Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 125: Opportunity
Laura stood anxiously in front of the most famous Blood Lotus daily necessities store in Casa City. This store was the largest and most renowned one in her possession, serving as the headquarters for the Majidel Trading Company across the Versailles Principality, where Laura usually held her ground.
The reason Laura was waiting at the store today was to receive the convoy returning from Rubble Mountain. This time, they were not bringing back a large quantity of goods, only ten thousand pounds of magic radish, but Laura viewed this shipment with great importance.
Not only was it her first collaboration with Zhao Hai, but there was also another crucial reason—the quality of the radishes Zhao Hai had provided.
Laura operated in the daily necessities business. Although radishes were considered a low-end consumer product in their area, high-quality radishes could significantly impact her business.
It was like two vegetable shops buying radishes; if one shop had large, high-quality radishes at a reasonable price while the other had inferior ones at the same price, customers would naturally flock to the first shop. When people came to buy radishes, they would likely purchase other items as well, leading to better overall sales for that shop. This was the true value of those radishes.
Even though Zhao Hai assured Laura that all the radishes produced in his area were of the same quality, she remained somewhat skeptical. In business, one must always maintain a healthy level of caution; Laura learned this lesson after being deceived several times.
Kun Zheng was also at the store. Normally, a small order of around ten thousand pounds wouldn’t concern Laura and Kun Zheng too much, but this time was different; this collaboration could determine the rise or fall of their faction.
At that moment, a not-so-large convoy appeared in the distance, and the Blood Lotus flag flying from it signaled to everyone that it belonged to the Majidel Trading Company.
As soon as Laura saw the convoy returning, she quickly headed towards the back yard. She knew the arrival of the convoy meant the goods had arrived, though they wouldn’t be placed in the front yard directly; instead, they would be stored in the back yard’s warehouse before being displayed in the front store.
Kun Zheng followed closely behind Laura, eager to see if the magic radishes they sent were as good as those seen at Rubble Mountain.
The convoy soon entered the large yard behind the store, which contained many rooms, a portion separated for horse and carriage storage, with the remaining space primarily for warehouses, offices, and living quarters.
Although no one in Casa City dared to touch the Majidel family’s belongings, the livestock still required care at night, so there would always be someone watching over the back yard.
Leading the convoy was Sean, who had recently been promoted and was no longer just the overseer of the laborers; he was now the captain of this dedicated convoy responsible for trading with Zhao Hai.
The three days Laura had spent with Zhao Hai were not solely about assisting him in procuring the five oil presses, which were readily available in Casa City. During this time, Laura’s primary focus was on cleaning up her store.
This cleanup wasn’t just about tidying up; it involved removing anyone who wasn’t loyal to her from the store. During her ambush at Black Mountain Pass, some members of the Majidel family were involved, and while she was ambushed, many infiltrators were placed in their store, attempting to undermine her authority.
However, Laura was not one to be easily intimidated. Although she didn’t initially plan to act so swiftly upon her return, intending instead to engage those adversaries, her alliance with Zhao Hai changed her mindset. She realized that if Zhao Hai discovered instability within her store, it could affect his willingness to collaborate, so Laura used the three days to eliminate the infiltrators and replace them with her trusted subordinates.