Lord Shenxiu
Chapter 268: Procurement (Supplement of 5400!)

Chapter 268: Chapter 268: Procurement (Supplement of 5400!)

Whoo-whoo!

A massive black steel monster spewed white smoke as it whistled past on the tracks at a speed of around fifty miles per hour.

Within one of the carriages,

Jones, wearing a suit, couldn’t help but twist and turn, feeling like something was amiss. His awkwardness immediately prompted a few female passengers to cover their lips and smile.

"Li Wei, where are we going?"

Jones, after all, was a young man. Once the novelty of his first steam train ride wore off, boredom was all that remained on the train.

"We’re heading to Gao Si City. It was once a famous liquor town in the Mesoamerican Federation, home to many renowned breweries..."

Zhong Shenxiu, also in a suit, his hair slicked back and gleaming, exuded the aura of a successful businessman.

Thanks to Old Sea Dog, he had made a fortune, otherwise, he couldn’t even afford the train fare by now.

Unfortunately, Li Wei’s obsession had not yet been fulfilled; there was still a gap to bridge.

"But... how could the breweries possibly still be operating after Prohibition?"

Jones lowered his voice and glanced around cautiously.

"That’s why... I’ll do the talking this time, and you just need to listen."

Zhong Shenxiu closed his eyes, too lazy to bother with the young man anymore.

The journey was too uneventful, thwarting Zhong Shenxiu’s anticipation of encountering something mysterious.

When it turned to day on the second day, the train finally stopped at the Gao Si City station.

And the once energetic Jones had become as limp as a dead dog: "I never knew riding a train could be so exhausting..."

’That’s because you haven’t experienced holiday travel...’

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at him sideways, pulled Jones along, picked up their carry-on case, and stepped outside the train station to find a taxi coach.

"Take me to a working brewery, the more famous and bigger, the better."

He handed out a one US Dollar bill as he spoke.

The coachman, a middle-aged man about forty, gleamed with greed at the sight of the US Dollar: "Of course, generous sir... Wayne Brewery is definitely the largest in Gao Si City. Before Prohibition, the horse-drawn carts picking up goods would line up from the door all the way to where the sky disappears..."

"Then let’s go there."

Zhong Shenxiu nodded, smiling as he watched the coach start up and weave through the streets.

Half an hour later, the coach rode out of the city center, and they could see vast rye fields outside. Amidst the pastoral scenery stood a massive brewery.

Zhong Shenxiu and Jones approached the entrance of the brewery and contacted the gatekeeper: "We’re merchants here to place an order."

The gatekeeper, an old man in his sixties with a red nose, rubbed his sleepy eyes as if automatically responding, "According to federal law, this brewery no longer sells alcohol..."

"I know, we’re candy merchants! Here to purchase a batch of syrup!"

Zhong Shenxiu replied with a smile.

The old man’s eyes suddenly lit up, examining the two men carefully: "Follow me!"

He led the two inside the brewery, around the huge workshop, to an office: "Please wait, our sales representative will be with you shortly."

"We... candy merchants?"

Jones, once the old man stepped out, immediately asked curiously, "Are we going into the candy business?"

Zhong Shenxiu rolled his eyes and sipped the drink provided by the secretary on the desk without a word.

Not long after, a young man entered the office: "Good day, gentlemen, my name is Chris Wayne! I’m a sales representative for the factory. I’ve heard you’re looking to buy syrup?"

"Yes, we are candy merchants from Byron City, looking to purchase a batch of malt syrup. If the quality is good, we are willing to sign a contract for long-term orders."

Zhong Shenxiu set down his drink confidently.

"Byron City? Excellent, we have no partners there yet... I have brought samples for both of you."

Chris revealed a few paper cups with a smile, while Jones looked on expectantly, only to let out a sigh of disappointment in the end.

It was really just syrup.

Zhong Shenxiu, however, dabbed a bit with a smile and tasted it, squinting, "The quality is good. If you can ensure that all the goods are of this quality, I could sign a three-year contract right away."

"Of course, no problem. That can be completely recorded in the contract." Chris was somewhat excited, as if he saw a stream of US Dollars rolling in.

"Very well, in addition, we will need a detailed manual on how to properly store this batch of malt syrup so as to ensure it doesn’t go through an improper treatment and turn into some kind of alcoholic beverage..." Zhong Shenxiu spoke gravely.

Jones’ eyes widened at the side.

"Of course!" Chris adopted a solemn expression, "Helping every customer is our mission! Moreover, our region is well known for its grapes; I wonder if you gentlemen would be interested in raisins or pressed grape bricks?"

He winked and displayed a playful smile, "They also come with a full set of detailed instructions..."

...

After using Old Sea Dog’s savings to pay the deposit and sign the contract, Jones was completely bewildered, "Li Wei... where are we, what are we doing?"

"Looking for supplies for the bar."

Zhong Shenxiu tapped his head with the contract, "The Federation runs on law and evidence. Selling malt syrup and grape bricks does not violate the Prohibition; they don’t even need to go through smuggling routes and can directly enter Byron City through customs... Every step of the process is legal, the Wayne Factory would never allow their goods to contain a trace of alcohol."

"So..." Jones continued stupidly.

"So the real risk is transferred to us... We need to set up a ’pharmacy’ in Byron City!" Zhong Shenxiu sighed.

A pharmacy was not a real pharmacy, but an alias for an illegal distillery.

If caught, it would be life-threatening.

Those federal prohibition agents would chase down the pharmacy address like mad dogs.

"We need to recruit reliable people to transport the goods, manage the pharmacy, and maybe open a spicy restaurant on top of it as a cover..."

Zhong Shenxiu said offhandedly.

The restaurant would not only cover for people coming and going but also use strong smells to mask the scent of alcohol and numb the noses of police dogs.

"In the end, we will need to open a laundry shop or another business with a large amount of cash turnover for money laundering, to clean the underground bar cash into usable clean money..."

"Doing all of these things is complicated, but if we really get them done, our business will skyrocket, and perhaps we might become an even more powerful family than those in Notting Hill..."

Actually, at that moment, Zhong Shenxiu really wanted to make a sarcastic remark.

It was just selling a bit of illicit liquor, but he had turned it into something akin to selling "that."

Jones was already befuddled, "But I heard that other bars directly purchase from the small workshops in the nearby countryside, why do we have to invest such a large sum of money to do all these things at an early stage?"

Without Old Sea Dog’s savings, selling both of them wouldn’t be enough to cover the costs.

"It’s a necessary investment... And without directly positioning ourselves at the source, how can we secure a stable, safe, affordable, and high-quality supply of goods?"

"Once we monopolize and take control of the supply chain—raw materials, production, transport, sales—then all we have to do is wait to collect the money. The investment now will be returned to us tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold in the future!"

Zhong Shenxiu laughed with profound significance.

PS: I’ve finally repaid the owed updates from the last book, as well as last month’s bonus Chapters for the monthly ticket support. Ha ha, actually, this book has been on two updates per day, with additional updates on top.

Moving forward, I ask for more support from my readers with subscriptions and monthly tickets—the better we do, the more updates you get. Thanks!

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