The Tycoon's Odyssey

Evan turned towards Ryan, who had quickly assumed his role.

"Let's go."

A few moments later, a group of workers arrived, carrying tools and large bamboo bags on their backs.

Evan noticed signs of uneasiness and fear in their eyes, which he had already anticipated. While this area might be highly productive, growth and development have been stagnant.

Owning a tea plantation required a large number of laborers. If these areas were well-developed and people here were educated, they might have left or abandoned their jobs long ago. Thus, the owner did everything necessary to keep the workforce under control.

The people had become so accustomed to this that there was hardly any resistance or will to oppose.

Taking a deep breath, Evan decided to address them.

"Hello, everyone. As you might have heard, I am the new owner of this place."

Gasps and murmurs immediately erupted from the crowd.

They spoke in the local language, which was a bit hard for him to understand, but he realized that they wondered if the new owner was good or bad and if their jobs would be affected.

"Everyone, please calm down first."

"Since you are all eager, let's talk about the advantages. From now on, everyone's salary will be doubled."

"WHAT!"

"Really!"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Tsk! Don't believe him. He might be a scammer."

"Yes... Yes... How can these bloodsuckers let go of any opportunity to exploit our hard work?"

Another wave of murmurs erupted, and this time, Evan found it difficult to calm them down, so he asked for Ryan's help.

"Ryan, do something."

"Me? I'm not good at managing crowds, and these people are a bit unruly," Ryan spoke in bewilderment.

"Should I cut some from your salary?"

"Who said I can't... Just watch." Ryan's face twitched as he stepped forward and clapped his hand before shouting, "Everyone, shut up, or else your pay will be deducted."

Evan almost slipped hearing this.

'Isn't this the same tactic I used just now?'

But unlike before, the result was immediate.

The entire place fell silent. Then, from the crowd, an old man holding a cane walked forward.

"I can be considered the leader of this group. I apologize for their behavior. It's just that your offer sounds too good to be true, so we can't help but feel that something is amiss."

Ryan looked at Evan, who gave a brief nod and walked towards the old man before clearing his throat.

"Ahem!"

"Sir, there is no falsity in my words nor will there be any hidden tasks. I will pay double what you were earning previously. As for any further increase, it will depend on the quality of work. To prove this, we will be signing contracts with everyone.

"Is this for real?" The old man blinked in confusion, to which Evan gave him an assuring nod.

"Of course it is."

"You aren't going to make us do something illegal, are you?" the old man asked skeptically.

Evan just smiled and shook his head.

"We are just growing tea—one of the best in the world."

The old man's eyes widened with disbelief for a moment. For some reason, the sight of Evan reflected in his eyes seemed quite grand and magnificent. Even if he didn't want to believe this young man's words completely, his inner voice urged him to stop this nonsense and agree with him immediately.

"Sir, my name is Han Thouda. You can just call me Old Han. I will make sure everyone here works well."

Han left, and moments later, Evan heard cheers and waves of enthusiasm from the group. He could even see tears of happiness in the eyes of some.

'The salary raise wasn't much compared to what I initially wanted. Previously, they used to get 250, while the first time I paid them was 550, which is more than double. I was going to increase their salary with a further bonus, but I held back to keep their greed in check.'

Soon, the old man oversaw everything, and people lined up to sign the contract. Since many of them were illiterate, they used thumbprints to sign.

Evan asked the system and it confirmed that this method would work.

With this, the contract was signed, and Evan started giving orders.

"First, clear off an area. As for the plants that are uprooted, you can take them. You can sell the tea leaves or use them yourself; I don't care, but do it quickly since we need to plant new ones in those spots soon."

...

While Evan took a step toward global hegemony in tea, causing a great stir, back in BBSR, a narrow coincidence had occurred.

In a bar, a group of men met and drank while enjoying their conversation.

The meeting was arranged by Noah, one of the second-richest generations, whom no one dared to cross in Utkal.

Beside him were two familiar figures, holding their glasses of wine.

"Young Master, have you heard the news? Brew Haven is making quite a stir."

"I can't believe that son of a bitch Evan could rise so much. He was just a poor, filthy bastard. How did he rise so high?"

Noah, about to take a sip, paused for a moment.

In his mind, an annoying figure of a poor, gloomy person flashed—something that irritated him like a buzzing fly, but since it was just a fly, he didn't bother with it.

He was simply not worth trampling on.

If he, the king of the socialite in Utkal, stooped so low just to trample on some trash, what would happen to his reputation?

Thankfully, that bastard never bothered him, but...

A smirk flashed on Noah's lips.

"You don't understand the world of the rich. To get rich, you either have to be rich or have connections, but I don't think that bastard has either of the two."

"Then, how did he get here?"

"Who knows? Maybe he's just a kept man living off others?"

"With his looks, I'm sure many women would want to take care of him."

"Ohhh!"

"Holy shit!"

Everyone cursed in shock and was about to praise Noah for his insight when they heard a voice.

"No, he isn't."