Chapter 21: An Astonishing 90 000 Taels! (1/2)
Having lived two lifetimes, no one was even more aware of how intense the fight over Hyderabad ores would become in the future. Hundred thousand gold taels for a jun or even higher than that, this was all a result of the struggle over limited resources.
Regardless of whether it was the East or the West, the Abbasid Caliphate which was just beside Sindhu or places further away than that, the struggle over the Hyderabad ores would reach an astonishing level.
The prices there were in no way cheaper than the prices in Great Tang!
That was why a single Wootz steel sword could sell for several hundreds of thousand gold taels. However, the Great Tang was unable to lay its hands on the Hyderabad ores.
That was because in the West, the Abbasid Caliphate was selling the ores at a price much more expensive than that in the Great Tang!
The Hyderabad ores were limited. It was when everyone realized this that the prices of the Hyderabad ores surged by countless folds.
However, the current market was just at the primary stage now. Even the Sindhu monks, who were in charge of selling it, only knew that it was extremely good metal for forging weapons!
300 gold taels per jun, this was a rare opportunity for the Great Tang. No matter what happened, Wang Chong was determined to maximize the benefits for Great Tang through this deal.
And serving as the distributor was the best way to maximize the benefits.
“Right to distribute? What’s that?”
The two Sindhu monks stared at each other in confusion. They had visited many different locations and seen many different things. They had lived in the Great Tang for a significant period of time, but this was the first time they had heard of ‘right to distribute’.
“The right to distribute means entrusting the right to sell Hyderabad ores in the Central Plains and the entire Eastern World to me. On the other hand, I would pay you all a fixed fee. Without selling a single ore, you will still receive a fixed amount of money from me every year, and the sum would be massive.”
“Of course, when you all sell this right to me, this means that you will not be allowed to sell the ores to anyone else. This includes you two as well; you won’t be allowed to dispatch anyone to sell the ores here.”
“On the other hand, as the price for wielding such right, we will guarantee you that we will buy a fixed amount of Hyderabad ores every year, and this guarantees your annual profits.”
Wang Chong smiled.
From the world he came from, right to distribute was a concept that couldn’t be anymore commonplace. For example, the ‘Southeast Distributor’, the ‘China Distributor’, the ‘Central China Distributor’… There were also multiple levels below which and they were terms that even the average person would have heard of.
In the vehicle industry, the one at the very top of the triangle is the ‘Main Distributor’ and below, there would be various branches, the ‘4S Shops’.
4S -> Sale, Spare parts, Service and Survey; A type of vehicle store in China
Although this term was something everyone was familiar with in another world, in this world, it was an unheard of novel concept.
Wang Chong could sense the interest and curiosity in the two monks’ gazes. Apparently, they had never encountered such a trading method.
“That is to say that… Even though our people will lose the right to sell our ores, but at the same time, we will be able to earn more money? Can we interpret it as such?”
The two monks tried asking.
“That’s right!”
Wang Chong chuckled. Indeed, it was much more convenient to speak with clever people.
“I understand.”
The two monks finally kept up with Wang Chong’s thoughts. However, at the same time, doubts sprouted in their minds:
“However, won’t you be put in a disadvantageous situation like that?”
“Disadvantageous?”
Hearing the words of the two, Wang Chong almost burst out laughing. These two monks were simply too cute. Disadvantageous? Would he do a trade that was disadvantageous to him?
How was that possible?
However, they couldn’t be blamed for thinking so. In the world he transcended over from, the right to distribute was something many merchants vied for.
For the right to sell a certain good, countless wealthy businessmen raised the bid over and over again, causing the prices to skyrocket.
‘Hyderabad ore’, if the right to distribute it were to be sold in the world he came from, the price might even reach the skies.
However, in this world, the right to distribute was still an extremely novel concept. It was natural that the two foreign monks were unable to understand the significance of it, and even think that he was making a loss.
“It isn’t disadvantageous for me at all! If you are still worried, we can sign a contract. We will have the capital’s Judge of Judicial Review prepare the contract and sign our thumbprint on it. This way, I can’t go back on my words even if I want to. What do you think of it?”
Wang Chong chuckled.
The two monks were silent. The Central Plains was countless li away from Sindhu. They didn’t know anyone here and there was the language barrier as well. Their mission to sell Hyderabad ores here had been filled with troubles.
If someone were to help them sell the Hyderabad ores in the Central Plains, then it wasn’t really a big matter to sell the right to distribute the ores in the Central Plains to him. Furthermore, they would have another source of income this way.
However, the sales of the Hyderabad ores affected the lives of countless starving people in Sindhu. They shouldered a heavy responsibility and they had to be careful on this matter.
Vowing to the Gods!
In Sindhu, promises had to be followed. Even without a contract, the two had no choice but to proceed prudently on this matter.
“We can sell you the right to distribute Hyderabad ores in the Central Plains, but you have to agree to a condition of ours!”
After a momentary silence, the two monks suddenly spoke.
“What conditions?”
Wang Chong was overjoyed. Initially, he thought that he would need many rounds of negotiation before he could obtain the right. He didn’t think that the two monks would be so straightforward.
He didn’t expect that the situation would turn out like this!
Wang Chong had expected to encounter difficulties while trying to fight for the right to distribute, but contrary to his expectations, he received such a reply. The two monks actually didn’t have the authority to sell him the right.
“…However, if you agree to a condition of ours, we are highly confident that we would be able to fight for this right to distribute for you from our High Priest.”
The two monks said earnestly.
“What conditions do you need me to meet?”
Wang Chong asked.
“We have brought a total of 300 jun of ores with us on this journey. If you are able to sell all of these Hyderabad ores within a single month and prove your capabilities to us, we can get you the right to distribute in the Central Plains, and perhaps even the entire Eastern World.”
One of the foreign monks said seriously.
“If you are unable to do so, then I’m afraid it would be hard for us to agree to this request of yours.”
The other foreign monk added.