Chapter 41: The Crystal Treasure (1/2)
As the morning sun rises a great bronze bull carriage appeared before the entrance. Hundreds ofguards dressed in shining armour stood neatly before the entrance, looking like rows of tin cans; awaiting the arrival of the great Chu Tian.
Altogether they assembled with the carriage and convoy.
The sincerity of the mayor was quite high.
The allocation of territories did not really have a large effect on the mayor, but now, not only was he going to receive Chu Tian personally, he was also sending him a luxurious escort. It was very evident that he was trying to curry favor.
Of course it was hard to say that there were no ulterior motives.
However, for an ordinary citizen to gain an audience with the mayor, no matter how you looked at it it was a good affair.
Chu Tian was not the least bit anxious. If I had to go through a mountain of knives, I would take some as scrap metal; if I were to walk in boiling oil, I would take a bath in it. To take advantage of the circumstances despite the danger, this was his style. The word fear was not in his dictionary.
Chu Tian sat in the carriage with no fanfare, and the hundred or more escort of bodyguards departed with him to the outskirts of the city.
Nangong Yi walked toward him. ”President Chu Tian, you are finally here.”
His long-sleeved outfit was as red as wine, his facial expressions were straight and stern with smooth lines, his oversized white cloak hung from his shoulders, on his head was a headpiece decorated with white cashmere, and his beard was finely groomed, making him appear as an aristocrat from top to bottom.
”Pardon me, I made the mayor wait.”
Chu Tian walked over to the the two large bronze bulls and patted the hides that were hard as iron, clicking his tongue in admiration.
“The mayor really is an uncomparable mayor. Your carriage is also extraordinary. And the fighting power of these bronze bulls are around the seventh or eighth level of the Body Refinement Realm.It’s defensive capabilities can be compared to the seventh level of the Body Refinement Realm spirit beasts. ”
Nangong Yi’s eyes glittered as he promptly replied with a smile, “This carriage came from the capital. These bronze bulls have gone through special domestication so they will absolutely follow the orders of their master. Their endurance is strong and their battle prowess is nothing to scoff at. They not only pull the carriage but can even act as bodyguards. Among the carriages in Tian Nan City, this carriage should at least be among the top ten.”
A carriage from the capital?
Absolutely the finest of them all.
Nangong Yi continued, “This carriage is one zhang high and eight chi. The inside is cast with cold iron, the outside is forged with fiery bronze. The details in the carving is intricate and the structure is encompassingly beautiful. While in motion, you won’t feel the bumpiness of the road nor be jostled around. It has strong defensive capabilities that can withstand attacks from cultivators below the spirit-awakened realm, guaranteeing the safety of the rider.”
Chutian nodded, “Good, good!”
Nangong Yi noticed the change in Chu Tian’s expression, and said out of the blue, ”As a gift for our first official meeting, as mayor, I would perhaps give you the bull carriage as a gift. Will you accept it?”
Why, how generous!
The mayor was awise old fox, he would not beso generous without any reason.
Chutian feigned bashfulness, ”Oh, how could I accept such gift?”
Nangong Yi chuckled. ”Mayor still has other similar carriages, there is no problem with giving you one. Moreover, you have offended quite a number of people. My informer just told me that Ye Xiong had begun making inquiries about you.”
”Making inquiries? Hah! What is there to look into??”
”Well that, I don’t know. What I do know is that Ye Xiong had sent out several groups of people to the Central Continent that night, and we don’t know whatever they have up their sleeves.”
Chu Tian knittedhis brows and said, ”Oh? Such an incident happened??”
”Don’t be too anxious about it, although the Ye’s influence is very big, Tian Nian City is my territory. They still have to give me face.”Nagong Yi then put on an appearance as he if were intensely loyal to his friends, ”However, it’s easy to hide a bright gun yet difficult to hide a stab in the back. This carriage has more use if offered to you. You surely need it more that I do!”
Chu Tian no longer refused. ”Since the mayor’s generosity is difficult to refuse, it would be pointless for me to do so. Thank you for your generosity!”
Nangong Yi’s words of warning were simply tossed aside. Chu Tian did not care about any such attempts on him.
A man must have a good carriage after all. This bronze bull carriage could be considered the highest quality in Tian Nan City. If he took it out into the streets it would be very eye-catching.
Nangong Yi nodded, thinking to himself, “He accepted a gift from the mayor without batting an eye, accepting it with a completely clear conscience, as if he were a son receiving a gift from his father. This fellow is really thick-skinned, he will be great someday.”
The bronze bull carriage was not considered to be of the best quality in the capital. One could buy it with more or less ten thousand gold. But in Tian Nan City, there was no place to buy it so the price doubled.
Nangong Yi was bleeding inwardly but one could not see it on his face. He spoke cheerfully, “You are the first place winner of the big competition, so you gain monopoly over the extraction of four veins of ore for a whole year. In addition, you also have the authority to use the forest and spirit farms, the time limit is also one year.”
Chu Tian was a little hesitant.
Nangong Yi was shrewd and unscrupulous and could tell what Chu Tian was thinking, “You can also transfer the authority of ore-extraction to other people and charge them rent, you can save time and energy this way. What do you think?”
I see!
The old fox was eyeing these fatty pieces of meat.
Miracle Commerce was just newly established, they did not have sufficient manpower to begin with. Where were they to find miners and farmers?
Even if they found miners and farmers, would Miracle Commerce really be able to carry out resource extraction with no worries? Do not be stupid! The Ye clan and the Du clan would not openly cause a disturbance because of the resource division agreement, but behind-the-scene tricks would surely be unavoidable.
Miracle Commerce was just newly established and it was important to not lose focus. It did not have time to manage these things.
But the benefits of the mines, spirit farms, and forests were not small.
Right now, aside from the mayor, nobody really wanted to receive this hot potato.
Chu Tian did not bat an eye.
“I should take a look first.”
“Alright, I will show you.”
The mayor was feeling very gloomy.
This crafty guy. even with such strong hints, you still act dumb!
There were four mines in total: a crystal mine, and four metal mines. The crystal mine was the most valuable. It could produce a grade 1 fire crystal that could exceed the value of the three metal mines combined.
The forest and and spirit farm were also not bad. The forest was a large tract of land very suitable for hunting and breeding. Inside, it had many wild beasts, spirit grass, and legendary elixirs. The farm land needed no special introductions, it was a well cultivated piece of land very sutiable for planting various medicinal herbs.
It was really rich and fertile, no wonder all the large clans were red in the face fighting for it.
Even though these resources were all very attractive, Miracle Commerce did not have the means to take advantage of them. They had no other choice, Nangong Yi was sure to take advantage of him.
How could this be?
Chu Tian was an easy-going person. He was not overly concerned with meticulously counting gains and losses, but he did not want to be ripped off either. Might as well drag this on and keep the mayor on his toes. If the mayor were to speak first then all the advantages would be with Chu Tian. In this way Chu Tian could get the best deal.
But Nangong Yi was no fool. How could he not know what was going on. Even though he wanted it very much he did not speak. He acted as if he did not care about the resources very much and was only courteously showing Chu Tian around.
This young genius would truly understand the meaning of the the heart’s yearnings. He would not be offended.