Chapter 499: Chapter 437: Gu Dezhao’s Troubles

"Island Master Chu, about the matter of the Spirit Pearl and mineral monopoly..."

Zhao Lin had earned twenty thousand merit points and was overjoyed, but he hadn’t forgotten about this other important matter.

"I knew you were still thinking about this!"

Chu Hongtian said with a grin, "I promised you before that as long as you took two pearl shoals, I would give you a quarter of the share. Not only did you complete the mission perfectly, but you even took an extra shoal..."

"Rest assured, I will not go back on my word!"

Hearing this, Zhao Lin’s heart was put at ease. He stood up again to thank him.

"Young friend, you have performed a great service by recovering the sect’s lost territory. It is I who should be thanking you."

Chu Hongtian took a gold-lacquered Communication Talisman from his robes and said seriously, "In the future, if you encounter any trouble, you can use this talisman to notify me."

Zhao Lin took it and saw it was a Top Grade Communication Talisman.

A Top Grade Communication Talisman can fly through layers of Evil Qi and is very difficult to intercept. It contains a sufficient amount of Spiritual Qi, so once released, it can fly to Red Tail Island even from ten thousand miles away.

The talisman was stamped with Chu Hongtian’s great seal. If he wasn’t on Red Tail Island, the guards who received it would add a Dharma Seal and forward it to him.

In short, with this talisman, Zhao Lin could contact Chu Hongtian within four hours, no matter where he was.

"Island Master Chu, this junior is deeply grateful for your favor."

Zhao Lin knew very well that this talisman signified Chu Hongtian’s true approval of him.

"It’s what you deserve."

Chu Hongtian gave a relaxed smile. "Red Tail Island takes stock of its harvest in the first ten days of each month, so it will take a few more days to finish the count. In another three to five days, you can come pick up your goods. I’ll inform my subordinates."

Zhao Lin suddenly thought of a problem and looked hesitant. "Island Master, Spirit Pearls are expensive. Stocking them will probably require a large sum of money. Our shop’s capital is limited; I’m afraid we can’t afford that many Spirit Coins."

"So you want to do business with no capital!"

Chu Hongtian roared with laughter, deliberately teasing him, then his smile faded. "How about this: for the first two times, I can give you the goods on credit. You can settle the bill after the new year."

"Starting next year, we’ll go back to cash on delivery. How does that sound?"

Zhao Lin was overjoyed. "Thank you, Island Master."

Just as he was about to stand up and take his leave, Chu Hongtian raised a hand to stop him. "There’s one more thing. Young friend, your performance on this mission at sea was outstanding. You really should be held up as a model for the sect."

"But as you know, we haven’t reached the point of open conflict with the Earth Dark Sect yet, so it’s not a good idea to publicize this matter. I’m afraid you’ll have to be an unsung hero."

"I have also instructed every cultivator who was on the mission with you not to leak any information about this."

This was exactly what Zhao Lin wanted. He quickly said, "Your actions are for this junior’s protection, Island Master. I couldn’t ask for more."

Next, Chu Hongtian summoned the exchequer responsible for finances to discuss the sale of the island’s Spirit Pearls and minerals with Zhao Lin.

Zhao Lin and the exchequer finalized the details regarding the grade, price, and quantity of the goods.

Afterward, he took his leave and boarded the sea vessel for his return journey...

「Four hours later, he stepped onto the soil of Dongfu County.」

Zhao Lin looked at the bustling marketplace. Though he had only been gone for half a month, it felt like a lifetime had passed.

"Senior Brother Zhao."

"Shopkeeper Zhao is back!"

As he walked into the Golden Core Hall, Gu An, Zhuang Heng, Li Sancai, and the others immediately greeted him.

"Yes, I’m back!"

The shop was busy with customers, so Zhao Lin gave a brief reply and let them get back to work.

He walked into the inner hall and saw Gu Dezhao sitting at the tea table, staring into space with a worried expression.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, you’re finally back!"

Seeing Zhao Lin, Gu Dezhao quickly stood up to greet him.

"Old Gu, I see business is good. What’s there to worry about?"

Zhao Lin was in a good mood. He pulled Gu Dezhao down to sit with him and asked with a smile.

Gu Dezhao nodded. "Business is good, but we’ve sold out of magic robes."

Zhao Lin was a bit puzzled. "I remember we just restocked more than half a month ago. How are we sold out already?"

Gu Dezhao sighed. "Magic robes are expensive. We usually only sell a few a month."

"We always restock based on past sales estimates. I was thinking that since it’s almost the end of the year, it would be better to keep more cash on hand, so I didn’t order too many magic robes."

"Unexpectedly, a buyer from another sect came in this morning and bought all the magic robes in the shop. He said he’d be back in a couple of days to pick up more, and I’ve been worrying about it ever since."

Zhao Lin understood what Gu Dezhao meant. Going back to Han Chi County to buy magic robes would definitely require hiring escorts, which would be a huge expense. It would basically be a wasted trip.

And if they bought more goods to spread out the cost, it would eat up the shop’s cash flow, reducing profits and affecting everyone’s dividends.

Zhao Lin thought for a moment, then said, "How about this: let’s put the magic robe issue aside for now. How much money do we have in our accounts?"

Gu Dezhao was taken aback, sensing something was amiss, but he still answered truthfully. "The day before yesterday, I went over the books with Accountant Wan. We have about four hundred thousand Spirit Coins."

After speaking, he glanced cautiously at Zhao Lin and added, "And Shopkeeper Zhao, you withdrew twenty thousand Spirit Coins."

Zhao Lin had withdrawn the Spirit Coins to cultivate a Tier Two Skill. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Right. I’ll pay that back as soon as possible. But the most urgent task right now is to buy a Spiritual Vessel for transporting goods."

"Buy a Spiritual Vessel?"

Sweat beaded on Gu Dezhao’s forehead. A transport Spiritual Vessel was worth several hundred thousand Spirit Coins. That wouldn’t leave them with any spare cash at all.

"Buy it now? Shouldn’t we wait until after the new year?"

"We’re buying it now!"

Zhao Lin’s tone was gentle, but his expression was exceptionally firm. He had to go to Red Tail Island to purchase Spirit Pearls in a few days, so they needed their own Spiritual Vessel.

Gu Dezhao knew he couldn’t win this argument and had to agree. "Alright, then I will go with you, Shopkeeper Zhao."

Zhao Lin naturally agreed and also called for Tang Zhengquan to join them.

Tang Zhengquan was a transport captain with over a decade of experience operating vessels, so he could help them assess their options.

There were two shops in the marketplace that sold Spiritual Vessels, both located in the most prosperous district.

One was called the Imperial Boat Pavilion, and the other was the Treasure Ship Hall.

The three of them went to the Imperial Boat Pavilion first.

Zhao Lin had walked past the front of this shop before, but he had never gone inside to look around.

Only today did he realize that the Imperial Boat Pavilion occupied a vast area, larger than four Golden Core Halls combined, and was decorated in a splendid and magnificent style.

Zhao Lin was secretly speechless. ’A shop this big, in a location like this... the rent must be astronomical.’

’But on second thought, Spiritual Vessels easily cost hundreds of thousands, or even millions of Spirit Coins. The sale of a single one could equal several months of revenue for the Golden Core Hall.’

’To them, this amount of money is probably nothing.’

The customers in the shop were also clearly different. They were all dressed like the rich and noble, mostly Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, and there were even two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators.

"What kind of Spiritual Vessel are you gentlemen looking for?"

Seeing that Zhao Lin and his companions were all Qi Refining Realm cultivators dressed in ordinary clothes, the attendant forced a smile and asked.

Zhao Lin got straight to the point. "We want to purchase a Spiritual Vessel mainly for transporting goods that can carry ten people."

"It needs to be able to sail on water and fly through the air. Most importantly, its defenses must be strong."

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