Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 112

Soon, the armored soldiers on guard bring over the carriages. To secure these carriages, Chen Hou gives Ye Zhou many valuable items, all of which Ye Zhou accepts with a smile.

After all, Chen Hou is a marquis. His family has ruled for generations and still holds many valuable goods.

But these items couldn’t be traded for money before.

Selling them to Ye Zhou is different—no one knows where the items go.

Especially since Ye Zhou can sell him identical goods at lower prices, with no drop in quality.

In this way, both sides actually profit.

In fact, Ye Zhou makes a substantial profit. Chen Hou, for his part, shows real courage—he even sells his own royal throne.

The throne has little actual value. Its material is rare but not expensive. Its worth lies in its symbolism. Because of that, the system values it at a shocking 18 million.

Now, Ye Zhou is only 26 million short of reaching the 50 million he needs for a dimensional jump.

Although Ye Zhou now sees money more as a number, most luxury items from noble families rarely fetch more than a few hundred thousand. Items worth over a million are rare. Most of his profit comes from quantity.

As for the truly valuable or sentimental heirlooms left by their ancestors—no one is willing to trade those for things like wine, salt, or sugar.

At least so far, Ye Zhou hasn’t met a wayward heir foolish enough to trade ancestral treasures for supermarket goods.

He actually feels a little disappointed by that.

While the common people scramble for food, the noble families have it much easier. They host poetry and singing parties daily, and the wine at their banquets comes from the supermarket. Many young nobles even begin collecting wine bottles—not for drinking, but for display.

It has been a month since the supermarket opened in Linzi, and the earliest merchants who leave have finally reached the capitals of the states of Lu and Zhao with large shipments of goods purchased from the supermarket.

The states of Lu and Zhao border Chen. In fact, calling them neighbors is generous—Chen is a pitiful little state sandwiched between two great powers.

With two mighty nations pampering one marquis, it’s as if Marquis Chen stumbles into good fortune.

The capital of Lu, Qufu.

Chen Shang sits in the carriage, a cup of tea in his hand, humming a cheerful tune and joking with the girl beside him. “Look at this tea—it’s something a merchant like me could never afford before.”

The young woman inhales the aroma and smiles. “Father, this trip to Lu will surely make you rich!”

Chen Shang grins. “Of course! I’ll buy more goods in Linzi before I leave. Whoever gets there first gets to eat meat; those who come late will only get the broth.”

The girl whispers, “Father, are you selling all these goods to the Duke of Lu?”

Chen Shang downs his tea and sets the empty cup aside before pulling her into his arms, stroking her hair. “That’s where you don’t understand. If I sell them, I definitely can’t sell to the monarch. If I charge too much, he might detain me, and I won’t make a single coin. If I sell too cheap, and he buys everything, then I’ll be the one at a loss. If I want to sell, I have to bleed a little first. I’ve already picked out a few items to gift to Madam Zhen, so she’ll protect me. Then I’ll sell to the noble houses.”

The girl raises an eyebrow. “Madam Zhen? Is she the king’s wife?”

Chen Shang laughs. “She’s a commoner who catches the king’s eye and becomes his wife. Everything that was out of reach before is now hers. Who wouldn’t be tempted?”

“But… would she dare?” she asks. “She’s of humble birth—she must be careful.”

Chen Shang chuckles. “What are we? We’re businessmen. Even if she doesn’t desire it, we need to stir that desire.”

The young woman nods in understanding but still asks, “But Father, why are you working so hard for Marquis Chen? Didn’t you always tell me merchants have no allegiance?”

The merchant rolls his eyes. “Didn’t I also tell you something else?”

“What else?” she asks.

Chen Shang smiles. “Businessmen pursue profit. If there’s a profit, we’ll go for it. People say that Chen State is doomed. But I don’t think so. If Chen State were really going to perish, why would a supermarket appear? Since the supermarket appears, it proves that Chen State has a special opportunity. I think Chen won’t perish. Chen is going to rise. In that case, why not help Chen rise? It’s far more beneficial to help than to harm.”

Chen Shang smirks. “Besides, if I can bribe the noble families of Lu, it’ll prove that Lu’s strength is just an illusion.”

Not only does he want to sell goods, but he also wants to use them to manipulate the noble families of Lu—making them beg him to sell.

The girl grins. “Father’s going to make a name for himself in Lu.”

No one knows exactly when it starts, but at some point, a rumor spreads in Lu that noble families are all chasing after a Chen merchant.

At first, no one believed it. Even the Duke of Lu just smiles when he hears it.

Everyone knows that Chen is poor. Apart from grain, they have little to offer. Chen merchants mainly sell grain, but Lu already has an abundant supply. The price of grain in Lu is low, and Chen merchants only earn a meager living.

Yet as time passes, not only does the rumor not fade—it intensifies.

Noble youths walking down the street are stopped and questioned:

“Young lord, did you buy something from that Chen merchant too? What is it that’s so good even the noble families are all scrambling for it?”

“Come on, show us! Let us see for ourselves!”

Most of these young lords have already been warned by their elders. They keep their mouths shut, or brush it off with something like, “It’s just grain, nothing special. My household has a lot of servants, so it’s normal to stock up.”

But today, a boy who is not even ten years old is stopped on the street.

The little lord is clearly well raised—rosy lips, white teeth, delicate as a girl. But he has quite the temper. As soon as someone asks him, he puffs up proudly and says, “Of course it’s something amazing! You’ve probably never even seen it. My father hadn’t either!”

The scholars surrounding him grows excited. “If you know what it is, little lord, don’t keep it secret. Let us have a look too.”

The little boy lifts his chin. His servants try to stop him, but they’re blocked off by the scholars.

He proudly says, “My favorite is rock candy!”

“Rock candy? Candy like ice?!”

“Exactly! I even brought some with me.” The young man pulls out a handful of rock sugar from his pouch.

The rock sugar is crystal clear, shaped like broken ice, and remains solid despite the heat. It doesn’t melt at all.

“It’s sweeter than honey!” he declares.

One of the scholars begs, “Young lord, may I try one?”

The young man hesitates but reluctantly hands one over, pouting. “You’d better savor it—I don’t have much. That merchant doesn’t sell a lot.”

The moment it touches his tongue, a burst of sweetness fills his mouth, making him shudder.

He has never tasted anything like it—truly sweeter than honey. It melts so fast he barely gets to savor the flavor before it’s gone.

His awestruck expression stirs the crowd into a frenzy.

“Young lord! Let me try too!”

“I’ll pay you for one!”

“Young lord!”

The young man, startled by the crowd’s enthusiasm, quickly throws his purse at them and makes a quick exit through the gap behind him.

Qufu… goes mad.