The rise of the poor

Chapter 2285 Black Market

"These Japanese pirates are just that—pirates. They have eyes but can't recognize Mount Tai, eyes but can't recognize gold and jade, they have eyes but can't see the value in me. They even dared to rob me of my wolfskin rug! They are utterly despicable!"

After the Japanese pirate patrol boat had gone far away, Luo Longwen jumped up and down, cursing the Japanese pirates as blind bastards.

The two lackeys also jumped up and down, cursing.

The captain and his crew curled their lip in disdain. "Cowards. They only dare to curse after the other person has gone far away."

Fortunately, they did not encounter any more Japanese pirate patrol boats on the rest of their journey, and they arrived at Ligang Wharf without incident.

"Port entry fee, fifty-eight taels of silver!" The Japanese pirate leader patrolling the dock stretched out his hand to the captain.

"Wasn't it thirty taels of silver?" The captain stopped his hand from reaching into his pocket. "Why are there odd amounts left over?"

"Thirty taels of silver were given to the boss, and twenty-eight taels were what I kept. As for why it was twenty-eight taels, it's because I have twenty-eight brothers who are loyal to me. One tael of silver for each of them isn't much, is it?"

The patrolling pirate leader revealed a set of yellowed teeth and gave the captain a hostile smile.

The Japanese pirates behind him also glared at the captain with hostile expressions, some even drawing their swords.

"Not much, not much," the captain hurriedly nodded and bowed.

"Your brothers each get one tael of silver, don't you want it?" One of Luo Longwen's lackeys, who had no brains, asked casually from behind the captain.

"Are you crazy?" The captain and the others couldn't help but look at him.

"Hmm, that makes sense. We can't let the brothers eat meat while I don't even drink the soup. The port entry fee has increased by two taels of silver, now it's sixty taels. They get one tael each, and I get two taels. That's not much, is it?! When the brothers eat meat, I have to eat heartily too."

The patrolling pirate leader gave Luo Longwen's lackey an approving look and raised the port entry fee by two taels of silver.

"You idiot!" The captain and the others stared speechlessly at Luo Longwen's lackey; he was truly an idiot.

After the captain paid the port entry fee of sixty taels of silver, Luo Longwen and his men finally set foot on the land of Ligang.

"Wow, what is that place? It's built in such a bizarre way, and there's a huge wooden frame with a cross on the roof?! What, is this a slaughterhouse, where pigs and sheep are hung on the frame to be slaughtered?!"

Luo Longwen pointed to a strange building on the island and asked the captain who was with him.

"Sir, that's not a slaughterhouse, that's a church," the captain shook his head and corrected.

"A church?! A school for educating children?!" Luo Longwen was stunned when he heard the word "church," and exclaimed with some surprise, "Wang Zhi is quite something, he even knows the importance of children's education."

"Ahem, sir, that's not a school for educating children; it's a place where the Red-haired and Golden-haired barbarians worship."

The captain coughed and explained.

"Be a believer?! Go to church?! What is all this about?" Luo Longwen was completely confused and frowned.

"May I let you know, sir? We have Buddhism and Taoism here, but these red-haired barbarians believe in some kind of God and Christ, called Christianity. This building is where they worship God and Christ. That crossed board is called a cross. They say it's the son of God who came to earth to preach, but he was nailed to a cross and died in the sun. That cross has become a sacred symbol of their religion, and it's said to be able to ward off evil spirits," the captain explained.

"What is this?! Dead people's things have become sacred objects?!" Luo Longwen shook his head upon hearing this.

"Besides the church, there is a hospital on this island, where doctors see patients, and a government office, which is the yamen run by Prince Hui, Wang Zhi. Disputes on the island can be resolved at the yamen. There are also inns, restaurants, and even a silver shop where people can exchange silver. This place is very similar to Shuangyu Port back then. Many places are still under construction. Prince Hui wants to make this place surpass Shuangyu Port of that time."

The captain pointed to the buildings on the island in a low voice and introduced them to Luo Longwen.

"This place is really bustling, with so many people coming and going, so many blond-haired, blue-eyed barbarians."

Luo Longwen was overwhelmed by what he saw.

"There's an inn up ahead; we can stay there," the captain said, pointing to a tall building.

“Alright, I’ll take a bath and change my clothes before I go to pay my respects to Wang Zhi.” Luo Longwen nodded.

"Fortune Inn, hehe, that's quite a straightforward name." Upon arriving at the inn and seeing its name, Luo Longwen couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you here to stay or just for a meal?" the innkeeper asked as Luo Longwen and his companions entered.

"Checking in." Luo Longwen looked the inn up and down, nodding in satisfaction. This inn was of a good standard.

"For a standard room, it's five taels of silver per room per day. For a superior room, it's ten taels of silver per day. What kind of rooms do you want, and how many rooms do you want?" the waiter asked.

"What?! Five taels of silver a day for a regular room? Ten taels of silver a day for a superior room? That's so expensive?! Why don't you just rob someone?!" One of Luo Longwen's lackeys jumped up when he heard that a room cost five taels of silver.

"Your inn is called the Fortune Inn, but it turns out you're the ones who get rich! I think you should just call it the Black Shop." Another lackey chimed in, jumping up and down.

"Your inn isn't even worthy of five taels of silver a room. Are you trying to take advantage of us because we're newcomers?!"

Luo Longwen's expression also changed.

Five taels of silver or ten taels of silver were nothing to him, but even if he was rich, he wasn't a sucker.

This inn, if it were located outside, would cost at most one or two taels of silver per day for a regular room, and even in the capital, it would be two or three hundred coins more expensive. Here, they dare to charge five taels of silver, almost ten times the original price! That's outrageous!

"This is our price, take it or leave it!" The shop assistant rolled his eyes, turned around and left.

"Hey, what kind of attitude is this?!" Luo Longwen said unhappily.

"That brat, get back here and apologize to my master!" The two lackeys shouted loudly in response.

"Who dares to cause trouble in the store?! Do they have a death wish?!"

Five samurai dressed in black and wielding Japanese swords rushed out from the backyard of the inn and headed towards Luo Longwen and his group.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. We're new here and don't know the prices on the island. It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

Seeing that things were not going well, the captain quickly stepped forward and bowed to the group of samurai.

"They said we're a shady business!" the shop assistant complained.

"Hey, you little bastard," the two lackeys said, reaching out their hands.

"Huh?!" The samurai drew his sword and approached. "You're saying we're a shady business?!"

"Ahem, it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. We didn't know the prices on the island. We're sorry, we're sorry. We need a room, one superior room and three ordinary rooms." The captain stepped forward to smooth things over, repeatedly winking at Luo Longwen and his two lackeys.

"Sorry, we were just ignorant." Luo Longwen, believing that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle, lowered his head.

The two lackeys were trembling with fear when they saw the samurai approaching with his sword; they slapped themselves twice in the face.

"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you!" The samurai snorted and let them go. (End of Chapter)