5: Chapter 5 Pure Grain Brewing

After a long day of busying himself, Gao Yuan was exhausted. He made a quick meal and went to sleep...

Early the next morning, he locked his courtyard gate and entered the Future World once again.

This time, he brought along some more gadgets. Although Qin Mugutan had promised to handle matters for him, Gao Yuan wasn't about to pin all his hopes on him; what if the man just took his things and vanished...

Gao Yuan had a backup plan...

He didn't rush to buy anything this time, instead walking straight down the street...

He observed this world carefully. The air here was worse than in the modern world, and the sky was a complete, murky gray without a trace of blue.

Gao Yuan wanted to understand this world as quickly as possible, and the best way was to watch the news. Fortunately, there was a large screen broadcasting news on the street.

To be precise, there wasn't a physical screen, but a square projection cast from a device. Unlike the modern world, the projection here was a three-dimensional area, and the images were 3D as well.

Gao Yuan simply sat down by the roadside and started watching the news.

"Today, good news comes from Moon Base 1: a rich deposit of the rare metal niobium has been discovered thirty thousand meters beneath the lunar surface, with reserves sufficient for three thousand years of human use!"

"Workers at the asteroid mines launched a strike today. The head of the Asteroid Miners Union is demanding the lifting of the air and water restriction regulations on asteroids!"

"The Earth Supreme Federation announced today that twelve sectors will be opened to all personnel, aiming to improve the living standards of all mankind!"

"The Earth Food Committee stated that the supply of natural food has decreased once again, recommending that citizens consume synthetic food while urging synthetic food manufacturers to improve taste and flavor!"

...

Gao Yuan watched for a full two hours...

It wasn't until the news finished playing that he stood up, his mind filled with wonder.

In the Future World, human footprints had already spread across the Solar System. People traveled to the Moon for tourism, mined metals on asteroids and Mars, and collected energy from Jupiter. The Earth now was merely a residential settlement, with no factories, only cities...

Factories were scattered across Mars, the Asteroid Belt, Ganymede, Titan, and other celestial bodies. These factories continuously produced various massive machines that entered the vastness of space; the hope of the human upper echelon was to leave the Solar System...

Gao Yuan didn't care about these grand visions; he only cared about what benefits he could gain from it all.

This time, he had brought a few bottles of Fenjiu, some modern porcelain handicrafts, and some food!

He intended to find another partner besides Qin Mugutan.

This time, he set his sights on an 'Antique Shop' and strolled inside.

Immediately, a beautiful woman wearing a collar came forward to greet him: "Sir, how can I help you?"

Walking along the street, Gao Yuan had noticed that many service personnel in the shops wore collars. This felt a bit strange to him, but he didn't look into it further.

"Is your boss in? Do you buy items here?"

Gao Yuan spoke while looking at the items inside the shop.

The sight left him in awe; it was all-encompassing, ranging from antique vases and calligraphy to black-and-white televisions from the 1980s, bamboo-woven thermoses, stamps, banknotes, and Gao Yuan even saw a primary school Chinese textbook published in '93...

What made Gao Yuan's eyes burn with greed was the price tag on that primary school Chinese textbook: 660,000!

Based on the information gathered from his conversation with Qin Mugutan yesterday, a meal for an ordinary person in the Future World was a few dozen credits' worth of Nutritional Paste, while the middle class ate slightly better synthetic food; only the true elite could eat natural food...

Since an ordinary person in the modern world also spent a few dozen on a meal, from this perspective, the level of consumption was actually not much different from the modern world...

In that light, a primary school Chinese textbook priced at 660,000 was simply highway robbery.

"Sir, we do buy items. Please follow me; we have a specialized purchasing department!"

Gao Yuan followed the beautiful guide to the second floor. This time, the person receiving him was a man who was not wearing a collar.

"Sir, are you looking to sell something?"

"Yes..."

"Let me take a look..."

As he spoke, the man brought a tray and placed it in front of Gao Yuan.

Gao Yuan took several items out of his pocket...

They were banknotes, cigarettes, an exquisite metal lighter, and a plate...

The reason he took these specific items out was that Gao Yuan wanted to see if Qin Mugutan had lied to him yesterday.

After placing the items on the tray, a glass cover immediately rose to enclose them. The man took out an instrument and began to observe through the glass...

Ten minutes later...

The man's face was full of excitement: "Sir, these banknotes are in perfect condition and of very high quality; they are confirmed to be authentic Xia Country banknotes printed in 2018. The cigarettes were produced by the Nantian Cigarette Factory of Xia Country in 2020 and are well-preserved, with no damage or oxidation. The production year of the lighter is unknown, but it should be around a thousand years old and is also in perfect quality... The plate is in excellent condition, and the craftsmanship dates back a thousand years as well!"

Gao Yuan, of course, knew there was nothing wrong with his items.

"I know. Give me a quote!"

"For a one-time buyout, the banknotes are priced at 10 million, the cigarettes at 32 million. Although well-preserved lighters are relatively rare, their value isn't too high, with an estimated price of 3 million. The plate is 5 million! If you have any objections, sir, you can raise them!"

Gao Yuan calculated in his head. The price of the banknotes was similar to Qin Mugutan's quote. There was no comparison for the cigarettes since he had only given Qin Mugutan half a pack before. Qin Mugutan hadn't known the price of the lighter, and the estimate here was only three million, indicating it wasn't worth much. What surprised Gao Yuan was that the plate was only five million!

"What other options are there besides a one-time buyout?"

"Consignment, of course. We can sign a contract where we take responsibility for selling it within a month. We take a twenty percent service fee from the sale price. We guarantee the consignment price won't be lower than the buyout price! But as for exactly how much it can sell for, it's hard to say..."

"Alright, I understand..."

Gao Yuan sat there, lost in thought...

The man in front of him asked: "Sir, do you want to sell? Are you satisfied with the price? Is it consignment or buyout?"

Gao Yuan waved his hand: "Take a look at this as well..."

As he spoke, he pulled a bottle of yellow-capped glass Fenjiu from his bag!

This liquor was a staple for many in the real world! It was a light-aroma Baijiu made through Pure Grain Brewing!

The man stared at the item in Gao Yuan's hand, stunned for a moment...

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Is it alcohol?"

Gao Yuan nodded.

The man then shook his head: "Although alcohol is rare, it's not unheard of. I can offer one million for this bottle..."

One million...

Gao Yuan smiled: "This is pure grain brewed! It's perfectly preserved and over a thousand years old!"

The man jumped up, his face filled with shock: "Are you serious? Pure grain brewed? Wait a moment!"

"Pure grain brewed liquor... Let me see, ten years ago we auctioned a bottle of 800-year-old grain liquor for 60 million! Yours is in better condition and even older; it must have been preserved in a special sterile, constant-temperature state! I believe its value is over 80 million! How many do you have? Just one bottle?"

"I have six bottles here!"

"This... Please wait a moment, I'll go get our boss!"