Chapter 267: Chapter 224, Wow So Cool_1
The supply of food in the city was primarily controlled by the human race.
Though Beastmen did partake in farming, it was very minimal. They were more proficient in hunting, selling animal meat and fur in the city.
Humans, on the other hand, excelled in farming. Coupled with plant-based magic and elixirs, the yield of food crops was significantly improved.
Consequently, the price of grain in the city was not expensive.
Mini, together with Wu Heng, had only walked a few steps when they saw a shop.
“When Wei’er and I are on our way home, we buy from here. The food prices are similar throughout the city,” Mini said.
Wu Heng looked over at the shop.
The shop was not particularly large.
Compared to the shops on either side, it seemed rather narrow.
It felt more like a former alleyway had been blocked off to make room for this establishment.
Mini led Wu Heng and a few skeletons straight in.
A middle-aged, round-faced shopkeeper was barely awake at the counter.
Only when he heard footsteps did he lift his head to look.
“Ah, Mini’s here…” Mid-sentence, he spotted Wu Heng and the five guards behind him.
Immediately, he broke into a smile and came forward to greet them.
He said, “You’ve come at the right time, sir. The city’s road just opened and these are the freshest, top-grade grains. Guaranteed to satisfy you.”
Despite being separated by the skeletons, the shopkeeper stayed close, enthusiastically explaining the products.
“The pubs in the city are all supplied by us. Our prices are absolutely fair.”
“If you’re buying for the nobles in the inner city, I can recommend some better types. That way you won’t have made a trip in vain.”
In the shop, samples were displayed.
All of them were grains and flour.
The main food in this world was bread and pancakes; humans preferred bread, while Beastmen ate various types of roasted cakes.
Grains, on the other hand, were mainly used to make porridge.
A small bag of barley was priced at 36.8 copper coins, and a full bag was 73.6 copper coins.
A small bag of oats was 52.5 copper coins, and a full bag was 105 copper coins.
Wheat…
Barley flour…
Oat flour…
A small bag of wheat flour was 85.5 copper coins, while a full bag was 171 copper coins.
Both the grains and flour were packed in special cloth bags.
A small bag weighed approximately 50 kg, and a large bag weighed 100 kg.
This was roughly the same as the weight of modern rice.
Seeing these prices, Wu Heng was in high spirits.
Copper coins!
Whereas the trade agreement that he and Li Yahong had made was in gold.
Coming and going, he would be making quite a bit.
“Mini says your grains are of good quality.” At this point, Wu Heng spoke aloofly.
“Miss Mini is astute and wouldn’t casually make such a claim.” The shopkeeper quickly responded, “The quality of our grains is indeed the best around.”
Wu Heng continued, “Can I get a discount if I buy in bulk?”
“That depends on how much you’re buying. If you’re buying wholesale, the price is naturally more affordable than retail,” the shopkeeper went on.
“How much do you have?”
The shopkeeper slightly furrowed his brows but still replied, “We have grain warehouses and several branches locally. Just let me know how much you need, so I can give you a price.”
“I’ll take 5000 bags of each of these types of flour.”
“Eh…” The shopkeeper was taken aback. “We don’t have that many in stock, sir. The combined inventory of flour in our shops and warehouses is less than 2000 bags.”
“How come there’s so little?” asked Wu Heng.
Earlier, the shopkeeper boasted about the abundance of their stocks, and now claimed he didn’t have enough.
The shopkeeper felt a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, “The war just ended, sir. We didn’t dare bring over such a large stock. But if you really need it, we can have more shipped over in three days.”
“Fine, calculate the cost of these 2000 bags. If the price is right, I’ll take them all,” Wu Heng said outright.
“Alright.”
Never did the shopkeeper anticipate serving such a big client that day.
He beamed as he agreed. He then ordered his staff to count the inventory, while he served tea to the guests.
Before long, the staff member returned with the inventory count.
Meanwhile, the shopkeeper was doing the calculations. “Sir, it should be 242 silver coins in total. But I can give it to you for 240 silver coins.”
“220. I’ll pay you now. Plus, you can restock afterwards. I’ll still purchase it at this price,” Wu Heng countered.
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed, “Alright. Since you plan on making long-term purchases and were introduced by Miss Mini, I’ll give you this price.”
Wu Heng took out his coin pouch and counted the agreed amount of silver coins onto the counter.
“Deliver the flour to the ALC grocery store.”
“Very well, sir!” The shopkeeper collected the money and immediately summoned his workers to deliver the goods.
Wu Heng watched as they loaded the sacks onto a pushcart, transporting them to the grocery store across the road.
Then, he and Mini departed.
“He called me ‘Miss Mini’!” Mini’s face beamed.
“What’s so great about that?”
“It’s the first time someone called me that. I’ve never heard it before.”
“From now on, he’ll always address you this way,” Wu Heng said, draping an arm around her shoulders as they headed for the grocery store’s backyard.
…
In the backyard…
Mini went to the front of the house to help Andre Willow with sales.
Meanwhile, Wu Heng stood in the yard, watching the workers pile bag after bag of flour.
When everything had been brought over, he addressed the fox people clan in the courtyard, “Stay outside for now. Don’t let anyone else in.”
The fox people in the courtyard bowed slightly.
They all left the courtyard, standing guard outside the back door.
Through the warehouse door, Wu Heng opened a boundary door, directing the skeletons to move the flour to the Zombie World, and brought all the collected supplies back.
About half an hour later, all the flour in the courtyard had been replaced with pots, bowls, and dishes packed in cardboard boxes.
“You may come in now,” Wu Heng called out.
The fox people outside the door entered.
Wu Heng said, “These are the newly delivered goods. Let Andre Willow know later.”
“Yes, sir!” The fox people nodded without asking further questions.
Wu Heng nodded, bid the fox people farewell and left.
…
By the time he returned to his residence, it was already afternoon.
The installation of the photovoltaic panels was faster than expected.
By the time Wu Heng returned, not only were the photovoltaic panels fully installed, but the air conditioning and chandeliers inside the building had also been put in place.
The only problem was that all the wiring was laid out visibly, with the wires clearly seen running along the roof and walls.
But there was no other option, they couldn’t start cutting out grooves in the walls to bury the lines now.
It didn’t really matter, as long as the appliances could work.
Apart from the lights overhead.
The main appliance in the living room was the upright air conditioner in the corner.
Wu Heng picked up the remote control and tested it out.
With a beeping sound, the air conditioner lit up.
He adjusted the temperature, and gusts of cool air started to come out.
It actually worked.
He was momentarily delighted.
He turned off the air conditioner, and then tested out the chandeliers in several rooms.
The modern light bulbs were much brighter than any engraved ornaments meant to simulate light, but this wasn’t very noticeable in broad daylight.
After inspecting everything, Wu Heng was quite satisfied.
He turned off all the appliances.
Next, he opened the boundary door and headed to Zombie World.
He directed the skeletons to move all the flour into the warehouse.
Now it was autumn, and cloudy and rainy weather was frequent.
Leaving the flour outside, it might get rained on by the next day, which would also be troublesome.
It was better to be cautious.
After all, this flour had a crucial role in his continued plans for the shelter.
…
When he came back.
Mini and Andre Willow were already in the kitchen preparing food.
Wu Heng went downstairs and turned on the air conditioner.
Gusts of cool air blew out from the air conditioner, gradually lowering the indoor temperature.
“Wow, how come it’s so cool?”
“Yeah, where is this cool wind coming from?”
The surprised exclamations of two women came from the kitchen.
Andre Willow stuck her head out of the kitchen, her gaze falling on the air conditioner, “Master, is this a new magic tool?”
Mini also leaned out to take a look, “What magic tool? Let me see.”
“A technological tool, it cools down the air.”
The two women came out of the kitchen and stood in front of the air conditioner.
“Wow, it’s so cool!”
“It’s so good to be rich…”
They shared their thoughts for a while before going back into the kitchen to continue preparing dinner.
But with the air conditioner cooling down the room, the kitchen wasn’t as hot either.
It made the women’s job easier.
…
Soon, Wen Mansha also came back.
As soon as she opened the door, a gust of cool air hit her face.
“Did you prepare dry ice? It’s so cool.” While speaking, Wen Mansha took off her coat.
The skeleton behind her was still holding a large stack of keys.
It seemed that many people still wanted to sell their houses today.
After changing into a long skirt, Wen Mansha turned her gaze to the air conditioner, “Is this a new magic tool? It has such an effect.”
“If you’re dressed so thinly, don’t stand in front of it and blow, be careful of catching a cold.” Wu Heng said.
Wen Mansha came back, leaned into Wu Heng’s arms, and continued, “The iron pipe is up, not far from the city wall, what should I do next?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll arrange for a skeleton to go over and install some things on it.” Wu Heng said as he held Wen Mansha.
“Okay!”
The two people continued talking about what to do next.
Dinner was served, and the four of them had dinner together.
Perhaps because of the short daylight hours.
After dinner, during Mini’s practice time, the air conditioner stopped working due to insufficient power supply.
The temperature in the room immediately became a bit stuffy.
It was also getting dark. The four of them took a bath together and went back to the room to rest.
….
The next day, at the Guild.
As Wu Heng walked into the lounge, he saw Duke sitting on a chair munching on a biscuit.
Crunching loudly, crumbs scattered all over the floor.
“Captain, Glask is back, he asked me if you still need that kind of leather armor?” Duke asked directly.
Glask, the owner of the Moliao Armour Shop, had left when the Hammer Party did, and now it seemed he had returned.
Wu Heng sat on his chair and thought for a moment before asking, “Has the weapon shop across the street opened yet?”
“It’s open, but there’s not much inside.”
“Duke, you run an errand, ask the owners of these two shops to come over. I want to discuss some cooperation with them.” Wu Heng said directly.
“Oh, okay, Captain.”
Duke stashed the biscuit in his pocket and quickly walked out of the door.
…
When Duke came back, he brought with him the owners of the two shops.
The beastman owner of Moliao, upon seeing Wu Heng, immediately smiled and took out a slender wooden box from his bosom. He handed it over, saying, “Captain, I got a ‘Treasure Root Twig Beard’ when I went back to the tribe. It’s good for replenishing blood and building strength. Try it.”
Wu Heng glanced at the wooden box.
He had never heard of the Treasure Root Twig Beard, it didn’t sound like any legitimate medicinal material.
“Thank you.” Wu Heng said his thanks, motioned for the two of them to take their seats, and continued, “You guys probably have heard about my current situation.”
The local businessmen all had close ties with the gangs and mercenary groups.
Everyone knew about Wu Heng’s ownership of half the city, surely, they would have heard of it too.
The two beastman shop owners glanced at each other, and the owner of Moliao opened up, “We’ve heard some things.”
Wu Heng nodded, and continued directly, “Since we’re old friends, I’ll just say it; I need to form my own patrol team and army. For armor and weapon needs, I hope to cooperate with you.”
Beforehand, they had somewhat guessed what was coming.
But hearing it directly still suddenly caused their hearts to leap.
Ordering one or two pieces might not mean much.
But cooperating with Wu Heng, arming a new patrol team and army.
That meant taking a side in the struggle between Wu Heng and City Lord ‘Ereno’.
This… wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
“How do you two feel about this?”
Wu Heng looked at the two of them with a smile.