Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 753 - 729: Introducing Him to a Job?
"Ah, no wonder the old shopkeeper was willing to let you handle the transportation of goods. You’ve been seeking other business partnerships over the past two years and only retained dealings with Xinhuo for firestones. Is it because you’re worried he might anger others and affect our trade?"
Time flies, and you’ve grown into a competent businesswoman." The giant beast lowered its head to pull some seaweed from the water, chewing slowly. "The agreed time is approaching; hopefully, that young man can bring us some good stock."
Miss Ruan Yanluo looked up at the twinkling stars and said with a smile, "Before this trip, my little brother divined that everything would go smoothly because of a stroke of fortune. So, I believe our little Daoist friend has some skills and can procure the firestones. The only worry is that bypassing the Xinhuo trade firm for firestones will surely provoke retaliation.
If there’s a master behind the scenes, let it be; their conflicts are none of our business;
but if what he says is true, that the Bear Clan doesn’t want to be oppressed and entrusted him to find a sales outlet for their specialties, then we’re in big trouble. I don’t think he could even beat a junior clerk from a trade firm.
If it really comes down to fighting and chaos, with the Bear Clan unwilling to be oppressed, and the Silver Valley wanting to suppress and snatch the goods, and if the trade firm can’t get firestones, what will we do?"
The giant beast sighed, chewing on the green seaweed, "Yes, just like with the scentwood a few years ago. After it suddenly became popular, no one was willing to give an inch to compete for the producing forest.
In the end, a sea of fire completely cut off the vitality of the scentwood. A good business was completely ruined, leaving nothing to profit from. The biggest fear in business is the instability of the source. It might run out at any time and never be replenished."
Ruan Yanluo responded but remained lost in thought.
The appointed trading time was fast approaching. In the distance, she saw the little Daoist friend she met during the day, with a little monkey perched on his shoulder, casually walking towards the dock empty-handed.
"Strange, what’s he up to?" The giant beast was puzzled and advised, "Something feels off, so be very careful."
She nodded, indicating for the giant beast to wait and see what was happening.
Then she saw the person at the dock looking around as if waiting for someone. He had instructed them to prepare the cargo box, indicating the firestones weren’t going to be all properly packaged like the trade firm’s, only inspected and ready for transportation. But without a specific cargo box, how were they going to transport the firestones?
The more Ruan Yanluo watched, the more puzzled she became, while Hou Ze was busy and ecstatic internally.
Mr. Jiang had so much trust in him, even allowing him full responsibility for procuring so many goods. No matter what, he must honor that trust. As long as he secured this errand for Mr. Jiang, as Yutang said—it would ensure a stable life!
He had been tirelessly wandering Trapped Snake Island, examining almost everything Leng Yutang listed as urgently needed by Sand Hill City. Once the transaction was complete, he could immediately use the spirit stone to make purchases without wasting any time.
"Mr. Jiang, I’m here at the dock waiting for you. You can use an exquisite Teleportation Talisman or Teleportation Scroll to travel to Trapped Snake Island, and the array will automatically guide you to the dock’s Teleportation Array. Just a short walk from there, and we will reach our agreed trading spot." He thoughtfully used the Communication Stone to inform the other party that he was in position.
The exciting first deal was about to begin!
Jiang Yuan watched coldly as Hou Ze handled things well. There was a system appraisal, and if Hou ever developed greed from handling too many spirit stones, it could be detected immediately.
Then he watched as Hou Ze’s favorability increased little by little, opened a Teleportation Scroll, entered Trapped Snake Island, and clicked teleport.
"Swish!"
A bright glow flashed, and Ruan Yanluo instantly saw Hou Ze energetically rushing—not towards goods, but a person?!
"It really is a person!" She rubbed her eyes and looked again, then saw the two of them walking towards the agreed location together.
Without any cargo boxes or transportation beasts or flying boats, and the newly teleported person radiating strong human vibes from afar, Ruan Yanluo, who seldom encountered human cultivators, had question marks running through her head.
The giant beast also couldn’t figure it out, "That person has no spiritual power fluctuations, probably wearing a concealing magical treasure. Yet the treasure isn’t high-level, unable to mask the human scent. Strange, I’ve never seen such a bizarre trading scene before. Where are the goods?"
It was indeed the appointed trade time, and Ruan Yanluo frowned, muttering softly, "Let’s go see what they are up to. If they are playing tricks on me, hehe! I’ll make sure they know Miss Ruan’s prowess!"
The giant beast slowly stepped on the water, with Jiang Yuan examining the details under the starlight.
[Ruan Yanluo: A Demon Cultivator of the Perfume Snail Clan in the Chaotic Stone Sea, a Level One Demon of the Condensed Soul stage. The Ruan Clan operates a free-trade firm on Moon Snail Mountain, selling rare goods from the Chaotic Stone Sea, excelling in divining sands, a businessperson with a straightforward nature and thorough understanding of business principles...]
[Water-Stepping Beast: A unique demon beast from the Chaotic Stone Sea, capable of being tamed, with flying and short-duration diving abilities. An adult Water-Stepping Beast can carry goods weighing up to 100,000 jin, and it’s one of the precious assets of the trade firm...]
"Chaotic Stone Sea?" He recalled Miss Qi’s mention of finding a stone capable of upgrading the Divine Mountain Statue while exploring the Chaotic Stone Sea. As business interactions grew, perhaps using Moon Snail Mountain as a base, they could expand their explorations!
Jumping off the Water-Stepping Beast, Ruan Yanluo tilted her head towards Hou Ze, "Where are the firestones?"
"Would you kindly bring out the cargo box, Daoist friend?" Hou Ze quickly introduced, "This is Mr. Jiang. Mr. Jiang, this is Daoist Ruan, who handles the firestone business on Moon Snail Mountain."
With a flick of her finger, three thousand-jin cargo boxes lined up as they appeared from her Storage Ring. She politely nodded towards Jiang Yuan and then waited to see how he would retrieve the goods.
Jiang Yuan tapped in his storage bag, instantly filling a box with a set of 999 Level Three firestones. With one piece missing, he deliberately added it in and continued filling the remaining two boxes.
In just a few seconds, the colorful and scorching Firestone was luxuriously packed into a box.
"This..." Miss Ruan was even more puzzled seeing it happen. Not to mention directly putting it into a Storage Bag, even if the Firestone was packed in a shipping box, it couldn’t be put into a Storage Bag without it breaking or burning to ash.
This person is quite strange. How does he transport the Firestone?
"Miss Ruan, please inspect the goods." Hou Ze gestured invitingly, smiling, "Our Firestone quality is absolutely guaranteed. One weighs one pound, so this box contains one thousand pieces. The lowest grade is three Spirit Stones per piece; the middle grade is six Spirit Stones per piece; the top grade is ten Spirit Stones per piece, totaling nineteen thousand Spirit Stones."
The facts were right before her eyes. She paused but decided to prioritize the transaction, immediately placing her hand on the box to sense it carefully.
The Ruan family has been in business since ancient times. Every family member learns to count sand during their enlightenment to cultivate keen perception. Even grabbing a handful of sand from the seabed reveals the exact number of grains, so naturally, three boxes of Firestone are easy to discern at a touch.
"The quality is indeed good, and the quantity is correct." Miss Ruan took out a bag of Spirit Stones from her Storage Bag, which had been prepared in advance, and handed it over, "Payment on delivery, please verify it, Daoist."
While Hou Ze was carefully counting the money, she turned her curious gaze to Jiang Yuan, inquiring, "Daoist, you are his..."
"No, I’m just helping with the delivery." Jiang Yuan firmly denied, forming no employment relationship with anyone, otherwise, his Talent Skills might activate, which would be troublesome.
He emphasized "helping," distancing himself from implying any employment relationship, and ensured he didn’t receive any payment, so it definitely couldn’t be considered a job!
The other party misunderstood, thinking he made a living delivering goods, which aroused even more curiosity, "You know Firestone can’t be stored in a Storage Bag, right?"
"Of course, I have a rather special little space to store Firestone." Jiang Yuan thought so that’s what she was curious about, how could a system-designed Storage Bag be like those crafted by an Artifact Refiner?
However, directly telling her it was a relatively special Space Technique made things more straightforward.
Miss Ruan suddenly realized and smiled, "I see! Owning a unique space, running a delivery business comes quite cheaply."
Finally resolving the doubt in her heart and having bought the Firestone, she was in a good mood and wanted to form some Good Karma. She casually took a perfume snail from her Storage Bag and handed it over, "Many stores on Trapped Snake Island need to transport special goods that can’t be stored in a Storage Bag.
Usually, they hire some giant beasts temporarily to drag the goods from the shop to the dock, which is cumbersome and troublesome. If you, Daoist, can operate with an extremely special Space Technique, I suppose you can take on some jobs and earn quite a few Spirit Stones in one go.
Take this little shell to find work; many businesses on the island have dealings with me and will give you some face during accounting to make things smoother."
Hou Ze: ???
What are you doing, miss?
Introducing Mr. Jiang to some jobs?
Do you know who he is? He’s always been humble and low-key, do you really think he’s just a delivery person? Didn’t you hear me call him ’Mr’? How could he be an ordinary cultivator?
The small golden monkey also widened its eyes, slightly opening its mouth, unable to understand this girl’s line of thinking.
"Thank you, Daoist." Jiang Yuan gladly accepted and thanked her, then had a sudden thought and asked, "Does Fire and Flame Business also hire temporary workers to transport goods?"
Upon hearing the words "Fire and Flame Business," Miss Ruan instantly became alert.
She glanced meaningfully at Hou Ze and said solemnly, "Fire and Flame Business is thriving, with the most goods transported daily. If you’re planning to earn a living there, this Firestone business shouldn’t come to their attention, right?
While it might not affect me, it could be a huge trouble for Daoist Hou. Harming someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents, let alone stealing their supply and old customers, I’m afraid..."
Jiang Yuan was taken aback, then laughed, "Daoist, you’re overthinking it. I’m only responsible for transporting goods. What they contain and who they trade with is no concern of mine. Rest assured, I won’t say a word."
"That’s good. I still hope to cooperate with Daoist Hou for a long time." Seeing Hou Ze unreactive, Miss Ruan thought, this guy isn’t dumb, he must have someone influential backing him, given he’s so indifferent.
Thinking of this, she tentatively asked, "Firestone has always been in high demand, especially in Moon Snail Mountain. Could you supply me with a few more boxes? Or, perhaps raise the price slightly so that future Moon Snail Mountain business is solely with me, benefiting us both. What do you think, Daoist?"
Oh? You want to monopolize Moon Snail Mountain’s market?
Hou Ze smiled, accepting the counted Spirit Stones and waving, "I would like to raise the price and let you sell all the Firestone, but I mentioned before, a distinguished person is helping the mine, preventing partnerships with businesses.
I’m just a runner, how can I make such major decisions? Let’s do this, I’ll put in a good word for you when I return, perhaps the cooperation can grow even more!"
Indeed, there’s someone backing him, Miss Ruan thought, relieved; at least the current trade channel could persist for a while.
The Water-Stepping Beast leaned down to carry the box, and she also climbed up, waving, "May the green mountains remain and rivers flow, let’s arrange the next transaction time and place. Daoists, if you’re passing by Moon Snail Mountain, feel free to visit my business!"
