Energy Group

According to Jia Er's words, Li Cong basically has some understanding of this business. It is similar to what Dai Lin said. The places where the beads are produced are the South China Sea and the East China Sea. The pearls of the East China Sea are used by the four imperial royal families, and the people will also Some, but not a lot, come out. This South China Sea pearl is the most popular one among the folks..

In the coastal areas, every area where beads are produced can be said to be filled with many pearl collectors. Pearl is an ancient organic gemstone, mainly produced in pearl molluscs and nacre mollusks; it is produced by endocrine effects. The calcium carbonate-containing mineral (aragonite) beads are composed of a large number of tiny aragonite crystals. Other book friends are watching:.According to the research of geology and archaeology, there were pearls on the earth 200 million years ago.The international gemstone industry also lists pearls as lucky stones for birth in June, and commemorative stones for the 13th and 30th anniversary of marriage.Pearls with magnificent colors and elegant temperament symbolize health, purity, wealth and happiness. They have been loved by people since ancient times. Pearls were born on this planet even earlier, but there is no historical record here, so this is also There is no place for textual research. The pearl pluckers were probably born tens of thousands of years ago, and now they have formed a very large scale.

Pearls are not very valuable in the hands of the pearl divers. The price of the mother-of-pearl in the hands of the pearl divers is all based on the catty. They sell tens of thousands of taels of the mother-of-pearl here. It’s just a few dozen. This era is different from that on the earth. The pearl divers simply don’t have any equipment of this kind to use. They can only fish directly by relying on their invigoration. This is very dangerous. The big one, if you don’t pay attention to it a little, your life might be lost.

On the coastal shore, there was the first transaction of fritillary, and the merchants on the shore were shouting to buy the fritillary. Generally speaking, the price they bought was very low, but the money was for the pearl divers. It is said to be quite a lot, but they could easily make this money in the early years.After all, at that time, the fritillary was found at a distance of 100 meters from the shore and the water depth was no more than 20 meters. There could be more than a dozen of them at a time, but now it is completely different from that time. More and more are being collected. They can no longer collect Fritillaria so easily. Many people have to pay for their lives.Fritillaria nowadays are generally 1,000 to 2,000 meters away from the shore, and the water depth in this place has reached more than 30 meters.Under the water, the strong pressure will also make people unable to feel oneself. This is what pearl pickers know best.

After the first sale, these mother-of-pearls will no longer be measured by the catty. They will all have their own value. They will be shipped to the Pearl Club in the nearby county at a price that is twice the purchase price. , There will be jewelry merchants and mother-of-pearls from all over the continent to choose these mother-of-pearls. The price here is about 100 taels of silver to 500 taels of silver. The ones mentioned here are the ones that Li Cong just opened. .This is their second transaction. Then they will be bought by the big merchants of the Southern and Eastern Empires and then they will go to the capitals of the two countries. They will double or double the price in this place and sell them to their own domestic companies. Some small merchandisers and merchants from the other two empires, some of the small merchandisers in the Eastern Empire and the Southern Empire will sell them to the inland areas of their empire, but more people will take them to the other two empires. Sales, because this will maximize the price of Fritillaria, the price of each Fritillaria at this time has reached the lowest of 500 taels of silver.The tall one can be worth thousands of taels.

The next procedure was that in the capitals of the other two empires, those who had transported the mother-of-pearl began to approve some mother-of-pearl merchants in various places. These people were the people who sold it to Jia Er, and they didn't know what it was. They are also the most profitable in this link. For example, Li Cong basically bought 4,000 taels to 10,000 taels.But their purchase price is only half of this, and all they have left is profit, and then they will sell these things to people like Jia Er, and after Jia Er opens it, they will also sell it to those jewelry merchants. , The jewelers go back and process it. This is the finished product sold to direct customers. It is estimated that there will be more than a dozen procedures in the process.The pearl itself is not precious, but if it is in the hands of people, it will be expensive.

"I really didn't expect this little pearl to have such great knowledge. I don't know if we can omit these links in the middle. Can we buy these mother-of-pearls directly from the beach?" Dai Lin said .

"Master, this shouldn't be possible. Those who buy the mother-of-pearl along the coast are all big families over there. If we rashly deal with other guns, it should not be so easy to do." Jia Er I know a little bit about this, knowing that it won't work.

"Could it be that if we go to buy, they will stand up and stop it?" Li Cong naturally felt unhappy with these bullying and domineering people.

"Boss, it’s not like this. There are kings in this world. They don’t dare to go too far. They won’t make you ugly on the surface, but they will contact these bandit road tyrants on your way. , When necessary, for example, if you hire a very powerful guard in your team, they can do the same, and they will also find someone more powerful than you, they are all local snakes, regardless of our homework It's not so easy." Jia Er said, and Li Cong also understands that you have moved other people's rice bowls. If they do not respond, this is a strange thing.

"Haha, if there is really only this point, I don’t think this will do anything to us. We can transport this through our airship. At that time, even tenth-level fighters will not be able to catch us. Others The book friend is watching:." Dai Lin said with a smile. What he said is true. Although the tenth-level fighter can get the airship down, he doesn't know when you took off or where you took off. Which route to take, these are all uncertain factors, as long as you want to avoid them is still very easy.

"Airship? Master, do you have that thing in your hand? As far as I know, isn't it belonging to the Cao family in the Northern Empire? By the way, Master Cao, your surname is Cao? Could it be that you belong to the Cao family?" Jia Er patted. He clicked his head and said..If there is such a thing, this thing can really be achieved. Although these guys on the beach will not only have this one way, but at least this is the most direct way to solve the problem.

"Hehe, I'm from the Cao family, I'm Cao Ke, how about it. You are not the wrong person, right?" Li Cong said with a smile, this kid really is.

"No. Oh, to be honest, your business has been told by our businessmen these days. You have endured the humiliation for more than ten years and become a magician. If you have such a powerful master, you will not come out. Such patience Sexuality is not something ordinary people have. Then you established a new Cao’s house. Now Cao’s house is involved in too many industries. Of course, the most remarkable thing is your airship, which is simply a god-like thing. If not, As for your airship, it is probably impossible for ordinary people to fly to the sky.” This guy said excitedly. He was telling the truth. Li Cong was indeed an enviable object of businessmen around here.

"I'm not as good as what you said. Continue our topic. If we use airships for transportation, what chance do you think of this thing?" Li Cong said.He didn't want to continue talking about his own affairs, it was not only a waste of time, but also embarrassing himself.

"Master, if you really use an airship for transportation, I think at least 80% of it will be fine. In fact, to be honest, I don't know exactly how things are going on here and there. Everything I know is from others. I haven't really seen it myself, but it is said that this Nanzhu is better than Dongzhu. The business of Dongzhu is monopolized by the royal family of the Eastern Empire." Jia Er said embarrassedly.

"Hehe, your kid is really real. It doesn't matter. You can take a good look at the beach on my behalf. I will give you an airship and a guard team tomorrow. You can go to the beach for two months. Time is your time on the road. It should be okay for them to move fast day and night. It takes you a month to figure it out, how about it?" Li Cong thought about it and said, he does not have so much energy now. Come to get this, it's okay to let this kid go over and see if it takes three months.

"Master, don't worry, since you left this matter to me, I will do it for you beautifully. I feel very reliable for me to do this thing." Jia Er patted his chest and said, this Li Cong looks at the guy doing things very well, and there should be no problem. This guy should be okay when doing things. Dai Lin next to him is also optimistic about this kid.

"Very well, then I believe you this time. Remember, if Cao's firm enters the jewelry industry in the future, you must be the first to master this person. Your future lies ahead of you. This survey is a test I gave you. If you can’t pass, then I’m sorry, I don’t want to waste it here." Li Cong drew a broad road for this guy, and this guy also agreed happily. Today It's his own good life. If it weren't for Li Cong today, he might have gone bankrupt and had nothing left. He nodded heavily, and he must do well for Li Cong.

Li Cong does have his own business now. If not, Li Cong would definitely go to the beach to see this. One thing Li Cong has to do now is to inspect the airship transportation line of the Western Empire in the south. There are a total of 320 airships in the southern part of the empire for transportation, 200 of which are traded with gathering points in the Warcraft Mountains. This part of the number accounts for more than 60%, and the profit accounts for 70%. There are 120 ships on the mainland, and the profit is relatively small. From this time, Li inspected the transportation on the mainland. The Warcraft Mountains are still being reclaimed, but now because some places have not shown the meaning of cooperation, So Li Cong's plan is to use all the remaining 100 airships just delivered to the interior of the mainland.

Dai Lin already showed Li Cong the transportation industry here. At the beginning, Dai Lin’s vision has basically been realized. Now the twelve provinces in the southern part of the Western Empire have been built into counties, that is, as long as If you are willing to special car, if you have money, you can take the carriage of Caojia Commercial Bank to any county town, including goods and letters. It can be a secondary school. This was impossible in the past. Now everyone's life All of them are also being reorganized because of the transportation of Cao’s house. In the past, you had to go in person, but now you don’t need it anymore. Other book friends are reading:.They can all take care of things in a letter. Of course, Cao’s firm recommends that they use airships to transport some valuable things. They are not responsible for the land transportation. The bandits on both sides are not going to eat dry food. .

The transportation network is being built step by step. Although the current situation is still in a state of meager profit, Li Cong believes that this will definitely be a good profit point in the near future. In the Western Empire, Li Cong still feels that one thing is a partner. Too little.There are too few official forces under his control, and now he can register with Prince Yulin.In the last half a year, I didn’t need to deal with outsiders, but as I expanded, Prince Yulin could no longer help him. Li Cong discussed this issue with Dai Lin. At this time, Wu Zuoxi This person entered their sight.

"Although I haven't seen this person, from the perspective of this person's way of doing things, this guy shouldn't be a person who fancy money." Li Cong looked at the name of Wu Zuoxi on the analysis chart and said that money can naturally be used for ordinary things. It's done, but what Wu Zuoxi wants to solve for himself is not an ordinary problem.General problems can be solved by finding someone by yourself.

"Boss, I've dealt with Wu Zuoxi, this person is very difficult. It is a normal thing in the royal family to unload the mill and kill the donkey, but this person is rushing in the chaos of the royal family, and now this guy The mixed guy is very good, although he can't keep up with the Tuoba clan back then... But in some places, he has replaced the Da nobles of the Tuoba clan. If we can have a good relationship with this person, everything will be fine. Talking about it." Dai Lin is also a bit troubled with this person. This guy is not a person who doesn't get in, but this guy does things.What he does is very personal. He will not do things that cross the bottom line. He will not offend any big nobleman for the Cao's business. Maybe in this guy's heart, he doesn't want this.

"In fact, anyone has a critical point. The fundamental reason why he did not help us is because he has not reached this critical point, as long as he has reached the critical point. It is estimated that everything can be done for us. In fact, we can. From another aspect, what we need now is that this guy can help us acquire the shipping shares on the Red River. It can be said that except for the royal family, everything else is our target. Prince Yulin’s ability is limited, the magician We can’t count on the trade union for the time being. If we want to monopolize, we can only use Wu Zuoxi’s knife. If he has no conflicts with the nobles, he will not help us, but if they have their own conflicts. If you don’t, I think this matter will be easier to handle, there is no contradiction, we can create contradictions.” Li Cong said with a smile, Dai Lin’s head finally felt like he was open, why didn’t he think of it, since starting with Li Cong In the future, you will pay attention to everything you do. In fact, many things don't need to be so stressful.

"Haha, I really wake up the person in my dream. I have been thinking about what kind of gift I can use to impress that guy. I really didn't expect this method to be used. These big families have long been dissatisfied with Wu Zuoxi. Their thoughts are also very simple. There is no big power behind Wu Zuoxi, and this kid can only rely on himself, so that people with no foundation can control such a big power, and they naturally cannot bear it. It was going to be lit, we just need to be a source of fire, and then they will put it together." Dai Lin is a smart man, and soon knows what he should do.

"Hehe, what you said is right, but there is one basic point that must be noted, that is, we can't fool around. These people are not as simple as we think. We must not provoke several families at the same time. If it does, Wu Zuoxi may be killed at once, and we may be able to get our people out by then. At that time, we will be the one who suffers." Li Cong added that Dai Lin should be assured of doing things. Yes, it’s just that this matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly.

"Hehe, boss, I suddenly discovered that you should have made your own political achievements. These people are still confused about politics. If you go there, they might not be able to carry you shoes." Dai Lin said, this Li Cong does have this ability.

"Politics is not that simple. If I want to get mixed up in politics, I must have my own absolute advantage, otherwise I will never enter. Many people say that the minds of businessmen are poisonous, but businessmen and politicians It’s not on the same level. I’m still very clear about this. Now that many businessmen are dependent on politicians, you can understand what’s going on. Businessmen can also manipulate politics, but the atmosphere of the entire society must be adapted, absolutely. It's not the way to look down on the businessman now." Li Cong said with a smile.It can be proved on the planet rty that mixing politics is not impossible, a good-looking novel:.But now Li Cong's skills are still too weak. If he enters, it is estimated that there is nothing left for people to eat.

"Actually, there are some children in our Dai family who are serving as officials, but that position is a little bit incomprehensible. Alas, without the support of the family, it is impossible for them to go further along this road. They want to go up. It's not that simple. If you enter the political world, Master, you might be able to take them." Dai Lin thought of the several county princes in his family, who basically belonged to the kind of officials with little real power.The officials asked them to join the Dai family to become officials. It’s just that it’s better to look at the filial piety of the Dai family. Besides, the children of the Dai family are not different from others. They do not need these officials.

"Hehe, there will be such a day, but now we still have to talk about serious matters. I have already begun a large-scale purchase of iron ore in the Western Empire. Your second priority in the Western Empire is to help me purchase iron ore, the Northern Empire My wife Yang Qiu's actions over there are still very good. You have to start here. In addition, you have to prepare to open the iron shop. I don’t want too much. Just open it in ten counties. We have to first It’s a trial operation.” Li Cong thought for a while and said. His method is also very simple. The ironmaking process in this society can be said to be a bit more advanced than that on earth, but the ironmaking process here is in the hands of the forge. , They are hoarding high-grade goods, but they are not as good as those on the earth, and they can transport the ore here back to the earth.All that is left is to wait for it to be shipped back there, so that you can make your business flourish. As for the forge in the iron shop, it is just a display.

Dai Lin looked at Li Cong with a little surprise. This guy's appetite is really too big. Now this guy wants everything and wants to develop everything. This is not a joke. Now many people have already noticed it. Cao's family is now, and it is still developing rapidly at this time. This is not a joke. If you are stared at yourself, you will not do anything.

"What's wrong? Very difficult?" Li Cong looked at Dai Lin and said, the look of this guy's eyes already explained the problem.

"Hehe, it's not very difficult, it's very difficult. Iron forging is also a very powerful industry. I know that our firm needs to develop in many ways, but you have to understand that we are no longer a small firm. Now, our every move will make them feel very uncomfortable. A while ago, our Cao’s bank robbed a lot of people’s business. Now we are doing this forging, which is even more powerful. I’m afraid of it. The organized chambers of commerce are coming out to find our troubles." Dai Lin said with some worry. The chambers of commerce are all united by multiple businessmen and are very powerful.

"Haha, it's nothing. I met the Southern Business Alliance in the Northern Empire, but they still didn't find me. They went back honestly. The same is true in the Western Empire. We are not afraid of any provocation." Li From an optimistic perspective.

"Boss, I know you are very good, but you should also know that here is the Western Empire is not the Northern Empire, and anything that is not the Northern Empire can work in the Western Empire." Dai Lin said with some worry, he said The truth is also true.

"I know this naturally, so a while ago, I would join forces with the other two to block Tuoba with such a high profile. Although we all said that this matter cannot be leaked out, there is no secret on this continent. This is not surprising. Most of the things in this world will be known to those who want to know, otherwise the news merchants will have to die quietly. Although these chambers of commerce alliances are very powerful, we can also become them. For one of them, you can get in touch with the bosses of these alliances, they should accept us." Li Cong said with a smile.

Dai Lin’s mind seemed to have suddenly opened up. Li Cong said that this question is very right. We can also become one of them. If this is the case, we can avoid direct enemies with them. Think about it.

"This matter can't be decided in a short while. That's what I said. You only have to make this plan first, and you have to plan for a long time. We can't do things recklessly." Li Congjian The light flashing in Dai Lin's eyes knew what was going on. Li Cong left after speaking. It took a long time for Dai Lin to realize that Li was never gone.

During the Western Empire’s itinerary, Li Cong rarely separated from Dai Lin, but this time Li Cong went out by himself.Li Cong still has a lot of worry about Dai Lin, so now Li Cong is eating with Bai Er.Originally, Li Cong wanted to hand over the affairs of the Western Empire to Bai Er, but this kid was really useless. In the past, he could handle the small size very well, but now the business of an Empire is for Bai Er. It’s also a bit difficult, so I have to come step by step. Other book friends are reading:.

"Master, you are here, please, I have arranged everything inside, and all around here are our people." Bai Er said after seeing Li Cong coming over.Although this yard belongs to the Cao's family firm, it is obviously divided into two rows. One group is the direct lineage led by Bai Er. These people come from the Western Empire, and most of them have genes. For the pharmacy, these people are also the main power, almost controlling more than 70% of the Chamber of Commerce in the Western Empire.The other group is a group of people who developed locally in the Cao’s Chamber of Commerce. They form a group of their own. They all regard Dai Lin as their boss. Of course, they can still live through the famous things. Li Cong will come. The reason for eating with Bai Er was to see the real situation, and Dai Lin would naturally not mention this matter.After all, it is good for them to wear the family, and many of the shopkeepers are from the Dai family.

Originally, Li Cong also wanted to use gene medicine for the shopkeepers of Dai's family, but thought that they were together usually, and he did not have the ability to administer drugs to so many people at once, and one of them was Lu Manjia. The reason is that I still don’t want to count his family members. This is not to say Li Cong’s wife.In fact, these are all relatives, which is too bad.

"I really saw it. I didn't expect faction disputes to appear in my chamber of commerce. I remember that you weren't that serious when I left last time. Why are they so serious now." Li Cong When I came in, I saw that people from the two factions basically didn’t even speak. They were all people inside the chamber of commerce. If they were doing such a great deal, what would happen to their business? Now Li Cong There is already an idea in his heart, if this continues, he would rather not use Dai Lin.

"Master, this is nothing we can do. We really didn't talk about Dai Guan Shi doing things. But Dai Guan Shi has a large number of people inserted into his own. We also listened to the young master's words at the beginning. They can install some local food and other industries. Yes, but the airship, shipping, and magic arrows are all businesses that we need to control. In order to prevent Dai Guan from taking advantage of it, we can only boycott them. Now the transportation network created by Dai Guan, It’s already on a large scale. The brothers have always been unable to enter. Guan Shi does not let the brothers in. All the people in charge of the transportation network are from the Dai family." Bai Er said bitterly, in fact. After such a long time, Bai Er can also see that Dai Lin's time in the Cao Family Chamber of Commerce should not be long. What he needs is a place to stay. As long as this guy is good, it is probably time to leave.

Li Cong was not very worried about what Bai Er said. At the beginning, he also planted some people in the shopkeeper of the Dai family. They were all people who took genetic medicine. Dai Lin still While helping me do things, it's just that sometimes what this guy planned for him is obvious, such as the transportation network.

Nowadays, the transportation network is not counted as the transportation in the sky. There are tens of millions of people below each day. This is not a small number. Of course, Li Cong has to take such a huge transportation network in his own hands. Dai Lin does not Let your own people come in and think that you can take this network with you when you separate in the future. Li Cong sneered. He has never suffered such a loss. He used Laozi’s platform to sing for himself, such a thing. It won't be so easy. If that's the case, you can kill the tofu yourself.

"You are making things so rigid now, this Dai Lin didn't tell me at all, this kid really has ideas in his mind, you shouldn't maintain such a state of opposition. This will not benefit the development of our chamber of commerce. Yes, you should cooperate well with each other, so..." Li Cong said in a low voice, although he is sure that he is surrounded by his own people, sometimes it is better to be careful when speaking. Otherwise, it would not be good to spread it out.

Since it is not possible to use genetic medicine for these shopkeepers all at once, you can do it slowly.Let the people on your side invite the people on their side to have a meal, as long as the guys inside are willing to cooperate.How many of these people can make appointments. These people are their own as long as they take their own genetic medicine. Without the support of Dai Lin, it is absolutely impossible for him to make any waves. Moreover, Li Cong had already left a Warcraft Legion in the Western Empire. As long as there was something wrong with Dai Lin, it would still be okay to control him. Li Cong hadn't done things like Xiao Qiang for a long time.

"Master, this is a good way. It's just that our expansion has been a bit fast recently, and this person is a bit unable to squeeze it out. If time stretches out, the subordinates may change things." Li Cong's The career has always been advancing at a super speed. Many people know this. Everyone in Li Cong's subordinates will say that the speed is too fast, but Li Cong does not feel that way. He still feels a little slow. , See Bai Er also say the same.Li Cong can only approve and come slowly.

"Master, there is one more thing. Recently, a lot of unidentified funds have appeared in our bank. These funds are very large and the deposit period is very long. We charge 1% of the custody fee per year. These people don’t have any unwillingness. What they want is long-term savings, and they don’t know what they have in their minds. We have also checked the origins of these people. They seem to be in the Northern Empire with the young master. The blackmail organization I encountered was related, and some of the crimes were similar to those of those people. Did they come to the Western Empire now?” Bai Er also said a very important piece of news. That organization has nothing to do with Li Cong. What a big holiday.Of course, that is in Li Cong's opinion. It is not the same thing in others' opinion. You have taken so many good things from others, and this has half the funds in the treasury. Can they not be a big deal?

"Is there any specific news now?" Li Cong is also very interested in this. He wanted to eradicate the organization at the beginning, but they suddenly disappeared at that time. It should be felt that something is wrong. Now it is a good opportunity, if they can be killed, this would be very good.

"We found a local stronghold of them, but they blamed the stronghold for not being very important. Our intelligence organization easily got in. They are more like a second-rate society, which seems to be similar to some large organizations. It doesn't matter." Bai Er told Li Cong all the news he had received. Li Cong said that this is a big organization.

How could there be such a thing? Bai Er's words made Li Cong a little confused. Even if his investigation was wrong at the beginning, the things left by that huge organization could not be faked. Not something that ordinary people can have.

"I have to stay here for two days. I should hurry up and do things that corrupt the shopkeepers of the Dai family. I will come to investigate this organization." The main reason Li Cong is here is that he is afraid that Bai Er and the others will miss. It has become one of the most important tasks for the development of the Cao’s Chamber of Commerce here. Li Cong is here to give them a seat. If something happens, you can live as much as Li Cong’s face. Bai Er nodded gratefully to Li Cong.

That night, the Cao family compound was a little different from before. The shopkeepers and stewards who belonged to the Cao family’s lineage all took a Dai’s shopkeeper out for dinner in twos and threes. This kind of thing couldn’t happen. The shopkeepers of the Dai family didn’t want to go, but some of them wanted to go very much. They saw that it was impossible to become independent within the Cao’s Chamber of Commerce. The idea is good, but you also have to see who the boss is. Even if it succeeds, the blow to you by the Cao Family Chamber of Commerce is definitely not a small matter for you, so they all want to find a good future for themselves.

There are currently more than 400 people in the Dai family serving in the Cao’s Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the dozens of people Li acquired from the beginning, a hundred more people have fallen tonight, and the rest are basically It's easy to handle, these people just leave it to the rebellious Dai family. What was originally planned to be completed in a week can now be done in three days. In fact, it is not surprising that there is such a result. Li has seen Dai's long ago. Some of the shopkeepers at home had thoughts, but Bai Er and their limited vision did not see it.

Li Cong naturally has his own ideas. Li Cong is already on the street in the county town. Li Cong has already arrived around this place according to the address given by Bai Er. The defense here is just what Bai Er said. Similarly, there is no defense at all here. This is just a gangster's den. There are a few jugglers standing at the door. These guys look very funny. None of them are normal. They are afraid that others will not know they are on the street. On the gangsters.

"Brother, don't you want to go there, it's not a place where ordinary people can go. It is the most famous blind current gathering spot in our county. Usually, if you have nothing to do, you should come here. You just go. You might be beaten by a few of them if you didn't speak on the street." A guy next to him who looked honestly looked at Li Cong and said.

"Is it? I don't know. How can people like them eat their food every day?" Li Cong said, this society is not the same as the society that has so many gray incomes, the gray of this era Income should not be much.

"They can't have food? I said young man, the group of people who go out to collect a protection fee is only a few hundred taels of silver. They can definitely eat their food, and most of the flower boats on the south river are related to them. Yes, if you count this, their life will be very moist." The passer-by whispered, seeing a few doormen on the opposite side, and immediately disappeared. It seems that these People are still very prestigious.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome. Your support is my biggest motivation...)