Chapter 260: Reputation Binding

Lin Manzhi let her mind settle.

Hmm, now she can calmly plant ginseng.

Jia Ze obeyed Mo Lie's command and joined the party traveling to Leitingcheng. Setting out from Kuangsha City, the distance to Leitingcheng is over ten thousand li, and even at full speed it takes about twenty days.

When the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau people from Kuangsha City arrive at Leitingcheng, the watermelons produced by Kuangsha City that arrived first have already become very famous.

The Luo Lai Caravan headquarters, in the heart of Leitingcheng's busiest commercial street, entirely occupies a small hill, with a complex of buildings perched on its summit.

The trees on the mountain are meticulously tended, red‑brick spire buildings rise, green lawns spread, a path paved with goose stone winds through, and wooden stakes on either side are entwined with flowering vines called Moonlight Grass; by day it absorbs sunlight, and at night it emits a moon‑colored glow, making the whole Luo Lai shop look like a dreamy fairyland.

Usually, whenever Beastfolk visit the Luo Lai Caravan, they loudly praise the fragrant forest scenery, and the females even build their homes into such dreamy gardens.

But that was before. Since the Luo Lai Caravan started selling a medicinal plant called watermelon, all Beastfolk have been drawn to it; the forest now resounds not with praise of the scenery but with chatter about watermelons:

"Wow! Watermelon is a medicinal plant? Why does it taste so good! It's much tastier than Holy Maiden Fruit!"

"Since I started eating watermelon, I can't eat anything else; I want to buy one from the Luo Lai shop every day."

"After eating watermelon these past few days, I feel much lighter and my skin has improved!"

"My newborn cubs, only a few months old, no longer need us to worry about feeding; they no longer have Beast Father chasing them for each meal. Now each little one gets two bowls of meat paste per meal and can also devour a large slice of watermelon, and their fur feels smooth to the touch."

"Yes, yes, our few‑year‑old Little Female is picky, but she grabs a watermelon herself and eats it willingly!"

For Beastfolk seeing watermelon for the first time, they never imagined a medicinal plant could be so delicious, and with no limits.

They just don't know where the Luo Lai Caravan learned the purchase limit! Why can each person only buy one watermelon? Even if you're rich, you can't buy more at once; if you come late you can't get any!

Seeing the Luo Lai shop display two thousand watermelons each day, they are instantly snapped up.

Sometimes the noble Beastfolk send servants who arrive too late and can't buy any; they can't suppress their strong complaints, but essentially it's the same voice:

"Watermelon is too tasty; the price should be set higher! Selling a watermelon for 12 gold coins, or 600 jin of meat jerky—watermelons are that big; at least one should sell for 120 gold coins, or 6000 jin of meat jerky!"

Even the never‑short‑of‑money Shamaness chimed in: "Exactly! 12 gold coins? What are a dozen gold coins, it should start at least at 1,200 gold coins!"

When the staff of the Luo Lai Caravan first heard customers demanding a price hike for watermelons, they were stunned; fearing the females wouldn't keep quiet, they immediately reported it to the superiors.

The three‑merchant chairman of the Luo Lai Caravan, Ying Qi, said: "……"

Who would have thought their lord bought a watermelon from the Kuangsha City lord for 20,000 Beast Coins, i. e., 2 gold coins, and then marked it up sixfold? You still think it's cheap??

Six hundred meat jerky! That's enough for an adult male Beast to eat for twenty days, enough for you females for three hundred days—three hundred days!!!

Ying Qi reported the wealthy females' opinions, and Cangqiong, after hearing, did not raise the price.

He wasn't surprised by everyone's willingness to spend big money because watermelon is tasty, but since watermelon isn't in his own hands, raising the price would, relative to the future, yield profits for the Luo Lai Caravan that certainly wouldn't match Kuangsha City.

He personally thinks that, compared to an equivalent medicinal elixir's efficacy, this watermelon already commands a sky‑high price, nearly matching the most expensive—Spirit Core Repair Elixir that sells for 20 gold coins.

It's not only Cangqiong who thinks the watermelon is sky‑high; Jia Ze and his party, who arrived in Leitingcheng not long ago, were also greatly shocked.

Jia Ze, holding the large sum of gold coins given by Lord Lin and a charter from the Lei Ting lord, spent heavily to purchase an independent shop building with a small courtyard, and smoothly opened the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau in Leitingcheng's commercial center.

Deputy Escort Head Duo Jia, while inquiring outside about Leitingcheng's hottest item being watermelon, saw his jaw drop at the price: "Watermelon, wasn't it only 20,000 Beast Coins a piece in Kuangsha City? Here it's twelve hundred thousand a piece and they still think it's cheap???"

Among the supplies they brought, the backyard still held over a hundred watermelons.

Then Jia Ze squinted and said, "Ah, I know how to make the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau famous in Leitingcheng!"

Before departing, the Lord's Wife handed out three hundred watermelons as a benefit; had they known they'd be useful now, they'd have forbidden everyone from eating them!

Jia Ze sent out a notice to the public the day before the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau's opening; during the three days before opening, customers who hired escort masters from the bureau each received a free small slice of watermelon.

Watermelon is the hottest food in Leitingcheng right now; when the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau was tied together with the continent‑wide watermelon craze, the previously unknown bureau instantly attracted everyone's attention.

At first, they came out of curiosity and a desire for a bargain: "Hire an escort master to deliver watermelon? I want to go in and see what escort masters actually do!"

When they arrived at the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau, from the moment they entered the courtyard they saw a group of hulking escort masters, and within the yard felt the aura of powerful Beastfolk; such strength can't be deceived.

Jia Ze, beaming, welcomed everyone in, first explaining what kind of business the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau conducts, then praising their escort masters as unparalleled, saying that with a modest sum one could hire such mighty protectors, and finally presenting the invitation from the Lei Ting lord to open a branch here as endorsement.

Everyone, hearing this, believed it, for in Leitingcheng no one dares to mock the lord; spreading rumors would be a death sentence.

The Beastfolk who initially came for watermelon, after Jia Ze's brainwashing, realized the benefit of having escort masters protect them; they never imagined that one day, wealth could let powerful Beastfolk risk their lives for them!

This inexplicable, secret thrill, combined with the sliced watermelon on the table, instantly led the debating Beastfolk to sign numerous contracts with the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau on the spot.

"Escort masters will protect property and Beastfolk... Ah! My tribe is indeed some distance from Leitingcheng, needing to cross several mountains. Hiring an escort master from the Fierce Sand Escort Bureau means we won't fear attacks from strange beasts along the way! I—I—I want to hire a five‑person escort team."

"Me! I'm going to the Moon‑pursuing tribe; I want to hire a twenty‑person escort team."