Zhao Rang picked up the wine bottle on the table and weighed it in his hand, agreed to the girl's conditions, and then drank three more glasses in a row and said:
"I just have three questions."
The girl still looked lazy and replied:
"go ahead."
"How many forces are there in this city?"
This is what Zhao Rang wanted to know from the beginning.
Only by having a general understanding of the Western Region Merchant Alliance, and then going deeper, can we have a comprehensive grasp of it.
"I haven't really counted this, but it must be no less than a hundred."
Zhao Rang curled his lips after hearing this.
The girl then explained:
"Think about it, the Western Regions Merchant Alliance is mainly based on the Western Regions. Even if there are only two from each of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, there are still seventy-two. The rest include the North and the South. This is not an easy task.
Is it the number one hundred?"
Zhao Rang asked:
"Are you one of them?"
The girl smiled and said:
"This is the second question! Just think of it as a gift from me. I'm just an ordinary shop owner, and I can't compare with the forces you want to ask."
Whether it's true or not, Zhao Rang at least knows that the business alliance is much bigger than he expected.
With hundreds of forces intertwined and entrenched in the city, friction is bound to be inevitable.
However, after so many years, the merchant alliance has been able to maintain relative stability, which further proves that the merchant alliance's own strength is not trivial.
In other words, they have grasped the common weakness of these forces and can kill them with a thunderous blow at the critical moment. Only in this way can they open the door to accept them without any hesitation, without conducting rigorous and cumbersome screening.
"Have you thought about the second question?"
the girl asked.
Of course Zhao Rang had thought about it.
His second question was not about the business alliance, but about himself.
The most unusual thing that happened recently was the group of robbers we encountered on the road.
This group of people insist on saying that Zhao Rang is the descendant of the Northern Sword King Shang Shiyi... The reason is largely because he has a Western Saber without a scabbard, so he urgently needs to find a blacksmith shop to fit this sword.
A scabbard.
Previously, when he was in the arrow-making factory underground in the backyard of the Admiralty Escort Bureau, Zhao Rang had thought about asking the blacksmith there to make one for him, but after thinking about it, he decided not to do it.
Since you haven't agreed to work for others, it's best not to get involved too much.
What's more, Jin Sanliang had a grudge against Shang Shiyi. Zhao Rang didn't know whether he believed his words.
In front of him, if he asked his people to make a scabbard to cover up this "unnecessary" identity, wouldn't it mean that there is no silver in this place?
"blacksmith?"
The girl looked thoughtful.
"Do you want to buy it, or provide the drawings for the master to build?"
Zhao Rang didn't explain too much, just a few words.
The scabbard is not a complicated thing.
An experienced blacksmith can make a perfect fit by just looking at the shape and thickness of the knife. No special preparation is needed at all.
"If you don't have any requirements, there are a lot of them. But they all belong to various forces. There is no blacksmith who has his own shop in this city."
Zhao Rang was a little disappointed...
I thought that a place like the Merchant Alliance, which was only interested in profit, should have a way to make money!
Unexpectedly, the blacksmiths were controlled so strictly.
But it makes sense when you think about it.
Almost all blacksmiths come from the north and south. The blacksmiths in the western regions either learned from their masters or were abducted by them using extraordinary means.
Of course, the blacksmiths who come like this cannot be exposed to the public openly. As for the blacksmiths owned by other forces, they are all bound by the laws of Dawei. If you take the job privately, you will lose your head!
Otherwise, with such a powerful force as the Admiralty Escort Bureau, there would be no need to hide the fletching factory underground in a dark and airtight place.
"So there is no more?"
Zhao Rang sighed and said.
The girl ate her food, smacked her lips, then changed the topic and said:
"It is indeed difficult to build what you want, but if you want to buy it ready-made, there is a place to go, and it is the only one!"
“You can buy it too!”
In the end, Zhao Rang just didn't want to carry this Western saber without a scabbard anymore.
But there is no knife in this world, and it is obviously not something a smart person would do with bare hands.
If there is a place where you can buy a ready-made knife, just buy one. It is more convenient than making one and saves time.
Previously, he had always felt that the sale of ironware was strictly controlled, so there would be no such shop, so he asked the blacksmith. Now that he heard that there was such a shop, he couldn't sit still and immediately asked:
"where?"
The girl looked at him in surprise and said:
"You have one more question, don't you want to ask it?"
The third question, Zhao Rang originally wanted to ask about the iron box.
The Western Regions that Ye Sanniang mentioned before did not refer to a specific country, but to the city built by the Western Regions Merchant Alliance.
Based on her status in Yangguan, the fifth grade specially entrusted to her will definitely not be ordinary. It may be a token of a powerful force in this city. If she knows about it in advance, she can be fully prepared.
After all, Ye Sanniang is a cannibal who eats people without spitting out their bones, so the people and influence that can interact with her will naturally not be a waste of money.
Who knows whether it will happen that the birds are gone and the bows are hidden, and the rabbits die and the dogs are cooked.
However, Zhao Rang thought for a while and still did not take out the iron box, so he said to the girl:
"No more questions, just these two questions. I'll give you an extra glass of wine!"
Then he asked:
"How much?"
When the girl heard that he was leaving, her face immediately dropped.
"Leaving so soon?"
The resentful words reached his ears, making Zhao Rang feel a little embarrassed:
"It's true that I have some urgent business going to that shop. I'll come drink with you next time!"
The girl stood up indifferently, pulled the table sideways, retreated to the base of the wall, and said:
"You don't have to pay your bill!"
Zhao Rang said with some embarrassment:
“I’ll come again next time!”
"If you are in such a hurry next time, what's the point?"
The girl raised her right hand to show off guests.
Zhao Rang didn't know what to say anymore, so he had no choice but to walk out of the store.
There was a loud "crash" behind me, and I turned around to see the girl slamming the door of the shop that had been open, and seemed to have inserted the door bolt from the inside.
Only then did Zhao Rang remember that she hadn't told him the location of the shop yet!
Just as I raised my hand to knock on the door, I heard the girl say from inside through the door panel:
“This is the end of the street!”
Zhao Rang could only retract his outstretched hand in embarrassment. After saying thank you softly, Zhao Rang turned around and walked in the direction of the shop.
The sunset was already very thin, and the sky was about to become completely dark.
Zhao Rang quickened his pace. He wanted to settle the knife matter before dark.
Otherwise, when this street becomes lively and crowded, there may be people who have a grudge against Shang Shiyi and use him as a punching bag.
As he was about to arrive, a strong gust of wind suddenly blew in his face, lifting his coat, revealing the knife hanging on his waist.
Zhao Rang lowered his blouse while protecting his eyes.
In just such a short moment, there were many pairs of eyes in the street shops, all staring at his waist.
Sandstorms come and go quickly.
It swept past him and swept behind him.
Zhao Rang dusted his shoulders and walked to the courtyard at the end of the street. Before he could knock on the door, he felt a sharp aura coming towards him.
"The door is not closed, just come in!"
The sound of people in the courtyard was like a bell, and they knew clearly what Zhao Rang was doing outside the door.
Zhao Rang knew that this person was definitely not a simple person, so he said politely and pushed the door open.
The ground is covered with a flat layer of gravel, but these gravels are different from those outside and are much heavier. When the door is opened, the strong wind pours in, but the gravel does not move at all.
Zhao Rang walked carefully, stepping firmly on each step, so he walked very slowly.
The distance from the courtyard gate to the main hall is only more than three feet, and the time it takes is twice as long as before.
When he reached the front of the hall, Zhao Rang stood still, bowed his hands toward the hall, and said loudly:
"Junior, come and buy a knife!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the narrow door on the side and the curtain moved slightly, and a lean old man was holding a pipe in his hand and walking lightly. He looked at Zhao Rang with burning eyes and said:
"Hey! This is the first time I have seen a buyer salute a seller!"
Zhao Rang felt lucky when he heard the old man talking playfully.
You should know that most elderly people have weird tempers.
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived too long, seen and heard too much, and can’t stand anything. Or maybe I’m acting unscrupulously because of my age.
"You want to buy a knife?"
"Exactly."
Zhao Rang said as he crossed the threshold and entered the hall.
"Which hand do you use the knife with?"
As soon as Zhao Rang said the word "right", the old man raised his hand, put the pipe into his mouth, and took a deep breath.
The fire in the smoke pot suddenly became brighter, but soon became shorter and longer.
Somehow, Zhao Rang felt that there was something special about the fire, which was exactly the same as looking directly at the sun on the Gobi Desert at noon!
As his mind wandered, the old man came to him at some point and stood almost face to face.
Just as Zhao Rang was about to draw his sword to defend himself, the inside of his right wrist was firmly pressed by a gentle but irresistible force.
Then he moved his arm lightly and realized that his wrist was held by the old man with two fingers.
The old man pressed his thumb hard, and Zhao Rang's palm tilted downward and spread out.
"Well, the one I use recently is the Western Saber. Isn't this your own sword?"
With just one glance at the old man, he could tell from the palm of Zhao Rang's hand what kind of knife he was using recently. What a miraculous skill!
After seeing it clearly, the old man let go of his hand, turned around and walked to the knife rest in the hall to carefully select.
There were beads of sweat on Zhao Rang's forehead.
He originally wanted to leave, but when he remembered the old man's methods that were comparable to those of an immortal, he knew that he was no match.
Seeing that the other party was not malicious, Zhao Rang gave up the idea and stood calmly, watching what would happen.
Soon the old man took out a long knife with a slightly wider blade and a ring handle from the shelf, handed it to Zhao Rang and said:
"For your Zhao family's sword skills, this kind of straight-edged long sword is more suitable. Although the Western Region saber has good strength and toughness, it is not suitable for your family's sword skills in terms of strength. It will not show up under normal circumstances, but
If you meet a similar opponent, you will be the only one to suffer!"