Outside Changjiu Farm.
There were about 20 people and six two-headed cows loaded with goods.
The leader should be a merchant, followed by a few mercenaries, and the others with shackles on their hands and feet were probably slaves.
Staring blankly at everything in front of him, Sun Shiqi's eyes were full of dullness, almost thinking that he was hallucinating.
"Is this... the northern suburbs?"
The wooden fence as high as a person was wrapped with wire, and behind it were busy streets and neat brick and wood houses. Pedestrians came and went on the street, including children playing, vendors selling things, or old farmers who were about to go to work in the fields.
Most of the local residents wore coats made of hyena skin, but the weather has warmed up recently, and many people have wrapped their coats around their waists. Some wealthy people have also changed into cloth clothes.
Looking up at a farther place, there are tall concrete walls and watchtowers, on which stand soldiers wearing black military uniforms and carrying rifles.
Looking at the thriving town in front of him, Sun Shiqi took out the map and repeatedly confirmed that he was not on the wrong road.
However, it was precisely because of this that he could not believe his eyes even more.
"Strange..."
Sun Shiqi kept muttering.
"Where did such a large survivor settlement come from?"
Before the beginning of winter last year, he came here twice.
At that time, he was still a poor merchant, leading a two-headed cow to make a living in the wasteland, and made a small fortune by doing business with the blue coats in the park.
After earning the principal, he seized the historical opportunity of the continued turmoil in the Valley Province, sold the slaves of Honghe Town to the Jinchuan Province in the south, and then bought food and two-headed cows from the farmers there and transported them back to the garbage city and Honghe Town, and then slowly grew to its current scale.
Recently, the slave owners in Honghe Town and their old customers have been fighting each other on the garbage mountain. Sun Shiqi, who had just returned from Jinchuan Province, immediately smelled an opportunity to make a fortune. Without saying a word, he exchanged the food and excess livestock in his hands for slaves and mines, intending to go to Boulder City to buy a batch of "good things".
However, what confused Sun Shiqi was that he remembered that when he came here last year, this place was still uninhabited, weeds and shrubs filled the earth slopes and mud pits, and next to the road out of the city lived a group of demons who killed people without blinking an eye. Where did the village of thousands of people and the endless farmland come from?
Two guards with rifles on their backs stood at the entrance of the village.
Sun Shiqi stared at them blankly, and the two guards obviously noticed his sight and looked straight over here.
The mercenary next to Sun Shiqi coughed lightly and reminded him in a low voice.
"Boss, you'd better not stare at them for too long... I'm worried that we can't protect you."
There are only four of them.
No matter what, they can't be the opponents of these people.
Sun Shiqi came back to his senses and immediately realized his abruptness. He quickly put on an embarrassed smile and took the initiative to step forward to dispel the misunderstanding.
"Friend, we are merchants from Honghe Town. May I ask... where is this?"
"Changjiu Farm."
The guard on duty pointed to the sign hanging on the door skillfully, as if he had answered this question countless times.
"This is the west gate, the village where the locals live. You businessmen go to the north gate next door, where there are trading posts and hotels."
Sun Shiqi said thank you and quickly led his team away from here, turning back along the way they came and going around the north gate where they should go.
Compared with the village he saw before, the situation here is more surprising.
Not only are the streets wider, but the intersecting roads are also paved with cement. Several hotels, taverns and post stations distributed along the street should have been built not long ago and look well-built.
Sun Shiqi walked to the hotel closest to the trading post.
The house here is big enough, and there is a cowshed in the backyard for tying up animals. In particular, the few people wandering at the door are out of tune with the surrounding environment. It is obvious that they are all merchants who come here to do business like him.
The sign at the door of the hotel is scribbled with the words [Highway], which probably means a highway hotel.
The waiter standing at the door saw a group of people coming here and enthusiastically helped them lead the two-headed cow into the cowshed.
"Are you here to eat or stay?"
"Stay here."
Sun Shiqi threw a dinar to the young man as a tip, told the mercenaries to watch the goods in the cowshed and wait for him to come back, and then walked into the store alone.
The space in the store looks as spacious as the outside. The wooden stairs and floors still have the smell of the forest. There are several rows of wooden tables on the first floor. The kitchen is busy, and several guests are sitting in the corner eating noodles, which smell strange.
The old man sitting behind the counter raised his eyes, and squeezed out a reassuring smile on his wrinkled face.
"Welcome, guest from afar, do you want to stay or have a meal?"
Sun Shiqi stared at him for a while, and suddenly there was surprise in his eyes.
"You are...Hooker from Highway Town?!"
The old man looked at him in surprise.
"Do you know me?"
Sun Shiqi smiled and said, "Of course I know you. Have you forgotten? I bought resin from you last year... But why did you open a shop here? Where are your people?"
"This shop is jointly opened by people in our town. You said the Kamu tree... I really miss it." The turbid pupils brought a bit of nostalgia, but if old Hooker could plant trees again, he would definitely not do it.
Those Kamu trees have been transplanted to the planting area in the west. Several young men in the original town are helping him take care of them.
He opened this hotel together with Night Owl and his father. Night Owl should have been in the store, but the young man couldn't sit still and insisted on going to the army. Recently, he seemed to have been transferred to Yuanxi Town for duty.
Sun Shiqi looked around and felt that the environment here was not bad, and the shopkeeper was an acquaintance - although the old man seemed to have completely forgotten him.
"Stay for one night first...How do you pay?"
"10 silver coins a night, meals are extra."
"Silver coins?" Sun Shiqi was stunned, "Dinar or CR is not okay?"
"That's fine, but you have to take it to the trade station or bank to exchange for silver coins. From here to Yuanxi Town is the territory of the manager, and we don't want to offend that respected man. It is his grace to open a store here, not to mention that he is our benefactor."
Seeing Sun Shiqi's embarrassment, Old Hook smiled and said, "You don't have to rush to pay, just settle the bill when you leave."
Changjiu Farm has been open to the public for less than a month, so it is naturally impossible for there to be guests with silver coins in their pockets.
A kilogram of two-headed beef costs 7 to 8 silver coins. A two-headed cow weighs at least 1,200 kilograms, and it can be exchanged for a lot of money whether it is sold to the farm or the slaughterhouse.
Hook didn't worry about them not being able to pay the bill. If they really couldn't pay, he could help introduce buyers to them.
Sun Shiqi glanced at the menu on the counter and had an idea of the prices here.
"Give me five rooms."
Old Hook flipped through the account book and looked outside.
"Five rooms? Aren't there more than 40 people outside?"
Sun Shiqi said casually.
"Those are my slaves."
"Slaves... they are really not suitable to live in the store," Old Hook ticked a few consecutive room numbers on the account book, "Your room is at the end of the corridor on the second floor. By the way, I remind you that slavery is prohibited in the northern suburbs."
Sun Shiqi was slightly stunned, and his expression immediately became nervous.
"Slavery? Wait... why haven't I heard of this?"
If slavery is prohibited here, then he may have to make some adjustments to his itinerary.
"It's normal that you haven't heard of it. After all, this is your first time here. The territory run by the blue coats will have some strange rules. But don't be too nervous. Only slaves are prohibited from staying, illegal detention, violence and illegal human trafficking. Did you notice the trading post next door? You can deposit slaves there. Each person is charged 5 silver coins per day. You are prohibited from contacting them during the deposit period. You can take them away when you leave."
"Of course, I recommend that you sell them directly to the trading post. The price they give is not bad. They don't force you to sell them if you don't want to. But don't blame me for not reminding you. Slavery is not recognized here. Only "limited ownership" is recognized. So it's best not to wander around with slaves on the street, don't try to bring them into the city, and don't whip them with whips or sticks. If the guards see you, they will not only fine you, but may also send you to prison for two days."
Slaves bought by the trading post will be sent to the prisoner-of-war camp for a period of time, but their identity is not prisoners of war, but "supervised persons".
Once they earn enough money to redeem themselves through labor, learn at least one skill to make a living, and can recite the basic law proficiently, they will soon regain their status as free citizens, and even obtain household registration, and be assigned to factories or fields.
This usually doesn't take long.
Three or four months at the fastest, and a year at the slowest.
Old Hooker didn't know why the administrator had to do such a troublesome operation, but after thinking about it carefully, this idea was quite smart.
Most of the merchants in the wasteland have been involved in slave trading, and a complete ban is not feasible. People can choose not to come here. Buying them and releasing them directly will easily lead to some people taking advantage of the system, such as selling themselves, or selling their wives and children.
Loosening without blocking, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and centralized supervision are a compromise solution, at least it can prevent merchants with slaves from bypassing here.
When he heard him mention the word administrator before, Sun Shiqi felt strange in his heart. This time, when he heard the blue coat, he was more certain of his guess.
He asked in an unbelievable tone.
"This... is the territory of Shelter No. 404?"
"Of course," Old Hook threw the key on the counter and looked at him strangely, "It seems that you haven't been to this area for a long time."
After giving him the key, Old Hook reminded him a few more words, trying not to go into the city these days, there is a wave here.
When Sun Shiqi came in from the door before, he did hear from several other merchants that the roads in Qingquan City are not easy to walk these days.
When he came to the door of the backyard, Sun Shiqi happened to see his mercenary talking to a merchant.
Seeing his boss coming out, the mercenary immediately pointed at him.
"Our boss is there, you talk to him, I can't make the decision."
Before Sun Shiqi asked, the merchant took the initiative to greet him and said with a friendly smile.
"Hello! My name is Zhou Nan, a merchant from Hope Town."
There are at least a hundred places called Hope, Dawn, Beauty, and Tomorrow in the wasteland. Just by hearing these place names, Sun Shiqi has no idea where he is from.
But judging from his clothes and accent, he is probably from the south of Jinchuan.
"Sun Shiqi, from the east... what's the matter?" Sun Shiqi looked at him and said.
Zhou Nan continued.
"We plan to go to Boulder City, but a wave is erupting there. I brought six guards, including the two friends I just found, so it's no problem to get fifteen people together. We plan to go there together. If you plan to go there too, we can go together."
Sun Shiqi asked.
"When are you leaving?"
Zhou Nan replied.
"Three days, or if there are enough people, we may set off earlier."
Sun Shiqi thought for a while and did not agree to him immediately.
The situation in the northern suburbs of Qingquan City exceeded his expectations. Although the population here is not as large as that of Boulder City, nor as prosperous as that of Boulder City, the potential shown here is surprising.
For a traveling merchant, it is the same to make a fortune anywhere
He plans to explore here first, and then decide whether to continue to Boulder City.
He is here to purchase weapons.
If he can buy what he wants here, why walk an extra 20 kilometers?
And he still risks the tide.
"I plan to see and decide."
Not surprised by his answer, the businessman named Zhou Nan shrugged helplessly.
"Okay, friend, I'll probably be here for the next three days anyway. If you are interested, you can come to the hotel next door to find me... just tell me my name."
Sun Shiqi nodded.
"Okay, I'll stay at the roadside hotel, and we can have a meal together tonight."
After saying goodbye.
Sun Shiqi didn't waste time here.
He threw the key to the mercenary who had been with him the longest, and told him to take some worthless packages to the room, and then he took the remaining people and goods to the trading station next door.
The trading station here, like the hotel on the street next door, had just opened not long ago.
There were also several residents of the shelter here, curiously poking their heads around, wearing VMs and looking for people to say confusing things.
Sun Shiqi could recognize them at a glance, they were the people in the park, their expressions and movements were simply cast in the same mold.
Although they didn't speak the same language, the locals were quite respectful to them, and those blue coats were also very polite, but some of them looked a little dull.
Without wasting time on those people who couldn't communicate, Sun Shiqi went straight to the stall closest to the door.
The trader on duty here was a beautiful young girl. Compared with doing business with those old guys with frosted faces, he still preferred to find young people.
First, it was pleasing to the eye, and second, it was easy to cheat.
Stopping in front of the stall, Sun Shiqi whistled at the girl in front of him.
"I have a batch of goods here, but I want to see what you have first."
The trader looked up at him.
"From Honghe Town?"
Sun Shiqi's face showed a moment of surprise.
"Yes, how did you know?"
The trader smiled slightly.
"Guess, the slaves behind you can't be caught by yourself."
Sun Shiqi coughed twice.
"How is it possible..."
Seemingly realizing that his joke was not funny, the trader stopped talking nonsense and handed over a tablet skillfully.
"You are here to buy weapons, right? Everything is listed above. I solemnly recommend you the LD-47 assault rifle, which costs only 200 silver coins. It is very useful in jungles, deserts, and swamps. The 7X50mm full-power bullet can provide you with firepower comparable to that of a machine gun. Even the Death Claws will have to avoid it... But I recommend that you both take a step back."
"In addition, we also provide the KV-1 exoskeleton with higher strength and lighter materials, the 20mm light cavalry rifle from the No. 81 Steel Plant, and the 88mm mortar from Goblin Technology. If you are a big customer, we also provide the 'Death Scream' rocket and the larger caliber 37mm heavy cavalry rifle."
Sun Shiqi, who was flipping through the tablet, asked casually, "How can I become your big customer?"
The trader said with a smile.
"If you have a deposit of 1 million silver coins in the bank, they will give you a black VM that can store and identify your identity information. As long as you wear it and are in a place with a signal, you can use it to pay."
It sounds a bit like a bank card in Boulder City.
Sun Shiqi simply calculated the cargo list and silently calculated it in his mind.
The price of a slave is about 1,000 silver coins, an LD-47 only costs 200 silver coins, and a 7mm bullet costs 1 silver coin.
In other words, one slave can be exchanged for at least five assault rifles!
If it is in Boulder City, although weapons are also very cheap, a drone assault rifle only costs 150 chips, but the price of slaves is also not high. According to his previous experience, a slave can be exchanged for two or three guns at most.
The same is true for ore.
The 2 tons of copper ore and those large and small bags of sulfur, tin ore, nickel ore, tungsten ore, molybdenum ore and other rare ores that he brought with him can only be exchanged for 2,000 to 3,000 chips in Boulder City.
But here you can get at least 8,000 silver coins!
After calculating this account, Sun Shiqi held his breath for a moment, and his eyes almost turned into the color of silver coins... Although he had never seen what silver coins looked like.
"I have twenty slaves and six cows. Name your price."
The trader asked with a smile.
"Are you selling the cows too?"
Sun Shiqi said quickly.
"I won't sell that."
Just kidding.
Sell the cows and he'll have to transport the goods back on his own two legs?
Although the price they offered was indeed very tempting.
The trader standing in front of the stall quickly found two employees of the trading station, took the temperature of his slaves, checked their teeth, fingers and toes, and weighed them.
The same was true for the goods. After careful inspection and weighing, the trader gave him a list with the price quote.
A total of 29,724 silver coins, which was actually one thousand higher than the price Sun Shiqi estimated himself, and this made him happy for a while.
"I need one hundred rifles and nine thousand rounds of ammunition, and the rest can be settled with silver coins..." Sun Shiqi returned the tablet to the trader, and said eagerly, "How long will it take to see what I want?"
If he delivers this batch of arms that can arm a hundred-man team to Honghe Town, the slave owners there will definitely regard him as a benefactor!
He can't wait to make a second trip!
"Before tomorrow evening, in the morning if it's fast." The trader looked at the two-headed bull behind him with a little regret, and said, "Actually, sir, if you are from Honghe Town, you might consider our 'electric mule'."
Sun Shiqi was stunned and asked.
"E-mule? What is that?"
The trader smiled and introduced: "The light truck produced by the North Suburb Industrial Zone has a rated load of 1.8 tons. In fact, it is no problem to overload two or three times. With rubber tracks, it can even easily cross a one-meter-wide trench. The price is only 50,000 silver coins, which is good value for money. Although it can't be driven into the city, it is very easy to run in the wild. We all use this model ourselves."
"Fifty thousand?!" Sun Shiqi widened his eyes, "I don't have that much money."
Fifty slaves for a car?
Can this be considered good value for money? ?
The trader said with a smile.
"Now it's 10% off. If you are willing to sell the six two-headed cows, it will definitely be enough."
The ore in Honghe Town is much cheaper than slaves. The minimum denomination of blue tickets is 1 ton, and the cost is all in transportation.
If you can use trucks to transport goods, trading in ore can make much more money than trading in slaves!
And there is no risk of riots...
However, Sun Shiqi was still sober. He couldn't spend all his belongings to buy a means of transportation. After all, he was a merchant, not a driver.
Moreover, this car probably consumes electricity, right?
I don't know how much electricity costs here, but it's not cheap in Honghe Town.
"Next time... I have to save some money for business."
The trader was a little regretful, but didn't say anything. He handed him seven hundred-yuan bills and twenty-four silver coins.
"Here is your 724 silver coins, please check... I just have a little suggestion about the truck, the choice is of course yours."
What a pity.
The most profitable is selling trucks.
It is said that the cost of an electric mule is less than 12,000 yuan. The steel body and wooden cargo box are very cheap, and half of the cost is on the battery and motor.
If she can sell one, the commission can be her two months' basic salary.
Sun Shiqi collected the money and was about to leave, but at this moment, there was a commotion outside the trading station, and two groups of mercenaries quarreled.
There were quite a few of them, more than ten on each side, cursing and arguing, their faces red and necks thick, and some even rolled up their sleeves, and were about to fight.
Listening to the content of their quarrel, it seemed that it was because of some grievances outside.
This kind of thing is very common.
Everyone serves their own master. Maybe they were drinking and bragging together yesterday, and tomorrow they will meet in a corner of the wasteland.
In most cases, everyone will treat it as nothing happened after the commission is completed, but it is inevitable that some people will get angry about the dead limbs or parallel heads.
The fuse may be just a look or a joke.
These people are still rational. Although they are noisy and look like they are ready to fight, no one has taken out a gun.
But it is hard to say whether they can always be so rational.
The four mercenaries led by Sun Shiqi consciously stood in front of their employer, not because they have professional ethics, but because only by sending the boss back to Honghe Town safely can they get the remaining money from the business.
"...Are we going to fight again? This is the second one this month."
The girl standing behind the stall didn't seem to worry about anything happening. Her usual calmness made Sun Shiqi look at her twice.
"How do you usually deal with it?"
The trader said calmly.
"If someone draws a gun, he's in big trouble. If it's just a fight, the guards will send them to the cell for two days and then fine them."
"What if they can't pay?"
"Brick factories, cement factories, even mills or farmland next door, there are plenty of jobs here, there are always jobs they can do."
Sun Shiqi suddenly thought this girl was interesting.
"What's your name?"
"Shuanghe."
"Shuanghe, that's a good name... When do you get off work? You told me so many things, I want to treat you to a meal."
Shuanghe said with a smile.
"Bribing us will also get us sent to jail. I heard that it starts at three years."
Sun Shiqi smiled embarrassedly.
"Then forget it."
He admitted that he had thought of in-depth communication. Although he might not get a discount from her, he could at least find out some information that ordinary people don't know.
Doing business.
What you make money from is the information gap.
However, judging from her attitude, she was obviously not interested in him, and she was keenly aware of his hidden intentions.
To be honest, this professional ethics is amazing.
Recalling the attitude of the innkeeper, Sun Shiqi silently remembered a clue in his heart.
The manager of Shelter No. 404 has a strong control over this place. The local residents respect and thank him from the bottom of their hearts, abide by the laws he made, and take pride in maintaining order.
If there is no big problem, this control will last at least ten or even twenty years, until this generation grows old and their children grow up.
To be honest, Sun Shiqi's attitude and performance towards these people are not too strange.
The rise and fall history of any survivor settlement can mostly see a glorious beginning. Even a ghost place like Red River Town did not become a paradise for slave owners on the first day.
What really surprised him was that the man... should be called Chu Guang, actually did all this in just half a year.
Even if the shelter has a lot of knowledge and talents, it is not an easy task to accomplish this great cause.
Especially in the precarious River Valley Province...
I really want to meet him.
Sun Shiqi couldn't help but recall the last time they met, the man exchanged a can of ants and a few bags of game coins with him for dried meat.
How did he roll the snowball to turn that pitiful asset into a survivor settlement?
If possible, he even wanted to worship the man as his teacher.
But he also knew in his heart that he might not be able to meet him now...
The dispute in the trading post attracted the attention of the guards. Five guards in black military uniforms came over with sticks, as if they were going to warn these blind thorns.
However, those mercenaries may have relied on their large numbers and did not take the guards seriously at all. But what they didn't notice was that the blue coats around them were looking at them with shining eyes.
That expression, that demeanor didn't look like watching the fun.
They almost encouraged them to take action.
The atmosphere on the scene became more and more tense. Seeing that the group of mercenaries were about to fight, the merchants in the trading station avoided them.
However, at this moment, a group of soldiers wearing gray coats and helmets suddenly walked in from outside the trading station.
They carried automatic rifles on their backs, and the engineer shovels and bayonets hanging on their waists were condensed with shocking blood marks, and they wore gas masks on their faces.
The murderous aura that came over them instantly stunned the scene.
It was at this moment that Sun Shiqi suddenly had an idea.
The batch of arms he bought was worth it!
"The heroes are back!" Shuanghe, who was standing behind the stall, had shining eyes, and Sun Shiqi saw the light of admiration in the little girl's eyes.
"...Heroes?"
"Yes!" Shuanghe nodded vigorously, but did not explain.
Not far away, the mercenaries who had been clamoring to take action before suddenly became silent like dumb people, looking at the group of people with fearful eyes, as obedient as sheep.
The mercenary standing next to Sun Shiqi also had a trace of fear in his eyes after seeing the group of soldiers in gray coats, and his expression gradually became solemn.
"...Death Corps."
Sun Shiqi was stunned.
Although he knew that this group of people was not easy to mess with, it was the first time he heard of this name.
"...Death Corps?"
"You just returned to Honghe Town from the south, so you may not know..." another mercenary whispered, "This group of people beat the people of the Bone Chewing Tribe to tears at Lutou Mountain in the north of Honghe Town."
"I saw it with my own eyes, and I was also present at that battle..." The bearded mercenary nodded, his eyes full of shock, and said, "Twenty of them chased more than a hundred looters all over the mountains and plains. The shrill whistles chased them into the woods. I heard from the captured looters that fighting them was a nightmare..."
"I heard that each of them is an awakener!"
"They are all ruthless people!"
"I didn't expect the Death Corps to come from here..."
Looking at the little girl with shining eyes, Sun Shiqi glanced at the group of heroic soldiers not far away and swallowed unconsciously.
"Why are they back?"
The mercenary next to him whispered.
"Maybe it's because of the waves."
"...Something big is going to happen recently."
He stopped in front of the group of people who were making trouble, took off his gas mask, stared at the man, and said in non-standard English.
"I heard that there are people making trouble here? Is it you?"
Twenty or so mercenaries shook their heads together, and the two strong men who made the most trouble smiled awkwardly, hooked each other's shoulders, and pretended to be on good terms.
"We are just joking."
"Old friends meet... reminisce about the past."
The arm was obviously still struggling.
The guard holding the stick stared at the two people who were making trouble, and said with a smile.
"Reminisce about the past? How about changing places."
"The guard station is big enough."
The two mercenaries were not afraid of the sticks in his hands.
But the group of soldiers wearing grey coats next to them were too intimidating, and the blood on the engineer's shovel was obviously not from a wild animal...
At this time, their boss finally rushed over from the hotel and tried to plead for them, but the guard ignored him and didn't even look at him.
According to the Public Security Management Regulations, those who gather to make trouble will be taken to do a record registration, which is a routine procedure.
The first time is a warning, either stay in the dark for a day or pay a fine of 10 silver coins, the second time is a ten-day tour in the small black room, and a fine of 100 silver coins.
Reluctantly, the two troublemakers had to follow the guards.
The task completion pop-up window flashed on the VM.
I just came back and picked up an experience pack, and I also pretended to be cool. I was very happy to be on the edge.
But this good mood did not last long.
Greetings from an old friend came from the side.
Battlefield Atmosphere Group: "Fuck, edge?"
Ye Shi: "Huh?! You came back alive?"