but we need to add a clause. I am allowed to buy it back when I have the money."
"That is acceptable, but you can't do it within the first ten years." Su Yu said, "What am I to do if you decide to buy the research center right after I move in?"
"That...is acceptable."
That wasn't a long period. And it wasn't like he could earn much within only ten years.
Hu Xiansheng appeared very dispirited as he said, "I was here to get you as an investor, but I ended up selling my entire research center. If I end up dying after this, I would be too embarrassed to see those old friends of mine in the afterlife."
He had no choice but to sell the research center and end the research he had worked on for decades. That was his only choice. His research was too expensive and he hadn't made any progress in recent years.
He had thought that Su Yu would help him with money since they were both from the multiple character faction. But he had learned that he was too naive. That kid was incredibly shrewd.
And the kid even knew everything about the money he owed. Instead of him targeting the kid, it was the other way around. The kid had offered the exact amount of money for him to get out of debt.
He would be penniless after that. He couldn't even start a new research center anymore if he wanted to. After all, Great Ming had invested a lot in his research. Thus, it was unlikely that he would be able to get the Zhu Family's support for a new research center.
"Sigh."
Instantly, Hu Xiansheng turned into a bleak old man. Previously, it was obvious enough for Su Yu that this old man was pretending to be pitiful. But now, he could sense that the old man was really sad.
It was understandable. Back when the Wentan Research Center was on the verge of being shut down, Bai Feng had protested vehemently as well. Even after the academy stopped supporting them, Hong Tan had insisted on hunting at the Allheaven Battlefield for money just to keep the research center running.
Unfortunately, Faculty Head Hu might not have the strength to do the same thing. Even if he was strong enough to do so, it might not be enough as his research was clearly a lot more expensive. There was no way he could keep supporting his research.
After a short while, Hu Xiansheng said, "Su Yu, you're a student of the multiple character faction as well. You might come from Great Xia, but there aren't a lot of multiple character faction members left. We're all family. After starting your new research center, can you hire some of our students to do some odd jobs? Life is very difficult for us."
Su Yu smiled and said, "We'll see. If I need it, I'll do so."
He gave no promise. Just because they were all from the multiple character faction did not mean that they were family. Su Yu only cared about a few members of the faction, not the faction itself.
"Fine." Hu Xiansheng did not insist. He asked, "When do you want to see the research center?"
"After two days. You can move your stuff out first. You don't want me to confiscate all your stuff after I arrive, right? But you're not allowed to take out the core components of the research center. I wouldn't have bought your research center at such a high price without those things."
"Fine."
Hu Xiansheng was dejected. His research center was gone. In the future, that would be the Source Soul Research Center.
When Hu Xiansheng was about to leave, he recalled something. He said, "I almost forgot this. You're now a junior researcher, so you have your tasks. Even if you don't wish to accept students, you need to hold classes as well. What will you choose?"
Teaching? Su Yu blanked out. Was that something he needed to do?
"Got it. Thanks for the reminder, Faculty Head."
What could he even teach? He didn't know enough in terms of knowledge. In fact, some of the older students were better than him in that. But in some specific topics such as cultivation methods, Su Yu was basically a super expert who probably knew more than even a regular Cloudbreach.
If he had to, he would simply hold a class and talk about aperture opening. That much was enough. And he wouldn't even feel like he was teaching the students something useless with that.
Having received Su Yu's agreement, Hu Xiansheng left. Right before leaving, he deliberately let out a long sigh, hoping that Su Yu would stop him and claim that everything was a joke. Perhaps the kid would even give him hundreds of thousands of merit points as a gift. Alas, Su Yu could only disappoint him.
After Hu Xiansheng left, Su Yu smiled as he played with the little furball in his hand. "I'm quite lucky. That's a nice research center."
It could resist even the attack of Sunmoons. It was totally worth 350,000 merit points. Su Yu was quite happy that he could buy it himself. After all, he already owed the Zhu Family a lot for their help at the Starfall Mountain.