Work Prophet
Chapter 53 - 14 Too Many Good Things

Chapter 53: Chapter 14 Too Many Good Things

"You just need to set up a stall in any nearby town’s market, and merchants will come to ask about the price immediately, or you could directly approach the major trading companies. They have deep pockets and will definitely be able to absorb such a large quantity of goods," he said.

Miss Rabbit reluctantly set the bag of pepper back on the table.

What is the most painful thing in the world?

Answer: Having a mountain of gold in front of you that isn’t yours.

That was exactly how Ireya felt.

It was painful, far too painful! In this cold world, only the old ancestors who played hopscotch retained a hint of warmth.

The girl thought so, as one of her hands reached for the necklace around her neck again.

Then, she heard Li Yu ask, "What’s the nearest town to Green Field?"

"Black Stone City. It’s less than a day’s trip by carriage there and back," Miss Rabbit said. "You could ask Fosto to get someone to take you there."

"A day is too much time to waste," Li Yu said. "I don’t have that much time to spend on the road."

The girl was already clutching the electronic pet egg but stopped as she seemed to sense something else.

"Plus, I’ve just arrived on this continent not long ago. I’m unfamiliar with the place and don’t know the merchants in Black Stone City; they will definitely try to drive a hard bargain with me."

"You can ask around at several places."

"What if they collude together?"

"Hmm, you have a point there," Miss Rabbit said, as if she could smell the sweet scent of gold coins. She was too close to Li Yu to speak her mind openly, but her hand that had reached for the necklace retracted.

"And there’s a bigger issue. As you mentioned, this batch of pepper is quite valuable. How am I to safeguard the wealth I gain from selling it, as well as my own safety?"

The girl swallowed her saliva and continued along the lines Li Yu had laid down, "You could hire mercenaries, but with such a large sum of money, you can’t rely on mercenaries either; they’re just a pack of greedy wolves with no sense of honor."

While pretending to worry for Li Yu, Miss Rabbit stealthily watched his expressions, hoping he would suggest that she handle the transaction.

Then she heard Li Yu say, "It looks like I need to find another helper."

"That’s right, that’s right," the girl agreed, nodding her head repeatedly like a pecking chicken, her eyes growing more and more excited.

"I think Jude would be a good choice. Although he’s greedy for money, he’s quite principled. If he agrees to something, he’ll see it through. His martial arts skills are excellent; he was able to take on four or five men by himself before. With me added, even if we encounter a small squad of six or seven, I’m not worried."

Li Yu noticed how quickly some people’s true nature can reveal itself. In no time at all, saliva was almost dripping from her, and he felt he had to remind her a bit, to make her contain herself, lest this fellow gets carried away in her excitement and starts raising the price on the spot.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Miss Rabbit reacted as if she’d been doused with cold water, and urgently said, "Jude... How could he possibly be suitable?!"

"Why wouldn’t Jude be suitable?" Li Yu refuted.

"He... he’s still working for me, how can he take someone else’s money?" Ireya, in her panic, came up with what she thought was a perfect excuse.

"That’s simple; since you haven’t paid him much anyway, just let him quit working for you and focus on selling the pepper for me. To be fair, we can let him choose," Li Yu reasoned.

Miss Rabbit was dumbfounded, knowing well that serving as a figurehead for her couldn’t possibly earn more than doing a major business deal with Li Yu. Even a fool would know how to choose.

Seeing the juicy opportunity about to slip away, the girl was almost driven to tears.

Li Yu felt that the timing was just about right, so he shifted the conversation. "However, Jude is just a mercenary, not skilled in business, and he has always been outdoors, with a, um... rather unique way of interacting with people. So, I think it’s better to find someone else."

"Choose me." Ireya finally couldn’t help blurting out.

"I have familiar merchants in Black Stone City who can offer you prices that will satisfy you, and with the prestige of the Arias family in this area, no petty thieves dare come after us. If you’re worried, I can send a knight to complete the trade and make sure to get your money back. Of course, this requires you to let go of a bit of the profit, just a little bit."

Miss Rabbit said in one breath, feeling a burst of relief as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her chest.

"How much do you want to take?" Li Yu asked.

"Thirty percent!" Miss Rabbit answered without hesitation, then seemingly worried that Li Yu wouldn’t be satisfied, she explained, "Although I am a lord, besides during times of war, sending knights on missions isn’t free, we have to give something, but of course, that part isn’t much, the bulk is still the transaction tax."

"Transaction tax?"

"Yes, Black Stone City is the territory of the Gustav family, any transaction in the city is taxed by the Gustav family, especially spices, they watch it very closely, sending governors to patrol the market daily."

"What’s the tax rate?"

"Twenty percent," Miss Rabbit said, her eyes flickering.

Li Yu immediately understood—this kid certainly had a way to evade taxes.

This wasn’t his universe, where if the tax authorities decided to investigate, it was impossible to hide anything. Even in his own universe, where many people still evaded taxes, let alone here.

In medieval England, to collect taxes, King Athelstan once decreed that no one should buy goods over twenty pennies outside the towns, even invoking God, yet the underground economy thrived where the official’s eyes couldn’t see.

This place was surely no exception. The Arias family, having been entrenched in the West Realm for centuries, would have been more surprising if they couldn’t handle something as minor as tax evasion.

But Li Yu didn’t point that out, as he would have had to pay the tax if he did the selling himself.

Rather than giving it to the Gustav family, it was better given to Ireya, and considering this way, he only had to give up ten percent of his revenue for Miss Rabbit to take care of everything from negotiation to transportation.

It was a paragon of one-stop service, and with Ireya’s stinginess at the helm, the final price would undoubtedly be higher than if he negotiated himself.

Maybe it could even compensate for the thirty percent split, and with the backing of the Arias family, there wouldn’t be any unnecessary trouble.

Li Yu was very satisfied with the deal, and for Miss Rabbit, she was overjoyed, feeling as if flowers were blooming in her heart.

She kept asking, "Is there a lot of Black Gold in your homeland? Maybe you should bring some more next time."

"We’ll see," Li Yu said. "I have other items to bring, but speaking of selling, I do have some other goods whose value I’m unsure of. Take a look with me."

"What other good things did you bring?" The girl’s interest was piqued. "Can they compare to pepper?"

"They should be able to."

Li Yu took out a small bag from his pocket, this time pouring the contents directly onto the table.

When Ireya saw the distinctly faceted, dazzling items on the table, her breath stopped for a moment.

—Artificial gemstones. Their main chemical components were no different from natural gemstones, all being aluminum oxide, but by mixing in different compounds, they showed different colors. The wholesale prices on 1688 varied from a few cents to tens of yuan depending on the craftsmanship and size.

Li Yu had bought 10*10mm gemstones, since the auction started at ten pieces, he bid for ten, costing a total of one hundred fourteen yuan and forty cents.