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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, Zhao Jun still got up very late, only crawling out of bed when the sun was high in the sky. When he got up, he didn't forget to tease the two beauties beside him.
Just as Zhao Jun had finished washing up, there was a knock at the door. After closing the inner door, he opened the main door to find Ren Xing standing there.
Seeing Ren Xing's flustered expression, Zhao Jun asked, "What happened that has you so anxious?"
"My lord, I just received a letter from the capital."
"Let me see it."
Ren Xing handed the letter to Zhao Jun, who opened it leisurely. However, when he read the contents, he suddenly felt a bit flustered. Noticing Zhao Jun's strange demeanor, Ren Xing asked, "What is wrong, my lord?"
Zhao Jun handed the letter to Ren Xing. Upon reading it, Ren Xing saw that it was sent by Cai Sidong. The letter stated that Zhao Jun had been away from the capital for quite some time and should have arrived at Winter City by now. It questioned why he had not reported any progress on the negotiations and requested that Zhao Jun urgently report all details regarding the situation, including quantities and prices. Only then could Cai Sidong inform His Majesty. If there was no response in a short time, then Cai Sidong would no longer be able to continue his duties.
After reading this letter, Zhao Jun suddenly realized that he had an appointment today for negotiations with the President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He said to Ren Xing, "Quickly bring me the carriage; we need to go to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce." By this time, lunch had long passed.
Seeing that Zhao Jun hadn't eaten all day, Ren Xing suggested, "My lord, let's eat first before we leave. You haven't eaten anything all day."
Zhao Jun understood that Ren Xing meant well but felt there was no time to eat: "I told you to go quickly; why are you dawdling? There's no time for meals; we might miss our chance."
Ren Xing went outside to prepare the carriage. Soon after, a dressed-up Zhao Jun came out and boarded the carriage heading for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce.
Liu Guanfeng, who had been waiting at his door all morning, smiled slightly: it seemed that Zhao Jun's dealings had not taught him any lessons.
Thus, Liu Guanfeng called Huang Tie over again and instructed him with the same words as last time before taking Little Black and XP back to the beach to sunbathe.
When Zhao Jun arrived, he found that once again he had missed his chance. He felt frustrated but realized there was nothing he could do since the President was not present and others could not make decisions in his absence. So Zhao Jun climbed back into his carriage and turned to Huang Tie saying, "I will come again tomorrow; I hope your President won't go missing again."
Huang Tie smiled slightly: "Lord Zhao, what time do you plan to come tomorrow?"
"Still in the morning."
Huang Tie maintained his smiling demeanor and bowed to Zhao Jun, saying, "My lord, please take care."
Upon returning to his room, Zhao Jun smashed everything inside. The Innkeeper could only wear a bitter expression as he replaced Zhao Jun's belongings, knowing that payment was out of the question. After all, he was an official.
However, Cai Sidong had been pursuing him too closely. Additionally, Zhao Jun had not been traveling at full speed; he would stop every couple of days to find a place to rest and relax. This caused significant delays on his journey. When he arrived in Winter City, Guo Leigang hosted him for a few days, and he spent additional time with Liu Guanfeng working on gas production.
Now, Zhao Jun felt deep regret; if he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have made such plans. He found himself pressed for time but still needed to send a reply to Cai Sidong. He took out writing tools and simply noted that negotiations were going smoothly but would require more time to finalize the price and quantity. He also praised Your Majesty, the Harsh Winter, and Cai Sidong.
When the Messenger flew back to Cai Sidong, Cai Sidong cursed Zhao Jun several times in his heart. During this period, Zhu Xiao had come to inquire about weaponry every few days, and even Severe Winter had asked twice. Due to the lack of response, Cai Sidong had even scolded Severe Winter. Thus, Cai Sidong was quite anxious; according to the usual timeline, Zhao Jun should have arrived in Winter City over a month ago—why was there still no news?
He sent a letter but received a reply indicating no progress. The purpose of Zhao Jun's visit was to finalize quantities and negotiate prices, yet over a month had passed without any agreements. Cai Sidong could only sigh at having entrusted this task to someone unreliable.
Meanwhile, after sending off the Messenger, Zhao Jun went straight to bed. He dared not overexert himself again; if he couldn't find the President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce by tomorrow, the next Messenger might bring news of his dismissal.
The next morning, Zhao Jun woke up on time, had breakfast, and boarded the carriage. Even while in the carriage, he continued to curse Liu Guanfeng under his breath. If it weren't for him or if another Merchant Guild had taken over this business deal, it would have been completed long ago—he might have even spent some of his own profits by now.
Soon enough, the carriage stopped in front of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Huang Tie saw Zhao Jun's carriage and notified his subordinates to inform Liu Guanfeng while he hurried to the Merchant Guild's entrance.
Zhao Jun stepped down from the carriage as Huang Tie approached him. "Lord Zhao, you’ve arrived! Our President is waiting for you in his study; let me show you the way."
At that moment, Ren Xing was displeased. No matter which Merchant Guild Zhao Jun visited, the President would personally greet him from miles away—why did he have to enter the Chinese Chamber of Commerce himself?
"Wait," Ren Xing stepped in front of Huang Tie and raised a hand to stop him.
Huang Tie looked up at Ren Xing. "Is there something you wish to discuss, Captain?"
You should have our President come out to greet you; you're just a minor steward and not worthy of such honor. Seeing Ren Xing's arrogant demeanor reminded Huang Tie of Liu Guanfeng's words: Chinese people never bow down to others.
With that thought in mind, Huang Tie stood tall with pride as a blacksmith and stared directly at Ren Xing. "What if our President doesn’t come out?"
"Doesn't come out? I see your Merchant Guild has no intention of continuing."
Huang Tie smiled coldly and said, "Whether we want to do this or not is not for you to decide. If you have the ability, go ahead and smash our Merchant Guild."
"Do you really think I wouldn't dare to smash your Merchant Guild? Come here!" After saying this, Ren Xing's voice called out, and all twenty or so of his guards rushed to stand behind him. They formed a protective barrier around Zhao Jun, who continued to smile at Huang Tie without any intention of stopping him.
Ren Xing looked at Huang Tie and then told his guards, "Brothers, today we are going in to smash their Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Let's teach their President how to behave."
Seeing their actions, Huang Tie let out a long howl and pointed at Ren Xing, saying, "With just you few, you think you can smash my Merchant Guild? Do you really think there’s no one left in our Merchant Guild? Come out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, over forty people rushed out from the entrance of the Merchant Guild, each holding a gleaming Steel Blade. There were also several archers on the rooftops, all with their bows drawn and aimed at Ren Xing and his group. The total number of people was around sixty or seventy.
Seeing the disciplined and fierce guards, Ren Xing and his men felt a wave of surprise and a hint of fear rising from within them. The first word that came to Ren Xing's mind when he saw these soldiers was death; if they truly clashed with these soldiers in front of them, he would surely be killed.
The two sides immediately reached a stalemate. Zhao Jun, who was hiding behind, realized that his intimidation tactic was ineffective and had no choice but to intervene; otherwise, if a fight broke out, they would definitely gain no advantage.
Zhao Jun cleared his throat and said, "Ren Xing, do you still think I am your master? Tell your men to back down; you really don't understand the rules."
Upon hearing this, Ren Xing understood Zhao Jun's meaning and instructed his men, "Put away your weapons and step back."
All the guards sheathed their weapons and returned to their positions. They were more than happy to do so; if a conflict truly broke out, they knew they would be doomed. These guards were quite capable; Ren Xing was an Intermediate Knight while the others were all lower Intermediate Knights. However, since following Zhao Jun, their daily activities consisted of eating, drinking, and playing.
Over the years with Zhao Jun, none of the guards had improved their skills; in fact, some had even declined. Although they hadn't fallen to Junior Knight level yet, some would struggle against even lower Junior Knights.
Their current role was merely to intimidate others; their actual usefulness had diminished significantly. Their ability to scare others relied entirely on Zhao Jun's status. After seeing the fierce guards from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, they had long harbored thoughts of retreating. When they heard Ren Xing's command, everyone quickly put away their weapons and returned to their original positions.
Seeing that the opposing side had put away their weapons as well, Huang Tie waved his hand. Instantly, those guards returned from where they came from; in an instant, there wasn't a single guard from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce left in front.
Zhao Jun looked at the empty space across from him and reflected on the guards from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce before turning back to look at his own guards. How could there be such a vast difference among those who were supposed to be guards?
What they didn't know was that a pair of eyes was secretly observing Zhao Jun and his group.
Now that Zhao Jun saw that the guards had retreated, he stepped forward to Huang Tie and said, "Manager Huang, please lead the way."
At this moment, a loud voice came from the Merchant Guild: "Sorry, sorry. Lord Zhao, I truly apologize." Liu Guanfeng strode out of the Merchant Guild.
Huang Tie pointed at Liu Guanfeng and said to Zhao Jun, "Lord Zhao, this is our Chinese Chamber of Commerce's President Liu Xin."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun clasped his hands together in greeting. Liu Guanfeng quickly approached him: "You are Lord Zhao, right? I sincerely apologize; the Merchant Guild has been extremely busy these past few days. It’s quite troublesome for you to come here multiple times. Next time, just send someone to notify me."
Zhao Jun replied, "I understand that President Liu is very busy; the new Merchant Guild has many matters that require your personal attention." However, he thought to himself: Damn it, if I send someone to notify you, will you even come? I've already given you three days; it’s as if you didn’t see my messages at all.
"Please come inside, Lord Zhao." Liu Guanfeng turned around and gestured for Zhao Jun to enter. Then he turned with a stern face towards Huang Tie and said, "I'll deal with you later; you didn’t even inform me that Lord Zhao was coming."
After saying this, under Liu Guanfeng's lead, Zhao Jun finally entered the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. This was his third visit to the Merchant Guild, and only this time did he actually get inside.
The entrance of the Merchant Guild resembled a specialty store for weapons and armor. Inside were exquisite weapons crafted by the blacksmiths of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. In front was a small three-story building; the first floor displayed works made by apprentices, the second floor featured items from blacksmiths who joined the guild later on, and the third floor housed the finest products of the entire Merchant Guild—items like Qifeng Ge and Dragon Rings crafted by top blacksmiths such as Huang Tie. However, the prices were indeed quite steep. As Liu Guanfeng led Zhao Jun through the guild, he introduced various aspects of his Merchant Guild.
Zhao Jun walked behind Liu Guanfeng, nodding along as he listened to the introductions while inwardly cursing Liu Guanfeng.
"I heard that President Liu is also an excellent blacksmith."
"Your Excellency flatters me; I am hardly an excellent blacksmith. I just practice forging when I have some free time."
Soon after passing through several rooms and courtyards, Liu Guanfeng brought Zhao Jun to a secluded little courtyard. Liu Guanfeng gestured with his hand: "Your Excellency, please enter; this is my humble abode."
Zhao Jun stepped inside. The courtyard was not large but very elegant. Zhao Jun nodded in appreciation and said, "I didn't expect President Liu to be someone who knows how to enjoy life."
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