Something's wrong, seriously wrong!
Baixiao felt no joy in her promotion, only intense wariness. Her mission wasn't about climbing to a high position, and Su Bai knew exactly why Ningguang had sent her.
Placing her arbitrarily in the manager position might seem like a promotion, but in reality, it was a move to tie her down to the shop.
"Boss, this absolutely won't do. I'm still far from ready. I've only worked for a single day."
"No need to refuse. She will understand." Su Bai's attitude was firm, leaving no room for Baixiao to refuse.
"But..."
"I will explain it to Ningguang for you. Just focus on taking good care of the shop."
Su Bai knew what worried Baixiao—it was all about how to answer to Ningguang. After all, there was a definite sense of her being sent to assess him. Suddenly leaving her post would inevitably mean she couldn't complete her mission.
Previously, Su Bai would have more or less considered this aspect. But after meeting Zhongli today, his confidence was different.
Since the Geo Archon himself was so magnanimous, continuing to be constrained would be a disservice to himself.
Moreover, if Ningguang caught on too quickly to his next moves, it might not exclude the possibility of her stepping in personally.
Although they would inevitably reach that point sooner or later, the later the official intervention, the greater the benefits Su Bai could reap.
"This... alright." Finally, Baixiao reluctantly agreed.
There was no other way, Su Bai's attitude was too resolute.
"Except for the goods on the second floor, which require my consultation before sale, you can sell all other supplies as you see fit. From now on, accounts will be settled every three days. Just leave the records at the back door, I'll review them when I return in the evening," Su Bai explained.
"You can hire staff for the shop. I'm providing you with 30 million in operating funds. Decide on the number of people yourself. Handle all other matters based on your own judgment. I won't interfere much for the next half month."
Hearing Su Bai's repeated phrases—"handle as you see fit," "decide yourself"—Baixiao immediately felt a headache coming on. Su Bai was planning to be a completely hands-off boss!
"Alright..."
In the end, she agreed, utterly defeated. It wasn't that she was afraid of running at a loss, but rather the current situation.
Was it because she hadn't performed well enough on the first day? Had she been too obvious? Had she exposed her secret mission from the Lady?
Baixiao couldn't help but wonder. But after thinking it over, she couldn't find any missteps. This wasn't her first time doing such work, how could she make such a low-level mistake?
It was unlikely that Su Bai had discovered the task beyond investigating his background.
"Perhaps I need to observe a while longer. No, I'll report to Lady Ningguang tonight first," Baixiao decided inwardly.
On the other side of Liyue Harbor.
In the brightly lit Xinyue Kui restaurant, southwest of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"Boss Fan, what is the meaning of this?! Didn't we agree on a strategy to absorb his stock?"
"Exactly, why the sudden change to a price war?! It's a thankless task. Will waiting it out really finish him? Don't end up killing the goose that lays the golden eggs and letting outsiders profit!"
In the room, Ah wei and Huishao stood up, slamming the table, glaring angrily at Boss Fan and Boss Qi seated at the head.
Boss Qi, however, calmly drank his tea and ate, as if oblivious to the situation, offering no opinion. This attitude immediately infuriated Huishao.
"Boss Qi, don't just focus on eating and drinking. None of our families can escape this. Even if you didn't contribute funds, sitting on the fence is unacceptable!"
"Hey, watch your words, kid. What stance do you want me to take now? Just talk without a price war? Without knowing the situation, are you getting nervous just because it involves a few Mora from Tianheng Mountain?"
Although Boss Qi had intentions of adapting to the circumstances, being confronted so directly by Huishao left him no room for concession. He immediately escalated to territorial disputes.
"Old Qi, watch your words." Boss Fan shot a warning glance at Boss Qi, temporarily calming the situation. Even Huishao and Ah wei sat back down.
They wanted an explanation, not just to pick a fight.
After all, aside from Boss Qi, everyone else had purchased hundreds of thousands of kilograms of goods from Su Bai. It was precisely because of this that they resented Boss Qi's fence-sitting attitude.
But firing territorial shots would only lead to division, and both Ah wei and Huishao understood that in the current situation, division would only benefit Su Bai.
"Boss Fan, please explain." However, Huishao showed no intention of apologizing, as his relationship with Boss Qi had never been good to begin with. Their spheres of influence were adjacent.
"Young people, don't be so impulsive. Acting on emotion is a path to ruin," Boss Qi sneered coldly.
"Old fool, don't be muddled. Relying solely on experience will get you killed at sea sooner or later," Huishao retorted without backing down.
With a thud, Boss Fan slapped two pieces of paper on the table.
"Take a look. These are the trade contracts signed today."
He had no time to deal with their bickering, as it was nothing new. When the contracts were revealed, both fell silent and read them.
"Five hundred thousand? Isn't this the previously discussed amount? The price actually increased?" Huishao leaned over to look, his heart sinking.
Having risen to become a leader among the small-scale merchants of Tianheng Mountain, he was no fool. The price increase revealed some critical information.
But then he saw the delivery date—only two days. This left him somewhat puzzled.
"Regardless of how much stock he has or its status, shouldn't we be focusing on futures contracts and jointly driving up market prices now?" Huishao asked skeptically, glancing at Ah wei, who nodded in agreement.
"Starting a price war now is like pushing him to take the money and run. Our Mora is in his hands. If he profits and escapes, Boss Fan, what were you thinking?"
"Exactly, Boss Fan. It's fine if he makes some profit, but he's making too much now, isn't he? When we eventually sell, if prices keep falling, we might even have to sell his goods at a loss." Ah wei also voiced his support.
Although grain prices have now been driven up to over five hundred, this is the result of controlled sales. Once large-scale dumping begins, prices could change three times a day. The more stock one holds, the greater the potential profit, but also the greater the risk.
After all, no one knows exactly how much the market can absorb, when it will saturate, or, once dumping begins, whether the currently harmonious four will remain united. Who might quietly withdraw?
"Heh, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. Take a look at the second contract. I went all out today and signed two contracts," Boss Fan said with an enigmatic smile, lifting the first contract to reveal the staggering figures beneath that made one's breath catch.
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100 powerstones = 1 chapter
200 powerstones = 3 chapters
300 powerstones = 5 chapters