Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 34 - 034 Wind Begins at the End of the Green Reed

Chapter 34: 034 Wind Begins at the End of the Green Reed

After delegating the task of expanding new business to his employees, Lin Bai left Chef’s Divine Food Stall.

As long as negative emotions and Incompleteness Value keep increasing, making money is secondary to me. The restaurant’s profits are far too slow compared to the speed at which I can secure financing. Relying on the restaurant for income is ultimately a losing strategy. What I truly need are resources, connections, and a growing crop of ’leeks’ to cultivate.

Walking along the main street, Lin Bai’s ears were constantly filled with the haunting tune: "You love me, I love you, Chef’s Divine Food Stall welcomes you."

Apart from the brothels and theaters, Jiamucheng offered virtually no other forms of entertainment. Consequently, the brainwashing song spread with astonishing speed. The simple lyrics and addictive melody were easily memorized after just a couple of listens. Anyone who heard someone else singing it felt an irresistible urge to join in. Even when preoccupied with work, if the tune came to mind, they would find themselves humming it aloud unconsciously.

No one could resist the song’s strange allure.

Initially, people sang it with a touch of shyness. But as it became ubiquitous, singing along turned into a common habit, even bringing a fleeting sense of pleasure. However, with repeated exposure, this pleasure soured into irritation. Singers grew annoyed by everyone around them humming the same lines and frustrated by their own inability to stop themselves from joining in.

Therefore, Lin Bai’s coffer of negative emotions filled continuously. His Negative Emotion Tree grew rapidly, bearing a green fruit in less than a day. He estimated he could harvest it by nightfall.

Currently, this is only affecting the small city of Jiamucheng, Lin Bai mused. But I believe that as trade and travel between cities flourish, this song will eventually reach every corner of the continent, bringing me even more negative emotions.

As for the Everything has shortcomings system’s task of making three thousand people experience incompleteness, progress was also swift, thanks to the Incomplete Lion Dance Troupe parading through the streets and alleys. Lin Bai estimated that this task too would be completed by nightfall.

However, the rewards from the Incomplete System always felt somewhat lacking to him.

I need to accelerate the collection of Incompleteness Value, he thought. I must grow stronger quickly, so I won’t be so hesitant and constrained when dealing with small fry like Daoist Priest Qingfeng.

"Master Zhang, good morning." Knocking on the door of the carpentry shop, Lin Bai greeted Zhang Achun with a clasped fist salute.

Seeing Lin Bai, Zhang Achun was momentarily taken aback. Unpleasant memories surfaced, and he couldn’t help but snort. However, Lin Bai had promised to pay him his dues in full. Moreover, his son, who had helped out at Lin Bai’s place the previous day, had brought back one tael of silver as wages. So, he didn’t give Lin Bai too cold a shoulder.

Putting down the planer in his hand, Zhang Achun returned the salute, "Lin, the Storekeeper, what brings you to my humble shop instead of attending to your bustling restaurant?"

Lin Bai strolled into the carpentry shop and said, "Master Zhang, I’ve come to bring you money."

Zhang Achun looked at Lin Bai with surprise, "Lin, the Storekeeper, are you here to settle my wages?"

"Wages are a small matter," Lin Bai smiled. "Figure out how much is owed, tell Zhang Bao, and you can collect it anytime. Today, I’m here to bring you prosperity."

"What kind of prosperity?" Zhang Achun immediately became wary.

"Allow me to keep you in suspense for a moment. Master Zhang, let me ask you frankly: before I bought that restaurant, did you ever imagine I could make the business flourish as it has?" Lin Bai inquired.

Carpenter Zhang replied gloomily, "That’s because you have a knack for subduing spirits like Ah Piao. Anyone else would have been scared off by Old Song’s family long ago."

"And if there were no Ah Piao, do you think I could still make the restaurant successful?" Lin Bai pressed.

Carpenter Zhang fell silent for a moment, then said, "Lin, the Storekeeper, you are skilled at motivating people and possess a natural talent for business. Of course, you could."

"Yesterday, I heard from Blacksmith Zhang that there’s a Smith’s Association in Jiamucheng. Is there a Carpenter Association as well?" Lin Bai asked with a smile.

"Naturally, there is," Zhang Achun confirmed.

"Then, Master Zhang, your fortune is at hand," Lin Bai said, chuckling.

"I don’t understand," Zhang Achun frowned.

"I plan to create an ’Incomplete’ business model and promote the operational style of Chef’s Divine Food Stall. For this, I need your help and the support of the Carpenter Association behind you," Lin Bai explained.

"What do you mean?" Lin Bai’s words were beyond Zhang Achun’s comprehension, leaving him utterly confused.

"I intend to make ’Incompleteness’ a hallmark of Jiamucheng," Lin Bai elaborated. "Through ’Incompleteness,’ I want to build Jiamucheng’s reputation, making ’Incompleteness’ its cultural symbol. Whenever people speak of ’Incompleteness,’ they’ll think of Jiamucheng. If they wish to experience the beauty of ’Incompleteness,’ they’ll desire to visit Jiamucheng. This will allow our citizens to look beyond the limited earnings within our city walls and tap into the wealth of the entire continent, ultimately achieving common prosperity."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Carpenter Zhang knitted his brows tightly.

"Let me put it more simply," Lin Bai said. "In Jiamucheng, a single Chef’s Divine Food Stall with an incomplete signboard and an irregular couplet has already caused a stir in nearly half the city. What if every household and business did the same? I don’t know how many carpentry shops there are in Jiamucheng, but what if your shop was the only one with, say, a missing piece from its signboard?"

"Then people would think my craftsmanship is shoddy, and no one would patronize my shop ever again," Carpenter Zhang said, his face darkening. "My reputation would be ruined."

Lin Bai was momentarily speechless. He looked at Carpenter Zhang and shook his head. "Master Zhang, you don’t understand the mind of a businessman. If Chef’s Divine Food Stall didn’t exist, then perhaps what you described might happen. But things are different now. You can widely advertise that the furniture for the incredibly popular Chef’s Divine Food Stall was crafted by you. That’s a proven success story. You can intentionally create an ’Incomplete’ package. For instance, your carpentry shop could emulate Chef’s Divine Food Stall by hanging a couplet at the entrance: ’A try square can create square and round vessels,’ and ’Straight lines can align beams and pillars—’"

"Beams and pillars what?" Carpenter Zhang’s eyes had lit up at the mention of the couplet, but the second line was abruptly cut short, missing a word. It felt like a fishbone caught in his throat, leaving him antsy and uncomfortable.

"That’s it," Lin Bai said, spreading his hands with a smile. "The same gimmick, the same style as Chef’s Divine Food Stall. Isn’t it captivating?"

"I don’t find it captivating; I find it rather irksome," Carpenter Zhang said, looking at Lin Bai. "Besides, if everyone does this, your restaurant will lose its uniqueness. Also, those things in your restaurant are highly impractical. Lin, the Storekeeper, even a carpenter like me understands this, let alone others."

"Master Zhang, minor dabbling won’t create a significant impact. That’s why I want you to contact the Carpenter Association. All carpentry shops in Jiamucheng should launch this ’Incomplete’ package simultaneously. Using Chef’s Divine Food Stall as the catalyst, we can pioneer a new trend," Lin Bai explained. "This is a more sophisticated way of doing business. If successful, it can generate substantial profits..."

"Lin, the Storekeeper, I think I roughly understand what you’re getting at..." Carpenter Zhang looked at Lin Bai as if he were an idiot. "But this is something you should discuss with the City Lord, not a mere carpenter like me. Moreover, I really don’t see any ’prosperity’ in this for me..."

"I will naturally speak with the City Lord," Lin Bai smiled, taking out a silver note from his robes. "But before that, I must have some tangible leverage. A single, small Chef’s Divine Food Stall is far from sufficient. Even an ’Incomplete’ package launched in cooperation with your Carpenter Association won’t be enough. Next, I plan to visit a bookbinder to publish a collection of incomplete poems, allowing the world to appreciate the true beauty of ’Incompleteness’."

Lin Bai pushed the silver note towards Zhang Achun. "Master Zhang, great movements often start from small beginnings. To create a trend, one must start with a single step. Those who get on board early stand to make a fortune. Once everything is established, you might not even get a sip of the hot soup..."

A poetry collection?

Zhang Achun stared at the silver note Lin Bai had pushed towards him, a drop of cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "Lin, the Storekeeper, this poetry collection you speak of... it won’t be full of missing words and characters, will it?"

"What do you think?" Lin Bai flashed a charming smile and saluted with clasped fists. "Master Zhang, I’ll be relying on you for the Carpenter Association’s cooperation. In a few days, you will witness the launch of my poetry collection. It is destined to become renowned throughout the world!"

With those words, Lin Bai stood up and, under Zhang Achun’s dumbfounded gaze, strode confidently out of the shop.

Didn’t the System give me this Cultivation Technique and Inner Strength precisely so I could make the world experience incompleteness?

If I’m going to do this, I’m going all out!

I’ll show you, System, that the speed at which you issue tasks can’t possibly keep up with the pace at which I create incompleteness!