"So that's how it is. Then how are those hundreds of ships divided up? Does each major Venerable Sect take a share, with the caravans or merchant associations operating them?" I mused.
"More or less. Every Venerable Sect owns some Washstone Ships." Jade Venerable was not concerned with such matters.
But I became interested instead. "If there's enough currency, the merchant associations might not sell themselves off, after all. There are so many Venerable Sects, and everyone has different ideas. But if someone bought a ship outright, or leased a batch of them long-term, that should be fine, right?"
"You're planning to buy Washstone Ship No. 493, then take care of those Sin Clan subordinates of yours and have them send the stones up fairly, are you? Heh-heh. But if you can think of it, do you think no one else can? Besides, with a business that guarantees profit, who would negotiate terms with you? You should know that fairness is what allows business to last. If something went wrong with a ship or a batch of ships you received, would there still be business afterward?" Jade Venerable retorted with a laugh.
"As expected of a Venerable, you're truly wise." I smiled.
Seeing me laugh, Jade Venerable clicked his tongue and said, "Since you thought of it too, tell me this: if you wanted an entire ship, how would you do it?"
"It's simple. You just have to make its input and output values disproportionate." I said.
"Disproportionate? How?" Jade Venerable immediately became interested.
"I've looked into it. The merchant association's expenses on Chaos Stones alone should be outrageously high, and it has to keep investing in the Washstone Ships. That piles up a tremendous cost. Then it has to wait for the geniuses of the myriad races to wash