Chapter 236: The Devil's Formula, Moving the Pole to Establish Credibility
"Legend has it that in a country in the far west, there was a great drought one year. The common people had no food to eat, but the daimyō and ministers feasted and played all day long."
"And a wise man named Archimedes played a game of shogi with the daimyō… The daimyō lost and asked Archimedes what reward he wanted."
"He told the daimyō that he needed some grain. He only asked for one grain of rice to be placed on the first square of the chessboard, two on the second, four on the third, eight on the fourth, and to fill the entire board according to this ratio…"
Oyashiro En briefly recounted the story of the chessboard and then continued, "The daimyō thought it wouldn't take much grain, but the rice from an entire granary couldn't even fill half of the board. When it was all filled, it became a staggering, astronomical number…"
"By applying this theory of exponential increase to a method of making money, there is a way to make wealth increase at this rate. It just depends on whether you have the guts for it!"
Because Oyashiro En's explanation was relatively easy to understand, Iwana Jinjin, after a moment of confusion, also roughly understood the principle.
But precisely because of this, he felt it was even more incredible.
"Impossible! How could there be such a way to make money!"
Iwana Jinjin subconsciously retorted, "If there really is such a way to make money, doesn't that mean that in a short time, I can become richer than the daimyō?!"
"Is that so? It seems your vision is just that short-sighted."
Oyashiro En let out a deep breath. "Let me give you an example. First, you buy a pot of Iris Rainbow Flower from me, which qualifies you to become a level-one member. Next, you can develop your own downline network. For every downline salesperson you develop, you will receive a 15% commission on the price of a set of products."
"When the number of people in your downline reaches 3-9, you will be promoted to a level-two member. After that, for every direct downline you develop, you can draw a 20% commission. At the same time, for every downline your downline develops, you can also draw an additional 5% commission."
"When the number of people in your downline reaches 10-64, you will be promoted to a level-three member, and the direct commission for developing a downline will be increased to…"
Oyashiro En knew that the other party might not understand, so as he explained, he took out a pen and paper and began to calculate in front of him.
Although Iwana Jinjin was extravagant, greedy, and stupid, since he could become a noble, it meant he had received a basic education in mathematics.
Although his calculations were slower than Oyashiro En's writing, by constantly counting on his fingers, he could still confirm that Oyashiro En's calculations were correct.
The so-called exponential calculation formula was like the whisper of a demon. Watching the numbers calculated on the paper gradually grow larger and larger, Iwana Jinjin's breathing also began to become more and more rapid, and he gradually became obsessed with the numbers that represented vast wealth.
When Oyashiro En had calculated on paper the wealth a level-five member could obtain…
"Hah… Hiss!"
Iwana Jinjin, his face flushed red, wanted to shout to vent the excitement in his heart, but then he worried that others would hear this "devil's formula." In the end, he could only bite his tongue hard to barely calm down.
He wasn't worried that the product wouldn't sell.
Because as long as one could understand this "devil's formula," anyone could see the incredibly terrifying profits behind it.
As long as one became a level-three member, one would be guaranteed to make a profit within this framework. The money earned would already be quite substantial, enough to pay off his debts.
As for developing ten downlines…
Was that difficult?
At least Iwana Jinjin didn't think it would be that difficult. Those poor commoners might never be able to afford an Iris Rainbow Flower in their lifetime, but the number of nobles willing to pay for one was countless.
"Wait."
Thinking of this, Iwana Jinjin suddenly realized a problem. He looked at Oyashiro En with a frown. "Would you be so kind as to tell me this formula?"
Since he now knew this formula, couldn't he just find any product and start selling it? Why would he still need to be someone else's agent and give a portion of his income to others for free?
"You fool. The reason I'm telling you this without fear is naturally because no product has a higher value than the Iris Rainbow Flower."
Oyashiro En glanced at the Iris Rainbow Flower and sneered, "Even though the price of the Iris Rainbow Flower is already sky-high, people who want to buy it are still flocking to it, aren't they?"
"If you refuse, I will go to someone else. At that time, you can only watch as this opportunity slips away from you."
Hearing this, Iwana Jinjin's heart trembled.
Oyashiro En's words were like the whispers of a demon. There was no deception, no coercion, only a simple formula and the benefits laid bare.
But this terrifying profit was enough to let the desire of greed completely devour Iwana Jinjin's little remaining reason.
If the product was replaced with the currently popular and soaring-in-price Iris Rainbow Flower, countless nobles would beat a path to his door, hoping to become his downline.
Just thinking about the humble appearance of the counts, dukes, and marquises who had once bullied him, begging him to become their downline in the future, Iwana Jinjin felt his desire burning wildly.
This was also why Oyashiro En had called Menma a "demon" when he saw the plan.
That Lord was like a "demon," using the desire for wealth deep in human nature, and with simple public opinion hype and marketing, he had turned the Iris Rainbow Flower into a tough, huge bubble.
When the already inflated "Iris Rainbow Flower Bubble" was combined with this terrifying "devil's formula," the originally easy-to-pop bubble would become indestructible.
This bubble would continue to expand, enough to cover the entire noble class of the Land of Waves.
Even if some smart people discovered that this was not in line with common sense, under the influence of the high "sunk costs," the nobles would also choose to deceive themselves, believing that the price of the Iris Rainbow Flower would continue to soar.
Because it really could bring huge benefits and temptations to the participants.
"I agree! I'm willing to become your downline!"
Iwana Jinjin had no room to refuse, nor did he have any intention of refusing.
He had already vaguely sensed the smell of a conspiracy.
After all, for this man to be able to stably provide a large number of Iris Rainbow Flowers and to have come up with such a terrifying devil's formula…
It was easy to suspect whether he had some kind of conspiracy.
But, despite this, Iwana Jinjin still held a glimmer of hope at this moment.
"Perhaps, this bomb won't explode in my hands? As long as I throw it to someone else before it explodes, wouldn't that be fine?"
This fool obviously hadn't realized yet just how terrifying the destruction this seemingly calm bomb in his hand would cause.
Menma's "devil's formula" would not harm those with a firm mind. Its only function was to draw out the greed and desire in people's hearts.
For the ninja world, which was still unenlightened and severely stratified, this could be said to be an incomparably precise and terrifying dimensional reduction strike.
When the time came, Menma would only need to toss a single spark…
BOOM!!
Oyashiro En taught for a whole night, and Iwana Jinjin listened obediently for a whole night.
During this period, Oyashiro En explained how to develop a downline, how to gain trust, how to avoid conflicts, how to face the persuasion and obstruction of the downline's relatives and friends, and even how to make the downline's relatives and friends also become downlines…
Violence or forced exclusivity, frequent and tiring circular reasoning, making empty promises to stimulate interest, ritualistic behavior…
These contents struck directly at the heart, leaving people with nowhere to escape. Iwana Jinjin's heart pounded with fear as he listened.
However, Oyashiro En also repeatedly emphasized that they were focusing on the high-end route for the nobility.
What?
Should they try to earn money from the commoners?
What a joke. Those commoners are all paupers. You can't squeeze any oil from them. It would only lower the status of the Iris Rainbow Flower.
Then whose money should they earn?
Of course, they should earn money from whoever has money.
The richest are, of course, the nobles and merchants.
"Iwana Jinjin, I have high hopes for you."
Oyashiro En patted Iwana Jinjin on the shoulder and said with great passion, "A place for you as a duke is assured! The nobles who once looked down on you will all be trampled under your feet!"
"You might even be recorded in the annals of history for your terrifying wealth! The wealth you possess might be enough to buy this country!"
"Recorded in the annals of history…?"
Iwana Jinjin's breath caught, his greasy face showing excitement.
In this world, is there anything more honorable than being recorded in the annals of history?
If my name can be remembered even after I die, then this life would not have been in vain!
But, what Oyashiro En didn't say was that there were actually two ways to be recorded in the annals of history.
Were the concepts of "leaving a good name for a hundred generations" and "leaving a name that stinks for ten thousand years" the same?
"Remember, you must absolutely not let the Iris Rainbow Flower fall into the dust. It must become a symbol of status, completely separated from those poor commoners."
After giving one last instruction, Oyashiro En handed the scroll containing the Iris Rainbow Flower to Iwana Jinjin, and then his figure slowly faded and disappeared before his eyes.
True disappearance out of thin air was naturally impossible. He had just used the genjutsu of the "Ketsuryūgan" to deceive his eyes.
Although the method was not high-end, it was mysterious and strange enough to make Iwana Jinjin feel a chill.
Realizing that the other party's strength was mysterious and unpredictable, he reined in all his little schemes.
Looking at the scroll that held the Iris Rainbow Flower, Iwana Jinjin's back immediately straightened, and he finally felt some confidence in his heart.
"Didn't that dog Aokawa look down on me, constantly pestering me to repay my debt? Let's see how I'll slap his face swollen with money this time!"
Would it be better to just throw a large bag of gold coins in his face, or to slap banknotes on his face and then turn and walk away without looking back?
As Iwana Jinjin thought about these delightful things, a blissful expression couldn't help but spread across his face.
Land of Waves, in a small village near the sea.
A rising sun emerged from the rippling sea, illuminating the surface with a reddish-gold light, yet it was still unable to dispel the hazy mist in the air.
In a wooden house, a family of four was sitting around a wooden table, eating breakfast.
It was called breakfast, but it was actually just wild vegetables picked from outside and thin porridge.
"Father, your health is getting worse and worse."
Looking at the violently coughing Tazuna, Kaiza put down his bowl and chopsticks and said with a worried tone, "You should rest at home for a while recently. Let's go fishing on the sea together after you've recovered."
He was a fisherman who had come to the Land of Waves from another country. He had saved Tazuna's drowning grandson, Inari, while fishing. Only then did he gain Tazuna's approval, becoming a member of this family, Tsunami's husband, and Inari's stepfather.
"You brat, stop talking nonsense. I'm not old yet, and besides… cough, cough, cough!"
Before he could finish, Tazuna started coughing again.
"Cough, cough! I'm fine!"
He raised his hand to stop his daughter Tsunami from helping him. After catching his breath for a moment, Tazuna said in a hoarse voice, "Besides, there are four mouths to feed in the family. I haven't received a commission to build a bridge for a long time. I have to think about the family's livelihood."
"But…"
"Alright, say no more!"
Kaiza wanted to say more, but Tazuna directly interrupted him, his tone full of helplessness. "Fine, I won't go out to sea with you to fish. I'll just wander around nearby and see if there's any work I can do."
"Sigh, even if there is work, those damned merchants won't pay much."
Hearing this, Kaiza and Tsunami fell silent.
Inari at the side, although still young, was also affected by this gloomy atmosphere and ate his food quietly.
Tazuna was a well-respected old man in the vicinity of the Land of Waves.
As the foremost bridge-building expert in the Land of Waves, his skills in the field of architecture were outstanding. The workers around all recognized his ability and moral character.
However, due to the inaction of the daimyō and nobles, the pirates who plundered the coastal towns of the Land of Waves had become more and more rampant.
Both bridge building and fishing were greatly affected.
In recent years, fewer and fewer merchants in the Land of Waves had commissioned him to build bridges. Unable to do his specialized work, he could only go out to sea with Kaiza and rely on fishing to maintain the family's livelihood.
The simple breakfast for the family of four ended in silence.
"Father, Kaiza, please be very careful."
Kaiza and Tazuna walked out of the house, with Tsunami's worried gaze and exhortations behind them.
"Don't worry."
Tazuna patted Kaiza's strong arm and smiled. "This kid Kaiza is strong and sturdy. He's not afraid even if he encounters bandits. As for this old man… I have such good connections, no one will do anything to me."
With that, the two left home, one to go fishing at sea, and the other to go to the town to work.
Not long after, Tazuna walked into the town with his hands behind his back.
As soon as he entered the town, he was attracted by a crowd.
"Hm? What's going on over there?"
Tazuna frowned and also walked curiously towards the crowd.
At this time, it was already surrounded by people, the vast majority of whom were dressed as workers, and there were also some who were there to watch the excitement. Everyone was talking.
"Oh, Tazuna is here too!"
"Quick, quick, let Tazuna see what's going on."
With his reputation among the workers, the crowd parted to make way for Tazuna.
Only after squeezing into the crowd did Tazuna see what everyone was surrounding.
It was a middle-aged man with a smile on his face.
In his left hand, he held a wooden pole, and to his right was a sign.
—Fifty gold coins to whoever can move this.
Author's Note:
The Tazuna family of four are all characters from the original story. For those interested in their original plot, you can look it up; it's from the first mission of Naruto's team in the Land of Waves.
The plot has now entered its third stage, shifting from within the Land of Snow to scheming for the ninja world, and then starting a war of reform. The protagonist will use his past life's knowledge to reform the ninja world.
Later, in the bloodshed of the Great Ninja War, the protagonist will also combine the art of war from his past life, trying to make the hegemonic plot different from other "one-man domination" fanfictions, keeping it reasonable while avoiding homogenized plots.
(End of Chapter)
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