Star of the Sea, Port 5.
Sitting on the dock, with the boundless sea in front of him, Li Zhi reclined on a lounge chair, leisurely enjoying the moment. A parasol and various fresh tropical fruits, both familiar and unfamiliar, were placed beside him.
Yi Qiu Shuang lightly pinched the other person's shoulder, with an indeterminate number of eye rolls behind his back. This guy knows how to enjoy himself. He comes and goes as he pleases, disappears for ten days or half a month, and then starts to fuss around, making me do this and that, as if I were his slave.
"Put in some effort." "Did you not have a proper breakfast this morning?"
Li Zhi looked at the vast sea in front of him, feeling that the sea here seemed much larger than the sea in the real world. It was definitely larger. The planet Star of the Sea is hundreds of times larger than Earth, with over 97% of its surface covered by the ocean. However, the actual size differs from what the eyes perceive.
Whether in the real world or the virtual world, the size of the scenery observed by the eyes remains constant because the range of vision is limited. The concept of "large" is merely a suggestion of the imagination.
Returning to the factory world map, ten days had already passed.
As of now, at Port 5, Li Zhi has established three main fish ball processing factories. With the increase in supply, the costs of raw materials and manual transportation have decreased. Now, each "Primary Fish Ball Processing Factory" could generate approximately in net profit per day.
The net profit of the three factories was essentially maintained at around 1.5 million US dollars per day.
Li Zhi was contemplating a dilemma: whether to expand the construction of primary fish ball processing factories extensively or to conserve funds to establish an "Intermediate Fish Ball Manufacturing Factory" directly. The price of an intermediate factory was ten times that of a primary factory, totaling 32 million in costs. Although the construction cost had increased tenfold, the output had not increased by the same proportion.
The primary fish ball factory could process and produce 60,000 catties of fish balls per day, while the secondary factory could only produce 300,000 catties per day, representing a fivefold increase. However, the labor and costs had increased tenfold.
According to this calculation, constructing an "Intermediate Fish Ball Manufacturing Factory" was certainly not as cost-effective as the "Primary Fish Ball Manufacturing Factory."
However, there was another issue. In terms of land occupation, a primary fish ball factory occupied 25 acres, while an intermediate fish ball factory occupied approximately 100 acres, which is four times the land area of a primary fish ball factory. However, it could increase production by five times and was more convenient for unified management. If multiple primary factories were built, it would be a management challenge to have a "factory manager" for each one.
Having several hundred or thousand factory managers coming to discuss and solve problems with you would be quite a sight.
Two fish ball factories, one primary and one intermediate, are in need of a factory manager. In this calculation, it was definitely more cost-effective to start an "Intermediate Factory."
If he wanted to save money to establish an "Intermediate Fish Ball Manufacturing Factory," he would have to wait for at least twenty days. If he wanted to establish a "Primary Fish Ball Manufacturing Factory," it would only take a little over two days.
Should he establish primary factories or intermediate ones?
"Qiu Shuang, what do you think we should do next in terms of development?" Li Zhi asked the "Little Master" who was massaging his shoulders.
Without hesitation, Yi Qiu Shuang replied, "Build 'Primary Factories.'" With ten primary factories, you can earn over five million dollars per day. If there are twenty primary factories, you can accumulate the capital needed for an intermediate factory in three days. In twenty days, you will have enough to establish twenty primary factories. At that time, you can consider whether to establish an "Intermediate Factory."
At every stage of development, there is a need for an initial period of accumulation, which is often the most painful. If you can endure this time, many things will become simpler. That's why people say that the rich will become richer, and if the poor do not seek change, they will remain in poverty. "Because money begets money!"
Capital is never static; it flows like water.
"Build primary factories?" Li Zhi repeated Yi Qiu Shuang's words.
Yi Qiu Shuang nodded confidently and said, "Yes, we should build primary factories." In the short term, we can only establish primary fish ball manufacturing factories.
"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Li Zhi nodded and, reaching out, pinched Yi Qiu Shuang's buttocks, saying with a smile, "From now on, you will be promoted to the position of Secretary of the Board of Directors, Special Assistant Executive Officer, with a monthly salary." Bonuses and dividends will be based on your performance.
Initially, Yi Qiu Shuang was not happy about being taken advantage of by Li Zhi, but when she heard his next words, she held back her complaints. She thought to herself that she had been taken advantage of before, so there was no need to argue about power and money.
"Furthermore, from now on, you will be directly responsible for the company's expansion at the port." As long as there is money, we will build factories directly. Let's set a target for now. How about thirty "Primary Fish Ball Manufacturing Factories"? Li Zhi pondered.
Yi Qiu Shuang's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, but she swiftly hid it. Who doesn't like the feeling of power? With control comes money.
Not to mention the great power Li Zhi had given her, even if she couldn't gain any benefits from it, her social status would rise significantly. Even if she were to leave this "colorful" boss in the future, she would still be able to find a good job.
To become someone else's pawn, one must first make others recognize their value. A person without value will not be used as a pawn because they serve no purpose.
Up to now, Li Zhi had always believed that this was a so-called game world. With money, he could freely explore maps and develop as he pleased. The only advantage was that the money earned in the "factory world" could be directly used in the real world.
Although it might be suspected of money laundering, if it couldn't be used in the real world, it could be spent in the "Interstellar Trade Alliance." In any case, this money was not "dead"; it could be used in both worlds.
As the first "Little Master" in his hands, Li Zhi had to nurture her. If her level were to rise, it would be equivalent to creating a "superb hero," which could be as effective as one of Li Zhi's avatars. The potential impact was immeasurable!
Up to now, he had never doubted that the "factory world" was no different from the real world. It was a tangible reality, and the inhabitants of this world possessed flesh, blood, and souls.
An outstanding talent is like a shining diamond, admired by those who appreciate it and coveted by others.
Of course, the current "Little Master" had not yet been cultivated to that extent, but he always acted carefree and self-righteous in the "factory world." Someday, he would surely pay the price for his actions.
"Any questions?" Li Zhi looked at her with a half-smile.
Yi Qiu Shuang blushed and shook her head with a serious expression, saying, "None!"
"Very well!" Li Zhi patted her on the buttocks again, put on his sunglasses, and walked toward the beach.
Yi Qiu Shuang felt her face burning and glared fiercely at his back before quickly catching up with him.
"Are they all here for vacation?" Li Zhi asked softly. There were more than just the two of them on the beach; it was quite lively with a crowd of people.
Yi Qiu Shuang nodded, "Yes, two-thirds of the economic resources of Port 5 come from the port and commercial income." For the residents of the inner island, it is uncommon to catch sight of the sea, and some individuals with lower economic means have never laid eyes on the sea throughout their entire lives.
"So, are the tourism resources of Port 5 also a significant source of income?" Li Zhi continued.
"You could say that!"
Li Zhi nodded without asking any further questions. For now, it is more important to focus on steadily making money. The pressure of 15 billion US dollars in a year weighed on him like a heavy stone on his chest, and he would never feel comfortable until he lifted that burden.
"By the way, can you rent fishing boats at the port?" Li Zhi suddenly thought of something and stopped to look at Yi Qiu Shuang.
"Fishing boats?" Does the boss want to go fishing at sea? If you want to have fun, you can rent a yacht. Compared to fishing boats, yachts are more entertaining. Fishing boats can be monotonous, and there's not much enjoyment on them.
Li Zhi shook his head and said, "I don't want to play. I want to rent a fishing boat to go fishing at sea!"
"You can." As long as you have money, there's hardly anything you can't do at the port. Not to mention renting a fishing boat, if the boss offers a high enough price, you can even rent a large industrial fishing vessel. The boss can even move two production lines onto a large industrial fishing vessel, catching, processing, and transporting fish all at once.
"Is it a large industrial fishing vessel?" Li Zhi's eyes lit up. This thing was amazing, like a mobile production warehouse. It could catch fish, process them on the ship, and even find a transport ship for supplies to continue operating at sea, functioning like a mobile offshore factory.
"How big are the large industrial fishing vessels?"
"They are large, around tens of thousands of tons," Yi Qiu Shuang said with a look of disdain.
Li Zhi didn't notice her contemptuous look and almost exclaimed in surprise. Wow, tens of thousands of tons? How big must these industrial fishing vessels be? Are they on the same level as aircraft carriers in the real world?
"Not only are there large industrial fishing vessels, but there are also giant industrial fishing base ships." "These giant industrial fishing vessels start at a minimum of a million tons," Yi Qiu Shuang said with a smile.
Starting at a million tons? "That's like a small mountain!"
It seemed that he still didn't know enough about this world.