Qin Siyang gave the drill cabin to Lu Daoxing, letting him help fix the brakes and speed control, then he returned to the guesthouse.
As soon as he returned to the guesthouse, just after sitting in the hall eating the two dishes and one soup the cafeteria had specially cooked for him, he received a phone call.
Looking closely, it was the Red-Robed Protector Chris from the Zephyr Church.
Qin Siyang wiped the grease off his hand and answered the call.
"Chris, calling this late, what's up?"
["Oh, Mr. Qin, I'm sorry to bother you at such a late hour, please accept my sincere apologies. If you think it's too late now, we can talk another day."]
"It's fine, just say it."
["Alright, thank you. Last time when we met at the hospital, I expressed to you my need for the carapace of the Corrosive Black Centipede. I heard you've already successfully hunted one. So I'd like to discuss this matter with you again."]
"Oh? Can your phone prevent eavesdropping?"
["It can."]
"Then let's just talk on the phone directly. Meeting in person would just waste your time. The distance between Zone 8 and Zone 7 is a bit far. You're a Protector of the Zephyr Church, you must be busy. Once we agree, you can just come get the goods."
"This way it's convenient for everyone."
["That's great, thank you for your understanding, Mr. Qin."]
Facing Chris, Qin Siyang was very relaxed.
From beginning to end, it was Chris who needed something from him, so his mindset was very calm.
Qin Siyang picked up another bite of celery with dried tofu, chewing with a crunch while asking, "Protector Chris, you should already have prepared the price and the quantity of Corrosive Black Centipede carapace you need, right?"
["Yes. I need one thousand kilograms of Corrosive Black Centipede carapace, just the shell, not the flesh…"]
"Hold it right there."
Qin Siyang took another bite of food, "Protector Chris, that amount you're asking for, I can't provide. I already gave more than half of the centipede remains to the Administration Department, and also gave some to my own people. The amount left is not much. You want a thousand kilos in one go, and only the carapace without the flesh and organs, I can't produce that."
On the other end, Chris didn't hesitate, and asked again, ["Then how much Corrosive Black Centipede carapace can Mr. Qin provide?"]
Qin Siyang smiled slightly.
After he refused, Chris quickly followed up, obviously the amount he first proposed was just overshooting on purpose.
"Three hundred kilos of Corrosive Black Centipede remains. Shell, flesh, and organs all bundled together for you."
["Three hundred kilos? But only about half of that weight is shell."]
"More or less."
["Mr. Qin, you cut seventy percent of the amount in one stroke, I really…"]
"Protector Chris, it's not that I cut too much, it's that you asked for too much. I can't provide it. What do you expect me to do? If the amount isn't enough, do you want me to pad it out with Aberrant Scythe Carapace? Would you like that?"
["Mr. Qin, you really know how to joke. A small divine beast can't compare to a Corrosive Black Centipede. But… could you maybe give me a little more? I truly need it sincerely."]
"Then tell me your price."
["Alright. Originally, the price I set was for the Corrosive Black Centipede carapace. Since Mr. Qin is offering the whole remains, I'll have to give a bit of a discount. You know well, the flesh and organs of the centipede aren't of much use to non-researchers."]
"Mm."
["So then, one kilogram of Corrosive Black Centipede remains for one silver coin. What do you think?"]
Qin Siyang sipped some soup, "Honestly, the price you offered is indeed fair. Not like others who try to rip me off just because I'm young."
["Mr. Qin, you're joking. I've always admired and respected you."]
"Protector Chris, though your price isn't low, I don't actually need money."
["Mr. Qin doesn't need money?"]
Qin Siyang downed the rest of the soup in the bowl, belched, and contentedly patted his belly.
"I live in Zone 7. Clothes, food, housing, transportation are all covered. Schooling, research, healthcare, and socializing all have their channels. Tell me, what do I need money for? Save it in the bank to earn interest?"
"How long has the Safe Zone even existed? The banks aren't even older than me. Deposit today, if a storm hits tomorrow, whether I can even withdraw it is questionable."
Chris sighed, ["I knew this transaction with Mr. Qin wouldn't be particularly easy. May I ask, what do you need then?"]
"Barter."
["Barter?"]
"Mm."
["Then what does Mr. Qin need?"]
Qin Siyang picked up a toothpick, picking his teeth as he recalled what a few professors had asked for.
"Death Spore Powder, Phantom Crystal, Weathered Poison Meteorite, the blind eyes of Blood Moon Spiders, the corpse of a multi-headed weasel. Oh right, also Yellow-Silver Star Ore."
"Among the materials I just listed, whichever you have, we can trade."
Qin Siyang also wanted to make it clear: those professors treated him well, but the things they wanted were too many.
If he could trade to get them, it would save him from risking his life outside the Safe Zone, why not?
["This… this… Mr. Qin, why do you need so many strange materials? And they don't even seem related. Even if you're doing research, the scope is way too broad, isn't it?"]
"Protector Chris, that's not something you need to worry about. Anyway, those are the materials. If you can bring any of them, we can keep negotiating."
Chris hesitated for a while, then unwillingly asked, ["Mr. Qin, really can't buy it with money? I can raise the price by thirty percent."]
"Protector Chris, I think I already made it clear. We've cooperated well before, no need to get upset over something I stated with absolute certainty, right?"
["But didn't you sell a lot to the United Government?"]
"I sold to the United Government for sequence potions, for points, not just for that bit of money."
Qin Siyang's words left Chris silent for a long time.
["Mr. Qin, every time I talk with you, I feel like you're not an eighteen-year-old youth, but an eighty-year-old politician."]
"Just take it as a compliment. Thanks."
["Among the things you listed: Yellow-Silver Star Ore, I absolutely don't have. Phantom Crystal and Weathered Poison Meteorite, I've never gotten either. Zhang Yingrui has them, but he definitely won't trade…"]
Qin Siyang got annoyed, "Protector Chris, just tell me what you do have, no need to deny one by one."
["The blind eyes of the Blood Moon Spider, I have five."]
"Five? Fine, how do you want to trade?"
["I hope to keep cooperating with Mr. Qin in a friendly way, so I won't try to raise the price. One eye for two hundred kilograms of Corrosive Black Centipede remains. Altogether, that's one thousand kilograms of Corrosive Black Centipede remains."]
Qin Siyang browsed through the data on Blood Moon Spiders on his phone and saw that Chris's asking price was indeed not high.
'Truly a rare man of integrity.'
"How about this, according to Huaguo tradition, let's make it an auspicious number: eight hundred eighty-eight kg of Corrosive Black Centipede remains. Everyone prospers together."
Chris sighed, ["Mr. Qin, I'm not from Huaguo, that number doesn't mean anything lucky to me."]
Qin Siyang chuckled, "Let me add this. Our deal, I won't tell anyone, especially not Hu Chan, Zhang Yingrui, or Jin Shengyu. What do you say?"
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