Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton

Chapter 755: Chapter 433: Become the Sacrificial Offering for the Undead Sacrifice!_1
 

Northern Wind City was in utter chaos, with rubbish littering the streets and no one bothering to clean it up. The shops on either side of the main street were tightly shuttered, and the few pedestrians who ventured out on the roads were in a hurry to get to their destinations.

Ange’s arrival drew a lot of attention, but his formidable appearance deterred anyone from trying to start trouble with him.

Negris fell into a daze, just as bewildered as he had been in the Land of Fallen; he didn’t know where to head next. Nevertheless, Silver Coin, their leader, seemed quite undaunted. He took in the surroundings and promptly strolled towards a nearby alley.

Soon, the group found themselves in a quiet alley. At the far end of it, a swordsman poked his head out, eyeing them warily.

Silver Coin held up a fresh vegetable. Although it looked fresh, it was unclear how long ago it was grown. It only appeared fresh because it had been recently harvested from Ange’s Divine Region.

The swordsman quickly retreated, only to reappear moments later, nodding at Silver Coin.

Negris was completely baffled and couldn’t help but ask, “What does all this gesturing mean?”

Walking towards the end of the alley, Silver Coin explained while moving, “I saw the sign for a grain and oil merchant on the main road. Grain is a bulk commodity. It requires a large warehouse for storage. If they sell grain at the front, there will definitely be a warehouse at the back.”

“Even though the shops up front are closed, there must be people in the warehouse at the back. Even if they have ceased trading, they wouldn’t be able to move the grain out all at once. So, I came here to investigate, and sure enough, there are people.”

“I raised the fresh vegetable to indicate I have ‘vegetables’ to sale. If they have a demand for it, they’d let us through. If they don’t, we’d just try somewhere else. But it seems we’re in luck.” Silver Coin added with a chuckle.

Negris finally understood. “You cunning merchants, so many trading tricks up your sleeves.”

“Not really, these are just simple tricks. Even non-traders can find them useful. Many business practices here are different from the Master Plane. I’m still learning,” replied Silver Coin.

The group reached the end of the alley, and rounding a corner, they found a row of burly swordsmen watching them.

Unfazed, Silver Coin walked past them, handing over a small card and greeting, “Hello, nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Silver Coin, the vice president of the Silver Light Mercantile Company. This is my business card.” He had the demeanor of a businessman.

The cards Silver Coin used before were made of wood from the World Tree. But in this world where nobody recognized the World Tree, his acts of showing off held no meaning. The cards he was handing out now were silver-plated business cards made on the spur of the moment—shiny and quite impressive.

Silver Coin’s businessman-like demeanor put the other party at ease. After accepting the card, they stepped aside, revealing a human who also had a merchant-like appearance.

Silver Coin was even more enthusiastic. He handed over his card and then, after some whispering back and forth, a few hand gestures and half an hour later, their conversation was over.

Upon returning to the group, Silver Coin signaled for everyone to head back the way they came. Once they left the alley, Negris couldn’t resist asking, “What happened there? What did you guys talk about? Why did we leave without selling anything?”

Silver Coin replied, “We did make a sale. Sold six thousand kilograms of fast-growing vegetables for thirty demon crystals.”

Upon hearing ‘six thousand kilograms,’ it seemed like a large amount. But when he heard ‘thirty demon crystals,’ Negris was slightly upset. “Only thirty demon crystals? That’s cheap, isn’t it?”

Silver Coin was a bit bewildered. “Cheap? Uh, isn’t it the other way round? It’s expensive. Thirty demon crystals are equal to three hundred gold coins. On average, that’s one gold coin for every twenty kilograms of vegetables, which is extremely expensive. When he quoted the price, I could hardly believe it. In the Master Plane, similar fast-growing vegetables sell for a few copper coins a kilogram.”

“Ah? Are vegetables so cheap?” Negris was stunned.

Well, he didn’t know the price of vegetables. That’s not knowledge, it’s just the market rate. He thought it was a cheap deal because Silver Coin usually earned hundreds of thousands of demon crystals at a time. A mere couple of dozens of demon crystals appeared to tarnish Silver Coin’s image.

“Of course it’s cheap. If it’s not sold, it would just rot in the field. Vegetables have a short shelf life, they don’t store well and can’t be sold far. They were surprised that I could supply such fresh vegetables.”

“This place is remote and desolate. Fresh vegetables are rare. Usually, they only have dried vegetables and radishes. That’s the reason they offered such a high price.”

Negris was still a bit upset. All this way just for a few dozen demon crystals? Even if they sold all the vegetables from Ange’s Divine Region, they might not earn even a thousand demon crystals.

Silver Coin laughed, “Compared to selling some expensive goods, I prefer doing business with bulk commodities like grains and salts because the demand is large and stable. If I can obtain the supply of grains and salts for a city, I can earn a thousand demon crystals a day, thirty thousand a year. What if I get the supply for ten cities?”

“Even three hundred thousand a year is less.” Negris dismissed, “It’s not even half of the monthly profit from the Goddess of Beauty City.”

“Oh——” It was Silver Coin’s turn to be dumbfounded. He rarely lost his temper, but he was exasperated now. “Can you compare them with the Goddess of Beauty City? That’s a monopoly.”

“Why don’t you give them the vegetables?” If the price is right, why not deliver the goods directly?

Silver Coin shook his head, “Of course not. The secret of the Divine Region is a secret. If we deliver here, they would know that the lord has a storage space that can keep things fresh. That information is worth more than anything. What if they rob us? We will deliver to the cemetery outside the city and let them come and fetch it.”

Oh right, a box for storing things is more expensive than the things inside. What if they rob us? Of course, we cut them down. Relying on Ange’s strength, Negris was used to being domineering and never thought he would be robbed.