Chapter 84 - 83: Obtaining the Wolf Corpse
Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Obtaining the Wolf Corpse
Seventy Spirit Stones for one Ironwood Guard was lower than he’d expected. Back with the Zhou Family, even though the Hundred Arts Pavilion only gave him an eighty percent cut, he still earned forty to fifty Spirit Stones per Ironwood Guard. And that was nothing compared to the Nine Abyss Pavilion. Now, his success rate in refining them was higher, and he could push his costs even lower. Seventy Spirit Stones seemed like a fifty-Spirit-Stone profit, but considering prices might be higher in the Bixia Marketplace, his profit per unit still wouldn’t match what he got from the Hundred Arts Pavilion, let alone the Nine Abyss Pavilion.
As for the Ice Wind Wolf Puppet, Lu Zhao wanted to see how the Ironwood Guards sold first. Selling the Ice Wind Wolf Puppets was a losing proposition, and he couldn’t afford to make too many.
"Master Lin, isn’t the price for the Ironwood Guard a little low? As far as I know, they sell for more than eighty in other counties," Lu Zhao probed.
Lin Yuanshan’s smile didn’t waver as he explained, "Mr. Lu, you’re a discerning man. In other counties, how many Puppets can you sell in a year? Naturally, the price for each one is high. But I require a large quantity. You’ll be able to sell many more, and the Spirit Stones you earn will only increase, not decrease."
He then paused before continuing, "Mr. Lu, seventy Spirit Stones is a price I’m offering out of respect for your exquisite skills as a Tier One Middle-Grade Puppet Master. Furthermore, our tower has an outstanding reputation and pays promptly. You only need to focus on refining the Puppets without worrying about sales. Wouldn’t that be much more convenient?" Lin Yuanshan said, looking as if he had only Lu Zhao’s best interests at heart.
Lu Zhao mulled this over for a moment. Seventy Spirit Stones certainly wasn’t a high price, but when he considered the time, energy, and risk it saved him from having to sell the Puppets himself, it was just about acceptable. What he needed right now was a stable source of Spirit Stones and the free time to focus on his cultivation and researching more High Tier Puppetry.
As for the Ice Wind Wolf Puppet, Lin Yuanshan noticed Lu Zhao didn’t bring it up again after hearing the price, so he tactfully refrained from mentioning it as well.
"Seventy Spirit Stones is acceptable," Lu Zhao finally nodded. "However, I’m new here and still need to familiarize myself with the area. Refining also takes time. To start, I can provide three Ironwood Guards per month. We can discuss increasing or decreasing that number later, depending on sales. How does that sound?" Lu Zhao asked tentatively.
"Three units?" Lin Yuanshan thought for a moment. "Alright! Three it is! Mr. Lu, your skills are extraordinary. The Puppets you make are surely top-quality. It’s settled! When can you deliver the first batch?"
"How about the first of next month?" Lu Zhao estimated.
"It’s a deal!" Lin Yuanshan clapped his hands and smiled. "I will await you here then, Mr. Lu! By the way, since you refine Puppets, you must need a lot of materials, right? Besides selling finished products, my tower also deals in all kinds of Spiritual Materials. Our quality is guaranteed, and our prices are fair. If you ever need anything, just ask. I will be sure to give you the best possible price!"
A thought struck Lu Zhao. This was an unexpected bonus. Although he had an agreement with the old man from the stall yesterday, he could only get a few wolf corpses at most. A stable supply of Tier One Middle-Grade Demon Wolf Corpses was something he had always needed.
"Since Master Lin is being so generous, I won’t be polite," Lu Zhao said, seizing the opportunity. "I was wondering if your tower could provide a stable supply of complete Tier One Middle-Grade Demon Wolf Corpses? I’m willing to pay the Market Price."
"Tier One Middle-Grade Demon Wolf Corpses?" Lin Yuanshan stroked his chin, pondering for a moment. "They aren’t exactly common, but my tower works with a few large Demon Hunting Teams. Getting one or two a month shouldn’t be a problem. As for the price... depending on completeness and freshness, it’s usually between thirty-five and forty-five Spirit Stones. How many wolf corpses do you need each month?"
Lu Zhao paused to think, considering the Spirit Stones he had on hand and his expected income from the Ironwood Guards. "One per month will be enough," Lu Zhao stated.
"Alright! You can leave this to me!" Lin Yuanshan slapped his chest in assurance. "When you come to deliver the Ironwood Guards on the first of next month, the first Demon Wolf Corpse will be ready for you!"
With that, they reached an initial agreement. After settling the matter of the wolf corpses, Lu Zhao asked about the prices of several puppet Auxiliary Materials. Lin Yuanshan answered every question smoothly. The prices were indeed slightly lower than what Lu Zhao had managed to find out sporadically in the Marketplace, but a little higher than the prices at the Zhou Family Marketplace.
When Lu Zhao left the Spirit Puppet Tower, an unconcealable smile was on his face. He hadn’t expected that the problems of Puppet sales and sourcing key materials, which had been troubling him, would be solved all at once at the Spirit Puppet Tower. Although the transaction had been somewhat unexpected, the result was satisfying. ’This Bixia Marketplace really does have more resources and opportunities than the Zhou Family Marketplace.’
Zhao Xiaoshu, who had been following Lu Zhao in silence, waited until they were a good distance from the Spirit Puppet Tower. He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention, then quickened his pace to catch up to Lu Zhao. With sincere admiration and a hint of excitement on his face, he whispered, "Congratulations, Senior! I never imagined you were such a brilliant Puppet Master! I was truly blind to your greatness!"
Lu Zhao nodded with a smile. He casually took out three Lower Grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag and tossed them to him. "You’ve worked hard running around with me today. This is for you."
Three Spirit Stones! To Zhao Xiaoshu, who was only at the First Layer of Qi Cultivation, this was an absolute fortune! He fumbled to catch the Spirit Stones, clutching them tightly in his palm. His face instantly flushed red, and his eyes shone with ecstatic delight. His voice trembled with excitement, "Th-Thank you, Senior, for your generous gift! Senior’s great kindness... I... I will never forget it as long as I live! If Senior has any orders, I, Little Shu, would go through hell and high water without hesitation!"
Watching Zhao Xiaoshu ramble incoherently with excitement, Lu Zhao chuckled and said, "Alright, put them away. I need you to keep an eye out for two things for me: first, a complete corpse of a Tier One Middle-Grade Spirit Turtle, preferably with the Water Attribute. Second, any news about Tier One High-Grade Spirit Water. Any kind of news, as long as it’s a lead, report it to me immediately. There will be another reward if you find anything."
"Yes! Rest assured, Senior! Little Shu has taken note! I will do my utmost to gather information for you!" Zhao Xiaoshu carefully put the Spirit Stones away, straightened his back, and answered with firm resolution.
「Two days later.」 Lu Zhao left Guiyun Residence and headed for Black Stone Lane. He had wandered through this area a couple of days prior and had some memory of it. From a distance, he spotted a figure standing at the mouth of the lane—it was the old man he had arranged to buy wolf corpses from. It looked like he had been waiting for a long time.
As Lu Zhao drew closer, he saw the old man pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. He could vaguely make out whispers like, "Why isn’t he here yet?" and "Is he really going to show up?"
Lu Zhao was secretly amused. ’This guy isn’t very brave. He was the one who left a Puppet with me as collateral, yet now he’s the one pacing nervously, as if I were holding some precious item of his hostage.’
"You’re here bright and early, friend," Lu Zhao said as he walked up to him.
The old man looked up at the sound of his voice and visibly sighed in relief, his tone becoming lighter. "Friend, you’re finally here! I got the goods!" After speaking, he glanced around warily, grabbed Lu Zhao by the sleeve, and pulled him into a secluded alleyway, acting as furtively as a thief.