A vat of Elven Spring Water

"Indeed," Haotian nodded.

Sophia quickly asked, "Lord, although this is low-grade Elven Spring Water, a bottle like this could sell for thousands of gold coins in Forest City. How much of it do you have?"

Haotian didn't explain further. Instead, he summoned a squad of Royal Knights and instructed them to chop down trees from the nearby woods and craft large wooden barrels.

After a while, the barrels were made.

When the Royal Knights brought them over, the barrels were already filled with Elven Spring Water, radiating a strong life essence. Roughly estimated, it was enough to fill thousands of bottles.

"Oh my god!"

"So much Elven Spring Water!" Both Sophia and Simon, the old mage, were stunned. It was the first time they had seen someone use a barrel several meters in diameter to hold Elven Spring Water, which seemed like a waste of such precious resources.

Suppressing her shock, Sophia looked at Haotian. "Lord, are you planning to sell this entire barrel of Elven Spring Water to our Crystal Chamber of Commerce?"

Haotian smiled and replied, "Can you afford it?"

"Well..." Sophia looked embarrassed. She couldn't afford it. The chamber's funds were already invested in other goods. Even if they had the money, buying such a large quantity of Elven Spring Water was out of the question. She estimated the barrel's worth at several million gold coins.

Sophia cautiously asked, "Then what do you intend, my lord?"

Haotian said, "Help me sell this Elven Spring Water in Forest City. I'll give you a three percent commission."

"Three percent? Isn't that a bit..."

"Low?" Haotian looked at her with a smile that made her drop any thoughts of bargaining.

"It's a very generous offer, my lord!" Sophia quickly agreed.

"Good to hear. Then start packing it up."

"Shouldn't we sign a contract, my lord?" Sophia asked, somewhat hesitant.

Haotian chuckled, "Would a contract really matter?" In the face of significant enough profit, even sworn brothers might turn against each other.

Sophia saw the logic in his words. She immediately took out several large barrels from her spatial equipment, originally meant to carry high-quality fruit wine to the nomads in Vastian City.

"My lord, my spatial equipment is full. Would you care for this fruit wine as a gift from the Crystal Chamber of Commerce?"

"You're quite the businesswoman," Haotian remarked, accepting the fruit wine which was needed in his territory. He instructed the Royal Knights to store it in the warehouse.

Sophia carefully stored the large barrel of Elven Spring Water in her spatial equipment. She had to be careful with such valuable goods; any loss would be irreplaceable.

Then Haotian handed her ten thousand Red Dragon Fruits. "Sell these along with the Elven Spring Water, and use part of the gold to buy enough food for ten thousand people for a month."

"Understood, my lord!" Sophia nodded. In Forest City, food was plentiful and cheap, making procurement simple.

"How long will a round trip take?" Haotian asked.

"We left Forest City a week ago, so it takes about half a month to travel back and forth," Sophia calculated. "Including selling and purchasing, we should return in about three weeks."

"Too long!" Haotian said. "I'll give you half a month. You can leave your current goods in my territory and travel light."

Sophia looked to Simon, who nodded in agreement. Traveling light would save a lot of time. They could also purchase more spatial equipment for future trips, further speeding up the process.

"Very well, we will return within half a month," Sophia assured Haotian.

"Excellent!" Haotian nodded in satisfaction. "Set off immediately. I await your good news in the Golden Oasis!"

Sophia's eyelid twitched. Was he serious? She had hoped to rest and enjoy a bath. But after replenishing their water supply, she and Simon set off with their caravan, leaving behind all their goods except for a few guards.

The guards were confused but received no explanation from Sophia or Simon, who were wary of the risk involved. Carrying goods worth millions of gold coins, they couldn't afford any mishaps.

Once they were far from the Golden Oasis, Sophia mused, "What a remarkable encounter! That lord must have powerful backers to be so unafraid of us betraying him."

Simon nodded. "His confidence suggests someone formidable supports him. Betraying him would mean living on the run forever. The potential future gains far outweigh the immediate profits."

Sophia agreed. Even a three percent commission on such high-value goods was substantial, promising tens of thousands of gold coins in earnings. This was just the beginning; future cooperation seemed likely and profitable.

"I look forward to our next meeting with the lord," Sophia said. "Next time, I'll make sure to stay a few days in the Golden Oasis."

Simon, puzzled, simply nodded in agreement.