Survival Game: Call Me an Honest Businessman

"20 gold coins? You can't even... put on your cloak!"

Celia's leisurely and mocking tone instantly turned serious as her prosthetic limb rapidly assembled, and the cannon that had once threatened Li Zhi was aimed at the fluctuating air ahead.

Li Zhi quickly pulled out a cloak from the buttons and put it on.

As soon as the cloak was put on, the air in front of him turned into a vortex, and a figure emerged from it.

The newcomer had a scarlet mark on his forehead, bony wings on his back, red eyes, and black hair.

As she walked, the cloak billowed behind her like a cape.

"Celia, it's been so long, why didn't you say goodbye before leaving?"

Celia sneered, her tone filled with undisguised disgust: "Luo Hong, after all these years you've only been a level 7 merchant. What right do you have to make me greet you?"

The demon known as Luo Hong smiled and said, "Just because you're about to die, and I'm still young."

She spread her arms, and her cloak billowed as she spun.

"Look, my body is full of life, while you are already heading towards death."

"Just like the future of your forging clan."

She chuckled, "I'm really looking forward to the rating two and a half years from now. I heard the Rock Nest Clan has made a lot of preparations. I wonder if your Forging Clan has come up with any countermeasures. After all, if you hadn't tricked them back then, who knows who would have gotten an S rating?"

Luo Hong covered her mouth and laughed, but her eyes were observing Celia's expression. Seeing that Celia didn't even lift her eyelids, she rolled her eyes and looked at Li Zhi to the side.

"Who is this? I heard you've been looking for a successor. Could it be that you've run out of talented people in the clan and just picked one up off the street?"

Celia sneered: "Instead of worrying about my Forging Clan, you should worry more about your Demon Clan. Qi Yuan should have given you a warning, right? Don't let your Demon Clan be wiped out by Qi Yuan before the century rating is up."

Luo Hong's smile froze, and he followed with a cold laugh: "Celia, you've been searching everywhere for life-extending items and information about the origin of life. Are you trying to extend your own life or Odin's?"

She stared intently at Celia's expression and noticed that the lines around her mouth deepened, and her smile widened instantly.

"Your forging clan is not only losing merchants, but also only Odin remains as a master craftsman. You are destined to be the losers of the tenth century. Instead of struggling so pathetically, you should enjoy these last two and a half years of noble life."

She turned around with a cold laugh, her cloak billowing in the wind brushing against Li Zhi's hand, cold and frivolous.

Li Zhi kept his eyes down until she disappeared from sight before looking at Celia, who had remained silent.

Celia spoke, her hoarse voice sounding even older: "Let's go."

Li Zhi quietly followed beside her, moving among the different races, and walked towards the giant tree where they had disembarked earlier.

"Celia, let's discuss a collaboration."

Celia stopped sliding her prosthetic leg, turned to look at Li Zhi, her face expressionless.

Ignoring the mockery and scrutiny in her eyes, Li Zhi cut to the chase: "You should have discovered the commercial value of the Rock Nest Clan's microcrystalline energy converter, and you should also know the future value of Apocalypse Micro Dust."

Celia's nasolabial folds deepened: "You want to invest in Apocalypse Microdust?"

Li Zhi: "No, I want to open a bank."

Celia: "A bank?"

Li Zhi: "Or rather, I'm afraid I'm preparing to open an interracial settlement center."

She lowered her voice: "On the Tianqi Continent, the various races only conduct offline transactions. While teleportation arrays and vehicles can indeed reduce most of the transportation time, transportation and trade are not shared between the major races, especially some hostile races."

"For example, the Forging Clan and the Rock Nest Clan."

Celia's eyes turned cold.

Li Zhi pretended not to see it and continued, "But you need the Rock Nest Clan's craftsmanship, and the Rock Nest Clan also needs your technology. In fact, both of you have obtained things from each other through various means."

Celia: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Li Zhi explained his long-planned scheme in detail: "My clearinghouse will issue a credit certificate that allows goods from different races that are not interchangeable to circulate in my clearinghouse."

"For example, if you 'store' a weapon of the Smelting Clan here with me, I will issue you a 'warehouse receipt.' This receipt can be divided into small amounts, which others can use to exchange for weapons of corresponding value at any time. And you can use this warehouse receipt to directly purchase items 'stored' here by other races at my settlement office."

"In this process, you don't need to increase inventory, you don't need to run errands yourself, and you don't even need to worry about the other party defaulting on their payment."

"I will assume all the risks of your transaction."

A thoughtful look flashed in Celia's eyes: "So what do you get out of this?"

Li Zhi: "I will charge a handling fee from it."

"For example, the current annual transaction volume of Black Iron Port is about 100 million gold. If half of it goes through our settlement, I will only charge a 0.5% handling fee, which is 2500 gold per year. If you own 50% of the shares, you will make a net profit of 1250 gold per year. You do not need to invest any additional manpower. You only need to provide a guarantee for my settlement and become one of the directors. In this way, the forging clan merchants will automatically become friendly partners of the settlement."

Celia's eyes were sharp.

Li Zhi's expression was calm and confident.

She had the idea of ​​making a big splash long before she saw the backward financial structure of the Tianqi Continent.

But the funding, background, and strength required behind this are too enormous and complex.

You can only start with the simplest exchange.

However, it is also a very difficult thing to really get the exchange up and running.

First and foremost, the first race to cooperate with is extremely important.

Li Zhi's initial choice was Ling.

Ling's character, background, and identity are all satisfactory, but she also has a major disadvantage: she doesn't have enough say in the Feather Spirit Clan.

She was unable to establish her settlement office completely.

That would inevitably require a more powerful, resourceful, and influential partner.

The second person Li Zhi had his eye on was Celia.

She was the most suitable candidate she had met so far.

However, Li Zhi has yet to find a way to persuade Celia.

Just now, after hearing the demons mocking Celia, and recalling Celia's past threats and attempts to recruit her, she realized the current predicament of the Forging Clan, which was also Celia's greatest sore spot:

—The forging clan merchants are facing a shortage of successors, and Celia has no one to carry on their legacy.

She realized it then.

The opportunity is here.

Li Zhi deliberately waited until Luo Hong was gone for a while, and Celia gradually calmed down but was not yet at peace. It was highly likely that she was thinking about the future of the Forging Clan. He then used the future of the Forging Clan as a breakthrough point to persuade Celia.

But that's not enough.

Li Zhi's tone softened, revealing a direct blend of intimacy and complaint:

"Celia, what I said before was the truth. I have always regarded you as my mentor on my professional path. Although you threatened me with the cannon, you also saved my life. I want to cooperate with you because I respect you and admire your professional achievements. I hope that my connection with you and the Forging Clan can be deeper and longer."

"After all, the first weapon I unexpectedly obtained when I came into this world was from Master Odin, and the first friend I made was Riley."

"I believe this is God's arrangement."