Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1284: Chapter 973: Knowing Its Worth (Part 2)

"Zhi zhi zhi!"

The golden-haired little monkey covered its mouth and laughed, chattering, before being gently thumped by Hou Ze. Only then did it hop and bounce onto the counter to squat there.

Jiang Yuan bought three golden-armored crabs, planning to keep one in the small courtyard and the second courtyard each, with the remaining one being raised by Hou Ze in the shop as a living signboard.

Unexpectedly, Ruan Yanluo saw it and insisted on buying it at a high price.

Seeing this, Hou Ze hurriedly sought information, to estimate the value of the items Mr. Jiang brought back based on her assessment.

"You two know, my shop is located on Moon Snail Mountain, the largest market on the Chaotic Stone Sea." Ruan Yanluo sat down to drink tea, and began chatting about the legends she’d heard since childhood, her eyes shining with excitement, "We have many friends and old customers who are demon cultivators from the sea, but they are not true sea demons.

It’s well known that the Wilderness World was a habitat for the Human Race long ago, and it’s not very suitable for demon beasts to survive. Although this might not be too obvious on land, in comparison, the seas were too gentle, so much so that demon beasts overpopulated it tens of thousands of years ago, ravaging it beyond recognition.

Demon beasts migrating from the Otherworld slowly lost the environment they relied on to survive; those with means left, and those without either died or learned to live on islands.

This is the root cause of the chaos and harsh environment in the Chaotic Stone Sea compared to the mainland—the sea was severely damaged, cultivation resources are scarce, and the competition has become increasingly fierce. The demon beasts and strange sea products originally produced from the undersea are pitifully scarce, with many even extinct.

Today’s sea demons above the Wilderness are closer to Island Demon Race.

Ever since I was little, I’ve heard my grandmother tell stories about true sea demons. Legend has it that they live underwater, in a place completely separate from our sea, and they only worship the Sea God.

And that mysterious place guarded by the Sea God, like our ancestors, also comes from the Otherworld; however, when our ancestors migrated alone, they integrated their world’s territory into the Wilderness.

The myth of sea demons appeared briefly and then vanished without a trace. Some say that mermaids who landed long ago were descendants of those sea demons, but later, even mermaids disappeared."

Her face was full of excitement as she looked at that golden-armored crab, continuing, "Everyone knows every small world is unique, possessing its entirely distinctive local products.

The legendary Sea Demon Race still possesses their Undersea World, so the undersea food they harvest and the demon beasts they breed are treasures unavailable to sea demons of Otherworld.

When my grandmother was young, she was obsessed with the legends of sea demons and even led a convoy to the deep sea to find traces of them, but only once or twice did she feel like she might have glimpsed the shadow of a mermaid, yet unfortunately could not witness it firsthand.

In my grandmother’s collection of ancient books, treasures like golden-armored crabs, dragon spring grass, and abyssal coral are fascinating. Allegedly, the notes were left when the Sea Demon Race first arrived in Wilderness World, when they were communicating with demon cultivators.

However, for unknown reasons later, the Sea Demon Race broke off with the mainland’s demon race, leaving the world with only a few words of legend, never again seeing the magical Undersea World."

Ruan Yanluo was eager to know where these treasures were found, whether there truly was an Undersea World inhabited by sea demons, where they are now, and if they are willing to reconcile with the demon race.

Even just a glance would fulfill the old grandmother’s wish!

But as a businesswoman, she knows what she can inquire about and what she cannot. How could people easily divulge their unique supply channels? Better to consider how to obtain the exclusive agency from Shopkeeper Hou for such rare and novel items, transporting them back to Moon Snail Mountain would definitely yield a profit!

"I see, Miss Ruan truly is well-informed!" Hou Ze listened, filled with yearning; the world was indeed fascinating!

"Could you part with this golden-armored crab?" Ruan Yanluo excitedly said, "Moreover, items like dragon spring grass and abyssal coral, beneficial for sea demon cultivation, might not be recognized by many demon cultivators on Trapped Snake Island, and demand isn’t high. If I bring them to Moon Snail Mountain and publicize their origins, I’m sure we all stand to gain more."

As long as the other party is willing to sell, they must have it no matter how expensive!

Grandmother is too old to aspire for advancement, but owning a pet from the legendary sea demons in her lifetime would be a huge comfort.

Hou Ze looked at Jiang Yuan, and after getting approval, nodded and replied, "Of course, thanks to Miss Ruan’s kind information, otherwise, how would I know so much? As for the price of the golden-armored crab..."

He quickly ran through calculations in his head: Mr. Jiang has always been benevolent, not greedy for profit while benefiting both sides is the cornerstone; though these were rare commodities, they shouldn’t be priced too outrageously.

The procurement price for these golden-armored crabs was three thousand Spirit Stones each, considering Mr. Jiang’s travel hardships and shop expenses, a threefold profit isn’t much.

"Ten thousand Spirit Stones, this crab goes to Miss Ruan." Hou Ze smiled cheerfully, "We’re all old friends, I wouldn’t charge exorbitant prices. If distribution can be opened up, these sea goods will continue to come in, and we can cooperate long-term.

Ten thousand apiece is the wholesale price, once Miss Ruan takes them back for retail, let me know, I have to keep consistent pricing for retail too."

Trading in the shop, Jiang Yuan didn’t interfere.

Hou Ze has a good character, knows the discretion in advance, and isn’t profit-minded, he has forethought on pricing. Instead, the golden-haired little monkey, hearing the quoted price, anxiously scratched his ears, chirping at Hou Ze before being pushed aside.

"Naturally! Shopkeeper Hou is indeed straightforward, if long-term cooperation is possible, pricing should not be too high; it has to wait until I take them back and discuss with the Head Shopkeeper before deciding." Ruan Yanluo never imagined things would go so smoothly, with the price being reasonable, she couldn’t stop smiling and eagerly talked about pricing other items.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan reminded, "Miss Ruan, this golden-armored crab is indeed one of the pets sea demons enjoy, but it’s not too extraordinary.

Even if they develop intelligence, they can’t cultivate; with a lifespan of around seventy or eighty years, the bubbles they blow have cleaning effects, naturally they’ll seek out dirt, clean, trim plants, and perform simple household tasks, making basic interactions possible;

Many cannot awaken their intelligence, they can only be kept as aesthetically pleasing mascots. If you plan to sell them, be sure to inform customers to avoid future disputes."

She bought it from the store at ten thousand Spirit Stones a piece, selling it at Moon Snail Mountain would definitely add a markup, too high a price or excessive boasting isn’t a long-term strategy.

Street vendors can make a one-time deal, swindle one if they can; but merchants of hundreds or thousands of years of noble lineage can’t be so shortsighted, or they’ll ruin centuries-old bases.

"Rest assured, Mr. Jiang, once these items arrive at Moon Snail Mountain’s shop, I’ll invite several professional appraisers to individually check them. To ensure every item’s advantages and disadvantages are understood, facilitating a reasonable retail price considering shipping loss from all aspects."

The golden-haired little monkey realized the set price seemed just fine, previously it was simply too anxious, lowering its head to scratch its fur with its claws, looking around to pretend it doesn’t exist.

Jiang Yuan saw a lucrative business opportunity in front of him, but he’s too busy to monitor the Floating Market daily; respect for the Sea Demon Race must be maintained, can’t send Hou Ze or Miss Hu Jiu to Whale Wave Bay personally...

"Wait a moment! Demonic cultivators won’t work, would puppets work?" An idea suddenly struck his mind, he immediately got up and teleported back to Conch Island, entering the Floating Market to consult with workshop chief Meng Tangzhou.

A shop needs staff for assistance, that’s the truth;

Mr. Jiang as a Human Race, newly arriving could hardly hire sea demons, this is understandable.

Meng Tangzhou pondered for a while, unable to make a decision, hurriedly sent a message to ask headquarters, while providing a detailed feedback of today’s small commodity shop sales.

Moments later, she discussed, "Could you ask Daoist You to bring the puppets over for me to see? Mainly due to historical issues, the Sea God’s barrier prevents demon cultivators above the Wilderness from entering, if they can be brought over, it should be possible.

In addition, I’ll have to personally check if they have a demon energy presence.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, if puppets are allowed to purchase and sell goods at the small commodity shop, it should be slightly restricted, asking them not to easily leave the market for sea demon towns."