Chapter 31: Imperial City And Market Research

Chapter 31: Imperial City And Market Research

Going through the streets, I felt like I was back in a modern city. All the steel, glass, and grim looks from people moving through the streets. I had seen such sights before, but I was still going through culture shock right now.

There was a mortal doorman at the entrance to the 20 floor building. Rickshaws, carts, and people moved in a constant flow in the street behind me. Name and purpose of visit, he said in a bored tone.

I am Yuan Zhou, here to see Zheng Ting, I explained and the man nodded.

She is on the 15th floor. Stairs are free, but for an honored cultivator like yourself, the elevator is only 10 tael to use. I nodded at this and took the elevator, wanting to experience it. It was just like elevators back on Earth. Except there was someone there inside to hit buttons.

Of course I should have realized all of this. The games were a clue, but anyone with Earth knowledge would sell it to the Imperial and Blazing Sun sect. They would in turn exploit it for all it was worth. I reached the floor, and the mortal elevator person gave me a nod as I left. It would be another 10 tael to go down.

I made my way to Zheng Tings door and knocked. It was opened and I saw her for the first time in years. She looked much older with graying hair, but smiled when she saw me. Young Master Yuan Zhou! She bowed deeply.

Zheng Ting, I said and bowed my head to her in return.

Please, come in. I will put on some tea, she replied, and I entered her apartment. It was quite small. I am glad you have made it. I took a seat at the table in her kitchen. At first I had thought she would have a small store or something, but it was just her in an apartment.

I am glad as well. How have you been? I asked.

It is tough. I have had to budget carefully since everything is so expensive. But I have compiled quite a bit of research on the market and other issues you will run into. It is not good, to say the least, she got up and returned with a stack of books.

She then laid a sheet of paper in front of me on top of the books. It was a summary sheet, just like I had showed her how to do, condensing information to make it quick and easy to consume. Nothing? None of the ideas I had? I asked after looking through the sheet.

Everything is made by certified masters of the Imperial Sect. There is some market for lesser items, but the top of the market is completely locked up, she said.

With permits? I asked.

You can sell and craft. But you would have to buy a store. Since you arent part of the Imperial Sect, you would not get favored rates and property is not cheap. There are collective stores. Where cultivators have banded togeather, but they struggle to get by or act as embassies for their sects within the city, she explained.

Clothing, games, drinks, even hot sauce? I asked.

They have their own production. Hot sauce has taken off slightly since there have been imports from various cities, but the imports struggle to get traction. The city takes in raw goods and produces finished goods, she explained. I got that, but it seemed that the issue was one of supply.

The energy of the heavens and earth, I muttered. Everything came back to that bottleneck.

Even mechanical devices are quite complex. Look at this, she put a radio on the table and began to fiddle with nobs. A voice began to come over the radio. I wanted to cry. No wonder the Sect Leader believed I had no chance here for business.

Looking at her sheet, gambling was strictly controlled. What about food? I asked as she turned the radio off.Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

There are restaurants that serve rank 4 beast meat and several lesser restaurants, she replied.

Of course, I muttered. What about a green ocean lily or red sun rose? Are either of those for sale? I asked.

The red sun rose is for sale for 400 rank 3 spirit stones.

That much? I asked with a sigh.

It is imported and has to be kept alive. It goes for only a tenth of that in the Blazing Sun Sect, she replied. It was only supposed to cost 20 rank 3 spirit stones As for the green ocean lily. You are looking at the equivalent of 30,000 rank 3 spirit stones. Or at least that is what the last one sold for.

The Sect Leader said 20,000, I muttered, but he was just estimating.

Well that is what it sold for two decades ago.

Any martial tournaments? I asked with my last bit of hope, and she shook her head.

No. They are forbidden. There is underground fighting between mortals with low rank cultivation resources on the line or bet on the match itself, she said.

I am a businessperson, not a gambler, I muttered.

There is a lot of business, but nothing I have been able to find at the wealth range you are looking at. You could easily get a job or do something small scale, but that isnt what you want. She got up and prepared tea for both of us. I have been looking extensively, but the Imperial Sect has manufacturing tied, up. Selling raw materials is the best option.

But a poor option, I muttered while looking at the electric light above me, illuminating the kitchen. How much to replace the light? I asked.

A tael, she replied. Bronze coins are only used with children. I wanted to puke blood at all of this. I felt ill. Even the delicious tea wasnt helping.

Plays? I asked.

There are two playhouses in the city, she replied. I really didnt want to gather raw materials. I wanted to sell services.

What do cultivators spend money on? I asked.

Equipment and cultivation resources, but the market is very limited. Most of the large scale transactions occur between large companies or families with the Imperial Sect. These factions maintain the standard of living for the city, she replied. I sipped my tea and then got up. Zheng Ting showed me about her apartment, explaining various devices and their respective costs.

It was on par with on 21st century Earth apartment. Ovens, microwaves, lights, carpets, solid walls. There was electricity, which powered everything. This energy came from inside the center of the city, which the Imperial Sect controlled directly. There were strict export laws as well. Another permit was needed to export items. Most caravans only stopped at the outer towns, and not the inner portion of Imperial City due to that reason.

Zheng Ting then invited me to look around the area. Just like when I was a kid, only it cost 10 tael to take the elevator down and then 20 tael to rent a rickshaw from a mortal rickshaw puller. I noted the occasional cultivator flying overhead as well in the distance around the central portion of Imperial City.

When we passed by a gun shop, I ordered the rickshaw to stop. I got out and checked the store out. I just couldnt believe it. Welcome Cultivator to the Imperial Gun Shop. We offer many amazing options for your needs, a clerk said.

This time there were even more arrays in a much larger room. I laid down on the reclining chair. Rings descended from the ceiling and my chair actually floated up into the air. I felt pressure on my cultivation as they spun. I was pulling on a tigers tail by doing this, but it was necessary in my mind.

I needed an elder of the Imperial Sect to take an interest and support me. That was the only way to do business. Being only rank 2, I had to tempt them with the only thing interesting about me, my cultivation. The rings went back into position and the chair settled down. A holographic display popped up at the side of the chamber where Xiaosi and Zheng Ting were.

Going over there, I had to restrain my smile. It was a much more detailed scan, and the outer portions of my motes had been observed, but around my lower abdomen and heart the blur was still there. I guess they didnt have many people with unique cultivations come through. I could see Xiaosi frowning heavily at the display.

I was silent as I waited for him to say something. I was honestly curious what he would do now. After a couple of minutes, he turned towards me. My apologies, I will have to contact the elder in charge of this building to handle this, he said.

Not a problem, I dont mind wait, I replied.

Please follow me to a waiting room, we have refreshments for you and your companion, he said. The waiting room was very nice on the second floor and overlooking the street outside. Small sandwiches and fruit juice were served. I only had one to be polite while waiting.

Zheng Ting didnt say anything and I was content to wait. This entire situation was amusing to me. After an hour an older woman entered the waiting room. I quickly stood up and bowed my head the moment I saw their robe. Junior Yuan Zhou, greets elder of the Imperial Sect, I replied. Zheng Ting bowed even more deeply but didnt say anything.

Raise your head Yuan Zhou. I am elder Xu Xiaoli, she said in a kind voice, and I brought up my head. Let us sit, you clearly have a unique cultivation, and I would offer my insight with a personal consultation.

Thank you, elder Xu Xiaoli, I said and sat, only after her. Zheng Ting remained standing to the side of the room.

With your appearance and being at the second rank, you started cultivating at around four years old? she asked.

Six years old elder is when I first started cultivating, I replied, and she looked thoughtful at that.

Your cultivation must be immense, to lock you into the appearance of a child of twelve. A million motes? she asked me.

1,788,606 motes elder, I responded. Her eyes went slightly wide at that.

How bold! she said with a small chuckle. I doubted Jiang Fengge put you up to this? So Liu Chen? she asked me.

They have offered advice, but I chose this path of defiance myself, I replied. She asked several questions about my cultivation. I brought out notebooks and diagrams from my spatial ring. It got dark outside, but we kept discussing all the plans that had been worked out for my cultivation. After going over everything she gave her judgement.

You clearly have figured out the optimal known choices. I might have rearranged your channels slightly from their current layout. I would estimate they are 97% efficiency, so decent, but the lengths vary a bit too much to my liking. The valve design of Liu Chen is something we know about. The real issue is pursuing multiple cultivation paths, Xu Xiaoli said, and I listened intently.

It has been attempted two times before. One of those times by another sect. It failed in the third stage. Attuning to a specific aspect for your channels and meridians is not as simple as you make it out. A force chamber can work, but the input needed is much higher than you think to get perfect grade. I would put the cost at around 100,000 level 3 spirit stones. I winced at that.

I wont get into needing a refraction crystal and null metal to carve your unique valve structure. Such an item would be considered a sect treasure. The one individual that the Imperial Sect sponsored for a cultivation plan that pursued multiple paths failed to collect enough drops, she replied.

They had great backing, but the sheer amount of drops you will need is insane. I suspect you will find a way past the Meridian Attunement, but Core Formation will be your end. The end of all geniuses like yourself, Xu Xiaoli said and shook her head.

Do you have any changes to recommend or to make my cultivation base better? I asked.

No. Liu Chens advice is sound if completely impractical. You did enlighten an old woman with a triangular channel carving method. That combined with my failure to offer you any useful advice, you may make one request of me, she said. I already knew what I would request. The most important thing one could have on this continent.

I would like to request your support and backing to start up a business, I said.

You arent going to ask me to acquire a green ocean lily? Or give advice on the type of force chamber you should use? she asked me, clearly surprised I didnt request something more material. That was what an idiot cultivator would do. But I needed to leverage this rare chance for business, not cultivation.

No elder. The green ocean lily is far too expensive for the information I have provided, even getting a favored price for me to purchase one is too much to ask. As for the force chamber, I will trust in my sect. For now I need to accumulate a tremendous amount of wealth, which means a business, I replied.

And what source of business? she asked with curiosity. I had been using this time to think about what kind of business to start for a while. If I was stuck in Beijing, what kind of business would I start? Anything with cultivation, using the energy of the heavens and earth was out. That meant pills, formations, or anything that the Imperial Sect could do was off the table. I had thought of a restaurant, but it would have too much competition. Entertainment was another area I would struggle in. Cultivators were aesthetic monks for the most part and hated to part with their wealth unless it was for cultivation resources.

I needed a business I could break into their heavily restricted market without stepping on toes and I needed backing. Before I had my father and the Cloudy Moon Sect, but here I needed the Imperial Sect. There was no need to reinvent the wheel either. Rocking chairs would be laughed at and go nowhere.

I want to be able to open up new mines, authority to manage mines, and favored status to ship refined metal and process ore across multiple cities with a headquarters being established in one of the outlying downs of Imperial City. A multi-city permit, Imperial City permits, and a letter of support, I explained.

You want to be able to start a multi-city business involving ore. That wouldnt seem very profitable? she asked while considering me carefully.

But there are refineries. Getting higher ranked metal is just a question of combining lower ranked metal. Imperial City takes in shipped goods and processes them into finished products, but the demand is quite high for metal. High ranked metal for weapons and equipment. I want to operate at scale across the domain of the Imperial Sect and have done quite well managing the mines around my home city of Half Moon City, I replied.

Boldness, hmm. That is the domain of youth. Two options then. I can get you the permits and sign them, and no more. I would not assist you beyond that. Or I could back you officially and take twenty five percent of your revenue, Xu Xiaoli said.

That was highway robbery, but I would not get such a chance again. I was also lucky she wasnt asking for fifty percent. I would have had to say yes to even that much. Greed was good, but too much and one might choke on it. The power of the Imperial Sect was immense, and I didnt understand their internal politics. Better to get an elder on my side while I had her attention.

Even if she just sat around and did nothing, her very presence, and the ability to reference my backing to her was more than enough to give her a cut. I couldnt wait until I was an old monster and people had to give me loads of money to get some nebulous backing. But that was the way things were done. When in Rome, pay the Roman taxes as cost of doing business.

It would be complicated, but I would create a franchise model. Get various cities mines under my management, process iron bars up to rank 2, then ship them to Imperial City. This was to keep transport manageable.

In addition, I would set up a headquarters in one of the outlying towns to process the rank 2 iron bars into rank 6 steel bars. It would take around 10,000 rank 2 bars to make one rank 6 bar and 100 rank 3 spirit stones for the arrays and formations needed. A single rank 6 steel bar would sell for 3 rank 6 spirit coins.

All told I would spend about 120,000 rank 1 spirt coins to get 300,000 rank 1 spirit coins. That was with shipping and everything else. There would be a massive investment required, but I would start up an official company to process ore.

That was the thing about the energy of the heavens and earth. While it wasnt completely balanced in the earth, it accumulated over long periods of time. Hence the spirit ore, which could be refined down. Such a scale of operation across multiple cities and selling in Imperial City, wasnt possible without their support.

The demand for metal was quite high. I noted the guns were mostly wood, not metal. I knew mining and had experience in it. The consulting business was also one of the most profitable. The hardest part would be setting this all up without stepping on toes of other sects. Which was where guaranteeing escort contracts, and the backing of the Imperial Sect came into play.

Zheng Ting could keep an eye on things in Imperial City for me and manage the first decade of the company before retiring to an advisory role. Zhou Holding Company Limited was about to get a huge multi-city, multi-national expansion.

I would be honored to give you twenty five percent of all profits, the business earns, and any issues will come out of my share, I said with a deep head bow towards the elder. No matter what I couldnt mess around with her.

If I had to admit it to myself, while it was highway robbery, I was getting a steal. An elder of the Imperial Sect would not back just anyone. The heavens smiled upon me once more, I would just have to make the most of this opportunity.