Flender the Profiteer
With Tang Yuehua's help, Tang San successfully joined the grain transport convoy.
The convoy consisted mostly of members of the Spirit Hunting Squad, recruited by Tang Yuehua through various undercover agents.
These Spirit Hunting Squad had no idea where the food was being transported; they were simply doing their jobs for money.
Even if someone investigates, it will be difficult to find anything.
Tang San blended into the team, and his outstanding appearance attracted many female members of the Spirit Hunting Squad who secretly flirted with him.
Of course, some men with unusual fetishes will also approach him from time to time.
These are all minor issues, as long as the food arrives safely and on time.
Tang San could tell that there was a high probability they wouldn't encounter any bandits on the way to transport the grain.
With so many members in the Spirit Hunting Squad, they already checked and balanced each other, and ordinary bandits wouldn't dare to act rashly in the face of this battle.
Tang Yuehua's purpose in sending him out was not only to avoid trouble, but also to help him relax and not put too much pressure on himself.
The grain transport team gathered in a small town on the Heaven Dou City, and led by their leader, boarded empty carts and headed towards Suotuo City.
Suotuo City, situated on the Lima Plain, is the empire's largest granary.
In addition, the climate is suitable for the growth of grain crops, and harvests can be carried out every quarter, resulting in extremely high grain yields.
Every year, countless merchants and agents from various powers travel to Suotuo City to buy grain, and they can easily slip through the cracks without anyone noticing.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Flander Merchant Guild.
Flender looked at the harvested grain in his hands, filled with worry.
"Old Zhao, we've harvested so much grain, are we going to be stuck with it?"
After the branch of the Chamber of Commerce in Wangbei City was established and began operations, Flender eventually wanted to expand and strengthen the business, so he purchased a large amount of grain.
Although they might earn only one Copper Soul Coin per kilogram of grain, grain is a commodity, and with large quantities, the income can be quite substantial.
However, grain has strict requirements for storage conditions, and its quality will decline over time.
Flender felt a little uneasy after receiving so much at once.
You have to understand that if this business deal fails, they won't be able to recover for the next two years.
Zhao Wuji was not particularly business-savvy; most of the time, he was only responsible for the security of the Chamber of Commerce's supplies.
"Boss, why think so much? Grain is hard currency!"
People can skip a game, but they won't skip a meal.
That being said, they were new to the grain industry and didn't have a stable customer base.
If they can't sell them within three months, the warehouse rent alone will be enough to bankrupt them.
Time flies, and a month and a half has passed in the blink of an eye.
Even after two price reductions, Flender had only sold 30% of the grain he had stockpiled.
They had no clue about the remaining 70%, and had even contacted all the potential customers, but no one would take them.
With the next batch of grain about to ripen, his mood grew increasingly gloomy.
Can old grain and new grain be priced the same? If we can't sell them, all the hard-earned profits the Chamber of Commerce has made over the past two years will have to be lost.
As the president of the chamber of commerce and the elder brother of several old comrades, Flender felt a pang of guilt.
But sometimes, when God closes a door, He opens a window.
Just when Flender was at his wits' end, business came knocking on his door.
The newcomers were none other than Tang San and the Deacon of the Moonlight Pavilion.
The two followed the convoy for a month and a half before finally arriving in Suotuo City.
Other grain merchants in the city purchase grain in accordance with the needs of their customers.
They had no surplus food before the next harvest.
Flender bought up the surplus grain from the previous quarter at a lower price, but has been unable to sell it due to a lack of stable customers.
After investigating the city, Tang San finally approached Flender ' merchant guild.
At first, the Flander Merchant Guild did not attract Tang San's interest, until he arrived at Flender's office and was shocked.
Previously, they had tried to find out about Flender in many ways without success, but they never expected that the other party would actually establish a chamber of commerce and start doing business.
No one would believe that Tang San didn't hold a grudge against the other party.
Flender abandoned Shrek Academy, so when the academy faced great calamity, no one stepped forward to help, and ultimately the academy fell apart.
Of course, Flender can't be entirely blamed for this. Even with him around, the academy might still have disbanded.
However, Tang San still couldn't get over the fact that Shrek Academy had been disbanded.
"Young friend, what business do you wish to discuss?"
Tang San is Tang Yuehua's nephew, so Tang San was the main force in this negotiation.
The Deacon of the Moonlight Pavilion quickly reminded him, "Young friend Tang, is there a problem?"
Coming to his senses, Tang San looked directly at Flender and said calmly, "My name is Tang Yin, and I'd like to purchase a batch of grain from your merchant guild."
Flender was somewhat dazed.
He seemed to see Tang San's shadow in Tang Yin.
But upon further reflection, I realized it was just an illusion.
If it really is Tang San, why doesn't the other party acknowledge him?
Besides, he really didn't want the other party to be Tang San. This batch of grain was a huge gamble for the entire merchant guild; if it didn't fetch a good price, the guild's losses would be too severe.
Flender demanded an exorbitant price, 10% higher than the market rate.
When it comes to business, there's always room for negotiation.
Tang San was still too inexperienced; in this kind of situation, he was no match for Flender.
They inadvertently revealed their dire need for food, which gave the authorities leverage against them.
With a sly smile, Flender said, "Young friend Tang, it's not grain production season now, and only my inventory in the entire Suotuo City can meet your requirements. Have you thought carefully about my offer?"
The Deacon of the Moonlight Pavilion scolded, "If you wait another month, the next batch of grain will ripen, and your stockpile won't fetch a good price."
"We're helping you clear out your inventory, and instead of giving us a discount, you're ripping us off?"
Tang San knew that Flender was a money-grubber, but in the end, it was Tang Yuehua who paid for it; he couldn't possibly cheat his own aunt.
However, he really didn't have any negotiation skills.
Flender maintained control of the negotiations.
The Clear Sky Sect is urging the delivery of this batch of grain, and if things don't go well, it will inevitably affect his process of recognizing his ancestors.
At this point, they no longer had time to purchase grain from other cities, so they could only keep haggling over prices.
In the end, Flender relented and sold the grain to them at market price.
Originally, Flender ' target price was 90% of the market price.
It's old grain after all; it's good enough if we can sell it and cut our losses.
Who knew that Tang San was too eager to smoothly return to his ancestral home?
Anyway, Flender wasn't planning on doing grain business with any more anxiety. It was just a one-off deal, so he was bound to ask for a high price.
After leaving the Flander Merchant Guild, Tang San realized he had been misled and had wasted a lot of money.
Fortunately, at market price, he didn't lose too much.
After all, this is the wholesale market price, which is much lower than the retail price.
Next, Tang San needs to recruit loading workers to deliver the grain to the Elder of the Clear Sky Sect as soon as possible, thus earning himself a chance to make an appearance.