Chapter 1051, The Whole Point Is to Be Seen

Translator: Silavin

 

Half an hour later, Yan Jiao brought Hu Shi to the Yong’an Building.

 

“Shaman, I heard you have a mission to assign to me.” Hu Shi immediately bowed with great respect.

 

He had been busy just moments before, but the moment he heard the Shaman’s summons he set everything down at once.

 

“Right. How well do you know the surrounding Tribes?” Su Bai asked.

 

“Very well. I know all the Tribes around the Flame Dragon Tribe, and I can navigate the routes without much trouble.” Hu Shi nodded without a moment’s hesitation. “As a child I used to follow my Father to visit various Tribes, so I still remember them all.”

 

From a young age he had been his Father’s primary effort. He was taken out and about from the time he was small. Only, a person’s talent is always limited, and Hu Shi had never managed to become a Totem Warrior. Yet those early experiences had given him a breadth of knowledge unlike most. Furthermore, without that foundation he gained from his Father, he would never have risen to become the manager of the Central Market.

 

“I would like you to go to several other Tribes and conduct trade on behalf of our Tribe. What do you think?” Su Bai asked.

 

Hu Shi froze, and it was quite a while before he gathered himself enough to ask, “Shaman, what about the Central Market? If I leave, it will be two or three months at the very least before I return.”

 

He understood all too well the distances separating the Flame Dragon Tribe from other Tribes, and with several stops to make, each round trip consumed an enormous amount of time. This was not a matter of a week or two; two or three months was the bare minimum, and a whole year would be perfectly normal.

 

“It will not take anything like that long. You could be back in roughly ten days.” Su Bai said lightly.

 

He knew the man had misunderstood, since the assumption was naturally that one would be travelling through the forest on foot.

 

“Ten days? Shaman, I am afraid that is too short. At best you could only reach one Tribe.” Hu Shi said, puzzled.

 

“I am suggesting you travel to the other Tribes by ship. Would that not save you a ton of time?” Su Bai asked.

 

“By ship? Shaman, I do not know how to operate a ship, and besides, I have never actually laid hands on one. I cannot manage it.” Hu Shi shook his head repeatedly and even took an involuntary step backwards, convinced this was not a workable plan.

 

“You will not need to operate the ship yourself. There are people specifically assigned to sail it. Your only responsibility is to keep watch over the cargo and to handle the selling once you arrive at each Tribe.”

 

Su Bai sat up straight, his gaze entirely serious. “With the ship, you will be able to visit several Tribes and still return without spending too much time away.”

 

“Travelling by ship to sell goods to other Tribes, that is genuinely a very good approach. The only concern is that going by river means missing quite a number of Tribes.” Hu Shi let out a breath of relief. As long as it was not a matter of walking to every Tribe, and as long as he would not be sailing the ship himself, he was content.

 

“I know that many Tribes are not situated near a river. You need only visit the ones that are; the others do not matter for now.” Su Bai raised his teacup and took a sip, then continued, “As for the more distant Tribes, others will be sent to spread word on our behalf. There is no need to rush.”

 

“Understood, Shaman. If that is the arrangement, then I will go. I will guard the cargo carefully and bring back good returns for our Tribe.” Hu Shi replied without hesitation.

 

“When can you depart?” Su Bai asked.

 

“Tomorrow, if need be. I have enough time today to make all the preparations.” Hu Shi thought it over carefully. “I only ask that the Shaman arrange Totem Warrior escorts for me. Everything else I will handle myself.”

 

He was, after all, the manager of the Central Market. If he could not even manage that much, he would hardly be a suitable candidate for the task.

 

“Good. That is exactly what I wanted to hear. Yan Jiao will sort out the Totem Warriors on your behalf. As for the cargo, what do you intend to bring?” Su Bai asked.

 

He had a genuine appreciation for the man’s directness and sense of responsibility. People like that made every task twice as effective at half the effort.

 

“The most important item is wine, naturally. After that, clothes, paper, cabbage, fruit, and whatever else can reasonably be transported. I will bring a little of almost everything.” Hu Shi thought carefully before continuing, “That said, I will keep every item in balanced proportions. I understand that the Shaman’s aim this time is to make the Flame Dragon Tribe’s name known, so bringing enough for other Tribes to take notice is all that is needed.”

 

“Very astute of you. That is precisely my plan. Bring something of everything, but keep it measured. That is the exact approach that will leave other Tribes most curious about us.” Su Bai gave a satisfied nod and added, “Furthermore, the quantities distributed to each Tribe must be controlled. Do not simply give them whatever they ask for. This is what is known as scarcity marketing.”

 

“Scarcity marketing?” Hu Shi admitted he had no understanding of the term whatsoever.

 

“It means making them understand that a thing is extremely rare, that if they do not move quickly, it will be gone. A system like that naturally draws in more people scrambling to get their hands on something.” Su Bai smiled faintly and continued, “Of course, the precondition is that the goods themselves must be of genuine quality. Without that, no amount of scarcity marketing will do any good.”

 

This was a thoroughly practical matter. If one’s wares were poor, no effort in the world would attract buyers, let alone anything as sophisticated as scarcity marketing.

 

“I understand what the Shaman means. The only issue is that the ship we will be sailing is not very large. It may not be possible to carry an especially great quantity of goods. I will assess it on that day.” Hu Shi said.

 

“Not to worry. It is no longer the ships from before. The ship this time will be a lot larger, more than enough to carry a ton of cargo.” Su Bai leaned back in his chair and continued with his instructions, “Chieftain, when we are done here, take him down to the docks for a look. Let him get a feel for the storage capacity first, and then work out how much cargo to bring.”

 

“Understood.” Yan Jiao replied.

 

“A large ship? We will be sailing out on a large ship?” Hu Shi was completely taken aback. “Shaman, will it be alright if other Tribes see a ship of that size?”

 

He had thought even the small ship being discovered would have been extraordinary enough. A ship considerably larger than that was another matter entirely.

 

“It is perfectly fine. The whole point is for other Tribes to see it. Without that, this entire voyage would be without purpose.” The corner of Su Bai’s mouth curved upward ever so slightly. “That great ship will now be the calling card of our Flame Dragon Tribe. With a ship like that, I refuse to believe any Tribe will remain indifferent to us.”

 

“Oh, oh, oh… I see! That is truly a brilliant plan.” Hu Shi was so excited he could barely get his words out.

 

“As for the matter of safety, there is no need to worry. Yan Jiao will see that everything is properly arranged, so just focus on the trading.” Su Bai said reassuringly.

 

“Yes, Shaman. I have committed every word to memory.” Hu Shi replied with respectful composure.

 

“Leave it to me. I will take care of it.” Yan Jiao clapped a hand on the man’s shoulder.