Inside the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Lin Yi walked steadily to Immanuel, reached out his hand, and spoke straight to the point.
"I'm Lin Yi, planning to trade with your camp, and they told me to come to you."
"Then you've found the right person. I'm the only one here authorized to do business with outsiders. I'm also in charge of distributing supplies and equipment." Immanuel shook hands with Lin Yi, wearing a professional smile on his face.
Then he wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked Lin Yi up and down: "You're an Asian? What kind of business do you want to conduct?"
"I have a large amount of food," Lin Yi succinctly replied.
"That's great. What do you want to exchange for it with us?" Immanuel's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, motioning for Lin Yi to walk with him as they talked.
"I'm very interested in Survivor Coins, exchanging 1 pound of food for 2.5 coins."
"Oh? Are you sure?" Immanuel looked at Lin Yi in astonishment, somewhat incredulous.
His thoughts drifted back to when the apocalypse first descended when vending machines were still visible everywhere.
However, there were very few who could kill zombies to earn coins.
Now, the number of Professionals has increased, but vending machines have vanished without a trace, becoming a legend.
Seeing Lin Yi only smile without explaining why he wanted coins, Immanuel wisely realized it was not his place to ask further.
So he nodded and asked, "We agree to your price, but how much food do you have?"
"That's hard to say, but I can guarantee that if the cooperation is stable, your camp with thousands of people won't have to worry about the food supply anymore!"
Lin Yi spoke with firm confidence.
His commanding words and demeanor made Immanuel stop in his tracks.
The old man held his breath, paused, and then couldn't help but ask, "You wouldn't have... robbed the Paris Grain Depot, would you?"
At this time, the two were on the plaza of the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Lin Yi looked up and saw the Sava Bell atop the 84-meter-high bell tower.
It's said to be the largest bell in the world!
An evil thought suddenly flashed through Lin Yi's mind: if there were ever a conflict with this camp, I must climb the bell tower and strike this bell hard.
Surely, by then, the zombies of the whole of Paris would madly storm this place like a tidal wave.
Lin Yi pulled his thoughts back and looked at Immanuel: "Let's start our trade with 450 pounds of food. How about it?"
"I accept. That can feed many people."
"Great, have someone come to the manhole cover to carry the food in an hour, and don't follow me."
Immanuel nodded understandingly: "I know the rules."
Lin Yi left the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
He wandered through the sewers for about ten minutes before finally finding a hidden corner.
With a thought, he teleported back to the Shelter and instructed Da Chuan and Louis to prepare the potatoes for the upcoming trade.
Moments later, the three of them, along with the prepared potatoes, returned to the real world and headed back to the cathedral.
Just out of the manhole cover.
Lin Yi saw a man pushing a cart.
"Are you the trader?" the man asked.
"That's right." Lin Yi nodded.
Then he had Louis and Da Chuan hand the potatoes to him so he could load them into the cart.
Fifteen minutes later, inside the Sacred Heart Cathedral.
"What's this? Potatoes?!" Immanuel exclaimed with excitement, nearly jumping three feet high with joy.
His face was full of amazement and disbelief: "These are fresh potatoes! Where did you get them?"
"How on earth did you do it? I've spent so much time trying to cultivate vegetables that can grow in this apocalyptic environment, but I've never succeeded..."
"How did you do it? Name your price, how about selling me the cultivation methods?"
"..."
Faced with Immanuel's barrage of frantic questions, Lin Yi was helpless; he could never reveal his secret.
So, he used a universal excuse!
"I have subordinates who can cultivate vegetables anywhere and even impart special properties to them. For example, they can be more nutritious or help wounds heal faster."
Lin Yi maintained a poker face, showing no sign of deceit.
Immanuel deflated instantly.
He said with no small regret: "I see... Alright, let's weigh these potatoes; they total 450 pounds, so I should —"
Lin Yi interrupted him with a smile: "A total of 1125 coins, but let's count it as a thousand this time, as an opening reward for our long-term cooperation."
Immanuel's mouth also curved into a smile: "Thank you for your generosity! I'm curious, when we can trade more potatoes?"
"Tomorrow, I'll place a ton of potatoes at a specific location in the sewer. Then I'll come find you, you can send someone to transport and weigh them, then we settle the payment. How does that sound?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll cheat you?"
"Not at all," Lin Yi replied bluntly.
Immanuel, surprised, looked up.
It was the first time he seriously assessed the man before him.
Honestly, he hadn't encountered a stranger worthy of respect in a long time.
The man in front of him, clad in black jeans and a green short-sleeve shirt, with a sturdy build and well-defined features, was clearly a tough guy.
Aside from his striking appearance and aura, his decisive and straightforward trading style was indeed admirable.
And surprisingly, he's an Asian?
"The younger generation will surpass us!" Immanuel suddenly exclaimed, extending his hand to Lin Yi.
Seeing Lin Yi's surprise, he explained: "I was a tour guide in my younger days and visited Asia."
Lin Yi shook hands with him and then turned and left.
As soon as he left, Immanuel ran to the lab to study the chemical composition of the potatoes carefully.
Moments later, the results of his discoveries amazed him—there was no trace of contaminants or fertilizer residue in the potatoes!
It was as if these potatoes were grown on an uninhibited island, with no signs of the zombie apocalypse.
Immanuel cut a potato into small pieces, planted them in the soil, and watered them thoroughly.
If his theory was correct, this could free all of humanity from hunger!
"Boss, aren't you afraid they'll cheat you?" in the sewer, Da Chuan couldn't hold his curiosity and asked.
Lin Yi smiled and patiently explained to him.
If the other party set a trap, the most he would lose was a ton of potatoes.
But the thousands of people at the Sacred Heart Cathedral would forever lose such a precious food trade channel.
Moreover, the other party can surely deduce from the way he accessed the Sacred Heart Cathedral that he has trade relations with more than just this camp.
If he included a clause forbidding the resale of food to the Sacred Heart Cathedral when trading with other clients, other camps would be happy to comply.
For the short-sighted gain of a ton of potatoes, Immanuel, the experienced ex-tour guide, surely wouldn't choose such a foolish act.
Da Chuan scratched his head, looking puzzled and half-understanding, "So doing business requires so much thought. It's easier to kill zombies!"
Lin Yi's mouth curled into a wicked smile: "Want to kill zombies? I'll give you the opportunity!"
"Ah!? No, please, boss!"