Chapter 59

At the northern gate of the outpost.

Two men, dressed in avant-garde attire, walked up to the gate with a two-headed bull sandwiched between them, and stopped.

The man in the front held a 7m revolver rifle, a specialty of Red River Town. Although the muzzle was pointed downward, his eyes constantly scanned the walls and the surroundings, alert for any potential danger.

This man is strong!

This was Chu Guang's first impression.

As for the man standing behind, he was the Sun merchant Chu Guang had met before.

"Ha ha, my old friend, we meet again!"

Seeing Chu Guang appear at the gate, Sun Shiqi's nervousness instantly vanished, and he warmly opened his arms, moving towards him.

Chu Guang, who could not bear the smell wafting from him from a distance, did not hug him but instead extended his right hand.

Sun Shiqi chuckled, not embarrassed, and changed his posture, shaking Chu Guang's right hand firmly.

Then he let go.

"Sorry, I've been on the road for almost five days without a chance to bathe. I hope you can forgive me!"

"It's fine," Chu Guang glanced at the man standing next to the two-headed bull and cast a questioning look at Sun Shiqi, "Who is this?"

"He is a gunman I hired in Red River Town, responsible for my safety along the way. The gunners' guilds in Red River Town are very trustworthy, and the people are reliable. Most importantly, they know how to avoid conflicts with the raiders in the area... It's mainly for safety, you can just ignore him!"

Gunners' guilds?

Probably retired raiders.

Chu Guang nodded, his gaze lingering on the large two-headed bull for a moment, his eyebrows slightly raised in interest.

It seems the dried meat they made is very popular in Red River Town. The last business deal must have made this guy a lot of money, enough to buy a new batch of goods and hire a bodyguard.

This is a good thing.

Mutual benefit is the key to long-term business.

"How is the road to Giant Rock City? Is it easy to travel?"

Chu Guang asked casually.

"I haven't been to Giant Rock City, so I'm not very familiar with the situation there," Sun Shiqi shook his head like a rattle, "After leaving you last time, I went to a nearby farm. They were very interested in the remaining goods I had, so I traded some food and came back directly."

"The roads in the city are too complicated, with ruins like a maze. I'd rather walk 10 kilometers in the wilderness than one kilometer in the city."

"You must have noticed that this winter will be harder than usual. The price of food in Red River Town has skyrocketed. Those mine owners and slave masters don't like the black nutrient paste. I almost sold everything to their servants as soon as I arrived at the trading post."

"Thinking it was selling so well, I decided to make another trip before the snow blocked the roads, so I hired a bodyguard and set off, hehe."

"So well? It seems I sold it too cheap last time," Chu Guang said half-jokingly.

Realizing he had gotten a bit carried away, Sun Shiqi quickly coughed and smiled.

"Sir, you're joking. We traders risk our lives for a living. We say we make a profit, but it's just enough to cover the travel expenses and put food on the table."

"Enough, don't try to make me feel sorry for you. How much you earn is up to you. When you have money, remember to buy a couple more bulls. Bring more things next spring," Chu Guang cut him off and got straight to the point, "What about the things I asked for? Did you bring them?"

Sun Shiqi hurriedly replied.

"Of course! Hehe, rest assured, I won't forget your instructions!"

After mutation, a two-headed bull can weigh over a ton, with a carrying capacity of about 700 to 900 kilograms. It has good mobility in both ruins and wilderness, slightly inferior to the mutated yak.

In addition to 500 kilograms of coins, Sun Shiqi also used the money he earned to purchase less than 100 kilograms of supplies.

Among them, the items with trading value included a bag of wax-yellow coarse salt, about 10 kilograms in weight. There were also 10 7mm revolver rifles and two large bags of heavy bullets.

Although he still had some carrying capacity, he had no more money to buy more goods.

Under normal circumstances, these not-so-wealthy traders would take risks to scavenge, but at this time, it was clearly not appropriate.

While checking the bullets in the burlap bags, Chu Guang noticed that both large bags were made of copper.

It seems that copper is not in short supply in Red River Town.

However, compared to the stamped bullet casings produced in Giant Rock City, the bullets produced in Red River Town were mostly made of rolled copper, with visible dents and protrusions on the casings.

No wonder they make these semi-automatic revolver rifles with simple mechanisms.

A slightly more precise mechanism would probably jam after a few shots with this ammunition.

This is the difference between an industrial survivor base and a resource-based survivor base.

Chu Guang threw the few bullets back into the bag and silently noted this information.

"Sir, how do you find these goods? Are you satisfied?"

Sun Shiqi's face was filled with a flattering smile.

If possible, he hoped Chu Guang would buy everything.

This way, he could bring more dried meat back.

"Weapons, coarse salt, and those coins, I'll take them all," Chu Guang's gaze fell on the last bag. He glanced inside and saw some yellowish powder, so he asked, "What's in this bag?"

Sun Shiqi chuckled.

"Bug powder! Made from dried and ground mutated yellow-fronted high-legged spiders, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, mainly used as fertilizer!"

Chu Guang nodded in understanding.

As fertilizer, it must be something Brown Farm needs. He hadn't started farming yet, so he didn't need it.

But this gave him an idea.

Players said there were a lot of bird droppings on the lake. Perhaps he could try making some fertilizer and sell it to Brown Farm.

At this moment, Sun Shiqi suddenly remembered something, walked to the two-headed bull, and opened a leather bag hanging on it, taking out a glass bottle.

The bottle's mouth was sealed with a cork, with some small holes for ventilation. Inside were fist-sized ants, moving their visible limbs and antennae, looking quite creepy.

Chu Guang stared at the bottle with interest for a while and then asked.

"Is this the iron-backed ant?"

Sun Shiqi smiled.

"Exactly! We usually use them as feed or for other things. I just happened to buy a bottle from the trading post."

Playing with the bottle for a while, Chu Guang looked at Sun Shiqi and asked.

"How much?"

Sun Shiqi waved his hands.

"No, no, no, my friend, you misunderstood. This is a gift for you, no charge."

"Oh? Thank you."

Chu Guang, of course, wouldn't refuse such a good thing and promptly accepted the gift.

As for a return gift?

It didn't exist.

Allowing this guy to do business with him was already the greatest favor.

Seeing Chu Guang accept the gift, Sun Shiqi's face was filled with smiles.

"No problem, it's an honor to gain your friendship... It's getting late, shall we discuss the details of the transaction?"

Chu Guang nodded and said just one word.

"Sure."

...

Unlike the merchants from Giant Rock City, most of these traders from other regions do not recognize chips as currency. They either have their own currency or don't use currency at all.

Therefore, in most cases, cross-regional trade is conducted through barter, with no fixed "price."

Although he received a gift symbolizing friendship from Sun Shiqi, friendship can't be eaten. Chu Guang did not make any concessions during the haggling.

Don't joke around.

Who has a thicker face than a salesperson?

500 kilograms of coins were still traded at the previously agreed price, 100 kilograms for 4 kilograms of dried meat, equivalent to 20 kilograms of dried meat.

Chu Guang always kept his word and had no intention of going back on the agreement, nor was there any need to.

Both parties reached a pleasant consensus.

However, the pleasant part ended there.

A few minutes ago, Sun Shiqi naively thought the man in front of him was easy to talk to, until the man said, "3 kilograms of dried meat for 1 kilogram of salt."

"Sorry, did I hear wrong... maybe you meant 1 jin?"

Chu Guang, unsurprised by his reaction, said calmly.

"You didn't hear wrong. I said 1 kilogram, 1 kilogram of coarse salt."

"That's impossible!"

Sun Shiqi almost reflexively exclaimed, his previous respectful demeanor gone, and he argued passionately.

"You must be joking! The dried meat here is made by roasting and drying, not by salting. It can't be worth that much!"

"Oh?"

Seeing Chu Guang still unmoved, Sun Shiqi took a deep breath and continued in a more conciliatory tone.

"Alright, you're not a merchant, so maybe you don't understand the market... Let's do some math. If I transport these 10 kilograms of coarse salt to Giant Rock City, I can get at least 1 chip for every 100 grams!"

Chu Guang remained silent.

He had never been to Giant Rock City, but he knew that the coarse salt, which is wax-yellow, bitter, and only consumed by the poor, costs 2 chips per 100 grams at Old Leech in Bet Street, double the price.

But what did it matter?

The price of grain had tripled!

Discussing prices in the wasteland was meaningless.

Sun Shiqi moistened his dry throat and continued.

"100 chips! If I trade these chips for electrical and industrial goods, daily necessities, and take them to Brown Farm, I can get at least 300 kilograms of green wheat. If I trade this grain for dried meat, I should get at least 60 to 75 kilograms."

"So the lowest price I can accept is 60 kilograms, 1 kilogram of salt for 6 kilograms of dried meat! For the sake of our friendship... 59 kilograms, this is the lowest price I can accept!"

"This is my biggest concession!"

Sun Shiqi felt he had explained the situation clearly and simply.

Even if these hamsters in the shelter had never done business in the wasteland, they should understand his "hardship."

However, after listening to his rambling, Chu Guang just smiled.

He was right about one thing.

Chu Guang is not a merchant.

If someone really saw him that way, it would be too narrow-minded.

But to think he doesn't understand business?

Ha ha.

"You're right."

Sun Shiqi's face lit up with joy.

However, before he could even react, Chu Guang's next words froze the joy on his face.

"...So, my friend, why don't you?"

Smiling at his long-distance friend, Chu Guang said softly.

"I mean, if you want to trade 300 kilograms of green wheat for 59 kilograms of dried meat, I'm not against it."