Night fell.
Since the boss had not returned from business talks, the caravan camped in the open space outside the south gate of the outpost.
The two caravan guards were tempted by the aroma at the north gate of the outpost and slipped out of the camp during meal time, wanting to exchange chips for some food.
However, what the two did not expect was that when they took out the chips and slapped them on the table, they did not get the flattery and flattery of these country bumpkins.
Instead, they were...
Disdain?
The two were stunned for a moment.
Could it be that I saw it wrong?
"Damn it, why is it this kind of plastic again?"
Zhang Hai, who had his back to the customer, cursed, raised his fist covered in flour and knocked on the price board next to him, saying in non-standard human language.
"Chips, ten."
Ten chips? !
The eyes of the two caravan guards were wide, and they once suspected that they had heard it wrong.
Their daily salary is only ten chips!
And this is when they are on duty.
In Boulder City, you can have a good meal with five chips. The chips in the surrounding survivor settlements are more valuable, and usually three chips can make you full.
Ten chips for a bowl of noodles is unheard of!
"Ten chips?! Are you fucking mistaken?"
"Damn, you are too mean?"
"Do you think we are from other places and are deliberately looking for trouble?"
However, Zhang Hai, who was standing in front of the stall, was indifferent to the complaints and protests of the two people, and his expression did not change at all.
All players know that the white plastic sheet can only be exchanged for one silver coin. Isn't it unreasonable to sell ramen for five silver coins for ten chips?
This is very reasonable!
I didn't even charge them the handling fee, which is generous enough.
Of course, the main reason is that Zhang Hai didn't understand what these two people were talking about.
Otherwise, he would definitely scold them back.
He laughed.
Who is he afraid of with his foul mouth?
The players nearby were watching the fun and discussing curiously.
"What are these two NPCs talking about?"
"They are probably cursing that Boss Zhang's ramen is too dark."
"Hahaha, they deserve it! Good curse! I've wanted to curse for a long time!"
"Wait, let me remember their curse words first."
"Why do you remember that thing?"
"Shout it during the battle, otherwise you will just say "fuck", and the other side won't understand it, and will think you are uneducated. It's better to learn the dialect of the NPCs, and shout it with momentum!"
"Fuck! Good brother, you have to teach me when you learn it!"
In other people's territory, the two guards didn't dare to cause trouble.
Not to mention so many eyes watching.
The two cursed for a few words, and then went to other stalls.
However, what made them collapse was that the situation at other stalls was the same, and the prices were ridiculously expensive. It was not until they finally found someone who could communicate that they asked the reason.
"If you use chips, it's twice the price." Qiu Cao took out a silver coin and shook it in front of the two of them, "Those blue coats use this coin to trade."
Qiu Ye, who was squatting next to his sister, also nodded vigorously.
"That's right! This is their currency!"
The two caravan guards looked at each other, confused.
What kind of coin is this?
They have been to so many places, but this is the first time they have seen it.
"I'll give you two chips, can you sell me this silver coin?" The caravan guard with a beard asked tentatively.
Qiu Cao shook his head and refused politely.
"It's useless for us to want this."
Qiu Ye nodded vigorously.
"That's right! You should go find Xiaoyu to exchange!"
Two caravan guards: "..."
There are places in Qingquan City where chips are not circulated?
It's really strange!
And who is Xiaoyu?
Not far away, Zhang Hai, who was below, looked up and saw the two NPCs walking out of the market. He couldn't help but laugh.
"Which village did these NPCs come from? Why are they so poor?"
They couldn't even afford a bowl of ramen.
Not to mention not buying it, they kept talking to him for a long time.
He thought there was some hidden task.
Holding the bowl and drinking the noodle soup, the canyon escaped mole looked at him and said.
"You didn't catch up with the good time. When the people from the enterprise first came here in the "Land Boat" expansion pack, the kind of paper they gave could be exchanged for 100 silver coins."
Zhang Hai smacked his tongue.
"100 silver coins? It doesn't seem like much."
Elf King Fugui rolled his eyes.
"Don't be so Versailles. We are talking about silver coins from a few versions ago. How can we compare? At that time, you only earned 10 silver coins a day!"
Construction Site Boy and Brick: "Oh, I miss the time when a bowl of mushroom soup cost 5 copper coins."
Canyon Escape Mole glanced at him: "Come on, I felt bad for missing a shot back then. Are you sure you want to go back to the old version?"
Construction Site Boy and Brick scratched his head.
"Well, forget it."
If you think about it this way, the new version is still more fun.
It's so cool to rush forward with a light machine gun.
On the other side, the two caravan guards who sneaked out to go AWOL returned to the camp after leaving the market.
Originally, they planned to sneak in when no one was paying attention, but their captain happened to be standing at the door of the camp.
The two of them looked awkward for a moment, but they had already met eyes, and they couldn't pretend not to see it, so they could only walk over.
Staring at the two with his creepy electronic eyes, Han Long said expressionlessly.
"Where did you two go?"
The young guard hesitated for a long time and couldn't say anything, but the older guard reacted quickly and said quickly.
"Report to the captain, we are going to get information!"
Han Long looked at the two.
"What information?"
"Prices! We are understanding the local prices!" The slightly older guard continued to speak quickly, "The consumption level here is ridiculously high. They actually need ten chips for a bowl of noodles!"
Another guard reacted and quickly replied.
"That's right, and they don't use chips here, they use something called silver coins to trade. It takes two chips to exchange for one silver coin, which is too expensive!"
Two chips for one silver coin?
Han Long frowned slightly.
This is interesting information, I can tell the boss later.
But...
Let's put it one way or another.
Staring at the two people expressionlessly, Han Long said slowly.
"According to the rules of the caravan, if you leave the camp without permission at night, you will be fined one week's salary. The second time, all your salary will be confiscated and you will be expelled from the caravan."
"If I find you violating the discipline again next time, you should know what this means."
Stared at by the electronic eye, the two shuddered involuntarily, lowered their heads quickly, and said nervously.
"Yes..."
"We will never dare to do it again."
It is not easy to find a decent job in Boulder City. Ordinary caravans will not recruit a few people of unknown origin into the team casually, and will not risk being set up by competitors to recruit those who have been expelled from other caravans.
For those who are expelled from the caravan and have no special skills, there are usually only two ways to go.
Either you work as a screwdriver in a factory, earning a salary that barely covers your living, until one day you can no longer work and die in an alley where no one cares.
Or you become a mercenary, doing whatever the employer asks you to do, exchanging your life for bargaining chips.
This threat is still very powerful!
The two walked into the camp dejectedly.
Han Long did not look at the two people, but continued to look in the direction of the south gate.
It has been more than two hours.
The boss has not come back yet.
His brows slightly wrinkled, and just as he was thinking about whether to find someone to inquire about the boss's situation, his electronic eyes suddenly moved slightly and locked onto the north.
Soon, a familiar figure came into his eyes.
Looking at the boss coming back from the north, Han Long finally breathed a sigh of relief and went to meet him.
"Boss, you're finally back. I was going to send someone to look for you."
"Don't be so nervous. I have a good relationship with the people here."
With a beaming expression on his face, Liszt looked at his right-hand man and continued, "Please call Qian Duo and Qian Lai for me. I'll wait for them in the tent. I have something important to tell them."
Although he was curious about what it was, the boss didn't take the initiative to say it, so Han Long didn't ask any more questions and nodded neatly.
"Yes."
...
Liszt didn't wait long after returning to the tent.
Soon, the curtain of the tent was lifted, and two people, one tall and one short, walked in.
"Boss, are you looking for us?"
The tall one is Qian Duo, the short one is Qian Lai, both of them are apprentices of Lister, and they have been following him since they were eleven or twelve years old, and now it has been seven or eight years.
Lister has been training the two as successors. Originally, he planned to wait until the tenth year, and then gradually hand over the business of the caravan to the two, and he would go to the inner city of Boulder City to live the upper-class life of his dreams.
But now it seems that this day can be advanced.
"I just bought a batch of goods from the blue coat, a total of 200 rifles and 50,000 rounds of ammunition. In exchange, I plan to leave the 20 sets of KV-1 exoskeletons in stock to them."
One set of exoskeleton for 10 rifles?
When the two heard this, they immediately showed surprised expressions on their faces.
Qian Duo reminded cautiously.
"But... Boss, aren't you planning to ship this batch of goods to Red River Town and trade with the slave traders there?"
The situation in the Valley Province has been turbulent recently. The slave traders in Red River Town have bought a lot of goods. The mines can't digest so much, and the price of slaves has been kept very low.
The slave owners in Red River Town need exoskeletons to improve the efficiency of mining, and they also need exoskeletons to improve the combat effectiveness of soldiers.
According to the intelligence collected in the tavern, a set of KV-1 exoskeleton with solid hydrogen power supply is said to be able to exchange for 4 to 5 strong slaves.
In Boulder City, KV-1 exoskeleton is not a rare thing. Although Lister usually sells it for 800 to 1000 chips outside, the actual cost of purchasing is only about 400 to 500 points, and the actual production cost is just over 300.
The cost of the battery accounts for half, and the 12 motors distributed on the exoskeleton account for the other half. As for those bamboo pole-like connecting parts, they are gifts.
Most people need to modify the KV-1 exoskeleton before they can use it.
As for an assault rifle, the normal price is around 150 to 200, and the actual cost may be one-third or even one-quarter.
A set of exoskeletons for 10 rifles, and they are rifles from the survivors' settlement outside. It is difficult to judge whether this transaction is profitable or not.
The key is whether they can sell these rifles at their next stop?
However, compared with the two apprentices' worries, Lister's expression is full of confidence.
"It doesn't matter. Honghe Town is preparing for a war with the Snake Clan of the Bone Chewing Tribe. They need not only exoskeletons, but also a large number of weapons. Rifles and bullets can also be sold at a good price there, and the most important thing is that if we can open up the market, this trade route will become a gold mine!"
"The second thing those blue coats promised me is that as long as we can sell their weapons to Honghe Town and then transport the phosphate ore, sulfur ore, rare metals and aluminum materials they need, they can sell us more goods... This will at least double the profit."
"The reason why I asked you to come here is for this matter," said Lister. He paused for a moment and looked at the two people standing in front of him. "You have been with me for a while, and I have seen your growth. Now, it's time to put your knowledge into practice! According to what I said, you take the caravan to Honghe Town, and then buy back the supplies with our goods according to the list I gave you."
The two people showed surprised expressions on their faces.
Although they thought that one day the boss would hand over the caravan to them, they didn't expect that day to come so soon.
Qian Lai asked hurriedly.
"What about you, boss?"
Liszt said with a slight smile.
"Me? I naturally have more important things to deal with! I plan to open a factory here to produce solid hydrogen batteries and motors needed to assemble exoskeletons."
The two people standing in the tent looked at each other blankly.
Open a factory?
Here?
And it's to produce solid hydrogen batteries and exoskeleton motors?
This...
It sounds too incredible.
Although there are some big men who will open some simple industries outside the Boulder City, the taxes and land rents that are usually saved are eventually lost in another form.
There is no order outside the Boulder City. Not only do you need to hire a large number of guards, but you also have to spend a lot of money to persuade the engineers and workers of the Boulder City to leave the huge wall full of security.
The goods produced must also be handled with extreme care, as no insurance company will provide them with insurance policies. Not only must they be on guard against predators, but they must also be careful of malicious sabotage by competitors and the dirty hands of the wastelanders who work there.
In a soil without order, even seeds cannot germinate, let alone open a factory.
However...
Their boss is full of confidence at this moment.
I don't know what kind of magic potion he was fed.
"Qian Duo, follow what I just said and continue to Honghe Town with Han Long and others to negotiate this deal. You can give up a small part of the profit appropriately, but you must make our customers believe that this is a long-term deal! We will continue to provide them with weapons, and this business can continue."
"Qian Lai, go back to Boulder City and purchase relevant production equipment according to the list I gave you, whether it is obsolete or the bottom of the box, as long as you can buy it. Also, remember to find some engineers who can operate those equipment for me, you should know where to find them."
Although they had some doubts in their hearts, Qian Duo and Qian Lai nodded and said.
"Okay, boss."
After explaining the matter clearly, Liszt let the two go down, and sat down on the sleeping bag, took out the electric tea kettle from the package next to him, and made himself a cup of hot cocoa.
This is a habit he has developed over many years of traveling.
Drinking something sweet and hot can help him fall asleep faster.
He held the cup in his hand to warm it up, and looked at the rising white mist. Suddenly, a smug smile appeared on Liszt's face.
"I'm such a genius!"
This time.
I'm really going to get rich!
...
When negotiating cooperation, the manager named Chu Guang gave him two plans.
The first plan was to invest in a factory.
Shelter No. 404 provided labor and a loan of 100,000 silver coins. He only needed to drag the production equipment over and start work immediately.
Twenty percent of the goods produced belonged to the shelter, and he could sell the remaining 80% anywhere.
Whether it was exported to Boulder City or sold to local workshops in the industrial zone.
When Liszt first heard about this plan, he was a little confused, so he asked at that time.
"If silver coins cannot be directly exchanged for chips here, then what's the point of earning more silver coins?"
The manager patiently explained his doubts to him.
"Although silver coins cannot be directly exchanged for chips, you can use them to buy what you want, and then take them back to Boulder City and exchange them for your favorite plastic chips... I mean those colorful chips."
"Although I recommend that you take a long-term view and use the silver coins to build houses, open hotels, open taverns, or expand production."
"Next month at the latest, I have a large number of caravans passing by here. I forgot to tell you that since we lent a hand to the pioneers of the enterprise in the war, we are now the permanent strategic partners of the enterprise. You are a merchant, you should know what this means. As long as the caravans from the east coast are more inclined to come to us to rest. Imagine the good things they carry with them, do you still think that silver coins are useless?"
"Even if agriculture and industry are completely abandoned, this place will soon prosper because of trade. Believe me, the silver coins in your pocket will never treat you badly, and you will make more with them."
As if the manager felt that the strength was not enough, after saying this, he painted a big pie for him.
"Next year, we will plant at least 3,000 acres of Kamu trees, which will be 30 times the supply of Brown Farm!"
"We will export half of the raw materials and supply the other half to the local market. The industrial raw materials such as rubber and alkanes here will be very cheap. Whether you sell it to Boulder City or process it into commodities directly here, you will definitely make a lot of money."
After hearing this, Lister immediately calculated in his mind.
3,000 acres of Kamu trees.
If so many can be planted, the rubber and biomass oil produced here can at least supply 13% of Boulder City's consumption.
This is already a terrifying ratio.
Compared with the planting area here, his plantation in the south and several small survivor gathering places nearby are just like a small fight.
He immediately agreed to the first set of plans proposed by the manager.
Because he could hardly see the shortcomings of this plan.
Especially when he learned from Chu Guang that the army of these blue coats not only defeated the thousand-man team of the legion, but also defeated the two thousand-man teams sent by the Bone Chewing Tribe to the northern suburbs of Qingquan City at a very small cost, this confidence became even stronger!
The body of the black snake fell on the gallows at the north gate, which easily verified the truth of this sentence.
For a new survivor base, this strength is already very strong!
Even the militia of Boulder City would take some time and cost to deal with so many predators.
It can ensure the safety of the industrial zone and provide labor and raw materials.
In addition to the previous transaction, the credit of this manager is reliable.
Liszt felt that he could give it a try.
What he needed to do was not very difficult. He only needed to buy some equipment with chips, then hire some unemployed engineers to operate the equipment, and guide those refugees who were said to have received a little education to engage in production.
This would cost about 100,000 or even 200,000 chips. Advanced equipment might be more expensive, perhaps 1 million.
Although this amount of money was not a small sum for him, he had good credit and had two properties in the inner city of Boulder City that could be mortgaged, so it was not difficult to get a loan from the bank.
He chose the most reliable product.
Solid-state hydrogen batteries and motors for exoskeletons.
Even if the local market could not digest these two things, they could be dragged to Boulder City to sell, or assembled into simple exoskeletons and sold to places like Red River Town, in exchange for slaves or raw materials.
This business was a bloody profit no matter how you looked at it.
And it was very stable!
The second plan was the same.
However, this plan focused on sales cooperation, and he needed to spend a little effort to sell the products produced here to farther places.
For a traveling merchant, is this a problem?
He made a living from this!
How to choose?
Liszt made the decision in almost half a minute.
Since both solutions are win-win, why not have them all?