CHAPTER 226: CHAPTER 224 GRAIN INVESTMENT BANK_1

Gale turned and looked at the numerous grain merchants.

Seeing the money, these fence-sitters no longer showed their previous righteous indignation. They all fell silent, pretending not to see Gale, waiting for Master Yan Xing to discuss the grain acquisition.

Gale, now completely isolated, cursed, "You short-sighted fools, just like rabbits!

"Staying here will only lead to you being sucked dry of the last drop of your blood!"

Seeing the grain merchants still adopting a ’hear no evil, see no evil’ attitude, Gale stomped his foot in anger and swept out with a flick of his sleeves.

He didn’t believe Yan Xing had any good intentions in purchasing grain from the merchants at this time.

If he himself had such an advantage, he would certainly use the opportunity of purchasing grain to squeeze the merchants to their very last.

After gaining control of all the grain in the city, he would then inflate the prices.

Recoup all the losses from the grain price drop in one go.

Eliminate all competitors and fatten himself.

Gale never believed that Yan Xing’s cooperation with Count Theodore in slashing grain prices was due to any personal friendship.

He wasn’t from the Silvermane Principality; why should he care about the civilians of Nuta City?

Everything Yan Xing did was aimed at first eliminating Nuta City’s grain merchants and then monopolizing the grain business there.

Calling this meeting of grain merchants signified that he was about to close the net.

Gale felt there was no need for him to stay any longer.

Since he had guessed Yan Xing’s plan, he had to use this time to raise funds.

Yan Xing was collecting grain, and so would he.

Yan Xing wanted to profit from raising grain prices, and so would he.

Yan Xing wanted to remove competitors, and he would swallow them all whole.

After this commercial tidal wave, the small-scale merchants here, lacking the ability to withstand pressure, would eventually die out. Only the large-scale merchants would survive.

Only they could take all in the end.

The Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce could afford to play this game.

He believed that with other merchants from the Golden Oak Chamber of Commerce present, any information would reach him.

Gale left the meeting, feigning indignation, to prepare for purchasing the grain from the other merchants.

Upon seeing Gale leave, Yan Xing instructed his attendants to close the meeting room doors.

Then he addressed the assembled grain merchants, "Grain is the foundation of Nuta City’s stability. Especially during this time of war, we need stable grain prices.

"My Eternal Commerce Guild assisted Count Theodore in stabilizing Nuta City’s grain prices. Although this was done with good intentions, I must admit that our actions have indeed harmed your interests.

"I apologize to all of you."

Yan Xing bowed to the grain merchants to show his sincerity.

An older grain merchant couldn’t help but say, "Business competition is inherently brutal. After seeing the vast stockpiles of grain held by the Eternal Commerce Guild, we truly lost the confidence to compete with you, Master Yan Xing.

"We only hope that when you purchase our grain, Master Yan Xing, you can appreciate our difficulties.

"Please don’t push the price too low; leave us a way to survive."

The images of the grain warehouses continuously displayed on the large screen behind Yan Xing had dealt a heavy blow to the merchants.

The Eternal Commerce Guild’s ample grain reserves meant that the merchants’ hopes of waiting until the Guild’s supplies were depleted before raising prices themselves were completely dashed.

Now, they had to dispose of all their grain before the war ended.

Otherwise, if the Wildwind Highlands Legion’s surplus military rations were transported back to Nuta City, they, the grain merchants, would truly lose everything.

But what price was Yan Xing prepared to offer for their grain?

No one knew.

They could only hope the rumors of "Master Yan Xing, generous and merciful" were true.

By humbling themselves before Yan Xing, the grain merchants effectively admitted their defeat in this commercial competition, now only hoping to survive the ordeal.

Yan Xing then revealed the plan he had been formulating over the past few days.

"I have two acquisition proposals for you to choose from.

"First: I will purchase your grain at the current market price, using my own grain in a one-to-one exchange.

"Your grain will enter my warehouses, and in return, I will issue you exclusive Eternal Commerce Guild Grain Tickets. Holding these Grain Tickets, you can withdraw your grain at any time. I will not charge storage fees, nor will there be any charges for spoilage."

Yan Xing’s announcement of the first acquisition proposal immediately sparked discussions among the attendees.

The Eternal Commerce Guild’s grain was all high-quality; wheat kernels were plump, and rice grains were perfectly round.

The flour and rice powder milled from them were as white as snow.

Currently, the unofficial exchange rate for grain transactions in Nuta City was one kilogram of Eternal Commerce Guild grain for one and a half kilograms of ordinary grain.

Therefore, Yan Xing’s willingness to use a one-to-one exchange rate—his prime grain for their ordinary grain—was beyond all the merchants’ expectations.

The Eternal Commerce Guild’s grain was definitely priced high.

If they could obtain the Guild’s grain at this exchange rate and then transport it elsewhere for sale... while a profit wasn’t guaranteed, recovering their initial investment would absolutely be no problem.

Moreover, Master Yan Xing would even allow them to store the exchanged grain in the Eternal Commerce Guild’s granaries!

Not only would there be no storage fees, but no spoilage fees either!

Grain spoilage was a continuous issue; that was why merchants dared not keep grain on hand indefinitely.

If they encountered any fires or floods, it would all be lost.

Storing grain in the Eternal Commerce Guild’s granaries was like placing it in a vault that required no personal management and incurred no risk of loss from spoilage.

They could withdraw the grain and transport it to areas with higher grain prices for sale whenever they were sure of a profit.

Withdraw it whenever they wanted!

Surely such an excellent deal couldn’t be a trick?

The grain merchants were very tempted by Yan Xing’s first acquisition proposal. However, receiving such an attractive offer when they were bracing themselves to be fleeced made most of them incredulous.

Even if Master Yan Xing was enormously wealthy, he couldn’t just give away money like this, could he?

At this point, someone asked, "What is the second acquisition proposal?"

Yan Xing could see the doubt in the merchants’ hearts.

Ultimately, in the eyes of the grain merchants, grain was still just grain. But in Yan Xing’s eyes, it had already become something else.

If I could successfully issue Grain Tickets through these grain exchanges, I would even be willing to increase the exchange ratio.

Since the grain merchants were all waiting to hear the second acquisition proposal, Yan Xing continued, "Gentlemen, you are all grain merchants. You have your own farms and established channels for grain distribution.

"My Eternal Commerce Guild is planning to establish a grain investment firm in the near future, specializing in the cultivation, procurement, and sale of grain.

"You must have all seen the extensive farmland the Eternal Commerce Guild has developed north of Nuta City. Before winter arrives, all these fields will be sown with wheat.

"However, I am not yet satisfied with this scale of cultivation. I hope you will join my grain investment firm.

"I can acquire your grain in exchange for shares in the Eternal Grain Investment Firm, at a price fifty percent higher than the first acquisition proposal.

"But I have an additional condition: your farmlands must use the wheat seed varieties I provide, and you must cultivate the fields according to my specific requirements.

"All grain produced must not be sold privately. It must be handed over to the grain investment firm for management..."