Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 181: Mutual Exchange and Big Deals

"Shi Ping, why does the Lord need so many things?"

On the south side of the valley, at the temporary supplies department, Qiu Peng was sorting out things while curiously asking Shi Ping next to him.

Ten thousand kilograms of iron ore, three long swords, and a set of ten-stone iron-framed bows are certainly nothing to the current Daxia.

Not to mention the iron ore, the camp now produces at least 300,000 kilograms of it every month; the weapons are even more exaggerated. Last time, more than 4,700 pieces were pulled back from the Jingxian camp, including almost all kinds of swords, axes, swords and halberds, and of course longbows are no shortage. It is estimated that the camp will not need to forge for a long time.

But although it is a lot, it is rare for an individual to change so many at one time.

These supplies are not cheap when added together.

"10 jin of iron ore is worth one point, a long sword is worth 300 points, and a 600-stone iron bow is worth 2500 points. This batch of materials adds up to contribution points!"

Seeing Shi Ping's exaggerated expression after hearing the price, Qiu Peng couldn't help but joke:
"Why, you think it's too expensive? This is because the prices of supplies have been reduced recently. If it were before, I don't think there would be many people in the camp who could afford so many contribution points to exchange for so many things."

Shi Ping nodded when he heard this. He used to work in the camp supply department and was well aware of how exaggerated the changes in material prices could be.

Daxia's recent restructuring not only involves the six departments of the camp, but also many other aspects, including the prices of materials in the camp supply department, have also undergone tremendous changes.

The reason is very simple. First, too many supplies were seized from the Jingxian Camp. Second, the strength of the camp has changed, and the corresponding rules have naturally changed.

First of all, only those at the Digging Realm are eligible to exchange for strategic materials such as iron, and there is an upper limit on individual exchanges. Except for Xia Hong, everyone else in the camp, including Xia Chuan, will be subject to strict restrictions.

The second thing is the price. When iron ore was in short supply before, the exchange rate was 10 points for every 10 jin submitted, and points for every jin. It seems extremely harsh, but in fact it does not encourage or even prevents individual exchanges.

The reason why everyone had no objection before was that although the price of iron ore was ridiculously high, the prices of various iron products were relatively reasonable.

Today, with the mining capacity soaring, the treasury being well-stocked, and no urgent demand other than wooden buildings, the prices of iron ore and weapons have naturally undergone substantial adjustments.

"Your Excellency is going to send this batch of supplies to Xiaohe Camp. Just deduct these 2500 contribution points from me!"

Hearing Shi Ping's words, Qiu Peng immediately showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, gave him a thumbs up, and said with a smile: "I see, you have invested a lot of money. It seems that you are bound to get the position of the Chief of the Development Department!"

Although Qiu Peng currently holds the position of Chief of the Quartermaster Department, he also has the cultivation level of the Digging Realm, so he also has to join the Hunting Department.

Coincidentally, he and Shi Ping both joined Xia Chuan's Yunjiao team.

Xia Chuan did not hide the matter of Xiaohe Camp, so he also knew about it.

Xia Chuan sent supplies to Xiaohe Camp, obviously to attract people. In the end, these people would definitely be blamed on Shi Ping.

"Let's fight. My lord, you have brought so many of you to help me. If I fail to become the chief judge, it will be a great disappointment to him."

2500 contribution points is indeed a huge number for Shi Ping.

He only had a total of 4000 contribution points now, and more than half of them were gone in one go, so he naturally felt distressed.

Because he had been working in the camp supply department before, Shi Ping had a certain understanding of the contribution value balance of everyone in the camp.

The people with the most contribution points in Da Xia now are the first fifteen hunting team members. Because they followed Xia Hong out to hunt intermediate-level cold beasts crazily for a period of time, they have so many contribution points that they can hardly use them up.

The next group is Shi Ping's own group, which consists of more than fifty people who broke through to the Digging Earth Realm. The contribution values of these people are mostly between two thousand and three thousand. The reason is that they made a lot of money during the cold beast tide and the subsequent battle at the Jingxian Camp.

Shi Ping was commended and received some special rewards because he performed exceptionally well in two events and cooperated with Xia Chuan in extinguishing fires during the cold beast tide. Otherwise, his contribution value would not be much different from that of others.

"I'll go inform the others. You should also get ready. The Master will be leaving for the North Shore soon. We will follow him tonight."

Qiu Peng nodded when he heard this, and then he asked, "By the way, Yuwen Tao just brought a lot of people out with him. Was it to look for Hong Guang?"

The hunting department would take a headcount every night, and they all knew that the seven people in the Xuanwu team led by Hong Guang did not return home all night last night.

Shi Ping nodded and said, "Just now, the Lord summoned Yuwen Tao and Meng Yi and asked them about the situation in detail. Hong Guang should have gone to the Sanhu camp. It is likely that something went wrong. Yuwen Tao was worried about their safety, so he went to the north bank to look for them first."

Qiu Peng shook his head and said in a deep voice, "This Hong Guang is a bit impatient. There were problems with the two groups of people he brought back earlier. Now he has actually gone straight to the Sanhu camp. I'm afraid he won't have a good ending."

Shi Ping didn't say anything, but a look of approval appeared on his face.

From what we have learned so far, it is clear that the people in the Sanhu camp are not good people. Hong Guang did not make any preparations and just showed up at their doorstep to discuss annexing them. His end will definitely not be good.

"Yuwen Tao is very powerful, there shouldn't be any problems. I hope Hong Guang and the other seven are fine. Let's stop talking and get ready. We'll be leaving soon."

Seeing Shi Ping taking his things and leaving, Qiu Peng also began to pack up and prepare.

………………

Xiaohe Camp, inside the cave.

In the outer storage space, Xiao Ning was leading a group of people to load the coal stones on the ground into animal skin bags. There were already eight bags on the side, which almost occupied half of the total amount of coal stones on the ground.

"Big sister, isn't 40,000 pounds enough?"

"My hands are so sore, how many more bags do I need to pack?"

Xiao Heng put a piece of coal into the bag, rubbed his sore arm, and couldn't help but look up at Xiao Ning and asked a question.

Snapped……

But before Xiao Ning could say anything, his second sister Xiao Yu patted him on the head and scolded him: "Just do your job well, why do you have so many problems? I haven't seen you pretending, but you have a lot of complaints!"

"Please spare my life, Second Sister. I will continue to pick up the items. I will continue to pick up the items."

Xiao Heng smiled awkwardly and lowered his head to pick up coal stones again.

The people around couldn't help but let out a few low laughs when they saw this.

When Xiao Ning saw this scene, he couldn't help but smile.

The third child, Xiao Heng, is used to being spoiled at home. He is usually fearless, but when he sees the second child, Xiao Yu, he is like a mouse seeing a cat. This is also the case of there being always someone to conquer.

But after looking around, she found that the people picking up coal stones all looked very tired, so she said, "There are only two bags left. Let's stop and rest for a while!"

Everyone's expressions relaxed a lot at once, and after putting down the coal stones in their hands, they all sat down and began to rest.

"Big sister, we need to prepare 50,000 kilograms of coal this time. Is that so much?"

After stopping, Xiao Yu walked directly to Xiao Ning and asked.

Xiao Ning nodded and said, "This is the last exchange meeting before the cold wave comes. Chen Guo, animal skins, bowstrings, trauma medicine, and the most important iron ore. There are many things to exchange this time, so I prepared so much coal."

When Xiao Yu heard this, a look of worry suddenly appeared on his face.

This is the inconvenience of living in Wuyuan Mountain. There is a cold wave period that lasts for two months every year.

This cold wave was caused by the glacier in the south.

The river was covered with such thick ice, but strangely, there would still be a flood season every ten months.

Once the flood season arrives, the ice on the river surface will continue to rise and spread towards the north bank, causing the temperature in the Wuyuan Mountain area to drop rapidly.

The whole process will last for two months, and this period of time is collectively referred to as the cold wave period in all camps near Wuyuan Mountain.

During the cold wave, except for the Digging Realm who could go out, the Logging Realm and ordinary people could only hide in the caves at the base, otherwise they would not survive.

The problem is that during the cold wave, due to the drop in temperature, the vegetation on the north bank will be frozen and the cold beasts will run away. Therefore, even if the digging pit goes out, the resources that can be collected are extremely limited and are not enough to support the entire camp.

In this case, the last exchange meeting before the cold wave period is very important. All camps will take it seriously in an attempt to exchange enough supplies to allow them to successfully survive the cold wave period.

Xiao Yu also knew a little about the Exchange. Looking at the eight bags of coal on the ground, he couldn't help but shook his head and said, "It's a pity that our Xiaohe Camp has no iron ore. I heard from my father that at the Exchange, 20 to 25 kilograms of coal can be exchanged for 1 kilogram of iron ore. Even if all kilograms of coal are used to exchange for iron, we can only exchange for more than kilograms. We are losing too much."

Xiao Ning smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "There's nothing we can do. After all, coal has substitutes, but iron doesn't. In Wuyuan Mountain, besides the Sanhu Camp, there are only two companies with iron mines, so they naturally have the final say on the price."

The mining thresholds for coal and iron are actually the same, but their scarcity levels are completely different. Xiao Ning had not yet finished his words. Not only does coal have substitutes, but its underground reserves are also significantly higher than iron.

In a medium-sized camp, it is not difficult to find a coal mine. All you need to do is find a tree with a golden surface and dig down along the roots to find the coal mine.

But iron ore is much more difficult to find.

Among the eleven medium-sized camps in Wuyuan Mountain, almost every camp has a coal mine, but only two have iron mines. This data alone is enough to illustrate the scarcity of iron ore.

Everyone knows that exchanging 20 kilograms of coal for 1 kilogram of iron is a loss, but there is nothing they can do.

Instead of buying from those two companies at the exchange meeting, should we go to the Sanhu Camp?

That is impossible!

After all, those two camps only want your coal, and they will do so through normal trading channels, but the Sanhu Camp wants your life. Any normal person can tell which is more important.

Xiao Ning thought for a moment, and said with a hint of regret: "Father was too impatient last time. There is a high probability that Daxia Camp also has iron ore. If we keep Brother Xia Chuan and have a good chat, maybe we can get him to exchange a batch of iron ore for a low price from Daxia Camp."

Xiao Heng beside him immediately perked up and nodded, "Yes, big sister, the long sword hanging on Xia Chuan's waist, even the scabbard is made of iron. They must have a lot of iron ore in the Great Xia camp, so much that they can't use it all."

Xiao Yu was a little unconvinced and retorted: "Big sister, you think too well. That Xia Chuan might be a big liar, just like Uncle Yuan and the others guessed, just like the Sanhu Camp, he came to deceive us."

Hearing this, Xiao Ning lowered his head and thought for a moment, but did not say anything.

That's right. After all, Xia Chuan was just a casual acquaintance. Even if she intuitively didn't think that the other party was the same person as the ones in the Sanhu camp, she couldn't produce any substantial evidence to be sure that the other party was a good person. As for trying to exchange iron ore from the Daxia camp at a low price, it was just talk and couldn't be taken seriously.

"A stranger is approaching, everyone come back quickly!"

Suddenly, a hurried shout was heard from outside the cave. Xiao Ning and others who were resting suddenly changed their expressions and quickly jumped up from the ground.

"Heng'er and the others go in, Yu'er come with me to take a look!"

Xiao Ning quickly picked up his bow and arrow, called out to everyone, and ran straight out of the cave.

Xiao Heng and the other people who were working, although they looked worried, still quickly ran into the cave.

They are different from Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu. They are only at the level of woodcutters. They can't help much if they go outside the cave. Instead, they will become a burden.

As soon as the sisters rushed out of the cave, they found that their father Xiao Kangcheng and the twenty-one digging masters in the camp were already guarding outside the cave entrance fully armed.

"Father, what's going on?"

Xiao Kangcheng looked solemn and didn't speak. Instead, a middle-aged man next to him turned around and looked at Xiao Ning, saying, "I was on duty outside tonight. I just found a few people wandering around stealthily. They seemed to know the location of our cave and were getting closer and closer. I felt something was wrong, so I came back to report to the leader."

Hearing this, Xiao Ning's expression suddenly became heavy.

It is not a good thing if the location of the base is discovered.

Especially during the recent cold wave, I heard that the Sanhu camp is short of people and is looking for camps to annex. If they are discovered, a fierce battle is inevitable.

"Look over there!"

Someone suddenly shouted, and everyone looked in the direction he pointed. Their faces suddenly darkened.

In the dense forest south of the cave, three torches were approaching rapidly. The people holding the torches had obviously seen the cave and were approaching quickly.

"It's too late to seal the cave now. Let's go in and hide first. Let's see who it is and then deal with it!"

As soon as Xiao Kangcheng opened his mouth, everyone's expressions became nervous. They gripped their weapons and stared at the torches in the south without daring to relax for a moment.

"They may not be from the Sanhu camp. Maybe they are from other camps who got separated and went to the wrong place."

"Even if they are from the Three Tigers Camp, I am not afraid. At worst, I will fight them. No matter how strong the Three Tigers Camp is, they can never pull me over to be their slave."

"Why panic? If all else fails, just hide in the cave."

…………Although everyone said this, their increasingly heavy tone still betrayed their nervousness.

"Sir, I found it. It's here."

"It's here. There's a fire in the cave."

"It must be Xiaohe Camp, notify others to come over!"

"Beep..."

As the three torches were only a hundred meters away, the undisguised voices of the three people were clearly heard by Xiao Kangcheng and others.

The contents of the three people's words undoubtedly made them feel even more depressed.

The last bone whistle was obviously calling people nearby to come over. They were people who often went out, so how could they not know it?

Sure enough, just over ten breaths after the whistle sounded, six more torches quickly approached from the side, and in just a moment, the group had completed their assembly.

"It's OK, there aren't too many people. Come with me to see what's going on!"

Seeing that there were only nine people, Xiao Kangcheng looked much more relaxed. A murderous look appeared on his face, and he led everyone to walk a few steps to the south.

But just as he moved, a hearty voice came from the other side.

"Captain Xiao, I haven't seen you for ten days. I hope you are doing well. Xia Chuan is here to visit you again!"

Hearing this familiar voice, the people on Xiao Kangcheng's side were stunned.

However, a hint of joy suddenly appeared in Xiao Ning's eyes, which was clearly seen by his sister Xiao Yu next to him.

"It's Brother Xia Chuan, not someone from the Sanhu camp."

Hearing the joy in his eldest daughter's voice, Xiao Kangcheng frowned, but his brows relaxed after a while.

At the same time, the nine people coming towards them were also seen clearly by them.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Kangcheng and others couldn't take their eyes away.

Ten days ago, when they saw Xia Chuan for the first time, they were shocked by his outfit. This was not only the case for Xiao Yu and his sister, but also for Xiao Ning, Xiao Kangcheng and his daughter, as well as the other people in the Digging Realm.

He was wearing a finely crafted black cloak, a blue fur hat, black leather boots, a thin, long sword with an iron sheath hanging from his waist, and an iron token left for them.

Now they discovered that the eight people who came with Xia Chuan this time were wearing the same clothes as him, had the same tokens hanging around their waists, had weapons on their waists, and even carried a bow and arrow on their backs.

One of them even carried two pairs.

What is this, showing off wealth?
Xiao Kangcheng looked a little surprised, but as Xia Chuan approached him, he bowed slightly and said, "Xia Chuan... Sir, may I ask why you are here?"

The nine Digging Realm masters were able to follow him like this, and some of them even had things in their hands, clearly acting like subordinates. Xiao Kangcheng couldn't call him nephew no matter what.

Although he changed the address to "Sir", Xiao Kangcheng still tried his best to soften his tone and not be so stiff.

"This sense of defense is too strong!"

Hearing Xiao Kangcheng's cautious question, Xia Chuan, who was walking towards him, sighed in his heart, but quickly smiled. As he approached, he signaled Shi Ping and others next to him to take out all three things.

Ten minutes later, the outer layer of the cave.

Xiao Kangcheng, Xiao Ning, Xiao Yu, and all the people in the Digging Realm in the Xiaohe Camp all looked down at the three things on the ground, their faces filled with disbelief and numbness, as well as a hint of unbelievable joy.

"Ten thousand jin of iron ore, three long swords, and a ten thousand jin iron bow, are you just going to give them all to our camp?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Is this Lord Xiachuan crazy?"

…………

A group of Digging Realm cultivators looked up at Xia Chuan, their eyes full of confusion.

Only Xiao Kangcheng seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly turned his head to look at his eldest daughter Xiao Ning, and then continued to look at Xia Chuan, with no one knowing what he was thinking in his eyes.

Xiao Ning naturally noticed his father's eyes, his face suddenly turned red, and the hand holding the bow and arrow began to tremble slightly unconsciously.

"Master Xia Chuan, our camp really needs this batch of supplies. If you have any requests, as long as Ning'er agrees..."

"Captain Xiao, don't get me wrong. I sent these things because when I came here last time, I found that your camp was in urgent need of such supplies. A cold wave is coming soon, and I hope this batch of supplies can be of some help to you."

Xia Chuan noticed all the changes in Xiao Kangcheng's expression, and Shi Ping and others beside him couldn't help but chuckle.

If he didn't interrupt, Xiao Kangcheng would probably entrust his daughter to him in person. Xia Chuan naturally couldn't help it.

After hearing what Xia Chuan said, Xiao Kangcheng looked up and looked at him. After seeing the sincerity in his eyes, the hesitation in his expression finally disappeared slowly, and finally he sighed slightly.

"Lord Xia Chuan, can you tell me more about the situation at the Great Xia Camp?"

The last time they met, he only saw that Xia Chuan was extraordinary, and he was naturally skeptical about what he told him about the situation in the Da Xia camp.

But this time, it's different.

He had just touched three long swords, each weighing seven or eight hundred kilograms; a ten thousand kilogram iron frame bow, which was considered a treasure by no other camp in the Five Ape Mountains except the Three Tigers Camp; plus ten thousand kilograms of iron ore.

He just didn't believe it and began to waver in his heart when he saw such a big move.

The strength of Daxia is probably far beyond my imagination.

Of course, more importantly, Xiao Kangcheng knew that Xia Chuan would not give them these things for no reason.

The purpose is just as I said last time, to incorporate them into Daxia.

If there really is a camp that is not only stronger than theirs, but can also lead more than a thousand people of its own to live a better life, Xiao Kangcheng will not only not resist, but will be happy with it from the bottom of his heart.

He was just afraid of something like what happened at the Sanhu Camp. He was worried that after he brought his people there, not only would they not be able to live a good life, but their lives would become even more miserable.

Since Da Xia was interested and its attitude was so sincere, and was willing to make such a generous gesture of goodwill, Xiao Kangcheng naturally let down his guard and took the initiative to inquire about Da Xia's situation.

Xia Chuan, who heard the change in his attitude, knew that his generous show of goodwill had worked, and the smile on his face became more and more intense. At Xiao Kangcheng's invitation, he walked into the cave and started a chat with him.

Compared to the first time, this conversation went much more smoothly after Xiao Kangcheng's defenses were completely let down.

Xiao Kangcheng was obviously eager to find out the situation in the Daxia camp, and he almost asked directly what the benefits of bringing people into Daxia were.

This time, Xia Chuan did not respond directly to his questions. Instead, he intentionally or unintentionally led the topic to the overall situation in Wuyuan Mountain.

During this conversation, Xiao Kangcheng discovered that Xia Chuan had long known the reason why he was so cautious. Not only did he know the Sanhu Camp very well, he even had a certain understanding of the overall situation in Wuyuan Mountain.

"How come you know so much about the situation in Wuyuan Mountain?"

Hearing Xiao Kangcheng's question, Xia Chuan smiled and said:
"To be honest with you, Chief Xiao, there are already four camps in Wuyuan Mountain. They were merged into our Great Xia a few days ago. It was through them that I learned about some of the situation here. However, those four camps are small camps, and I don't know much. This time, I came here to find out more information about the camps here through Chief Xiao. I hope Chief Xiao can tell me more."

These words made Xiao Kangcheng's mind race. Realizing something, he suddenly looked up at Xia Chuan with a hint of shock in his eyes.

The meaning of Xia Chuan's words was very clear, how could he not hear it?

The Daxia Camp is planning to annex all the human camps in the Wuyuan Mountain!

Does Daxia have such a big appetite?

After thinking for a long time, Xiao Kangcheng kindly reminded: "Since you know about the Sanhu camp, you should also know that if your camp really has such a plan, you will definitely not be able to get around them, so..."

"Don't worry, Chief Xiao. The Three Tigers Camp is doing such evil things. We in Da Xia will certainly not sit idly by and watch. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be in big trouble now!"

As if to confirm Xia Chuan's words, after Xiao Kangcheng finished listening, the look of surprise and doubt on his face had not yet disappeared when someone came in from outside to report.

"Leader, there's a stranger outside. He said his name is Qiu Peng and he's here to see Master Xia Chuan. He's dressed the same as them."

After the man finished his report, Xiao Kangcheng immediately looked at Xia Chuan, and after getting a signal from Xia Chuan, he nodded to the man.

Soon, Qiu Peng, who was dressed the same as the nine others, was brought in.

Qiu Peng didn't say anything when he saw the man. He walked directly to Xia Chuan, with a hint of joy on his face, and said with a cupped hand: "My Lord, Yuwen Sizheng has rescued the people and arrested many people. He seems very angry. Hong Guang and his team must have encountered something serious."

Xia Chuan's expression froze when he heard this, but he quickly recovered, nodded and waved slightly to Qiu Peng, then continued to look at Xiao Kangcheng and said with a smile:
"Captain Xiao, let's continue!"

Xiao Kangcheng felt somewhat uneasy at the moment, and kept thinking about what Qiu Peng had just said. Although he had some guesses, he still found it unbelievable, so he could only continue to talk to Xia Chuan about the situation in Wuyuan Mountain.

Compared with the four families that have joined Daxia, Xiao Kangcheng, the leader of the medium-sized camp, obviously has a more comprehensive understanding of the situation in Wuyuan Mountain.

Soon, Xia Chuan had an outline of the overall situation of Wuyuan Mountain in his mind.

Including Xiaohe Camp, there are a total of eleven medium-sized camps in Wuyuan Mountain;
What is the approximate population of these camps, their approximate locations, and how many Diggers are there in each family;

Even the tempers of these camp leaders;

…………

And when he learned that the day after tomorrow would be the last trade fair before the cold wave and that people from eleven medium-sized camps would be present, Xia Chuan's eyes lit up and he began to inquire about many details of this trade fair.

After finding out the location of the Mutual Exchange Association, Xia Chuan was very excited. After expressing his gratitude, he also talked about the issue that Xiao Kangcheng was most concerned about.

"Captain Xiao, you probably still want to inquire about the specific situation of Daxia. Just like last time, I just said it without seeing it directly, which is more intuitive. How about this, Captain Xiao, pick a few people and go back to Daxia with me tonight, let them have a good look and learn about it. I will personally send them back the day after tomorrow, and then you can ask them, how about it?"

Xiao Kangcheng nodded slightly. This was indeed the best way.

But who should be sent?

"Father, let me go!"

When they were talking just now, Xiao Ning's eyes were always on Xia Chuan. Xiao Kangcheng had noticed it a long time ago. Now he actually took the initiative to ask to follow him to Da Xia. Xiao Kangcheng shook his head in his heart.

There is a high probability that this daughter cannot be saved!
"Father, I want to go too."

Xiao Kangcheng was stunned, turned to look at his second daughter, Xiao Yu, and suspicion gradually appeared in his eyes.

"Father, let me go too!"

Pah……

As soon as his son Xiao Heng opened his mouth, Xiao Kangcheng could no longer bear it and slapped him in the face.

"Get lost, why are you joining in the fun?"

"Ha ha…………"

"Ha ha ha ha."

…………

This scene made everyone smile, even Xia Chuan who was sitting opposite couldn't help but shook his head and chuckled a few times.

"Xiao Yuan, take Ning'er and Yu'er with you!"

Finally, Xiao Kangcheng sent the more stable old man Xiao Yuan to take his two daughters on the trip.