Chapter 140 - 131: Zhang Bo Bides His Time
"Then what price are you proposing for the live fish?"
"Ten jin of fish for one jin of coarse salt."
Zhang Bo blurted out, "You’re kidding me."
Qin Ziwen looked surprised. "My price is a bargain, Boss Zhang. There might be two families in the Gated Community with Salt Wells, but my salt is the best quality. For the best quality, I’m only asking for ten jin of fish per jin of salt. I think that’s more than fair."
Zhang Bo couldn’t help but feel he’d heard these words before.
But Qin Ziwen’s price was completely out of the question!
"That price is impossible! If you’re serious about this, name a serious price. If not, we can just call this whole thing off," Zhang Bo said, his face darkening.
"You don’t think that’s a serious offer?" Qin Ziwen retorted.
"Of course not!"
CLAP! Qin Ziwen clapped his hands. "But Boss Zhang, that’s the exact price you quoted me. How is it that when I offer you the same deal, you call it insincere?"
Zhang Bo’s expression flickered between pale and livid.
He felt a pang of regret. Maybe he shouldn’t have quoted such an astronomical price back then, needlessly making an enemy of a powerful figure.
Finally, he hung his head in defeat. "Please, Boss Qin, be the bigger man. Name a fair price."
Qin Ziwen said, "Five jin of fish for one jin of coarse salt?"
Zhang Bo hesitated. He couldn’t possibly acquire fish at that price. If he agreed, he’d have to cover too much of the cost himself. Taking such a loss was worse than just letting Qin Ziwen join the Alliance Association. At worst, he could just pivot to the low-end market.
"Three jin of fish for one jin of coarse salt."
Hearing this price, Zhang Bo inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a reasonable rate, but he kept his expression troubled, not letting on.
Qin Ziwen said, "That’s my bottom line."
Zhang Bo gritted his teeth, about to nod, when Qin Ziwen added one more condition. "But I want them alive."
Zhang Bo broke into a coughing fit. ’Seriously? You think I’m some kind of genie in a lamp?’
The emotional rollercoaster had left Zhang Bo exhausted.
After a long silence, he asked Qin Ziwen, "How much do you need?"
"Three hundred jin of live fish."
Zhang Bo countered, "One hundred jin of coarse salt, plus five jin of refined salt!"
After a long pause, Qin Ziwen nodded. "Deal."
The deal was struck. The two men stood there, looking at each other in a somewhat awkward silence.
Zhang Bo spoke up. "I have a request of my own."
"Go on."
Zhang Bo stared at him. "This transaction stays between us. I’ll tell everyone I bought the fish, and in return, you don’t join the Alliance Association."
"Fine."
Watching Qin Ziwen’s retreating figure, Zhang Bo made a decision. ’My products can’t compete with his right now. I’ll just have to tolerate this for the time being.’
’Even King Goujian endured years of hardship to taste revenge. I, Zhang Bo, can let him win this round.’
’Once I upgrade my Salt Well to Level 2, I won’t have to put up with this crap ever again!’
Once they were a safe distance away, Du Yu offered a warning. "Sir, I could tell that Zhang Bo is still resentful. He’s only bowing to the current situation."
"I noticed. He probably thinks my Salt Well is a higher Level than his, and that’s why my salt quality is better."
But Qin Ziwen knew the truth. The superior quality of his Salt Well wasn’t due to its Level, but to the Marvels. Even if Zhang Bo managed to upgrade his Salt Well to Level 2, its quality would never match his.
...
Back at his Home, Qin Ziwen found Deng Guang, Li Yue, Wang Yun, and the others. After a discussion, they decided to head up the mountain together. They would search for signs of prey on the way, hunting what they could while also seeking out Cards.
A couple of hours later, the group arrived at the spot where they had ambushed the Giant Toad the day before.
The area was a wreck, and the ground was still covered in scorch marks.
Strangely enough, even though the gasoline had burned fiercely, the fire had struggled to spread through the forest. It was as if an unseen force had contained the flames.
At the bottom of the ravine, the Giant Toad’s corpse was long since stiff. A gust of wind carried the foul stench of decay through the air.
Suddenly, the Home’s light orb materialized and began to float in the air.
[The number of awakened Homes in the Gated Community has reached 20% of the total survivor households. Crossing Countdown initiated: 71:59:59]
The timer ticked down, second by second.
It wasn’t just Qin Ziwen; Deng Guang, Wang Yun, and the others all stopped in their tracks.
"Only three days until the Crossing," Deng Guang murmured.
"What?" Qin Ziwu only understood what was happening after hearing the others talk. The number of residents in the Gated Community who had awakened their Home had surpassed one-fifth of the total, triggering a three-day countdown to the Crossing.
Qin Ziwen said, "Xiaowu, when we get back today, I want you to go upstairs. Use a Card in one of the empty apartments and see if you can activate a Home."
Qin Ziwu turned his head. "Bro..."
Qin Ziwen’s brow furrowed, and his tone grew stern. "Are you going to disobey me?"
Qin Ziwu quickly replied, "No, I’ll listen."
After a moment’s thought, Qin Ziwen looked at his younger brother and said, "I just think that if the requirement for our second Crossing is for a certain percentage of people to have an awakened Home, then Homes must be extremely important. At least, in the eyes of whatever damn thing is making us go through this, Homes are a high priority."
He paused, then added, "I just want you to secure the status of a Lord of the Homeland first."
Now Qin Ziwu understood his brother’s reasoning.
Nearby, those who had already awakened their Homes were untroubled by Qin Ziwen’s words.
Li Yue and Yuan Ming, on the other hand, lowered their heads, looking thoughtful.
They arrived at the cave on the mountainside.
Inside, a white Card floated above an altar.
They quickly retrieved it.
[Micro-sized Blank Expansion Card]
Since a Small-sized Blank Expansion Card was valued at 8 contribution points, this Micro-sized Blank Expansion Card would only be worth 2 points if priced strictly by area.
But it obviously couldn’t be calculated that way.
Even a micro-sized card could double a Home’s area.
After some discussion, the group decided to price the Micro-sized Blank Expansion Card at 4 contribution points.
Both Yuan Ming and Li Yue wanted it, and they were conflicted, not wanting to damage their friendship over the Card.
But in terms of both value and cost-effectiveness, this 4-point Card was the most suitable one they could afford at their current stage.
In the end, after a private discussion, Yuan Ming and Li Yue agreed that Yuan Ming would be the one to redeem the Micro-sized Blank Expansion Card.
The price he paid was gifting his one remaining contribution point to Li Yue.
"You young people..." Deng Guang was speechless. ’To give away a whole contribution point just for the right to buy it... Is that really a good deal?’
They had only earned so many contribution points this time because the Card dropped by the Giant Toad was so valuable, meaning everyone’s share was large.
Yuan Ming said bashfully, "It’s mainly because my family... they don’t know what our situation is really like. I haven’t told them everything. If I bring this Card home, they shouldn’t have any complaints."
Wang Yun offered no opinion. It was their contribution points, after all, and how they used them was their own business, as long as no one was being forced. "As long as you’ve made the decision yourselves, it’s fine."
...
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