Chapter 56 [Bonus ] Business
Alex's first time contacting a spirit guardian was in his awakening ceremony. There he met the spirit of the primordial ether. A spirit guardian he inherited from his father. And due to that, he got the skill, of asynchronous energy circulation.
And now the hint that his energy circulation method could be improved shook Alex from the core. After all, he felt his accumulation of energy slowing down to a halt for the past couple of days.
If he improved at the past rate, it would have taken him years before he finally reach the peak of Tire 3 Warrior. But now, he could feel the enhancement.
Even though he still doesn't know what asynchronous energy circulation is, it seems to be important to his growth.
And the other mystery that the farm could somehow extract data whenever he makes contact with supernatural entities called spirit guardians excited Alex.
He now knows how to increase his strength faster.
He just has to find more ways to contact spirit guardians.
After taking a moment to clear his mind, Alex finally looked around the surroundings. The devastated city would lie as an unforgettable memory inside his mind.
What more could he do to help them?
Slightly turning his head towards Taka, he asked.
"Sir Taka, Will this city survive? The guardians of this city were destroyed in an afternoon. And the lightning mage that caused all this is nowhere to be seen. The threat is real and imminent. So, would anyone dare to rebuild it?" Alex asked the question weighing down on everyone's mind.
The thousand-headed serpent tribe was not a tribe to be trifled with. They were one of the nine great tribes with a tier 5 warrior. They had an enormous amount of resources and thousands of members. They created the law of the land and governed Thira.
And yet, They have fallen in a span of a day.
One of the nine great tribes has fallen. The chilling news would soon travel across the continent making the other tribes quake in their boots.
So, would someone dare to rebuild the city? Alex wanted to know that.
"It is hard to say. Even if someone tried to rebuild the city, I am certain that it would take years for the city to reach its former glory." Taka said with a heavy heart.
Without anyone to step forward and govern the city. It would soon descend into a death spiral.
"Contrary to your appearance, I never thought you to be so pessimistic, Sir Taka. I respectfully disagree with your opinion. I think the people in this city are far more resilient than we could imagine. They would be the ones to step forward to rebuild the city. Their home." Looking at a kid carrying his younger brother on his back, while walking through the debris of the destroyed buildings, Alex said.
For the strong, it is easy to overlook the mental resilience of the weak. They sometimes forget the fact that even the weakest individual can make decisions that would change the course of history.
And the weaker the people are, the harder they have to fight to survive. There is no easy way out for them.
Among the people left in the city, Alex could a fire burning deep inside them. It was their will to survive, their will to fight for vengeance and their will to protect. They were not ready to give up.
'This city will rise from the ashes stronger than ever.' Alex concluded. The thousand-headed serpent tribe might be weak now. But they might have strong people outside the city that would return to protect their base.
Unless others from the nine great tribes interfere, the city would quickly flourish.
Initially, Alex came to the city of Thira for business. He was planning to open a branch of the spice garden and slowly rake in money. His motivation was purely monetary.
Now, things have changed. He wants to make money and at the same time increase his influence.
The evil organisation seems to be spreading its wings far and wide. They are even capable of destroying one of the greatest tribes on this continent. So, the imminent threat disturbed his heart. At some point, he would collide with them.
His plans one after another were being prevented from being successful. So, Alex decided to take on an aggressive approach.
"I want to meet with the thousand-head serpent tribe. I smell a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity. Sir Taka, can you help me with that?"
"It might be hard. But let's try our best."
"What about us? Meru, you promised to help me retrieve the blue gem." Kalina asked desperately. She didn't know when she became so attached to Alex. But without him, she felt a sense of loss.
Was it the food he cooked?
Was it his impeccable composure?
What was the reason behind her feeling? Kalina couldn't figure it out.
After taking a moment to think, Alex decided to send Kalina and Laya away. He thought it was better to do this alone rather than with the help of the ice phoenix tribe. Besides that, he didn't want to create unwanted misunderstandings. He was not someone allied with the ice phoenix tribe. But if he had gone there with two princesses of the ice phoenix tribe, his intentions would be questioned.
However, Ethan followed him with Taka. He would be useful in convincing the thousand-headed serpent tribe.
After that, Alex shared his business idea with Taka and Ethan before travelling to the thousand-head serpent tribe.
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A couple of hours later.
In the guest room of the thousand-headed serpent tribe.
Alex was meeting one of the tier 4 elders of the tribe. With him was Taka of the void fish tribe. A person from a neutral tribe that does business across the whole continent. And the thirteenth prince, Ethan Solarion from the Solarion Empire.
"I heard your deeds, Taka. The void fish tribe has my thanks. You fought hard to defend the city like it was your home. If not for our current condition, we would have rewarded you handsomely." With a coarse voice, the elder said.
He looked like a kind old man. His hairs were already white and his arms looked thin. At a glance, he looked no different from a frail old man.
"Who are these kids with you?" He asked while looking at Alex and Ethan.
"Let me introduce you. This is Meru, A spice merchant from the north. And this is Prince Ethan from Solarion Empire. We came here with a business proposal."
"A business, At a time like this. Taka, Do you see our tribe as a joke?" The tone of the calm elder suddenly changed. This startled Alex, but he quickly said to ease the tension.
"No, Sir. Not at all. This was my idea. We are planning to import a large number of grains from other regions and sell it to your tribe."
Alex's words roused the elder's interest.
"Are you trying to help? No, if so, you wouldn't call it a business. So, what do you need in return? Not just gold, I presume." The elder didn't doubt Alex's words at all.
After all, he came with Taka, one of the famed merchant tribes. It wouldn't be surprising to know that they can transport a large number of grains from other regions.
"Yes, we want something different. We want 100 hectares of land just outside the city."
This was a game-changing move by Alex. Alex was a farmer without any land in the real world. He didn't have a base that he could always rely on. And the acquisition of land was the first step to becoming a real farmer.
Although the interdimensional farm increased the growth rate of crops. It doesn't give him enough area to farm whatever he needs. And till now he had yet to get a barn or a chicken coop. This prevented him from rearing animals.
All that could be solved by using actual land.
And if you consider his ability to buy an infinite amount of best quality seeds from the farm shop, he wouldn't need much time to populate the entire farmland.
When he creates the barn inside the interdimensional farm, he might also be able to buy animals from the farm shop. It would be a wasted opportunity to not use all that to his advantage.
"How many tons of grains are you going to import for 100 hectares of land?"
"10000 tons of grains and some other goods."
"Hm… I know that you are giving this offer knowing that all our food supply is wasted due to the battle. Still, asking for 100 hectares is too much, isn't it? Even if you begin transporting food right now from other cities, it would take at least a week for it to reach here. We don't have time to waste. Should we wait patiently after selling our land to get what we deserve?" The elder said hoping to decrease the delivery time.
Even though the thousand-headed serpent tribe was weak currently, they still hold the authority to sell and purchase land.
Actually, the elder was glad that Alex asked for land instead of gold. It would take them a lot of money to rebuild the city. It was a matter of time until their treasury became empty. So, he was glad to sell land to alleviate the impending food scarcity. But he couldn't show that to his face. In a negotiation, he should push forward for more benefits.
"You don't have to worry about that Sir. We would be able to deliver goods at the rate of 1000 tons of grains every day for ten days. If you want, you can commission us to get more goods for a separate price." Alex said with a kind smile. Although he didn't look like an angel, he still look trustworthy enough for the elder to agree to his demand.
Like that, the business deal was closed.