Chapter 79 - 79 76 Stick and Carrot_1

79: Chapter 76: Stick and Carrot_1 79: Chapter 76: Stick and Carrot_1 “???” The Maiden Priestess’s mind was filled with question marks, Mr. Gaven’s line of thinking seemed problematic. If they were greedy enough, why would they send back the Crystal Stones untouched? Gaven smiled and chose not to explain too much to the naive and innocent Maiden Priestess. The twists and turns were too complicated, and even if he did explain, she might not understand. “Just wait for the show tomorrow,” he said. “Oh!” The Maiden Priestess nodded. In such matters, trusting Mr. Gaven was the right thing to do. His mind was like a seven-chambered heart, full of strange and unusual ideas, and one could easily get caught up in it if not careful. That was how she got tricked in the first place. Yeah. After nearly three months, the Maiden Priestess finally started to somewhat understand. Mr. Gaven’s appearance in the church that night was not a coincidence; he was looking for a free priest for his adventure team, and she foolishly followed along. Sёarch* The NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Upon reflection, life was not too bad now. Not only did she encounter interesting things every day, but it wouldn’t be long before she had her own church. This could be considered expanding the faith for her god. The next time she saw the High Priest and her parents, she could proudly puff out her chest. Unlike the business owners outside, who were conspiring and struggling, feeling as though each day was a year, Gaven was under no pressure at all. He went about his usual business, leaving them hanging until well into the next day before casually making an appearance. After yesterday’s hammering, the caravan’s attitude had changed—an exaggeration to say it was a complete 180-degree turn, as they had only gone a bit too far on some matters. Overall, their previous trade relations were still in a honeymoon phase, now it just became more stable. Gaven’s attitude had also softened considerably. As soon as they met, he sincerely said, “Brothers, please don’t blame me for being ruthless and turning my face away yesterday. The thing is, your thoughts had already strayed from the normal track of business. If I kept tolerating, it would only lead you to further errors, and when I could no longer tolerate, our business would indeed fall apart. I still hold the attitude I had at the start. My growth and expansion here certainly cannot do without your strong support. Likewise, as long as I’m firmly grounded here, I’m determined to make it profitable and worthwhile for everyone. Cooperation for mutual benefit is the path to long-term success. Today, I’m here to reiterate my bottom line. How and what to develop here is my business. It didn’t need interference before, and it won’t need it in the future either. Whoever crosses this line, if they reach out with a hand, I’ll chop the hand; if they step over with a foot, I’ll stomp the foot; if they stick their neck out, I’ll cut their head off and kick it like a ball.” Blackwell is currently in its initial stage with many irregularities, which I am progressively working on improving. The next time you visit, there will be a specialized inn waiting for you. Then, we will further standardize our trade, making it more routine. In the near future, we might even need to build a road specifically for trade to Tivandun. This project will also rely on, and require, your robust assistance. At that time, you will all be one of the founders of this trade route. Here’s a list of materials especially needed by the Gnolls. I ask everyone to pay attention to these when you come next time, especially the Bitterleaf, which we need to buy in large quantities. Please approach this with a mindset of long-term business, and don’t try to play the scarcity game with me. Some things are best sold thinly and widely; volume is key.” Gaven was typical in his approach: giving a stick, then offering a carrot. Yesterday, they seemed ready to walk away from the deal, but today, he’s painting grand visions for these merchants. To be more precise, in the eyes of those merchants, these were grand visions, considering there’s nearly thirty kilometers of mountainous road from Blackwell to Tivandun. Not too far, yet not too near, either. Building a road here is no small project; in some territories, such projects could take nearly a generation to complete. But for Gaven, it was an unequivocal plan, one that would soon be put into action, definitely within three months. Headed by Klay, the business owners were nodding repeatedly, “Brother Gaven speaks the truth, we just didn’t position ourselves correctly before. Brother Gaven has achieved what he has now, and although we’ve given him a push, the main reason is his own hard work. Besides, from the beginning to the end, Brother Gaven has never treated us badly. It was our own greed that was the issue. We won’t make the same mistake again. Rest assured, as for the acquisition, leave it to us. We will definitely achieve good quality at a fair price. Brother Gaven is right, we are in it for the long haul, and we can’t afford to be short-sighted in any matter.” “As long as you all think this way, I can rest assured,” Gaven nodded in satisfaction, “In these ten days, our Blackwell Mine’s output has doubled from the previous ten days. I believe that in the next ten days, we can achieve at least the same increase. The eating-in ratio will be as usual, trying to make sure everyone gets a share. In the next few trips, it’s estimated you will mainly break even, but believe me, this situation won’t last long. When the time comes, no matter how many cargo trucks you bring, I’ll make sure they’re fully loaded.” The output has doubled in just ten days? These business owners exchanged glances, shock evident in their eyes. Such a growth rate was indeed astonishing. The first time they came here, they only managed to pull away five trucks filled with iron ore. The second time, the number of iron ore reached eight trucks. This growth rate had already thrilled them. At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before they could buy in bulk and see their wealth grow exponentially. And now, just ten days later, the shipment quantity had reached sixteen trucks, and the next would directly jump to twenty-four trucks. This rate of increase was somewhat frightening. How on earth did the other party manage to significantly increase production in such a short period of time? The only thing these merchants could think of was increasing the number of mining workers. Just how many gnolls were tirelessly mining beneath Blackwell Mine? Three hundred? Five hundred? Or a thousand? The merchants’ gazes towards Gaven changed again; this young man was becoming as unfathomable as the mine itself. Leaving the Spirit Crystal Stone out of the equation, just with the growth rate of the iron ore alone, they were determined not to fall out with the young man before them. They had already tasted the sweet fruits of exorbitant profit — the iron ore they bought here cost them less than half the market price. Moreover, areas like Valley and Sambia are mainly plains and forests without native mineral veins, and the largest pit, Tesser Yama Mine, had been lost from the hands of the dwarves hundreds of years ago, falling into the clutches of monsters. Consequently, the price of iron has always been high here, with a huge shortage. If what Gaven had said was built upon the rapid increase in iron ore, many promises would no longer be empty words, but rather matters within reach. “Apart from admiration, we really don’t know how else to commend you, Brother Gaven,” said Klay sincerely, “The faster you develop here, Brother Gaven, the greater our profits. This is a cause for everyone’s joy. But as for this box of Crystal Stones, please take it back no matter what, Brother Gaven. Our bond cannot be measured by money, and setting such a precedent would lead to chaos in the future.”