Chapter 4232 — A Nominal Escort
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Many thanks for your kindness, Brother Qi. We two have only just arrived and know nothing of how things are done in the Wei Arc sea region. Could you tell us something about the Qingtian Escort Agency, so that we may find our footing the sooner?" Wei Zhao seized the moment to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"That's easily done. The business our Qingtian Escort Agency handles is, in truth, nothing more than the escort trade the world over knows of. What we do day to day is carry goods for others to the other great islands—there's nothing particularly special about it," Qi Wenmo said with a smile.
"Oh? Yet on North Island we scarcely ever see an escort agency, least of all a large and powerful one. Could it be that we've simply been too secluded to hear of them?" Wei Zhao exchanged a glance with Huang Xiaotao, genuinely puzzled.
By his reckoning, he had been on Cloud Ladder Island for more than a year now, and had seen a fair share of things, yet he had never once dealt with any escort agency.
In fact, on North Island he had never even heard of a reputable escort agency. Ordinarily, if one needed something conveyed, one could turn to a great merchant house like the Threefold Pavilion or the Hong Clan Trading Company—there was no call to seek out a specialized escort agency.
"Heh heh, there is much Young Master Ling does not know. On North Island, where you come from, the Threefold Pavilion governs from above and the branches of the great merchant houses take root below. The place is comparatively stable and safe, and each has its own settled channels of transport, so that anyone wishing to send something, whatever it may be, finds it a simple matter. Naturally, then, there is no soil in which escort agencies might take root," Qi Wenmo explained, laying it out for them.
"In that case, the escort trade here in the Wei Arc sea region must be thriving?" Wei Zhao said thoughtfully.
"Just so. Young Master Ling is surely aware that the Wei Arc sea region is a place where dragons and snakes mingle—there is no official authority here, no island lord or pavilion master to speak of. From top to bottom it is all chaos. Hence there are a great many robbers lying in wait along the roads, and this place opens out in every direction, connecting to several wild and untamed lands. Many cultivators come here drawn by its fame, and the rare treasures they win at such peril and cost, if they carry them on their persons, are all too easily marked by villains. That is where we escort agencies come in," Qi Wenmo explained patiently.
"So the business of an escort agency is to take these cultivators—to convey the rare treasures they've won by their ventures—safely to the other great islands?" Wei Zhao nodded in sudden understanding.
"Just so. That is one of the most important lines of business. There is another as well: carrying goods for certain local merchant houses. They have their own channels of transport, true, but none so professional and reliable as ours, so when it comes to important goods in great bulk, they still entrust them to us to convey under guard," Qi Wenmo said with a smile.
"I see. I've learned much," Wei Zhao and Huang Xiaotao said together, nodding.
"Whichever sort of escort job it is, the escort master is what matters most. Only if the escort master's strength is great can the goods be delivered in safety. Otherwise, if one cannot even get clear of the Wei Arc sea region, then no matter how large the agency, it's all for nothing." Qi Wenmo looked at the two of them with eyes alight. "So to have invited the two of you to join us is truly a blessing for our Qingtian Escort Agency. We shall be relying on you greatly in the days to come."
"You flatter me, Brother Qi—your words are too weighty. But I have a presumptuous request, and I hope Brother Qi will grant it," Wei Zhao said suddenly, clasping his hands in salute.