Conquering OtherWorld Starts With a Game-Chapter 184: Management Players
December 4, 8:30 p.m., Earth time, peak online period. In OtherWorld, it was four in the afternoon.
More and more undead had appeared beyond Indahl's west gate. Other than players in fixed teams grinding mobs and gold farmers addicted to farming gold, many players were attracted here by the battlefield preparatory quests.
"Wow, it's the famous Ou Huang!" A player doing a manual labor quest (expanding the prisoner camp) in the Weisshem encampment exclaimed and quickly tugged on his friend's sleeve. "Look, look, Ou Huang has also come!"
"Ehhh? For real?" His skeleton friend was surprised. "Isn’t it said that Ou Huang never does popular quests? Why is he gracing us with his presence this time?"
"Who's that with Ou Huang?" someone asked curiously.
"Don't you even know Boss Orange Cat? He's the top whale among veteran players. All the best equipment on the server has surely been in his hands before!"
"Only a top whale can be friends with Ou Huang. Is this how the world of powerhouses is like?"
"They even brought NPCs with them! The first player merchant group on the server definitely is impressive!"
The small merchant caravan composed of two players, four hired NPCs, and two wagons pulled by horned horses passed in front of the camp. Only then did Orange Cat, leading the group, reveal a bright smile… He really wanted to chuckle when the newbies were praising him earlier, but he held it in until now.
"We've finally fought our way over and our business is looking much brighter, ain't that right, Ou Huang? We don't have to sneak around any more," said Orange Cat cheerfully.
Ou Huang remained expressionless.
Orange Cat was long used to Ou Huang's laconic nature and didn't mind the lack of response, continuing to chatter away…
As the initiator of the server's first player merchant caravan, Orange Cat's recent gaming experience hadn't been very user friendly. The race setting of being undead was frustrating. He was clearly playing management mode, yet they had to avoid villages and select trading spots in the wilderness, conducting transactions like thieves.
Of course, traveling across the map was interesting, much more so than real-life road trips or camping. Encountering wild boars or wolves in the wilderness allowed Orange Cat to showcase his prowess in a highly realistic hunting game. (It was the only way he could make his presence felt by hunting wild beasts.) The excitement was undeniable… The fact that Ou Huang continued to accompany him on these wild adventures without silently opting for suicide to return to the city proved how intriguing such wilderness adventures were for men.
However, as fun as roaming the wilderness could be, it was still disheartening if it didn't achieve their business goals. So, as soon as Orange Cat saw the system announce the territorial war, he immediately brought his caravan over—he had taken a business loan from the Weisshem town hall for this venture, and it would be troublesome if he ended up in the red.
It had to be said, though, that Orange Cat really had a keen business sense. When his caravan, headed by two skeletons, arrived at the slums outside the west Indahl gate, a location mentioned by players in the blood alliance channel (he, too, had joined Qin Guan's blood alliance along with Yang Ying and the others), the residents, who had just been frightened by over a hundred undead, hardly react to this merchant caravan.
"Ah, there are already fellow vendors here." Seeing the mobile mill set up, Orange Cat waved cheerfully at the friendly worker NPCs and immediately instructed his four NPC employees, "Quickly set up the stall; we've got business to do."
The four NPC employees, averaging 38 years old (considered late middle-aged in this world), compliantly stopped the carriage by the roadside. They dismantled the carriage's sideboards, propped them up with stones to serve as a stall, and swiftly arranged the merchandise on display.
Given the purchasing power of natives, the goods Boss Orange Cat procured from Ji Tang were all inexpensive, sourced by Yang Qiu at ultra-low prices. These included expiring stuff like KangShifu instant noodles, White Rabbit milk candy, TiZi laundry powder, and Bird brand soap, as well as cheap, crudely made knickknacks by the container load from Z and S Provinces (remaining stock from the mass closure of two-yuan stores, as many cities had transitioned to ten-yuan stores)… and so on.
In short, the source of goods was the same as that of the two-copper hypermarket in Weisshem, just with fewer types of products. A mobile vendor couldn't compare with a hypermarket, after all.
While the employees arranged the goods, Orange Cat personally rushed to the entrance of the slums, and hollered, "Come take a look! Every item at only two copper coins! Miss this, and you'll have to visit Weisshem to buy such products again!"
All that ensued was silence. 𝖋𝔯𝖊𝖊𝖜𝔢𝖇𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔢𝖑.𝖈𝔬𝖒
Slum dwellers washing clothes at their doorsteps continued as before, and the loafers chatting by the roadside kept at their discussions. Only the children running around cast curious glances at Orange Cat's stall.
"The royal army has arrived, and these people still don't understand what I'm saying?" Orange Cat looked displeasedly at the mobile mill, where NPCs, identified as "Weisshem Officer XXX" under players' scrutiny, were busy.
The mill staff didn't know how to respond to him… They simply pretended not to hear and went on with their tasks.
"Boss, let me handle it." An employee, ever considerate, came forward to relieve Orange Cat, imitating his manner to call out to the people inside the slums.
The working-age population of the slums could earn 30 to 40 copper coins a day if they're lucky and at least 20 on a bad day. Goods priced at two copper coins were well within their purchasing power, so denizens that could spare the coins curiously gathered around.
"Th-this towel, it's only two copper?!" A housewife nearly had her eyes pop out at the sight of bundled white towels that were gotten at a wholesale price of 1.2 RMB each.
"This dagger for only two copper coins? You've got to be kidding me!" A young man trembled with excitement as he held a thin dagger, its blade shiny enough to serve as a mirror.
"Two copper for a pack of sugar?" A fat kid holding a 100-gram pack of White Rabbit milk candy started doubting his life.
Well… the White Rabbit milk candy was packaged individually, but Yang Qiu requested the manufacturer to repackage it into 100-gram bags for easier sale… After all, they were going for a thin profit margin strategy without manpower to slowly weigh each serving.
"There's salt too! Salt! Two copper a pack!" Someone else clutching a small package of fine salt clamored.
Weisshem townsfolk had initially been wary of the undead but never refused undead fabric. So, naturally, the slum dwellers here, who would stew rats when hungry, wouldn't reject goods brought by the undead, and this triggered an immediate buying frenzy.
Even Walton, a church knight from the Kenyan Empire who had seen lots of fine things, couldn't resist opening his wallet, let alone the poor who had never seen such goods.
"Gosh, this is what I call management mode!" Orange Cat was moved to tears at the sight of the buying frenzy. After wandering around with the caravan for many days, less than ten percent of the goods had been sold and half of their net profit came from the jerky that Ou Huang processed using his butcher skills. Orange Cat himself had come close to doubting his own business acumen.
Barton, the mill worker, glanced at the neighboring bustling stall and smiled at Johan and his eager friends. "Go ahead if you guys want to buy something. Just leave someone to watch the stuff."
Already itching to do so, workshop apprentice Tommy and paper boy Sanchi immediately ran over.
"I'm saving for Sis' private classes, so I can't squander money." Johan stood in place, suppressing his curiosity. "Bobby, I'll watch the stuff. You go ahead."
Johan had a younger brother and sister, and his sister has shown remarkable intelligence since childhood, making the neighbors believe she would achieve great things. Thus, John had always been keen on providing her with an education.
Bobby, who was dark and lean, didn't have any siblings that relied on him. However, he had worse circumstances, having a sickly mother and relying on garbage collection jobs at Saint Joseph Street's tavern district to support her.
"I don't need to either. If I save enough money, I want to buy some alchemist potions for my mother first. She often has stomach pains and gets the runs after eating. I can't delay any longer." Bobby shook his head.
"Don't worry." Barton flashed a smile. "Johan, your sister doesn't need to attend private classes. In a few days, there will be a school in the city where she can study for free. Ms. Sibyl will take care of smart and studious children like your sister."
Johan was taken aback. "Really? It's free?"
"Yes." Barton continued, "Not only is it free, but there are also subsidies for those who excel academically. Those who rank high in exams get rewards, too. Also, Miss Sibyl would arrange for lunch to be provided for the students, which should alleviate some pressure."
Johan's mouth was wide open in shock, while Bobby couldn't help being envious.
Bobby, too, had been praised for being quick-witted, but his family's situation didn't allow him to even dream of studying… Ever since the age of 12, Bobby started working with older children, scouring the city's streets for work.
"As for Bobby, your mother often has diarrhea, doesn't she?" Barton looked at Bobby and said kindly. "If it's just diarrhea, Ms. Shirley might be able to help. They have a specific medicine for diarrhea there. If your mother is willing to raise some chicks in her spare time, you can get the medicine for free."
Using tetracycline for poultry to treat diarrhea had already been discovered by the people of Weisshem. Since the town hall refused to sell the medicine separately (mainly to avoid problems), many townspeople joined the chicken-raising contingent to gain access to this effective common medicine.
Over-the-counter medication was a concept that did not exist in this world. Wealthy folk turned to alchemists or priests when falling ill, while the poor relied on their on endurance. Due to poor sanitary conditions and the habit of consuming spoiled food, dysentery and diarrhea were common.
This time, it was Bobby's jaw that dropped.
The two young men looked at each other and agreed on the spot to take turns watching the goods and visiting the neighboring stall to see what they could buy…
The slums housed over ten thousand people, and through word-of-mouth communication among the slum dwellers, Orange Cat's two horse-drawn carriages worth of affordable goods were completely sold out in less than two hours (OtherWorld time). The substantial collection of dirty, sweat-stained copper coins filled an entire small box.
Slum dwellers residents who arrived late and only managed to grab one or two items were regretful but didn't dare show displeasure to the undead that was clearly the merchant boss. They loitered around, unwilling to disperse.
Seeing this, Barton stepped forward in a timely fashion to address the crowd, "Don't worry, everyone. Soon, the Two-Copper Hypermarket from Weisshem will be coming here. The store will have a wider variety of goods, including inexpensive fabrics and ready-to-wear clothes for everyone to choose from…"
"What the hell? Hold on a minute!" Merchant boss Orange Cat, who was just about to try out some of the pre-battle quests after clearing his inventory, became infuriated and confronted Barton for interference. "Is there no sense of fairness here? You're stealing my business as soon as I built the customer base? Do NPCs not abide by ethics?"
Weisshem town hall official Barton: "…"
Fortunately, Ou Huang pulled Orange Cat away before he could cause more of a scene.
It was also fortunate that people who didn't wear the cuckoo flower badge couldn't understand the language of the undead. The slum dwellers were thrilled with Barton's good news and were no longer envious of those who managed to get good deals first. They amiably inquired about what others had purchased, planning in advance what they could afford with the money they had…
As dusk fell, the slum dwellers gradually returned home, and the mobile mill ceased operation.
Barton, after packing up, called up his partner and went to the Weisshem encampment, just across the mule and horse market.
Inside the military green tent, Barton and his partner reported the intelligence they had gathered in the field to Rex and Yang.
"We couldn't probe much with city folk, but as for the inhabitants of the outer slums and surrounding rural areas, there's no hostility toward Weisshem," Barton reported and then shared his thoughts. "After trying to communicate with the younger people who are more receptive, these young individuals showed a clear yearning after learning about the basic situation in our Weisshem."
Rex was pleased with the report and smiled at Yang. "We really owe a lot to Ji Tang and Sis Zhao."
Yang also nodded.
Look at that, it wasn't long when they were captives themselves, and these workers have already been converted and called it "our Weisshem"… The national team has done a splendid job indeed!!
