Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 384: The Array Master

He wore plain clothes, and his face was still masked. He wasn't alone; an elderly man followed behind him. The old man looked ordinary, with white hair and beard, but exuded an aura of natural authority. He also wore a mask, concealing his face.

As soon as they entered, they saw a familiar face. The caravan leader who had brought them to the Ancestral Court was already waiting for them.

This meeting had been arranged by Asura beforehand through the communicator given to him by the Aetherhorn Deer King.

The caravan leader glanced at Asura first, but his gaze was immediately drawn to the old man behind him.

The Aetherhorn Deers excelled at observation, and the Discerning Heart’s Eye could perceive elemental changes. From this old man, he saw an overwhelming concentration of the fire element, clearly the power of a god.

A god-level human cultivator? How rare!

The caravan leader himself was a ninth-order Aetherhorn Deer, or he wouldn't have been entrusted with such responsibilities. He quickly stepped forward, nodded to Asura first, then turned to the white-haired old man and asked Asura respectfully, "Who might this be?"

Asura nodded to him and said, "Mission accomplished."

The caravan leader immediately understood and quickly made a welcoming gesture, saying, "Please, both of you, follow me inside."

The old man didn't even bother to nod, arrogantly moving forward on his own. Asura followed him respectfully, and the caravan leader took them to the back of the shop.

It must be said that the Aetherhorn Deers' shop, one of the continent's largest businesses, was indeed vast. After passing through a grand hall of over a thousand square meters, they saw rows of private rooms at the back.

Asura and his companion learned that these private rooms were specially prepared for VIP clients. VIP clients were privileged to select items here and enjoy the most excellent services and privacy. The Aetherhorn Merchant Association was renowned for its services and favored by many strong beings among the demon and nymph clans.

The Aetherhorn Deer led the two through these private rooms to a luxurious, quiet room further back.

The quiet room's walls and door were made of metal and inscribed with soundproofing arrays, indicating a higher level of sophistication compared to the other private rooms. In addition, the room itself was truly luxurious. Gentle incense brought a subtle, refreshing fragrance that made one feel sharp and clear-minded after inhaling it.

On the table were various fresh fruits, and large sofas promised great comfort. Beside them was a sealed room isolated by a crystal-like material. Inside that room was only a large desk, but through the crystal walls, one could see that the inside of the walls was inscribed with insulating arrays. These arrays were clearly not just for soundproofing.

"That room is for inspecting goods. Some special items can be dangerous, you know. Our top clients conduct transactions here. The guests can observe the inspection while being completely safe from whatever might happen during the inspection"

Asura smiled and said, "That's very thoughtful. So you’re saying it’s completely safe here?"

The caravan leader replied, "You can rest assured about safety. This is the core area of the Aetherhorn Merchant Association, and we haven't had any incidents for many years. It's completely isolated from the outside, so even divine consciousness can't spy on us."

Asura nodded and said, "Alright, in that case, let me introduce you. This is the master I mentioned. I only know his surname is Lou, so you can call him Master Lou."[1]

The caravan leader quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Master Lou. I am Xu Ziran, one of the main managers of the Aetherhorn Merchant Association. It's an honor to meet you."

"Mm." Master Lou snorted slightly through his nose and said nothing.

Asura quickly said, "I was fortunate to find Master Lou. Truly fortunate. I've already told Master Lou about the arena master's sincerity and the strength of our Aetherhorn Deer lineage. That's why he reluctantly agreed to come with me."

Xu Ziran, being a shrewd and perceptive individual, immediately bowed again upon hearing this, thanking Asura in his mind for the "our" part. "Thank you so much for sparing us some time, Master Lou."

Master Lou waved his hand and said, "No need for pleasantries. Let's get to business."

Xu Ziran quickly straightened his back and said obsequiously, "Before coming here, the arena master gave me some instructions. If we could get in touch with you, we would do our best to meet any of your requirements. So... what would be these requirements?"

Master Lou said indifferently, "Asura has already told me about your situation. My requirements are simple: you can act as my distribution channel, but I don't guarantee quantity or time. You pay upon delivery, and I set the price. Asura will be our contact. I usually stay in the Ancestral Court."

He flicked his hand as he spoke, and an item flew to Xu Ziran.

Xu Ziran caught it and, upon seeing what it was, almost instantly sprang up and stood straight. He held the item above his head with both hands and bowed respectfully, saying, "Long live the Sword Saint."

What Master Lou had thrown to him was a sword-shaped token—the symbol of the Sword Saint Palace!

Xu Ziran, thinking quickly, respectfully handed the Sword Saint token back to Master Lou and said, "I understand. Master Lou, we have no issues with most of your conditions, but for pricing, we need to evaluate the array discs you provide. What do you think...?"

Master Lou waved his hand, interrupting him, and said, "There is no need for that. The market will speak. The array discs I sell to you will all appear at an auction beforehand. We'll use the auction price as the standard."

Xu Ziran's eyes lit up. "That won't be a problem. But can we have exclusive selling rights?"

If they could secure exclusive rights to the array discs, it wouldn't matter if they sold them at auction prices or higher prices. With the Aetherhorn Merchant Association's channels and some marketing, they were guaranteed to make a huge profit.

But Master Lou shook his head. "You've seen the token. Do you think I can give you exclusivity? Giving you some already involves risk. I'm doing this partly because Asura once helped me greatly, as a favor to him, and partly to earn more money to buy materials for array research. By the way, in the future, you can also pay in materials, also valued at auction prices."

Without much hesitation, Xu Ziran immediately nodded and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say, Master."

If they were to trade in materials, the difference between the purchase price of the materials and the auction price would leave considerable room for profit. Xu Ziran hadn't realistically expected to secure exclusive rights, especially given the declared affiliation with the Sword Saint Palace. Exclusivity was hardly ever on the table anyway. But even without exclusivity, getting a portion would still mean significant profit.

"Mm." Master Lou nodded in satisfaction.

Xu Ziran asked, "Master Lou, how many array discs do you plan to provide us? What types and numbers are we looking at?"

Master Lou glanced at him and said, "Hard to say. It depends on my mood."

Xu Ziran nodded thoughtfully. "I fully understand the difficulty of creating these array discs; they are the fruits of your hard work. How about this: we can offer an additional ten percent on top of the auction price, but we hope you can provide at least half of your finished products to our Aetherhorn Merchant Association."

What a shrewd businessman! Asura couldn't help but secretly admire Xu Ziran's negotiation skills. He was also surprised at Xu Ziran's authority within the Aetherhorn Merchant Association. Decision-making without consulting the Aetherhorn Deer King showed considerable autonomy. Offering ten percent above the auction price—what would their profit margin be in that case?

1. The pronunciation of 楼 is more like “low?” (rising tone like a question) than like the short nickname for Louis. ☜