Chapter 94: In Hand

George was stunned for a moment, then deliberately and quite unladylike scratched his ear and asked, “I must have had a problem with my ears and didn’t hear clearly just now. Could you say the selling price one more time?”

“You probably didn’t hear wrong; it is indeed 1,000 Gold Coins without a doubt,” Wang Qinian said very confidently while clicking his abacus.

“Wang Qinian, have you gone crazy for money? You can even ask for 1,000 Gold Coins! If we just talk about the craftsmanship, this bronze lacquered and gilded Martial Record itself is worth less than 100 Gold Coins. 80 Gold Coins would be the absolute maximum. Judging by the content shown in the first two pages, although it is quite good, in my opinion it is far from worth 900 more Gold Coins.” George stared at Wang Qinian with a look of pity for a fool while tapping the counter in front of him.

“I am not crazy! This item is already rare and hard to find within the Flying Dragon Empire. And not only in the Duchy of Nohan, but even across the entire Western Continent, it is probably the only one of its kind. Lord, if you really want it, once you pass this village, there will be no such shop.”

“First of all, this is not the Flying Dragon Empire. Even for the same item, the price can vary in different environments.” Saying this, George put down the metal volume in his hand, left the area of the counter, and took a roll of orange silk from a shelf nearby. While gently stroking the silk and feeling its smooth texture, George continued, “Just like this bolt of silk, would its price in the Flying Dragon Empire be exactly the same as in Nohan? Even within the Flying Dragon Empire, despite the control of the Merchants’ Association, the price of silk varies in different regions. Most importantly, can you really guarantee that it is the only one?”

George’s sharp retort cut Wang Qinian’s confidence in half instantly, but he still pretended to be calm and said, “This price is absolutely fair! Even on the Western Continent, methods to improve one’s strength are expensive, aren’t they ? As for your second question, I dare guarantee that you cannot find a second copy of this Martial Record on the entire Western Continent.”

‘What the heck, playing word games with me!’ While coldly mocking Wang Qinian for trying to trick him, George decided to launch a direct attack to completely crush his hope: “If you insist it is worth 1,000 Gold Coins, that’s fine. But you must sign a Magic Contract with me. It must guarantee that the hidden content has not been copied, and that neither you nor anyone you hired has memorized it by heart. You must never reveal even a single word of its content. Only in this way can its uniqueness be guaranteed, and it can have a sudden effect when fighting enemies. Otherwise, including the price of the Martial Record itself, I will at most offer 550 Gold Coins. This is just because I hope we will cooperate in the future.”

The more George spoke, the worse Wang Qinian’s expression became. He clearly saw through Wang Qinian’s tricks and blocked them one by one. Finally, Wang Qinian’s face turned red like a sunset in winter, or rather like a wrinkled tomato. The guy immediately snatched the Martial Record from the counter, grabbed it tightly, and shouted, “I won’t sell it, I won’t sell it!”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t sell. Anyway, once today’s news spreads, buyers in Nohan will definitely not offer a higher price than me. You cheap merchant won’t get a better deal.” George shrugged, speaking in a relaxed tone as if the matter had nothing to do with him. At the same time, he reached for the money bag he had previously thrown onto the counter, making it look like he was ready to leave.

Wang Qinian suddenly grabbed a corner of George’s sleeve with agility that was completely out of character for his age and status. Then he touched the corner of his eye, and tears began to well up in his eyes. Although his nose hadn’t caught up to the pace and started running yet, he still cried out with tears and sobs, “My Lord! No, you can’t do this…”

‘What! What! What! This kind of crying makes it sound like I am bullying people or forcibly taking women! This guy is born with a thick skin and can do anything! Does he habitually hide pungent powders like mustard or chili in his sleeves? Otherwise, how can he just start crying whenever he wants?’ Unexpectedly, Wang Qinian pulled this stunt, and George was left flustered and annoyed, though not completely at a loss. This kind of childish tantrum, rolling on the ground like a loser, is not something everyone can pull off. However, for George, a person who is always in trouble, it was somewhat effective. After all, if passersby outside the shop came in to watch the show, it would be fun. Wang Qinian could be shameless, but George could not be. As the saying goes, a tree without bark will surely die, and a person without shame is invincible in the world.

George did not want to compromise with such a rascal. Once such a person gets their way in one aspect, they will likely push for more next time. George immediately started his verbal attack. He did not aim to silence the other party with logic, but rather to overload the other’s brain with so much content that it would freeze temporarily: “This seems to be my own business. Casual chats between Nobles are perfectly normal. Of course, since there are indeed quite a few boring people among the Nobles, the speed of spreading rumors is quite fast. Furthermore, the interest of Nohan Nobles in Eastern Martial Arts is probably no higher than mine. Just the difference in language alone would stump a large number of people. This is not the Eastern Continent. Those who can afford this are mostly those with inherited wealth. So I am certain that no one will offer a higher price than me…”

Under George’s relentless preaching, like a monk chanting scriptures, Wang Qinian was annoyed beyond endurance. More importantly, knowing that his recent tactics had failed, Wang Qinian reluctantly pointed his finger at George and muttered for a while, finally crumbling under the intermittent words “You! You! You!”

“That’s the way to be! Will you sell for 1,000 Gold Coins and sign a confidentiality contract with me, or just sell for 550 Gold Coins? As for copying one to send to your family or profiting from it, that is up to you, the shopkeeper.” Saying this, George gave Wang Qinian a look that said, “I have faith in you.”

Given an ultimatum, Wang Qinian began to think seriously about which choice would maximize his current profit. He snatched the abacus from the counter and started clicking it with his left hand. This was not a small trick from before but a real calculation. Of course, the fingers constantly moving on his right hand could also be considered another method of calculation. However, this did not last long. Soon, the clicking sound of the abacus stopped. Wang Qinian looked up and said, “550 Gold Coins is still too little. Add a bit more.”

“Never mind, let’s round it up to 600 Gold Coins. But you also have to give me a jar of cinnabar as a bonus. I don’t want to spend extra Gold Coins on this matter.” To soothe the wounded heart of the middle-aged man, George pretended to hold his head as if he had been defeated.

Although the transaction was completed, Wang Qinian showed no sign of happiness due to the huge gap between the actual result and his psychological expectation. He just said unhappily, “Okay, okay, let’s just leave it at that!”

“Old Wang, you are still not happy? This transaction is not like that Tachi from Sakura Country before. You made a profit of more than ten times! If the follow-up is handled well, it might be even more. If it weren’t for our good friendship and the desire to avoid any barriers in future cooperation, do you think I would spend 600 Gold Coins to buy it? Besides the 400 Gold Coins for the Martial Record itself, the remaining 200 Gold Coins are for buying a happy cooperation in the future! I suppose Boss Wang won’t let me down, right?” George snapped his fingers while speaking.

The meaning behind George’s words was very clear. I have given you face and substance, don’t be unreasonable. In the end, you will be the one to suffer. In George’s view, for a person like Wang Qinian, even when giving benefits, he must also convey the carrot-and-stick strategy: You can only get what I want to give you, and no matter what you do, you cannot get what I don’t want to give. Otherwise, this greedy creature, insatiable in money, is a gold-eating beast that can never be filled.

After calming down and listening to George’s words, Wang Qinian realized that he had unconsciously treated this place as if it were within the Flying Dragon Empire. Otherwise, he would not have called out such a sky-high price. In theory, having experienced so much, Wang Qinian should not have done such a stupid thing, but this time he had truly found a great bargain and was momentarily carried away by his luck. In a way, this was also a manifestation of being blinded by profit.

“Money for goods.” Wang Qinian took a ceramic jar from under the counter. The lid was sealed with wax. Without much thought, one could tell that the jar contained the cinnabar bonus for this transaction.

“Oh my! Your counter really has everything! By the way, could you please get a bag to pack this for me?” George took out six gold vouchers issued by the Temple of Wealth from his inner pocket and placed them on the counter, while retrieving his money bag that he had left on the counter.

George stepped out of the “Fuli Anqiong” shop with a slightly old Linen cloth package in his hand. Looking at this item in his hand that clashed with his clothing, George muttered unhappily to himself, “For someone so old, still having such a bad taste. I really don’t know what to say.”

It seemed that to retaliate for George waking him up from his big money-making dream, Wang Qinian deliberately used this tattered bag to have a good laugh at George’s expense. However, George’s calm and composed handling of the situation, thanks to his good breathing cultivation, clearly thwarted the other’s plan.