Graycast Corridor, Great Labyrinth City.
"Three, two, one!"
Accompanied by spirited shouts, a cloud of bluish-gray smoke billowed from the entrance of a shop on the main road of the Great Labyrinth City, with flickering flames within it, accompanied by a series of crackling explosions.
As the smoke cleared, a uniquely styled sign appeared, bearing the shop's name in the kingdom's common language and some unknown script: [ Great Prospects Import Trading Company ].
Passersby were drawn to the scene and saw two people embracing under the sign, with two or three half-dragons wearing badges on their chests behind them.
Seeing this, the onlookers began to whisper among themselves:
"A madman and a half-dragon, are they from the Second Holy See?"
"Yeah, look at how excited they are, you'd think their prosthetic bodies had gone berserk."
"An importer's company? Does that mean they only sell goods from the Second Holy See?"
"Very likely, I bought some wooden parts from them when they had a stall before."
Really? Tell me about the quality!
"Overall, it works quite well. Although it's certainly not as durable as brass, it's cheap and lightweight. It even has a batch number stamped on it. I heard that if you buy a defective product, you can trace it back to the manufacturer and get a free replacement."
"Oh, is that true? I'd better go check it out!"
"Hey, don't you guys read the news? What's with this 'Second Holy See ' nonsense? There's only one Holy See now!"
" The Second Holy See is gone?!"
"Bullshit, the original Holy See is gone!"
"No way?!"
"What do you mean, 'can't they?' At the end of last month, these guys all went crazy one day. I heard it's because they found out about that thing. You don't believe me? I can go check the bulletin board."
"..."
The whispers of the locals in the Great Labyrinth City did not disturb the two who were celebrating.
At this moment, [ Good Times Don't Last n't Last Long] and [ Shit Appraisal Master ] are still immersed in the joy of the new store opening.
To avoid the embarrassing situation of "spinning 360 degrees in place," the two made thorough preparations.
Over the past two months, the two have been based in the Great Labyrinth City, conducting numerous on-site investigations. After several small investments yielded good results, they finally decided to open a shop there.
Although there is still some risk of loss, the two have tried their best to avoid all the pitfalls, and even the source of goods is directly from High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant.
In addition to income from this, this place also serves as a temporary inn and storage point, catering to players traveling to the Great Labyrinth City.
In addition to this, their success was also inseparable from another factor:
While there were indeed local bullies in the Graycast Corridor, well-informed people already knew that the two owners of this shop seemed to have a close relationship with their new Grand Foundry Master.
Although Gray Griss has not done anything corrupt since taking office as the Grand Foundry Master, that doesn't mean he won't in the future.
Besides, even if Gray didn't have the intention to help these two, the people working in various places would be happy to do it for them—they were friends of the Grand Foundry Master, so who would bother to annoy them for no reason?
With the cooperation of many parties, the two's business went exceptionally smoothly. They set up the shop with almost no effort and officially started operations today.
Cough cough cough!
The Shit Appraisal Master," choked by the smoke and with tears welling in his eyes, pulled his good friend into a tight embrace.
"You've really made those 'firecrackers' look real!"
[ This Good Times Don't Last n't last long] He was quite pleased with himself about it:
"Of course, I think this is already worthy of being patented by the government office of the Great Labyrinth City."
"The people of the Great Labyrinth City might not agree with this, but first tell me how this effect is achieved?"
[ The Good Times Don't Last ] One finger after another was extended:
"The smoke comes from ground tobacco cakes, the sparks come from porous plants soaked in Oil Vine, and the sound is produced by a robotic arm striking the tobacco. By combining these three elements and making a few adjustments, we can achieve a 70-80% similarity."
"I see! You really are a genius in this area!"
As they walked into the shop, the two chatted. With the help of shills they had bribed in advance, they quickly made their first sale. As the number of customers increased, the half-dragon shop assistants also began to get busy.
"These parts are universal; replacing them can reduce the weight of the robotic arm by half. If you need them, we can replace them for you right away."
"Yes, of course there's no labor fee!"
"What? Yes, it must be waterproof, otherwise how can we guarantee it will withstand all working conditions except for high temperatures?"
"You're right, this is an import from the Second Holy See. It's a little more expensive, but it's really just the customs duty for entering the Graycast Corridor..."
"Look here, this dragon head emblem indicates that this batch of goods was produced by the Half-Dragon Workshop. Weapons made by the Half-Dragons are always of the highest quality!"
"Oh, you're asking about the difference between High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant and Half-Dragon Workshop? Let our manager explain it to you."
" The High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant and the Half-Dragon Workshop both belong to the Second Holy See —I mean, the Theocracy's industries—but the High-Quality Charcoal Processing Plant's products are mainly made of wood, with uniform specifications and larger quantities."
"The goods from Half-Dragon Workshop are mainly made of metal, and they are all handcrafted by Banlong blacksmiths. The quantity is limited, and once you buy one, there's one less left. The craftsmanship involved is hard to measure in money."
"What? You're asking about quality control for handcrafted parts? You don't need to worry about that. The joints that require precise specifications are forged using a water-powered forging hammer invented by the Soul Returner, ensuring a perfect fit!"
"No, how can a water-powered forging hammer not be considered handmade? The lever still needs to be operated by a person!"
"What's wrong with you, customer? You're asking about quality control when it's handmade, and you're demanding craftsmanship when everything's standardized? Are you here to cause trouble... Ah, boss!"
"Sorry, dear customer, our service was poor."
"No, this badge is a portrait of our half-dragon leader, General Red Dragon. It's not for sale. Please don't touch it anymore, okay?"
By noon, the first floor of the store was bustling with customers. While wooden parts have disadvantages compared to metal parts, such as uneven material due to wood growth and slightly weaker wear resistance, they also have advantages such as not rusting and being significantly lighter. In addition, the price is not too expensive, so targeting the mid-to-low-end market is not a problem.
Outside the trading company, a burly man in casual clothes looked around and walked in, pretending to have just discovered a treasure shop.
He carefully selected several items and indicated that he would like the assembly service to begin immediately.
After checking the details a few times, the half-dragon man in charge of reception quickly ran upstairs and called the two bosses down.