novelhk Chapter 327 Follow-up Chapter
Chapter 327 Follow-up Chapter
Chapter 327 Recovering
It is said that the Silk Veil was originally a ship from New Gate City.
In other words, it originated from the Far East continent.
It once braved the winds and waves to reach the westernmost part of the world.
Now, crossing the windless sea is a piece of cake.
Looking at the port so close at hand, Leo knew that his old friend must be anchored there.
Previously in Umbilical Harbor, his ship was stolen by a group of Westerners.
Leo immediately guessed that it was the same group that had tried to persecute him in the New World.
They also understood that this group's target was Leo's spices.
As for their fundamental motives, Leo didn't know, but he didn't need to know either.
The port ahead is Gate Port, the closest port in the New World to Umbilical Port.
Wherever they ultimately intend to go, after being exhausted on the calm sea, the enemy will most likely stop here to resupply.
Leo only needs to catch up with his own ship; he has plenty of ways to get the information.
The ship he's currently on seems to be called the Wisdom Tree.
The ship was small, but it contained a hidden secret: a giant crossbow, indicating that it was no ordinary merchant ship.
Moreover, it is also very good at crossing calm seas, which is probably due to the Easterners who made it.
Therefore, the time spent wouldn't be much longer than that of the Silk Veil ship, and he was already quite close to that group.
Leo waited for the ships to dock, then paid his men to help with the dock arrangements.
He then immediately took the two green-eyed people and walked around the port.
Navajo and Apache are Leo's supervisors and bodyguards. Leo is likely to encounter conflict, so he needs combat power.
Even if that weren't the case, the two of them would certainly have followed Leo.
Soon, he spotted the magnificent Silk Veil ship, which was indeed docked at the pier.
Leo laughed heartily; the matter was now under his control.
Instead of alerting the enemy, he first spent money to find someone at the dock who spoke the Mandarin Chinese to inquire about the situation.
They then found the person in charge of the dock, spent some money, and extracted information from him.
What the traveling merchants appear to be selling as goods is actually the buying and selling of information.
Only when customers cannot see the true value of a product can merchants control their profits.
Leo therefore valued the intelligence, regardless of how desperate he was to reclaim his ship and the cargo of spices.
But after all, this was a foreign land, and Leo, as a foreign merchant, had to follow the local rules.
Only after clarifying the specific rules could Leo formulate a strategy.
After learning that the punishment for violence and brawling was very severe in this area, Leo abandoned his plan to seize the ship by force.
Leo ultimately decided to find the other side's leader and negotiate with him.
After all, Leo is a businessman. Even if the other party provoked him first, as long as there is profit to be made, past conflicts are just a matter of fate.
This is called "no fight, no friendship"—we're all friends, and it's all for business!
Leo understood very well that revenge alone could not bring him any benefit beyond temporary emotional satisfaction.
His goals have always been steadfast and unwavering.
Leo observed his own Silk Veil ship from the dock.
He saw many people already moving goods up and down between the ships and gangplanks.
It was clear that those people were just replenishing their supplies. They were probably afraid that Leo would catch up with them, so they didn't dare to stay too long and planned to set sail as soon as possible.
Leo also noticed that among those moving goods, there were not only people with brown skin, but also people with normal skin color.
Those were probably the people on the ship, the hired porters.
After obtaining this intelligence, Leo decided to disguise himself as a porter and sneak onto the ship in order to meet the enemy leader.
Leo was confident that he could reap sufficient benefits by establishing an equal communication model.
Leo was willing to let the other party gain something, provided that his own core interests were not harmed.
Even if the other party is unwilling to cooperate and attempts to silence him, Leo is not afraid.
He possesses the power of the "Disqualified Contract," which helps him cope with most difficulties.
Moreover, he can unleash his power without any hand gestures or incantations, even if he is bound or gagged.
Moreover, with two bodyguards protecting him, Leo was confident he could escape even if a conflict eventually broke out.
Once Leo escapes to the bottom of the ship, the local sheriff will naturally protect him.
Once he made up his mind, Leo immediately took action. He changed his clothes, bought several boxes of goods, and carried them to mingle among the porters.
Things went smoothly, and Leo successfully boarded the ship.
The next step is to find the person in charge.
Leo guessed that they were the same two men who had kidnapped him last time, which made them easy to identify.
Once on the deck, Leo saw someone standing on the bridge, quietly watching everyone work.
And that person was one of the two from before!
Leo went down into the cabin, put down the cargo, immediately put on his hood to cover his face, and led Navajo and Apache toward the man.
The other party quickly noticed Leo and drew his sword as Leo climbed the building, shouting in a language Leo couldn't understand.
This sound immediately attracted the attention of several crew members, who all turned their gazes towards it.
Leo, however, didn't seem to care and slowly removed his hood:
"Long time no see, sir!"
The round-faced man with a full beard in front of him immediately turned pale and began hacking at him.
Navajo immediately drew his dagger and blocked the man's attack.
If Navajo still had his original bone weapon, he would certainly not be able to withstand the round-faced man's heavy attack.
However, Leo had already replaced the weapons of his two bodyguards.
At that moment, the dagger caught the long sword firmly.
The people on the deck also realized what was happening and quickly surrounded them.
Leo quickly said, "Sir, please don't be impulsive. I'm here to negotiate with you."
Then, Leo used his green eyes to tell Navajo to put away his weapons.
Navajo, on the other side, clearly couldn't understand Leo's plan. He frowned and stared at Leo's face for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.
Leo was very patient, and even when surrounded by people, he didn't panic at all.
In business negotiations, composure is key; often, striking back after the opponent has made their move is the best way to gain more leverage.
After waiting a moment, the man in front of him couldn't help but ask:
"What do you want to do?"
"Haha," Leo laughed uncontrollably, "Sir, have you forgotten that this is my ship? I'm the one who should be held responsible."
The man pointed the knife at Leo: "But your lives are still in my hands."
Leo shrugged. "Don't you remember how I escaped from you? You don't have the ability to kill me. Besides, I have two more warriors by my side now. Your life is in my hands."
The man simply squinted, but said nothing.
Leo then said, "Although you have hurt me many times and caused me great losses, I do not hold grudges. If you are willing to make compensation, I am willing to wipe the slate clean of our grievances."
"You think I'd believe you?"
"From the time we were in the New World, I told you that I am a businessman, and I am used to resolving problems through negotiation."
The same applies now; I don't want a lose-lose situation, as that would benefit both of us.
After a long while, the other person finally blurted out:
"How do you want to talk?"
At this point, Leo knew that his mission was accomplished.
"Haha, negotiations need to be done slowly, but—it all started with an acquaintance, I am Leo Gibson."
The man's expression was complicated; he was clearly struggling with what kind of identity to give Leo.
Leo thus deduced that this person's background was extremely complex, so much so that simply reporting a name to Leo was enough to make him think so deeply.
"Sir, just tell me your name, and I won't reveal it. Moreover, assuming we reach an agreement, you will need to sign the contract using your real name."
Finally, the man said:
"Ajun Singh".
"Then, Mr. Jun," Leo asked politely, "where would you prefer to discuss this?"
Finally, the two went into the captain's cabin on the ship.
This place used to be Leo's residence, but now it's occupied by Ah Jun.
It doesn't matter, as long as it benefits Leo's core demands, even if it means giving up the entire ship, Leo is willing to do so.
They sat across from each other at the chart table, each with two people behind them.
Ideally, one-on-one negotiations would be best here, not because Leo was afraid of any danger, but because those two people didn't want to let Leo out of their sight.
Leo got straight to the point: "We had some misunderstandings in the New World before, and I hope Mr. Jun will forgive us."
What happened before was clearly them making things difficult for Leo.
But that's alright. If Leo wants to break the ice, he has to take the initiative to offer a way out.
Ah Jun was clearly willing to accept: "If you had been willing to cooperate with us back then, there wouldn't have been so much trouble afterward."
Leo nodded: "But sir, stealing my ship is a bit much. May I ask why you did this?"
This question stumped Ah Jun.
Leo immediately presented two options: "Are you interested in my ship, or its cargo?"
Ah Jun narrowed his eyes: "No need to keep us in suspense, we all know the truth."
"Yes, those must be spices, haha," Leo laughed again for no apparent reason, "but these spices are the one thing I can't give you!"
"There's nothing to talk about!"
Leo then said, "I came here aboard your ship, and along the way, I've reviewed a lot of information on board. I've discovered that you don't seem to be Federation people." Upon hearing this, Ah Jun reached for his waist, clearly intending to kill him.
But Leo did it on purpose; he had realized from the beginning that this person valued his status.
For negotiations to continue, both sides' concerns must first be laid bare and gradually dismantled before any progress can be made.
Leo continued, "Sir, please don't misunderstand. To me, whether you're from the Federation or anywhere else, you're all from the Far East to a merchant from this kingdom. What difference does it make who I do business with?"
"What kind of business do you want to start?"
"As you can see, I transported spices all the way from the New World to the Far East, naturally intending to do spice business."
Therefore, although I am unwilling to give you the spices, I am willing to do spice business with you.
"How do I do it?"
"My understanding of the Far East is insufficient, and I do not speak the language. Furthermore, the Far East still lacks a unified language, which further hinders my business expansion in this land. Therefore, I am seeking a business agent."
"You want me to help you sell your goods?"
"It's not that simple," Leo said with a smile. "Now that you know where the spices come from, I think you must also want to do the spice business."
"However, you are currently unable to obtain a stable supply of spices, which means that even if you wanted to do it for the time being, you do not have the means to do so."
"But if you are willing to become my agent, not only will you be able to familiarize yourself with the product of spices, but you will also be able to take the lead in developing the market."
"Moreover, you will have a very high degree of autonomy and will receive a share of the profits rather than a fixed salary, meaning the better you sell, the more you earn."
Even those who can traverse vast oceans and travel between the two ends of the world.
The man in front of me, Ah Jun Singh, is certainly no ordinary person.
He may wield considerable influence in certain regions, which is exactly the kind of talent Leo needs to expand his business empire.
Ah Jun was silent for a moment, then asked:
"Aren't you afraid that I'll take your goods and then embezzle them?"
"You do not have a stable source of spices for the time being. If you want to continue to profit, you must rely on me. Moreover, we will sign a contract to restrict the actions of both parties."
"Hmph!" Ah Jun laughed. "Only children would believe in contracts."
"Ha ha—no," Leo said, "my contract is absolutely trustworthy."
Once you understand the concerns and needs of both parties, everything will fall into place naturally.
In the end, Leo and Ah Jun reached an agreement on the collaboration.
Ah Jun became Leo's agent on the east coast of the mainland.
However, on the west coast of the continent, within the territory of the Federation, Leo's agent has not yet been identified.
As far as Leo knew, the Federation was the most powerful regime on the Far East continent.
The wealth of this land is no less than that of a kingdom.
Therefore, the Federation is where Leo should focus his efforts.
By outsourcing the business on the east coast of the mainland, Leo can focus more on the main battlefield.
With his own extraordinary contract binding him, Leo wasn't worried that the other party would break the agreement.
Leo also took back his ship and spices, and returned the Wisdom Tree to Ah Jun.
At the same time, he entrusted Ah Jun with the management of the remaining quarter of the spices.
In this way, Leo resolved the crisis of his ship being seized.
However, even if the problem remains unresolved for the time being, Leo still has some trump cards up his sleeve.
Next, Leo should consider how to expand his business empire within the Federation.
But first, as always, when you arrive at a new place, buy a small amount of spices to test the waters.
Let some anecdotes about the "magical spice" first circulate in the city.
Leo had his men take the spices to various markets to sell, and Leo himself also took on some of the responsibility.
He needs to occasionally sell things himself to understand the local market, customs, and habits.
Leo chose a market next to the fish market to set up a stall and sell his wares.
Soon, he welcomed his first customer.
Although the guest in front of me was overweight, he had a kind face and was probably a simple and honest person.
Leo smiled and said in the lunar language he had just learned:
"Haha, sir, you want to take a look at me?"
".spices."
Before Leo could even say the name of the product, the person in front of him said it on his own initiative.
Leo's face instantly turned ashen.
He was the first person to realize the value of spice merchants. After obtaining spices from the New World, he traveled eastward to transport them to the Far East.
However, how did this fat man in front of me know about the existence of spices?
Leo was not allowed to ask any questions, no matter what.
He immediately ordered Navajo and Apache, who were with him, to take the man to a corner and leave.
The fat man immediately said in fear, "What do you want to do—"
In the deserted alley, Leo stared intently at the flustered man.
He recognized the Kingdom's accent from the other person's lunar language, so he tried to speak to them in the Kingdom's language:
"How do you know about spices?"
The man indeed spoke Mandarin: "I have eaten food made with spices."
"Where?"
"Tongue Port"
I see. If it's that port, then it makes sense.
That conman Chris was the first person to bring spices to the east side of the Sea of Despair, before Leo.
This short-sighted swindler dumped all his spices in Tongue Harbour, completely unaware of the potential value of developing spices.
That is why the fat man may indeed have tasted spices in Tongue Harbour.
"So you're from Tongue Port?"
The fat man shook his head.
Leo frowned: "Then where did you come from?"
"O'Brien Bay, Copperplate Town."
Upon hearing the name of the place, Leo was immediately startled.
He asked tentatively, "You don't happen to know one of the librarians there, do you?"
The fat man's face showed surprise: "You know Mr. Mosley too?"
Hmm... he really is an old friend of Mr. Mosley.
but·.-
If this person was sent by Mr. Mosley, what was his purpose?
Is it related to Leo's spice empire?
Leo had a strange headache.