Negotiations proceeded unexpectedly smoothly.
With eight million taels of silver and a thousand catties of strong liquor, Ximen Qing purchased a mine.
This mine belonged to the Leopard Clan, to which Monk belonged. In fact, most of the mines around Pearl City belonged to the Cheetah Clan.
Among the three major orc garrisons of the Red Lion Dynasty, the most elite was the Leopard Legion of the Leopard Clan.
The Leopard Legion's military expenses relied on the output of the mines around Pearl City.
Therefore, Monk and Ximen Qing were able to reach a deal with the tacit approval of the Leopard Clan beforehand.
Since the family had given their approval, the remaining procedures were simple.
"We can take over the mine during the day?" Chen Ke was surprised. He truly hadn't expected it to be so smooth and so quick.
It seemed he had underestimated Monk's influence within the Cheetah Clan.
Indeed, if Monk didn't have any say, how could he have become the city lord of Pearl City?
Monk, beaming with pride, said, "Master Ximen, cooperating with me is straightforward and efficient, without any unnecessary complications."
Chen Ke nodded, readily agreeing, "Very well then, since the City Lord is so agreeable, what more can I say?" He knew that delay could lead to unforeseen problems.
Although the risk of missing a day's work was high, he decided to strike while the iron was hot and acquire the mine as quickly as possible.
Without this mine, he wouldn't be able to establish a foothold in Pearl City.
If he couldn't even establish a foothold, how could he manage the business?
City Lord Monk laughed heartily, his large, hairy hand shaking Chen Ke's: "A pleasure to cooperate! A pleasure to cooperate!"
The group returned to the banquet hall, instantly reigniting the lively atmosphere.
The beastmen nobles drank until midnight before finally departing, satisfied.
Master Ximen's residence wasn't far from the City Lord's mansion; it was a five-courtyard house he had purchased during his previous visit.
Without him even asking, the orc soldiers who were off duty that night volunteered to stand guard for him.
"Thank you all for your hard work." Chen Ke wasn't stingy; he took out the small jars of strong liquor he had prepared, giving each of the twelve orcs two jars.
The orc soldiers were delighted and thanked him profusely.
One of the bear-men, looking rather simple-minded, whispered, "Master Ximen, can we exchange spirit stones for your liquor?"
Chen Ke smiled and said, "Of course, but you should know that you can't exchange too many, otherwise it won't be right with the city lord."
The orcs were overjoyed and nodded in understanding.
The bear-man soldier carried a large bag that he had prepared earlier out of a corner and handed it to Chen Ke.
Opening the large bag made of animal hide, inside were fifty or sixty carefully cut and polished spirit stones, all of fire attribute.
Chen Ke's eyelids twitched, and he looked at the bear-man with a smile: "How many do you plan to exchange?"
The bear-man hesitated for a moment, then suddenly held up three fingers.
Seeing Chen Ke's lack of reaction, the bear-man was filled with shame and quietly withdrew one finger.
Chen Ke wasn't unresponsive; he was simply taken aback by the bear-man's offer. Coming to his senses, he couldn't help but laugh heartily, generously taking out three jars of wine and handing them to the bear-man soldier.
The bear-man soldier was overjoyed, speechless, and hurriedly bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
The other orc soldiers all gave him a thumbs-up: "Sir, you're so generous!"
Before long, almost every orc soldier came running over carrying a large bag, exchanging it for three jars of wine, and then happily went to their posts or left.
In Pearl City, the orc lords had long since raved about the sir's fine wine, and many orc soldiers had also tasted it, with not a single one saying it was bad.
Think about it, even the lords of Beast God City couldn't buy such good wine with money, yet they could drink it; what was a little spirit stone?
Anyway, they couldn't sell those stones anyway.
Chen Ke returned to his room and took out the more than eight hundred glittering spirit stones, his eyes wide with disbelief.
This must be worth tens of millions of taels of silver!
Little did he know, orc soldiers strictly forbade the private trading of spirit stones; anyone caught would face severe punishment.
Only because of his good relationship with the city lord and his impending acquisition of the mine, the orc soldiers didn't treat him like an outsider, daring to offer spirit stones for trade.
The next morning, early in the morning, Chen Ke was awakened by City Lord Monk and, riding his Blood Wolf Rider, sped towards the mine.
The mine was very close to Pearl City, less than ten miles away, but the only way to enter the mountains was through a single entrance; there was no other route.
Perhaps this was why Monk sold the mine to Chen Ke so readily.
As long as the orcs controlled the entrance, the mine remained under their control.
Of course, Chen Ke was also very happy, because he could fly.
On the open ground in front of the mine, thousands of ragged human slaves were busy at work. They were extracting raw ore from the caves, transporting it out in wheelbarrows, and piling it up on an open area.
Because the road was very rudimentary, it had to be leveled immediately after each few carts passed.
Orc overseers, brandishing whips, shouted orders, and the slaves quickly grabbed simple wooden tools to repair the road and clear away the scattered stones.
Lord Monk said to Chen Ke, "Master Ximen, this mine has only been in operation for three years, but the veins cover an entire mountainous area within a five-mile radius. It has great potential."
Chen Ke suddenly asked, "Lord Lord, can I recruit more people?"
"Of course! Just tell me what you need as soon as possible. As long as it doesn't violate principles, I'll let you through!"
Chen Ke smiled and thanked him, already having a plan in mind.
He couldn't stay here and oversee everything forever; he definitely needed to find some people to help him manage.
Thinking about the candidates gave him a headache; he had far too few capable people under his command.
After completing his inspection, Chen Ke returned to his residence in Pearl City. He immediately took out eight million taels of silver and ten large wine barrels, each weighing a hundred catties, from his ring space, and sent them to the City Lord's Mansion.
His identity as Ximen Qing was indeed legitimate; he was indeed a fallen nobleman of the Purple Eagle Dynasty.
However, the name Ximen Qing was a name he adopted later out of some perverse sense of humor.
Not only was his identity legitimate, but Chen Ke also owned several properties in Purple Eagle City, which the orcs could easily trace.
Although the orcs were savage and ignorant, they took contracts very seriously.
City Lord Mengke specially set up an incense table, bowing repeatedly towards the direction of the Beast God Temple, and even invited a shaman to act as a notary.
After the ceremony, City Lord Mengke and Chen Ke bit their fingers, pressed their bloody handprints onto two copies of an animal hide, and the contract officially took effect.
"Congratulations, Master Ximen," Monk said, beaming, shaking Chen Ke's hand. "From today onwards, you are one of us!"
Chen Ke laughed heartily, and without hesitation, he brought out another large barrel of wine, drinking with the orc nobles until they were completely drunk.
As night fell, he bid farewell to the tipsy crowd and left Pearl City.
Not wanting to leave a fuss, Chen Ke followed a large caravan out of the Hive District, found a secluded spot, and steered his divine ship at breakneck speed towards Great Xia City.
Missing a day at work isn't a big deal, but the Crown Prince, who's overseeing the country, is really looking for a way to find fault with him.
Chen Ke already sensed he was in deep trouble.