Kuroda spit out blood-streaked saliva on the snow, pushed away the person in front of him with his shoulder, and took half a step up the stone steps.
"Isn't it too early for the president to say this?"
"The products from my three mines are all of the same first-class quality. Your big boss has to pick through your pile of rubbish mixed with stones."
Dahe Long twitched the corners of his mouth, squeezed out two dry laughs, and did not answer the question.
His hands hidden in the fur were shaking violently, his nails dug into the flesh of his palms, and his palms were completely wet.
Money House's seven-day two-cent interest loan must be settled tomorrow with interest.
He has been holding back the miners' wages for four days, and last night someone broke into the overseer's shed in the dark.
As long as the first batch of goods is handed over today and the first payment is credited, the hole in front of us can always be filled up.
Dahe Long tightened the fur collar and protected the contract in his arms with his right hand. The bones on the back of his hand felt tight.
His eyes were red, and his eyes were very dark and blue.
High interest rates are rising every day. If you can't get cash today, the creditors behind you will really take him apart and settle accounts.
The mockery on Kuroda's face didn't last long.
Behind him were dozens of stewards and several Money House lenders armed with swords, all eyes fixed on his back.
The deeds for dozens of acres of land outside the city have all been paid out, and the warehouse at home is so empty that even a mouse would cry if it entered.
The housekeeper was so anxious last night that he almost hung his head and asked several times if he could take the money back today.
"It's not decided who will win or lose, the president should keep his mining rights first!"
Neither of them wanted to show their timidity first, so they could only stand in the snow and wind, looking at the inn door after a while.
The morning light squeezed out from the thick snow curtain, and when it fell on the street, there was not much warmth.
Hundreds of heavy-duty carriages blocked the street entrance, and new convoys arrived one after another from behind. The ruts crushed the snow and mud into dark and deep ditches.
The warehouse of the Chamber of Commerce was already full, and the gray and white Ore Sand had to be piled up in the open square, with a thick crust forming on the surface.
The north wind blew in from the street entrance, and the wooden boxes of hundreds of mine carts swayed back and forth, and creaking sounds continued to be heard from the cracks in the boards.
Dahe Long looked up at the second floor of the inn, and the uneasiness in his heart finally came out.
It stands to reason that at this time, the big boss should send someone downstairs to inspect the goods.
He swallowed his saliva and walked up the icy stone steps.
Kuroda refused to lag behind, pushed aside the crowd, and rushed to his side in a few steps.
"Go away! I signed the first contract!"
"Why are you so anxious? Are you afraid that your goods are all rotten stones and you can't mend the holes?"
The two of them squeezed to the door, each raised their hands to straighten their clothes, and stretched out their hands to knock on the door.
The hands were raised into the air, but no one fell down.
There was no heat from the charcoal fire coming out of the crack in the door, and no one could be seen behind the window paper.
There is a new seal across the heavy door panel, with the private seal of Gold Source Trading Company stamped in the middle of the red seal.
The ink is still fresh, and the snow has not yet soaked it away.
Dahe Long's hand hung in front of the door, and after his fingertips touched the edge of the seal, he still didn't take it back.
Kuroda's Adam's apple rolled, and his eyelids twitched one after another.
"What's the rush?"
He put on a stiff smile and shouted back to his creditors.
"The big boss probably went to a neighboring country to adjust the down payment!"
Dahe Long heard this and immediately continued.
"Yes! With such a large delivery volume, it is not unusual for funds to be adjusted temporarily!"
"For such a large payment, there is no way to get a normal ticket number. I will definitely have to go to a neighboring country to get cash!"
"I have the secret seal of Daimyō's Office of the Land of Fire in my hand. That is the official endorsement!"
"With Konoha's guarantee, where can people go? Konoha is pressing for military supplies, how dare he break the contract?"
The two of them talked faster and faster, and their words were full of confidence that they might not even believe.
Kuroda finished shouting the last sentence and turned his face to the other side.
The stewards reluctantly calmed down, but the group of loan sharks under the stone steps did not disperse.
They took a step forward, the soles of their boots crushing the ice shell, and the broken ice rolled around in the snow.
Money House's man has put his hand on the handle of the knife, staring at the two of them with increasingly serious eyes.
A sharp and long cry came from the sky above the wind and snow.
Black Ninja Hawk passed through the snow curtain and hit a wooden post on the long street. There was blood on his right wing, but the mailbox on his leg was still firmly tied.
There was chaos at the back of the crowd.
The spy guarding the Land of Wind border bumped into the driver, stumbled into the crowd, and didn't bother to pick up his hat, which he dropped on the road.
Half of his face turned purple from the cold, and he held a notice stamped with a red seal in his hand.
"President! President! Something happened! The sky is falling!"
Dahe Long rushed down the stone steps and grabbed the notice.
Eyeliner was out of breath and her voice was intermittent.
"Konoha Hokage Building, the top secret order has just been issued!"
"From now on, all Marrowstone Sand acquisition business will be suspended indefinitely across the board!"
The bidding on the long street stopped.
The wind carried the snow particles through the crowd, and those who had just waved their mining tickets to call for prices all shut their mouths.
Underground Money House's several waiters turned pale at first and didn't know where to put their hands and feet.
The creditors glanced at each other, then turned to look at Dahe Long and Kuroda on the stone steps.
There was no trace of politeness in his eyes.
The sounds of drawing swords sounded one after another.
They stepped on the snow and approached the stone steps, and no one was in a hurry to speak.
Sweat flowed down Dahe Long's forehead. He pulled out the contract from his arms and shouted at the people who gathered around him.
"Don't panic! Don't fucking panic! This is a forward contract for five times the market price, and it's stamped Hokage Secret Seal!"
The parchment flapped in the wind.
"That is the highest quality military material! Konoha has been fighting for three years, how dare they not take it? If they break the contract, they have to pay us the full price according to the rules!"
"False, this news must be false!"
Kuroda pressed his back against the door panel and took a step forward.
He wanted to hold up the scene for himself, but his teeth kept chattering. The words "Don't worry, everyone" were stuck between his teeth and he couldn't squeeze them out.
A Money House boss stepped onto the stone steps and held up the corner of the contract paper with his scabbard.
"Where are the people from Gold Source Trading Company? Let them come out and give them an explanation."
Dahe Long looked back at the seal on the door, his chest heaving heavily.
In the end, that bit of dignity couldn't hold on anymore.
"Get out of the way!"
He turned around, raised his leg, and kicked towards the inn door.
My legs were numb from the shock, the door latch was disconnected on the spot, the seal was torn into two pieces, the door panel hit the wall, and the muffled sound spread throughout the long street.
"Big boss! Please tell me the right words!"
Dahe Long rushed into the building, the wooden boards shaking under his feet.
Kuroda slipped through the crack of the door sideways, and the broken wood stubble rubbed against his cheek, leaving a burning red mark.
Core creditors also poured in, their heavy boots making the stairs tremble.
The penthouse suite is not locked.
Dahe Long raised his arms and knocked open the door, and the draft blew into his collar.
He stood at the door and did not go further inside.
The room was tidied up, and the Grand Master's chair was placed in its original place.
There were no account books or abacus left on the table, not even half a piece of scrap paper or half a copper plate.
The mahogany table that was still piled with money bills yesterday had only a thin layer of dust now.
The charcoal basin has already cooled down, and the edges of the basin are cold to the touch.
Kuroda A short strange sound escaped from the throat.
The creditors who followed in took a breath of cold air, while those who didn't know what was going on behind them continued to squeeze in, while those in front who had seen the situation clearly began to retreat.
Kuroda rushed to the bed, opened the cupboard door, knelt on the ground to look under the bed, and knocked his forehead against the wooden frame without bothering to rub it.
"Where are the people?! How could such a large caravan and hundreds of living people evaporate overnight?!"
A creditor looked grimly and used a scabbard to push away the black ashes in the charcoal basin.
Several burnt copper buckles of the account book rolled out of the bottom of the basin and made a thin sound on the floor.
There were still a few pages of unburned paper buried under the charcoal ashes. The ink stains and the fake seal that made the whole city go crazy were burnt to a crispy powder and dispersed in the wind.
No one in the room spoke.
Kuroda held on to the edge of the table and barely pushed his body up. His eyes suddenly fell on the center of Golden Silk Nanmu's table.
There is a newspaper pressed there, the paper is flat and the ink has not yet dried.
After the left-behind White Zetsu finished affixing the seal, he stuffed this thing under the door according to the night's arrangement.
Kuroda rushed towards the table, holding the newspaper in both hands, with red marks on his knuckles from the edge of the paper.
The masthead is printed Konoha Frontier Science and Technology News, and the date is today.
The bold headline on the front page states: Konoha chief scientist Orochimaru announced that the new Bio-Chakra Gel was successfully developed.
The next line reads: The energy efficiency is improved ten times, and the cost is only 10% of Marrowstone Sand, which is enough to completely replace Marrowstone Sand.