The Strife of Chaos Chapter Fifty-One: A Grand Acquisition

When Yang Ruiyun and Ren Xingtian stepped into the City of Chaos, the first thing that caught the eye was the architecture—a dazzling array of styles from every land could be found here, and the air was alive with a cacophony of accents, painting a scene of bustling vibrancy.

Yet a discerning observer would notice that nearly everyone in the city was armed, and a hint of murderous intent lingered in the eyes of all who passed.

“The City of Chaos is divided into three districts, each managed by a different power. So on the surface, things remain fairly harmonious,” Ren Xingtian explained.

“But isn’t this Lü Bu’s domain? Why are there three factions?” Yang Ruiyun asked, puzzled.

“Lü Bu is the nominal king, but in reality, he rarely involves himself in the city’s affairs. He only oversees the territory of his own mercenary corps. As for the rest, two other forces, both authorized by him, manage their respective territories. One is Dagger Edge, one of the continent’s three major assassin organizations—they’re the only one operating openly. Besides assassinations, they handle all manner of illicit business: human trafficking, black market trading—everything that regular merchants won’t touch. The other district, the one we’re in now, is relatively stable and orderly, run by an alliance of the continent’s top ten merchant families. So it’s a bit more civilized here.”

Yang Ruiyun had planned to come to the City of Chaos on a whim, and hadn’t taken the time to truly understand it. Hearing this now, he realized how naïve he’d been. The city had long since settled into its own unique system: Lü Bu enforced a measure of brute stability, suppressing widespread violence and maintaining a tenuous peace. The two commercial powers—one overt, one covert—provided jobs and supplies for assassins, mercenaries, and all those who struggled to survive in this chaotic place. Each took what it needed, and all benefited.

As they chatted, they arrived at their destination: the Lin Family Trading House. As one of the two great commercial clans of the Song Kingdom, the Lin family held a position of leadership in the City of Chaos.

“Good day, gentlemen. How may I assist you?” As soon as they entered, a polite attendant greeted them.

Yang Ruiyun replied coolly, “We’d like to sell a few things, and purchase some military supplies.”

“Of course. Please follow me.”

The attendant led them to a bustling hall, crowded with people.

“Esteemed warriors, this is where we purchase goods,” she explained.

Looking at the long queue ahead, the two wondered how long they might have to wait.

Ren Xingtian looked earnestly at the attendant. “Our items are very valuable. Could you make an exception for us?”

“I’m afraid not. Whether your goods are valuable or not is for our appraiser to decide.”

“Take a look at this. Perhaps you could hurry us along,” Yang Ruiyun said, producing the jade pendant Li Qiutong had given him before leaving.

The attendant examined the seemingly precious pendant, but did not recognize it. Seeing her troubled, Yang Ruiyun was about to let it go, but Ren Xingtian was unwilling to waste time.

“Perhaps you could call for your highest-ranking supervisor. He should recognize what this is.”

Sensing the two were not lying, the attendant agreed and went to notify her boss.

“Xingtian, are you sure this thing will help?” Yang Ruiyun asked, doubtful.

“Absolutely. Judging by the attitude of the Haolin Hotel’s owner, Brother Tong’s friend must hold a high position in the Lin family,” Ren Xingtian replied confidently.

“If you say so. But, how did she become Brother Tong’s sweetheart?” Yang Ruiyun asked.

Ren Xingtian chuckled, “Nine times out of ten, that’s the case. Why else would she give him a jade pendant?”

As they chatted, the attendant returned, accompanied by a tall and imposing man.

“Hello, I am Lin Ni, the Lin family’s supervisor here in the City of Chaos.” Lin Ni’s manner was polite, but his piercing gaze seemed to warn them: if this token meant nothing, they would be thrown out without mercy.

Yang Ruiyun was undaunted. He presented Lin Ai’s jade pendant for inspection.

Lin Ni’s eyes widened as he scrutinized the valuable piece. “This seems to be the young lady’s personal pendant.” He looked up, smiled, and asked, “So you must be Lord Li Qiutong, the Sacred Warrior?”

Yang Ruiyun shook his head. “Li Qiutong is my elder brother; I am his sworn brother, Yang Ruiyun.”

“Ah, yes, of course! Lin Shun already mentioned it. My memory needs work. Come, let’s talk inside.” He turned to the attendant, “Bring out my best tea leaves.”

Yang Ruiyun and Ren Xingtian followed Lin Ni into the private quarters of the trading house.

“Do you know Boss Lin Shun well?” Ren Xingtian asked with curiosity.

“Know him? He’s my own brother! Just a few days ago, he sent word that friends of the four young ladies would be coming, and asked me to take good care of you,” Lin Ni explained.

Now that their identities were clear, Yang Ruiyun got straight to the point. “Supervisor Lin, we’d like to purchase some jadeite, commission some custom armor, and perhaps buy some warhorses as well.”

“No problem! I’ll give you the fairest price possible,” Lin Ni promised generously.

Yang Ruiyun then poured a pile of jadeite onto the table.

At first, Lin Ni seemed indifferent, but as more and more pieces of fine jade were revealed, his expression grew more and more astonished, until finally, as the last of the stones were laid out, he picked one up with a trembling hand to inspect it closely.

“Is this glass-quality jadeite? And this one as well… incredible…”

Watching Lin Ni’s awestruck expression, Ren Xingtian felt a secret glee, forgetting entirely that he himself had looked just as stunned before—perhaps even more so.

At last, Lin Ni realized that every piece on the table was of a quality rarely seen in a decade. Disbelieving, he asked, “Where did you get these? They’re not fakes, are they?”

Yang Ruiyun answered truthfully, “They were a gift from a friend in the Southern Barbarian Forest. I assure you, they are genuine.”

“The Southern Barbarian Forest? Then it’s possible. Still, I never imagined those barbarians would possess so much glass-quality jadeite. Are you planning to sell all of them to us?”

Yang Ruiyun nodded; they had no need for such things now.

Lin Ni pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began calculating, muttering to himself. Ren Xingtian, meanwhile, sipped the tea that had been brought for them, calm as could be.

After a long moment, Lin Ni looked up, a bit embarrassed. “Gentlemen, I’ve calculated our current liquid assets here in the city, and we cannot afford to buy all this jadeite outright. If you don’t mind, perhaps we can arrange a barter—goods for goods?”

Yang Ruiyun glanced at Ren Xingtian. After a brief exchange, he nodded. “That’s fine. Our intention was to sell these and purchase equipment anyway.”

Lin Ni breathed a sigh of relief; he’d calculated that if the Lin family could process and sell all thirty-plus pieces of jadeite, the profit would be astronomical. But if the batch were sold to other merchants, its potential value would be greatly diminished once its existence became known.

“Then please, tell me what you’d like, and I’ll gather it for you as quickly as possible,” Lin Ni said forthrightly.

Yang Ruiyun took out a list. “We need a thousand suits of lightweight silver scale armor, two thousand spears, a thousand warhorses, and some building materials. Will that be enough?”

Lin Ni did some quick mental math. “The armor is five hundred silver coins per suit, quality spears two hundred each, warhorses about three hundred apiece. That’s a total of one hundred and twenty thousand coins; let’s say one million for simplicity. The jadeite is valued at five hundred thousand per piece, for a total of fifteen million. After offsetting, we’ll still owe you fourteen million. Anything else you’d like?”

“Are you talking about Song coins?” Yang Ruiyun asked suddenly.

“Yes, unless otherwise specified, Song currency is standard here in the City of Chaos.”

“Song coins are worth this much? This jadeite is unbelievably valuable,” Yang Ruiyun marveled.

Seeing their disbelief, Lin Ni smiled. “Normally, jadeite isn’t worth so much. A top-quality, finely carved piece might go for six to seven hundred thousand, but glass-quality jadeite like yours is extremely rare—less than ten pieces are known on the entire continent.”

“I see,” Yang Ruiyun said, enlightened.

“Then let’s buy more. Raise all previous items to five thousand each, and we’ll also need bulk orders of lightweight mountain-pattern armor, black-hammered plate, and so forth—make as much as you can, we’ll take it all,” Ren Xingtian interjected.

“You want that much? The lightweight armor is one thing, but black-hammered plate is heavy armor—few people use it,” Lin Ni said, a little skeptical.

But Ren Xingtian just smiled, “Don’t worry, just produce them. If we need more money, we’ll find a way.”

Seeing they were serious, Lin Ni could only nod. “Very well. I’ll send someone to check our current stock.”

Once Lin Ni left, Yang Ruiyun asked, “Are you buying all this armor to build the hundred-thousand-strong military formation you mentioned?”

“Exactly. I was worried about the budget before, but now it seems we’re covered for the initial phase.”

“Covered? Now I’m really curious what kind of army you’ll create,” Yang Ruiyun said.

Ren Xingtian lounged lazily on the sofa. “I’m curious too. But the Lin family will make far more profit from this deal than we ever will. Next time, we’ll have Brother Tong come and negotiate—we’ll make another fortune.”