"Thanks for earlier." The young man spoke calmly as he handed her a sheet of paper. "I've organized a set of data. Hope it helps."
"Hm?" Jing Shu took the paper, unsure what he meant.
Seeing her confusion, the young man kept his expression perfectly flat while he explained, "Hello, my name's Tang Tuoguan. Wherever there's a market, there are merchants. I'm one of the new professions that popped up in the apocalypse, people call us buyers.
Our usual business includes buying low and selling high, purchasing goods for clients, haggling, appraising prices and items, and collecting valuable things from all over the world. If you ever need a specific or special item, you can contact me. I can find the source for you."
After he finished, Tang Tuoguan added, "Anything." For some reason, it sounded impressively bold.
Jing Shu nodded in sudden understanding. Collecting rare goods from around the world sounded pretty amazing, and his supply channels seemed solid. Still, that name, Tuoguan, did it imply something? She glanced at the plain-looking young man again. This merchant was a little too calm. Could he really make money like this?
She lowered her head to look at the data. Tang Tuoguan stood beside her and explained, "Not everything at the Trading Hall is priced reasonably. These items here are overpriced. The second half lists items that are priced fairly and worth buying. If you've got the funds, I suggest buying everything on that list. You can treat it as an early investment."
Jing Shu scanned the sheet. It listed the Trading Hall's items, original prices, suggested fluctuation ranges, predicted prices, and historical prices. The details were meticulous.
Not only that, it even included the prices offered by today's sellers. It was obvious he'd compiled this on the spot. The biggest demand lists and the predicted prices were all clearly written.
What impressed Jing Shu the most was that it was handwritten. Every number and table was neat and precise, almost like it'd been printed. A quick glance was enough to absorb all the information. He'd even included every note she might need. A true foolproof data sheet.
Tang Tuoguan, living up to his name.
Jing Shu flipped the page and saw the predicted rankings for today's "Most Anticipated Items." The top three categories were tobacco, alcohol, and tea.
It showed that the wealthy in this apocalypse weren't lacking food. After filling their stomachs, what they craved were comforts. These items would be the easiest to sell.
Tang Tuoguan explained, "Most anticipated items are the easiest to move. They've been well preserved, so a lot still exist. As long as the price is reasonable, someone will buy. Forget about trying to pick up bargains in this category, that's impossible. But their advantage is stable prices and stable supply channels."
Jing Shu nodded.
The most in-demand items were live poultry, seasonings, and top-tier ingredients.
Tang Tuoguan continued, "The most in-demand list shows what's currently most scarce. Based on supply principles, once these appear, their prices will shoot up and keep rising. I saw the items you're selling. If nothing unexpected happens, you'll get a great price. Congratulations in advance. But I suggest swapping some income for live poultry and premium ingredients. These will get rarer and rarer."
"Thanks." Jing Shu smiled as she mentally sorted out what she wanted to buy.
"Alright, esteemed members, the voting results are out. Please look at the big screen. Let's check out today's most anticipated new products!" Fatty Wang sounded excited. The screen transitioned and a virtual 3D scene appeared, showing dozens of beams of light. Each beam represented a vendor, and all of them were selling tobacco.
"That's right, today's most anticipated item is still tobacco. These vendors brought brands like Zhonghua cigarettes, and even handmade cigars. Their quality's been verified by professionals. Alright, there's not much stock, so go ahead and trade directly. After sixty seconds, the trading channels will lock. Anything priced under the market rate will be bought out at the minimum price by the eighth floor Exchange." Fatty Wang announced.
The eighth floor Trading Hall's method was honestly genius. Anything priced below market value got purchased instantly. This guaranteed almost everything sold out. It massively increased the flow of goods in the market and kept the Exchange profitable.
Once sellers had money, they'd start buying things. When trade flowed, the market lived.
Just like Tang Tuoguan said, the dozen vendors sold tobacco at different prices. A single carton of soft Zhonghua had already reached tens of thousands of virtual coins, yet it still sold immediately.
The trading mode was fascinating. Everyone keyed in their minimum prices. All kinds of tobacco were quickly assigned values. Even the homemade cigars ended up with finalized prices. Once people reached a consensus, no one raised bids anymore.
After sixty seconds, every tobacco product sold out. Jing Shu clicked her tongue and shook her head. If Grandpa Jing knew the cigars he liked could be traded for thousands of worm patties and hundreds of steamed buns, what would he think?
The second most anticipated item appeared, and just as Tang Tuoguan predicted, it was alcohol. All kinds were available, from ordinary to rare. Jing Shu wasn't interested though. Grandpa Jing and Jing An only drank occasionally, so their demand wasn't high.
Plus, she still had plenty of turtle-snake wine at home that they'd brewed for rheumatism, and she'd brought back tons of red wine from her trip to America.
Tang Tuoguan made his move. The alcohol market was incredibly tricky. As he operated the bidding system, he said, "Buying alcohol's like buying property. You buy when prices go up, not when they fall. Don't touch watery red wines. Old brands have higher collectible value. Investing depends on taste and popularity."
Jing Shu blinked and nodded. She only cared about useful supplies and top-tier ingredients for the apocalypse.
"I'm investing in you." Tang Tuoguan's fingers tapped rapidly as he placed several bids. Some alcohols were ignored completely, while others were fiercely contested.
"Huh?" Jing Shu blinked. He continued, "Your items won't show up on the Most Anticipated or Most In-Demand lists. If I'm right, they'll appear last."
"Hm?"
"That's an internal, unspoken rule of the Trading Hall. On one hand, they see your goods are scarce and want to reduce competition, so they bury your listing. On the other hand, the Trading Hall prefers showing top-tier goods last. Think about it. People who already spent all their money, or temporarily don't have enough, will borrow. Once they borrow, they'll owe interest. One side wants to reduce competition, the other wants interest revenue. Neither wants premium goods to appear too early."
Jing Shu's eyes lit up. So her goods were the real highlight today? They'd sell for a great price? Wait, she came to sweep the place clean. Selling was supposed to be the side task.
===
AND WE'RE OFF! A brand new year has officially begun, and what better way to launch it than with a new chapter for my favorite readers? Woooo! ๐
As you read this, whether it's with your morning coffee or curled up later, I just want to take a moment to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for reading, for commenting, for sticking around on this journey, and for spending your precious time with me and this story. Spending this time with you all is the highlight of my writing day.
So, for this sparkling new year, I'm wishing you one packed with laughter that makes your stomach hurt, adventures that get your heart pumping, and a healthy dose of delightful mischief. May your days be endlessly bright, your hearts always warm, and your path dotted with wonderful, happy surprises. May it be a story you love living.
Thanks for being the most awesome, hype-worthy crew. Sticking with this story is the coolest gift, and I'm so excited to keep going with you all. Let's make this year legendary! Cheers to you, and Happy New Year! โจโค๏ธ๐ฅ
โYour translator,
Reiya (เธ 'ฯ'เธ )]