Three hundred and sixty Mora—this was Su Bai's bottom-line price for Fan Ye.
He was already selling at a rock-bottom price. If the other grain stores wanted to continue the fight, within the rules, the only option was to take real losses and tough it out.
What Su Bai wanted was precisely to force them to sell at a loss. Or, to leap beyond the constraints of the rules and resort to some underhanded methods.
Fight. This way, no matter which response they chose, Su Bai could sit back comfortably, watching as the three families fell into his initial trap.
And reality proved just that. After Fan Ye received Su Bai's offer of three hundred sixty, he instantly understood that Su Bai wanted him to cooperate in making a move.
After all, in a price war, no one could escape unscathed. Although he had obtained goods from Su Bai at three hundred sixty Mora, if he only sold at that price, it would surely be hard to deal with the aftermath.
Therefore, without hesitation, Fan Ye set the price at three hundred fifty Mora and pulled Old Qi along to lower his prices as well. Although Old Qi hesitated, he ultimately agreed.
This time, however, Liyue Harbor was unusually quiet.
The continuous price cuts had jolted everyone into a state of calm. Even those who had signed futures contracts were gradually coming to their senses.
Let it fall, let it drop. When it hits the bottom, we'll stock up. Once the grain prices recover, won't we still make a profit?
As for the buyers, they now watched as if enjoying a show, occasionally gathering in teahouses to discuss. In the end, they would be the biggest beneficiaries.
Not to be outdone, Young Master Hui of Tianheng Grain Store slashed the price to three hundred thirty in one go, as if he had lost his mind.
Su Bai, the Fan and Qi families, and Tianheng Mountain Grain Store—the three parties went back and forth.
In just three days, the announced prices plummeted. When they reached the three hundred mark, only Su Bai remained at three hundred twenty, unmoved.
Fortunately, the trading volume wasn't large, so they could still hold on.
Until that day.
The Northland Bank made its move.
As soon as it acted, it was an order under the name of Snezhnaya's international trade, directly targeting Young Master Hui's Tianheng Grain Store.
When Fan Ye and Old Qi learned of this, they were overjoyed.
As long as Young Master Hui couldn't hold on, the two of them could freely acquire the various lands, grain stores, and trading companies under his influence...
After all, at this stage, everyone was selling at a loss. Everyone had borrowed money from the Northland Bank.
If they went bankrupt in this commercial war, who would dare not repay the debts? Not even they had the courage—the debt collection teams were no joke.
However, not long after their celebration, news came that Su Bai had made a move at three million.
This news was brought by someone they had anticipated but didn't want to see—Andrei, the manager of the Northland Bank.
When he entered, he held two orders: one from Young Master Hui and one from Su Bai, both for three million kilograms.
When he left, he held four orders: one from Fan Ye and one from Old Qi, both for four million kilograms.
As for what loan conditions, interest discounts, or collateral reductions were agreed upon, only the three of them knew.
What the outside world could see was that Fan Ye and Old Qi had truly lost their temper, slashing the price to two hundred eighty Mora in one go.
Secondly, the Northland Bank announced that this year's procurement tasks were fully completed and that no further purchases would be made in the short term.
Moreover, Young Master Hui seemed unable to hold on, being the first to raise the price back to three hundred thirty.
Afterward, Su Bai also adjusted his price upward.
As if by prior agreement, Tianheng Grain Store set its price at three hundred sixty-three the next day, and Baihuo Trading Company set its at three hundred fifty.
This was the maximum daily price increase allowed by the rules of Liyue: 10%.
This反常 move completely baffled Fan Ye. It was normal for Tianheng Mountain to raise prices, but shouldn't the next step be to force him to take loans from the Northland Bank to buy grain and continue the fight?
Why the hell are you joining in! If you raise prices too, how are we supposed to trap Tianheng Mountain?
But before he could react, a frenzy of orders from inside and outside Liyue Harbor followed!
As prices warmed up, the procurement merchants and futures traders who had been watching from the sidelines now exploded like ignited Pyro Slimes!
Orders flooded in, contracts fluttered over Feiyun Slope, sucking the lifeblood of the Fan and Qi families like leeches.
They weren't foolish enough not to raise prices. But the 10% increase cap死死 blocked their escape route. Now, their only options were to shut down or grit their teeth and keep going.
In reality, there was only one choice—grit their teeth and persevere.
At their level, if they dared to claim they were out of grain today, the industry center would shift to others tomorrow. It was even possible that the Qixing would revoke their grain trading licenses.
The panic caused by daring to announce a grain shortage would be a crime for which not even offering their heads to Rex Lapis would suffice.
Thus, with no other choice, Fan Ye and Old Qi raised their prices as much as possible, gritting their teeth to face the numerous orders from Liyue Harbor.
Two hundred eighty, even at the maximum increase, could only reach three hundred eight Mora. Any further increase would have to wait until tomorrow.
Clearly, they weren't the only ones who knew this—the procurement merchants knew too, as did Su Bai's plants among the crowd.
By now, how could Fan Ye not realize he had been played?
But what could he do? What could he do?
"Su Bai, you dog!!!" In the residential area of Yujing Terrace, Fan Ye let out a hysterical roar, accompanied by the shattering of vases and ornaments.
"Blinded by greed, blinded by greed… Tianheng Mountain, the Northland Bank, and that dog Su Bai—they're all in cahoots! All in cahoots!!"
"Two million units of grain, and they took most of my family's wealth! Hahahahaha!!"
"Damn them all!"
By the time he realized it, his furious expression made his aged body seem even more decrepit.
He had thought Su Bai aimed to swallow up the Tianheng Mountain area, allowing him to take a share. He never expected the final target would be himself.
Even his earlier greed—withholding the information about the three hundred sixty Mora grain from Old Qi—had now become the final straw that broke him.
If Old Qi had also taken a portion, they might not have lost so badly. After all, their family fortunes were substantial enough to withstand some losses.
But now, forget Old Qi—even he himself had been nearly drained dry. He didn't even dare to meet with the Qi family now…
As he watched the endless stream of purchase contracts and the increased loan quotas from the Northland Bank, Fan Ye felt like a fool.
After a lifetime of hard work, he had ultimately paved the way for others.
Now, he could only hope for one thing—that the number of orders would decrease, just a little more, so he could catch his breath.
If he could just hold on for two days, until prices recovered to three hundred seventy, he might still have a sliver of a chance, even if it meant sacrificing an arm and a leg.
However, just before closing time in the evening, a series of contracts landed before him. Seeing the signature—"Su Bai of Feiyun Slope Baihuo Trading Company"—he could no longer suppress the rage in his heart.
Pfft!
Blood stained the contracts. The Fan family of Feiyun Slope was finished.
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100 powerstones = 1 chapter
200 powerstones = 3 chapters
300 powerstones = 5 chapters