Volume 2: Empire Chapter 193: Business with Barbarians
Coco put on new boots, and was surprised to find that he was not unsteady on his feet due to the boots' overly strange appearance. Instead, the center of gravity of his entire body was smoothly pressed on the center of the sole, which was more stable than standing barefoot.
"Very comfortable!" Coconut couldn't help but praise: "I thought I would have to be on guard against falling when wearing these boots."
Coconut took two more steps, and the metal soles of his boots made a loud "clacking" sound on the floor.
Luke observed Coconut's gait and said, "This is the power of technology. This kind of low-end material can only achieve this level in such a short time. When we return to Raging Tide City, I will ask someone to measure the size of your feet, redesign the overall design, and make a pair of combat boots specifically for you."
Coconut asked: "I want to go back to Raging Waves City with you?"
Luke shook the agreement that Coconut had just signed and said, "You must obey me while the contract is in effect. Come on, it's time for lunch. Come with me to discuss business with Mrs. Ficochik."
"Okay." Coco was very excited when he heard about business. This was a good opportunity to learn how to do business.
Coconut followed Luke with a "clacking" sound.
When they arrived at the dining room, the servants had already laid the table with food.
When Mrs. Fecochek saw Luke, she immediately invited him to sit closest to her. "You drank too much last night, and you were out all morning today. I caught you at noon. You must talk to me more about the City of Raging Waves. It is the center of world fashion, and I am responsible for introducing world fashion to the Holy Mountain."
"I've been really busy these past two days." Luke sat down and said to Mrs. Fecochek, "Thank you for your hospitality, Madam. I want to have a good chat with you about world fashion during lunch today."
"Great!" Mrs. Fekich exclaimed when she saw Coconut's new boots, "What a beautiful pair of boots. They make you look taller and give you a smooth curve. Mr. Luke, is this the beautiful curve of women that is popular in the world fashion? Are boots of this shape the latest style of women's boots?"
"This... This is a pair of medical leg correction boots I ordered for Coconut. She injured her leg before and needed external force to repair it." Luke was afraid that Mrs. Fecochik would wear a pair of these boots out, so he made up an excuse and changed the subject: "I heard that you have a lot of shops and workshops in the Holy Mountain, Madam?"
Talking about her second hobby, Mrs. Fekechik's heavily made-up face immediately burst into smiles: "My husband is so good at making money. Every time he sends me money, I don't know how to spend it. You have seen what the Holy Mountain looks like. It is a remote and poor place far away from the fashion center. There is nothing that can show the wealth of the Fekechik family.
I could only exchange all my money for a shop and let everyone see that although my husband is a barbarian, he is better at business than the most business-savvy human being.
The last time Fekechik wrote to me, he mentioned extraordinary pets, which are cute things that the upper-class ladies in Nutao City like to keep. Can you tell me in detail what kind of pets they are?"
The extraordinary pet business run by Luke has opened up the market in Raging Waves City. At a gathering of upper-class people, talking about extraordinary pets can easily bring two people closer together. Now the Extraordinary Pet Association opened by Luke has held many extraordinary pet competitions, and the extraordinary pet rating standards are gradually being accepted by people. The day when certificates can be issued to make money is not far away.
As a pioneer and monopolist of the extraordinary pet market, Luke has a lot to talk about on this topic.
After Luke introduced what extraordinary pets are to Mrs. Fecochek, he said, "Now Raging Waves City is the largest market for extraordinary pets. Every day, it receives many wealthy people from all over the world who come to buy extraordinary pets. Extraordinary pets are docile and easy to train. They are good communication lubricants in most social occasions.
Therefore, the supply of extraordinary pets has always been in short supply, and some high-quality extraordinary pets need to be auctioned to be obtained. "
Hearing that extraordinary pets were so popular in the world, Mrs. Fekechik immediately said, "This time when you return to Raging Waves City, tell Fekechik to buy me an extraordinary pet.
Extraordinary pets are something that the Holy Mountain has never heard of. As the only person who owns it, I will definitely be envied by everyone. "
"Okay, ma'am. I will tell Mr. Fekechik about your request after we return to Raging Waves City." While Madam Fekechik was happy, Luke asked, "Are there many shops and workshops for sale in the Holy Mountain recently?"
Mrs. Fekich answered, "Yes, there are many shops and workshops for sale. I have to go and negotiate some deals this afternoon. When Fekich comes back and sees that I bought so many shops and workshops for him, he will definitely be happy to have a wife who is as good at business as he is."
"Madam, you really have a good business sense." Luke praised generously, and then put forward his own small request: "I made a lot of money during my adventuring career, and originally wanted to invest in business in Raging Wave City, but I found that my money couldn't even buy a factory there.
Since there are so many shops and workshops for sale in the Holy Mountain, I would like to partner with you, Madam, to buy more shops."
Hearing that Luke actually wanted to invest in the Holy Mountain store, Mrs. Fecochek said pessimistically: "It is not a good idea for an outsider like you to buy a store in the Holy Mountain. The laws here will not protect you. I can buy so many stores because my husband is a member of the Barbarian Stone Family, and his brothers can protect my store."
"It is precisely because of this concern that I want to cooperate with you, Madam. I will provide the funds, and you will purchase the store. The store will be under your name, and we will divide the profits privately. As a thank you, I can give you one tenth of my profits as a thank you to the Wanshi family."
Mrs. Fecochek was very interested in Luke's proposal.
Two people buying shops would definitely buy more than one person. In the eyes of outsiders, so many shops belong to the Fekechik family, which can better show the wealth of the Fekechik family. Moreover, Luke was willing to give him one tenth of his earnings, which was free money.
Mrs. Ficochik asked, "How much money are you prepared to invest? If it's too little to buy a few stores, I won't take the one-tenth commission."
"I have 20,000 in savings..."
Mrs. Fecochek showed an expression that she was unwilling to play with you: "So little?"
"Gold vouchers! They are all in the World Bank and can be cashed out at the Holy Mountain branch."
"Twenty thousand gold coupons!" Mrs. Fecochek's eyes widened. "Is being an adventurer so profitable?"
Coconut, who was eating nearby, said, "Mr. Luke is a very good adventurer. The bounty he gets for taking high-level commissions is very high...very, very high."
Twenty thousand gold vouchers equal one hundred million imperial marks. Coconut knew that Luke had earned one hundred million imperial marks on his way to the Holy Mountain.
Mrs. Fecochik calmed herself down and said to Luke, "A shop in the Holy Mountain costs tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Reichsmarks. A workshop is a little more expensive. After all, workshops are generally larger in size, and there are craftsmen and apprentices. Most of them need to pay hundreds of thousands at a time. Some workshops with excellent craftsmen may need millions.
Your 100 million Reichsmarks can buy many shops and workshops."
That was pretty much what Luke learned.
The economy of the Holy Mountain is backward, the land has not yet been commercialized, and the value of craftsmen is higher than the land.
If the Celtic Duke lifts the factory ban and factories move into the Holy Mountain, most craftsmen will be worthless. That is why Sergei, a human merchant who knows the inside information, sells off his shops and workshops.
Mrs. Fecochek bought so many shops and workshops that she had no competitiveness against the factories she built later. However, she had to pay taxes and wages, and when she could no longer afford the expenses, she would sell all the shops and workshops at a low price.
At that time, the human merchant Sergei would buy back all these shops and workshops. The staff would be laid off and sent to the factory, and the land in his hands would become more and more expensive as the economy improved.
A very smart all-inclusive.
But this time Mrs. Fecochek had a trick up her sleeve.
Luke is her plug-in.
Luke said to Mrs. Fecochek, "Then I'd like you to use all my money to buy shops and workshops. I won't be staying in the Holy Mountain for too long, so I'm willing to pay a premium to save time."
“Isn’t it too much of a loss to acquire at a premium price?”
Luke ate the meat on his plate and replied to Mrs. Ficochik, "Although it seems a bit disadvantageous, compared to making money in the future, of course the more shops the better.
Madam, you don’t have to specifically look for merchants who are willing to sell their shops. You can also talk to those who are not willing to sell. I believe that as long as the money is in place, there is no deal that cannot be negotiated.”
Mrs. Fekechik looked at Luke and said, "Is this the way the upper class in Nutao City talk business? I used to argue with others over a little money, which was really beneath my dignity.
Mr. Luke, rest assured, as long as you are willing to pay a premium, I promise to turn all your money into shops in the Holy Mountain as soon as possible, and the Stone Family will protect their safety!"
Seeing that Mrs. Fecochek was so confident about purchasing the store, Luke continued, "It doesn't matter if the 20,000 gold coupons are all used up. My credit rating at the World Bank is very good, and I can borrow a large sum of money from them. Just buy the store with confidence, and I'll definitely have enough money!"
As he spoke, Luke took out a check and handed it to Mrs. Fecochek.
Then come up with an agreement.
Mrs. Feckochick did not think much about Luke's ability to get so much money. She was a very simple and savage person and did not have the shrewd mind of her husband.
Now with an "unlimited" check open to spend, Mrs. Fechick's second love trumped her first.
After reading the agreement carefully, Mrs. Ficochik signed her name on it as she thought there was no problem. Then she lost her appetite and stuffed some food into her mouth without waiting to go shopping.
Coconut, who was sitting opposite Luke, asked, "Why did you buy so many shops in the Holy Mountain? It seems that you can make a lot of money. But from what I know about the merchants in the Holy Mountain, the profit of the shops is not high, and the craftsmen can't make many things in a day. If you resell the goods outside, you won't need many shops."
Luke said: "When doing business, there are short-term and long-term ones. This time I am doing long-term. Even if I don't make a profit or even lose money for a period of time, in the long run, I will definitely make money."
"I don't understand."
"It's okay if you don't understand." Luke didn't intend to explain to Coconut. He asked, "Are you full?"
Coconut drank the milk wine in the cup: "I'm full, anything else?"
"Isn't there a strongman competition this afternoon? After we've eaten, let's go and join the competition."
After a whole morning of training, Coconut had forgotten about the competition, and only remembered it after Luke reminded him.
"Yes, the strongman competition. After watching your competition with those barbarians yesterday, I believe you will definitely shock everyone in today's competition.
Let’s go!”
Coconut, who was extremely enthusiastic about the competition, urged Luke in turn.
Luke finished the food on his plate and took the coconut to the strongman competition. Unexpectedly, he met a group of barbarians as soon as he left the house. They were the barbarians from the Stone Family who had lost to Luke in the strength contest yesterday.
When the barbarians of the Stone Family saw Luke, they surrounded him as if he were their own brother.
After a flurry of greetings, Luke understood why they were there .
The barbarians knew that Luke was going to participate in a strongman competition in the afternoon, so they came to cheer for Luke. They were even happier than if they were participating in the strongman competition themselves.
"Brother Luke, you are the strongest human I have ever seen. You can definitely win the strongman competition."
"But you will never be able to take the strongest man's gold belt. We still have to see which barbarian can defeat you."
"The one with the greatest strength must be a barbarian. But Brother Luke is really strong. Today the entire Holy Mountain will know that there is a human who has more strength than most barbarians."
"The strongest human being is our good brother!"
The round-robin battle at the pool party made the savages of the Stone Family extremely impressed by Luke's strength. They came to cheer for Luke and also wanted to see who could defeat this human strongman.
A large group of barbarians surrounded Luke and paraded through the streets of the Holy Mountain. Many people recognized that this group of barbarians belonged to the Stone Family. They scratched their heads and wondered... When did the barbarians of the Stone Family become so close to humans?
The Circus Maximus is a landmark building on Mount Sacromonte. Its shape is similar to the Roman Colosseum, surrounded by stepped stands and a circular competition venue in the middle.
The strongman competition is held once a month. The top ten winners will receive prizes, and the first place winner will receive a gold belt and enjoy the cheers of the audience.
The competition proceeds quickly, starting in the afternoon, and most of the time the champion can be decided near dusk.
The registration process is also very simple. There are several huge stone pillars at the entrance to the competition venue. If you can hold one of them for ten seconds, you will be qualified to participate in the official competition.
Many barbarians will try, but only a few can lift the stone pillar intact and qualify for the competition.
