69novels Page 101
Page 101
"boast!"
Mo Jiang showed no respect to the warden, stating, "There is no prison in the world that I cannot escape from."
"There is no prisoner in the world that I cannot control!"
When men start arguing, objective factors no longer matter; all that remains is stubbornness, stubbornness, and more stubbornness.
"Do you dare to go into a jail cell for an interview?"
"Do you dare let me go to jail?"
Just as the two were arguing to the point where they needed to put their words into action, the office door was pushed open, and the figure of a half-elf paladin walked in. "Did I just hear you two betting on the prison's escape prevention capabilities?"
As she spoke, Irebeth glanced at the butterbeer on the table, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You guys get drunk even from butterbeer?"
Drinking butterbeer can make you drunk, which on Earth is comparable to lying in bed for three hours after drinking a sip of cola.
Irebeth's arrival brought the two of them back to their senses, and they immediately looked to the other side of the office.
Warden Alasu looked at the thick wooden table, as if discovering for the first time how flat and smooth his own table was.
Mo Jiang looked at the ceiling, trying to find if anyone was hiding inside the ventilation duct.
Seeing that the two had stopped arguing, the half-elf paladin also stopped discussing the previous topic and said to Mo Jiang, "The investigation is complete. [Rat Shadow] first attempted to steal your belongings, then cornered you in an alley and extorted money from you. Your retaliation was entirely in accordance with the laws of Neverwinter. I apologize for making you wait so long, but you are safe now."
Upon hearing that Mo Jiang had not violated the laws of Neverwinter, Warden Alasu looked somewhat disappointed.
He was probably thinking that if Mo Jiang really broke the law, then the two of them could put their argument into practice.
Alasu is certain that the cells in Mojiang's prison are checked three times a day. Not to mention drilling holes in the walls, he'll have someone fill in any cracks in the walls.
The warden's expression was so obvious that both Mo Jiang and Irebeth could see it clearly, but Mo Jiang just smiled and didn't say anything more.
With his ability to travel through portals, nothing has yet been found that can interfere with his ability to open portals. Even if he were to go to prison, it would just be a matter of opening a portal for him.
However, that would put him and Neverwinter in a hostile situation.
Fortunately, the half-elf paladin brought back the result that he was innocent, so Mo Jiang no longer needed to stand on the opposite side of Neverwinter.
Otherwise, the only ones who would suffer would be Neverwinter.
Having confirmed that he had not broken the law, and given that it was getting late, Mo Jiang left the prison and returned to the tavern.
Since the journey was a bit long, and considering that Mo Jiang had only recently arrived in Neverwinter, Irebeth found a city guard to guide him.
After walking for more than an hour, Mojiang finally returned to the hotel.
After returning to his lodgings, he first went to the stables, where Tianjie was still being well taken care of with good food and drink. Only after seeing that Tianjie was alright did Mo Jiang leave, satisfied.
It seems the tavern he's staying at is quite reputable; at least it can protect its guests' belongings.
At the same time, Mo Jiang thought about whether he should try to become a mage, or work part-time as a ranger and druid.
If I remember correctly, all of these professions have pet skills that can enhance warhorses, hunting dogs, and golden eagles.
However, Mo Jiang couldn't quite remember which specific professions required these skills and needed to find some relevant information.
He was well aware of the existence of the portal, and finding suitable teammates would be quite troublesome. Before forming a fixed team, his animal companions were undoubtedly his best partners.
Strengthening animal companionship is a significant priority.
184. Real Business Warfare: Ground-Drilled Aircraft, Poisoning Assassination, Suicide with Eight Shots in the Back
Over the next few days, Mojang began conducting investigations on the main commercial streets of Neverwinter.
This time, the focus wasn't on investigating prices, but rather on finding suitable shops.
Neverwinter is famous for its water clocks, lanterns, and jewelry.
Water clocks made in Neverwinter, provided there is a sufficient water supply, have an error margin of less than five minutes per year. Each of these clocks costs 150 gold coins, can be carried by one person with both hands, and is quite popular in towns and residences in civilized areas.
The colored lanterns are carefully mixed and blown glass products, designed to emit a pleasant light at night, illuminating the walls of houses. These lanterns are found throughout the country, and each typically sells for 5 gold coins.
During this period, Mo Jiang inspected more than a dozen water clocks and colored lights, and even spent a lot of money to buy samples for careful examination, and finally came to a conclusion.
That is, high-end water clocks and lanterns are more refined than mass-produced products in modern industrial society due to the craftsmanship of artisans, but mid-to-low-end water clocks and lanterns are completely outclassed by products of modern industrial society, and are also crushed in terms of output.
If you find three or five factories in modern times and put them at full capacity, their output in one month would be equivalent to the total output of Neverwinter for two or three years.
Even with magic and divine arts, the overall productivity of the continent of Faerûn remains at the level of the Middle Ages, far lower than that of modern society.
Even if things like mage towers and floating cities exist only in fantasy, individual cases cannot be taken as the norm.
But you can't blame the people of Faerûn, after all, there really is magic and gods here.
When individuals can become incredibly powerful, and there are even beings beyond the norm like "gods," the path of individuals becoming stronger and then using that strength to gain more benefits, and then becoming even stronger, becomes fixed.
This route is repeatable and has a considerable probability of crossing social classes.
In this environment, don't expect the Faerûn to come up with anything that would improve productivity for the lower classes.
Just like in modern times, if you invent a technology that improves the productivity of human society, no one can say anything about it.
But what if someone developed technology that allowed cats and dogs to walk upright, freeing up our hands, and even improving their intelligence to near-human levels...?
Then you might get insulted, and some people might even secretly want to kill you.
Mo Jiang then decided to take over a shop, initially deciding to sell clocks and colored lights. Mechanical watches have a daily error of about thirty seconds, and compared to water clocks that need to be carried with both hands, wristwatches are undoubtedly a necessary tool for many adventurers and merchants.
Mojiang Lanterns, on the other hand, has conducted market research and found that while they offer a wide variety of colors, they cannot be described as rich, and the production volume of some popular colors is relatively low.
Even some uniquely designed and exquisite lanterns need to be ordered several months or even a year in advance.
Mo Jiang saw a blue ocean in the lantern market, with the output of modern industry, and he had almost no competitors in Neverwinter City.
That being said, if you really dare to dominate or even monopolize the market, the merchants might just band together and offer a bounty on your head.
The methods used in business warfare vary from place to place.
In Mojiang, the hometown of business rivals, business battles involve pouring hot water on the rival's money tree, stealing the statue of the God of Wealth, seizing the company seal, and even the boss climbing over the wall.
But the business battles in Ferren are definitely in a capitalist style.
The incident involved a plane crash, poisoning, an assassination attempt, and a suicide by being shot eight times in the back. Aside from the death of the victim's family, no one else was injured in the shipwreck.
Even the bodies of the shipwreck victims showed no signs of drowning, while the clothes on the others were still dry.
In just a few days, Mo Jiang, through a half-man acting as an intermediary, took over a poorly managed shop that was about to close down.
Inside the shop, Mo Jiang looked around at the obvious signs of vandalism and frowned as he asked, "Baggins, are you sure this shop was sold because of poor management? It looks to me like it was forced out by a gang."
The halfling broker, Baggins, explained, "The owner of this shop lost a lot of money at the casino and had no choice but to sell it at a low price. I've inquired and there's nothing dirty going on. The shop is being put up for sale because the people behind the casino are having financial problems and urgently need cash."
Halflings are typically between 90 centimeters and 1 meter tall, reach adulthood at 20 years old, and have a lifespan of about 150 years.
Halflings are known for their opportunism; they can be diligent residents or dabble in crime. They value material enjoyment and often see adventure as a means to acquire wealth and status. Their optimistic nature and talent for avoiding trouble make them adept at reconnaissance and special missions.
In their professions, they typically become businessmen, officials, lawyers, doctors, or criminals.
Mo Jiang looked around the entire shop. Although it was called a shop, it was actually more like a three-story building.
The first floor is the storefront, the second floor is the warehouse, and the attic on the third floor has two rooms used for accommodation.
At the same time, the shop is located in a commercial area. Although it is not the most popular location, it is by no means remote.
A good location means a high price.
Mo Jiang did the math and realized that the other party's offer was equivalent to 70% of the gold he was carrying.
The halfling Baggins rubbed his hands together. He could tell that Mo Jiang had a very strong desire to buy. If this deal went through, the brokerage fee alone would be enough for him to have fun and enjoy himself for three months without having to work.
"Are you sure that after I take over this place, the casino won't come knocking on our door?"
If it had been taken over from the previous business owner, Mo Jiang wouldn't have been so worried.
But now that he's taken over the shop from a casino, he has to be careful. There must be some powerful force behind a casino, and Mo Jiang doesn't want to get into a fight with any local underworld forces at this time.
It's not that he's afraid of the local forces; if necessary, he's fully capable of wiping out the entire gang.
Rather, before the events of Neverwinter Nights even begin, he doesn't intend to offend Neverwinter and be driven out of the city, thus preventing him from participating in this major event.
This is both a major event and a great opportunity; the things obtained here are so precious that they are priceless.
"No, that casino is backed by a noble official, and the reason they are in a hurry to sell is that keeping the shop in their hands would make them vulnerable to attacks from their rivals."
The halfling Baggins didn't say which casino it was, nor did he say who the big shot behind it was.
These are not free resources, and he won't tell you the details until Mo Jiang pays for them.
Of course, if Mo Jiang shows that he won't buy without this information, Baggins will tell him.
After all, the cost of that intelligence is nothing compared to the intermediary fee.
However, Mo Jiang had no intention of digging deeper. Knowing that there would be no subsequent trouble after taking over the shop, he quickly made his decision.
"Okay, I'll take this shop. When do we go to complete the formalities?"
“It can be done now. The people from the casino are not far away. You can go directly to the city hall to complete the transfer procedures, and exchange money for goods.”
A few hours later, the ownership of the shop located on the commercial street was transferred to Mo Jiang's name.
185. A fifteen-year-old level four mage?
A new shop selling lanterns and clocks has opened in Neverwinter, but not many people know about it yet.
Despite being newly opened, the store has neither advertised nor put up any signs at the entrance; in fact, they've only just started having their sign made.
They didn't even bother to ask someone to call out a few words at the door.
If there were levels to starting a business, this store would undoubtedly be classified as "waiting to close down," and the owner would be criticized as a rich second-generation spendthrift who wasted his money on starting a business.
Mo Jiang wasn't indifferent to the shop; it's just that he still had a lot of work to do after the shop was renovated.
The most crucial issue is the source of goods. He entrusted this matter to Ah Long, but finding a suitable manufacturer will take some time.
Now, Ah Long works as an accountant for a newly opened company in Mojiang, in addition to various other part-time jobs.
Of course, the salary offered by Mojiang is higher than that of ordinary office workers, and most importantly...
Ah Long doesn't need to clock in every day; all he needs to do is keep his phone on and check for messages.
Mo Jiang recruited those interested in Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) into the company. For the time being, no departments were set up, and for a considerable period, Mo Jiang only needed them to do odd jobs.
As for performance KPI assessments, those are not things he needs to care about.
Mojang doesn't plan to put products related to Neverwinter stores in the Watch Dogs world; he wants to spread his eggs across several baskets.
Ah Long and his team are handling the supply of goods, but only Mo Jiang can make decisions regarding matters in Neverwinter.
He needs to hire a helper for the shop.
Mo Jiang himself clearly did not intend to stay in the shop all day, and the various chores of running the shop were also quite time-consuming.
He simply intended to establish a business in Neverwinter, hoping to gain access to subsequent plague events.
He had no intention of personally handling all the troublesome things that needed to be done to open a shop.
Therefore, even earlier than shop signs were the job postings displayed at the entrance of shops.
The job posting at the entrance attracted some curious people to stop and look, but after finding it was just an ordinary job posting, they did not linger.
The job posting was vague about the job description and didn't specify the salary; it only mentioned "to be discussed." For someone from Neverwinter, it was unlikely to be a respectable job.
After the job posting was completed, several people came to apply, but ultimately none of them were successful.
Either they thought the job was just for menial tasks, or they didn't know how to do accounting; neither of these met Mojiang's requirements.
After all, he wanted a shopkeeper who could manage the shop independently, not just a simple employee.
Just as night was about to fall and Mo Jiang was preparing to close the door, the wind chimes at the door suddenly swayed gently, and a person completely wrapped in a black cloak entered.
The person was not very tall, about 1.5 or 1.6 meters. His black cloak was obviously the style for long-distance travel, used to shield him from the wind, sand and branches in the forest. The cloak was also covered with red mud and dust.
Red soil is not common in Neverwinter. It is most likely found at the foot of a mountain about ten kilometers away from the city. Based on the above traces, this should be a traveler who has just arrived in Neverwinter.
Moreover, they may have experienced a dangerous battle on their way here.
There were several darker patches on the cloak, and Mo Jiang could also smell the blood emanating from it.
The smell of blood was very faint, indicating that it had been treated. However, Mo Jiang's senses were far beyond those of ordinary people, so this rough treatment was as good as nothing to him.
"Excuse me, are you hiring here? I just saw a job posting outside."
A soft, gentle female voice came from beneath the cloak, which made Mo Jiang take another look at the cloaked figure.