Having learned his lesson last time, Zhao Fu no longer chose to work with large merchant groups. Though they were more capable and more likely to find what he wanted, they were too conspicuous and attracted far too much attention.
This time, Zhao Fu chose smaller merchant groups and did not make massive purchases. Such movements were too conspicuous, so he opted for moderate acquisitions and took the slow-and-steady route.
In the Moonrest Empire, Zhao Fu found a small merchant group called Clear Moon. He would not cooperate with just any small merchant group; he first had to investigate them. Zhao Fu had no desire to work with unscrupulous merchant groups, suffer losses, and still fail to obtain what he wanted.
The Clear Moon Merchant Group had a good reputation in the surrounding area. Although its business was somewhat small, it was honest and reliable. All goods had clearly marked prices, and counterfeit goods were almost impossible to buy.
Zhao Fu was quite satisfied with this, so he chose to cooperate with them. The manager of the Clear Moon Merchant Group was an elderly man with Tier 3 strength who had once been an old soldier.
The two sides easily reached an agreement. Faced with a wealthy patron like Zhao Fu, the entire Clear Moon Merchant Group was immersed in joy. To dispose of his vast quantity of equipment, Zhao Fu used equipment as payment in his transactions with them. The prices were slightly low, but Zhao Fu did not care about such minor gains as long as he achieved his goal.
Every week, Zhao Fu would send people to collect Rune Stones. The Clear Moon Merchant Group only needed to provide a certain amount; there was no need to purchase them in bulk and draw others' attention.
After settling