Chapter 59 Ordinary anomalies are just poor ghosts, what kind of grease is there to squeeze out?

It was completely normal for the Duke to refuse.

The price of each villa here was around one million Underworld Bank Notes.

With just a wave of his hand, Chen Mu was about to gift a million-note villa to the Duke.

The Duke asked himself in his heart—he hadn't really exerted any effort tonight; he had merely come to show his face and provide moral support.

To receive a million-note villa just for showing up?

That hardly seemed appropriate, and the Duke would certainly feel uneasy about it.

"Haha, Mr. Duke, given our friendship, please don't decline," Chen Mu said with a reassuring smile.

After a few polite refusals, ultimately, under Chen Mu's enthusiastic persuasion, the Duke sighed with emotion and accepted the villa.

"Young friend Chen Mu is so generous that I truly feel ashamed. If there is ever anything you need from me, just give the word," the Duke said, deeply moved. He had never met someone as generous as Chen Mu, and he increasingly felt that being friends with Chen Mu was his own good fortune.

Of course, Chen Mu had his own agenda in being this generous.

Was the Duke's trip here worth the reward of a villa?

Certainly not! Treating the Duke to a meal would have been more than enough.

Chen Mu was well aware of this.

Yet, he still wanted to give it away!

This was not because Chen Mu was a fool who threw money around just for fun.

Reflecting on it, every single sum of money Chen Mu had spent since his rebirth was worth far more than its cost, bringing him even greater benefits.

There were two reasons why Chen Mu wanted to gift a villa to the Duke.

First, his new home lacked a powerful bodyguard.

Even with the protection of the rules, making it difficult for outsiders to enter the Landscape Courtyard, what if someone did break in—say, a Ghost General? How would Chen Mu resist?

When that time came, asking the Duke to step in would not only draw upon their friendship but also require a hefty reward, because that would be far more than just showing face.

However, once Chen Mu gave the Duke a villa, the situation would be entirely different.

With a villa of his own inside the Landscape Courtyard, the Duke now had a vested interest in the place.

Should any outsider invade the Landscape Courtyard, they wouldn't just be infringing upon Chen Mu's property—they would be infringing upon the Duke's property as well!

With the Duke's interests violated, Chen Mu wouldn't even need to ask him to act; the Duke would unleash his full power against the invaders without hesitation, and he would fight with unprecedented fury and dedication!

After all, touching a man's interests was harder than touching his soul.

This was what you called interest alignment!

Using a one-million-note villa to tie the Duke to his ship meant that as long as the Landscape Courtyard existed, the Duke would protect it day after day.

Where else could you find such a cost-effective deal? Spending a million to hire a Ghost General to guard your home heart and soul, and doing so permanently!

Second, and even more importantly—Chen Mu wanted to make a fortune too!

Give away a villa and still make money?

Naturally, it depended on who you gave it to.

Giving it to an ordinary ghost wouldn't make you any money, but giving it to the Duke was a completely different story.

The value of a house went far beyond a pile of steel and concrete.

Could a pile of steel and concrete be hyped up to the skies until a villa was worth billions? That was wishful thinking!

The most important thing about a house was its location!

And the essence of location was resources and connections.

As the saying goes, things are easily done in the shadow of the Son of Heaven. Under the feet of the imperial capital, every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, and even a restroom could be worth millions simply because the emperor lived next door.

As a faction, the Landscape Courtyard wasn't actually all that strong; it wasn't even considered a top-tier force in the city.

However, if Ghost Generals lived in these villas, there was no doubt the value of the properties would skyrocket rapidly!

And this was merely the beginning. Chen Mu's ambition stopped far short of that.

He wanted to build the Landscape Courtyard into a gathering place for the elite and wealthy in this apocalyptic ghost world!

Out of 45 villas, Chen Mu intended to give away 35 and sell only 10.

Those 35 villas were to be gifted to his friends, to the future powerhouses and bigwigs of the apocalypse!

Imagine when those 35 villas were inhabited by dozens of Ghost Generals... or even Ghost Kings. The housing prices across the entire Landscape Courtyard would soar hundreds of times over!

Those newly emerged ghost powerhouses who wanted to integrate into high society would definitely have to live near the upper-class sphere of influence.

At that point, Chen Mu would put the remaining 10 villas in his hands up for sale, severely harvesting them like leeks.

What oil could you squeeze out of ordinary ghosts? They were just a bunch of penniless paupers!

These newly risen tycoons, however, were rolling in wealth! They were the ones from whom maximum profit could be squeezed!

If a capitalist ghost tried to sell a villa to Chen Mu for 100 million, it would be an insult to him.

But when that time came, forget 100 million—even if a villa cost one billion or two billion, those newly minted tycoons would scramble to buy them without a moment's hesitation!

They would even be overflowing with gratitude toward Chen Mu, thanking him for the opportunity to ascend into high society.

Ten villas, each selling for one billion, would net a profit of tens of billions!

Not to mention the intangible human favors behind it all...

That was why Chen Mu seized this opportunity to gift a villa to the Duke.

As for the Duke's belief that Chen Mu was rewarding him out of gratitude for his help—that was the least important reason at all, at most a convenient favor to deepen their ties.

The ultimate realm of utilizing others is selling them out while having them count the money for you, and making them thank you in the bargain!

What the Duke did not know was that the very moment he accepted the villa, deeply moved by Chen Mu's generosity, he had already become the permanent "security guard" of the Landscape Courtyard, as well as a bargaining chip for Chen Mu's future harvest.

Yet, turning it around, this was also hugely beneficial to the Duke; he was getting a great deal too.

Chen Mu loved a win-win situation. Getting along amicably as friends and cooperating to harvest other ghosts—what could be better than that?

True win-win scenarios rarely existed in this world.

Most of the time, a so-called win-win was merely two big fish teaming up to devour a small fish, after which the two big fish shook hands and announced to the outside world that they were entirely satisfied with the cooperative, win-win outcome.

Watching the Duke acquire a villa, Li Xiaoxiao and the Principal nearby looked on with eyes full of envy.

However, aside from envy, the two of them held no other thoughts.

After all, the man was a Ghost General; getting a villa was only natural. They were mere Ghost Captains; even if Chen Mu offered them one, they wouldn't have the audacity to accept it!

Unexpectedly, Chen Mu turned his gaze toward them and said:

"Thank you both for your help tonight as well. There are still plenty of villas in the Landscape Courtyard, and I’ve reserved them for you two.

As long as you work hard, I will gift you villas for free as well.

Li Xiaoxiao, if you can make the city's entire catering industry part of Midnight Hotel's market within a month, I will reward you with a large villa!

Principal, if you can ensure that within a month, every ghost in the city wants to send their children to our school, I will gift you a villa as well!"

Hearing Chen Mu say this, astonishment first washed over the faces of Li Xiaoxiao and the Principal, quickly giving way to intense excitement.

They knew Boss Chen's character; he wasn't some unscrupulous boss who only made empty promises—Boss Chen was genuinely good to his subordinates!

Whatever Boss Chen promised, he would certainly deliver!

Neither of them had expected that one day, they too would be bestowed a villa by Chen Mu.

This was not only a tremendous material benefit, but a mark of honor.

Chen Mu was intentionally or unintentionally building the brand of the Landscape Courtyard, binding it to the concept of the "highest reward" within his entire business empire, thereby elevating its value.

If these two subordinates of his could pull it off, it would prove their capability, and they would undoubtedly become formidable overlords guarding their own territories. Gifting each of them a villa would also elevate the prestige and class of the Landscape Courtyard!

Deep down, both Li Xiaoxiao and the Principal secretly resolved not to disappoint Boss Chen's expectations.

At that moment, Chen Mu turned his gaze toward the manager of the Fallen Shopping Mall nearby.