115: Chapter 116 Black Chips Enter the Game

When the Merchant Alliance's black chip seal fell, the timing was impeccable, landing exactly one breath before Instructor Han Tiecheng was about to start berating someone.

The seal was not large, with a black base and silver edges; its corners were still stained with the dust and grime of travel from the outer field, as if it had rolled all the way from the mud of some remote outpost.

It slid out from the communication slot on the side of the Frontline Fire Platform, rolled along until it hit the edge of the iron fire order, and made a very light, crisp sound, like a jade bead falling into a copper plate.

Qiao Ye subconsciously looked down, frowning. "Who is it this time?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng's voice came from the black chip seal, carrying a hint of breathlessness from travel and his usual lazy smile. "Don't be in such a rush to curse; I've already paid the express fee."

Before his voice even faded, a pale golden projection lit up on the outer edge of the fire platform.

Young Master Su Jiuheng stepped out from the projection, still wearing that dust-pressed short robe, his sleeves rolled up tight to reveal half of his wrists, which were chilled by the wind. His hair was slightly disheveled by the strong winds of the outer field, with a few stray strands resting on his forehead; he looked as if he had just run all the way from the Merchant Alliance's temporary accounting room at the outpost, not even having caught his breath.

He first raised his eyes to sweep over the Half-Gate of the Royal Court, his gaze lingering on those ancient doors for half a breath, before turning to Young Master Pei Tiange.

The habitual smile at the corners of his mouth paused imperceptibly for half a breath.

"Whoa." Young Master Su Jiuheng sighed, his voice carrying a mix of genuine and feigned surprise. "I was only a little late, and you've already set the table?"

Instructor Han Tiecheng's iron fire order hovered beside him, the firelight reflecting off his face, making it look like iron. He said coldly, "Who let you in?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng raised his hands in a harmless gesture, though his smile did not fade. "I haven't entered the gate, Commander Han. I am at the outer layer of the outpost, only projecting to the edge of the fire platform."

He pointed to the black chip seal still lying on the ground, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the most mundane business. "The Merchant Alliance guarantee seal uses the Military Court's field supply channel for combat affairs. It's in the rules; although it's not usually very popular, it is, after all, compliant."

Young Master Pei Tiange's gaze shifted from the Half-Gate fire line and landed on Young Master Su Jiuheng.

He did not speak, but the air around the fire platform seemed to be lightly pressed by something, as if an invisible accounting table had appeared out of thin air.

Young Master Pei Tiange's rules were like a verdict—one cut, and right and wrong were clearly separated; Young Master Su Jiuheng's rules were like an abacus, beads clicking loudly, every transaction calculated to see exactly how much it was worth. One wanted to put people into boxes, while the other first checked how many taels of silver the box was worth.

Lu Jin stood beside the Half-Gate fire line, black fire burning quietly in his sleeves, and asked, "What are you here for?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng glanced at him, the corners of his mouth curving into a meaningful arc. "To save you from selling a little less."

Qiao Ye immediately perked up, tapping the shield in his hand against the ground. "That sounds pleasing to the ear."

Young Master Su Jiuheng added another sentence, his tone so frank it was almost roguish. "And to save myself from earning a little more."

Qiao Ye was halfway through laughing when the joy got stuck in his throat, neither able to go up nor down. "That part… isn't as pleasing."

Young Master Su Jiuheng spread his hands, looking innocent. "Truth is usually like that—harsh to the ear, but effective."

Wen Zhao's gaze never left the black chip seal, his fingers gently rubbing against the Line-Marking Nail, and he suddenly spoke. "Merchant Alliance guarantee?"

"Mm." Young Master Su Jiuheng responded, bending down to pick up the black chip seal from the ground and gently pushing it into the fire platform. It hovered in the outer layer of the war map, not touching the Half-Gate fire line, only displaying three lines of silver text on the periphery, like three keys inserting themselves one by one into everyone's vision—

Temporary revenue guarantee for Ding Gu Workshop.

Advance payment for Half-Gate repair materials.

Ledger entry for light materials on the outer edge of the Inner Ring.

Wu Fu's eyes immediately lit up, her hands clutching the gray material box tightening involuntarily. "Light materials?"

Nail Bone also emerged from the broken axle of the old cart frame with gray copper fire; the tips of the flames flickered, and his voice was as hoarse as if it had been polished on sandpaper. "Do you have gray copper wire?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng's smile deepened, as if he had been waiting for this question. "Yes."

Wu Fu and Nail Bone looked at Lu Jin simultaneously, both pairs of eyes writing the same word—Want.

Lu Jin was not swayed by them; he looked at Young Master Su Jiuheng with a calm gaze and directly asked the most crucial question: "Price."

Young Master Su Jiuheng sighed, putting on an injured expression. "Asking for the price now makes me look like I'm taking advantage of the situation."

Instructor Han Tiecheng sneered, the fire on his iron fire order crackling. "Aren't you?"

"I am." Young Master Su Jiuheng answered quickly, without the slightest concealment. "But I'm a bit cheaper than the Pei family, and easier to talk to than the Temple."

The Temple Inspector's brows furrowed tightly, his face sinking.

Young Master Su Jiuheng immediately turned to him, adding with a beaming smile, "Of course, the Temple's verification is rigorous; no one dares to say otherwise. I only mean that when it comes to supplying materials, there is no need to trouble the Temple; the Merchant Alliance can handle it ourselves."

The Inspector's face grew colder, but he couldn't find words to refute it for the moment.

Qiao Ye muttered, "His mouth is quite busy."

Wen Zhao replied in a low voice, "Busy and useful."

After reading the three lines on the black chip seal, Young Master Pei Tiange's expression remained flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "The Merchant Alliance wants to intervene in Ding Gu Workshop?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng shook his head, his tone sincere. "The Merchant Alliance provides the materials and keeps a clear ledger. Lu Jin's Vanguard Line retains the repair rights for the Half-Gate. The revenue rights for Ding Gu Workshop will not be transferred; we only take the priority purchase rights for the first batch of tradable workshop parts as collateral. Bridge repairs, track patching, cold ash, gray copper wire, old bridge skin—these can all be entered into the ledger today, with absolutely no delays."

Upon hearing "cold ash" and "gray copper wire," the tip of Wu Fu's tail moved uncontrollably, like some kind of instinctive reaction.

"How much?" she pressed, her voice carrying a hint of urgency.

Young Master Su Jiuheng looked at her and counted, bending his fingers one by one. "Six portions of cold ash, two bundles of gray copper wire, one piece of old bridge skin, three portions of Night Wing bone ash."

Wu Fu immediately said, "Five portions of Night Wing bone ash."

Young Master Su Jiuheng smiled, as if he had long expected her to haggle. "Four portions."

"Five portions." Wu Fu narrowed her eyes, not yielding an inch.

"Four and a half portions." Young Master Su Jiuheng took a step back.

Wu Fu still shook her head. "How do you use half a portion?"

"Half a portion will be recorded as owed." Young Master Su Jiuheng followed suit, smiling like a fox. "The next time you actually bring the Night Wing to the Well Heart Line, I will make it up to you; I will not break my word."

Wu Fu thought about it, felt the deal wasn't a loss, and nodded. "Deal."

Nail Bone said coldly, "Two bundles of gray copper wire aren't enough to repair the axle."

Young Master Su Jiuheng looked at him again, his tone carrying a merchant's shrewdness and a measure of respect for The Old Craftsman. "That's why I said material advances, not full repairs. The Old Craftsman, if you can turn the Half-Gate repair rights into standing workshop items, the Merchant Alliance can open long-term orders later. Materials will be sent in continuously; by then, let alone two bundles, even twenty will be available."

Nail Bone's gray copper fire paused, clearly touched by the words "long-term orders." "Long-term orders?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng smiled lightly, but his voice carried an undeniable certainty. "The inner ring of the Old Royal Court won't just have one collapsed bridge. For those who can repair bridges, what they earn later won't just be the price of scrap materials; it will be a life-saving price. This logic, The Old Craftsman understands better than I do."

Nail Bone snorted, his gray copper fire flickering. "Merchants have no good words in their mouths."

"But we have good materials." Young Master Su Jiuheng replied extremely quickly.

Nail Bone didn't speak again, his flame tips retracting back into the broken axle, which counted as tacit agreement.

Lu Jin looked at Young Master Su Jiuheng, his gaze like two bottomless ancient wells. "What do you want?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng put away his smile, finally revealing a trace of seriousness beneath that devil-may-care facade. He held up three fingers, enunciating word by word: "Three items."

"First, for the first batch of tradable workshop parts from Ding Gu Workshop in the future, the Merchant Alliance has priority purchase rights at a rate of fifteen percent."

Wu Fu immediately bristled, the gray material box nearly flying out of her hands. "Fifteen percent?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng looked at her, patiently explaining. "Only tradable parts. We won't touch your self-use items, the main components of the Lock Bridge, or parts related to the living record anchors. These are purely scrap materials produced by the workshop. The Merchant Alliance takes them out to exchange for money, and you sit back and collect a share. Why not do it?"

Wu Fu was still unhappy, gritting her teeth. "Ten percent."

"Twelve percent." Young Master Su Jiuheng countered.

"Ten percent." Wu Fu would not yield an inch.

Young Master Su Jiuheng sighed, putting on a look of heartbreak. "You've learned bad habits from Lu Jin; your haggling skills have improved."

Lu Jin said, "Ten percent."

Young Master Su Jiuheng looked at him, knowing that since this person in charge of the Vanguard Line had spoken, there was no room to raise it further. He was silent for a breath, then nodded. "Fine, ten percent."

He held up his second finger, his tone becoming solemn. "Second, the repair rights for the Half-Gate are held by Lu Jin's Vanguard Line; the Merchant Alliance only handles the advance payment guarantee and the circulation of materials in the outer layer. If the Military Court, the Temple, or the Pei family want to use this section of the Half-Gate road, the repair account must first pass through Lu Jin's Vanguard Line, with clearly marked prices, fair to all."

As soon as these words came out, Pei Chengxu finally frowned, clearly not expecting Young Master Su Jiuheng to calculate the road rights account so rigidly.

Young Master Pei Tiange did not immediately object, only his gaze darkening slightly, as if re-evaluating the merchant before him.

Instructor Han Tiecheng glanced at Young Master Su Jiuheng, the iron fire order pausing slightly. "You are putting the toll account on the table for him."

Young Master Su Jiuheng said, "The road was opened by him, the bridge was repaired by him, and Ding Gu Workshop was brought out by him. If others want to walk it, someone has to do the repairs. Letting the person who opened the road collect the repair fees is very compliant and very fair."

He smiled, his gaze sweeping over Young Master Pei Tiange. "Of course, if Young Lord Pei finds it expensive, you don't have to use it."

Young Master Pei Tiange said, "You are also very good at taking positions."

Young Master Su Jiuheng bowed slightly to Young Master Pei Tiange, his smile humble, but his words hid needles. "I learned it from Young Lord Pei. You put people into boxes; I just stick a price tag on the edge of the box. Whether you buy it or not is up to you."

Young Master Pei Tiange looked at him, a hint of amusement in his gaze. "The third item?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng retracted his third finger, and his words made the side of the field go quiet for a moment. "Third, I am personally accounting for this guarantee seal."

Qiao Ye didn't understand and scratched his head. "What does that mean?"

Wen Zhao looked at Young Master Su Jiuheng, his eyes sharp. "It didn't go through the Merchant Alliance's public ledger?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng said, "The Merchant Alliance's public ledger wouldn't bet on Lu Jin at this time."

He flipped the black chip seal over; on the back of the seal was a very small private signature, two characters—Jiuheng.

"I am using my own guarantee position to cover it first. If Lu Jin cannot repay, the Merchant Alliance will come after me. If I cannot hold up, my family will seize all my private accounts, leaving me with nothing."

Qiao Ye understood this time and widened his eyes. "You're betting with your own ledger?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng nodded, his expression frank. "It's a crude way of putting it, but that's about the meaning."

Wu Fu clutched the gray material box and looked at him, suddenly asking, "How many times will they come after you?"

"Three times over, at least."

"You can still smile?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng's mouth moved; the smile carried a hint of self-mockery and a touch of break-the-cauldrons-and-sink-the-boats determination. "If I don't smile, should I cry for Young Lord Pei to see? That would be such a mood killer."

Young Master Pei Tiange looked at the private signature, his gaze deep. "Your father will not be happy."

"He is usually not very happy," Young Master Su Jiuheng said. "This time at least there is a reason, and it is a good reason."

Lu Jin did not take the seal immediately. He looked at Young Master Su Jiuheng, looking at the black chip seal with the private signature, his voice low. "Why bet now?"

"Because now the Pei family is entering, the Temple wants to increase verification, and the Military Court wants to control risks." Young Master Su Jiuheng looked toward the Half-Gate fire line, his gaze as if looking at a trade route that was taking shape. "You are going to take untrustworthy people into the Inner Ring. You can no longer rely solely on military achievements to speak; you must have a clear ledger."

He pointed to the direction of Ding Gu Workshop, then pointed to the second layer of the war map. "This workshop will produce things. The Half-Gate will collect repair fees. The Lock Bridge will become a road. Once these are written into a clear ledger, you will have an extra identity—a road builder on the outer edge of the Inner Ring. With this identity, if others want to move against you, they must first move against the ledger, and moving against the ledger is much more troublesome than moving with a blade."

Young Master Pei Tiange said softly, "A road builder can also be co-managed."

Young Master Su Jiuheng looked at him, not backing down. "Yes. But to co-manage a road, one must first acknowledge who built the road. The road is built on Lu Jin's Vanguard Line war map, the account is recorded in the Merchant Alliance's seal; whoever wants to come up and share in the spoils must first ask the road builder."

As this sentence fell, Instructor Han Tiecheng raised his eyes, a flicker of approval passing through his gaze.

"Black-Armored Recorder," Instructor Han Tiecheng said in a deep voice.

The Recorder immediately raised his pen, the tip hovering above the paper.

Instructor Han Tiecheng said, "Write."

Young Master Pei Tiange spoke, his voice calm but unquestionable. "The Pei family reserves the right to joint witness for the Inner Ring coordination routes."

Young Master Su Jiuheng immediately added, "The Merchant Alliance reserves the right to recover the advance payment materials."

The Temple Inspector also said, "The Temple reserves priority rights for external divine sample verification."

Instructor Han Tiecheng cursed, but his tone carried a hint of helpless amusement. "You all reserve rights so familiarly, it's as if you've rehearsed it beforehand."

Lu Jin said, "Write down the order clearly."

Wen Zhao looked up, his voice clear. "Half-Gate main control first. Repair rights first. Coordination and verification go through public channels. Advance payment materials do not touch living record anchors, transmission buckles, or external divine ash boxes."

Young Master Su Jiuheng looked at him and smiled. "Wen Zhao, if you didn't record battle lines, you could also make a living at the Merchant Alliance, and eat very well at that."

Wen Zhao said, "I'm afraid of being pursued for debts by you all."

"There's a future in that." Young Master Su Jiuheng smiled, genuinely.

The Black-Armored Recorder wrote the items one by one into the temporary war affairs ledger, the tip of the pen making a rustling sound on the paper, as if trying to nail this moment forever into the archives.

On the fire platform, the Half-Gate fire line trembled slightly. In the second layer of the war map, a small black-silver account tag appeared next to Duan Jun's living record anchor. The account tag did not press down on the gray fire spike; it only attached to the outer side of the Half-Gate fire line, like hanging a settlement tag on this road, telling everyone—this road has a price, leave your name when passing.

Wu Fu's eyes lit up immediately, pointing to the account tag. "Can this thing be exchanged for materials?"

Young Master Su Jiuheng said, "Yes."

"When?"

"The first batch of light materials is already on the way and will arrive at the outpost in at most half an hour."

Wu Fu was a bit more satisfied, hugging the gray material box and humming. "Then you are more pleasing to the eye than the Temple."

The Temple Inspector's face turned green, but due to the occasion, he couldn't lash out.

Young Master Su Jiuheng tactfully did not respond to this, only turning to Lu Jin, his gaze carrying a hint of solemnity.