Mythical Creatures Strategy Guide

Chapter 77 Sacred Tree Free Trade Market

"In the first phase, we will only build the South Market. We will set up thirty stalls, ten simple warehouses, two weighing stations, and one contract office. The Royal Court will provide the timber and the site, the Gray Domain will provide some craftsmen, and Cat Cat will provide scouts and the first batch of merchants."

"The first batch of goods doesn't need to be large; the main thing is to establish a reputation first. Gray Domain Jerky, Silver Leaf Tea, Star Dewberry, Royal Court Honey Vine Flower Cake, Resin Lamp Oil, Herbal Moss Paste. Whichever sells well, we'll sell that next."

Grandma then asked, "How much is the stall fee?"

"Gray Zone merchants are exempt from stall fees for the first three months," Chu Sheng waved his hand. "But once the transaction volume exceeds fifty silver coins, half a percent will be taken as a market maintenance fee. Foreign caravans entering the market must pay an entry fee of two silver coins per cartload of goods, with bulk goods charged separately. Warehouses are charged on a daily basis, and the weighing service is one copper coin per trip. Employment contracts will be charged at 30%... no, if I charged 30%, Audrey would hang me on a tree. I'll take half to 10%, depending on the size of the order."

As Chu Sheng spoke, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

As everyone knows, Stardew Valley is the best source of Galakrond.

Arthur couldn't help but remind him, "If you take too little, your profits will be very slow."

"If the taxes are too high, people will run away." Chu Sheng shook his head. "We need to build up our customer base as soon as we open. Once we have more people, food, lodging, storage, security, mail, taverns, even repairs—all of that costs money, right?"

Grandmother nodded in agreement: "That's right."

Yinye couldn't help but say, "What about the goods from the Gray Zone? We can't expect every household to carry them themselves; it's too far."

"A goods trading company will be established in the Gray Zone." Chu Sheng looked at his grandmother. "Each household will hand over their goods to the trading company, which will then transport them to the Royal Court and register them uniformly. After the goods are sold, the transportation costs and market maintenance fees will be deducted, and the remaining money will be divided among the owners of the goods."

"Who's in charge of the accounts?" Grandmother asked immediately.

Chu Sheng raised his hand and pointed at her.

Grandma was stunned: "Me?"

Who else could it be but you? I don't know any other grey elves.

Chu Sheng continued, "As for the dwarves, we'll invite them after the first phase is over. But don't tell them we're rebuilding the royal court; say we're expanding the South City project in the second phase."

"Why?" Yinye raised her hand.

"Given the dwarves' nature, how high do you think their quote will be when they hear it's a major project like rebuilding the royal court?" Chu Sheng asked earnestly. "Save where you can, spend where you can. Divide it into sections, pay us for each section they build, and settle the balance after acceptance."

Arthur noted it down, but was still somewhat puzzled: "Segmented packet delivery?"

"That's right." Chu Sheng nodded. "Bridge repair is bridge repair, warehouse repair is warehouse repair, and drainage is drainage. Whoever damages the bridge has to redo it. The royal court will give half in silver coins and the other half in the form of goods and future stalls. If the dwarves are willing to stay long-term, we'll give them a blacksmith workshop area. Many passing caravans need to repair a lot of things, and they'll figure out the cost themselves."

Hearing this, Grandmother finally smiled: "You little rascal, you're even smarter than a dwarf."

Chu Sheng waved his hand modestly: "You flatter me, you flatter me. I was a subcontractor for a period of time."

Outside the shed, the gray elves had formed circles upon circles.

The old people who had just said they didn't want to move to the royal court were now craning their necks to listen carefully; the young people were even more excited, especially when they heard that foreign tribes could come to buy goods, and many of them had already started whispering among themselves.

Amber looked at the map and remained silent for a long time.

"Your Majesty," Arthur gently reminded, "Although the Empire recognizes the autonomy of the Elven Royal Court, the multi-racial market involves mercenary employment, caravan taxes, and law enforcement. It would be best to have a formal charter so that I can give the Empire an explanation."

"I'll write the articles of association," Chu Sheng said, patting his chest. "The name will be... Temporary Management Regulations for the Sacred Tree Free Trade Market!"

Yinye's face scrunched up as she listened: "It sounds awful."

Ella shouted excitedly, "Call it the Big Grilled Fish Market!"

"Okay." Amber nodded. "Let's call it the Sacred Tree Free Trade Market."

Arthur picked up a quill, drew a circle on the south side of the map, and wrote a few words.

Sacred Tree Free Trade Market.

"What about the cat's den?" Arthur put down his pen and asked.

"We need to write to Audrey. We can write that there's a money-making project in the Sacred Tree Forest. Cat will lead out scouts, hunters, messengers, and the first caravans. Commissions will be settled per order, and the market will give Cat the right to list his services and share the profits from the contracts."

Audrey has just secured her throne, and Chu Sheng believes she understands how important that is.

Chu Sheng clapped his hands.

"First, take inventory of the goods and timber available for sale in the royal court. Second, have the gray area count the households that can ship goods. Third, write a letter to the cat territory. Fourth, find a few people who can do accounting and set up the ledgers."

Arthur casually wrote these down in his notebook.

Chu Sheng turned to look at the ruins of the royal court and murmured, "Let the dead rest in peace, let the living eat, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Amber glanced at him and suddenly realized that Chu Sheng might really want to build more than just a market.

When caravans arrive, news follows; when goods from the Gray Domain are displayed on stalls, the Gray Domain will no longer be that neglected corner of the Sacred Tree Forest.

In the evening, Chu Sheng let out a long sigh after finishing writing his letter to Audrey.

Arthur sat beside him, his pen scratching on the paper, his ahoge standing on end, his expression serious.

Yinye lay slumped over the other side of the table, her eyes vacant.

She listened to Chu Sheng talk for a long time about things like scales, trading companies, market entry fees, and storage accounts... her mind was already filled with questions.

Ella was still very happy, but even happiness has its limits, and she had fallen asleep on the table.

Amber sat in the main seat, her figure tall and slender. She reached out and pushed the last piece of flower cake on the plate in front of Chu Sheng.

"I saved this for you."

Just as Chu Sheng was about to say something nice, Ella woke up at some point and quietly reached out with her dog paw.

However, Amber didn't make any move, and a small green leaf suddenly sprouted on the back of Ella's hand.

Ella's eyes widened: "My hands are covered in grass!"

Chu Sheng slowly picked up the flower cake: "Your Majesty is wise."

Grandmother sat at the stall entrance, drinking tea and watching the crowd make a ruckus. In front of her were several sheets of paper with a preliminary list of the Gray Domain Goods Company.

She stared intently at Chu Sheng, her eyes narrowed. "Are you planning to run away?"

Chu Sheng was taken aback: "Why do you say that?"

Grandmother sneered, "You've arranged everything in such detail, do you think you're going to stay and do the work?"

Chu Sheng was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "We really should go. The Sacred Tree Forest is temporarily stable, the Royal Court and the Gray Domain have the seals left by you and His Majesty, and people from Cat Territory will also come to assist us. If we continue to stay here, it will only make it easier for everyone to push all the work onto us."

The grandmother looked at Amber, her tone softening slightly: "Your Majesty, are you going with him too?"

Amber put down her teacup and nodded: "I promised."

"What about the royal court?"