Chapter 654 - 617 The Significance of the Mercury Mine
Holy Crown City Alchemy Guild, the moment Mr. Da Fei stepped in, it was as if he entered a magnificent and splendid grand clock exhibition hall. On the high ceiling, on the walls of the golden hall, everywhere were clock faces, swinging pendulums, and moving hands, filling the entire hall with the quiet ticking of clocks.
Clocks represent time, and controlling time is one of the high-end specialties of the Mage Academy. The most powerful hero of the Mage Academy is the legendary Time King, the Lamp God Temokhan, who can freely manipulate the timing of troops, deciding when they act. Attack speeds are meaningless in front of him—even if his opponents’ troops were the Phoenix from Hero Continent, known for the highest attack speed, they could still be rendered unable to act by his forces.
However, controlling time comes at a cost, and the cost is that the troops whose time has been "configured" by him will turn to historical dust after the battle, vanishing without a trace. But as long as one can achieve a decisive victory in battle, this small price is completely insignificant. Thus, Temokhan established the leading position of Holy Crown City within the Seven Cities Alliance, and Temokhan also became the renowned title within the illustrious Lamp God Family of Holy Crown City. For example, the chubby manager who personally came to collect the Governor’s Skin from Mr. Da Fei’s Radiant City last time was also named Temokhan.
Now, under the guidance of the Lamp God, Mr. Da Fei reached a teleportation hall.
The Lamp God prompted: "Please show your business card again!"
Mr. Da Fei took out his business card, which immediately began glowing.
The Lamp God informed: "Assistant Manager Mr. Sain agrees to meet you!"
Then, with a flash of light in the teleportation hall, the scene changed, and Mr. Da Fei appeared in a large room filled with books, scrolls, instruments, and numerous bottles and jars, where the long-absent Mr. Sain was behind the desk.
Mr. Da Fei immediately came to his senses and laughed heartily: "Mr. Sain, congratulations, congratulations on your promotion!"
Mr. Sain also immediately stood up, reached out his hand smiling: "Mr. Da Fei, welcome, welcome. It was all thanks to that rare Demon Eye Outer Skin you brought last time that I got promoted. Are you here to visit the Mercury Factory this time?"
Mr. Da Fei laughed: "Not really, I have a few hundred units of Concentrated Mercury and would like to use an old friend’s connections to exchange some Ancient Granite, Refined Crystal, and Refined Crystal Sulfur—could you facilitate that?"
Mr. Sain hurriedly responded: "As an assistant manager, I can certainly handle this business. Here is the current exchange rate list, please Mr. Da Fei, select at your discretion!" After saying this, he took out a list and handed it to Mr. Da Fei.
Mr. Da Fei looked over the list and involuntarily furrowed his brows, 2.81 units of Concentrated Mercury to exchange for just 1 unit of Refined Crystal Sulfur? Indeed, begging favors makes one feeble, this exchange rate is way too outrageous, at this rate, my fortress wouldn’t even start construction!
Mr. Da Fei spoke seriously: "Old friend, this is Concentrated Mercury we’re talking about. If I were to trade with the Undead Force, it’s possible that 1 unit of mercury could even exchange for 2 units of sulfur. This deal is impossible to carry on!"
Mr. Sain also shook his head and sighed, "Indeed, the Human Race demands crystal, the Undead demand mercury, and the Elves demand gemstones. The correct trade method is of course to choose the forces with the appropriate needs. This form is the price set by our Seven Cities Alliance, and I really can’t help it."
Mr. Da Fei exclaimed in astonishment: "Old friend, I came specially to bring you business, can’t you think of any other options?"
Mr. Sain sighed: "I really can’t. If it were gemstones urgently required by Seven Cities Alliance to make Titans, perhaps I could find a way to offer you a discount within the stipulated price range, but for mercury, it’s really impossible."
God dammit! I pushed you all the way to assistant manager and you still can’t help, what use do I have with you! Do I need to ask Ma Yinglong to intervene and exchange with the Undead? Or should I inquire about the rates in Goblin City?
Mr. Da Fei sighed, "Since that’s the case, I won’t trouble you anymore. But since I’m already here, I might as well take back the Mercury Factory."
"No problem," Sain said, his eyes flashing with light. "By the way, Lord, does the batch of Concentrated Mercury you want to exchange have anything to do with the Mercury Factory?"
Damn! Isn’t that obvious? Once I defeat the Demigod Crow and the Mercury Factory starts operating, those shiny red Chensha on the shore are definitely the raw materials for producing high concentrate mercury! But—thinking of this, an idea struck Mr. Da Fei! It seems he had asked me the same question when I initially wanted to buy the Mercury Factory. But back then, the situation in Radiant City was precarious, and I didn’t want any major power to know about my rich mercury mine, so I avoided his question. But now, the situation in Radiant City is stable, including the Vine Demon Space and Habbit Village being fully incorporated. Times have indeed changed!
It’s appropriate to show one’s strength to a partner to increase their confidence, so Mr. Da Fei chuckled, "What do you think, sir?"
Sain, with electric eyes flashing again, asked in a deep voice, "Lord, do you understand what it means to own a rich resource mine, no, even just a normal resource mine?"
Mr. Da Fei burst into surprised laughter; any player knows this! In the old world, all mines, even a simple forest, are the territory of NPC forces. Players who get involved are merely helping with logging or mining. And looking at the many city-owner players during the public test in the New World, how many of them own mines? Those lords who possess large mines represent world-class guilds, and their territories are always the fiercest battlefields in national wars.
The reason for the fierce battles is not necessarily because other countries want to steal or occupy the mines, but simply to prevent you from mining effectively, thereby achieving their strategic objectives. In short, the significance of owning a mine is extraordinary; even Duke Makar would throw aside his integrity and salivate at the thought, not to mention a small assistant manager right in front of me.
Mr. Da Fei asked with a smile, "Old friend, of course, I know the meaning of owning a mine. I’d like to hear your insights!"
Sain responded seriously, "Owning a mine means having the indirect ability to influence or even control a force, like the Undead Race who urgently need mercury mines to produce high-end troops."
Mr. Da Fei raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean by that, old friend?"
Sain’s electric eyes sparkled with fire: "I can be the middleman! For instance, for this batch of mercury, I can make a specific trip to connect you to an Undead buyer, and ensure the transaction is completed at a price satisfactory to you, Lord."
Mr. Da Fei suddenly brightened, unable to help but burst into hearty laughter, "Old friend, after all, you do have a way!"
Sain said gravely, "But, this would violate the guild’s regulations. As a salesperson or manager of the guild, one absolutely cannot make deals bypassing the guild. If discovered, my future here would be over! I might even end up sealed in a Crystal Lamp, living a prisoner’s miserable life."
Mr. Da Fei froze abruptly, "The middleman you mentioned..."
Sain said seriously, "This is the risk I must take at the initial stage. Otherwise, under the guild’s rules, my achievements will always belong to my superiors, and I would only be able to surpass my peers but hardly replace my superiors! I aspire to reach higher. I need more business channels, and more importantly, the support from you, Lord. As long as Lord can guarantee to supply me privately with a large amount of mercury ore at any time, I can gain an absolute advantage in the competition within the industry, gradually earn the trust and dependency of forces like the Undead, and then improve my position. By that time, Lord will receive my utmost loyalty and support, and I will provide the best equipment and facilities from the Seven Cities Alliance. What do you think, Lord?"
Mr. Da Fei was dumbstruck; this is utterly governmental-business collusion! But, I like it. With such an insider at high-end, my resource advantage can be transformed into a technological superiority. What I pursue is high technology, haha!
Mr. Da Fei immediately said, "From the first day I saw Mr. Sain, I knew there was a special connection between us, and I wasn’t wrong about you. What I like most is to cooperate with such ambitious managers like Mr. Sain. Let us progress and support each other!"
Sain, with eyes sparkling with excitement, responded, "I also wasn’t wrong about you, Lord. Not only could you hold the city under such adverse circumstances, but you also had the surplus effort to start mining. That’s no ordinary capability. To cooperate with you, Lord, I’m willing to take risks! Okay, time is pressing. Let me use the pretext of delivering goods to visit your city, Lord, and check out your merchandise!"
Mr. Da Fei laughed heartily, "Good, time is pressing, let’s go check the merchandise!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendations, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please read on m.qidian.com.)