Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 754 - 730: Cooperation

In the bustling harbor, teeming with creatures and demons, Jiang Yuan watched as Ruan Yanluo led the caravan away through the teleportation and then put away the small conch shell. "Today’s first trade was very successful. For future business, what price do you plan to use for procurement?"

Cost price, selling price, expenditure, gross profit, net profit, and so on are the basic elements of doing business.

After Hou Ze learned about the price of Fire Stones being sold at Xinhuo Trading Firm, he began to contemplate how to reallocate expenses everywhere.

"Previously, Sand Hill City was harshly exploited by the five major unscrupulous merchants of Silver Valley. Life was really tough. Now that Mr. Jiang has taken over, naturally, the prices can’t be kept so low anymore.

Take, for example, the Level One Fire Stones, which are the cheapest and most abundant: selling at three Spirit Stones, with a cost price of one unit, to be allocated by City Lord Ming;

One share is divided into two parts: expenses for cargo boxes, transportation, teleportation, hiring, etc., and the other is to prioritize compensating Mr. Jiang for his various investments in Sand Hill City, including Elixir, Array, etc.

Once the investments are recovered, the funds can be used for revamping the environment of Sand Hill City, improving the welfare of its citizens.

I heard that a few years ago, Sand Hill City suffered a large-scale cold poison outbreak, and the little bear cubs didn’t survive. Afterward, they prepared to restart Earth Fire, yet no cubs were born. Continuously, the lineage is seriously threatened, so this money can boost the population, promoting a win-win cooperation for both parties.

The last share is the profit for Mr. Jiang’s hard work and effort for the Furious Fire Bear Race.

Similarly, the Level Two Fire Stones sell for six Spirit Stones, two for cost; two for expenses; two as profit; and the current highest Level Three Fire Stones sell for ten units, five for cost, two for expenses; three as profit.

As for the errands and miscellaneous tasks I do for you, those naturally fall under the expense category of hiring. What do you think, Mr. Jiang?"

Jiang Yuan thought that it’s no wonder he’s a businessman, much more thorough than I had imagined. Whether it’s reasonable or not, let’s try running it for a while before deciding.

Seeing no objection from Jiang Yuan, Hou Ze secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had passed this hurdle. As long as everything small and large is handled properly, making Mr. Jiang see my capability, clinging to the big shot afterward would be secure.

Occasionally, dropping by the courtyard to sponge off some cultivation or a meal... I must say, Mr. Jiang’s culinary skills are quite impressive, having eaten once made me miss the entire table of dishes tremendously!

Taking 200 Immortal Jades from the account, Jiang Yuan instructed Hou Ze to procure supplies and then head to Sand Hill City together.

The other party immediately counted them carefully, took out a small notebook for precise bookkeeping, and explained with a grin, "Mr. Jiang, the expenditure is in Immortal Jade, and it must be clearly marked.

Though one Immortal Jade is equivalent to ten thousand Spirit Stones, if you truly use Immortal Jade to buy things, it is relatively cheaper than using Spirit Stones for purchases, since Spirit Stones are common, but Immortal Jade is rare. Using Immortal Jade for exchanges requires more Spirit Stones, with quite a bit of difference inside and out!"

"If that’s the case, I’ll give you Immortal Jade from now on." Jiang Yuan hadn’t realized that aside from exchange business, even procurement on Trapped Snake Island had differences. Anyway, the systematic account trades at a fixed ratio, and since using Immortal Jade is advantageous, let’s do what’s suitable.

A simple response, yet it brought joy to Hou Ze’s heart—it’s no wonder Yutang always advised me to seize the opportunity.

Not to mention, casually taking out Immortal Jade, which is a rare sight for ordinary demon cultivators, saying that future transactions could use it, is enough to prove Mr. Jiang’s significant background!

At least this person has a stable source of Immortal Jade and doesn’t care about the slight difference with Spirit Stones.

Being able to work alongside such a kind and competent big shot, you could laugh yourself awake from dreams!

"Chitter chitter!"

The Golden-haired Little Monkey, seeing him constantly grinning foolishly, used its fluffy paw to pat his cheek, reminding him of the urgency to handle serious business first.

"Hehehe, we are truly going to prosper this time!" Hou Ze rubbed its round little head haphazardly, grinning so wide it almost reached his ears, whispering, "Help me keep watch; we must handle everything properly.

With Mr. Jiang’s strength, along with the booming Fire Stone business, I believe we’ll soon be able to establish a grand shop on Trapped Snake Island as well!"

"Chitter chitter chitter!" The Golden-haired Little Monkey, upon hearing this, excitedly jumped onto his head, standing proudly with arms akimbo, looking around, contemplating where to open the shop in the future for the best location.

A moment later, having completed the large procurement, Hou Ze met with Jiang Yuan at the harbor’s teleportation array, and he took out the Teleportation Scroll heading straight for Sand Hill City.

"Chitter!"

The Golden-haired Little Monkey let out a sharp cry upon being hit by the overwhelming heat, and its tiny paws scratched and rubbed, clearly uncomfortable in this dry and hot environment with its long fur.

"Welcome to Sand Hill City. Is this Daoist Hou and his spirit pet as mentioned by Mr. Jiang?" City Lord Ming Qingyan, having awaited them for a long while with a smile on her face, quickly stepped forward and offered the prepared special product, the Fire Repelling Pearl, with both hands.

Hou Ze was drenched in sweat from the heat. His realm was not high, so he didn’t possess the cultivation technique to resist the intense heat; and before this, he was merely a small shopkeeper selling regular magical artifacts, thus he didn’t have enough spirit stones to buy the high-priced magical robe, causing his originally fair long face to quickly turn red with warmth.

Despite this, he methodically introduced himself first, then thanked and received the Fire Repelling Pearl with both hands and wore it.

The unbearable heat finally eased a lot, and only then did Hou Ze breathe a sigh of relief, bowing again, "I am grateful for Mr. Jiang’s trust, entrusting me with the responsibilities of connecting with Lord City Lord, transporting the fire stones, conducting trade, and purchasing materials for the city’s people. Being new here, I do not know much about Sand Hill City and hope Lord City Lord can guide me."

"Daoist Hou, you are too modest and polite. Mr. Jiang and Yutang both mentioned to me that you are skilled in the art of trade," Ming Qingyan said with a smile. "Our Furious Fire Bear Race was born with excess brute strength and insufficient deliberation. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been oppressed for so many years without being able to turn the tables. Fortunately, with Mr. Jiang’s strong support, Sand Hill City will have to rely on the two of you for more guidance in the future!"

The Golden-haired Little Monkey fiddled with the Fire Repelling Pearl hanging from its neck and was very satisfied with the effect of the small flame-shaped magical treasure, casually patting Hou Ze’s shoulder and chirping quietly in reminder.

"Mr. Jiang specifically advanced the Immortal Jade, allowing me to purchase the needed items listed by Leng Yutang that our Furious Fire Bear Race urgently requires. Furthermore, Mr. Jiang has some very good suggestions for Sand Hill City; I also outlined our upcoming cooperative proposals, for Lord City Lord to check the materials later and then discuss the details of our collaboration together."

Hou Ze understood the monkey’s reminder and, after some brief pleasantries, got straight to the point, "Besides discussing long-term cooperation on this trip, there is something more crucial—once the fire stones are widely circulated in the market, Sand Hill City will inevitably face coercion from Silver Valley.

For the sake of Sand Hill City’s security, Mr. Jiang used his connections to acquire the highest level protective array from the internal Demon Realm Alliance. That’s a top-tier item, and even with money, you can’t buy it without the right connections!"

Concerned that the other party, residing in a remote place, wouldn’t understand the power of the same array as Trapped Snake Island, he specifically explained, "Even a cultivator at the Tribulation Crossing Realm wouldn’t dare expect to break through the array with a casual attack without exerting their full force!"

Indeed, with the realm and strength comparison, Ming Qingyan’s pupils suddenly constricted, wanting to step forward to express her gratitude for Mr. Jiang’s great kindness.

"Lord City Lord, please remain calm," Hou Ze quickly intercepted her, glancing at Mr. Jiang, who was conducting a thorough inspection through sword flight and making preparations for setting up the array, then lowered his voice, "Mr. Jiang is kind-hearted, always working humbly and not liking publicity. It’s enough for Lord City Lord to know."

The array can also repair itself, which naturally requires significant daily consumption. Especially when facing enemy attacks, the spirit stone consumption will be even greater. Fortunately, Mr. Jiang has thought of everything, advancing a significant amount of Immortal Jade, so the city’s people only need to focus on living peacefully and mining fire stones, without worrying about necessities and security."

Ming Qingyan listened in a state of surprise and joy but also with concern. The great benefactor has done much for Sand Hill City, yet the consumption of such a high-level array cannot always rely on Mr. Jiang’s advance payments, right?

"Honestly, I had never heard of fire stones before this. After investigating widely, I discovered that Silver Valley made a fortune by acquiring them cheaply!"

Hou Ze, first piling up the debt of gratitude, spoke clearly: "Now it’s good, with Mr. Jiang backing us and the Demon Realm Alliance’s strongest array, once internal and external troubles are resolved, I will handle the transportation, find clients for sales, and naturally, there will be more for distribution to the people of Sand Hill City.

Here is the list of procurement prices and the required connections for all aspects set forth; if Lord City Lord finds it acceptable, we can establish this; if there are any issues, you can state the reasons, and we can further discuss and negotiate."

Not a thick stack of papers was handed over, which Ming Qingyan crudely skimmed—a new teleportation array, a batch of custom transport boxes, etc., with the corresponding procurement price for different grades of fire stones attached behind.

Seeing that even the lowest level fire stones could be worth one spirit stone apiece, she rubbed her eyes hard, doubting if she had seen it wrong. Could fire stones be that valuable?

What, then, did it mean for the past centuries sold at declining low prices to the five major unscrupulous merchants? She was aware of the oppression her race faced, but not that it was this severe. Her inner fury suddenly burned fiercely!

Jiang Yuan conducted a rough tour on sword flight to get a general idea of the city’s size. Upon landing, he saw Ming Qingyan’s face caught between a daze of surprise, anger, and perplexity. She cautiously asked, "Sir, I’m not dreaming or seeing it wrong, right? Is the price of fire stones really this high?"

"After all, it’s transformed from the corpse of the insect demon which can only be incinerated by Celestial Fire, which is definitely better than the fuel derived from spirit plants in the mountains." He well understood the other party’s confused emotions. After years of oppression and exploitation, suddenly knowing they were guarding a treasure trove takes time to absorb and accept.

Thankfully, Ming Qingyan responded quickly, stepping forward to make a solemn ceremonial bow in gratitude.

She was well aware of the many problems facing the clan—ever since the nursery suffered the Cold Poison’s severe damage, no new cubs had been born in recent years; the city also had some confused individuals tempted to betray; the Furious Fire Bear Race’s overall strength was not high, even showing a trend where the new generation’s realm declining.

The clan urgently needed a safe environment to recuperate, whether to nurture and provide fresh blood or to invigorate morale, all requiring a large amount of spirit stones.

Mr. Jiang’s benefactions to the city need not be mentioned. The low-level fire stones, which were almost given away for free in the past, can now command high prices. Besides stabilizing morale and supporting the array’s consumption, they must stockpile spirit stones to repay the Elixirs treating the Cold Poison and the many spirit stones advanced!

Previously, one spirit stone exchanged for twenty Level Three fire stones, now under Mr. Jiang’s management, one Level Three fire stone can fetch five spirit stones.

As long as they work hard to extract more high-level fire stones, they believe they can balance the accounts soon. With more resources available, they can purchase more Elixirs and cultivation techniques for cultivation, enhancing the race’s overall strength. The Furious Fire Bear Race really sees hope for rejuvenation!