97 The Source of the Raw Materials

After answering Zhan Xiaobai’s question regarding the fluctuation of raw material prices, Jianba’s eyes suddenly lit up. "Xiaobai, how do you intend to operate? Hoarding? Reselling? Arbitraging?"

"No. Even if we hoarded the vast majority of the raw materials on the market, no village would come to us to buy them at a high price because they simply cannot afford it. They would only organize their own labor to source cheap materials themselves. That would end up being a waste of our own resources. Therefore," Zhan Xiaobai paused, then chuckled, "what we must do is control the source of the raw materials! Only then can we secure long-term benefits."

With that, he called out, "Shaoxia, Afei!"

"Here!" the Spring and Autumn Shaoxia and Afei replied in unison.

Zhan Xiaobai asked, "What have you accomplished over these past few days?"

The two exchanged glances before the Spring and Autumn Shaoxia stepped forward. "Boss, when you left, you said we should control as many field resources near the village as possible, and that is exactly what Afei and I have done. Over the past two days, we have mobilized nearly half of the village’s warrior players and secured control over all resources within the territory of Xiaobai Village and Wutong Village. Players who are not from our villages can no longer obtain resources in this area. Furthermore, we are working to expand our influence into the border areas that overlap with several other villages, such as Daqi Village, Hubao Village, and Hualing Village."

"What are the specifics?"

The Spring and Autumn Shaoxia drew a rough sketch on the sandy ground, pointing out the locations one by one. "Between our village and Wutong Village, there are thirteen large monster-grinding spots, over forty smaller ones, seventeen forest tracts, one dense herb-gathering site, and over fifty scattered herb-gathering spots. Additionally, we have discovered more than thirty NPCs in the wild who offer various minor quests. All of these are now firmly under our control; players who are not from our two villages are not allowed near them."

Zhan Xiaobai nodded. "Good, well done. Map out all the resources you have on hand so we can utilize them rationally in the future."

Afei interjected, "Actually, there is another large leveling spot. I suggested we occupy it, but Shaoxia said we shouldn't, as it would offend too many people."

"Oh? Where is it?"

Afei pointed to a location further away from Xiaobai Village. "Here, Gray Wolf Valley! It is the largest monster-grinding spot within a twenty-mile radius. Players from five or six different villages level up there."

Zhan Xiaobai looked at the spot Afei indicated—Gray Wolf Valley, about six miles southwest of Xiaobai Village—a place he had passed before. It was indeed crowded with players. A few miles past the valley lay the abandoned Gray Sunlight Village, followed by Tiger Head Mountain.

Zhan Xiaobai suddenly remembered Gray Sunlight Village and asked, "Shaoxia, what is the current situation with Gray Sunlight Village?"

The Spring and Autumn Shaoxia replied, "Since you told me to keep an eye on that village, I have frequently sent passing players to scout it. It remains the same as always, occupied by a group of thugs and ruffians, numbering around one hundred. Because they are quite lethal, not many players dare to go there."

Zhan Xiaobai pondered for a moment and smiled. "In that case, we don’t need to be polite."

He drew a large triangle between the villages on the map in the sand. "All the territory within this triangle—Xiaobai Village, Wutong Village, and Gray Sunlight Village—shall belong to us! Naturally, this includes the Gray Wolf Valley and the Gray Sunlight Village itself as major leveling spots. The resources within the perimeter of Gray Sunlight Village will also be ours. This will be our immediate expansion target."

The Spring and Autumn Shaoxia, Afei, and the others grew excited. "If we can achieve this, the territory between the three villages will be vast! We won't have to worry about running out of land or resources for the time being."

Jianba couldn't help but praise, "Since Gray Sunlight Village is already abandoned, incorporating it into our sphere of influence is a necessary step, and it won't trigger major conflicts between our village and others."

Zhan Xiaobai looked at the Spring and Autumn Shaoxia and Afei. "I’ll leave this task to you two. Go all out. When you act, announce to everyone that this area falls under the jurisdiction of Xiaobai Village. If anyone tries to contest this triangle with us, let them find out whose fist is harder."

The two nodded eagerly.

Qiushui expressed concern. "Brother Bai, it’s fine within the borders of our village and Wutong Village. But if we drive away players from other villages near Gray Sunlight Village, won't we seem too overbearing?"

Jianba shook his head. "Resources and profits are either ours or someone else's. There is no room for benevolence here; being a bit overbearing is sometimes necessary. Otherwise, giving resources away to neighboring villages for free only inflates their wealth while weakening our own strength."

The group discussed how to secure the territory and maximize the exploitation of its resources. As Jianba spoke, he shared an interesting piece of news: "Speaking of wild plant resources, I suddenly remembered something. A merchant player told me yesterday that the tea farmer in Hualing Village has actually gone missing."

"Missing? No way!" Afei exclaimed, "Haha! That’s ridiculous. How can they lose such an important person? They were too careless!"

"Weren't they treating that tea farmer like a treasure?"

"Not sure, but it seems the tea farmer wandered off on his own."

Zhan Xiaobai felt a bit regretful. If Hualing Village lost its tea farmer, where would his own village buy tea leaves when he eventually built a teahouse?

Li Asan, who understood nothing of these resource struggles, sat quietly to the side, stretching his neck to listen with great interest. To him, these fascinating developments were better than any storyteller’s tale.

An hour passed quickly, and the merchant players summoned by Jianba had mostly arrived.

Jianba went out to assign tasks, distributing batches of medicine and iron weapons to them, and dispersing them to over thirty villages around Xiaobai Village. The goal was singular: to quietly trade for and hoard a large quantity of raw materials.

When a merchant player asked why they needed so many raw materials, Jianba smiled vaguely. "Hoarding and reselling to make a small profit. As for the rest, don't ask too many questions; you'll understand in time. I won't let your efforts go to waste; there will certainly be benefits for you. Just make sure this news doesn't leak out."

The merchant player was skeptical. These cheap raw materials were everywhere; some were even left lying on the ground because no one bothered to pick them up. No matter how one resold them, there couldn't be much profit to be made.

One player, who trusted Jianba deeply, asked, "Boss Jianba, can we invest some of our own money too? Is there profit to be made?"

Jianba chuckled. "As you wish. But if you lose money, don't blame me for not warning you—the profit is small, but the risk is high."

...

Hubao Village.

The player strategist Tian Bao had just received a message from a secret informant and was muttering in deep thought.

"Why are they collecting raw materials? Hoarding? Reselling?"

He shook his head; he found the guess laughable himself. If raw materials could be resold for a profit, his own village’s iron weapons would have already made him a fortune.

"However, since they dare to collect them, I might as well send a few men to collect some as well. If there's money to be made, we'll make it together; if there's a loss, we'll lose together. Hmph."