Chapter 538: Chapter 392: Open Conspiracy_2
"Can your channels still procure supplies now?"
Upon hearing Yara’s question, Dong Tianyu frowned, "Are you talking about doing the grain business? Isn’t that still profiting from disaster? Moreover, the closer to this time, the greater the volume of goods shipped out, the more certain disaster strikes. Regardless of whether you’re selling at cost price or not, the moment someone tells you that everything should be done for the greater good, then we are guaranteed to suffer losses.
If your plan has anything to do with this, then let me tell you upfront, don’t come to me. I won’t be involved."
Seeing Dong Tianyu’s so firmly refuse, Yara was somewhat amused and frustrated. After regaining composure, Yara finally spoke, "Couldn’t you let me finish what I was saying? Why the rush?
I’m not thinking of selling grain bricks. Like I said just now, making money from ordinary people not only yields little profit per transaction but brings about a lot of trouble too.
My plan is to make money from the pockets of those wealthy individuals who have fled here. Let me tell you, don’t underestimate those people. Even though they have fled here, I can guarantee that many of them could buy property directly within the second ring of Kyoto upon arriving.
Don’t look down on those wealthy individuals; they aren’t unaware of the principle of having more than one hideout. I estimate that among those wealthy people who have arrived, perhaps not many would directly buy property, as they likely already have real estate in Kyoto."
Upon hearing this, Dong Tianyu also showed a look of understanding. After all, even before the disaster, it was common for wealthy people to own homes in multiple cities.
They purchased property in so many cities partly for the convenience of not needing to stay in hotels when visiting cities they frequently travel to, and partly because of the booming real estate market, owning properties in multiple cities could appreciate in value.
Seeing the look on Dong Tianyu’s face, Yara understood that Dong Tianyu probably had guessed his intentions. After all, his plan was simple, and anyone with a bit of intelligence could see through it.
However, this plan was an open strategy; what could others do even if they saw through it? It’s like the small-can tea when it first came out—smart people knew it was a tax on intelligence, but so what? People still had to buy it, and there was no opting out.
"Those who have just arrived in Kyoto will definitely host banquets to entertain friends soon enough, after all, their strongholds have been taken by the Bug Race. Now that they are newcomers in Kyoto, they certainly need to pay their respects first.
Since it’s a banquet, don’t worry about whether those attending will eat or not, but at such a time, the higher they raise the standard of their banquet, the better. After all, their homes are gone, and they need to demonstrate their strength during the banquets so that they won’t be disrespected by other guests.
I’m not looking for coarse grains. Even if there are a lot of grain bricks made of coarse grains and there’s a shortage of grain in Kyoto, the price of grain bricks won’t increase much. After all, Kyoto has not just the Officials but also the Imperial Court in control, so we won’t touch anything related to the livelihood of the people.
What I want now are fine grains, fresh fruits, meats of traditional livestock from before the disaster.
Only by using these things, especially at this time, can we attract the attention of others and gain greater profits."
Seeing the expectant look in Yara’s eyes, Dong Tianyu nodded and confidently said, "Fine grains, fresh fruit, livestock meat, none of these are a problem; I can get all of them. Not to mention these items, even the seafood from before the disaster, I have channels to procure them, it’s just that the price is a bit high."
Hearing Dong Tianyu say this, Yara immediately became excited and then smilingly said to Dong Tianyu, "The higher the price the better, the better. The higher the price, the rarer the item shows to be, and at this time, the rarer the item, the more it demonstrates one’s strength.
’A tall tree catches the wind’ is a saying for ordinary people. The members of top-tier families would rather be a dazzling and brilliant gem because only in that way can they stand out among many rivals.
In the family, if someone reads too many novels and intentionally underperforms, they are not only demoted in the allocation of resources, but in serious cases, they might even lose their qualification to compete for positions in the City Center. After all, one step behind and you’re always lagging."
"By the way, can you get your hands on any rare items? Tell me about them and give me something to marvel at!"
Hearing Yara’s inquiry, Zachary realized that the other party was testing his abilities. However, as Yara had said, only those without the strength to protect themselves would intentionally hide their incompetence when dealing with others.
Those with strength and great confidence, on the other hand, would never hide their abilities and power just to avoid challenges.
"If you’re looking for good stuff, I’ve got plenty right here. Let’s start with tea leaves. You’re aware of the current situation; even the cheapest tea made from stems is not selling for a low price.
But since we’re planning to ’shear the sheep’, I can try to get a batch of decent quality tea leaves for you to sample.
Besides tea leaves, there’s no need to mention fine grain. Right now, there aren’t any brands, so without brand premiums, the price of such things can’t go high. While it may not be impressive enough to make a grand showing, it’s still quite good for personal consumption.
I suggest using fine grain as a bait. For customers who spend up to a certain level here, they can directly purchase the fine grain, but only once a month, and the amount of each purchase will also be limited.
In my opinion, raising the price of livestock meat is actually quite simple. After all, meat is not only limited in quantity, but if not preserved properly, it has an even shorter shelf life.
Furthermore, it’s a habit, for some reason, ingrained in our very genes, that when dining out, chicken and fish are must-order dishes, whether it’s an official banquet or a casual gathering of friends.
Although the prices of the aforementioned items are a bit high, I still see them as having some value for money.
But now, let’s not even talk about fresh fruits—just look at the prices of canned fruits, and you can see why they give me a headache. For anything fruit-related, you don’t even have to talk about buying and eating it, just looking at the prices is enough to leave you speechless."
Yara was fine with everything Zachary had said up to this point, but when Zachary spoke about the prices of fruit-related products with a slightly exaggerated tone, it was clear from Yara’s expression that she found it hard to believe.
Even though Zachary had noticed Yara’s skepticism, he didn’t rush to explain. Instead, he simply told her, "You should understand the reason. Currently, whether it’s tea leaves, fruit, or grain, it all needs to be grown in the ground. You’re well aware of the situation of the land around the city; without land, everything else is moot.
Hydroponic soilless cultivation is only suitable for certain types of crops. Moreover, even though soilless cultivation no longer relies on soil for plant growth, it requires frequent additions of nutrient solutions.
These were items you could buy at any flower market before the disaster struck, and they were not expensive, quite affordable, in fact.
But with the arrival of the disaster, many such places turned into ruins. Even though the officials have already started planning to clean up the industrial parks, this is just a plan and has not yet been put into action. Therefore, it’s difficult to mass-produce plant nutrient solutions, and hydroponics has become like the tasteless chicken rib—food that’s tasteless yet a pity to discard.
Speaking of which, although the current prices of fruits are high, whether it’s the military farms managed by the officials or the privately-owned plantation areas, the crops grown there are mostly grains.
The reason for this situation is simple: everyone has become transparent in their survival strategy. High fruit prices mean people will eat less or even abstain from eating them, but if they cut back on grains, it means they would be vulnerable in an emergency. Without the ability to withstand risks, the consequences could be dire.
At this time, no one is foolish; everyone knows which is more important—satisfying a craving or ensuring their safety. I trust no one would get that confused."
