Section 007: Negotiations

On the first page, the two tribes disappointed Li Zhan somewhat. Despite their efforts to salvage the conversation, he resolutely ended it. The leaders of these tribes were quite curious about his intentions for purchasing dye, frequently using probing language in an attempt to uncover his motives.

If the roles were reversed, and Li Zhan possessed the dye while other players sought to trade premium raw fish for it, he too would be filled with curiosity. Every player regarded their food and wood resources as extremely precious, and an unusual exchange like dye, which could neither be eaten nor drunk, naturally raised suspicion among others.

Although Li Zhan understood this, he could not accept it. His plans were still in their infancy, and he needed to avoid any potential competition and leaks. What he desired most was to find a straightforward, sincere player with a low level of curiosity who could engage in long-term, stable cooperation.

Did such a player exist?

Li Zhan smiled wryly, knowing he certainly was not that kind of player.

As the last opportunity approached, he wondered if they would come to an agreement. What if they couldn't? Would he just give up? Or should he force a partnership?

Li Zhan had not thought much about it beforehand, but as he glanced at the personal information displayed, he was momentarily lost in thought—

The leader of the Lingyun tribe in Zhang'an County under Kuaiji City, Wu Fan.

After sending a friend request, it took about a minute for Wu Fan to accept, along with a message—

Wu Fan: Sorry, I was busy helping the villagers with watering the fields and didn’t mean to keep you waiting. You’re the player looking to buy dye, right?

Seeing that he was actually working alongside the villagers, Li Zhan felt this player was quite genuine.

Li Zhan: Yes, I am looking to purchase dye. What kinds do you have?

Wu Fan: I have woad and madder, which can produce blue and red dye. However, I can only sell you blue dye at the moment. The red dye is still unstable since I just started cultivating madder on a small scale.

Li Zhan: Oh, how pure is your blue dye?

Wu Fan: Excellent. I just returned from Zhang'an County, and I brought back some samples that were tested in the official dyeing house.

Li Zhan: What’s your exchange price?

Wu Fan: If you have no objections, we can go by the price in the post: 5 premium raw fish for 1 dye.

With the price agreed upon, there were no off-topic discussions, and Li Zhan felt quite satisfied with this player.

Li Zhan: That’s fine, but I’ll need you to deliver the dye and then take the raw fish back. My tribe currently doesn’t have any carts or horses.

Wu Fan: That won’t work; I don’t have a cart either.

Li Zhan thought about it for a moment while looking at the screen. Carts could be rented in the county town, but the rental fee was still quite expensive for players at this stage. If only his tribe were closer to the Han River, they could simply use a fishing boat for transport. Li Zhan remembered that the Han River flowed from Zhang'an County through Danyang County and into the Yangtze River.

Li Zhan: How far is your tribe from the Han River?

At the same time, Wu Fan replied—

Wu Fan: Do you know about the Han River?

Li Zhan paused, quickly typing his response and hitting enter—

Li Zhan: Is your tribe near the Han River?

Wu Fan: Yes, I was just about to ask how far you are from the Han River. If it’s close, I can use a fishing boat to deliver the goods near your tribe, and you can send some villagers to pick them up.

Li Zhan: Haha, my tribe is also near the Han River. If you head downstream from my tribe for about thirty miles, you’ll reach the Yangtze River.

Wu Fan: Really? That’s great! Water transport has a much larger capacity than land transport. Once our business grows, the Han River will be our golden waterway... By the way, I still don’t know what you need the dye for. Can we establish a long-term trading relationship?

Seeing that Wu Fan's inquiry about the dye's purpose was based on a desire for long-term cooperation rather than mere probing like the previous two players, Li Zhan hesitated whether to disclose his situation.

After a moment...

Wu Fan: Forget it. Whether we can trade long-term isn’t something that can be determined by a question; it depends on actual circumstances. I was too hasty to ask a foolish question, haha.

Seeing Wu Fan’s shift, Li Zhan quickly took the opportunity—

Li Zhan: It’s fine. If we cooperate happily, a long-term partnership is certainly possible.

They then discussed the details of the transaction, agreeing that Wu Fan would deliver the dye by fishing boat to Li Zhan's tribe the following afternoon, at which point they could proceed with the exchange.

A night passed without further conversation.

The next morning, Li Zhan prepared to head to Danyang County to register. Just as he stepped out of the central hall of the tribe, he encountered Ruo Yan, who had just logged in. Seeing Li Zhan neatly dressed, she surveyed him with a questioning gaze and asked, “Hey, are you off to do something bad?”

After a night apart, Ruo Yan returned to her usual playful and lively self, as if the previous day's awkwardness had happened to someone else.

This was fine; while it sometimes gave him a headache, it didn’t create an uncomfortable atmosphere, Li Zhan thought.

“Going to the city!” Li Zhan replied loudly, striding out without looking back at Ruo Yan.

“I want to go too!” Ruo Yan shouted after him, then followed him outside without waiting for his reply.

In the farmlands surrounding the tribe, early-rising farmers had already had breakfast and begun their work. Lumberjacks were also heading to the logging site in small groups, axes in hand. After leaving the tribe's center, Li Zhan turned left towards the villagers' living area.

Ahead were three rows of thatched houses, with ten houses in each row spaced fifteen meters apart, and seven meters between each wooden house, all arranged in tidy lines. In front of the third house in the first row, Li Zhan and Ruo Yan stopped as the door opened, and Zheng Jun along with two craftsmen stepped out.

Upon seeing Li Zhan, Zheng Jun and the craftsmen quickly bowed in greeting. Zheng Jun asked, “Why are you up so early, Chief? Is there something you need?”

Li Zhan explained that he was going to Danyang County to register and briefed Zheng Jun on the day's main tasks. Then, he turned his gaze to Wang Hui and said, “Wang Hui, get ready and come with me to the county.”

Wang Hui was taken aback and asked, “I’m going to the county too? What for?”

Li Zhan smiled, “You don’t need to ask about that. Just come with me.”

Bringing Wang Hui along to the county was a spontaneous decision. Li Zhan felt that Wang Hui had potential and should be exposed to new techniques and knowledge. Danyang County surely had blacksmiths and carpenters that would be beneficial for him to explore.