“Everyone, be cautious as we enter the city,” Elijah Chen reminded his clan members before they entered the city. They all nodded in agreement.
Soon, the group arrived at the city gate.
However, before they could enter, they were stopped by the gatekeeper.
“Stop! Where are you from, and what are you carrying? Don’t you know you need to pay a fee to sell goods in the city?”
Elijah and his companions exchanged puzzled looks; they were unaware of this rule.
But it didn’t seem much different from their own market regulations.
“Why don’t they have to pay?” one clan member asked, pointing to a caravan entering the city.
The gatekeeper chuckled, “That’s the Hua family from Gamo City. Naturally, they don’t need to pay.”
Elijah pondered for a moment and then asked, “How much do we need to pay?”
The gatekeeper glanced at the cart behind them and smirked, “It depends on what you’re selling. In Yong’an City, if your goods are worth less than 500 Jade Coins, you need to pay 10%. If they’re worth more than 500 Jade Coins, you need to pay 20%.”
The clan members frowned upon hearing this. Twenty percent was too high, even more outrageous than their own clan’s market.
Their clan only charged 5% after taking over all the markets in Disordered Burial Mountain.
Moreover, they didn’t have any Jade Coins on them.
Just as Elijah and his companions were at a loss, a cold voice came from behind them.
“Why does the Hua family from Gamo City not have to pay, but we from the Chen family of Disordered Burial Mountain do?”
“Clan Elder, these city rules are unreasonable. We should sell our goods in another city,” said James Chen, a house servant who had come along with them.
Elijah thought for a moment and then nodded, “Alright.”
The gatekeeper, who had been expecting to collect a fee, was taken aback.
He didn’t know much about the Chen family from Disordered Burial Mountain, but after closely examining their attire and the unique insignia on their sleeves, his expression changed slightly.
Although their clothes were different and they didn’t seem wealthy, even lacking a horse-drawn carriage, their demeanor and the insignia on their sleeves were quite extraordinary.
They didn’t seem like an obscure family.
Yong’an City had regulations: if people from small places came to sell goods, they could be charged high fees. But if other families came to sell, they didn’t have to pay such high fees.
Seeing the group preparing to leave, the gatekeeper quickly smiled and tried to persuade them to stay.
“Please wait, sirs. I misspoke earlier. You may enter the city and sell your goods, only needing to pay 5% of the Jade Coins.”
“Since this is your first time here, you can be exempt from the fee, but you need to register.”
“Oh?” Elijah hesitated, and the other clan members remained silent, making the gatekeeper anxious.
If his superiors found out he had driven away a caravan and offended an unknown family, he would be in trouble.
After a moment of hesitation, Elijah said with some displeasure, “Fine! We’ll sell our goods here.”
Hearing this, the gatekeeper smiled and quickly registered them, then led them into the city, explaining the selling areas in detail.
He also handed them a token with the Yong’an City emblem before leaving.
Holding the token and looking at the bustling streets, the clan members had varied expressions.
James Chen quickly stepped forward and said, “Clan Elder, I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”
Elijah smiled and praised him, “You did well. I’ll report this to the Clan Chief when we return.”
James was overjoyed and quickly thanked him. He had learned this knowledge from old, tattered books and applied it effectively.
Elijah also felt a sense of admiration. It seemed the Clan Chief had a keen eye; the clan needed people like James.
After entering the city, the group headed to the designated selling area.
The streets were crowded, and the buildings on both sides were filled with teahouses, taverns, inns, cloth shops, and bookstores, attracting everyone’s attention.
Although Elijah was curious, as an elder, he suppressed his curiosity.
More importantly, their mission was not yet complete, and they needed to be cautious.
Soon, they arrived at the designated selling area.
Unlike the shops, this was a large market with various stalls selling all kinds of goods.
Ironware, grain rice, unidentifiable minerals, plants, and special roots were all on display.
After receiving their token, Elijah and his companions quickly found an empty stall.
But Elijah didn’t rush to sell their goods.
According to the clan’s plan, they didn’t know the exact prices of their goods, so Elijah decided to browse the market first to see the prices of other items before setting their own prices.
He took William Chen and James Chen with him, leaving the other clan members to guard the cart.
Passersby could only see the cloth covering the cart and couldn’t tell what was being sold.
After a round of browsing, the three returned to their stall.
However, the results were not promising. The goods they brought were rare in this market.
The clan had brought many beast pelts, which were in good condition because they used fists and feet to kill the beasts, not iron weapons. They also had beast fangs and unique body parts, as well as Blood Rice.
They had seen some beast pelts in the market, though not in good condition, but they were still sold for a decent price.
A mid-stage Body Tempering Realm beast pelt sold for about 20 Jade Coins, even if it wasn’t in perfect condition.
A late-stage Body Tempering Realm beast pelt sold for at least 30 Jade Coins.
Their pelts were in better condition, so Elijah thought they could fetch a higher price.
Elijah didn’t rush to decide and asked James for his opinion.
James thought for a moment and then said, “Clan Elder, I think we can set a high price first. If no one buys, we can lower it.”
“Good!” Elijah nodded in satisfaction. It was a good idea.
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