Misty Rain of the Old Times

The value of copper, which costs 10,000 taels per ounce, far exceeds that of black gold. Yet, the Frost Moon Kingdom and the Jade Flower Kingdom are now waging war over gold mines containing black gold, practically fighting to the point of brain damage. This shows just how precious such metals are.

Chen Xuan had long expected that this kind of thing would be expensive, but he didn't expect it to be this outrageously expensive.

The unit price was within his acceptable range, but the problem was that he needed more than just a little bit. To make a set of array flags, even a small one, he had no prior experience, and with the constant wear and tear from experiments, he estimated it would weigh at least ten kilograms!

That's two million taels of silver, rounded up. Jingguo's price is sixteen taels per catty. Even if he were sold... that wouldn't be possible. In short, it's more expensive than he expected.

Fire copper is a very special metal. It is copper, but under normal circumstances it is reddish-brown, as if it were burning red. Moreover, it emits astonishing heat even at room temperature. Ordinary people cannot bear to even get close to it, let alone touch it. According to Chen Xuan's own understanding, that thing is constantly emitting heat radiation, but apart from the high temperature, it has no other harmful effects.

He had never seen this magical metal before, but the information left by Lao Liu explained it very clearly.

The heat radiation naturally emitted by that special metal is not uncontrollable, but it requires a special method, which Chen Xuan knows, but he hasn't tried it yet.

Because copper is rare, special, difficult to mine, and difficult to preserve and transport, its high price is to be expected.

Many things in the world are like this: they are incredibly valuable to those who need them, but worth less than a piece of paper to those who don't.

It would have to be at least ten catties. Putting aside where we'd get that much money, could the Zheng family's business association even afford it? You know, the more precious something is, the rarer it is.

At this moment, Chen Xuan began to understand why some people with high cultivation levels liked to travel around. It was because the things they needed were difficult for ordinary people to provide, and spending money was not worth it. It was better to go to nature to find wild things. After all, in this era, the air did not belong to the imperial court. Whoever got wild things could keep them.

Seeing Chen Xuan deep in thought, the junior manager who received him smiled and said, "I hope you know that 10,000 taels per tael is already a very low price. Apart from our Zheng Family Chamber of Commerce, there are no more than a handful of people in the entire Jing Kingdom who dare to guarantee that they can get the goods. Even if they can, the price will only be higher, not lower. To put it bluntly, even if you go to them, you might end up going through the same channels as our Zheng Family Chamber of Commerce, and the price will be different then."

Looking up and smiling, Chen Xuan waved his hand and said, "I'm not concerned about the price. How much can you get?"

Since Chen Xuan had no intention of paying for the order, there was no point in haggling. The other party was bound to make a profit from the price they offered, at least double it. Merchants are profit-driven, and they wouldn't work for nothing.

Upon hearing this, the other party replied confidently, "That depends on how much our esteemed guest needs."

"Oh ho, you've got quite the big talk," Chen Xuan said without hesitation. "Can you get me a hundred or two hundred catties?"

"If the customer prepays half the price, we can get it for you. Let me make it clear, once you've placed an order, you can't back out. Even if you don't want it later, the deposit is non-refundable," the manager said with a raised eyebrow and a smile, thinking to himself, "Are you kidding me? Anyone can talk big."

Leaning back in his chair, Chen Xuan laughed and said, "Alright, you said it yourself. Give me a hundred or two hundred catties. I certainly can't come up with the deposit right now, but I think my name, Chen Xuan, should be worth a few million taels. What do you think, manager?"

Upon hearing this, the manager was about to reprimand Chen Xuan, but then he suddenly remembered something and broke out in a cold sweat.

Who is Chen Xuan? Everyone in the Zheng Family Chamber of Commerce with even a little status has heard of him. He is the savior personally instructed by the young lady. When you see him, you must treat him as the most honored guest and not be negligent. You must try your best to meet all his requests. I almost offended him. If I had really offended him, not only would I have lost my job, but I wouldn't even know how I died.

He immediately cowered. Whether it was true or false, keeping his job and his life was the most important thing. If he really neglected 'Chen Xuan,' he couldn't bear the blame from the young lady. So he smiled apologetically and said, "Please forgive me, Young Master Chen. I misspoke before. I really can't do anything for a hundred or two hundred catties. I can barely manage to get one or two catties. Just take it as a joke and don't take it to heart."

So you don't have the ability to brag to me, Chen Xuan thought to himself, but he wasn't going to bother with a nobody like Zheng Wanqian. He didn't have the money right now, and he wouldn't really take advantage of her by using her name to get something for nothing. As long as he knew that the Zheng family business had channels, that was enough. It proved that fire copper wasn't something that was only available for a limited time. In this way, he had room to maneuver.

He then directly changed the subject, asking, "So, what about ice silkworm silk and white cloud wood? Can your esteemed merchant guild obtain them?"

"This... Young Master Chen, please forgive us, but we are truly powerless to produce Ice Silkworm Silk. This material comes from Ice Silkworms that contain the bloodline of exotic beasts. Ice Silkworms are rare, taking at least ten years to spin silk, and producing very little at a time. Even when they do appear, they are immediately taken away by powerful figures. So, we apologize," the steward said helplessly. Regardless of whether he was really Chen Xuan or not, as long as he was using Chen Xuan's name, he could not be offended.

Chen Xuan understood this. Ice silkworm silk was a rare and priceless treasure. Clothes woven from it were said to be impervious to swords and spears and fire and water. It was a treasure that countless people dreamed of. It was not realistic to circulate it as a commodity. It was not surprising that the Zheng Family Chamber of Commerce could not obtain it. Of course, it was not impossible for them to do so if they went all out, but it was clear that this little manager could not make that decision.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xuan asked, "Do you know where I might be able to get some?" "I have heard a little about it. It is said that ice silkworms live in icy lands. There are traces of ice silkworm activity in the Ice Broken Mountains. Since the Cold Mountain Sword Sect is located in the Ice Broken Mountains, the Cold Mountain Sword Sect has almost monopolized the ice silkworm silk of the surrounding countries. If Young Master Chen has any needs, you can try your luck at the Cold Mountain Sword Sect," the other party said cautiously.

As one of the five major righteous forces in Jing Kingdom, Hanshan Sword Sect's status in the martial arts world has declined slightly in recent years due to Guo Jinglong's death, but it is normal for them to monopolize this resource due to their long-standing foundation.

At this moment, Chen Xuan was a little melancholy. He just wanted to set up a fog array, which was the simplest array he knew. The materials were hard to come by, so it was like making dumplings for a dish of vinegar.

With progress already made in obtaining fire copper and ice silkworm silk, Chen Xuan then asked, "What about white cloudwood? Is there any way to get it?"

"May I ask, Young Master Chen, what is white cloudwood?" the other party asked, somewhat bewildered.

Its wood is as white as jade, with natural cloud patterns in its grain. It has extremely demanding growing conditions and is a rare find. Its leaves are snow-white, and the plant seems to be shrouded in mist under the morning and evening sunlight, hence the name White Cloud Wood.

Chen Xuan was there to inquire about materials, not to provide scientific knowledge. He waved his hand and said, "Since your esteemed merchant guild cannot obtain the fire copper I need, and the ice silkworm silk is also beyond your capabilities, then forget it. I'll go ask elsewhere."

After saying that, he got up and left without any hesitation. The main reason was that he didn't have any money. If he did, he wouldn't mind haggling and ordering some copper first, getting whatever he could get, however much he could get.

He had told Zheng Wanqian time and again that there was no such thing as a life-saving grace, and he would never do anything to take advantage of her kindness and use her name to get the Zheng family business association to do things for him, unless... there was no unless.

After leaving the Zheng Family Chamber of Commerce, Chen Xuan walked down the street, looking at the night with melancholy. What kind of mess is this? He just wanted to create a fog array, why is it so difficult? Everything else is manageable, but where can he get white cloud wood? Probably not many people have even heard of it.

In fact, Chen Xuan himself understood that it was because he lacked power. If he had a large group of people in charge, there wouldn't be so many problems. For now, he had to do it himself.

"Let's get our hands on the Fire Copper and Ice Silkworm Silk first. Since they're not exactly rare finds, getting them shouldn't be too difficult. Just stealing them is too low-skilled. As for the White Cloud Wood, someone will know where to find it. We can try to get them to tell us where to get it, or even send it to us."

After a moment's thought, Chen Xuan had already made up his mind. However, what he urgently needed to consider next was how to make some money. Otherwise, if he was penniless, he would probably have to sleep on the streets. He couldn't possibly go back to Yang County to sleep, and he was too lazy to bother going there even if it would only take a meal.

The Zheng family's business guild was located in an extremely prosperous area, surrounded by places of extravagance and pleasure.

Chen Xuan hadn't gone far when his keen senses picked up a crisp clinking sound. Looking up, he saw a noisy, smoky casino. A gambling addict was thrown out at the entrance, and a small copper coin, which he had carefully kept, rolled away.

Upon seeing this, Chen Xuan immediately smiled. He was just wondering where to get some money, and here it was! None of the casino owners were good people; they could all be ripped off without any grievance. What was wrong with taking some of their money? He felt no guilt whatsoever.

Of course, Chen Xuan would never steal or rob; that would be too low-class. He picked up the copper coin that had rolled to his feet, tossed it in his hand, and that was his start-up capital.

After glancing at the dejected gambler who had been thrown out, Chen Xuan strode towards the casino entrance, thinking to himself that he would pay back double later. He had no grudge against anyone and had no habit of taking other people's things for free.

Chen Xuan was really not used to the casino. This was the first time he had ever been to such a place in both his lives. With the idea of ​​getting things done quickly, he took a copper coin as start-up capital and went straight to the dice table.

He understood the rules at a glance: the odds were lowest for guessing big or small, higher for specific numbers, and up to 120 times the odds for special numbers.

This is hardly a challenge for him. It requires no skill whatsoever. How could the bookmaker cheat right under his nose?

It was like robbing people. With a starting capital of one copper coin, he only placed three bets, each with the highest odds in a round. Then his one copper coin turned into more than one hundred taels of silver, and people started following suit.

Just as he was about to go all in again to win a hundred times his initial investment, several people surrounded him, smiling and saying, "Young master, may we speak in private for a moment?"

"Oh ho, can't afford to play, huh? Let's see what you have to say." Chen Xuan put away his winnings and made a gesture of invitation... (End of Chapter)