Chapter 254: A Small Request

Of course, since you want watermelon, Cangqiong naturally wouldn't reject the matter without leaving room for negotiation.

He paused for a moment and said, "But I really like the texture of watermelon, I'm somewhat interested. Previously you traded three jin of Great Exotic Beast Jerky to the Luo Lai Caravan for a Holy Maiden Fruit. How will you arrange the deal for this watermelon? What's the price?"

He had already expected the other side to still use food to trade for Holy Maiden Fruit, but after arriving here, he was even more satisfied with the medicinal watermelon that Kuangsha City presented.

As for the price, Lin Manzhi and Mo Lie had already discussed it.

She turned back to look at Mo Lie beside her, leaned over and whispered for him to hand her the thin paper listing the watermelon prices.

Mo Lie's blue eyes flickered slightly, he raised his hand gently to wipe the watermelon juice from Lin Manzhi's corner of the mouth, then, unhurriedly, took the thin paper from his waist pouch and placed it on the table.

At that moment, Hua Zheng, very sprightly, walked over, picked up the thin paper Mo Lie had just placed on the table, carried it to the table of Cangqiong from the neighboring Lei Ting Continent, and turned away.

Determined not to give Cangqiong any chance to approach Lord Lin!

Lin Manzhi had no objection; she was also too lazy to get up and walk a few steps, so she relaxed and sat where she was, waiting for Cangqiong to look at her price list.

Cangqiong silently picked up the thin paper on the table and lowered his head to examine it carefully.

Based on his experience running the Luo Lai Caravan as the continent's top merchant caravan, he quickly worked out the accounts.

The other party's watermelon, priced per jin, was far more expensive than Holy Maiden Fruit. Here, one jin of Holy Maiden Fruit is about 20 pieces, costing 12,000 Beast Coins, which converts to 60 jin of Great Exotic Beast meat.

And one jin of watermelon costs 100 jin of Great Exotic Beast Jerky, which translates to 20,000 Beast Coins.

He buys watermelon intending to keep some on the Lei Ting Continent, also planning to use it as merchandise for the Luo Lai Caravan, taking it to continents like the Ape, Australian Pouch, and others to do business and make money.

Naturally, the cheaper the price, the better.

"Watermelon is a bit more expensive than Holy Maiden Fruit," Cangqiong looked up at Lin Manzhi. "How about I buy more—one hundred thousand jin, trading one jin of watermelon for 60 jin of Great Exotic Beast Jerky?"

Lin Manzhi shook her head: "It can't be less."

One hundred thousand jin of watermelon, assuming each watermelon weighs about 7 jin, is roughly 14,000 pieces, about half the output of the watermelon planting greenhouses, with the other half reserved for Kuangsha City and Ansen City to consume.

She quickly calculated, feeling satisfied, but outwardly she frowned slightly and reluctantly declined: "The medicinal watermelon is a new variety cultivated by Kuangsha City; your Lei Ting Continent is the first to trade it. Moreover, Holy Maiden Fruit extract is similar to cheaper soothing elixirs, while watermelon soothes the Spirit Core. If the Thunder Lord hadn't come personally, I wouldn't intend to trade this item with anyone."

In fact, if we talk about who can supply large amounts of jerky, it can only be the wealthy Thunder Lord.

Jerky is the staple food of Beastfolk, rich in energy, needed by all Beastfolk, equivalent to rice and flour for humans.

Each year, everyone goes hunting, and most of the meat is sun‑dried and stored as staple food for times of scarcity, and can also be used as Beast Coins for consumption.

Other lords don't trade; the Luo Lai Caravan travels far and wide across continents' cities and tribes, holding the largest stock of food.

For Lin Manzhi.

Originally, watermelon and Holy Maiden Fruit both mature in about three to four months, and their prices could be the same, but who let Cangqiong almost kidnap her before!

Price hike! Cangqiong must make a hefty profit.

"I originally wanted Holy Maiden Fruit, but in the end it has to be decided based on the medicinal plants Kuangsha City currently has. If the watermelon price isn't low, I hope you can sell me a batch of Holy Maiden Fruit," Cangqiong said, taking a step back.

Cangqiong, as a merchant, wants to collect both kinds of medicinal plants, which have different effects, in full.

Hearing the other's concession and thinking of the large amount of jerky she would get in exchange for watermelon, Lin Manzhi became easygoing: "That's fine, but this time I can only give you one Holy Maiden Fruit, and I have a small request…"

Seeing Cangqiong's expression shift, she immediately assured, "Don't worry, it won't be a burden for you. I want to open a small shop in Leitingcheng—either selling medicinal plants like watermelon, which would compete with your business, or just an ordinary shop that provides guards for ordinary Beastfolk."

Cangqiong, upon hearing that, thought any shop in Leitingcheng could exchange for a kind of medicinal plant.

His golden eyes flickered, and he said, "Sure. In return, I hope the cooperation with Kuangsha City isn't a one‑off but a formal contract. How about that?"

A contract is a thin piece of paper that binds both parties to abide by the rules; saying it's useful is true, saying it isn't can let one stand on a moral high ground.

Lin Manzhi naturally agreed.

Then it was simple: they drafted two commercial contracts between Kuangsha City and Leitingcheng—Kuangsha City as the provider of watermelon and Holy Maiden Fruit medicinal plants, Leitingcheng as the buyer using jerky.

The transaction would take place at a border area where the two continents meet, and eight days later both sides would meet there with their goods.

Both parties confirmed everything was correct, and on the spot Cangqiong and Mo Lie each pressed their hand seals.

As for the future, Cangqiong, while leaving, laughed and said that if Kuangsha City has new medicinal plants, he'd be willing to pay a high price, and Lin Manzhi can send someone to Leitingcheng to inform him.

That night, after seeing off a group from the Lei Ting Continent, Lin Manzhi stood up and stretched lazily.

She felt exhausted; Cangqiong was the most commercially foresighted person she'd ever met—while everyone else only thought about how the new medicinal plant would change them, Cangqiong had already thought about reselling it for profit.

Lin Manzhi put her hand down and began to think in her mind.

The burning fire pit, stirred by the lake‑side wind, sent sparks flying now and then, while the flames ahead burned brighter, driving away the desert's chill.

Lin Manzhi's gaze fell on the yellow sand before the fire and lingered without moving.

Her eyes seemed very focused.

Lost in thought, Lin Manzhi instinctively stayed where she was, her eyes on the sand flashing like the glint of a discovered treasure.

At that moment, Mo Lie, for some unknown reason, walked over and slipped his arm around her waist, his eyes turning a deep blue in the night, a hint of question in them as he looked down.

"What are you thinking?"

As he spoke, his hand guided the little female's waist forward; the wind outside was strong, and the night grew colder.

Lin Manzhi turned her head, instinctively following Mo Lie into the tent, a crooked smile on her lips: "We've partnered with the Luo Lai Caravan on the watermelon business, which suddenly reminded me that watermelon is really suitable for planting here!"

We can grow watermelon here without having to dig up nutrient‑rich, moist soil elsewhere; as long as we supply enough fertilizer and water, the sandy ground is actually one of the best soils for watermelon.

She kept walking and said, "We can plant them right on our sand, and the large diurnal temperature swing makes the watermelons sweeter and bigger. Having partnered with the Luo Lai Caravan on watermelon, I'd like to make watermelon a primary crop. What do you think?"

Mo Lie slightly curled his mouth in a smile: "Alright, when we return I'll have people clear the sand beside the planting base for cultivation."