Chapter 356 - 284: Alien Race and Holy Race (Part 1)
Chapter 356: Chapter 284: Alien Race and Holy Race (Part 1)
Although Zhao Chi had invented a master, Zhao Cang still believed it.
Zhao Cang: [A Master Refiner? Oh... so that’s how it is... I get it. This is a common situation. After all, being too skilled can sometimes bring trouble. I assume he must be a master in hiding?]
Zhao Cang was quite good at filling in the blanks.
Zhao Chi quickly chimed in:
Zhao Chi: [Er... right!]
Zhao Cang: [It’s fine. Many highly skilled Craftsmen are like that, especially those with unique secret techniques. Zhao Chi, you’re really lucky to have connected with a master like that.]
Zhao Chi: [So, should I head over now? Can you grant me access?]
Zhao Cang: [Wait a minute. I need to go find our eldest uncle. While Kerosene isn’t exactly a top-tier supply, this Super Bright Kerosene is truly excellent. It significantly increases visibility at night.]
Zhao Chi: [Alright. Just let me know when.]
「A little while later.」
Zhao Cang: [Zhao Chi, come to the Clan Leader’s House. The Clan Leader, Eldest Uncle, and I are all here. We want to ask you for the details.]
Zhao Chi: [Okay, give me a moment. I have something urgent to take care of.]
Zhao Cang: [No problem.]
In reality, Zhao Chi had nothing to take care of.
He just hadn’t expected to be called into a meeting.
They would certainly ask all sorts of questions, and he was bound to slip up.
He needed time to think through the story from beginning to end.
Naturally, this was something he had to discuss with Gu Qing.
Gu Qing folded her arms, her lips pursed in thought.
"Hmm... We definitely need to think this through. Let’s run a simulation."
"A simulation?"
"That’s right." Gu Qing nodded. "I’ll ask the questions, and you’ll answer. If you get stuck, we’ll figure out a good answer together."
"Got it."
"You can ask questions too. Through this back-and-forth, we can weave a complete narrative."
"Alright, let’s begin."
They went back and forth, firing questions at each other.
They covered every possible angle.
Gu Qing was no brainless beauty. Quite the opposite, in fact. Her intellect was just as impressive as her figure.
Besides all the lewd trash... ah, *material*... her mind was full of many different ideas.
In just over ten minutes, they had worked out answers for nearly every possible question.
They decided to name the fictional Master Refiner "Master Chen."
He was named after the Refinery Team Leader, Chen Hua.
This made the name easy to remember. Besides, Chen was a very common surname, and there were plenty of masters named Chen.
"Not bad, sir. Our Efficiency is pretty good."
"It’s all thanks to you. You’re an incredibly capable assistant."
"Hee hee, of course! You should get going, sir. It’s not good to keep the Clan Leader and the others waiting."
"Alright, I’m heading over now."
Zhao Chi arrived in the Great World.
He headed straight for the clan’s main building.
The roads were still heavily patrolled by members of the various clans; no one was letting their guard down.
Inside the Clan Leader’s House, Zhao Shizhang and the other two men were waiting for Zhao Chi.
"Clan Leader, Eldest Uncle, Third Brother, I apologize for being late."
Zhao Shizhang smiled. "We just got here ourselves. Have a seat."
Zhao Chi had just sat down when his eldest uncle, Zhao Qizong, spoke up. "Zhao Chi, this Super Bright Kerosene... you managed to buy 1,800 liters? Does this master trust you that much?"
Gu Qing had already anticipated this question.
Zhao Chi gave the prepared answer.
He didn’t just answer that question; he laid out the entire fabricated story from start to finish.
Though some details were hazy, they were impossible to verify.
After Zhao Chi finished, the three men were silent for a moment.
Zhao Qizong asked, "So, you’re saying we can not only use this Kerosene ourselves but also sell it? Are you certain?"
Zhao Chi nodded. "Master Chen didn’t make any promises, but he implied that as long as our partnership goes smoothly, he couldn’t be bothered to find anyone else. It’s not convenient for him to go out at the moment, so he’s letting me handle it. We’re allowed to sell it, but it must be kept confidential."
"Of course. That’s a given. Tell Master Chen not to worry." Zhao Qizong nodded repeatedly. "This Super Bright Kerosene may not be an absolute top-tier necessity, but it’s still excellent. The ability to expand our range of vision severalfold at night is highly practical!"
Zhao Shizhang asked, "And what price does Master Chen want for it?"
"20 Silver Coins per liter, to be adjusted later based on the market."
"I see..." Zhao Shizhang frowned. "That price is actually quite reasonable."
Zhao Cang said, "Clan Leader, while the price is reasonable, we probably can’t mark it up too much. Ordinary Kerosene only costs 1 Silver Coin per liter. This is a twenty-fold difference."
Zhao Qizong said, "Then could we sell it for 25, or even 30 Silver Coins?"
Zhao Cang nodded. "I’m not sure yet, but I think 25 Silver Coins is feasible. 30 might be pushing it. It’s a shame things are so chaotic outside right now. We can only use it ourselves for the time being and wait for a better opportunity to sell."
Zhao Shizhang said, "Indeed. If things weren’t so chaotic, Master Chen would never have approached Zhao Chi. No matter. We’ll take all 1,800 liters. And we’ll buy however much more he has in the future."
Zhao Chi asked, "Understood. So, should I bring the Kerosene over? To Third Brother’s territory?"
Zhao Shizhang nodded. "Yes, deliver it to Zhao Cang."
Zhao Chi asked another question. "With everything so chaotic out there, do we still need to pay taxes? It’s not a small sum."
Zhao Shizhang chuckled. "It’s merely chaotic outside right now; the nobles haven’t fallen. The final outcome of the war is completely unpredictable. If the nobles win, our failure to pay taxes during this period would be seen as kicking them while they’re down. They would absolutely settle the score with us later."
Zhao Qizong supplemented, "Exactly. The taxes are high, but we can still afford them. At least it’s cheaper than the ’tributes’ we pay to bandits. Just think of it as a different kind of tribute, one paid to the nobles to buy our future security."