Chapter 77: Rich!
Su Bai was dragged away swiftly. Even though his father, the Duke of Su, wielded immense authority, it would still take awhile for him to go through the various procedures to retrieve Su Bai. Thus, he would have to remain in the jail for a period long enough to etch this lesson deep into his mind.
“Let’s go! We’ll discuss the matter inside.”
Handing the miscellaneous matters outside to Meng Long and Shen Hai to deal with, Wang Chong ushered the Imperial Army commanders into the residence.
“Wang gongzi, you sure have your own means!”
Having witnessed the situation, the Imperial Army commanders complimented Wang Chong’s way of dealing with the situation and shot him a thumbs up. Not only did they not find Wang Chong’s actions inappropriate, they even approved of them.
Wang Chong responded with a chuckle as he led them to the lounge.
After some chatter, even though Wang Chong wasn’t too sure what was going on, he believed that the reason why all of them appeared at his gates today was related to Zhao Fengchen.
As for the intentions of these Imperial Army commanders, that was even simpler. They were just here to buy swords. Some of them even brought carriages filled with gold taels while others thought that the agates, pearls, and gemstones Wang Chong embedded on the Wootz steel sword were too inexpensive, so they brought large crates of top quality agates, pearls, and gemstones here, allowing Wang Chong to pick freely among them.
To summarize the entire situation, as long as they could obtain a Wootz steel sword, cost wasn’t a problem!
Wang Chong contemplated silently over the matter as he listened to their words. The Wootz steel sword has already made a name for itself during its sales at the Bluebottle Pavilion. With two slashes, Wei Hao has cut through the best swords of the prestigious swordsmithing clans and workshops in the capital, thus forging the reputation of the Wootz steel sword as the ‘Number One Sword in the World’.
Also, selling the first sword to Zhao Fengchen has also helped built a reputation for it in the Imperial Army. Starting from this unique organization, Wang Chong has kickstarted the market for the Wootz steel sword.
While this was an opportunity, Wang Chong had to handle this matter prudently.
Rarity determined the price of an object, and given that so many of the Imperial Army members have come to him for a sword, Wang Chong couldn’t agree to all of them. Otherwise, the price of the Wootz steel sword would fall sharply.
This wasn’t what Wang Chong wanted.
However, Wang Chong couldn’t reject them either.
“I believe that all of you know about the sharpness of the Wootz steel sword.”
Just as the Imperial Army commanders were listing out the request, and the entire lounge was bursting with chatter, Wang Chong suddenly spoke, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.
“The more incredible a sword is, the longer it takes to forge it. A normal steel sword can be forged in just half a day, but it is impossible for a top-notch sword to be created in the same duration.”
Wang Chong said.
“Of course, of course! Gongzi is right!”
“I’ve heard that swordsmithing clans take more than a month to craft an ordinary top tier sword. Given that the sword gongzi forges is the number one sword in the world, naturally, it will take much more effort and time.”
“If gongzi is worried about the deadline, there’s no hurry at all. We can wait!”
…
The group immediately complied along with Wang Chong. This wasn’t mere pleasantries, but true admiration. Wang Chong may just be fifteen-year-old, but in their eyes, he was someone who has became the number one swordsmith in the world through his capabilities.
Regardless of his age, he was someone worthy of such respect!
More importantly, they witnessed the prowess of the Wootz steel sword for themselves and it has left them shocked. If not for this, they wouldn’t have rushed to the Wang Clan in a group.
“I’m glad that everyone understands my position.”
Sitting in the center of the room, Wang Chong smiled. He may be young, but he exuded a mature, magnanimous, and dependable aura which stood out even among the group of esteemed commanders of the Imperial Army.
“I am willing to forge swords for you all, but I have my own rules.”
At this point, Wang Chong paused. His words were filled with confidence, and there was something about his voice which induced others to listen to him. All of the commanders listened attentively to his words.
Every single master swordsmith has their own rules and quirks. As such, they weren’t surprised that Wang Chong has his own rules, and they perked their own ears to listen closely to his words.
“Firstly, I will only forge one of each kind of sword. As such, each sword will be different in terms of style, appearance, and model! There won’t be any replicas!”
“That’s no problem at all.”
Everyone quickly nodded in agreement. The reason why they wanted to buy Wang Chong’s swords was because his swords were unique and its capabilities far surpassed the other blades.
Otherwise, there were many workshops and weapon shops in the capital, there was no need for them to go through all the trouble. In fact, they were relieved that Wang Chong was willing to devote his attention wholeheartedly into making their swords unique.
Wang Chong has just formulated these thoughts within his head. Objects were priced on their rarity, and the Imperial Army was just the start for Wang Chong. If Wang Chong wished to retain his reputation as the number one swordsmith in the world, he mustn’t forge the same sword repeatedly. This could help to build his reputation, as well as to maximize his profits.
To forge a single top-notch sword in a month, and every sword has to be of different style, appearance, and model… It would be difficult for any other swordsmith to do so.
However, Wang Chong was different. Given the large amount of knowledge he has stored in his mind, it was no problem at all!
“Secondly, the swords that I forged are top quality products. A huge amount of time and effort has to be expended on them, and as such, it’ll take around a month to forge a single sword.”
Wang Chong lifted up a second finger and he spoke.
“Why! Can’t you forge two, three, or four swords every month?”
Initially, everyone was still nodding their heads in agreement. However, upon hearing that Wang Chong would only forge a single sword every month, they immediately began wailing:
“There’re so many of us here, how can there be enough for us all?”
There were at least thirty to forty commanders of the Imperial Army here. If Wang Chong was only going to produce a single sword every month, when would there be sufficient swords for all of them here?
“Also, how will you determine who would get the sword every month?”
“That’s simple!”
At this point, Wang Chong chuckled:
“Every month, I will conduct an auction. Every sword made will only be of higher quality than the previous one! If you all are interested, you all can feel free to join. Whoever who puts up the highest bid will get the sword. However, the slots for the auction will be limited, and not everyone will be able to participate in it.”
“Only those who have paid the deposit for the sword will be allowed to participate in the auction. For those who are here today, I can give you a discount of 10% on your sword. Those who come after won’t get such a privilege.”
Boom!
Initially, everyone thought that Wang Chong was forging too little swords and thus, they tried to bargain with him on that aspect. However, upon hearing that there were limited slots for the auction, how could they continue to fuss over such details? They immediately charged forward and crowded around Wang Chong!
“Wang gongzi, it’s no problem at all! I’m willing to pay as much money as it takes!”
“Wang gongzi, how much is the deposit? I will bring the sum over right now.”
“Wang gongzi, you must sell it to me. I’ll be your loyal buyer!”
“Wang gongzi, please reserve a slot for me!”
…
They squeezed one another, trying to get closer to Wang Chong.
They weren’t the only commanders in the Imperial Army, and they could be considered as the earliest wave here. If they were any later, they wouldn’t be entitled to such a discount.
When the rest comes later on, the fight for the slots would only get more and more intense.
As for the matter regarding only a single sword being produced each month…
That wasn’t a problem at all!
Which of the famous swordsmith didn’t operate in this manner? Besides, Wang Chong has said that every single sword of his would be unique. Regardless of whether it was the design, the outer appearance, or the model, they would be different from one another.
Not to mention, his reputation as the number one swordsmith in the world made the swords worth collecting. Even if they ended up not using it, they could probably earn a hefty sum by selling it in the future.
Of course, this is if you are willing to sell it after witnessing the prowess of the weapon for yourself!
All in all, the matter regarding there only being a single sword every month was just an issue of money. Any problem that could be solved with money wasn’t a problem for them!
Seeing the group charge toward him, Wang Chong was delighted. He took the idea of collecting deposits for the sword from the real estate industry from another world. Without doing anything, he has already earned a huge sum of money for himself.
At this moment, what Wang Chong required the most was a huge amount of gold, and the deposits from the Imperial Army commanders added up to an astronomical figure.
At the entrance of the residence, the payment of the debtors didn’t take long. Wang Chong only owed them a few taels each, and the matter was settled swiftly. Wang Chong called Shen Hai and Meng Long over and they began writing receipts.
The incident at the Bluebottle has already brought the price of the Wootz steel sword up to 40000 gold taels. As such, the qualification to attend the auction was priced at 20000 gold taels.
While the cost wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t too high either. At the same time, it served as a good ‘entrance fee’ to sieve out those who were just interested in the commotion. Wang Chong also explained the matter regarding the matter of the deposit:
Every single deposit corresponded to the privilege to bid in the auction. If one failed to purchase the sword in the auction, one was entitled to a full refund of the deposit.
Of course, one could also pass the privilege on to others, and Wang Chong would acknowledge it. However, as the first batch of buyers, their privilege entitled them to a 10% discount on Wang Chong’s swords!
——As such, the privilege has become a hot commodity. No one would be willing to ask for a refund!
Possessing the knowledge of his previous life, very few people could compete with him in terms of marketing strategies.
With Shen Hai and Meng Long’s assistance, it didn’t take long for a receipt to be given to the more than thirty Imperial Army commanders in the room. Given that each of them had paid 20000 gold taels each, it added up to more than 600,000 gold taels!
This was an astronomical sum!
Meng Long and Shen Hai were impressed by Wang Chong’s ability to earn money. In fact, they weren’t the only one. The other Wang Family Residence guards, maids, nannies, and servants who had gathered around curiously were also astounded.
Their young master was simply too incredible! Just by writing a few notes, he has earned more than 600,000 gold taels. Where else could one see such a sight?
With such means, it was just a matter of time before he breaks through the heavens!
In comparison, all of the other merchants in the capital seemed insignificant and petty.
“Am I dreaming?”
“Young master! Is this really our young master?”
“Our Wang Clan will finally become an affluent clan as well!”
…
The old nannies, servants, maids, and guards who served at the Wang Clan for decades widened their eyes, and their bodies trembled in agitation. One of the older nannies even fainted from excessive agitation.
It was a miracle!
Even after serving in the Wang Clan for their entire lives, they’ve never seen such a huge fortune!
After years of frugality, the Wang Clan has finally struck gold!
In the blink of an eye, several other old nannies fainted as well. Even when they fainted, there was nothing but bliss and exhilaration on their faces.
Third Young Master… was too incredible!
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