Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon-Chapter 285 - 284 Only a Fool Would Make Such a Boast
Chapter 285: Chapter 284: Only a Fool Would Make Such a Boast
Chapter 285 -284: Only a Fool Would Make Such a Boast
The merchants looked at each other, each feeling a bit uneasy—none of them had probably expected this important figure to summon them all just to delegate such a vital task.
It was Moge who spoke first, “My lord, we are willing to serve you. The problem is, a civil war will cause grain prices to rise, and even if I spend all my wealth, the grain I can purchase may still not be enough…”
“You need not worry about that, the Paradise Church will pay for the grain in advance.” Chaoyang took out a stack of blank checks from his pocket, already signed—these were not forgeries made with wishing power but real checks exchanged from the Risheng Sub-branch of Magnificent Castle.
Banks only recognize the signature for cashing checks; in other words, the holder of the check could fill in any number they desired. Of course, to avoid a bank run, there were still limits set on the checks, like the silver-bottomed, gold-edged ones in Chaoyang’s hand, which had a limit of ten thousand Serir.
“Mr. Zhao, do you really intend to entrust the fate of Thistlefort to this group of wandering merchants?” Kash looked incredulous, “They will surely take the money and disappear without a trace, even if it means hiding in the New World for a lifetime, rather than bring back a single grain of wheat for you!”
His tone was full of heartache, as if he couldn’t bear to watch the checks go to waste.
“I am willing to go. And I will do my utmost to bring back grain for you!” Moge hesitated no longer; he stepped forward and declared loudly, “The Paradise Master will be my witness!”
Chaoyang pulled out ten checks and pushed them to the center of the long table.
“I’ll be waiting for your good news.”
Moge took a deep breath and picked up the checks. Even without looking around, he could feel the eager eyes of his fellow merchants on him. The gold edges on the checks were dazzlingly bright, and the imprint of the ten-thousand-figure looked like a piece of art. Ten checks meant up to a hundred thousand Serir. Moge had been in business his whole life and had never accumulated that much capital.
“My lord, I too am willing to purchase grain for Thistlefort!”
“And I!”
Soon, more merchants gradually stood up.
And Chaoyang treated everyone equally, giving each person ten checks.
“This…” The big merchants and nobles who had been spectating with skepticism began to grow restless, this was a million in silver coins! Even a family company might not be able to put up so much liquid capital. And with grain procurement, there was always room for fluctuation; even overcharging just ten copper coins per kilogram would result in a huge profit!
“Ahem… Actually, I can lend a hand as well.” Kash coughed twice and spoke up before the attentive eyes, “There is a risk of derailment if one were to lease trains from the outside. I can pull together two or three heavy-duty locomotives specifically to transport the grain. Mr. Zhao, what do you think?”
“And… my family is from South Cloud Port in the south, where the seafood is abundant. Can salted fish and dried shrimp count as grain?” Another noble couldn’t help but ask.
“What do you mean, you just said you had no channel!”
“Well, I just remembered.”
“Of course it counts… Dried shrimp makes good porridge.” Chaoyang replied with a smile, “But now, I only have a dozen or so checks left. If we are going to share them, each can only get three. Also, this is Thistlefort’s lifesaving money. I can accept a fair profit, but deception or taking the money and running away, my lord will not turn a blind eye.”
Thirty thousand, without a doubt, was also a big deal.
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After all, there were nobles with tight household budgets or sluggish businesses, and immediately two persons expressed their willingness to help out. Kash also took away three, stating that the timber mill would suspend part of its production, and the freed-up locomotives would be rented to the Paradise Sect.
Of course, there were still those who scoffed at this, as Sergey and several nobles looked on coldly as the checks were distributed, without uttering another word.
After the negotiations concluded, Lanqi stepped out of the hotel, his mind still somewhat hazy.
It wasn’t that he had never dealt with sects, but whether it was the Abundance Sect or the Storm Church, none acted as wildly as the Paradise Sect.
But to say they were merely reckless would be inaccurate… because the blank checks for more than a million were all too real, and the defeat of Airco’s camp within a day was equally tangible. These people appeared out of nowhere at Thistlefort, and in just ten hours, they utterly changed the local power structure.
Damn, how could such a sect previously have been so obscure?
“Count His Excellency, please come this way,” someone called out to him halfway.
Lanqi Brindon turned towards the voice and saw that it was Sergey. He walked to the roadside, where a few other people were gathered, all of them nobles who had toiled in Thistlefort for many generations, like Baron Rota of the Thorns and the general manager of the Jianling Company, Buleike. These were also people who had not pledged allegiance to the Paradise Sect in the previous meeting.
“Hey, it wasn’t convenient to greet you before, but now I finally have the chance,” Sergey shook his hand. “Airco was incredibly bold, daring to place you under house arrest! We thought you were ill, and that’s why you let that man temporarily take your duties. Had we known he would dare to do this, we would never have stood by and let it happen!”
“Thank you all for your concern. I also did not expect things to turn out this way,” Lanqi said with a relieved smile, but he harbored some doubts in his heart. Were they really completely unaware? He had been absent for nearly a month, the castle was seized by the border army, and both the government and the head of the tax department had been replaced; a serious illness could not explain it all. Airco’s camp was an outright rebellion, yet these people chose to compromise and continue collaborating.
Perhaps they thought he was already dead.
“It’s a blessing that you’re alright amidst this misfortune!” Sergey grinned. “Don’t be too disheartened, I’m willing to bet that this newly emerged Paradise Sect won’t last long, and Thistlefort will eventually return to your hands.”
If there wasn’t an outbreak of civil war.
If the Laurel Family could defeat Duke Longjiu.
Lanqi kept these thoughts to himself, “What makes you say that? They have weapons, wealth, and a large number of devout followers who aren’t afraid of death. Even Airco’s camp of more than two thousand was no match, I’d advise everyone to stay calm.”
“Hmph, you might not be fully aware, but the foundations of this Paradise Sect are extremely weak,” Rota said coldly from the side. “I’ve observed them; most of the troops they’ve rallied are locals, and what binds them isn’t some rubbish faith, but the immediate prospect of money. Even without our intervention, they will have no choice but to beat a retreat within a month!”
“How so?”
“A famine is inevitable,” Sergey lowered his voice. “We’ve calculated that even if all the grain stored at home were to be found by the Paradise Sect, it would only suffice for three days of sustenance for the residents of both the inner and outer cities. At most, if stretched to gruel and broth, they might last five days. Do you think the merchants could bring back food within five days?”
Lanqi immediately understood this was impossible. Normal trading couldn’t be completed in three to five days, let alone during wartime.
“Without food, panic is certain. When their own families are starving, will those recruited by the Paradise Sect still point their guns at their parents and children?” Sergey chuckled lightly. “We all know that a ten percent shortfall in food results in thirty percent fatalities. To sacrifice a part to save the remainder is the wisest choice, yet those arrogant fools insisted on promising everyone would have food. In my view, they are already teetering on the brink.”
