Chapter 59: Zhou Family Reform, Puppets Are Hard to Sell
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Zhou Family Reform, Puppets Are Hard to Sell
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Over twenty days ago, Zhou Bin had formally acknowledged Lu Zhao as his teacher. Though it was an official apprenticeship, the ceremony itself was simple, just as Lu Zhao had wanted. Zhou Hua had only brought along two other Zhou Family Stewards, both good friends of his with respectable cultivation, to serve as witnesses.
Inside the cave residence, over a simple cup of tea, Lu Zhao accepted Zhou Bin’s respectful bow. He offered a few words of advice—to be diligent, focused, and to guard against pride and impatience. Their relationship was established as nothing more than that of a student and a teacher.
Afterward, Zhou Bin moved into a residence near Lu Zhao’s own. On a daily basis, Lu Zhao only assigned him menial chores like processing basic materials or running errands. Only occasionally, when he was in a good mood or saw that Zhou Bin had performed a task with exceptional care, would he casually offer a few pointers on the most basic knowledge of Puppets. The boy would be especially happy on those occasions, and Lu Zhao, in turn, found him to be quite a grounded individual.
One day, after finishing his daily cultivation, Lu Zhao was mulling things over. It had been nearly two months since his promotion to Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet Master. The three-month leave mandated by the Zhou Family was long over, yet he had received no new notice from them. A sliver of doubt began to form in his mind.
He decided to pay a visit to the Nine Abyss Pavilion. For one, he needed to deliver the new Puppets he had just finished refining. For another, it was a chance to sound out the family Steward, Zhou Hua, and see what was going on. After all, Zhou Hua had been quite warm toward "Teacher Lu" lately.
Upon stepping into the Nine Abyss Pavilion, Lu Zhao saw Zhou Hua organizing ledgers behind the counter. Seeing Lu Zhao, he hurried over to greet him. "Mr. Lu! You’ve come! Please, have a seat inside!" He led Lu Zhao to a reception Quiet Chamber and had a serving girl present them with Spirit Tea.
"There’s no need for such ceremony, Shopkeeper Zhou." Lu Zhao sat down and got straight to the point. "I’ve come today, for one, to deliver the next batch of goods." He took out an Ice Mouse Puppet and a Flowing Cloud Sparrow and placed them on the table.
Zhou Hua glanced at them, nodded, and expertly took inventory before counting out the Spirit Stones. "One Ice Mouse Puppet, at the price agreed upon last month, comes to twelve Spirit Stones. One Flowing Cloud Sparrow, twenty-five Spirit Stones." He pushed the Spirit Stones across to Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao collected the Spirit Stones but did not leave immediately. Instead, he lifted his teacup and asked, feigning casualness, "There’s another matter I wanted to ask you, Shopkeeper Zhou. By the Zhou Family’s rules, the three-month leave after the war is now over, so why hasn’t there been any notice of a new assignment?"
The smile on Zhou Hua’s face faltered. He adopted a perfectly calibrated expression of helplessness mixed with an air of mystery, then lowered his voice. "Mr. Lu, I’ve heard some things about this, but the specific details are truly not something someone at my level would be completely privy to."
"I’ve only heard that a few of the family’s Foundation Establishment Elders and the Elder Ancestor have been discussing something major recently. Word is they want to establish a new pavilion to gather all the Cultivators skilled in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. Because of that, many personnel arrangements in the family, including new assignments for Cultivators like you, have likely been put on hold. They’ll probably have to wait until the matter of the new pavilion is settled before making any decisions."
Lu Zhao fell silent upon hearing this, inwardly wondering, ’What is the Zhou Family planning now?’ Outwardly, however, he merely nodded slightly. "I see. Then I’ll just wait and see."
Seeing Lu Zhao’s reaction, Zhou Hua nodded and changed the subject, a wry smile on his face. "Sigh, you might not be aware of this, Mr. Lu, but the end of the war has had a considerable impact."
"Most Cultivators are flush with resources now, so they’re not willing to go out and risk their lives adventuring. They’re all thinking of lying low for a while to properly digest the resources they have on hand. This has directly caused the prices of various consumables in the Marketplace to fall, especially Talismans and Magical Artifacts."
He pointed to the Flowing Cloud Sparrow on the table. "Look at this Flowing Cloud Sparrow. It’s a fine tool for reconnaissance and early warnings, but now that it’s relatively peaceful out there and the war is over, demand has plummeted." He then pointed to the Ice Mouse Puppet. "It’s the same for this Ice Mouse Puppet. Its offensive power is considerable, but with Cultivators looking for stability right now, fewer people are buying."
Zhou Hua looked at Lu Zhao and spoke in a negotiating tone, "Mr. Lu, what do you think of this arrangement? If you don’t want to sell at a lower price for the time being, we can buy one Flowing Cloud Sparrow every two months at the previously agreed price of twenty-five Spirit Stones, but the quantity will be limited. As for the Ice Mouse Puppet, we’ll buy one every three months, also at the original price of twelve Spirit Stones. How does that sound to you?"
Lu Zhao frowned, pondering for a moment. What Zhou Hua said was indeed the truth; a sluggish post-war market was to be expected. He nodded. "Fine. We’ll do as you suggest, Shopkeeper Zhou."
"Thank you for your understanding!" Zhou Hua breathed a sigh of relief, then asked tentatively, "By the way, Mr. Lu, about the Ironwood Guard... are you still refining those? That one is actually doing fine. When Cultivators form teams to explore dangerous areas, there’s always a demand for a tank-type Puppet that can both take and deal damage. While the price has been affected, it’s still relatively stable. The Nine Abyss Pavilion is willing to buy one per month for eighty Spirit Stones."
His success rate for refining Ironwood Guards was stable now, and at eighty Spirit Stones apiece, he could still earn a profit of nearly fifty percent. After a brief consideration, Lu Zhao agreed. "Alright."
"Excellent! No problem!" Zhou Hua’s smile broadened. He hesitated a moment, then asked with curiosity and anticipation, "Mr. Lu, since you are now a Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet Master, have you considered selling the Middle-Grade Puppets you refine? The pavilion would be willing to make a trial purchase at one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones to gauge the reaction from the Cultivators in the Marketplace..."
"Not for now," Lu Zhao cut in, his tone impassive. "Middle-Grade Puppets require far more expensive materials and are much more difficult to refine. The market is uncertain right now, making their value hard to estimate. Did you just say one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones a piece?"
"Yes," Zhou Hua nodded and explained, "Middle-Grade Puppets are rare, after all. This price is just a preliminary estimate. It could be higher or lower, depending on the specifics..."
Lu Zhao had already done a quick calculation. ’The core materials, the complexity of the Spirit Patterns, the refining time, and the expenditure of Heart Power for a Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet all far surpass those of a Lower-Grade one. A mere one hundred and sixty Spirit Stones? That wouldn’t even cover the cost of the materials, let alone the Heart Power and the risks involved. Selling one at that price would be taking a loss.’
He shook his head slightly. "At that price, it wouldn’t even cover my costs. Let me consider it further." With that, he drained the last of his tea, rose to his feet, and said, "The delivery is complete. I will take my leave now."
"Take care, Mr. Lu! If you need anything, come and find me anytime!" Zhou Hua quickly rose to see him out, his attitude as respectful as ever.
Leaving the Nine Abyss Pavilion and walking along the streets of the Marketplace, Lu Zhao’s mind was churning. His new assignment was up in the air, the market had suddenly cooled, and the cost of his Tier One Middle-Grade Puppets was awkwardly high while the potential selling price was too low. He couldn’t help but sigh to himself. ’So even with a monopoly in Changfeng County, this business is this difficult to manage.’
The art of puppetry was, after all, a niche market in Changfeng County. The recent boom in sales had simply been a consequence of the war. Now that the fighting had stopped, the market’s true colors were showing.