Chapter 184: Mission
Chapter 184: Mission
Selling coarse salt to outsiders.
Even selling it to the Qinghe Tribe would be like trying to grab their weakness.
The Shan Yue Tribe was nowhere near strong enough to oppose the three great tribes of Qinghe City!
So this option could be scratched off immediately.
Gao Jing thought it over again and again, and finally fixed his target on Baijiu.
First, Giants loved strong liquor. The market prospects were extremely broad, and the profit from trading between the two worlds was very high.
Second, selling Baijiu could attract jealousy from the Qinghe Tribe.
But it was far less sensitive than salt or iron.
Besides, the Shan Yue Tribe didn’t even have the ability to produce Baijiu themselves; they were just middlemen.
That greatly reduced the possibility of trouble.
Finally, Gao Jing wanted to solve Shan Tai’s life problem through Baijiu trade.
If the Shan Yue Tribe sold Baijiu, they would still need to cooperate with a Qinghe merchant caravan, which was just a matter of profit sharing.
With shared interests binding them, the possibility of Shan Tai marrying Qing Lan would undoubtedly increase a lot.
Of course, the most important thing was that Shan Tai was now a Great Totem Warrior, and the Baijiu deal would be a nice bonus.
Gao Jing had done all he could for now; it was up to the Qinghe Tribe to respond.
He said to Shan Tai, “I have to go to Blackwater City again tomorrow morning. We’ll set off together after I get back.”
He needed to discuss the Baijiu matter with Zhiqi too.
As the leader of the Qinghe merchant caravan, Zhiqi probably had some influence in Qinghe City.
“Alright,”
Shan Tai now readily obeyed Gao Jing’s words. “I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”
Early the next morning, Gao Jing left the inn room.
Following his memory, he found the house with the rooftop balcony from the day before.
Then he squeezed straight into the chimney.
Actually, Gao Jing remembered the passageway the female archer had taken him through yesterday.
But jumping down the chimney was clearly faster.
His body plummeted swiftly through the darkness, the feeling of complete weightlessness was truly exhilarating.
In less than thirty seconds, light flooded Gao Jing’s vision once more.
He was already above Blackwater City!
Gao Jing immediately activated the power of the Phantom Wing Pendant. A pair of almost transparent black wings instantly unfolded behind him.
His falling speed slowed drastically, at least ten times less.
After readjusting his body’s position,
Gao Jing controlled the Phantom Wings, gliding towards the location of the Yuancheng Alliance branch.
The five-story building was a very obvious landmark.
A few minutes later, Gao Jing landed steadily outside the Alliance Branch’s main entrance.
His dramatic descent from the sky drew the attention of many people.
Gao Jing ignored their curious stares and strode into the main hall of the Alliance Branch.
The hall of the Blackwater City branch of the Yuancheng Alliance was open to the public; even non-members could enter.
Because the Alliance also accepted tasks posted by outsiders.
They just charged a higher commission.
Gao Jing went straight to the mission board.
There were five mission boards in the hall, arranged by difficulty level. Alliance members could browse the board matching their abilities to find jobs, making money to support their families or trade for cultivation resources.
This was actually considered a benefit offered by the Yuancheng Alliance.
Gao Jing scanned them for a while.
The tasks posted on the boards were incredibly varied. Some specified gathering certain materials, others hunting particular Monster Beasts, exterminating Goblins, or even searching for lost pets.
On the very first board, Gao Jing even saw a marriage proposal post!
So-and-so, male, experienced miner, lives in Middle District. Steady fellow, plain appearance. Seeks a kind woman good at housekeeping for marriage. Interested parties please take the board and leave your address at the service counter. Etc., etc.
(The above was Gao Jing’s translation, pretty much matching the gist, giving him a feeling like he’d stumbled into a matchmaking corner in a park.)
That was nuts.
After looking around, Gao Jing went to the nearby counter.
He first showed his Guild badge, then posted a long-term procurement task.
High price paid for Guru Idols!
“Guru Idols?”
The Alliance Branch staff member looked a bit surprised. “Are you sure you want to buy these?”
Gao Jing confirmed, “Absolutely!”
Guru Idols were a shortcut to obtaining Power of Faith.
Gao Jing had thought it through clearly. He couldn’t spend every day out hunting in the wild, nor did he have the time or energy to track down Goblin tribes.
Using his purchasing power was clearly the best strategy.
He set the buying price for his task at five hundred Copper Coins per idol!
This made the staff member think Gao Jing was completely crazy.
The price was ridiculously high.
His previous purchase of three Guru Idols from a street stall? Even the most expensive one cost a mere ten Copper Coins.
Now offering dozens of times higher for a long-term purchase? Who else would be this crazy?
But in reality, Gao Jing wasn’t crazy at all.
He was very calm.
The calculation wasn’t that simple.
His previous purchase at the street stall was pure luck, a bargain.
For reliable, guaranteed acquisition? He’d happily pay five thousand, even fifty thousand Copper Coins per idol.
Guru Idols were cheap because they were useless to others.
That’s why no one wanted them.
And precisely because they were unwanted and dirt cheap, Adventurers clearing out Goblin tribes or camps might not even bother picking them up as loot – just too much hassle to carry.
But raise the price to five hundred Copper Coins? The situation changed completely!
Maybe some Alliance members would specifically target Goblin forces just to farm idols for this long-term task.
After all, in The Abyss, Goblins were as common as fleas.
Where there’s a hefty reward, brave souls will step up. And in the end, Gao Jing would benefit the most!
He paid 10 Shell Coins as an advance reward for this task.
Shell Coins were the high-value currency used across the Great Desolation World. One Shell Coin was equal to 100 large copper coins.
And one large copper coin could be exchanged for 1,000 small copper coins.
So 10 Shell Coins meant 1 million small copper coins!
The Shell Coins Gao Jing paid upfront could even buy 2,000 Guru Idols!
Of course, the real amount was less, because the commission fee would be deducted separately. Still, it was a very huge number.
But what were 10 Shell Coins to Gao Jing?
If Shan Tai could have lent him more, he would have added extra.
Gao Jing had already made up his mind.
If the number of idols acquired for the task turned out low, he’d simply multiply the reward by ten times!
He didn’t believe no one would be tempted.
As for whether the Gru Goblins might suffer terrible misfortunes because of this? Gao Jing didn’t care one bit.
Were goblins people?
They were leeks!
Leaving the task counter, Gao Jing went to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was the top level, and with his third-tier membership status, he normally couldn’t enter.
But yesterday, Zhiqi had arranged to meet him here.
So when Gao Jing went up, someone was waiting for him. This person then led him to a private room.
There, he saw the big man Zhiqi again.
“Your Honor Zhiqi!”
“Your Honor Gao Jing!”
Naturally, their meeting began with some fake warm welcomes.
Zhiqi warmly invited Gao Jing to sit and had a maid serve tea.
Gao Jing opened the bag he’d brought and took out a wooden box to hand over. “Just a small token of thanks.”
Yesterday, Zhiqi had stepped in to deal with the Enforcement Guard, solving Gao Jing’s trouble.
Thanking him was only right.
Zhiqi didn’t refuse. “What’s this?”
“Cigars.”
Gao Jing introduced them. “The Ashton Cigars, exclusively for the Great Nobility.”
Last time, he’d told Zhiqi some cigars came from Havana Abyss City. He said each one was rolled on the thighs of beautiful Havana maidens, and a bunch more nonsense.
It was all lies!
They were actually cheap local products.
But this box of Ashton Cigars was the real imported stuff!
Zhiqi looked deeply impressed. “Your Honor Gao Jing is too kind.”
Cigars carried much higher status than cigarettes. And being exclusively for the Great Nobility sounded very high-end.
The packaging looked classier too.
Zhiqi couldn’t help asking, “These… these Ashton Cigars, were they also produced in Havana Abyss City?”
“No, from American Abyss City.”
Gao Jing said with a smile. “American Abyss City is very close to Havana Abyss City.”
“But American Abyss City is much stronger. The High Commander of America loved Ashton Cigars the most. He often said he wanted to stuff smoked Ashton Cigars into the noses of troublemaking low-class subjects to teach them a lesson.”
Zhiqi listened with dreamy awe. “Remarkable. This High Commander of America must be very powerful.”
“He stepped down already.”
Gao Jing said. “The low-class subjects voted him down with leaves.”
“A shame.”
Zhiqi felt genuinely regretful. “I really wanted to meet this man.”
Gao Jing chuckled. “Let’s not talk about that, Your Honor Zhiqi. There’s a huge deal I’d like to propose to you.”
Zhiqi’s eyes immediately lit up. “What sort of deal?”
Inside that private room on the fifth floor of the Alliance Branch, Gao Jing and Zhiqi negotiated for almost two hours.
Both sides finalized a preliminary cooperation plan.
Afterward, Gao Jing rode the Golden Beetle borrowed from Zhiqi back to Qinghe City.
Around noon, he left Qinghe City and, together with Shan Tai, began the journey back to Shan Yue Village.