"Then tell me?" Linghu Zhengde asked.
"Tariffs must be levied based on price. Don't ask me to charge them on a per-car basis. It's okay to deceive an ogre, but not me." Snorri set the tone.
"How much?" Zou Qilin asked directly. He could still say this word.
"I only want 20%! But the value must be calculated based on your actual sales income. You can't lose what you quoted yourself." Snorri had no way to grasp the purchase price of Cathay people's goods and the transportation costs along the way. He decided to start from the end Steps to get stuck.
"This is very troublesome. The market will fluctuate, and different places will..." Linghu Zhengde frowned. According to past experience, the profits of their products are very considerable. If the dwarf in front of him can really fulfill his promise Twenty percent is not an unacceptable range.
"Calculate the average, from different places, by year, etc. My financial officer will be responsible for connecting with you. This will be a long-term cooperation, isn't it?"
"Yes!" Zou Qilin nodded. This time, we only need to finalize the general framework. The specific details will be communicated later.
"I have an additional condition, that is, your products cannot conflict with those of my own race. The scope includes but is not limited to weapons and firearms. If you insist on selling, then I will impose additional protective tariffs on related products."
Snorri added that the distribution of goods requires the cooperation of other cities. If the outsiders he introduces compete directly with his own people, it will be a huge blow to his reputation.
“Draft an agreement!”
In the end, the two parties reached an agreement, and Snorri signed his name on the three documents written in Dwarf, Cathay, and Common languages, and Zou Qilin also stamped them one by one.
"So can we start trade now?" People in Sinian couldn't wait to put away the documents.
"Of course, you are always welcome in my fortress. I think there is still enough fine wine in my warehouse to entertain friends from the East!" Snorri also laughed, and the establishment of the trade route solved one of his worries.
As soon as he settled down in Plateau Castle, Snorri began to think about the positioning of his territory. What role should this land far away from the old world play in the Mountain Kingdom and even the entire world?
It is difficult to operate according to the traditional model of a dwarf fortress. The transportation costs for the bulk ore raw materials and products here are too high to be sent back to the old world for sale. There is no market that can be digested before a large enough population is immigrated. The Tomb Kings cannot count on it, and the lizardmen are not very good buyers.
Could it be that the Hall of Ancestors is used as a pilgrimage type tourist attraction? This is obviously not enough to support Snorri's ambitious goal of saving the world. The emergence of the Cathayans solved this problem. If everything goes well, Plateau Castle will become a trade hub between the East and the West, and Snorri will draw enough capital from it.
Snorri suggested taking a boat to the coast near the Bone Temple to avoid the arduous trek through the rainforest. The Sinian caravan took the suggestion and they moved quickly, rolled up the goods and rushed to the shore.
The dwarves saw Cathay's fleet, and the lucky ships in the harbor looked wider than Bordero's ships. But the bigger difference is in the sails. Bordeleau's is a soft sail made of cloth, while Cathay's is a hard sail made of mats.
Gu Hao stood on the deck, and Snorri felt that Cathay's ship was relatively stable and its speed was slightly slower. However, he noticed that these ships did not have huge winches, which meant that it was more convenient and safer to control the sails. At Bordello, Snorri learned that reefing sails in a storm is one of the most dangerous challenges for sailors.
"Have you not considered landing at the Bone Temple before?" Snorri asked, breathing in the sea breeze. The Bone Temple is an inlet into the sea. Relatively speaking, the hydrology is better and it is easier to find.
"Of course I have considered it, but the Slan there did not allow it. Lord Atik is the best communicator among the rulers of the east coast." The translator added when he saw that Snorri didn't understand.
"Of course this is for us people in the Celestial Dynasty. Well, although we are all creations of the ancient saints, the great Dragon Emperor and the Moon Queen already ruled the land of Cathay before those extraterritorial powers came."
Linghu Zhengde said, Snorri knew that the Cathay dragons were the natives of this world like the dragons of Ulthuan, but it was obvious that the Dragon Emperor and his wife were stronger. They were not affected by the climate change caused by the changes in the orbit of the stars. . This also means that knowledge of the coming of the Old Ones is open there.
"Five thousand years ago, our ancestors were created by powerful beings and placed on the land of the Dragon God. True dragons are powerful and compassionate. They allowed our ancestors to settle there and transformed into human beings to lead and protect them. But But the good times did not last long, and those outside powers brought chaos..."
"For the Dragon Emperor and his wife, the arrival of the Ancient Sage not only made the environment uncomfortable, but also brought a large group of enemies, is that right?" Snorri thought thoughtfully.
"Yes, when Chaos began to sweep the world, His Majesty formed an army to defend our country, and finally built the Changyuan to keep the Chaos tribe out." A glow appeared on Linghu Zhengde's face.
"But the good times didn't last long. Those big toads caused an earthquake, and part of the Changyuan collapsed. Countless minions of Chaos invaded from the north and south. The Dragon God led the ancestors and paid a huge price to repel them. Related to this Many of his classics are now sealed."
"Then the Haotian Dragon Emperor went to the Slanns to argue?" Snorri asked, stroking his beard. The same great earthquake had an impact on history in every corner of the world. I don't know how many levels it got according to the standards of previous lives. .
"This is not something we mortals can know, but Princess Yinyin once commanded a fleet to land on the lizard people's land, but, well, the results were not great." The human said after thinking.
"It seems that Eutrax needs to mediate." Snorri thought about it for a moment. There is a gap in manpower and resources to repair the temple city. By then, some concessions will be made to convince the fifth-generation Slann.
This is also true. The waterway is much faster than hiking in the rainforest. When Snorri returned to the Bone Temple, the construction team he mobilized had just arrived. After seeing the progress of the project, Otrax did not make things difficult, and chose to let it go after Snorri and the Cathay merchants promised to make more contributions to the development of its territory.
"Your fortress is truly amazing!"
"Unprecedented!"
"How powerful it is to dig such a large building underground!"
It was the first time for the members of this caravan to see the dwarf's fortress, and their amazement impressed every son of the mountains. The grand reception banquet and fine wine filled the fortress with a cheerful atmosphere.
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