novel bin Chapter 107 Zhao Gang's heart is too black.
Chapter 107 Zhao Gang's heart is too black.
Lin Mo watched as his sleeping body was escorted into the portal by the guards.
The medical staff at the Blue Star Base were already on standby. They acted professionally and quickly, carrying the stretcher and immediately sending the patient to the medical area for a comprehensive examination before making proper arrangements.
Although he felt it was nothing, his status and importance meant that his subordinates couldn't afford to be careless.
He turned around and strode towards the makeshift command center.
Inside the tent, Long Zhan and Zhao Gang were facing a huge map of the Terra continent, with red and blue arrows intersecting to indicate the complex strategic situation.
"General Long, Brother Zhao," Lin Mo called out.
The two of them looked up at the same time.
"They've taken the bait; they want to buy our weapons and equipment."
Long Zhan's face was as resolute as iron; he merely nodded slightly.
Zhao Gang's lips curled up in a smile.
"They've finally arrived. I thought they could keep their composure."
The goal of the Great Xia was naturally to acquire all kinds of resources from this world.
For example, the Holy Water of the Holy Race, the Magic Runes of the Dwarves, and the various unique plant fruits and minerals of the Elves, such as Magic Crystals and Mithril.
And the high-end combat power of the orcs!
The Great Xia needs high-ranking mercenaries who can directly confront beings like the Demon Clan's rulers.
Clearly, orcs, who are used to being employed and have no national stance of their own, are the most suitable.
Even more so, the Great Xia wanted the Holy Human Race to establish a permanent teleportation portal!
This portal is only open for ten days now, which is not big enough to allow the Great Xia to unleash its full power.
The four combat modes of sea, land, air, and space represent the complete form of Great Xia's combat power, not a stripped-down version.
However, one must take things one step at a time and plan slowly, step by step.
These are all the items we've already obtained and want. What about the items we haven't obtained yet?
The only way to obtain these things is by establishing a trading system.
The people of Terra are now wary of the Great Xia from another world. If you make demands first, it will easily arouse their suspicion, and you will be overcharged.
But if the other party makes the request, that's a different story.
We haven't encountered dwarves and orcs yet, but there's no rush; it'll happen sooner or later.
First, establish the framework for your current business; it will make doing business much easier in the future.
"Hehe, shall I agree to their request and arrange a place for us to sit down and have a proper talk?" Lin Mo asked with a smile.
"Okay, this negotiation is crucial. We need to make the best of it and give them a good beating." Zhao Gang rarely showed a sinister smile.
Ten minutes later, in a temporary meeting room made of steel frame and aluminum alloy panels outside the portal, the two sides sat facing each other.
On one side of the long table sat Archbishop Kyle, Elder Wood Language, Fendona, and their respective guards.
They were dressed in magnificent robes or fine armor, their expressions solemn.
On the other side were Long Zhan, dressed in a crisp military uniform, Zhao Gang, dressed in an officer's uniform, and two other officials in charge of military production and procurement.
Lin Mo sat in the middle, acting as the translator.
The atmosphere inside was serious, even somewhat stagnant.
Kyle cleared his throat and spoke first, his words carrying an aria-like quality:
"Respected people of Great Xia, I, Kyle, on behalf of the Holy Kingdom, formally request trade with you."
"We hope to obtain some of your equipment and weapons."
"To ensure fairness and impartiality in the negotiation process, I will use lie-detection magic to supervise the entire process. Once the cooperation is finalized, a magical contract will be signed, strictly stipulating that both parties abide by its contents."
Lin Moyan's concise translation:
"They wanted to buy our weapons and could use magic to detect lies. The cooperation was eventually reached through a magical contract, with the rules of this world as witnesses."
Zhao Gang leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on the table.
"no problem."
Kyle and Elder Muyu smiled, the first step of a successful transaction had been achieved.
"However," Zhao Gang changed the subject,
"We face a core problem: how do we determine value?"
"For example, if we use our money to buy your things, you certainly wouldn't want that, since paper money is worthless in your hands."
"And we are currently unable to accurately estimate the value of your copper and gold coins."
"It is extremely inconvenient for both of us to negotiate a deal without a unified standard."
Kyle and Elder Muyu exchanged a glance, their expressions turning serious again.
This is indeed the biggest challenge, and it was also the thing they were most worried about before they came.
Over countless years, the value of currencies on the continent of Terra has long been unified, eliminating trade issues between different regions.
At present, bartering is the best solution they can think of.
"I have a suggestion," Zhao Gang said calmly.
"We use a fundamental and indispensable hard currency that both worlds possess as the benchmark for all value."
"What is that?" Elder Muyu couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Gang uttered two words.
"food."
Kyle and Elder Muyu were both stunned.
food?
The suggestion was simple, which surprised them, yet they found it quite reasonable.
Zhao Gang continued:
However, market prices are often volatile and unstable, and artificial price increases result in a significant amount of inflated prices.
"In order for us to cooperate better, I suggest that we implement the price at cost to ensure that the value of food is basically accurate."
Everyone present could understand what he was saying, so Kyle and Elder Muyu exchanged a glance, both agreeing that it was fair, and nodded in agreement:
"No problem, what you said makes perfect sense, we have no objections."
Zhao Gang nodded and asked:
"Our wheat costs one dollar for three kilograms. You also have a grain called wheat. May I ask what your wheat cost price is?"
Lin Mo's heart pounded as he translated.
Zhao Gang is so greedy, he actually used US dollars to settle the transaction!
What's worse is that while the cost of wheat is indeed this high, you can't meet market demand!
It's already 50 yuan per jin in the Daxia market, and it's often sold out; demand exceeds supply.
Because only the Great Xia government has the capability to cultivate in the underground city!
Zhao Gang's actions were aimed at making his money more valuable so that he could exchange it for more things on Terra!
Now that a catastrophe has occurred on Earth, rice and wheat have been mainly grown using underground hydroponics. With large-scale cultivation and mature technology, the cost has not increased much, only a little over two yuan per kilogram.
However, due to limited underground space, large-scale cultivation has not been possible, and coupled with the effects of inflation, it's not surprising that it sells for fifty yuan per kilogram in the market. (Note: In this world, one US dollar is equal to seven yuan.)
This is also why Zhao Gang proposed settling at cost price instead of market price.
Otherwise, grain at fifty yuan per kilogram would be too devalued.
Elder Muyu was about to answer when Kyle spoke first:
"In Terra, one iron coin can buy one pound of wheat."
Just kidding, if the answer to this question were given by an elf, one of nature's darlings, the cost would be much lower.
After all, elves have wood-type elves, and wheat can be grown by simply casting a few growth spells.
They have both high production output and high speed, something the Holy Humans can't match.