Staring at Xin Yun with a dazed expression, neither A Da nor Yi Luo Xiang could accept Xin Yun's argument, but after giving it some thought, they realized it was indeed true, not false in the slightest.
Seeing the clarity gradually appearing in their eyes, Xin Yun knew they had finally understood, so he continued, "That's why, for this Millennium Old Pine Mushroom, we must raise the price, and it can't be by just a little."
"Then... shall we double it?" A Da suggested tentatively upon hearing Xin Yun's words.
Hearing A Da's suggestion, Xin Yun firmly shook his head and said, "This time, the quantity of our goods is very small, so we must also narrow down our clientele, targeting those mid-level wealthy people. With their purchasing power, a bag must cost at least one silver coin!"
"What!" Not only A Da but even Yi Luo Xiang exclaimed in shock. This was a bit too exaggerated—a mushroom worth 50 copper coins was being sold for 1,000 copper, a twentyfold increase. This wasn't doing business; this was blatant robbery!
Looking at their dumbfounded expressions, Xin Yun proudly smiled and said, "Alright, no need to be so surprised. Think about it carefully. If these really were Millennium Old Pine Mushrooms, wouldn't they be worth this price? In fact... even if we wanted to sell them for less, we couldn't. If the price is set too low, wouldn't it be openly announcing to everyone that these mushrooms are fake?"
Hearing Xin Yun's words, both A Da and Yi Luo Xiang finally realized the logic, but A Da was still worried as he said, "But... if the price is set at one silver coin per bag, with this city's purchasing power, we won't be able to sell much. Selling 100 bags would be good enough, so..."
Responding to A Da's concerns, Xin Yun smiled and said, "No 'buts.' In fact, I never planned to sell them all here. Just selling 100 bags would yield 10 gold coins. For the remaining 400 bags, we will continue on our journey. Our next destination... is the City of Death. Just think about it—a city isolated from the world, right in the center of the Desert of Death. What would these mushrooms be worth there? Are you still afraid we won't be able to sell them?"
"What! You want to go to the City of Death? My God... That I cannot agree to, it's too dangerous!" A Da cried out, startled.
After giving A Da a reassuring look, Xin Yun continued with a smile, "Don't worry, I know a safe passage, absolutely safe. Trust me... Even if I didn't care about your lives, I wouldn't risk my own life and that of my companions, right?"
"A safe passage?" Upon hearing Xin Yun's words, A Da's face was full of surprise. Was there really a safe passage through the Desert of Death?
Seeing A Da's incredulous look, Xin Yun nodded. In his past life, this safe passage was discovered only ten years later, an absolutely safe route. As for now, the safe passage through the Desert of Death was still buried there.
"That's right, an absolutely safe passage. With me leading, there will be no mistakes. All you have to do is follow the route I tell you, and you should understand that even if I didn't care about my own life, I wouldn't take unnecessary risks with Yi Luo Xiang's life."
Hearing Xin Yun's words, A Da gazed at him deeply, and after a long while... A Da firmly said, "Alright, since you put it that way, I agree to it. I also believe you would not lead us down the path of death!"
After finishing his words, A Da turned around, hired a few workers outside the warehouse, had all the goods moved to the market, and then started hawking them...
Contrary to what the three of them expected, Plain City had more wealthy individuals than they thought. Originally assuming they could at most sell 100 bags, in reality, it took only a day's time for all 500 bags of the so-called Millennium Old Pine Mushrooms to be sold out completely. When A Da held the 50 shiny gold coins in his hands, he felt so excited that tears came to his eyes. If it weren't for Xin Yun, earning so much money could have taken a lifetime, and they would have been lucky just to make ends meet on a daily basis.
Seeing A Da's excited expression, Xin Yun couldn't help but laugh. Fifty gold coins seemed like a lot, enough for a person to live comfortably for a lifetime, but in reality, this small amount of money meant nothing at all.
Although this is already Xin Yun's second life in this world, even now, he still doesn't know exactly where this place is, only certain that it is not Earth. Compared to this world, Earth is but a speck of dust; this world is billions of trillions of times larger than Earth!
The Earth's equatorial circumference is just forty thousand kilometers, but here in this world, that distance is simply the gap between one city and another. For farther distances, we're talking hundreds, even tens of millions of kilometers!
The tallest mountain on Earth is the Himalaya Mountains, standing 8,848 meters tall, but if you were to bring the Himalayas to this world, you would find they are no more than what could be called a small rock spire—not even qualifying as a mountain!
The greatest mountain in this world is a peak that stretches beyond sight, like a giant standing between heaven and earth, with no one knowing its true height. Even with the speed of an Adazhu Dragon, circling it would take over a decade. There have been those who tried to ascend this mountain, but after flying upwards for more than eighty million kilometers, they still couldn't see the summit, nor did the mountain's diameter change in the slightest—meaning that an altitude of eighty million kilometers still belonged to the foot of the mountain. By comparison, what really is the Himalayas' 8,848 meters?
This world, aside from being vast, also teems with life. No one knows how many living creatures there are—it is definitely not a figure that can be measured in billions or trillions. If one must use an adjective to describe it, that adjective would be—limitless!
If you were to compare this world to Earth, then by contrast, Earth would be a grain of sand. Maybe... even that comparison is too generous, for no one knows the true extent of this world's size.
In this world, the universal currencies are the three metals: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The so-called Gold Coin should actually be referred to as Gold Money, similar to the ancient Chinese Copper Coin, round on the outside and square on the inside, strung with Beast Tendons, bearing no design, yet nearly impossible to counterfeit. The people of this world are incredibly sensitive to the weight of Gold Coins, hence forgeries have no place to exist.
For the average person, 50 Gold Coins could support a lifetime, but for the truly wealthy, it amounts to nothing. Take Xin Yun for example; in his previous life, he owned a gold mine that produced ten tons of Gold a day, and yet, he still wasn't considered extremely rich!
Without a word, he shook his head. Having money meant he couldn't make this trip for nothing. What is most scarce in the desert? Right... it's not dried mushrooms, but—alcohol! Since it is impossible to grow crops in the desert, and alcohol is brewed from grains, in the heart of the desert, the City of Death, alcohol is a high-end luxury, twice as expensive as it is here!
The very next morning, Xin Yun and his two companions set off toward the Desert of Death with fifty large wine sacks. Successfully reaching the City of Death, Xin Yun exchanged his 100 One Star Bronze Death Series Dragon Crystals for 100 One Star Silver Fire Series Dragon Crystals!
First Order for Second Order. While it was only a difference of one order, the price had increased tenfold. The trade was successful firstly because Death Series Dragon Crystals were in the highest demand here, and secondly... being at the core of the desert, this place was the source of Fire Series Dragon Crystals, astonishingly cheap.
Of the nine Dragon Crystal series, Fire Series Dragon Crystals are the most expensive because they hold the greatest dragon might and destructive power, offering an overwhelming advantage during the middle and early stages of battle. That's why the majority of people choose the Fire Series, making the demand for Fire Series Dragon Crystals the highest. While they might not be worth much here, once successfully transported out, their value would skyrocket immediately.
After A'da sold all the rice wine, the funds grew from 50 Gold Coins to 100. But now, Xin Yun's 100 Two Star Silver Dragon Creation Stones are worth 100 Gold Coins, and once exported, they could sell for at least 1,000!
Due to the urgency, the trio didn't rest in the City of Death but hit the road immediately. This time, Xin Yun didn't load A'da with any goods but did pack enough food to last three months before embarking on their journey.
After more than two months of continuous, grueling travel, at last... Xin Yun and his party traversed over a hundred thousand kilometers and successfully arrived at Tower Mountain Megacity. Staring at the enormous city that loomed on the horizon, Xin Yun's heart thudded violently. It was there, by the roadside in front of the mine mountain behind that city, where the 9.9-grade Azure Sea awaited Xin Yun's arrival.
As he drew closer to the Megacity, Xin Yun couldn't help but silently pray that no matter what... the Azure Sea would not be found by its original discoverer, for even though Xin Yun had rushed here at full speed, according to the legends from his past life, the Azure Sea was discovered around this month. The exact date was unknown, and perhaps... perhaps the Azure Sea had already been discovered...