Lifting her eyes, Bibi Dong's pale and elegant face displayed a warm smile.
"Elder Gui Mei, there's no need to be so surprised. Nana has reached the age where marriage is appropriate; finding her a husband is only natural."
As her voice fell, the astonishment on Elder Gui Mei's face did not diminish in the slightest.
"This..."
Indeed, Hu Liena was old enough to marry.
But it felt a bit rushed.
Gui Mei glanced sideways at Hu Liena and Ye Tian. Judging by their closeness, they appeared deeply in love.
However, in his view, marriage was not merely about two individuals but also about two forces aligning.
Given Hu Liena's status, she could marry into a much more powerful family.
To marry an ordinary man seemed beneath her.
Nevertheless, Gui Mei recalled the events surrounding Her Holiness, the Pope, from years ago.
Perhaps, in Bibi Dong's heart, freedom in love was the most important thing.
Not daring to contradict Bibi Dong openly, Gui Mei chose to drop the subject.
He bowed respectfully and said, "I have come today with an important matter to report to Your Holiness."
"Take a seat and speak," Bibi Dong said coolly, raising her hand slightly.
Gui Mei, his face solemn, nodded and cast a cold glance at Ye Tian, finding the young man particularly displeasing.
Then he began:
"The Elder Hall has been aggressively shutting down proposals related to the redistribution policy while deliberately delaying the salaries of the Popel Hall staff."
"Many minor officials have written to me, saying their families are on the verge of starvation."
"Especially Second Worship—he visits every few days under the name of the Elder Hall, scrutinizing our administrative orders before they are issued."
"As a result, the staff of the Pope Hall is disorganized, and many tasks have come to a standstill."
"Your Holiness, if you do not intervene soon, the Pope Hall risks internal collapse."
At this, Gui Mei sighed helplessly.
The Elder Hall's power far surpassed that of the Pope Hall. With Bibi Dong absent from Spirit City, even if he was angry, he could only suppress his frustrations.
If he acted rashly, he would bear the consequences.
Finding no other solution, he came to the East Sea City to report this to Bibi Dong.
After listening to Gui Mei's report, Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed slightly, her tone cold:
"As expected, those old scoundrels in the Offering Hall are up to no good."
"Second Worship's personal disciple was executed on the spot by Elder Yue Guan for assaulting a civilian woman."
"Knowing he was in the wrong, Golden Crocodile Doulou didn't dare openly challenge us but is now venting his frustrations on the Pope Hall in secret!"
"How detestable. Such an old fool doesn't deserve to be one of our Spirit Hall's Offerings!" Hu Liena exclaimed angrily.
Gui Mei sighed, "Obstructing our work is one thing, but the immediate issue is that the staff salaries need to be paid."
"If not for Your Holiness's years of prestige, many Spirit Masters would have already resigned."
After some thought, Bibi Dong raised her head.
"Doesn't the Papal Hall have its own small treasury? We can use some of it."
Hearing this, Gui Mei couldn't help but laugh bitterly before letting out a deep sigh.
"It's long been depleted. If there were any funds left, I wouldn't have troubled Your Holiness."
"Funding is indeed an urgent problem!" Bibi Dong sighed lightly.
People envied her position as the Pope, thinking it was all power and glory.
Only she knew how frustrating and thankless the job truly was.
No power, no funds, yet whenever Spirit Hall faced an issue, she was the one to bear the blame.
After venting her frustrations, Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes turned toward Ye Tian with a hint of expectation.
"Xiao Tian, didn't you just say you had a way to make some money?"
"Don't keep me in suspense. Hurry up and tell me."
Gui Mei's surprise grew even more.
Who exactly was this Ye Tian?
The Pope, known for her aloof demeanor, rarely showed warmth even to him or Yue Guan, despite their years of service.
Yet, her tone with Ye Tian was so affectionate.
Gui Mei cast another wary glance at Ye Tian, his heart filled with curiosity.
This young man had real talent—earning the Pope's favor in just a few months.
Ignoring Gui Mei's unfriendly gaze, Ye Tian maintained his composure.
Having just met Gui Mei, he didn't want to create conflict.
Facing Bibi Dong's expectant gaze, Ye Tian smiled brightly and said, "There are many ways to make money, but getting into real estate is undoubtedly one of the fastest."
"Real estate? Building houses?"
Hu Liena swung her long legs as she asked.
The term wasn't unfamiliar to her.
In Spirit City, where land was scarce, many people dealt in property trading.
Ye Tian nodded slightly. "Something like that."
Hearing this, Gui Mei let out a dismissive laugh.
"Making money does have many paths, but real estate is one of the slowest."
"I've served as an Elder of the Papal Hall for over a decade. I was once in charge of Spirit City's taxation."
"I'm well aware of the real estate business. From construction to sales, it takes at least two years."
"During that time, all capital is tied up in the project. Ordinary people can't afford it."
"Real estate is typically reserved for wealthy merchants. While the Papal Hall's scale surpasses that of individual merchants, we lack the funds to enter the industry. It's a pipe dream to think we can make money this way."
Bibi Dong glanced at Gui Mei and said calmly:
"Let's not jump to conclusions. Xiao Tian's business acumen surpasses ours. Perhaps he has a new idea."
"Indeed, I do," Ye Tian said with a smile.
"What I'm suggesting is commercial real estate. Moreover, we don't need capital—we'll profit off the merchants instead."
"A business without investment?"
Hu Liena's eyes lit up. "That's like manna from heaven!"
Ye Tian shook his head. "Not exactly manna from heaven. We're leveraging the Spirit Hall's brand to make money."
"The method is simple: establish 'Spirit Hall Plaza'."
"This so-called plaza would essentially be a large commercial center."
"In the early stages, we can advertise that products sold in the plaza are guaranteed to be of high quality, priced 10% lower than the market, with a 'fake-one-compensate-ten' policy."
Hu Liena frowned slightly.
"Spirit Hall has branches in every city, so spreading the word wouldn't be difficult."
"But with no funds for salaries, where would we find money to build plazas?"
"Moreover, Spirit Hall branches only sell items related to Spirit Masters. Even with a commercial center, ordinary people wouldn't buy such items."
"Would we need to procure a variety of goods like regular merchants?"
Sighing, Hu Liena added, "That would require immense manpower and inventory, costing a fortune."
Ye Tian wrapped an arm around Hu Liena's shoulder and smiled mysteriously.
"Didn't I just say? We're profiting off the merchants."
"Oh?" Bibi Dong's face lit up with interest. "How so?"
(End of Chapter)
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