Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 370 - Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine: Setting a Trap

Chapter 370: Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine: Setting a Trap

"If the price is right, our Border Army certainly needs them,"

Qian Shuisheng agreed without hesitation and then smiled, asking, "I just don’t know how Mr. Zhou plans to sell them?"

Zhou Chen licked his lips upon hearing this:

"Hehe... My lord asks for this amount."

As he spoke,

he slowly stretched out one hand, spreading three fingers in front of the ten-plus generals inside the tent.

Seeing this gesture, Qian Shuisheng’s expression remained unchanged:

"Three million taels is also quite....."

"Thirty million."

"....." Qian Shuisheng.

Zhou Chen let out a dry laugh to break the silence, his eyes gleaming with mirth:

"Elder Qian, the Cloud Qi Bombs are expensive to produce; three million taels wouldn’t even cover the cost."

The tent fell silent, Qian Shuisheng said nothing more, but his gaze calmly swept over the others present.

"Sigh...."

After a brief silence, there came a sigh followed by a middle-aged woman in armor, her tone laced with mockery:

"Mr. Zhou, the thirty-million-strong Border Army is shedding blood here to reclaim the Northern Border, and the Imperial Court doesn’t even arrange for reinforcements let alone military supplies. Now we’re expected to use our personal funds to purchase them... doesn’t this risk chilling the soldiers’ hearts?"

Zhou Chen glanced back at the woman.

He, Zhou Chen, had always considered himself to have thick skin, but this woman seemed to not need a face at all.

After a moment’s pause, Zhou Chen’s thoughts raced, and with a feigned smile, he said:

"Ah... Big sister’s words are a bit much. My lord does not hold a position in the Imperial Court. The acquisition of the Cloud Qi Bombs was taken from his private stock; how can we speak of chilling the hearts of the Border Army?"

With that said,

Zhou Chen stood straight, clasped his hands and bowed towards the sky, proclaiming loudly, "On the contrary, it is because my lord worries about the country and its people, particularly troubled by the lives of the three hundred thousand soldiers beneath the walls of Northern Border City, that he has sent me here to inquire. I hope the generals can understand his intentions."

The middle-aged woman snorted coldly.

And at that moment,

General Hou, with a scar on his face, suddenly let out a chilling laugh:

"So it seems, Mr. Zhou is not an envoy from the Imperial Court, right?"

Not being an envoy, there was no protective skin to shield him, and killing him would likely result in nothing more than a personal dispute, without a cause of greater justice.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen cursed inwardly, fixating on the man who had spoken, very deliberately:

"Brother, I’m but a mouthpiece for my lord, my life is cheap, certainly not worth as much as the noble families present here, let alone the lives of these three hundred thousand soldiers."

Don’t play this game with me; it doesn’t matter if you kill me, but without the Cloud Qi Bombs, do you think you can defeat the tens of thousands of enemy troops from the Barbarian Tribes who hold the absolute advantage of terrain?

General Hou narrowed his eyes, a glint of murderous intent appearing within them:

"Mr. Zhou, dying for righteousness is noble, indeed..."

"Enough."

At this point, Qian Shuisheng cut him off once again and turned to Zhou Chen with a smile, "Mr. Zhou, if we agree to your lord’s conditions, how will the Cloud Qi Bombs be delivered, and how will we arrange the payment?"

"Elder Qian is straightforward."

Zhou Chen felt a little relieved, bowed and smiled,

"As for the delivery of the Cloud Qi Bombs... you can set a time, and my lord will arrange for men to deliver them on schedule."

"Tsk..."

A snide chuckle came from a young female general, her eyebrows raised in mockery, "Mr. Zhou, even empty promises have their limits. How can we trust you blindly? What if the Cloud Qi Bombs are a fabrication, and our Border Army’s funds would simply be taken in vain by you?"

Zhou Chen had a ready answer, without any hesitation,

"The Cloud Qi Bombs have been supplied to your army before, with two bombs. Some of you must have seen them and know that the construction of the Cloud Qi Bombs is unstable; they cannot be stored in the Sumeru Ring. If your army is willing to dispatch elite troops, my lord can provide a location for hiding the Cloud Qi Bombs."

"...."

The young female general sneered coldly, "With such heavy snow outside, dispatching troops to escort? Do you think the Wolf Cavalry of the roaming Barbarian Tribes are blind?"

Zhou Chen spread his hands frankly,

"If the army is unwilling, then we could arrange for high-ranking Cultivators to accompany me to retrieve them. This might actually reduce the risk of exposure. You have three delivery methods to choose from."

"Let’s not discuss this matter for now."

Qian Shuisheng’s eyes revealed contemplation, his tone neutral, "Then Mr. Zhou, how does your lord plan to handle our payment?"

Zhou Chen grinned, once again bowing towards the sky:

"My lord said, he wants no deeds, no shares in commerce assemblies, and no certificates relating to industries of the Northern Frontier. He will only accept silver notes or resources for cultivation. Naturally, if the army is willing to sell military supplies, my lord is willing to buy them at five times the market price."

The words fell, and there was a brief silence.

The expressions on the faces of the dozen commanders who held command of the armies became somewhat odd.

These statements carried significant implications.

Uninterested in any tangible assets...

In recent years, the Tian’an Commerce Assembly of the Prime Minister’s Mansion and the Imperial Court’s royal commerce chambers had been knocking their heads against the wall to get into their Northern Frontier markets. Now, with such an open opportunity to enter the Northern Frontier market, the man behind Mr. Zhou could not possibly miss out on it.

It’s not that he doesn’t want them; rather, the man behind Mr. Zhou can’t take them.

Even if he lets confidants hold assets in their name without participating in management, only taking an annual profit share, each profit delivery would increase the chance of exposure.

Seconds ticked by.

Qian Shuisheng’s gaze upon Zhou Chen became mocking as he smiled,