Chapter 4824 — Betrayal?
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"It's no use. Even if someone did buy them and secretly smuggle them out, they could never sell them openly, because every one of these restricted pills has a special mark and serial number on it. The merchants' associations on the other Cloud-Tier Islands neither allow private purchase nor private cross-trading—anyone who tries it gets hit with heavy penalties from the Merchants' Alliance," the waiter explained with a smile.
"So that's how it is." Wei Zhao nodded, though there was still room for smuggling—after all, one need only carry the goods out without offering them for public sale. A private, under-the-table transaction and no one would ever be the wiser.
Of course, the risk in doing so was by no means small, since it amounted to offending both the East Continent and the Merchants' Alliance at once, and if discovered the consequences were unthinkable. But so long as the profit was high enough, there would always be someone willing to take the gamble—and wiping such practices out entirely was well-nigh impossible.
There was, however, one rather difficult factor in all this: the treasure ships and warships that came and went. Not just anyone could simply up and travel to another island.
As Wei Zhao and his companion spoke, another waiter not far off had been watching them closely. After listening for a while, he hurried off to report. "Manager, there's a man who doesn't look like he's from the East Continent asking about the restrictions on pill sales—and asking very carefully at that. He might be looking to buy pills and smuggle them back. Shall we keep an eye on him?"
"Oh? I'll go take a look myself." The manager rose at once and came over. This was no matter to be careless about. If someone really were smuggling goods out and it got found out, not only would the smuggler be as good as dead, but the merchants' association that sold him the pills would be punished too. After all, no one could tell whether the two parties had been in cahoots, and the only way to make an example was to flog both sides equally.
Led by the waiter, the manager came before Wei Zhao. After one careful look he froze where he stood, staring in disbelief and looking the man over again and again before he finally confirmed it. "Vice Chairman Lin?"
Wei Zhao turned at the sound of the voice, and he too froze. "Manager Chai? What are you doing here?"
The newcomer was none other than Chai Laoshi, the man Wei Zhao had personally promoted back in the South Continent seas. Only, instead of minding his post as manager of the Waihu Branch in the South Continent, what on earth was he doing here? Had he somehow been transferred to the East Continent?
Hearing the exchange, the two waiters beside them exchanged bewildered glances. So the man was actually an acquaintance of the manager? But "vice chairman"—of which power's association was that a title? It surely couldn't be their own Hong Merchant Association. They'd memorized the names of all the vice chairmen during training, and there didn't seem to be one surnamed Lin.
"Vice Chairman Lin, it really is you! I didn't dare believe my eyes at first—thought I must be seeing things. I never imagined I'd actually run into you here!" Chai Laoshi's face lit up with delight, and he at once proposed, "This is no place to talk and catch up. Why don't we go to a private room and have some tea?"
"Very well." Wei Zhao nodded. The two went to a private room and seated themselves, and Chai Laoshi hastily had a pot of fine spirit tea brewed. With no one else about, Wei Zhao went on, "So you're the manager here? That is to say, you've been transferred to the East Continent?"
"That's right, just recently. It's only been a matter of the past half year. I never expected to run into you here!" Chai Laoshi smiled with some surprise, then promptly clapped a hand to his head. "Look at me and my muddled head—your junior sister, Miss Huang, is at Morning Star Academy, so of course it makes sense for you to come here."