CHAPTER 94: CHAPTER 93: NO NEED TO EXPLAIN TO OTHERS

Slave trade is actually considered a new industry within the Silver Blood Association in Xuanzhu County. Apart from a few merchant fleets taking the risk, other merchant associations have not gotten involved in this business.

It’s not that the merchants have a conscience, but rather they think this business, while profitable, carries greater risks. They can make plenty from their current ventures, and they will seize chances to make money only if there’s no risk to themselves; if there’s danger, they’ll naturally avoid it.

The slave trade isn’t about transporting slaves from the Dongyang district to other places to be sold cheaply. Truth be told, Dongyang is actually quite short on people. Not mentioning the great slave-owning Jing Family, other factory-owning merchant associations also prefer using slaves instead of workers. Local slave markets digest what they can themselves and have no intention of selling them elsewhere.

The process of slave trade actually involves starting from Xuanzhu County, transporting vital supplies like weapons and food to Skyrim, selling them to Skyrim warlords for gold and silver, acquiring war captives and vagrant slaves, then shipping them to the sparsely populated Scandinavia to sell for local landlords, from whom they obtain many agricultural products for the return voyage to Xuanzhu County, earning substantial profits from gold, silver, and farm products with each trip.

From this process, it’s apparent that slave trade only emerged after the upheavals in Skyrim. With too many destitute vagrants in Skyrim, even knowing they’d be transported to unknown countries like Scandinavia, they willingly consent. Coincidently, Scandinavia seems to have just gone through a round of internal strife, urgently needing population to resume production, perfectly aligning the interests of slaves, landlords, and merchants.

Although the slave trade process is very profitable, it contains many issues, with the biggest being that such trade isn’t sustainable—once Skyrim stabilizes, this trade becomes severed at a key link. No one believes Skyrim will remain in chaos for decades; they assume it’s a ’small business’ that can only profiteer for a few years, while those merchant associations used to running hundred-year ’big businesses’ naturally disdain it.

Even the Jing Family concludes that ’human trafficking’ flows more steadily than ’slave trade’.

Currently, the smaller merchant associations at the tail end of rankings are the ones engaged in this small slave trade business. Perhaps Jing Zhengwei also considered entering this industry, as this money might be a mere speck of dust to the Jing Family but a mountain to Jing Zhengwei. Moreover, backed by the Jing Family’s name, should he wish to enter the field, other associations wouldn’t dare say no but would welcome him instead.

Yet Jing Zhengwei didn’t interfere in this line at heart.

This was not because Jing Zhengwei suddenly found his conscience, but because he perceived long-term risks.

Skyrim is vast and rich, with bold and generous people, mostly ones filled with passion and lament. Now that the place is in disorder, all rush in to reap profits like crops. Once Skyrim is unified and consolidated, would they forget the Dongyang merchants had once sold their wives and daughters into slavery?

At present, the new nobles most enthusiastic about the slave trade, their money ultimately flows into other Silver Blood Association industries. According to Jing Zhengwei’s understanding of the Silver Blood Association’s upper echelon, he estimates that once signs of unity emerge in Skyrim, they will deliberately reconcile with new warlords, then collaborate to cut those merchant associations—who grew rich through slave trade—as gifts to the warlords, allowing them to gather popular support.

Offer a sum of money, toast in surrendering three cups, and then the matter ends.

Otherwise, why do you think Silver Blood Association has eighty-eight merchant association slots—many tasks are actually inappropriate for established merchant associations to perform, only those lower-level aspiring ones will take risks. Upon success, the established ones use the market to carve out their profits; should mistakes arise, they push a ’temporary industrial association’ forward to take the blame, apologizing and sending money while dissociating themselves entirely.

Silver Blood Association are veteran capitalists, continuously keen on reaping profits—even the lower-tier merchant associations are their crops.

Le Yu immediately stood up, startling Qing Lan enough to quickly hold him back, "Master, please let me finish speaking first."

"In fact, there’s nothing wrong on the account books," Qing Lan said, "They are normal maritime trades, and the route you chose is East Triangle, the type of goods similar to slave merchant ships, without substantial evidence."

Although Jing Zhengwei doesn’t engage in slave trading, he has chosen to do business in Skyrim—what business makes the most money? Of course, it’s the arms and food trade! Post-uproar in Skyrim, the nobility’s family wealth ends up in the hands of warlords, and naturally, they want to exchange gold and silver for urgently needed goods.

However, weapon production in Xuanzhu County is not high, only because Jing Zhengwei has Red Moon Fortress’s mining resources, providing upstream materials for the weapons industry, enabling him to secure a share from other merchant associations. Yet, just arms and food alone cannot fill a merchant ship’s cargo hold, so part of the everyday items are transported to Scandinavia for sale.

"But in recent months, there have been some slight changes," Qing Lan continued, "Six months ago, Director Bai made the decision to increase food and fruit procurement while reducing the share of everyday goods, along with introducing a new product: Grace Lock."

Le Yu paused, then said, "He mentioned to me at the time, large landlords in Scandinavia also have many servants, and there’s a big gap in demand for Grace Locks."

Grace Lock, this high-tech gadget from Xuanzhu County, naturally finds a broad market in slave-stricken Scandinavia. Jing Zhengwei then felt Director Bai’s business acumen was rather sharp and entrusted him fully with specific merchant trade affairs, usually refraining from interfering aside from checking accounts.

Unlike lazy Le Yu, Jing Zhengwei isn’t slacking; he merely needs to control the direction of the industry without doing everything himself—after all, the highest realm of ’Qin Day’ is overflowing with desire yet guarding the heart’s gate. Beyond each evening’s Qin Day, he also spends days touring and bonding with new wives.

Others at the abstinence forum put their heart and soul into work, but contrary to that, this abstinence grandmaster Jing Zhengwei indulges daily in the sweet tang of hero’s graves.

The deeper the love, the more intense, the crueler.

While Qing Lan works, Le Yu voluntarily sits beside her reading, more or less influenced by Jing Zhengwei—otherwise he’d surely be at the Battle Card venue continuing to rank up.

"In the past six months, the fleet has made three East Triangle trade trips, each involving large numbers of Grace Locks, gaining substantial funds whenever selling them, with all accounts checked and matching, seemingly without any problem," Qing Lan adjusted her glasses, "However, Director Bai forgot something crucial."

At this point, Qing Lan paused, glancing at Le Yu, who looked at her quietly.

"Can you guess what key information Director Bai forgot to alter?"

"I can’t guess what information Director Bai forgot to alter, but I can guess you’ll probably get kicked out of bed tonight,"

Qing Lan pouted, continued, "Along with Grace Locks sold to Scandinavia landlords were Light Energy Replenishers. Six months ago, the merchandise included seven Light Energy Replenishers, yet only one four months ago, and only one aboard the returning fleet now, however, the number of Grace Locks did not decrease but increased!"

Le Yu immediately understood.

Grace Lock is like a mobile phone, each servant can only use one. To sell more, you must expand the customer base. After all, a landlord only has so many servants; soon, every servant will be equipped with Grace Locks.

The seven Replenishers from six months ago equate to seven sets of Grace Locks, which could be sold to seven customers. But later two trips only carried one Replenisher each, and the overall quantity of Grace Locks didn’t diminish, which means all these Grace Locks must have been sold to a single customer!

No customer needs nor could possibly purchase so many Grace Locks, differing from commercial principles: such bulk goods sold to one customer, few have the means to buy, especially as Grace Locks aren’t necessities; they can totally press the price down hard, knowing if you won’t sell to me, no one else will.

In Scandinavia, only one thing currently can be consumed in whatever quantity supplied: slaves.

Furthermore, the heavier said food and fruit proportions lighten space used for everyday goods transportation, the answer becomes almost self-evident.

"Grace Lock isn’t sold to the Scandinavian landlords; it’s a free gift bound on slaves’ hands and feet," Le Yu stated, "...which means the fleet also colluded with Director Bai?"

Executing slave trafficking requires the fleet’s involvement, only with Director Bai conspiring with the fleet could it be feasible to undertake such things under Jing Zhengwei’s nose.

So, does Jing Zhengwei know that his subordinates are engaged in such activities?

Le Yu ran through his memories, then suddenly froze.

He slowly sat down; Qing Lan cautiously glanced at him, offering, "If you could give me a bit more time, perhaps I could uncover more evidence..."

"Evidence?" Le Yu chuckled softly: "Does the grand young master of Jing Family need to explain anything to others?"

The implication being it doesn’t matter whether there’s evidence or not.

"By the way, when is the fleet expected to return?"

"Tomorrow or the day after, encountering storms might delay them."

"In that case... fine." Le Yu closed "Volcano God’s Legend," stood and walked out; Qing Lan asked, "Master, will you confront Director Bai?"

"No, I’m going out for fun."

"Then I’m going too," Qing Lan stood up.

"Have you finished your work? You still want to go out to play?" Le Yu’s tone was resentful.

"Oh." Qing Lan sat back down.

"I’ll be back at noon to go eat." Le Yu stopped at the door and paused to ask: "Do you like cold honey Five-Flower Tea?"

Qing Lan blinked: "... I like coconut milk."

"Where can I buy it?"

"Friendship next to the gate stone street."

"Hmm..." Le Yu pondered deeply for a while, clicking his tongue, "Alright then."