Count Black Moon completely disregarded the mental, physical, and moral damage he was inflicting on these young people and continued, "The channels you can find on the Empire's side are nothing more than Viscount Maomin and Sir Anju. On the Alliance side, it's just Sameran or Zahn; these are all well-known brokers for smuggled goods, but their commissions are very high."
Count Black Moon paused, then added, "You have no way to spread your goods to the Empire and Alliance homeworlds, let alone more distant countries. You can still only try to transport them to the border via smuggling ships, and then transfer them through several hands, right?"
Yu Lian glanced at Yahata again. The latter pushed up his glasses, using the glare to hide his eyes, and then said, "Indeed, we are just a civilian social organization from the Commonwealth, a second-rate country. It's inevitable that we'll be taken advantage of by middlemen."
"You're not just being taken advantage of; you're being exploited to the bone," the other party directly interrupted.
Even Yahata's cheek twitched involuntarily: "Then, what about you...?"
"Of course! So, give these to me, and you can get five times the profit or more." The most legendary hero in human history patted the box beneath him and said earnestly, "So, Young Master of Autumn Mountain, can you make this decision?"
Yu Lian hid behind the crowd, covering his forehead. He felt he needed some space to clear his ears and was starting to want to leave.
Uncle Six and the others were somewhat tempted, looking at Yahata with eager eyes.
Autumn Mountain Yawata, however, after several minutes of contemplation, managed to force out a warm, earnest, businessman-like smile. Although a bit stiff, it was the most vivid expression Yu Lian had seen that night, apart from a poker face.
"We have already reached agreements with certain important figures in the Empire and the Alliance. Perhaps in your eyes, he is nothing, but to me, he is a figure we cannot afford to offend. Therefore, we must deliver these goods into their hands. If you truly wish to cooperate with us, perhaps next time. Definitely next time..."
The Count interrupted him again: "Those so-called important figures you found don't know how much stock is here. And I don't believe someone as cautious as you would speak so definitively."
Autumn Mountain Yawata sighed, a bit deflated, and said, "Then, how exactly do you want to cooperate? Please lay it out. I'm all ears."
"I want half of the goods here," Count Black Moon said with a smile. "Also, I'm very poor, so I can't give you a deposit or down payment now, but in a month, I'll give you five times the payment for the goods, which will be 2 billion Blue Star Credits."
Everyone fell silent, unsure if they were awestruck by the 2 billion profit or shocked by the audacious claim of no deposit whatsoever.
"...Shouldn't it be 2.5?" Yu Lian mumbled softly.
"I also need to make a profit! Otherwise, why would I work myself to death and take such a big risk, just for charity?" Count Black Moon clearly heard the remark and explained very seriously, "Without a fifty-fifty split, or passing it from left hand to right, I think I've been very fair. After all, my reputation has been cultivated for five hundred years, and I personally believe it's worth this price."
Although Count Black Moon had adopted such a demeanor, based on Yu Lian's few past interactions with him in his previous life, the overall character of this chivalrous thief was actually quite good.
His code of conduct in later generations was identical to his past self, and even his predecessors; he remained the same chivalrous thief who robbed the rich to help the poor and aided those in distress.
Moreover, the universe in later generations was so turbulent, which naturally led to even more legends about Count Black Moon.
Of course, for the general public, Count Black Moon appearing so frequently truly couldn't be considered a good thing, could it?
Later on, when Yu Lian was preparing to officially embark on his journey to Explore that ruin, he heard that the Alliance was planning to produce TV series and movies about Count Black Moon...
All in all, according to the analytical method Teacher Li taught him, "Count Black Moon" belonged to the type of people who had a conscience, a certain revolutionary spirit, and could be won over—"a bit careless in minor matters," but "absolutely not muddled in major matters."
It should be like that, right?
His "a bit careless in minor matters" could be seen in the fact that this person was discussing a fake medicine business with a group of gangsters, and it was a large international business, figuring out how to sell fake medicine abroad!
Oh, right, this couldn't even be called a business. Have you ever seen a middleman take goods directly from a manufacturer without even paying a deposit?
From Autumn Mountain Yawata's side, someone probably expressed similar doubts, and then, Count Black Moon was heard saying earnestly, "Of course there are! In many corporate dealings, to ensure completely smooth production, sales, and logistics channels, payments can be settled quarterly or even semi-annually."
So, we're doing such a streamlined, big business? All the members of the energetic social organization were instantly smug, as if they could truly chat and laugh with various business magnates in the CBDs of Pearl City and Big Apple.
However, no deposit, no down payment? This is...
"Yahata, this, this guy is trying to get something for nothing! In our circles, that's incredibly stingy! We have to be careful! If half of this stock goes down the drain, the boss, you..." Uncle Six whispered.
"Actually, I can accept it..." Yahata said instead.
Uncle Six closed his mouth, his expression a bit strange, as if he didn't know whether to be relieved or worried.
Yu Lian, however, knew why Autumn Mountain was doing this. Simply put, the goods were already under his butt; even if he couldn't take them, he could just burn them down and call it quits.
No one would believe that the dignified Count Black Moon couldn't escape from dozens of unkempt individuals here.
What's more, he had been rampant in the underworld for centuries, and while his fearsome reputation spread far and wide, so did his chivalrous one; he truly had no record of breaking promises.
The business card of the dignified Count Black Moon, his credibility, was far higher than most multinational banks.
Of course, there was actually a small detail here.
"Alright, if Your Excellency is indeed Count Black Moon, then you are certainly worthy of this respect... But how can you prove that you are him?" Uncle Six still asked loudly, his face stern.
Yes, this was indeed a very practical problem. After all, in this day and age, there were countless examples of people impersonating celebrities to scam food and drink. Not to mention Count Black Moon, there had been quite a few "Duke Dark Moon" and "King Sun" imposters.
Although this guy could easily infiltrate a heavily guarded warehouse, although he could use a cognitive interference field to sway the minds of dozens of people, although he could snatch the head of a Three Rings spiritual energy user... but there's no reason to say that a master definitely wouldn't impersonate, right? Are there really so few masters with twisted senses of humor these days?
Count Black Moon nodded: "Your godfather, Autumn Mountain Ryuuichi, is not the son of the former head, Autumn Mountain Fuyuhito, and his legal wife, but rather with someone named Mayuko..."
Uncle Six quickly interrupted: "Yes, I'm sure you are Count Black Moon! So we will definitely believe you!"
This gossip was something I hadn't even heard in my previous life, and it was probably a big one. Didn't you see Autumn Mountain Yawata next to him looking completely bewildered?
"Ya, Yahata, this matter, you should go back and ask the boss... ah no, ask the old man. This, these are mistakes made by the elders when they were young, not good to tell outsiders..."
"Additionally, I have one more request." Count Black Moon paused and said, "After I bring your money back, I hope you can invest every penny of it into expanding the scale of this factory."
"You, even if you owe a debt of gratitude to the previous generation's old man, don't push your luck!" Uncle Six started hopping again.
But this time, the Count didn't speak, just kept looking at Yahata, who could make the decision.
"You mean, if I expand production, you can solve the sales problem, right?"
The Count nodded.
"But why would I do that? You should understand, Count, this is just..."
"Just call me Black Moon or Black Great Hero. The Empire's peerage has nothing to do with me," he interrupted.
...Alright, Black Great Hero. You also know that this is Big Apple City, one of the largest cities on this planet, and even in the entire Commonwealth. I've done my utmost to acquire land in its suburbs and establish this plantation and factory. If the scale expands further, it will attract too much covetousness. After all, the business we do is not entirely legal. Do you think the Kuki-gumi's enemies are only in the underworld?"
Before the other party could ask, he added, "...Yes, I can indeed build factories in other remote, less noticeable places. However, Big Apple City's advantages are unshakeable. It is the largest commercial port on Earth, with countless super-large cargo ships docking daily; our smuggling ships blend in, making us a small target. Furthermore, this is a metropolis, an industrial base of Earth, capable of providing quality labor."
At this point, he even seemed a bit proud.
"It sounds a bit ridiculous, but it's true. Although our crystal capsules are legally defined as high-imitation drugs, they are absolutely very precise fine chemical products! They are not like those fake drugs circulating on the market that can be produced in small workshops with just a boiler. I have a mature refining assembly line, advanced raw material cultivation technology, advanced lighting, energy supply, and mechanical equipment. Quality control is even stricter than Morison Pharmaceuticals, which claims to be legitimate."
Yahata finally pushed up his glasses, completely adopting the demeanor of someone introducing a high-tech enterprise. His expression was blank, and his tone was calm, but every pore seemed to radiate pride and arrogance.
"So, Black Great Hero, I need excellent technicians, excellent Engineers, excellent workshop managers, excellent production schedulers, and excellent industrial management personnel! Big Apple City is still one of Earth's industrial centers. That's why I can find reliable manpower..."
"And you can also take the opportunity to build up your reputation in Big Apple City, recruit some enforcers among the citizens, and expand your organization's influence, right?" Yu Lian suddenly interjected from the side.
Autumn Mountain Yawata glanced at Yu Lian, pushed up his glasses, and said self-righteously, "Yes!"
"Also, Golden Apple should be one of the raw materials for your new version of crystal pills, right?" Yu Lian asked again.
Autumn Mountain Yawata said nothing, his expression not even softening. He understood the principle that loose lips sink ships.
"Don't overthink it, I was definitely just guessing! But your reaction has already said it all."
What reaction did I even make? Autumn Mountain Yawata hid his eye roll with the glare from his glasses.
"And also, the current Uncle Tanaka, Mayor of Big Apple City, has some connection with your Autumn Mountain family, doesn't he?" Yu Lian continued.
...His father and my grandfather were sworn brothers; he is willing to provide us with limited protection." This time, the guy didn't hide anything at all.
"Or rather, it's precisely because of your foster uncle's rise to power that your Kuki-gumi thought of opening a new factory in Big Apple City, expanding production capacity, and then ambitiously selling the medicine abroad, right?" Yu Lian continued to ask.
Autumn Mountain Yawata nodded in agreement.
"But that's not free! Uncle Tanaka, Mayor also has political enemies, and his term is limited, isn't it?" Yu Lian asked again.
After this string of attacks, Autumn Mountain Yawata fell completely silent.
"This young man makes a lot of sense!" Count Black Moon said with a smile and a relaxed tone, "Also, if we can't solve some problems before the sun rises tomorrow, Uncle Tanaka, Mayor won't be in office for much longer! And that's the other reason I came to visit you!"
Autumn Mountain Yawata frowned, pondered for a few seconds, then asked directly, "Are you saying that tonight's unrest in Big Apple City is not just a simple worker riot, but a deeper conspiracy, and its scale might expand?"
He paused, then added, "And, it's very likely related to the All-Unification Church?"