I was a charlatan in India

Dana's family.

A group of merchants gathered here.

Without a doubt, everyone is after the quota he has.

The merchants sat in rows according to their social status.

Those at the top are all wealthy families in Varanasi; strictly speaking, they are all doing better than those in Dana.

Regarding the recent freight control measures, each side has its own way of dealing with them.

Of course, the effects were all very limited, only freeing up a portion of the goods.

They may not be counting on Dana's share to survive, but they are still very interested.

After all, every shipment that comes in can alleviate some of the pressure.

The group sitting in the middle took this matter very seriously.

These are all middle-of-the-road businesses, just starting out, relying entirely on the full moon festival to make a big profit and feed their families for several months.

In order to increase profits, many people go into debt to stockpile goods. Once they can't find a way out, it's not just a matter of falling back into poverty.

If they can't repay the money, they might be captured by the loan sharks and become slaves.

As for those sitting at the very back, they were all inconspicuous small business owners.

Judging from the marks left on their cuffs and the water stains on their necks, you can tell just how much fear they've been living lately.

The river management measures implemented in just these few days may have already overwhelmed many of them, and they may be facing terrifying interest rates and feeling helpless.

Some businessmen are already secretly regretting their decision.

I really shouldn't have gone to Varanasi to do business.

Despite its renowned status as the city of Shiva, this place has never developed a particularly strong economy, and there are undoubtedly reasons for this.

Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs isn't the problem; once a merchant grows too big, they'll inevitably be swallowed whole, otherwise it's detrimental to stability.

The problem is, in this godforsaken place, they even pinched off the seedlings.

"Gentlemen."

"Now that we've accepted everyone's gifts, we definitely have to get this done."

Dana laid out the earthen books one by one, displaying them openly to everyone.

"This is one of my partners' shares, which will allow the goods for the Full Moon Festival to clear customs normally."

"However, the quantity is limited, so if you are interested, you can claim some yourself."

"Of course, I'll take 20% of the goods for operations."

Two-tenths of the goods are not expensive, and there is no need to explain why.

Both sourcing goods and bribery require money.

These days, who isn't shrewd in business? Nobody would ask someone to do a favor and then expect them to spend money on them.

"Master Dana, is this all? Or...?"

Vasudiv brought in a small share, barely enough for one or two large customers to purchase goods.

With so many people present, if they were spread out, there wouldn't be enough to fill a tooth gap.

Therefore, it's obvious that Dana is letting everyone compete to determine a few partners.

The stated percentage is 20% of the cost price, but in reality, the actual figure would likely be much higher due to competition.

Of course, this is not an exaggeration.

No one expected him to uphold righteousness and solve everyone's problems for free.

Dana nodded slightly and said frankly, "I also need to leave myself some room for maneuver."

"However, there is still room for discussion if we can cooperate more deeply."

What does "deep cooperation" even mean? It's just about paying more money.

Everyone understood.

There's nothing to be dissatisfied about; after all, opportunities are limited, and everyone has to rely on their own abilities.

In addition, the ideas of those wealthy households also began to stir.

Judging from Vasudiv’s words, he has more than one cooperative family, and it seems that he has successfully transferred the shares to all of them.

I also have partners, so why didn't they succeed?

"Brother Dana, I'm not familiar with this channel..."

Dana maintained her smile and gently shook her head.

The questioner assumed he was unwilling to answer and left dejectedly.

Key intelligence can bring huge profits, so it's simply not allowed to be revealed.

They've already politely declined; there's no point in trying to persuade them further.

However, Dana really didn't know either.

Who knows who Vasudiv is hiding around, and why he only revealed his own channels?

In short, there are clearly some pitfalls here.

Rather than jumping in like a fool, it's better to release the shares, earn some commission, and slightly offset the losses from the depreciation of seasonal goods.

It can also drag more people into the water, and if there's any trickery involved, these people can all be used as shields.

Anyway, I can't stay in Varanasi any longer, so getting out as soon as possible is better than anything else.

As for the losses?

Even if we lose money, it'll be worse than going bankrupt!

The safest way out is to quickly dispose of any liquid assets, cash out, and run away!

He doesn't even plan to pay off his debts!

That's how Da is; once a decision is made, he acts swiftly and decisively, without the slightest hesitation.

"Brother Dana, I wonder... if there are any other channels?"

Seeing that there was no chance to sell off their shares, some retail investors also started to tentatively ask for more information.

Dana looked somewhat troubled.

"Of course, the benefits are no problem, the benefits are no problem."

They quickly put on smiles and promised benefits.

Dana hesitated again, feigning hesitation.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, "I still have some goods on the trade route, which I originally intended to sell to those tourists."

"However, these are all raw materials, which require manual processing, so it's a bit troublesome."

"I also didn't expect the control measures to be implemented so quickly this time, so I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"If any of you have a lot of manpower, you can share some, probably around 40%... no, about 30%."

These raw materials were, of course, the goods he was stuck with.

Thirty percent?

No, no, no, if anyone is willing to take it all, I'll take it all, even if I lose a little money!

Of course, he couldn't reveal this, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to sell it.

You have to bluff and act like you're very unwilling to take action in order to get someone with low intelligence to take the fall.

Thinking of this, he added.

"Let's make this clear beforehand, you can't take my business and get your goods from me."

"I've already scouted out all the storefronts along the trade route. These things can only be brought into the city to sell in batches, otherwise it will be difficult for me to explain to my superiors."

Those who are interested in these are basically the small business owners at the very back.

They have no hope of competing for market share; they can only pick up scraps.

Judging from the implication in Dana's words, these goods could indeed be brought in. Even if they couldn't, they could be processed in the trade route and sold to tourists.

Even if Dana's proposal doesn't make much money, it's still an opportunity. After all, with debt looming behind them, they have no choice but to run for their lives.

Of course, they weren't stupid; when they heard that foodies were also included, they all hesitated.

Dana didn't urge them, but turned to bargain with the merchants who were concerned about the share, as if he didn't care at all whether the goods could be sold.

Well... the chances of a quick deal going through are slim.

Everyone is trying to sell off their goods now, and established merchants won't fall for this trick.

Only small investors who are truly driven to madness might be willing to gamble everything and keep increasing their bets.

Moreover, some astute individuals have already sensed something amiss.

It seems that Nadana prefers partners who pay in cash.

Generally, if such signs appear, it means that he doesn't have high hopes for long-term cooperation.

There's more to this story than meets the eye.

Even if they see some problems, they don't need to undermine each other; in fact, they still consider trying to cooperate to some extent.

It's always good if goods can get in.

At most, we'll be more conservative in our strategy; we can't just ignore the market.

Besides, which business doesn't have some shady dealings?

This can be considered a kind of open conspiracy, and Dana doesn't shy away from it. Even if you know I have a plan, you still have to get involved.

After all, everyone's goods are stuck in a state of stagnation.

The shares were quickly snapped up, and most transactions were completed in cash.

As for the goods stranded on the trade routes...

It's useless to be anxious.

Dana believes that as long as the control measures continue for a long enough, some small business owners who can't hold out will eventually reach out to him for help.

Anyway, he has already sown the seeds of this.

"Brother Dana, I wonder if there's any left...?"

Some people, unwilling to give up, are still testing the waters.

"Let me see how it goes."

Dana didn't give a definite answer, remaining as unhurried as ever.

In reality, he was already planning an escape route.

What's the point of looking at the situation? Once the payments are mostly received, the sooner we go, the more likely we are to make a living.

Of course, we still need to put on a show.

Dana sighed.

"As everyone knows, these days, business isn't just for us to do; I alone don't have the final say."

"Actually, I had already decided how much I could offer before we even met, and I believe we can both understand that."

This is true.

Any successful businessman will understand this deeply.

In this business, the king takes a bite, the locals take a bite, and the partner takes another bite.

Every few days, monk soldiers would come to the door and extort money from them.

Strictly speaking, this deal doesn't really seem like it's for myself.

However, Dana added another sentence.

"There's one more thing..."

"I've got my eye on a business opportunity that can be launched after the Full Moon Festival. I'm currently looking for partners."

He squinted, trying to conceal the cunning glint in his eyes, appearing harmless.

"However, this requires cash."

"A large amount".