Surviving In The Ancient Times With Limitless Supplies
Chapter 160: A Price He Couldn’t Afford

Chapter 160: A Price He Couldn’t Afford

The leader looked at the captain and said calmly, "We indeed have excess water. But it won’t be cheap."

Hearing the leader’s words, the captain breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The price can be negotiated. How much is it for a bucket of water?"

The leader smiled and said, "Do you want to buy clear water or well water?"

The captain thought for a while and asked, "Can I have a look at the water first?"

"Of course. Please come with me." With a smile on his face, the leader motioned for the captain to follow him.

Seeing that their leader was already negotiating business with the soldiers, the men put down their spears and followed them silently.

The soldiers followed the leader as they walked for a while, before they saw a well in the middle of the village. The well looks like it was newly dug. As they stood by the well, the captain looked down from the mouth of the well and saw that the water was muddy.

He frowned, looked at the leader and asked, "Is this your well water? Can this water be used as drinking water?"

The leader smiled and said, "As you can see, this is our well water. Of course, you can drink it. It’s just..."

Hearing the leader’s answer, the captain frowned even deeper. He knew the consequences of drinking this muddy water. Stomach pain is a trivial matter. But if they were infected with a plague, all of them could die.

After a few seconds, he asked, "Can you show me your clean water?"

The leader raised his hand, and one of the men hurried away. Two minutes later, the man returned with a small wooden bucket. The man put the small wooden bucket on the ground and took a few steps back.

The leader picked up the small wooden bucket and said, "This is our clear water."

The captain took a look into the small wooden bucket, and saw that the water was clean and clear without any debris. When he saw the water, his eyes flickered. He took a glance at the leader, before he lowered his eyes again and looked at the clear water.

’How did they get such clean and clear water? Even when I lived in the imperial capital city, there was still debris in the water. It is not an easy feat for these people to get this kind of clean water. The identities of these people are certainly not simple.’

Looking up at the leader, the captain asked, "What is the price of this clear water?"

The leader smiled and held up five fingers. The captain frowned and said, "A bucket of water costs five Wen? It is too expensive."

Hearing what he said, the leader chuckled and said, "It’s not five Wen, but five taels of silver for a bucket of clean water. One bucket of water is enough for five grown men to drink for a day."

The captain was startled when he heard the price and exclaimed in surprise. "What?! Five taels of silver for a bucket of clean water?!"

"Why don’t you just go and rob the imperial palace?!" One of the soldiers yelled angrily.

The leader shook his head and said calmly: "As you can see, the well water is muddy and there is a lack of water everywhere. My people are very lucky to be able to get water. Based on the current situation, how much do you think my clean water’s worth?"

When the soldiers heard what the leader said, their faces darkened. Seeing that they were shaken by what he said, the leader said, "Of course, if you think clean water is too expensive, you can buy well water instead. A bucket of well water is fifty Wen."

After listening to the leader’s words, the captain thought about it silently. As the leader said, water is now more expensive than food as the world is plagued by the seven year long drought. They have also been searching all night, and have visited more than five villages, but they couldn’t buy even a drop of water.

If they leave the village now without buying water, they will not be able to return to their barrack on time. The price of their failure was the lives of a hundred thousand soldiers. This was a price he couldn’t afford, nor was he willing to pay.

After a long silence, the captain finally looked at the leader and asked, "How many buckets of water can you sell to us?"

Hearing his question, the leader smiled even brighter, and said, "Currently, we have two thousand buckets of water in reserve."

When calculating the total price of two thousand barrels of water, the captain gasped. He collected himself and said, "This is a lot of money. I need to ask the general to decide."

The leader nodded and said, "Please take your time. After you make a decision, you can tell one of my people. There are still many things to do, so I will take my leave first."

After leaving this sentence behind, the leader left with the others, leaving only two people guarding the well and keeping their eyes on the ten soldiers. After the others followed the leader and left, the captain turned to look at the youngest soldier.

The captain patted him on the shoulder and said, "Xiao Gui, you are the fastest runner among us. You go back to the barracks and report the water price to General Ren."

Xiao Gui nodded and said, "Yes, Captain."

After receiving his order, Xiao Gui left in a hurry. The captain looked at his back and said, "I hope Xiao Gui can arrive at the barracks safely."

Xiao Gui didn’t rest and ran for five hours straight, before he saw the flag of the Shang Empire fluttering on top of the watchtower. Seeing the entrance of the barracks, he ran even faster. When the guarding soldiers saw him approaching, they pointed their spears at him.

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