Astral Cockroach

Insects engaged in commerce develop a smooth style of dealing with affairs and are good at saying pleasant things.

As soon as Banbu landed, Huang Jing began to praise him: "A young mountain master with unlimited potential, and so hospitable! Your black carapace is elegant and noble, and your ferocious aura shows you will grow into the most skilled roach warrior."

"I can sense that there are three Divine Seeds on the mountain, three Divine Seeds with excellent potential for development, especially that bamboo seed, it will definitely condense high-quality bamboo rice."

Everyone can say flattering words, and everyone loves to hear them. They don't cost anything and are the most common and universal means of socializing. But if you really believe them, then you are a fool.

Banbu ignored the flattery and asked, "Princess Huang Jing, did you come all the way around from the Sheep Hoof Mountains?"

Huang Jing said, "Yes, our merchant team has established a deep friendship with the Hanging Banyan Mountain Master of the Sheep Hoof Mountains and has stable trade relations."

Banbu asked in confusion, "Banyan fruit is fresh fruit, the seeds are very small, and it only flowers and bears fruit in late summer and early autumn. How have you preserved it until now?"

Huang Jing said with regret, "Fresh fruit can be preserved, but the process is too troublesome, the time cannot be too long, and it is easy to have problems and damage, so the scale of our trade with the Hanging Banyan Mountain Master has always been limited."

Banbu asked curiously, "What method?"

Huang Jing shouted to the warrior on her carapace, "Bracken, bring down an amber fruit for Mountain Master Banbu to see."

"Okay." A mid-level Flame Spider warrior responded, began to rummage, and soon took out a super-large fruit shaped like a coconut from a super-large spider silk bag, climbed nimbly to the ground, and handed it to Banbu.

Banbu shook it, and there really was liquid inside.

Huang Jing explained, "The fruit contains a milky white liquid that dries and solidifies into a semi-transparent solid similar to amber. Applying it to the surface of fresh fruit creates a hard shell effect equivalent to a fruit shell. Stored in the snow mountains, it can be preserved in a low-temperature environment until the coming spring."

The Flame Spider warrior named Bracken continued to explain, "The solidified amber juice is afraid of water. Soaking it in water for half a day will soften it."

"I see." Banbu asked, "Amber fruit is produced in the hot south, isn't the price high?"

Huang Jing said, "Our Flame Spider Kingdom has planted many amber fruits, so it is not rare in itself. The difficulty is transportation, it is too big and too heavy."

Banbu moved his antennae in agreement and said, "We understand."

Feng Ling, who was cutting flagstone on the mountain, noticed the movement, sped over, and landed beside them.

Banbu introduced, "Princess Huang Jing, this is Feng Ling, a high-level warrior from our Li Bamboo Peak."

"Princess Huang Jing, hello!" Feng Ling felt the terrifying aura of the princess-level Flame Spider warrior, and her mental power seemed a little cramped and timid.

"Hello!" Princess Huang Jing tried her best to make her mental power gentle and began to introduce the members of her merchant team.

8 high-level warriors, 17 mid-level warriors, and 1 primary Flame Spider warrior born last year.

Banbu and Feng Ling led the way, and the team slowly climbed up the mountain. When they reached the foot of Li Bamboo Peak, Huang Jing stopped and ordered:

"Yuzhu, follow Mountain Master Banbu up the mountain to inspect."

Banbu and Feng Ling were both puzzled.

Huang Jing took the initiative to explain, "Yuzhu is about to grow into a mountain master, leave my protection, form her own merchant team, and travel independently as a merchant. Mountain Master Banbu, you are also a young member of the Red Roach tribe, and I think you can become good partners."

Seeming to see Banbu's dissatisfaction, Huang Jing continued to explain, "This is the tradition of our Iridescent Flame Spider tribe. Chonglou's merchant team has already been here, right? Chonglou became a mountain master eight years ago and separated from my merchant team."

Is she treating me as a training opponent for cultivating juniors?

Banbu was even more dissatisfied. He glanced lightly at the goods dragged on Yuzhu's carapace, reversed his attitude, and greeted enthusiastically: "Yuzhu, please come with me!"

In view of the Iridescent Flame Spider tribe's huge size, Banbu and Feng Ling specially spent time opening up a special "business road" to facilitate the merchant team's travel.

After going up the mountain, they visited the three Divine Seeds in turn.

The Cliff Cypress Divine Seed was naturally ignored. Without being nurtured by the fate sac, its value was greatly reduced.

Yuzhu's performance was similar to Chonglou's. She lamented the aura of the Green Bamboo Divine Seed and praised it, but in the end, she stopped in front of the Purple Gold Divine Seed.

The reason was very simple. The flowering and fruiting cycle of the Green Bamboo Divine Seed could not be determined, but it could be 100% certain that the Purple Gold Divine Seed would flower and bear fruit every year. According to the current growth model, there would be a small harvest this year. As Banbu advances to a high-level warrior, the harvest next year will be even greater.

After a brief conversation and introduction, Banbu took out a grass seed condensed last year and asked Yuzhu to taste it.

As soon as the grass seed entered her mouth, Yuzhu said without hesitation: "Mountain Master Banbu, forgive me for speaking frankly, but the quality of your Purple Gold Bamboo Rice is too poor."

"That's right, due to various reasons, the quality of the Purple Gold Bamboo Rice produced last year was indeed not satisfactory."

Banbu didn't want to dwell too much on the quality issue and said, "Mountain Master Chonglou's merchant team has already pre-ordered all of this year's Purple Gold Bamboo Rice at a low price. Next year, the quality will improve. After you taste it, we will discuss a new price."

"That makes sense." Yuzhu first agreed, and then asked in confusion, "Pre-ordered?"

Good question.

Banbu was just about to promote his "pre-order" sales model to the merchant team.

"Pre-ordering means paying half of the agreed price in raw stones in advance for the Purple Gold Bamboo Rice produced this year. It is a brand new transaction method that benefits both parties. I guarantee that I will sell a sufficient amount of Purple Gold Bamboo Rice to the merchant team, and the merchant team guarantees that it will buy it."

Yuzhu pondered in silence and directly found the key point of this transaction model and asked, "Mountain Master Banbu, have you received the raw stones in advance?"

Banbu moved his antennae and said, "Yes."

Yuzhu asked, "Don't you have to pay interest?"

Banbu said, "No."

Yuzhu said, "Then you have to make some concessions on the selling price of the bamboo rice, right? After the merchant team operates the raw stones for a year, it will definitely generate profits. Paying it out in advance means that the capital traded during the merchant trip will be reduced, and the profits will be reduced."

None of the traveling merchants of the Iridescent Flame Spider tribe are easy to fool.

Banbu answered truthfully, "That's right, pre-ordering gives a certain discount on the price."

Yuzhu asked, "Mountain Master Banbu, can I pre-order a batch next year?"

Banbu said, "The production is limited. According to the agreement, I have to give priority to satisfying Mountain Master Chonglou's merchant team. I can reserve a batch for your merchant team."

Yuzhu said, "As you grow, the number of Purple Gold Divine Seed divisions will increase, and the production will skyrocket. I look forward to you advancing to a princess soon."

Yuzhu is still too young. Saying this clearly shows that she looks down on the products of Banbu's territory.

Banbu didn't mind and said half-jokingly, "At that time, I'm afraid that both you and Chonglou's merchant teams won't be able to handle it."

Yuzhu said, "Mountain Master Banbu, you underestimate us. My merchant team will grow stronger year by year, and I will accumulate wealth like mountains."

Banbu agreed, "That's right, you will become the most outstanding traveling merchant."

The two sides talked happily.

They chatted about everything under the sun for a while, and Yuzhu said goodbye.

Banbu and Feng Ling sent her down the mountain.

Before leaving, Princess Huang Jing suddenly reminded, "Mountain Master Banbu, we came from the Sheep Hoof Mountains, via the Water Banyan Mountains, trekking through mountains and rivers, this road is not peaceful!"

Banbu's heart skipped a beat and said, "Our Red Roach tribe's control over the territories of the Water Banyan and Jinping Mountains is somewhat inadequate."

Princess Huang Jing said, "When passing through the river between the Water Banyan Mountains and the Jinping Mountains, I sensed the aura of Rainbow Boa warriors more than once."

Banbu moved his antennae and said solemnly, "Princess Huang Jing, thank you for the reminder!"