"Sha Bi Stone?" Liu Jie looked puzzled. "How have I never heard of this stone? Does such a stone even exist?"
Chen Nan shrugged unapologetically. "You can go investigate. There truly are Sha Bi Stones in this world!"
"Alright!" Liu Jie agreed readily.
Chen Nan said, "How about this, I'll give you one day!"
"If before sunset tomorrow, you can bring me a Sha Bi Stone!"
"Then I'll believe in the capabilities behind you, and there's no reason I can't spend five mid-grade immortal stones to buy the jade token!"
Liu Jie replied, "Since that's the case, brother Chen Nan, please await good news!"
He truly hadn't heard of Sha Bi Stone.
But if Chen Nan was telling the truth, and Sha Bi Stones did exist.
With the Four Directions Chamber of Commerce's connections, they could definitely find out.
"Uncle, I met Chen Nan!" Liu Jie returned to the Liu family, extremely excited. "I offered five mid-grade immortal stones for a jade token, and he agreed, but with a condition!"
"What did you say? Five mid-grade immortal stones?"
At that moment!
Even Liu Sifang was unsettled!
Although he was the richest man in the Wu Kingdom, possessing wealth that could rival the nation!
His annual net income was only five hundred high-grade immortal stones.
But if the deal with Chen Nan could be successful!
This single transaction alone could earn him a thousand high-grade immortal stones!
This was equivalent to two years of his net income.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Sifang asked, "What is his condition?"
Liu Jie said, "He wants us to find Sha Bi Stones!"
"Sha Bi Stones? What does he want such a thing for?" Liu Sifang frowned. He had indeed heard of Sha Bi Stones, which were produced in the South Sea. While not extremely rare, they weren't commonly found in the market.
Liu Jie asked, "Is it for setting up a magic formation?"
Liu Sifang replied, "I'll go find Ninth Master. They are seafood merchants, they should have Sha Bi Stones!"
If there was one industry the Four Directions Chamber of Commerce didn't monopolize, it was the seafood industry.
Although he wanted to get involved in the seafood industry, Ninth Master also had powerful figures backing him.
In the entire business world, Ninth Master's influence was second only to his.
------
"What wind blows President Liu here?"
Ao Jiu chuckled and invited Liu Sifang to sit down.
After sitting down, Liu Sifang said, "Ninth Master, I've come today primarily to seek your help with something."
"President Liu is too kind. You are the richest man in the Wu Kingdom, how could I possibly help you?" Ao Jiu said with a smile, then ordered tea to be prepared.
Liu Sifang got straight to the point. "Ninth Master, you should know about Sha Bi Stones, right?"
"Is President Liu referring to this?" Ao Jiu produced a stone the size of a copper coin, yellowish-brown in color.
It was indeed a Sha Bi Stone.
Liu Sifang's heart leaped with joy. "Yes, yes, yes! Our Liu family needs some Sha Bi Stones. I wonder if Ninth Master would be willing to part with some?"
Ao Jiu said, "I do have a few Sha Bi Stones here. Since President Liu needs them, it's no trouble to give them to you." With a wave of his right hand, five Sha Bi Stones flew to Liu Sifang.
Liu Sifang smiled. "We are all businessmen. As businessmen, we must abide by business rules. Ninth Master, please name your price."
In his opinion, Sha Bi Stones weren't worth much.
He didn't want to get Ao Jiu's Sha Bi Stones for free; it would put him in unnecessary debt.
And debts of gratitude were hard to repay.
Ao Jiu replied, "Since President Liu insists, then give me fifty high-grade immortal stones."
"How much?" Liu Sifang's eyeballs nearly popped out.
He had estimated that Sha Bi Stones were worth at most a few mid-grade immortal stones.
But he never expected that each Sha Bi Stone would be worth ten high-grade immortal stones!
As if seeing through Liu Sifang's shock, Ao Jiu smiled and asked, "Does President Liu know the use of Sha Bi Stones?"
Liu Sifang replied, "No, I don't."
Ao Jiu continued, "Sha Bi Stones are produced in the South Sea. Initially, people just found these stones interesting and used them as decorations pasted on walls."
"But as time passed!"
"The people of the South Sea realized the marvelous uses of Sha Bi Stones!"
"Living in a room filled with Sha Bi Stones can make one smarter!"
"President Liu, you travel to many kingdoms, you must have heard of things that can make people smarter or immune to all diseases, right?"
Liu Sifang nodded slightly.
He did know many strange and peculiar things.
It was precisely by knowing these strange and peculiar things and exploiting information asymmetry that he had gotten rich in his early years.
Ao Jiu went on, "However, the use of Sha Bi Stones is not just for decoration!"
"No!"
"To be precise, in the hands of cultivators, they have other uses."
"I believe President Liu knows this well."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have come to me looking for Sha Bi Stones!"
Liu Sifang's mouth twitched.
Ao Jiu had silently slapped him.
After all, the Four Directions Chamber of Commerce had always boasted of knowing everything!
Omnipotent!
Yet, he genuinely didn't know the use of Sha Bi Stones.
Feeling somewhat unwilling, he probed indirectly, "I heard that Sha Bi Stones can be used to set up magic formations?"
Ao Jiu smiled. "See, I knew President Liu would surely know the use of Sha Bi Stones!"
"Just as I predicted!" Liu Sifang rejoiced inwardly, then continued, "Ninth Master, you are the largest seafood merchant in the Wu Kingdom, you must be able to procure a lot of Sha Bi Stones, right?"
Ao Jiu showed a meaningful smile. "Is President Liu perhaps thinking of investing in Sha Bi Stones?"
Liu Sifang replied, "Actually, we can cooperate!"
Ao Jiu said calmly, "I do have some Sha Bi Stones on hand. Although the quantity is not large, there are twenty thousand of them."
Liu Sifang was secretly shocked!
Twenty thousand Sha Bi Stones were equivalent to two hundred thousand high-grade immortal stones.
Indeed, Ao Jiu's financial strength was truly formidable.
Ao Jiu continued, "However, I have no intention of selling this batch of Sha Bi Stones."
"To be precise, the time is not yet ripe, and I have no plans to sell them."
"After all, very few people know the use of Sha Bi Stones."
"Once more people know their use, the price is bound to rise!"
Liu Sifang nodded slightly. "Sha Bi Stones do have great potential. Perhaps their price will double in a few years."
"But everything has two sides."
"It's also possible that the market in the next few years might not be as good as it is now."
Ao Jiu smiled. "But rarity makes things precious."
"As long as it's marketed well, the price of Sha Bi Stones will surely skyrocket."
"Even if it doesn't double!"
"It can at least stabilize at the price of fifteen high-grade immortal stones per piece."
Liu Sifang cupped his hands in congratulation. "If that's the case, Ninth Master would truly become the new richest man in the Wu Kingdom!"
"President Liu is too kind. Even if I can make a quick fortune with Sha Bi Stones, it's nothing compared to your Four Directions Chamber of Commerce. You, President Liu, are the true richest man in the Wu Kingdom!" Ao Jiu said with a smile, engaging in mutual flattery.
Liu Sifang stood up and said solemnly, "Ninth Master, I am very interested in the batch of Sha Bi Stones you have. I hope you will consider this matter carefully!"
Ao Jiu replied, "I won't consider anything less than fifteen high-grade immortal stones."
Subsequently, Liu Sifang returned home and said to Liu Jie, "I've already acquired Sha Bi Stones. Go and meet Chen Nan immediately. See if he needs Sha Bi Stones and figure out his financial strength."
"If his financial strength is substantial, we can completely buy that batch of Sha Bi Stones from Ao Jiu and then sell them to him at a high price!"
As he said this, Liu Sifang's eyes gleamed.
The future was promising!