"Master, what about us?"
A servant stepped forward and asked.
Let's go. "Let's go." The man in black picked up the red gem, turned, and left. The cold sweat on his forehead still hadn't dried.
As for the Tianheng Mountain meeting, how it ended, he didn't know. But from now on, even the Tianquan would find it difficult to control the Liyue grain industry.
For the next two days, Liyue Harbor remained calm. All the grain shops operated as usual. It felt like the calm before the storm. Only the daily shipment of hundreds of thousands of kilograms of grain from the dock warehouses hinted at the unusual events about to unfold.
Then, one day, Wanwen Bookhouse received a submission. The layout of the poster immediately caught Jifang's eye, especially the striking headlines.
"Shocking Scandal Within the Liyue Grain Association Will Make You Blush!"
"Attention! Do You Have Something Like This at Home?"
"The Storm is Coming: Grain Prices Hit New Lows! Is This Business Warfare or Madness?"
There was also plenty of gossip news, with various cut-and-paste pieces meant to mislead. Not only were there reports of continuously rising grain trade at the docks, suggesting market manipulation, but also news about the four major grain merchants gathering multiple times, hinting at conspiracies and demanding clarifications.
Needless to say, this was undoubtedly the work of Su Bai.
Just as Wanwen Bookhouse printed and distributed this newspaper throughout the streets and alleys of Liyue, the long-prepared grain war officially began.
The current market price was 580 Mora per kilogram. Su Bai took the lead by announcing a price reduction in the newspaper: selling bulk grain at 450 Mora, 430 Mora for over 5,000 kilograms, and 420 Mora for over 10,000 kilograms.
This announcement was posted on the bulletin boards at the Ministry of Civil Affairs in Weiyun Slope and the square in Chihu Rock. Consequently, both foreign merchants and local residents in need of grain rushed to these two places to inquire.
This was the price war phase.
After Su Bai made his move, the Grain Association responded in kind, uniformly adjusting their prices.
"Today, Master Fan has given the order: we'll take a loss to win recognition, feeding our own people!" A servant shouted to the crowd in the square.
"400 Mora! All grain at 400 Mora! Over 10,000 kilograms, 390!"
"Wow, Master Fan is really going all out, huh?"
"Well, we're in for a good show."
"Heh, heard yet? Master Qi has joined in too, same price."
"Both the Fan and Qi families? Is that general store really that powerful to warrant both families stepping in?"
"Your news is outdated. Still saying 400? Do you know what price Tianheng Mountain Grain Shop is offering now?"
"Brother, you know?"
"Hmph, I just came from there. 380!"
"What? The Mu family has joined too? Who is this Su Bai anyway? The entire grain industry is ganging up on him?!"
"Just watch the show, everyone, disperse for now. We can come back after that guy makes his move."
The atmosphere in Liyue Harbor was abuzz with people involved in grain trade.
Some were happy because the lower prices meant they could buy the same quantity for less money. Some could even make a small profit by shipping it back to their own countries, as grain bought in Liyue for less than 400 Mora, even including shipping costs, was cheaper than local grain prices back home.
However, others were wailing in despair, smashing their heads against the wall in frustration.
Many of them had brought grain to Liyue hoping to fetch a good price, especially since grain prices had been rising over the past two months, even reaching 600 Mora at one point.
But they arrived, some with grain still on their ships, not even unloaded yet, only to hear that all Liyue grain merchants were slashing prices? A full one-third drop!
This was truly a life-or-de death situation for them.
Another group consisted of those who had entered futures contracts. They had originally followed the Liyue Grain Association's lead, betting on rising prices. Now, they felt stabbed in the back, losing everything they had. The only thing of value left was a contract stipulating that the counterparty would buy new grain at 500 Mora per kilogram half a month later.
They were the ones grinding their teeth, glaring fiercely at the Grain Association, desperately hoping Su Bai would quickly rise to victory in this price war and restore grain prices as soon as possible.
As for the Fan and Qi families and their unpredictable actions, most of them had lost all hope.
At the Three Bowls Bridge, even Tian Tiezuǐ's place was abuzz with discussions about this sudden grain price fluctuation.
The descriptions were so vivid, it was as if they had witnessed the conflict between the two sides, their bold declarations of war!
Meanwhile, old man Zhongli, as if detached from it all, sipped his tea sip by sip. He even occasionally chimed in with casual remarks.
As for Su Bai, he was currently at the general store.
Under Baixiao's management over the past few days, the shop had improved significantly. It was not only tidier but also had several new staff. Baixiao was now planning to transform the business into a proper, established store.
Simply put, opening branches.
"Boss, are you sure about this? If we post this price, someone might get desperate and jump the gun." Baixiao looked troubled, putting down the notice Su Bai had just handed her.
"Sure, post it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Su Bai nodded, unconcerned.
"360 Mora... selling at a loss of 50-60 Mora per kilogram..." Baixiao hesitated. Not only was Su Bai losing money at this price, but also, who would still farm the land in Liyue at such prices?
She couldn't quite figure out what had happened. After being away for a few days, Su Bai had firmly decided to start this price war, determined to outlast the Grain Association.
But one thing was certain: when giants fight, the little guys suffer. People outside were already panicking. No one knew how low grain prices would eventually stabilize.
Although it seemed like there was significant trading volume on the market now, most were holding onto their grain and money, watching the风向, waiting for the market to change. Both suppliers and customers were.
But once the price dropped below a certain critical point, the market would plunge into a frenzy of grain merchants trying to offload their stock while customers held off, waiting.
At that time, the harder it became to sell grain, the more prices would fall. And the more prices fell, the more buyers would be willing to wait for even cheaper prices. In this vicious cycle, the market would completely collapse.
As Ningguang's chief financial secretary, Baixiao understood all this clearly.
But seeing Su Bai's confident and unpersuadable demeanor, she could only sigh helplessly. She rolled up the notice and sent someone to post it.
Simultaneously, she also reported this to the Jade Chamber.
Thus, Liyue Harbor was once again plunged into a mix of狂欢 and bitter resentment.
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100 powerstones = 1 chapter
200 powerstones = 3 chapters
300 powerstones = 5 chapters