Goblin Library - Chapter 220

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 220.

Lee Gang-hun stood in the Model House, listening to the voice emanating from his phone.
[Then… we will absorb the loss and offer you the land at a lower price.]
The voice now coming through was Kim Ki-chun speaking with investors at the Investment Group.
[How do you mean?]
[We purchased this land at 60 times its original value. We will forfeit half of that markup and transfer it to you at 30 times the original value.]
[30 times the original value… Still, it seems rather expensive.]
[As you know, we have already invested considerably in developing this land. We are offering you land with that development already underway. Considering that, 30 times is hardly an exorbitant price. In fact, when you account for the development costs already sunk, it is absolutely a modest sum.]
Kim Ki-chun paused, as if digesting the weight of his words, before continuing.
[There is something you all must understand… The person who sold me this land at 60 times its value is none other than Lee Gang-hun. Though Lee Gang-hun shared profits with you, he too had originally intended to monopolize the land and sell it at a premium.]
[Does Kim think we would not know this? Lee has already told us about it. Furthermore… he mentioned that once the village development is complete, he planned to distribute the land to the village investors.]
[Do you believe that?]
[I do. He understands that working with us and sharing profits is more conducive to business than profiting from the land alone.]
[That….]
Kim Ki-chun fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
[Then what would be acceptable to you?]
[Though Kim paid 60 times the value, it was ultimately cheap land… Let us purchase it at roughly 10 times the original value. We will incur some loss at that rate, but you will be able to reduce your losses.]
[I… understand. What about the construction permit?]
[That will require some patience for now.]
[How long must we wait?]
[Do not be too hasty… Wait a little longer. I will inform you when the time comes.]
[Please, I beg you. Time is money for us.]
[You only need to prepare the grounds. Pay more attention to landscaping… and obtaining the construction permit is not the end of it. Will you not need to bring in water and sewage lines?]
[I… understand. Then you must help us as much as possible when the time comes.]
[Haha! Of course. After all, that land will be ours too now. When buildings rise on your land and it prospers, our land values increase and we profit as well.]
[Right, exactly. That is why profits must be shared—it works better that way. If Kim had done this alone, would we have stepped forward to help? We have all invested in this, so we are offering our assistance.]
Several more miscellaneous matters followed. With the important details settled, I set my phone aside and gazed at the map hanging on the wall.
The map displayed the homes already distributed in the village and those yet to be built.
『About 50 units remain, yes?』
Mahmoud nodded.
『The D-line zone here has not yet been distributed.』
The finest zone was A, positioned closest to the Lake.
Zones B and C also offered views of the Lake, but only from the side rather than directly, so their vistas were somewhat inferior to A.
The problem, however, was Zone D. From this area, the Lake was scarcely visible.
One could see the Lake from the 2nd Floor balcony, but even then much of it remained obscured.
Since the Lake view was the paramount feature of this village, Zone D had not sold well.
『Hmm… what shall we do?』
『Why not offer a discount sale instead? Since there aren’t many houses left, selling them at a discount and wrapping this up would give us the freedom to pursue other projects. It seems like it would be beneficial for us, doesn’t it?』
At Mahmoud’s suggestion, I chuckled and shook my head.
『The moment we start a discount sale, all our investors become our enemies.』
『Why is that? Wouldn’t it look better to have occupied units rather than empty ones like now?』
『Because the moment we offer a discount, that discounted price becomes the benchmark for property values in this area.』
『A benchmark?』
『Imagine a house next to one selling for a hundred dollars suddenly appears priced at ninety dollars. People would then consider ninety dollars the standard price for properties here. That means every investor in this vicinity loses profit. And discounts are what people resort to when things won’t sell. We need to sell our houses on the strength of our appeal.』
『Then what should we do?』
After studying the map thoughtfully for a moment, I turned to look at Mahmoud.
『Come to think of it… we’ve overlooked something in building this land.』
『What do you mean?』
『Our Village has designated spaces for commercial districts and convenience facilities. But one crucial element is missing.』
Mahmoud also examined the map at this. Nothing particularly stood out to his eyes.
I smiled and spoke to Mahmoud.
『A School for the children.』
『A School?』
『Yes, a School.』
I answered.
『There is no School.』
『But the children of those who will live here are all attending excellent schools in the City.』
『Exactly. Excellent schools. Schools with playgrounds full of asphalt and reddish-brown earth. Have you been to one?』
『A prestigious School?』
『Yes.』
『I haven’t.』
『I happened to pass by one once… and even though it’s called a good School, it’s still at the level of a rural area School in Korea.』
『So you’re saying you’ll build a School here?』
『Yes.』
I drew a large circle on zone D of the map.
『A School! And not just any school—I’ll create a prestigious private School combining Elementary and Middle School into one institution.』
『Is that… even possible?』
『It’s possible.』
『But to build a School, wouldn’t you need permission from those who own the land? Would they surrender their land while taking losses?』
『No one would surrender their land while taking losses.』
All the land here has been purchased by investors. When units are sold, the system returns the land value to the investors from the sale price.
So if a School is built, those who purchased that land would suffer losses.
I smiled and looked at Mahmoud.
『I told you before. When you share profits, the profits grow larger.』
『You’re thinking of distributing the losses those people incur among others.』
『I’m not sure how it is in your country, but in Korea, property values are higher in areas with excellent School districts.』
『That’s the same in our country as well.』
『Then this village’s land prices will rise thanks to the school, so the investors’ losses will be recovered as well.』
Lee Gang-hun smiled and glanced at his phone. People were still conversing on the call.
『First, the locals here will handle the school construction permit… You investigate some prestigious schools in this country.』
『Understood.』
After Mahmoud acknowledged and stepped outside, Lee Gang-hun waited a moment before pulling out his phone.
Then he called the Prefabricated Construction Company.
[Hmm… Ah! One moment. Yes! You can speak now.]
『You used to answer right away, but it seems you’ve been tired lately.』
[There’s no end to the buildings I need to send out.]
Lee Gang-hun spoke to the Company President, whose voice was thick with sleep as if he’d just been awakened.
『A major project seems to be coming up.』
[Hmm? A major project?]
『I’m planning to build a prefabricated school.』
[Prefabricated… a school? A school?]
『Yes, I’m thinking of building a school. The approximate scale would be around a rural elementary school size, but two stories. Would that be possible?』
[That should be doable if we just assemble a few more prefab blocks and run some load tests… but why suddenly a school?]
『There’s a reason for it. For now, please research the specifications for building a school. Once the project officially moves forward, I’ll contact you again.』
[Understood.]
After hanging up, Lee Gang-hun opened his laptop. Then he began searching for photos of schools in this country.
Mahmoud would investigate, but it wasn’t a bad idea to check beforehand.

***

Lee Gang-hun was watching Kim Ki-chun’s village begin its sales launch.
Five prefabricated buildings that Kim Ki-chun had specially commissioned were erected in the village named Imperial Town.
Kim Ki-chun had failed to establish prefabricated buildings in Korea. Since Lee Gang-hun had already secured the market, he couldn’t recruit any skilled prefabricated construction companies in Korea.
Unable to entrust the work to an unskilled company, he ultimately commissioned it to Japan.
Japan was also recognized for its expertise in prefabricated construction.
Among them, a model house was erected to serve as a sample.
Observing Kim Ki-chun’s Imperial Town, Lee Gang-hun stepped inside.

Kim Ki-chun was leading the locally hired employees as he promoted Imperial Town.
The visitors held pamphlets depicting an aerial view of the village in their hands.
Kim Ki-chun smiled as he watched people touring the Model House and examining the surrounding views.
With the water supply connected now… all that remained was to proceed with the sales.
It had been a grueling journey. The Company was pressuring me over the unexpectedly large amount of capital being invested this time.
They questioned why our Company, which isn’t even a construction firm, would undertake such a residential development project.
If the Chairman, who trusted me, hadn’t pushed me to try, I might have had to abandon the project midway.
But overcoming that pressure, I had ultimately brought the business this far.
Among the bustling crowd inside the Model House, Kim Ki-chun’s face brightened even more as he spotted someone.
Lee Gang-hun was approaching with an orchid plant in hand.
“What are you here to scavenge this time?”
Lee Gang-hun laughed at Kim Ki-chun’s words.
“Still, when I heard that someone of the same nationality is conducting business, I had to offer my congratulations. And this was specially transported from Korea. After all, orchids are essential for occasions like this.”
Lee Gang-hun extended the orchid as he spoke.
“Congratulations.”
Kim Ki-chun accepted the orchid with a smiling face.
“I appreciate it.”
Kim Ki-chun glanced around and gestured for an employee to approach.
After the employee received instructions and left, Kim Ki-chun looked at Lee Gang-hun.
“I hear the D Zone sales aren’t going well? How will that work out? The land prices there are expensive too.”
Lee Gang-hun nodded at Kim Ki-chun’s words and made a show of concern.
“That’s why I’m worried. The sales aren’t happening, and now… a competitor has emerged.”
“A competitor? Ha! That’s amusing.”
Watching Kim Ki-chun’s dismissive tone, Lee Gang-hun shrugged.
“Setting that aside… on a celebration day like this, there’s usually something to eat. Is there nothing here?”
Kim Ki-chun pointed to one side.
“There’s food over there, so go ahead and eat. Ah, feel free to eat plenty. I called in some women from this region with good culinary skills to prepare it, so it tastes quite good.”
At Kim Ki-chun’s words, Lee Gang-hun smiled and walked toward the indicated area with the employees.
Shortly after Lee Gang-hun left, an employee approached with a shovel. Kim Ki-chun looked around, then dug into an inconspicuous patch of ground with the shovel and planted the orchid there.
“An orchid, huh.”
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
He stamped down the soil around the orchid with his foot as he spoke.
“Soon I’ll trample you the same way.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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