Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 392: Call Them Over
Zhao Hai stood calmly on the boat, gazing at the distant Chushui City. The scale of Chushui City was quite lacking compared to Tianshui City, but the bustling activity on the sea with boats coming and going made it appear quite prosperous.
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and turned to say, “Looking at the scale of Chushui City, it doesn’t hold up against Tianshui City, but it seems to be quite lively here. If we could open a store here, that would be nice. By the way, I wonder if there’s a Shelley Hotel here? We might be able to collaborate.”
Laura laughed and said, “There is. In a city like this, how could there not be a Shelley Hotel? We can ask them for help; I believe they would be very willing. Brother Hai, do you think we should reduce the supply of firefly fish and milk wine to Brother Smith and the others? It could serve as a warning.”
Zhao Hai shook his head and said, “Forget it. This time, I won’t make it an issue for Smith’s sake, but if the Karlqi Family keeps pushing me, I won’t hold back. I’ll cut off our cooperation with them and see what they can do to me.”
Laura nodded and said, “That’s fine. Giving Brother Smith some face will help him negotiate with his family. I’m curious to see how the Karlqi Family will react. If they go too far, we can’t be blamed.”
Seeing Laura’s demeanor, Zhao Hai smiled and said, “This is the old Laura, looking a bit like a strong woman. Haha, nice. If they really dare to deal with us, then they can’t blame me for being unkind.”
As they spoke, they slowly approached Chushui City. The dock here was significantly inferior to that of Tianshui City; it looked quite chaotic, with many boats unable to find a mooring.
Zhao Hai understood that this was a public dock where anchoring didn’t cost money, which explained the large number of boats. However, this was also the smallest and most chaotic dock in Chushui City.
Nearby, there were several much larger docks with good security and dedicated people for unloading cargo. However, those docks charged fees for mooring.
This was precisely the method of the Roson Empire's royalty. They lowered certain taxes to attract people, and once you arrived, you would find there were plenty of places to spend money aside from taxes, ultimately ensuring it would cost more than paying full taxes.
Zhao Hai glanced at the public dock and realized they couldn’t squeeze through. He turned and instructed Jin An to take the boat to the charged dock.
The charged dock was indeed much better; the water surface was spacious, the dock was clean, and there were special people maintaining security, everything appearing orderly.
Seeing this situation, Zhao Hai couldn’t help but smile wryly. It reminded him of when he was on Earth; those big companies also advertised price reductions, yet in the end, all those costs were accounted for elsewhere. He hadn’t expected that someone on Ark Continent would use the same tactics.
After anchoring at the charged dock, they paid the dock manager and took a carriage into the city.
Once they entered Chushui City, Zhao Hai and his companions were taken aback—not because Chushui City was particularly good, but rather the streets appeared shabby, far inferior to Tianshui City. However, there were plenty of shops on both sides of the street, bustling similarly to those in Tianshui City.
Port cities were like this; commerce was very developed, and Zhao Hai was already accustomed to it. He glanced at the shops on both sides and turned to Shun Yi, saying, “Shun Yi, go check out what goods are available in these stores and their prices. Wan Ying, let’s head to the Shelley Hotel to rest.”
The two responded, and Xu Wanying drove the carriage toward the Shelley Hotel while Shun Yi went to gather information. While at the dock, Zhao Hai had already asked where the Shelley Hotel was, so he didn’t worry about finding it.
Soon, they arrived at the Shelley Hotel. Although the other shops in Chushui City seemed somewhat lacking, the Shelley Hotel was different—its exterior was clean, the entrance was well-kept, and there were several dedicated people outside maintaining security, fully displaying its level of service.