About an hour later, the manager of the bookshop finally arrived.
Along with him came a whole cartload of golden Beli.
The coins were exquisitely crafted, their reliefs clearly visible, resembling works of art.
Each coin alone was worth 1000 Beli, and weighed approximately 120 grams, not much different from the gold price in his previous life.
"This horse is good."
The 40 million gold coins amounted to 4.8 tons, which was already the curb weight of a truck. With the solid wood frame, it approached eight tons.
The manager chuckled, "A Capture Level 1 War Horse. Although it's in good condition, it's not worth much. I'll give it to you along with the carriage."
Rare ingredients were not easy to come by. Elder Jun took seven days.
After agreeing on a date, Zhang Wei drove off in the carriage.
After all this commotion, it was already late. Zhang Wei drove off in the carriage.
This carriage was indeed impressive; despite its weight, it could still travel swiftly on the road.
Entering a secluded alley, Zhang Wei waved his hand and stored the supplies in the right annex.
Compared to the left annex, where time flowed tens of thousands of times faster, time in the right annex was completely static, which Zhang Wei used to store fresh ingredients.
Since Mo Du moved out of the left annex, Zhang Wei had begun contemplating brewing.
In both his past and present lives, he had never tried brewing soy sauce, wine, or vinegar.
If he utilized the left annex's 35-fold time flow, a 90-day brewing cycle could be shortened to two and a half days.
"I'm completely clueless about this, I need to study it properly."
When self-satisfaction sets in and one refuses to learn, it signifies an end to progress.
...
Wine and Beauty Inn.
Along with the Secret Realm Explorers Association and the Century Treasures Association, it was one of the major organizations in the Northern Lands.
It primarily operated inns, with over a thousand outposts scattered across the desolate lands of the Northern Region, boasting excellent intelligence-gathering capabilities.
Xi Feng and his group had chosen this place for their accommodation.
Returning to the inn, Zhang Wei took a brief look around.
Compared to hotels, the decor here was simpler and more practical, and the food on the menu consisted mostly of generous, hearty portions.
In the private lounge, Xi Feng and the others were grooming themselves and changing into formal attire.
"Everyone's busy with..."
"Business."
Business?
Zhang Wei hadn't delved into the profit-making methods of the Great Glacier since arriving.
"What kind of business?"
Tang Zhihun explained, "We're purchasing frozen ingredients."
"We freeze ordinary, conventional ingredients in ice. Decades later, when these ingredients become extinct, the conventional ones will become rare, their value skyrocketing, and we'll profit."
"Holy cow, isn't the profit return cycle too long? It requires continuous investment for decades! And how can you guarantee that the frozen ingredients will definitely become extinct and increase in value?"
"We can't guarantee it."
"What?"
Tang Zhihun said matter-of-factly, "If we could guarantee it, our association would have been rich long ago. We just cast a wide net and hope for the best, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse."
Zhang Wei was speechless.
What kind of genius came up with this business model?
Must have been kicked in the head by a donkey!
However, because the net was cast so widely, there would always be a lucky strike, and then it would be a tenfold appreciation.
The Great Glacier's profit model was to sell these rare, extinct ingredients.
What Zhang Wei didn't realize was that similar profit models were common in the human realm, and some ingredients were even driven to extinction by these hoarding merchants.
Wait a minute?
Extinct ingredient first editions?
Damn it!
Looking for a donkey while riding one!
Zhang Wei suspected that the person he was dealing with today was the old man from Wang Yue Zhai.
In Zhang Wei's mind, the Century Ice Pillar was already in his grasp, so this was akin to transferring money from his left pocket to his right.
"Who is the trading partner?"
"I heard it's a top female billionaire."
A woman?
That was good.
Tang Zhihun continued, "This female billionaire has immense financial resources. I heard that a few days ago, she spent five million at an auction to purchase the Northern Region's finest tea—Cloud Tea."
"She's also planning to acquire the Wine and Beauty Inn, and I heard they've already signed a contract."
"Oh, impressive, impressive."
Zhang Wei replied perfunctorily, but his mind was already on the Cloud Tea.
Zhang Wei enjoyed all delicious things, including tea.
But like soy sauce, wine, and vinegar, he was completely unfamiliar with the methods and processes of tea making.
Ever since he had tasted the "Bo Yun Shou Yue" at Elder Jun's place, he had been longing for this so-called finest tea of the Northern Region!
The meeting was held on the top floor of the inn, in the employee area, which seemed to confirm the rumor that the female billionaire was acquiring Wine and Beauty.
Such high-level negotiations were naturally not Zhang Wei's concern. He returned to his room early and browsed the newly purchased books in the Treasure Hall.
Late at night...
Zhang Wei altered his appearance and stealthily infiltrated the top floor.
In one of the offices, the lights were still on.
Listening intently, he could only hear a heartbeat and the rustling of paper.
"This should be it."
Knock, knock, knock~
"Who is it?"
A woman's voice came through, crisp and seemingly young.
However, there was a hint of cold indifference in her tone, pushing others away.
"I've come from afar, hoping to strike a deal with you, madam. I believe a successful businesswoman like yourself wouldn't turn away money, would she?"
After a while.
"Come in."
Upon entering, a young girl sat behind a desk, her face veiled by fine silk.
"What business, you can tell me now."
As Zhang Wei was about to speak, he suddenly froze.
The girl said, "My time is limited. I don't know how you infiltrated, but there are strong individuals from various organizations within the inn. I hope you won't do anything rash."
As an inn capable of housing flying beasts, many teams participating in the Northern Region Culinary Feast would come here to file complaints.
If anyone caused trouble, it would indeed be foolish.
Zhang Wei chuckled, "Mo Du, don't you recognize me?"
Saying this, Zhang Wei dispelled his illusionary transformation, revealing his true form.
The girl before him was Mo Du, whom Zhang Wei had released more than a month ago.
Mo Du was stunned at first, then joyfully stood up, removed her veil, and exclaimed, "You... how are you here?"
"Coincidence."
Mo Du hurried out and went for a big hug.
Zhang Wei dodged, causing her to miss him.
"You scoundrel, after not seeing each other for so long, you're so unwelcoming!"
Mo Du grumbled resentfully, "Do you know how much hardship I've endured for the Deer God's tribute recently?"
Looking at Mo Du's luxuriously decorated office and her jeweled attire,
Zhang Wei shook his head, indicating he hadn't noticed at all.
"By the way, how did you find me?"
The illusionary transformation had excellent concealment. Unless there was close contact, it was difficult to spot any flaws.
"Nothing, we're just too familiar."
"What do you mean 'too familiar'? You're being so dismissive!"
Zhang Wei laughed, "I've smelled your body fragrance for ten years, I couldn't be more familiar. Even with perfume covering it, I recognized you the moment I entered the room."
Hearing this, Mo Du's face suddenly turned crimson.
She lowered her head and stood motionlessly.
Zhang Wei scratched his head, "What's going on? Did I say something strange?"