#10Timber trading and Harlen CityAI Model: gemini-3.0-flash
Chapter 10: Wood Trade and Harlun City
The headquarters of the Death Scythe Gang was not located in a cave in the wilderness or a temporary field camp, but in the Slums of Harlun City.
As a gathering place for the bottom-tier residents, the environment of the Slums could be described as a place of outstanding talent and spiritual grace with honest and simple folk; not only was it teeming with gangs, but it was also an important part of various gray and black industrial chains.
"A Transcendent Lord with spellcasting abilities..."
After listening to his subordinate's report, Rogge, the leader of the Death Scythe Gang and a Level 2 Rogue, fell into deep thought.
The scale of the Death Scythe Gang was not large, and it didn't rank high in the talent-filled Slums. Usually, they could only go to some remote wilderness or secluded villages where no powerful experts were stationed to earn some extra money.
Moonstone Town was considered one of the main sources of income for the Death Scythe Gang, and now that it was cut off, Rogge was somewhat unwilling to let it go.
[Writing to this point, I hope readers remember our domain name. Reading Taiwan novels is super smooth.]
"Go and find out where this newly appointed Lord came from."
"Be careful not to be discovered... find a new face to scout the town."
...Lords Mansion.
Faye Er, the traveling merchant, looked around, muttering constantly in his heart.
He had seen the residences of some powerful officials and wealthy merchants; besides the luxurious and exquisite furnishings inside, servants and slaves maintained the mansion everywhere.
But since he entered the house, except for a young girl who seemed to be a maid, he hadn't seen any other servants. He even had to lead the carriage to the stable himself.
For a Lord, this seemed a bit undignified.
"You bought a new carriage so soon?"
Luo Yi noticed the carriage outside the window and remembered that Faye Er's wagon was still in his inventory.
"I don't have that kind of money; this is a carriage borrowed from a colleague."
Faye Er shook his head with a bitter smile.
"I have to return it soon. I can't delay someone else's business."
"Lord, about my wagon..."
"Don't worry, I've kept it," Luo Yi interrupted him. "It will be returned to you when you leave."
"Before that, I have some things I want to ask you."
To his savior, Faye Er naturally told everything he knew, answering Luo Yi's questions as best as he could.
Faye Er was born in Harlun City, the closest city to Moonstone Town. It wasn't exactly prosperous, but it was considered vibrant.
"Almost all the ways to make money are controlled by the city's nobles, clans, and guilds. Bottom-tier merchants like me, who have no strength or background, can only do small-scale business."
"Hmm..." Luo Yi asked thoughtfully, "If I may ask, roughly how much is your monthly income?"
"This... at least I won't starve to death."
This question made Faye Er a bit embarrassed. Luo Yi was tactful enough not to continue asking and instead said,
"I can talk to you about an order right now. If it goes well, we can have a long-term cooperation."
"Oh?" Speaking of orders, Faye Er finally became interested. "Lord, please elaborate."
"I can provide a large batch of wood here, as well as wooden furniture."
Luo Yi tapped his finger on the tabletop, making a crisp sound.
"I will sell it to you at seventy percent of the market price."
It had to be said that Faye Er was extremely tempted.
Although wood was cheap, the demand was extremely high. Whether used for construction or as fuel, there was a huge market for it. It could be said to be a guaranteed profit.
Furniture was generally crafted by carpenters in towns. Since production and construction periods were limited, there was no worry about sales.
If it was truly as Luo Yi said, then that thirty percent profit would be like making money hand over fist while barely lifting a finger.
"Lord, you missed a key issue."
However, Faye Er shook his head and pointed out the omission.
"Moonstone Town is hundreds of miles away from Harlun City. Even if you have the goods, it will be difficult to transport them unless you ask a merchant guild to step in... but in that case, they would definitely be the ones taking the seventy percent cut."
"Why?" Luo Yi raised an eyebrow, seemingly realizing something.
He had forgotten that the transportation in this world was not as developed as on Earth.
"The road to Moonstone Town has long been abandoned. If you want to hire a merchant caravan to transport goods, it's a huge expense."
Faye Er explained with all his heart.
"Except for the areas near Harlun City which have crushed stone roads, most of the journey consists of dirt and mud roads. It's very difficult for a caravan to travel, and the goods will definitely suffer some loss."
"True."
Luo Yi nodded slightly, thinking to himself that if one wants to get rich, they indeed need to build roads first.
"In that case, I can reduce the cost price to fifty percent—since you can't handle this batch of goods alone, call some colleagues and form a temporary caravan."
"This..."
A fifty percent profit was enough to move any merchant's heart, and Faye Er was no exception.
He had a good reputation among the group of fellow bottom-tier merchants; otherwise, no one would have been willing to lend him a carriage.
Luo Yi had seen this point and thus proposed that he lead the formation of the caravan.
After thinking for a moment, Faye Er finally gave a response.
"Lord, I want to see the goods you mentioned."
"Sure."
Luo Yi was naturally prepared. He took Faye Er to the backyard of the Lords Mansion. The empty courtyard, which was originally full of fallen leaves, was now covered with neatly stacked wood, looking extremely spectacular.
If there was any resource in the Terraria World that was inexhaustible, it was surely the extremely fast-growing trees.
The 1:60 time difference allowed the Terraria World to produce a large amount of wood within one natural day. Luo Yi had precisely seen this and chose wood as his primary commodity.
Luo Yi had also tried planting Terraria tree seeds in this world, but there had been no reaction so far. He didn't know if it was a problem with the soil or other factors.
"Amazing... if there are so many goods, it might really be possible..."
Seeing so much wood, Faye Er immediately began to calculate silently, his expression becoming more and more excited.
"Lord, I need to go back to Harlun City to see how many people would be interested in this deal before making a decision."
"Hmm..." Luo Yi thought for a moment and suddenly said, "I'll go with you. There should still be an empty seat on your carriage."
As the supplier, he had to personally inspect the market, and he could also look into the trade of ores like copper and iron while he was at it.
"You want to come to Harlun City too? Of course, no problem!"
Faye Er had no reason to refuse Luo Yi's proposal and immediately agreed with great excitement.
Even if it wasn't for the trade, having a Transcendent traveling together would at least make the road much safer.
The departure time was set for the next morning because Luo Yi still had things to do today.
"The people from the Death Scythe Gang probably won't come back to the town to cause trouble for a while... hmm?"
Luo Yi pushed open the door to the room where Li Xue was and found the girl sketching mathematical formulas on a piece of crumpled paper.
Perhaps because she was too focused, Li Xue was immersed in her struggle with mathematics and didn't notice Luo Yi behind her at all.
Good opportunity... wait, no.
"The answer is 42."
Luo Yi casually solved the problem on the paper; this kind of junior high level math problem was not difficult for him.
"The people from the Death Scythe Gang won't be coming to the town to cause trouble for a short while."
"Ah, Lord."
Li Xue snapped back to her senses, hurriedly stood up, and somewhat embarrassedly put her things away.
She knew that in the eyes of some nobles, commoners like her learning was a desecration of knowledge and would be subject to severe punishment.
"Since everything is fine, then I'll head back first..."
"Do you know how to keep accounts?"
Luo Yi's sudden question made Li Xue stop in her tracks. She subconsciously nodded but then shook her head, her face showing confusion.
"I have a job that requires someone who can read, write, do math, and has received a basic education."
"If you're willing, you can come and try, or recommend someone you know..."
"I'm willing!"
Li Xue raised her hand high and shouted out while standing on her tiptoes.
This was the posture for asking questions when she attended classes at the Church School. Realizing she wasn't in a classroom, the girl quickly lowered her arm.
But the words had already been spoken.
"Very good."
Luo Yi nodded with satisfaction. It wasn't easy to find an educated person in this place.
"Your first task is to go with me to Harlun City tomorrow... well, you can call it a 'business trip'."
"...Eh?!! Go to Harlun City?!!!"
After sending away the girl, who still hadn't figured out the situation, Luo Yi stretched, thinking that he had finally almost finished handling this pile of matters.
Then, he took out the Adventure Card he had obtained this morning and observed it carefully for a moment.
"Level 1+ difficulty, I wonder if I can complete it."
"Whatever, the death penalty is only soul weakness anyway, nothing to fear."
[Do you want to start a new journey?]
Yes.
The next moment, Luo Yi's figure disappeared. When he regained his senses, he found himself transported to a dark space.
Luo Yi pulled out a torch to illuminate the surroundings. Under the reflection of the light source, the surrounding walls glinted with a cold metallic luster.
A heavy iron door full of mechanical feel blocked the end of his vision.
This was probably the most high-tech thing he had seen since he crossed over.
[Exploring "Tungsten Steel Mechanical Factory"]
An OmniNet message popped up, catching Luo Yi's attention.
[The door to the next room will open in 5 minutes]
[You have gained 1 card draw chance]