Chapter 26: Chapter26-Two Million Gold Coins, Deal Sealed

As various items were presented, Biso Lexman's expression grew increasingly animated.

He couldn't help but internally remark, "Is Mr. Ranch really a merchant? Don't merchants usually sell specific goods? How come Mr. Ranch is like a department store, selling even items like lace lingerie?"

Seeing the lace lingerie, Sophia's cheeks flushed, reminded of her initial encounter with Ranch.

Ranch, of course, felt no embarrassment; as a merchant, it was only natural for him to have an assortment of goods on hand.

After Biso had looked over the items, Ranch inquired again, "Mr. Biso, I wonder if you're interested in these goods. If so, we could discuss further."

This prompted Biso Lexman to pause, not immediately responding but instead turning to Paso by his side.

"Paso, give me your thoughts," Biso directed.

Paso nodded and addressed Ranch, "Mr. Ranch, I would like to know your terms."

Ranch was curious about the relationship between Biso and Paso.

Biso, the renowned navigator of Mapleleaf, seemed to place immense trust in the young Paso.

It must be said, Paso indeed appeared much more astute than Biso Lexman.

Ranch straightforwardly stated his demand: "I want the Maple Navigators to work for me."

As soon as this request was voiced, Biso and Paso simultaneously rejected it, saying, "That's impossible!"

Ranch countered with a smile, "Mr. Biso, I believe nothing is impossible in this world; it's just about whether the price you pay is high enough. Of course, there's no need to rush your rejection. I will be staying in Mapleleaf for a while, so if you change your minds, you can always come and find me. Now, let's sit down and talk about the orange juice transaction."

Biso's anger gradually subsided.

He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Ranch for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what exactly this young man was up to.

Taking control of the Maple Navigators?

That was pure fantasy.

Even if he agreed, others in Mapleleaf wouldn't, unless Ranch possessed the absolute power to overthrow everyone else.

But was that possible?

Of course, it was not.

Mulling over this, Biso, after consulting with Paso for a moment, also laid out the final scale of the transaction, stating, "Mr. Ranch, besides those one hundred thousand bottles of orange juice, we also need a thousand bottles of Energy Reagent, five hundred bottles of imitation Dragon Blood Wine, one thousand lace lingerie pieces, and twenty Fire Ball scrolls… We hope these goods can be prepared within half a month, as the Maple Navigators will set sail on a long voyage in fifteen days."

The two listed a long string of goods, with Sophia frantically noting everything down.

Since Ranch had already mentioned the selling prices when introducing the goods, after Biso finished listing his requirements, Sophia calculated the corresponding gold coins, saying, "Master, the total value of these goods is 2.06 million gold coins."

Ranch nodded, generously rounding down, stating, "For our initial cooperation, Mr. Biso, you just need to pay two million gold coins. Moreover, I can provide these goods to you right away, provided that Mr. Biso finds a spacious area for me, as the goods won't fit in a place that's not large enough."

Biso responded, "No problem, there's a dedicated warehouse at the dock, and it's currently empty."

Led by Biso, the group quickly arrived at the warehouse.

Moreover, the goods Ranch was selling were basically marked up tenfold from the store price, so the two million worth of goods only cost two hundred thousand gold coins.

To the astonishment of Biso, Paso, and Pierre, the empty warehouse was rapidly filled with an array of goods, which also led Biso to harbor a speculation.

Biso thought to himself, "A storage ring definitely doesn't have this much space! Could it be that Ranch... Yes, it must be spatial magic, possibly even the legendary Dimensional Space! Only a Dimensional Space could store so many items, but such magic…"

For the first time, Biso Lexman's expression turned solemn.

As a navigator, he had traveled to many places and was privy to numerous secrets.

However, sometimes having too much knowledge isn't good; it can make one hesitant.

He remembered how much more hot-tempered he used to be.

"Maybe I should find an opportunity to ask him," Biso pondered.

Before long, all the goods were stored in the warehouse.

Biso immediately handed over two hundred magical amethyst coins to Ranch, adding, "Mr. Ranch, it's been a pleasure doing business."

Ranch reciprocated, "The pleasure is mine."

It seemed the transaction was concluded. Ranch, along with Sophia and Pierre, left Maple Dock.

But not far away, the young man named Paso caught up with them, handing Ranch a letter, saying, "Mr. Ranch, this contains some information about Mapleleaf, which I believe could be helpful to you."

"Thank you," Ranch accepted the letter.

He didn't open it immediately but stored it in his storage ring.

By this time, it was nearly afternoon.

Although they had some pastries at Biso's, the aroma of food wafting from the streets made Ranch irresistibly curious, and Sophia seemed a bit salivating too.

Pierre immediately chimed in, "Mr. Ranch, this is Mapleleaf's most famous snack, called the maple leaf cake."

Speaking, he led Ranch to a run-down shop.

The space inside was so small that tables and chairs were set up outside on the street.

Pierre ordered a plate of maple leaf cake along with other local snacks, while Ranch took out three bottles of orange juice, handing one to each person.

As they waited for the maple leaf cake to be prepared, Ranch took a sip of the juice and asked Pierre, "Pierre, what are your plans going forward?"

Faltering a bit at the question, Pierre eventually said, "Mr. Ranch, I would like to follow you."

This answer was within Ranch's expectations.

Ever since he had encountered Pierre's trading caravan on the road, he recognized that although this merchant was keen on money, his morals seemed to be higher than those of other merchants.

However, Ranch wasn't looking for mere followers.

He laid out two options for Pierre, stating, "Pierre, there are two paths you can choose. The first is that I supply the goods to you, and you sell them yourself; your profit will depend on your own skill. The second path is for you to establish a trading guild; I will provide capital and goods to assist, but this path will face many obstacles, and it's highly possible that someone might kill you over it."

Pierre was usually indecisive, but this time, he responded quickly, "Mr. Ranch, I choose the second path!"

This somewhat surprised Ranch.

But since he had offered Pierre the choice, he would respect Pierre's decision.

Ranch instructed, "Since you've decided to take the path of forming a trading guild, start with Mapleleaf. First, investigate the situation of the major trading caravans within Mapleleaf, then determine the necessary capital and corresponding goods. Besides, you can contact Colin Rein in the City of Crimson, just say it was my recommendation."

Pierre nodded excitedly, "Mr. Ranch, I will definitely accomplish the task of forming the trading guild!"

After speaking, Pierre, too preoccupied even to think about the maple leaf cake, stood up and returned to where his caravan was stationed, ready to mobilize his people to gather information.

Observing this, Sophia looked at Ranch and asked, "Ranch, do you think Pierre can really establish a trading guild?"

The question wasn't meant to underestimate Pierre.

The continent had few trading guilds, and the strongest among them were only three: the Ding Dong Trading Guild formed by gnomes and dwarves, the Star Moon Trading Guild organized by the Star Moon Empire, and the Ferocious Beast Trading Guild managed jointly by the spellbeast royalty and other rare races.

These three guilds gathered numerous caravans, truly giants among the many trading guilds.

In the Dark Night Kingdom, there were no notably famous trading guilds.

The entire kingdom leaned towards chaos; everyone wanted to grab more benefits, naturally reluctant to join a guild and be regulated.

Therefore, establishing a trading guild was a huge challenge for Pierre.

Ranch understood this well. He fed Sophia a small piece of maple leaf cake and said, "It's just giving him a chance. After all, he has been quite helpful to me. If he really can pull together a trading guild, I naturally won't skimp on investment."

Sophia smiled, "It seems Mr. Ranch has grand plans."

Ranch chuckled, but his gaze suddenly shifted to the side.

Standing three meters away was a little girl, not even half a meter tall, her azure blue eyes filled with longing as she gazed at the maple leaf cake on the table.