During his half-day stay in Kalaf Town, Cui Ciyou gained a more tangible understanding of the Begaritt Continent's economic landscape.
It was a distorted market, full of business opportunities yet riddled with isolation.
An invisible trade barrier seemed to stand between the Central Continent and the Begaritt Continent.
That barrier was built not from tariffs or government decrees, but from sheer geographical distance and the vast sea of sand that cut off civilization.
Scarcity drove up value. That was an ironclad rule of commerce in every world.
Some ordinary products from the Central Continent, such as slightly better-quality ale, finely woven cloth, or even common ironware, could easily fetch several times their original price as long as they arrived here intact.
For enchanted handicrafts or equipment made by renowned artisans, selling for more than ten times the original price was hardly difficult.
Take the two Horned Dragon Horses he had traded for camels. For that merchant, simply reselling them would yield enough profit to keep him comfortably fed for years.
Of course, even though the merchant had made a fortune, Cui Ciyou did not feel shortchanged.
He had exchanged two mounts that were something of a burden here for two first-rate desert companions and enough supplies to last half a month.
It was a win-win transaction, with both sides getting what they needed.
Conversely, if he could bring the locally produced Vega Glass Bottles back to the Asla Kingdom, he could surely make an astonishing profit just as easily.
If I didn't have urgent business to attend to, I could probably amass a fortune to rival a nation's wealth within a few years just by trading between these two continents.
The thought crossed Cui Ciyou's mind as he watched the merchants in the market arguing themselves red in the face