The Great Merchant in the Cataclysm

Chapter 68: Solve One After Another

After Zhang Mu had exchanged all the animal cores from Wang Liang, he let out a sigh of relief. However, this was just a beginning; Wang Liang’s base wasn’t the only base in Luoyang City.

What he needed was to completely exchange all his food and weapons at the other bases for the crystals and animal cores he needed. After all, Wang Liang wouldn’t be able to purchase all his goods.

Moreover, this was just the beginning of the new cataclysm. Even if there were some disputes between the bases, but they wouldn’t get into a fight over it. After all, the threat of walking dead in the city hadn’t been eradicated. Not only that, but there were lots of mutated animals outside of the city eyeing the city. Therefore, if they didn’t want to die, they couldn’t run foul of each other.

As long as the leaders in the bases had even a little brain, they wouldn’t get into a dispute over such trivial conflict of interest with the other bases.

After all, living was already hard enough in itself.

When Wang Liang found out Zhang Mu’s idea of going to the other bases, his initial reaction was to persuade him to give up on that idea. Wang Liang was an ambitious person; after tasting the feeling of being in power, the idea of wanting to take control of Luoyang City gradually bubbled in his head.

However, he had no reason nor the ability to stop Zhang Mu. If other bases could obtain help from Zhang Mu, they would be able to firm their foothold and quickly develop, and that, from mankind’s perspective, was something extremely advantageous. Moreover, half of Wang Liang’s current abilities were gained from his exchanges from Zhang Mu, so how could he possibly hold Zhang Mu back from going elsewhere?

Still, Wang Liang asked Zhang Mu carefully, “Brother Mu, can you not sell them the standard weapons and armour? As for the grains, I raise both hands in agreement for the exchange of those. After all, I don’t want to see our own kind being starved to death.”

Zhang Mu had guessed that Wang Liang would bring it up when he was asking Wang Liang for the locations of the other bases. He gazed at Wang Liang for a while and said leisurely, “I will sell to their bases half the amount of the standard weapons and armour accordingly that I sold to you, and I won’t sell more than ten sets of arms to each base. As for the food, you’re right, I don’t want to see them being starved to death either. The price of the grains naturally won’t increase, but exactly how much they are able to purchase will depend on their ability to afford it.”

Zhang Mu paused for a while and looked at the Wang Liang who was seemingly calm but tinged with nerves, observing his expression. “However, you owe me a favour.”

“Of course! Brother Mu, even if you don’t agree to my request, I’d still owe you a lot! Half it is then.”

Wang Liang knew that the additional half of the weapons he had on his hand was more than enough to draw apart his base’s ability from the other bases; once you were ahead, you would always be ahead. Therefore, he readily told Zhang Mu of all the habitations he knew.

Zhang Mu admired his frankness, which was why he had helped him; Wang Liang was a suitable partner whom he was able to work with in the long term. It wasn’t a bad thing either to aid him in uniting the rest of the bases in Luoyang City.

However, Zhang Mu wouldn’t channel too many resources to him, as there was a high probability for that to alter too much of the world otherwise. If Zhang Mu could keep to this world’s original path, he would do his best to stick to it.

He had experienced the uneasy feeling of facing the unknown; all that he could do to redeem was to prevent the current situation from worsening.

However, if Wang Liang was someone who disappointed him, it would be useless no matter how much resources Zhang Mu invested in him.

…

For the next three days, Zhang Mu rode on the large, mutated wolfdog strolling around in the city, and visited over ten bases in the city with the information Wang Liang had provided him.

Yes, visit… but perhaps not with the friendliest approach, or for the first visit at least. However, he didn’t have much of a choice either. He had spoken nicely initially, but nobody spared him a glance. After that, he didn’t want to waste his time so he changed his behavior and smashed through the doors of every base he went to to call their leader out.

It turned out that violence indeed was the best method to solve things. When the leaders, donning darkened expressions, saw the resources Zhang Mu had with him, their eyes gleamed as bright as they could get. If Zhang Mu’s strength had not shocked them, they probably would have just pounced on him and robbed him bare.

Of course, there were a few brainless ones that attempted just that despite witnessing his powerful display of base-intrusion. He had been talking very harmoniously, and had even made an exhibit to frighten them in place, but they were as though blinded by greed. Not only did they want the food and weapons, but they also coveted Zhang Mu’s ring that was rumoured to contain a spatial dimension.

In the face of that, Zhang Mu didn’t bother with the negotiations any longer. The moment the people surrounded him, they became the Bloodvine Demon Lotus’s food. Even though the corpse, sucked dried of blood and thrown on the grown in disdain, were of no worth, they were sufficient to scare the living hell out of the other people. At that, they scattered, not even daring to look back.

Zhang Mu scratched his face, murmuring, “Am I really that scary?”

The Bloodvine Demon Lotus danced in the air, as if replying: “Maybe, probably, perhaps, there is such a possibility.”

Even though there were some setbacks along the way, the end result was bountiful. Zhang Mu looked at his ring fully packed with five thousand crystals and felt satisfaction. Even though none of the ten bases had enough ability to exchange an amount anywhere near Wang Liang’s base, the sum  of all the crystals he received was still quite a large number.

Though Zhang Mu would be able to collect five thousand crystals on his own with the help of the Bloodvine Demon Lotus, it would be too tiring. What Zhang Mu was doing was throwing the line to catch a large fish; he didn’t mind these short-term profits as much.

The most important thing now was to help the people in Luoyang firm the foothold and develop rapidly.

Now that Zhang Mu had sold out all the foods and weapons he had, it was time to fulfill his promise—help Little Black evolve to the second rank!

Zhang Mu sat on a chair in a yard, one which Wang Liang had specially left for him, and turned the Evolution Potion in his hand, his legs crossed.

At the same time, Little Black and the mutated wolfdog stared at the potion eagerly. They instinctively knew that that potion was something that could help them evolve to the second rank.

Ceasing his teasing, Zhang Mu gestured for Little Black’s head to inch this side, and under the mutated wolfdog’s envious gaze, he opened the stopper and dumped the entire potion into Little Black’s widely opened mouth.