Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
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At night…
Wang Shouzhe’s carriage made a trip back to the main residence. He wrote a few letters to be delivered by the clan guards.
The first thing he did was to remind the clans who were closer to them. As Wang Clan would not be affected by the disaster, this was to prevent them from developing animosity towards the Wang Clan after suffering from the disaster themselves. Even if they already noticed signs of the pest disaster, it would do no harm for the Wang Clan to show goodwill
Apart from that, Wang Shouzhe only brought two clan guards with him as they rode out overnight. When they arrived at the Dingpu Crossing, they used their clan’s fishing boat to cross the An River in secret. Only when they reached Changning Wei City did the sky finally light up.
The contours of Changning City shone magnificently in the sunlight.
The city wall was more than a hundred feet tall. It was built entirely from thick and black stone bricks. There were some fully-armored soldiers with crossbows stationed on the battlements. There was also a huge ballista installed every few hundred feet.
Changning Wei might only be a city in level, but it was still more powerful and majestic than those famous cities on Earth.
There was no choice. This world was not like the ancient times of China. There were many powerful demonic beasts and vicious creatures in the Outland. Once a beast horde appeared, tall walls and fortified cities would be the only barrier for humanity.
Ping’an Town also had walls, but they were far inferior to Wei City’s.
The horses of Wang Shouzhe and the other two people slowly stopped in front of the city gate. They got off their horses and joined the queue to enter the city in the early morning. However, most of the people who entered the city at this early hour were farmers, peddlers, craftsmen, and other civilians.
As soon as they saw the luxuriously dressed Wang Shouzhe and his clan guards leading their tall horses, they instinctively stepped aside to express their reverence.
In the Da Qian Empire, the Arcane Martial Clans were the privileged class. No matter how far a small noble clan was in decline, commoners could not compare to it.
At the east gate…
Two fully-armored soldiers came forward and checked Wang Shouzhe’s clan token. Then, they respectfully invited him into the city.
He did not delay after entering the city. He led the horse and headed straight for the Qian’s Trading Company. The business of Qian’s Trading Company covered the entire Longzuo County. It was powerful and had a good reputation. The insecticide powder refined by the Violet Palace Academy was managed by the Qian’s Trading Company.
Just this alone was enough for the Qian’s Trading Company to make a killing. Moreover, their business extended to far more than the insecticide powder.
Wang Shouzhe showed the Wang family’s token. His clan guards would stay outside the gates to wait. Wang Shouzhe was led into a side hall in the trading company in wait. The servant girl served some fruits and tea and retreated.
Wang Shouzhe sipped his tea calmly and looked around. Even though it was just a side hall of a trading company, it was still decorated with extreme luxury. From screen and furniture made of various precious timber to casually placed antiques, every item was of great value.
Even with Wang Shouzhe’s rather “shallow” understanding, he could sense that just the value of the decorations in the side room reached hundreds and thousands of gold alone. It was a testament to the great wealth of the Qian’s Trading Company. As expected of a prestigious clan that dominated Longzuo.
As a transmigrator, Wang Shouzhe naturally understood the psychological tactics employed by Qian’s Trading Company.
After waiting for about 15 minutes…
A plump middle-aged man with a face full of amiability walked in. “The patriarch of the Wang Clan of Ping’an is here in person. I apologize for not welcoming you in advance. Do forgive me.”
Wang Shouzhe narrowed his eyes. The other party’s indifferently polite and formulaic words revealed a lot of information.
It had only been two or three days since he became the patriarch. Moreover, with the decline of the Wang Clan of Ping’an, even an event like a change in the patriarch would not attract much attention. Unexpectedly, not only did Qian’s Trading Company pay attention to it, they confirmed his identity within 15 minutes.
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As expected of one of the business magnates who dominated Longzuo, their intelligence-gathering ability was extremely powerful. Furthermore, the other party’s surname was Qian, and his bearing was extraordinary. He was most likely a member of the Qian Clan’s bloodline.
“Not at all. I came without notice. It’s already my honor to be received by you personally, Steward Qian.” Wang Shouzhe naturally responded with routine courtesy and modesty. This person with the surname Qian naturally could not be the manager.
The Qian’s Trading Company was very massive. Even the manager of the Changning Branch was an important figure, and could not possibly receive him, a patriarch in the Qi Refining Realm of a declining clan.
The two of them exchanged some pleasantries and sat down.
After sitting down, they did not talk about serious matters. Steward Qian talked with Wang Shouzhe about everything from Ancestor Longyan to Ancestor Zhouxuan, then about Wang Shouzhe’s achievements in passing the preliminary test of the Violet Palace Academy. In their discussion, the thoroughness of his research became apparent.
On the other hand, Wang Shouzhe had a huge agenda for this trip. Naturally, he could not show any sign of being intimidated. He went along with the idle chatter, seemingly inadvertently revealing his logical and thinking skills superior to the natives.
“What a pity, what a pity. With your knowledge and insight, Brother Shouzhe, if you were to participate in the second round of examinations of the Violet Palace Academy, it is almost certain that you will become a disciple of the academy.” Without realizing it, Steward Qian paid more attention to Wang Shouzhe. He said with a mix of flattery and lamentation, “The Violet Palace Academy doesn’t just value natural talent in cultivation. They also value the outlook and perspective of the disciples of the academy. I think that with you in the Wang Clan, it’s only a matter of time before it returns to the peak, or even attain a higher level of achievement.”
“Brother Qian, don’t mock me.” Wang Shouzhe shook his head and smiled bitterly. “The Wang Clan of Ping’an only wishes to survive in peace. That’s all we want.”
In their mutual politeness, the two of them had already begun to call each other brothers.
“You’re being too modest. By the way, Brother Shouzhe, you rushed overnight to the Qian’s Trading Company. Could it be that you have some major business to do?” After exchanging pleasantries for a long while, Steward Qian finally could not hold back anymore and brought the conversation back on track.
Hearing this, Wang Shouzhe gently put down his teacup, his eyes filled with calmness. “Speaking of which, I really need Brother Qian’s help. I need 5,000 bags of insecticide powder.”
As soon as he said this, Steward Qian’s hand suddenly trembled. He looked at Wang Shouzhe in disbelief. After a long while, he suppressed his discontent and said, “Brother Shouzhe, are you here to make fun of me?”
“Why do you say that, Brother Qian?” Wang Shouzhe said indifferently, “A mere 5,000 bags of insecticide powder must be within the capacity of the great Qian’s Trading Company, right?”
“Brother, do you know how many much insecticide powder there is in 5,000 bags? One bag of insecticide powder is about 100 catties. After dilution, it’s enough for 100 acres of fertile land. 5,000 bags of insecticide powder is already enough to cover 500,000 acres of farmland.” Steward Qian frowned and said, “Fertile lands in all of Changning Wei and the various towns under its command only add up to about 1.5 million acres.”
“I know.” Wang Shouzhe’s expression did not change at all. His gaze was very serious.
Steward Qian’s expression gradually became interesting. “Brother, you’re not joking?”
“Of course I’m not joking,” said Wang Shouzhe. “The Wang Clan of Ping’an may only be a last-rate Ninth Grade noble clan, but we’re not so capricious as to make light of a serious matter.”
“Good, good, good. Brother, you’ve really given me a huge surprise. I’ll accept this deal.” Steward Qian said with a pleased expression, “However, the Changning Branch of Qian’s Trading Company only has 2,000 bags in stock. The remaining 3,000 will need to be transferred from the other branches, and it will take at least 10 days.”
“Why is the stock so little?” Wang Shouzhe frowned slightly.
“This is already quite a lot. In the past, the stocks were basically all emptied,” said Steward Qian seriously. “As it involves the growth and production of the raw materials, the annual production of insecticide powder is planned. The harvest of the raw materials for last year increased by more than 10%. Originally, we wanted to sell them at a low price to the various clans, but we didn’t expect that only a few clans were willing to spend money to stock up. As a matter of fact, when last winter came around, our Changning Wei branch still had 2,000 bags in stock.”
“Brother, why were those clans unwilling to stock up while prices were low?” Wang Shouzhe asked casually.
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“This… All right, this matter isn’t a secret anymore. Many clans already know about it. It’s not against the clan rules to tell you.” Steward Qian hesitated for a moment before saying helplessly, “The medicinal herbs used in the insecticide powder are all grown through the herbal fields of many noble clans. As the profits are good, more and more noble clans are investing in the herbal fields. The yield has been increasing over the recent years, and we are also lowering the price for purchasing the raw materials. The production for the batch of insecticide powder this winter is likely to be… As you know, the larger the clan, the more informed they are.”
Heh… Wang Shouzhe understood now. This was due to overcapacity and a saturated market. Although he was not a professional in economics, his horizons and consciousness still exceeded those of the natives of this fantasy world.
“In that case,” Wang Shouzhe said after a moment of consideration, “I’ll take both the 2,000 bags of spot and the 3,000 bags of futures from the trading company’s stocks.”
“Um, Brother Shouzhe, what are futures?” Steward Qian didn’t understand this term at all. His round and chubby face was filled with confusion.
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