45: Chapter 45 Planning the City Wall

Next, he pulled up the [City Wall (Permanent)] blueprint again and carefully examined the construction details: for every 100 units of Stone invested, one standard section of City Wall 1 meter long, 10 meters high, and 5 meters thick could be built. The initial defensive power could withstand attacks below the Silver tier without damage, and later, it could be heightened, widened, and reinforced by adding or changing materials.

"100 Stone for 1 meter? A cost of 20 Spirit Crystals?" Lin Tian clicked his tongue, finally understanding why he couldn't afford to build it before; this was simply a massive resource sink! He planned for a bit, intending to first build a circular City Wall with a diameter of about 300 meters to protect the current territory area.

Calculating it out, the total length of the City Wall needed was about 1,000 meters, which meant 100,000 units of Stone!

"100,000 units of Stone..." He instantly felt a headache.

This was not a small amount. Relying on scattered acquisitions or mining it himself, who knew how long it would take.

Lin Tian immediately thought of the "material scalpers" he had seen in the regional channel and on the Trading Platform over the past few days.

These lords might not have talents or troop types suitable for frontal combat, but they were skilled at calculating and rotating supplies, living quite comfortably by buying low and selling high.

Everyone has their own ambitions and ways of making a living; Lin Tian did not look down on them, and right now was exactly when he needed them!

He quickly recalled several names that had frequently appeared in auction and acquisition information recently, one of which stood out—Qian Duoduo.

"Qian Duoduo... This name is practically born for doing business." Lin Tian laughed; he seemed to have just seen him complete a purchase of several thousand units of Stone.

Therefore, he immediately sent him a friend request, specifically writing in the notes: "Lin Tian - Need large quantities of materials, very large volume."

At this moment, in a territory arranged like a small warehouse and piled with various boxes and materials, a slightly plump young man with smiling eyes and a shrewd air—Qian Duoduo—had just finished a transaction, netting a profit of 100 Spirit Crystals, and was counting it happily.

Suddenly receiving a friend request and catching a glimpse of the name "Lin Tian" and the "large quantity" note, he habitually curled his lips, unimpressed.

"Lin Tian? Seems to be that guy who sold troop cards? The one who got scolded in the channel later? Wants large quantities of materials? How large could it be?" He was dismissive internally, but a merchant's instinct wouldn't let him pass up any customer, especially since the note emphasized "very large volume".

After accepting the request, he instantly switched to a professional and enthusiastic tone: Qian Duoduo: "Lord Lin, nice to meet you! Saw that you want to purchase materials? Not sure what you need? How much do you want? (Smiling face)"

Lin Tian was not impatient, replying concisely: "Stone. How much can you produce right now?"

Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up immediately. Seeing Lin Tian get straight to the point, it seemed there was a genuine demand. He immediately perked up, his tone confident yet probing: "Stone? Easy! I, Qian Duoduo, can't guarantee much else, but I do have some channels and inventory. Whatever amount you want, I can find a way to rotate it over, I'm just afraid... you might not be able to handle too much."

Lin Tian: "Oh? That's a big claim. How much do you have on hand that you can trade directly? How do you calculate the price?"

Qian Duoduo quoted a high price without even thinking: "To be honest, I can pull out 20,000 units of stock from my warehouse right now! As long as you have enough Spirit Crystals, we can trade immediately! As for the price... you also know that while it's becoming easier to obtain Spirit Crystals, the output growth of these basic materials is slow, so the market trend is rising... Currently here, 4 units of Stone exchange for 1 Spirit Crystal."

"4:1? Do you take me for a sucker?" Lin Tian was so angry he laughed when he saw the quote. The public market rates on the Trading Platform were right there; this Qian Duoduo was clearly trying to fleece a new customer. Too lazy to talk nonsense, he replied directly: Lin Tian: "Since Boss Qian is so insincere, forget it, I'll find someone else."

Seeing Lin Tian's words, Qian Duoduo quickly sent a message: "Hey, hey, hey! Don't be in such a hurry, Lord Lin! Even if the deal doesn't go through, there's no hard feelings, the price is negotiable! (Smiling face) If you really want over 10,000 units, I can make the call and give it to you at 5:1! This is already my greatest sincerity. After all, if you buy scattered items on the platform, it's time-consuming and laborious; I can handle it all in one stop, saving you worry and effort!"

Seeing the other party cave, Lin Tian knew there was a chance, but the price could still be pushed down, so he continued to bargain: "5:1? Still too high. It seems Boss Qian's 'channels' have high costs. As for the amount I want, I'm afraid your current 'capability' can't handle it. 6:1, take it or leave it, if not, I'm leaving immediately."

At this moment, Qian Duoduo stared at the "6:1" price on the chat panel, his brows furrowed. This was almost the bottom line of the current fair market price, and the profit margin was very thin. But he calculated rapidly in his mind: if the volume was large enough, relying on his merchant talent [Trading Master] (for every successful transaction, gain an additional 5% of the total transaction value in Spirit Crystals), even if the profit per unit was low, the extra rewards brought by the total volume would be very considerable!

He struggled for a few seconds; in the end, greed and confidence in his talent overcame his dissatisfaction with the unit price. He gritted his teeth and decided to gamble on the volume: "Lord Lin is truly straightforward! (Attached with a wry smile emoji) How about this, if you can take all 20,000 units of stock I have on hand, I will trade with you at this 6:1 price! How about it?"

Seeing the other party agree to the bottom price, Lin Tian was secretly pleased, but his expression remained unchanged as he threw out a bombshell: "20,000? Not enough. I want 100,000 units."

"100,000!!" On the other side of the panel, Qian Duoduo sprang up from his wooden chair used for bookkeeping, his plump face filled with shock and ecstasy, his eyes wide open, and his breathing became a bit rapid.

100,000 units! At a 6:1 ratio, that was a transaction amount of nearly 17,000 Spirit Crystals! Relying on his talent, he could earn over 800 extra Spirit Crystals out of thin air on this single order! This was simply a windfall!

He suppressed his excitement, his fingers even trembling slightly as he replied, his tone becoming more enthusiastic and even a bit respectful: Qian Duoduo: "1... 100,000? (Attached with a shocked emoji) Lord Lin is truly a big spender! Admirable, admirable! This quantity... no problem! Leave it to me! But I need some time to rotate it, at the latest by tomorrow morning, I will definitely be able to gather it for you! However, for such a large transaction, you need to pay a portion of the deposit first, or... let's complete the transaction for the 20,000 units on hand first, so I can see your sincerity and strength, and I'll have more motivation to gather the remaining 80,000 for you!"

Looking at the reply, Lin Tian felt relieved. Being able to take on a 100,000 unit order, Qian Duoduo really had some connections. Then let's trade the 20,000 first, and let Qian Duoduo see his strength so he can work harder to prepare the remaining Stone.

Lin Tian: "Fine. Let's trade 20,000 now. Initiate the transaction."

Qian Duoduo: "Straightforward! Lord Lin, for a big client like you, I must show my sincerity! 20,000 units of Stone at 6:1 is 3,333... Spirit Crystals, I'll wipe off the remainder for you, let's just call it 3,300 Spirit Crystals! Let's work together often in the future!"

Seeing the other party proactively wipe off the remainder, Lin Tian also smiled; this merchant certainly knew how to do business: "Good, happy to work with you."

A trading light flashed, and Lin Tian's resource bar gained 20,000 units of Stone, while his Spirit Crystals decreased by 3,300.