Published: March 12, 2025
CHAPTER 554: Cooperation
Seeing the Beast King's actions, Zhao Hai did not dare to be negligent. He raised his cup and downed the milk wine in one gulp.
During this time, he had rarely drunk this pure, unrefined milk wine. Although the strong flavor was quite pronounced, one had to admit that this peculiar taste added a unique flavor to the wine.
When the Beast King saw Zhao Hai drink the milk wine without a wrinkle on his brow, he couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew that very few humans were accustomed to the taste of milk wine. Generally, even human merchants who stayed on the Orc Prairie for years couldn't adapt to it. However, Zhao Hai didn't seem to be pretending; he appeared to genuinely enjoy the taste of the milk wine.
After the Beast King put down his cup, Xu Huwei immediately refilled it for him. Only then did the Beast King turn to Zhao Hai and say, “I want to thank you for what happened last time. If it weren't for you, our orc tribe would have suffered significant losses.”
Zhao Hai also set his cup down, and Xu Huwei filled it again. With a smile, Zhao Hai replied, “Your Majesty is too polite. I consider the orc tribe as friends, while the Church of Light is my enemy. It makes no sense for me to help my enemies instead of my friends.”
The Beast King chuckled and looked at Zhao Hai. “I had someone look into it and found that the price you’re paying for our orc tribe's grain is generally lower than what other human merchants pay. Why is that?”
Zhao Hai smiled and explained, “There's nothing strange about it. The transportation costs for those merchants are quite high, while I am different. I have human equipment and use spatial preparations to transport grain to the orc tribe, which significantly reduces the cost.”
The Beast King nodded but continued with a smile, “This method is something others probably can't replicate. They would never be willing to use spatial equipment for transporting grain, haha.”
Zhao Hai smiled slightly, knowing that the Beast King was right. Others wouldn't have his capability because they did not possess spatial abilities.
The Beast King looked at Zhao Hai and continued, “Right now, human merchants are afraid to come to the Orc Prairie. I estimate this situation will last for several more months. Although we've regained quite a bit this time, in a few months, our grain will be exhausted. Besides, with the signing of this grain price agreement, many small merchants will likely stop engaging in grain business. The grain shortage for our orc tribe may become even greater, and we might have to buy grain at high prices again. Do you have a solution?”
Zhao Hai smiled and reassured, “Your Majesty, don't worry, I have plenty of grain. As long as the orc tribe needs it, you can come to buy it. This is not a problem, please don’t worry.”
The Beast King was taken aback, and then his eyes lit up as he looked at Zhao Hai. “Are you saying that you have a lot of grain? The kind that is breadfruit?”
Zhao Hai smiled slightly and confirmed, “Exactly, I have plenty of breadfruit, and also a lot of bamboo rice. So, Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry about the grain issue.”
The Beast King looked at Zhao Hai, unsure if he was speaking the truth. He had called Zhao Hai today just to test him, to see if he could truly become a friend to the orc tribe. If Zhao Hai could, he would provide him with some favorable conditions in the future. If not, he would still not drive Zhao Hai away, but he would be cautious of him.
However, he never expected Zhao Hai's answer to be like this. He knew very well that the amount of grain needed by the orc tribe was astronomical.
Seeing the Beast King’s expression, Zhao Hai understood his thoughts and smiled slightly, saying, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. My territory produces not only bamboo rice and breadfruit but also many other things, with even more grain. To be honest, if I weren’t selling grain to the orc tribe and instead took it to the human race continent to sell, the grain prices there would certainly plummet, and I would end up making countless enemies. I don't want that, so I prefer to sell the grain to the orc tribe. Firstly, the grain prices here are higher than in the human race, and secondly, the demand here is much greater. My grain would not cause market fluctuations here; it would only stabilize the market.”