Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely

Chapter 1119: Chapter 385: Trade, Han Peng’s Team, Arrival at Hongmen City_2

There was also a middle-aged man who, after pondering for a moment, shook his head and sighed softly to the elder, ”Old Han, everything you’ve said is correct, but unfortunately, the major benefits brought by the Nine Towns’ trade are mostly taken by the nine town cities. For our village-level camps, we only get the leftovers without enjoying much of the real benefits. Strictly speaking, we’re merely working for the towns.”

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, the expressions of the group became subtly nuanced.

The elder’s eyes flashed with a trace of gloom as he surreptitiously glanced at the two young men in the group, noticing their furrowed brows. He immediately said, ”Leader Yue, you shouldn’t speak so recklessly! Trade was originally coordinated by the Nine Towns, so it’s understandable that the towns gain the most profit.

You should think it over; without the Nine Towns’ trade, how could we possibly have seen so many good things?”

”Even if we see them, we can’t afford them, so what’s the use?”

”Legitimate trade only exists among the nine town cities. Without trade tokens issued by the towns, we have no right to cross towns to buy goods. Even if we go there with silver, we would have to do so covertly. If we’re lucky, we get overcharged but at least get the goods; if not, we might get robbed and lose everything, which happens frequently!”

”Exactly, the resources traded among the nine town cities are sold to our village-level camps with a markup of twenty percent. Apart from some low-cost items, anything slightly expensive is out of our reach, and for some higher-end goods, we don’t even have the right to buy them.”

.........

Yue Long’s words, after all, resonated with even more people.

The elder’s attempt to mitigate did the opposite, unintentionally stirring more discontent towards the towns, as people began voicing their dissatisfaction.

This brings up the three trade rules established by the Nine Towns.

First, trade is limited to the nine town cities; second, not just anyone can participate in the trade—apart from the Nine Towns’ trade guild, anyone else wishing to trade across towns requires a trade token from the guild; lastly, there’s a trade time restriction, as trading doesn’t occur continuously but only when the trade channels open simultaneously in September and October, facilitating a flow of goods, silver, and coins.

With the limitations of these three rules, combined with the fact that all village-level camps on the South Slope of Moao Mountain can only trade at their respective town cities, the outcome isn’t hard to deduce.

The towns and village-level camps inherently have unequal productivity.

For example, the same ten-forged level weapons, towns can undoubtedly crush village-level camps in craftsmanship. To boost combat power, people from village-level camps can only use more basic resources to trade at the towns.

This inequality in productivity naturally results in the nine towns exploiting their respective village-level camps. While this exploitation is severe in normal times, once the Nine Towns start trading, whether due to increased demand for various basic resources or other costs within the trade, or for other reasons, it undoubtedly exacerbates this exploitation.

Take a kind of Dan Medicine from Beishuo Town used to treat severe cold, called Recovery Pill, for example. It’s a lifesaver in village-level camps with weak cold resistance because of its mild nature and suitability for both adults and children.

The main ingredient of the Recovery Pill is Re-warming Grass. Initially, this Dan Medicine was priced at 20 silver per pill. After the Nine Towns began trading, Beishuo noticed that similar medicines made by the other eight towns were not only less effective but only usable by adults. Seeing the demand, they immediately doubled the price to 40 silver per pill.

This price increase didn’t only target the other eight towns but also affected the village-level camps within Beishuo’s own territory.

Since the Recovery Pill price increased, the logic would dictate that the price of Re-warming Grass, as the main ingredient, along with other drugs in the formula, should also rise.

The problem is, can these village-level camps dare to raise prices against the town?

The crux of the issue is that they don’t dare, and because the Recovery Pill became popular in the Eight Towns, Beishuo City’s demand for Re-warming Grass increased dramatically. Not wanting to spend too much for procurement, they deliberately forced the purchasing price down.

Facing such blatant bullying, the village-level camps can only swallow their rage and accept it.

Beishuo’s Recovery Pill is just one example.

There are countless items like the Recovery Pill used by the town cities to exploit the subordinate village-level camps.

The people in the village-level camps aren’t fools. Over time, everyone realizes that while they have enjoyed a little of the trade’s dividends, the majority is taken by the towns, without a doubt.

Crucially, to gain that small benefit, they’re exploited even more severely. Thus, when weighing the pros and cons, it turns out they basically end up with nothing; for some villages without special products, it’s a case of more harm than good.

That’s why Yue Long’s remarks immediately struck a chord with everyone.

”Everyone, be cautious with your words, be cautious!”

Seeing the two young men’s furrowed brows deepening, Han Peng couldn’t help but once again urge caution, then quickly interjected with a smile, ”Isn’t there now the Great Xia Town, willing to open trade channels to all of us? All village-level camps in the Nine Towns can finally see some light...”