Chapter 189: Samira's Backer
Translator: WQL Editor: DarkGem
Zhang Tie noticed that Samira was bargaining before a booth with a businessman who sold scaly anteaters. As it was noisy here, Zhang Tie hadn't noticed him before at all; additionally, there was a small patch of person-high plants between the two of them. Zhang Tie wasn't able to see through the plants, so of course he didn't know that Samira was standing right behind them.
It was Samira's voice that had attracted his attention.
"What? It's just a mutated cuprine scaly anteater, not even a LV 1 living being. You want 30 silver coins for it? Why not go rob? At most 10 silver coins. Additionally, I will take this iron cage..."
Hearing Samira's voice, Zhang Tie, who was preparing to leave, became dumbfounded. What a coincidence!
That was true!
He turned and took a detour around that small patch of strawberry trees.
It was really Samira!
Probably afraid of being caught by Zhang Tie, after disappearing for over ten days, Samira looked more low-key. At least he didn't wear that expensive silk hat anymore. Besides, his clothes were much more average. He looked like a small steward of a rich family. However, his expression and voice didn't change even a bit.
Standing on bot of Samira's sides were two tough men who were currently lifting several iron cages. All the animals inside them were cuprine scaly anteaters.
Cuprine scaly anteater was a mutated living being which was not very aggressive. It was dark red in color with a metallic luster like that of red copper. Its flesh was very yummy, making it a very great meal.
The most special items on the scaly anteater were those scales with the metallic luster. It was said that besides being used as a medicine, they had a very powerful defensive ability which could even match that of copper sheets. Additionally, they were very light. After perforation, they became good raw materials for making scale-armor. The scale-armor of cuprine scaly anteaters had nice defence, making it the favorite of many hunters and pioneers who didn't have enough money.
The place where Zhang Tie stood was still several meters away from Samira. He pretended to watch those small animals on the booth beside him while fixing his pupils on Samira from the corners of his eyes.
...
The ten silver coins Samira counter-offered with were obviously much lower than what the hunter selling them had expected. He didn't want to sell his goods at such a low price at all. Finally, they started to bargain.
"Do you know who I am? I'm a franchised LV 3 supplier of the Military Administration of Blackhot City for the Norman Empire. These cuprine scaly anteaters would be used for entertaining the VIPs of the Norman Empire. Do you know where you live and whose rules you're following? You dare to offer such a high price to me?"
Hearing how Samira was shamelessly screaming to frighten that hunter, Zhang Tie started to swear at his shamelessness. His status as a LV 3 supplier had long been canceled. Almost all the people in the Iron-Blood Camp knew this guy had screwed Zhang Tie and were planning to find him trouble.
As for his current situation, he was in-hiding, not even daring to return to Blackhot City. What VIPs of the Norman Empire needed him to entertain them? What were those privileged families of the Coal, Steel, and Iron Federation of Blackhot City being used for?
Hearing Samira's explanation, the seller hesitated. After seeing the two tough men nearby, he finally agreed to sell the animal at the price of 15 silver coins.
Samira was pleased somewhat. After paying, he let the two tough men carry the iron cage of the cuprine scaly anteater while he looked around the banyan forest and then left.
Zhang Tie followed them at a distance of 50 m.
The south of Blackhot City was much more prosperous than the north or the west. There was a lake and a small town outside the south city wall. As there were so many passers-by on the way, Zhang Tie was not noticed by them.
After walking more than ten minutes, Samira and the other two men came to a place next to the lake and walked directly inside.
It was an exceptionally beautiful castle-type manor covering over 33000 square meters. There were several lofty and grandiose buildings inside it; all the rich men in Blackhot City had their own manors and castles.
Looking at the ten meter high wall and the team of guards in bright clothes outside the gate, Zhang Tie frowned and stopped.
Seeing a person passing by, Zhang Tie asked with admiration evident in his expression.
"This manor is really magnificent. Do you know who the owner is?"
That person stared at Zhang Tie like looking at a rustic before answering with pride, "This manor belongs to the greatest alchemist in Blackhot City, Master Abyan!"
Master Abyan! Zhang Tie understood it well now. No wonder he could not find Samira anywhere in city. This guy had hidden here. He had really found a powerful back to hide behind!
After estimating the time, Zhang Tie cast a deep look at that magnificent manor before turning back to return to Blackhot City.
...
Half an hour later, he returned to the storage area near the railway station. It was the most boisterous time of the day as cargo trucks accessed the warehouses one after another.
Taking out of his key, Zhang Tie opened the small door and entered. One minute later, he walked out again. In that short period of time he had already sent the gold coins into the Castle of Black Iron.
Less than five minutes after he walked out, the first truck from Home of the Wild arrived. Longe was also here along with the truck. Seeing Zhang Tie waiting at the entrance of the warehouse, he jumped off the truck.
"Sir, is this your warehouse?"
Longe pointed at the gate of the warehouse behind Zhang Tie.
"Yes!"
Zhang Tie nodded.
Longe waved his hands, and several workers got off the vehicle and opened the gate of the warehouse. Then, the truck drove right inside. Zhang Tie and Longe then walked in and guided the workers in discharging the cargo.
All the cargo in the truck was packaged in cartons or portable wooden cases. Therefore, they were easily moved.
While the workers were removing the boxes from the truck, Longe gave Zhang Tie three manuals.
"These are assembly manuals for the three log cabins. This batch of cargo is for the two customized single-story log cabins, each of which occupies 80 square meters. Once you transport it to the right place, based on the steps in the manuals, you'll easily build up the houses. There's an adroit worker in our business group who only needs ten hours to build a No. 3 single-story log cabin which covers 80 square meters. Each standard component has a code. You can see them on the package crates. This is just like using building blocks to build a house, as you only need strength, it'll be easy!"
Skimming over the manual for the single-story log cabin which covered 80 square meters, Zhang Tie found that the assemblage steps on it were very detailed. The instructions were also easily understood. After only several glances, he was already attempting to build that 3A80 log cabin in his mind.
After his spiritual energy upsurged again, Zhang Tie gradually found some advantages of high spiritual energy. He realized that with the greatly increased visualization, he could easily remember all the steps only by visualizing them once in his mind.
The single-story log cabin 3A80 weighed 14.5 tons in total. It consisted of 954 wooden components and laminates of various types of four major categories and 226 standard steel and iron components of seven major categories. There were 398 places in the entire house that required to be fixed by bolts and buckles. The whole building process only needed four tools: a heavy hammer, a light hammer, a wrench, and a portable standing ladder.
There were more than ten workers discharging cargo, all of them tough men. So the cargo that was only slightly less than 30 tons were soon emptied out of the truck and placed in the corners of the warehouse in two tidy piles.
The moment the truck was empty, it was driven out and another one went in.
On the second truck was a portable two-story log cabin 3B90 that covered 90 square meters, some parts, packaged furniture, and a pioneering toolkit. This truck carried almost 20 tons of cargo.
After all of it was taken out and tidily arranged in the warehouse, the truck drove out and the third one went in— it contained the grains ordered by Zhang Tie.
When the third truck was discharged, the beehive arrived.
By the afternoon, after several hours' of transportation, all the cargo ordered in the Home of the Wild had been brought in. The total weight of it all were over 100 tons. As a result, three quarters of the over 400 square meters' warehouse were filled.
After the people from the Home of the Wild left, Zhang Tie closed the warehouse's gate from inside. As a result, no sunlight could penetrate in. Only with the faint light of illuminating stones could Zhang Tie see the scene in the warehouse.
Looking at the materials piled as high as hills, he scratched his head. It seemed that he had bought too many items this time. But it felt really cool to spend money.
Zhang Tie smiled and walked in front of the cargo. Carrying over a 200 kgs' package crate, he immediately disappeared from the warehouse. Several seconds later, he reappeared. He then carried another crate of cargo and disappeared once more...
Zhang Tie became a carrier himself and started to move the cargo from here into the Castle of Black Iron one package or crate after another...