HBWnovel Chapter 53 A piece of iron the size of a basketball
Chapter 53 A piece of iron the size of a basketball
Want to chat?
Su Jin stopped what he was doing, stuffed the freshly caught stone slab fish into the fish box, and subconsciously wanted to refuse.
Because of the two idiots' behavior, he had a very bad impression of the people here.
He wouldn't want to go near these islands if it weren't for fishing.
But then he recalled how the other person addressed him, which actually placed him in a lower position and sounded pleasant.
He looked up in the direction the sound came from.
This was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. His suit was filthy, with many half-yellowed leaves still visible on it, making him look rather disheveled.
At this moment, the middle-aged man was rubbing his hands together, looking at Su Jin with a fawning expression.
When he saw Su Jin looking at him, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.
Su Jin had attracted his attention ever since he arrived in the archipelago. After all, it was hard not to notice such a conspicuous ship unexpectedly entering their territory.
As a seasoned business executive, he immediately recognized Su Jin's extraordinary qualities.
At a time when everyone else is quietly developing their skills on the island, someone is actually wearing a fine white wolf fur jacket and can even sail a boat on the sea!
This person's strength is beyond doubt. After all, to be able to build a ship with bare hands in just a few days is what kind of terrifying upright ape it is.
Secondly, this big shot actually dared to go to sea!
Moreover, even after the sea monster crisis ended, they still dared to go out to sea and sail in this terrifying and dangerous ocean...
Whether it's the other party's confidence, their willingness to fight, or his discerning eye for people over the years, it all comes down to this.
A person with such a strong heart and such courage is destined for great things!
If you can get in touch with such a big shot, he should have a much more comfortable life in the future. The most important thing is that he has some good stuff that no one else can sell.
While he was sizing up Su Jin, Su Jin was also sizing him up.
The middle-aged man had chapped lips and a sallow complexion; he was clearly not doing well these past few days.
However, he made a fairly good impression on Su Jin, at least he lowered his stance and showed some sincerity.
As for the person, he looked a bit greasy, like an old fox.
But compared to communicating with a silly person, he prefers to communicate with someone who seems intelligent, at least that person should be able to understand human language instead of just barking like a dog.
Without hesitation, Su Jin made a decision, and based on his previous experience, he did not approach, but only communicated with the other party from a distance at the bow of the ship.
"We can chat, but only if the topic interests me. I don't like wasting time talking to people."
His meaning was clear: he wanted to get straight to the point.
"I guarantee it will interest the big boss!" The middle-aged man was overjoyed. He straightened his posture and tried his best to make himself look better so as not to be looked down upon during negotiations.
He cleared his throat and said:
"My surname is Zhang, you can just call me Lao Zhang. I'd like to make a deal with you, sir. I wonder if you'd be interested in this?"
As he spoke, he ran behind a rock, bent down as if digging, and then returned with a shiny black, irregularly shaped metal block about the size of a basketball in his hands.
Upon seeing the shiny black metal block, Su Jin subconsciously frowned, then immediately relaxed, his eyes revealing surprise.
This is a single piece of iron!
Moreover, judging from its pure color, it's not iron ore; it's probably pure iron!
This is really good stuff; he desperately needs it right now.
Iron is not easy to find, especially in nature. Without finding an iron ore vein, it is very difficult to obtain iron.
The fact that this middle-aged man called Lao Zhang had such a large piece of iron in his hand surprised Su Jin.
Then, he noticed something was wrong. He glanced at the makeshift spear made of tree branches at Old Zhang's feet and narrowed his eyes.
After all, if the other party has such a large piece of iron, they should be quite powerful, so why use... wooden tools?
Unless... the other party isn't unwilling to use it, but simply unable to!
It’s tricky!
Su Jin's lips curled slightly upwards. He raised an eyebrow, feigning interest, and said:
"Indeed, I'm very interested. My name is Su Jin. You should have heard of me. I think we can continue... chatting."
"Su...Jin..." Old Zhang murmured the name, then suddenly remembered something.
Wasn't this supposed to be announced server-wide the very next day, saying it was about the first player to upgrade their island to level 2?!
He was immediately shaken, and looked at Su Jin with a strange surprise in his eyes. He never expected that he would actually meet this big shot here!
It seems that God has blessed him and allowed him to meet a benefactor.
He secretly resolved to seize this opportunity, establish a friendly cooperative relationship with this bigwig, and latch onto his coattails.
Upon learning Su Jin's identity, he subconsciously bowed slightly, his eyes even showing a hint of flattery.
"Oh! So it's you, Boss Su Jin! It's a pleasure to meet you. Your name is legendary, I remember..."
"Stop!" Su Jin said calmly, stopping Lao Zhang from continuing to flatter him, pretending not to care, but secretly delighted.
That was his goal: to use his reputation to elevate his own place and make Old Zhang feel like he was being treated as a superior.
In transaction negotiations, those in higher positions often hold the initiative.
He desperately needed this piece of iron, since iron was essential for making iron axes and other iron tools, and it was a strategic resource.
He has an even greater need for iron, because he needs iron to chop steel and wood, and he estimates that a stone axe wouldn't be able to cut even a fraction of it.
But he can't show that he really wants it. Being interested is one thing, but acting like he lacks it is another. It's easy to manipulate.
After stopping Old Zhang, he continued in a calm tone:
"No need for flattery, let's continue our conversation. What do you want to exchange this piece of iron for?"
Old Zhang felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Sure enough, these big shots are not easy to deal with. Like his old rivals, they are all old wolves and old foxes.
However, the other party finally mentioned something he was interested in, so he pretended to think for a moment and immediately stated his request.
"Water, food, and... I want tools, or perhaps weapons!"
"Okay." Su Jin pursed his lips. He wasn't surprised that Lao Zhang made these requests, but he didn't want to agree to them so quickly.
Suddenly, he changed the subject, no longer discussing the details of the transaction, but instead asking the other party about the origin of the iron piece.
"Hey Lao Zhang, I'm really curious where you got this piece of iron. Since you have iron, why don't you make your own weapons?"
When asked this question, Lao Zhang's smile immediately froze.
What was bound to happen has finally happened. He's acting like a beggar pulling out a piece of gold; nothing about him seems normal.
Every husband is not guilty, and he is guilty of his crime.
This is a dog-eat-dog world where transactions are based on equal strength, but right now he's clearly too weak.
If he has no other value besides this piece of iron, then what I'm facing is probably not a transaction anymore.
He took a deep breath and swallowed back the lame excuse of picking up the item while taking a walk. At the same time, to show his sincerity, he decided to tell the truth.
"Boss, I also want to make it myself, but I don't have the ability. I got this piece of iron by fishing with my talent 'Air Force King'."