CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: WHAT ABOUT COMPENSATION?

Qu Jianlei was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then quickly understood.

A place that can sell Energy Blocks at this level of capability, it’s normal for them to collect gold privately.

So he asked, "High price collection... how does it work, conversion to what? Don’t tell me it’s Hongwu silver coins."

"Hongwu silver coins?" The manager sneered, obviously not caring for Hongwu silver coins.

He stated without hesitation, "Of course, it’s exchanged for Energy Blocks, sold to you at 30% off the market price."

General goods in the Wasteland, when bartered, are subject to very steep discounts.

But Energy Blocks are solid hard currency, even more stable than the silver coins privately minted by various Settlements.

So this 30% off... don’t think it’s too little, it’s really quite sincere.

Qu Jianlei looked at him, asking with interest, "What if I just want to buy a bag?"

"Then leave it to us," the manager answered without hesitation, exuding a touch of Blue Star’s white-collar elite style.

However, ultimately it’s different; if it were on Blue Star, wouldn’t they at least say, "No need to buy, here’s one for you"?

But the personnel in the Wasteland are complex, with high mobility, and the VIP system is relatively underdeveloped.

"You’ll definitely need to exchange some Energy Blocks," Qu Jianlei stated without hesitation.

He’s not good at socializing, but after all, it’s not his first day mingling in society; in such a backward place, a win-win is the proper way.

Then he asked again, "I’m also planning to buy some Mutated Beast Crystals, do you have channels?"

"This..." the manager finally hesitated; the rarity of Mutated Beast Crystals far surpasses that of Energy Blocks.

In the end, he still stated, "I need to consult about this, the price may far exceed your imagination."

Qu Jianlei didn’t even consider the price factor; his biggest need now is to quickly enhance his strength.

In his bones, he wasn’t very concerned about wealth, let alone since these are all things he scavenged.

As for what to do if he runs out of money in the future... as long as he gains strength, making money is a trivial matter for him.

So he straightforwardly asked, "How long?"

Time... the manager pondered and took a deep breath, "Within two days, how about it?"

"Not great, too long," Qu Jianlei answered without hesitation, "Can you help me purchase a batch of food, meat, and water?"

"I can’t help," the manager also answered straightforwardly, the other party’s words stinging his nerves, "We don’t do low-end business."

The shop selling Energy Blocks is too arrogant, directly defining other supplies as low-end transactions.

In fact, for some fixed big clients, they can even be flexible and help arrange low-end supplies; business, after all, is not shabby.

But Qu Jianlei’s words really hurt him — go buy it yourself.

Qu Jianlei didn’t know the underlying details, nor did he want to ponder them, so he simply said,

"I’ll buy a thousand Energy Blocks... is delivery included?"

The manager, after being dazed for a moment, nodded, "Delivery within the Settlement, within the Gathering Area, there will be certain delivery security fees."

"Alright," Qu Jianlei nodded, "I need to make purchases within the Settlement, can you send someone with me to deliver together in the end?"

"No problem," the manager answered without hesitation, then emphasized, "Only delivery within the Settlement is free."

"I know," Qu Jianlei answered decisively, "Make the arrangements, bring a thousand Energy Blocks, let’s go shopping."

"Please wait," the manager got anxious; how much gold can a thousand Energy Blocks exchange for?

"We have some news about Mutated Beast Crystals, we can facilitate a transaction for you."

Qu Jianlei shook his head, muttering in a low voice, "No need, in two days’ time... who knows how many adventurers will be attracted."

The worry of being coveted is a sign of weakness.

But being able to openly show it is not a reaction a weak person should have.

So there’s only one explanation, he’s not really afraid of swarming adventurers, he just finds it troublesome.

However, Qu Jianlei was indeed worried about not being able to fight them off, as he is just one person, and Xiao Jing’s combat power is nearly nil.

The manager immediately stated, "It’s not vertical business, it’s horizontal."

In other words, it’s not business from above, but there are related channels within the Hongwu Settlement.

Qu Jianlei understood; isn’t this exactly the kind of system big companies on Blue Star have?

The branch manager ruling over a region is very powerful, but important matters still have to listen to the headquarters.

But meanwhile, he also has local contacts, with some private tasks that can be handed to the local area.

Such business is not necessarily against the rules; on the contrary, it can often enhance the company’s influence.

So Qu Jianlei was not surprised, asked directly, "How long?"

"A day," the manager thought for a while, then corrected, "If you’re willing to pay a higher price, maybe only half a day."

"Hehe," Qu Jianlei chuckled, "Then one day."

Then he picked up the stack of documents, having nothing else to do, "These things, could you help check them?"

The manager took them, glanced at a few pages, and handed them back directly, even with a slight... pity on his face?

"The layout of the Settlement has changed, these places have all been requisitioned or remodeled."

Requisitioned? Qu Jianlei wasn’t particularly surprised, but still a bit puzzled in the end.

"These land deeds and property documents are all missing, who are you expropriating from, and how is compensation calculated?"

"Compensation?" The supervisor looked at him strangely, why is your thinking so unusual?

"Yes," Qu Jianlei nodded decisively, looking at the other party openly.

He did not know if there was any compensation for expropriation and demolition in the Wasteland, but there was definitely something behind this.

Upon hearing his words, Xiao Jing’s eyes showed a trace of panic.

But the supervisor didn’t notice, he was already shocked by the wording and attitude of the other party.

After hesitating for a moment, he lightly coughed.

"I can ask about this for you, just as I go out to arrange a few things, I’ll inquire about the Mutant Beast Crystals."

"Alright," Qu Jianlei nodded, raised his hand to close the safe, and retrieved the Silver Token, "We’ll wait at the door."

He was still very cautious in his actions, as it was not appropriate for the two of them to stay here, to avoid suspicion.

The supervisor looked at him in surprise again before nodding slightly, and the three of them left the warehouse together.

After closing the door, he quickly walked away.

The two of them sat on the steps by the door. Xiao Jing looked around, found no one, and then spoke in a low voice.

"Brother Black Heaven, expropriating and remodeling houses often means forced expropriation, especially when the owner is not around."

He felt that Brother Black Heaven’s behavior just now was a bit out of the ordinary and might have shown their hand.

Qu Jianlei glanced at him lightly. Right, now this looks like a child’s demeanor.

"Don’t just apply your limited common sense... If there’s no compensation, why would these things need to be placed in a safe... treasure chest?"

Xiao Jing blinked, stumped there, "Yeah, but in the past..."

The two of them whispered to each other while the supervisor entered a large house.

The room was lavishly decorated, with exquisite items, a scene that shouldn’t appear in the Wasteland at all.

A middle-aged man was lounging with his legs crossed, smoking on a high-backed chair.

Seeing someone enter, he lazily asked, "What’s happening?"

The supervisor honestly reported the course of events and shared his judgment.

"...The key is, when faced with expropriation, he actually mentioned compensation, such a line of thought isn’t common."

The middle-aged man stopped puffing smoke, pondered for three or four seconds, then spoke, "It’s none of our business, is it?"

The supervisor cautiously asked, "About the other side wanting to buy Mutated Beast Crystals... Should we facilitate this?"

"We are businessmen," the middle-aged man answered without hesitation, "By the way, try to keep all the gold."

"It’s very difficult," the supervisor carefully replied, "That gold is about one hundred kilograms."

The middle-aged man paused for a bit, then slightly nodded, "Then do your best, gold prices are about to rise again."

Qu Jianlei and Xiao Jing waited till dusk.

Xiao Jing’s stomach was growling uncontrollably from hunger, and although he had Nutrient Injection with him, he suppressed his urge to eat.

Qu Jianlei wasn’t much better off, but eating Nutrient Injection right now didn’t fit their background setting at all.

The supervisor finally arrived, carrying two food boxes, "Hungry? Have something to eat?"

Xiao Jing was a bit tempted, but Qu Jianlei indicated, "Let’s talk business."

He knew far too many stories of scheming for wealth and murder, and the order here was indeed too poor.

The supervisor spoke calmly, "We are contacting the holders of Mutant Crystals, there are five to eight Mutant Crystals."

"If nothing unexpected happens, we should have results by tomorrow morning."

"However, there’s one thing to discuss... If you use gold directly to purchase, it’s easy to leak the news."

Gold transactions themselves are prohibited.

Qu Jianlei thoughtfully asked, "Your shop is running so big, you don’t have this capability?"

The supervisor thought for a moment and replied, "If possible, I would even prefer that both parties don’t meet."

Qu Jianlei asked calmly, "Are you trying to use information isolation to earn more profit?"

The supervisor answered without hesitation, "It’s not that bad... We just want to keep the gold in hand as much as possible."

Qu Jianlei pondered for a while, then snorted, "Alright, it’s up to you, our gold is ultimately to be exchanged for supplies."

He would like to refuse, but is it possible? Once the news leaks, he and Xiao Jing cannot walk out of the Settlement alive.

It’s better to let the other side earn a little more, perhaps taking into account their "background," they wouldn’t tear their face apart.

Then he asked, "Is there any news about those expropriation compensations?"

From Qu Jianlei’s response, the supervisor had already judged that the other side was apprehensive, a good thing for him.

But upon hearing the word "compensation" again, he felt a bit disappointed.

He forced a smile and answered seriously, "I found out, there is compensation..."

"But some people have already collected it, in this regard, we are really powerless."

As he spoke, he carefully watched Qu Jianlei’s eyes.