novelhk Page 97
Page 97
“Yes.” Kaguya nodded slightly. “Any member can participate in this election for president, but they need to pay five billion yen as an entry fee.”
5 billion yen.
Converted to RMB, that's a little over 300 million.
This amount is still within an acceptable range for members of the Kengan Association.
If you don't have enough working capital, sell some assets or find a bank to mortgage them.
In short, there are many ways.
Since it's a competition to select the president, there's no intention to maliciously suppress the number of participants.
The purpose of this is simply to make representatives of some companies that lack strong competitiveness calm down and think carefully about whether it is worth spending 5 billion to be beaten up.
Are you saying we might not even be able to afford the entry fee?
Yato cast a surprised look at the girl.
"It's only 5 billion, of course we can come up with it! As a dark horse in the industry, 'argus' has plenty of liquid funds. Although it's far from 5 billion, we can easily raise the rest by taking out a bank mortgage loan. However... I don't think we need to do that."
"Indeed, doing so will seriously affect the normal operation of 'argus' and the research and development of new technologies, especially the latter, which is a money-burning project. Not to mention taking it out, it will probably have to continue to invest more funds in it before long."
"It seems you're not entirely without a sense of the bigger picture."
Kaguya said, her tone ambiguous, as if she were praising or mocking.
Yato seemed not to hear him and asked again, "Since 'argus' doesn't work, what about 'undermount'? Don't tell me that after all these days you've had those computers, you haven't gained anything."
"Unfortunately, it's the complete opposite of what you said. Because of the huge harvest, I'm even a little overeaten."
Kaguya said it seemingly casually.
"Oh?"
"These past few days I've been suppressing 'Undermount,' driving down its stock price, and then acquiring their assets at low prices. You could say that one-tenth of 'Undermount' is already in my hands. Not to mention, 'Undermount' has numerous secret financial accounts with a total value of hundreds of millions of US dollars; the 5 billion yen entry fee is nothing to them..."
"However, I don't think we'll need to use them."
Kaguya picked up her teacup, gazed at her own reflection in it, and spoke in a voice so rational it was almost cold, as if talking to herself:
"The Kengan Elimination Tournament will be a major reshuffle. Whether they can become new powerhouses, whether they can continue to consolidate their position, or even whether they can go further... all these questions will be answered in this battle. The 5 billion yen entrance fee may not be something every member can afford, but there are plenty of people outside the Kengan Association who are willing to spend that money."
"But first, they have to become members like us."
"...'Like us'?"
Yato raised an eyebrow, his smile gradually becoming more meaningful.
"It seems you understand what I mean."
Kaguya raised her head and looked directly into his eyes.
He had a half-smile on his face.
"It's just asking me to play the role of a harvester for a while."
Yato shrugged.
As he spoke, he stood up from the sofa.
"Ara, are you dissatisfied?" Kaguya took a sip of tea, keeping the cup in her hand, closed one eye, and made a provocative gesture with a touch of playfulness.
"You know, such a good opportunity to harvest cash flow is rare, or... are you afraid of losing our spot?"
"That was quite an interesting joke."
As Yato was about to leave, he placed his hand on the doorknob and said without turning his head:
"Let me ask first, when does the competition start?"
"May 5.4th, two months later. That's when we'll be on summer vacation."
"is it?"
Yato stared at the task list that no one else could see.
Hidden Quest: [Become a Calamity! (Phase 1)]
"Mission Description: Countless people yearn for that throne, yet they intentionally or unintentionally ignore the path strewn with bones beneath their feet, just as you have done before. Let the shadow of the upper echelons spread, turning into a calamity for ambitious individuals!"
"Mission objective: Defeat the challengers who want to seize membership before the Kengan Tournament officially begins."
"Mission Rewards: For each person defeated, you will receive an attribute boost and *1 fragment."
"Failure penalty: For each defeat, 1 attribute point will be randomly deducted."
……
"Then let's set a small goal."
"Let's make 50 billion yen first."
(I recommend a book called "Martial Arts for All: I Am the Only One Who Cultivates Immortality"!)
Chapter 131
at the same time.
Located on Mount Asama in Nagano Prefecture, a central highland known as the "Roof of Japan".
The larch and birch trees grow luxuriantly here, creating a pleasant natural environment. Since the late 19th century, it has been developed as a representative summer resort in Japan and is now Japan's most famous luxury villa area and a gathering place for the upper class.
Narukami Toharu has his own manor here.
At this very moment, she was lying on a rocking chair in the manor courtyard, swaying back and forth and enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.
I don’t know how long it took.
Until a woman dressed in a butler's uniform appeared silently beside her.
"Xiangnai, what time is it?"
"3:13 PM".
Fujibayashi Xiangno said softly.
She considers herself a ninja and doesn't need a cell phone or clock; she can easily determine location and time using only her physical abilities.
"Speaking of which, is there any news?"
Narukami Torahatsu remained with his eyes closed, his hands behind his head.
"No, there's still no news about the 'Sonic' assassin... I'm ashamed to say, I've thoroughly investigated all of Yato Igarashi's relationships, but I still haven't found a single clue."
17
Fujibayashi Yoshino took a deep breath and said.
"...What about other channels? Have you inquired with [Insect] yet?"
"No, but we can't rule out the possibility that someone is deliberately hiding information."
"This is truly unexpected; my 'brother' actually had such a master hidden by his side."
Narukami Torahiro opened her eyes. Unlike Kaguya, her eyes, though also red, were not as clear as Kaguya's. They were as alluring and ominous as if stained with blood.
It gives the impression that it emits a red glow even in complete darkness.
"I originally planned to have you, Yoshino, help with the cleanup, but it turned out to be a wasted trip."
It was more than just a wasted trip.
Even now, when Fujibayashi Yoshino recalls what he saw and heard that night, he still feels a chill run down his spine.
Known as the "Flying Woman," she was virtually invincible in the underworld thanks to the true teachings of a ninja style bestowed upon her by the Narukami family.
Because of their inherently protective relationship, although they were also assassins themselves, the number of assassins they killed was several times greater than that of ordinary people, fighters, and martial artists.
That's right.
Fujibayashi Yoshino is an assassin skilled at countering assassins.
Naturally, these groups are the ones she needs to be least afraid of in this world.
But that night...
But one person truly instilled fear in her.
'Sonic the Hedgehog'.
That's what the slender, handsome young ninja claimed.
It's one thing for an assassin not to conceal their appearance and personal information.
They brazenly broke into someone else's residence, like a sharp dagger, piercing straight and irresistibly into the target's chest.
All preparations, defenses, and evasions... are futile.
How could the methods of ninjas be so inconvenient?
Fujibayashi Yoshino still remembers that when he was preparing to kill the 'Deputy Director of the Countermeasures Office,' that person appeared first and killed him.
She was in a state of extreme terror at the time.
There is nothing we can do about this.
They believed they were in a perfect state of stealth, fully aware of everything happening around them.
However, before he could raise the knife...
Then, a ghostly figure appeared without warning and chopped off the enemy's head.
I glanced in her direction as I left.
Just this one look.
Fujibayashi Yoshino suddenly felt as if her entire being had been seen through, with no secrets and no ability to resist, just like a lamb to the slaughter.
That feeling of fear and unease, that strange sense that life no longer belongs to oneself.
She still can't forget it.
On the way to the next target location, they received news that the man had wiped out a hundred-man elite force, killing everyone and everything in sight, including the men and their equipment.
Fujibayashi Yoshino remained silent on the rooftop for a long time before returning to her master's side.
That posture... gave off a feeling of a frightened little animal longing to return to its parents for reassurance.
"Well, since there's no news, let's put it aside for now. More importantly, the Kengan Association is making a big fuss right now, which is really not good news."
Narukami Torahatsu spoke in a cold tone, quite the opposite of the girl Yato knew who seemed to be full of enthusiasm and desire for everything. Rather, she was generally not very enthusiastic about things that were not within her 'liking' range.
That being said, we can't just leave it unattended.
"Once Katahara Metsudo steps down, the [Mushi] can launch a full-scale invasion of this country, just like that..."
"Miss Narukami will have to work even harder to earn the organization's trust."
A mocking voice suddenly rang out.
"..."
"Who are you……?!"
Fujibayashi Yoshino held three dagger-like blades between his fingers, and his usually expressionless face had changed.
It was shock and... anger.
Because, right under her nose.
A man dressed in something like a Tang suit with very long hair crawled out from behind Narukami Torahiro's rocking chair like an insect.
I didn't even notice its presence!
Or rather, insects are indeed not easily detected until they crawl onto your body.
The man's arms were unusually long, like those of a gorilla.
It seemed as if he was about to hug Narukami Torahiro from behind, his arms wrapping around the back of the chair, but they didn't actually touch. Instead, a blade peeked out from his specially tailored, wide sleeves, which gave the impression that something was hidden inside.
The blade was less than three centimeters from Narukami Torahiro's throat.
This action is tantamount to 'kidnapping'.