Chapter 375: I’ll Monopolize

The move of the Caravan Alliance harmed themselves more than their enemies, but it was enough to stop the wavering members of the Eight War Riders from having any other thoughts. However, if they continue like this, what profit will they have? Without a large amount of elemental crystals and beast cores as a foundation, the second-ranking evolvers in the Caravan Alliance will not advance so quickly.

What are they really thinking?

Thinking about the Caravan Alliance’s goal, Zhang Mu suddenly had a guess that was very close to the truth.

If the Eight War Riders are truly swallowed up, then the remaining independent second-ranking evolvers will also cease to exist. At that time, the entire Hohhot City will be under their control, and the currency system and financial order will be at their mercy.

His arrival not only did not disrupt the situation, but it completely diverted the wavering minds of the Eight War Riders. If the Caravan Alliance can offer such low prices, they will soon be able to advance to the third rank. Their own strength has already become dependent on the resources provided by the Caravan Alliance.

A silent Zhang Mu suddenly realized that he had been played. Both he and the Eight War Riders were all pawns in the layout of a certain person’s plan, and in a way, Zhang Mu was already being used by that person.

Zhang Yi couldn’t figure out what Caravan Alliance was planning, but like Zhang Mu, he couldn’t find a way to solve the problem. So, he decided to go with the flow, maybe because of his personality. He didn’t want power and fame, so he created the Eight War Riders. Otherwise, during the time of dominance in Hohhot City, he could have unified forcefully.

When Zhang Yi was at the peak of his reputation after ruling over Hohhot City, he chose to establish the Eight War Riders. He shared his power among them, ensuring each initial brother could conquer a city of their own.

However, he overestimated his control, the loyalty between brothers, the temptation of greed driven by interests, and the endless greed once someone tastes success.

The sudden rise of Caravan Alliance sparked ideas in the minds of those who were already active. This led to the competition for the capital city. Initially, Zhang Yi didn’t want to interfere as they were brothers who fought together risking their lives. But things dragged on to a point where he couldn’t intervene anymore. His status as an Era Merchant was too extraordinary, giving him enough resources to surpass others significantly. Furthermore, he could use the excess resources to buy people’s loyalty.

Everyone was waiting for Zhang Mu’s response. Zhang Mu spoke slowly, “I didn’t anticipate this happening before. However, you can all see that although the starting price is 20-30% higher than before, the final auction prices go well over 50% of the previous prices.”

“So, to settle the debts for the elemental crystals lent to me, the price will be discounted by 30%, fair?” Zhang Mu asked.

Zhang Mu didn’t miss any of the auctioneer’s words as the auction continued. He calculated the true value of most Era Universal Merchandise, providing this solution.

Bara, Xiao Nan, and others agreed, while Su Rui Huang Yan watched the scene unfold. Zhang Yi, however, didn’t seem joyous about Zhang Mu’s discounted offer.

On the contrary, Zhang Mu’s actions proved that the prices for the Era Universal Merchandise at the auction were indeed low. This meant that Caravan Alliance was not intentionally suppressing prices to go against Zhang Mu but rather to prevent losses.

But the prices are really like this, even lower than usual, sometimes even half price.

If Caravan Alliance can sell Era Universal Merchandise and Eight War Riders at this price in the future, it would be truly over.

When Zhang Mu handed over most of the goods stored in the Era Merchant Ring to everyone, the auction also came to an end.

It was indeed all Era Universal Merchandise, but not a single Era Sub-merchant appeared from start to finish.

Zhang Mu had an idea to solve the current problem, but the whole situation was still complex, with many things yet to be revealed. However, he could only take it step by step.

“Great merchant Zhang Mu, I believe our cooperation with the Eight War Riders ends here,” Xiao Nan said as he placed his sword on the table.

Zhang Mu looked at Xiao Nan and replied with a smile, “I wonder why City Lord Xiao Nan would think that.”

“Is there a need to be so upfront with me?”

“Do I need to spell it out for you?”

Zhang Mu smiled but said nothing, gesturing for him to continue.

Xiao Nan stood up and looked down at the ending auction, saying, “The Caravan Alliance has given up most of its profits. As you can see, all Era Universal Merchandise has been discounted. While your presence, Zhang Mu the great merchant, has brought us benefits and broken the Caravan Alliance’s monopoly, when they make such low profits, you lose your value too.

But if you join the Caravan Alliance, we can continue our cooperation.”

Zhang Mu listened to Xiao Nan talk on and on without interruption.

Xiao Nan talked a lot, but he suddenly noticed that Zhang Mu didn’t show any anger or negative emotions. He just kept smiling at him, as if waiting for him to finish. Xiao Nan stopped talking immediately.

“What’s on your mind, Zhang Mu the great merchant? Do you have something to say?”

“No, no, I’m just waiting for City Lord Xiao Nan to finish.”

Xiao Nan glared at Zhang Mu, feeling a shiver down his spine from the smile. He lost interest in continuing and asked directly, “So, what is your decision, Zhang Mu the great merchant?”

“Has City Lord Xiao Nan finished speaking?”

Zhang Mu shrugged and stood up, not looking at Xiao Nan, but glanced at all the leaders of the three battle teams present, smiled calmly, and said slowly.

“Let me explain, everyone. You all seem to have forgotten one thing, that is, although this auction is still taking place as usual, what Zhang Mu promised has actually been fulfilled.

What Zhang Mu promised you all at that time was to take down all the Era Universal Merchandise in this auction, making it impossible for the auction to proceed as normal.

Although in the end, this Era Auction proceeded smoothly, and the starting price was adjusted to such a low level, do not forget, all the items they auctioned were from the inventory stored in the previous months.”

All eyes were on Zhang Mu, who spoke calmly but stirred up a storm in everyone’s hearts.

“They can use inventory this month, and next month, but what about the month after that? And the ones after that? Are Caravan Alliance’s Era Universal Merchandise limitless?”

Even Zhang Yi, who was usually calm, was taken aback by Zhang Mu’s words.

“Zhang Mu, are you saying that you can monopolize Caravan Alliance’s resources?”

Zhang Mu nodded lightly, sounding arrogant but his tone was extremely calm.

“As long as I get enough elemental crystals, they can’t even take a grain of rice from the Era Store.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep