Chapter 574: Chapter 410: Preparing to Return Home_2
Although he hadn’t mentioned whether Walker Violet was pregnant when he left home, if he were to bring his parents over, the matter would inevitably come to light, and his parents would surely inquire about it.
However, if Dong Tianyu really wanted to resolve the issue, it would be a bit difficult for him, but not insurmountable. If he made up his mind, he could either say that they had broken up due to incompatible personalities, or even that Walker Violet had unfortunately passed away. But if he said that, he would inevitably have to face blind dates arranged by his parents afterward.
Alternatively, Dong Tianyu could bring Walker Violet out of the Cave, give his parents the daughter-in-law they wanted, and even, with gritted teeth, take Jasmine Anderson out as well.
However, doing so might reveal the secret that Dong Tianyu owned the Cave.
Setting aside whether Walker Violet and Jasmine Anderson would leak Dong Tianyu’s information, consider the various oddities that now exist, some of which could detect another’s secrets or compel one to speak the truth.
Even with Dong Tianyu’s cultivation level at the late stage of foundation building, he dared not claim to be completely immune to the abilities of these oddities, let alone Walker Violet and Jasmine Anderson.
There is a more critical point: whether it’s Saxon County Camp or Pengcheng, despite significant development, they are still small places at heart.
Even before Mr. Thompson held a position of power, when he was just an ordinary citizen, if there were issues, he could tug at his network of connections to reach some influential figures in Pengcheng. It’s unlikely they would assist with major requests, but for minor favors they could easily grant?
As long as one was reasonable in their request, and it wasn’t too difficult to arrange, the chances were high that they wouldn’t refuse.
The larger the city, the weaker the web of personal relationships, with everyone valuing benefits above all else; but in smaller places, interpersonal relationships are valued more. If the emotional bond is right, even at a loss, people would lend a hand.
Conveniently, Pengcheng was at a stage of recent development before the disaster, where both profit and human sentiment were useful, yet limited in their applications.
However, bringing Mr. Thompson to Kyoto now, though safety wouldn’t be a concern, his status would plummet dramatically. After all, in Saxon County Camp, Mr. Thompson may not hold a real power position, but he can still be considered influential.
If he were brought to Kyoto, Dong Tianyu lacked the capability to secure a powerful official position for him within the Imperial Court or among officials. Mr. Thompson, if he ended up in Kyoto, would revert to being the ordinary citizen he was before the disaster.
Although they were father and son, Dong Tianyu was uncertain if his father would be willing to give up his power. After all, having once held sway, it’s difficult to voluntarily let go.
Mrs. Thompson would have less of an issue, even though settling into a new environment meant she would need to make new friends. Unlike her ambitious husband, Mrs. Thompson sought friendships purely to pass the time—after all, Dong Tianyu was often absent, and Mr. Thompson was engrossed in his work, leaving Mrs. Thompson to while away her time with friends.
Nevertheless, these were just Dong Tianyu’s personal thoughts, and in the end, it was necessary to return to Saxon County Camp to ask his parents their opinion in person. As their child, Dong Tianyu couldn’t be like some parents with a strong desire to control, who, under the guise of wanting the best for you, sought to dictate every word and action of their children.
Just as Dong Tianyu was calculating when to make a trip back, Ye Liuyun and Yara once again came calling. Seeing both of them arrive together, Dong Tianyu didn’t wait for them to knock and immediately opened the gate.
The two weren’t surprised by the automatic gate, for even before the disaster, it was quite normal for a gate to open for visitors by itself, involving nothing more than a surveillance camera and a remote sensing device.
Upon entering the courtyard, they saw Dong Tianyu leisurely reclining in a rocking chair and couldn’t help but express their envy, "You really do live a comfortable life."
Hearing Ye Liuyun’s words, Dong Tianyu simply sat up and then asked with a touch of confusion, "After I gave the items to you two last time, you both disappeared. Why do you have time to visit me today? Have you sold all the goods?"
Seeing that Dong Tianyu didn’t stand up, Yara and Ye Liuyun unceremoniously sat down on the stools beside him. After hearing Dong Tianyu’s question, they naturally picked up the teapot nearby and poured out two glasses of cola.
The moment she saw the cola, Ye Liuyun said to Yara with great delight, "You see, I told you there would be good drinks here, look, it’s even chilled." Without waiting for Yara to reply, she immediately gulped it down and then poured herself another cup.
Seeing Ye Liuyun’s actions, perhaps Yara was thirsty too, as she took a small sip from her cup before responding to Dong Tianyu’s inquiry, "Actually, the stuff you provided sold quite well at this time. We’ve come back to restock with you."
Hearing Yara say this, Dong Tianyu subconsciously checked the inventory in his storage space. Although his cave didn’t have the effect of accelerating time like in other novels, and time passed the same inside the cave as it did outside, it was still a great advantage that there were no pests in the cave and the yields were high.
Furthermore, Yara’s order was a good excuse for Dong Tianyu to make a trip back to Pengcheng to visit his parents and casually inquire about their thoughts, seeing if they were willing to move to Kyoto.
"Are the goods really selling that well? How much do you plan to order this time?"
Hearing that Dong Tianyu hadn’t stated a quantity, Yara and Ye Liuyun immediately speculated that Dong Tianyu must have a substantial stock, so they tentatively said, "How about we double the quantity of the last order, what do you think?"
Hearing their proposal, Dong Tianyu didn’t refuse but nodded in agreement, "Okay, no problem, the price remains the same as last time. However, this time we won’t take raw ore, the quantity is too much and refining is troublesome. We want the refined pure metals, and for the rare items, there are still no specific demands."
Seeing how readily Dong Tianyu agreed, Yara and Ye Liuyun realized that the quantity of the deal hadn’t reached Dong Tianyu’s limit. They had no significant objections to Dong Tianyu switching from raw ore to refined pure metals.
During the last transaction, they also noticed that raw ore, although cheaper, had too high a transportation cost. Compared to the expense required for refining, it was more convenient to deal directly in pure metals, and transporting raw ore was too ostentatious; using pure metals was a better way to avoid drawing attention.
"Using pure metals works, but in terms of the ratio, we won’t count the refining fee; it can only be converted according to the market rate for refining."
The method for refining energy ore differs from that of regular metal ore; it requires very specialized equipment to maintain the spirit within the energy metals during the refining process. If one were to use conventional forging or smelting methods for refining, then the spirituality within the ore would disappear during the process, resulting in pure metals without spirit, thus significantly reducing their effectiveness.
However, just like pre-catastrophe tech products, the newer and less prevalent a product, the higher the premium. If the raw ore were sent to the cave for disassembly, they would obtain 30% more pure metal than the market refining rates.
Perhaps those refining institutions on the market couldn’t achieve the perfect conversion rates of the cave, but Dong Tianyu estimated that at the very least, they could offer 10 to 15 percent more than the market rates.
However, one should let others make their earnings too; after all, if Dong Tianyu chose convenience, he certainly had to incur some costs.
Seeing Dong Tianyu nod in agreement, Yara immediately inquired about the specific time for the transaction. Unlike his previous casual agreement, Dong Tianyu directly said, "I don’t have that much ready stock on hand, I need to make a trip back to Pengcheng to place an order. I’ll leave tomorrow, return the day after, and we’ll set the trade for five days from now, how about that?"
Upon hearing this from Dong Tianyu, Yara and Ye Liuyun immediately agreed.
