Upon arriving in the Swallowed Star world, Rowan chose not to extend his stay at the modest hotel.
With over 100,000 bags of rice stashed in the Marvel warehouse, and 600,000 yuan in his bag, he had more than enough to rent a proper place.
After checking out, he glanced at the time and headed straight for Golden Ocean KTV.
He had arranged to meet Howard Zhou at 4:00 PM. It was now 3:40.
When he arrived, the same two blond-haired guys were standing watch outside.
This time, Rowan proactively handed out a couple of cigarettes.
"Hey, Rowan! Come on in. Brother Howard's been waiting for you."
One of the blond thugs, now with a cigarette between his lips, was noticeably more polite than before clearly under Howard Zhou's instructions.
Following him into a private room inside the KTV, Rowan found Howard Zhou still lounging with a few pretty girls, singing karaoke.
The girls looked about twenty, with delicate features under heavy makeup. Their style leaned toward "edgy," and their eyes seemed dull and lifeless.
They were probably from the nearby Southbank District girls from tough backgrounds who had given up on trying.
"Yo, Rowan! You made it. What do you say, want to join the fun?"
Hearing the door open, Howard turned and greeted him with a broad smile.
He stood up and nudged a girl drinking alone toward Rowan.
Rowan caught her by the waist. Her body was soft and supple to the touch, but he quickly let go after steadying her.
"Next time, Brother Howard. I just picked up my new ID and plan to head over to the Limit Martial Arts Hall to register."
Rowan politely declined the invitation to their little group party.
"Oh? You're registering at Limit Martial Hall?"
Howard put down his microphone, intrigued.
"What's your current physical level, Rowan?"
"About mid-tier for a martial arts hall trainee. Almost ready to break into the advanced tier," Rowan replied, sitting down on the couch and sipping his drink.
"What?!"
Howard's expression turned to surprise.
He gave Rowan a once-over, mentally confirming his suspicions.
Sixteen years old and nearly at advanced trainee level?
This had to be someone from a major family.
Clearly, Rowan's arrival in Yi'an District wasn't random.
"You all, out."
Howard turned to the girls. They obediently exited the room.
From a bag behind the couch, Howard pulled out a clear folder.
"Here you go, Rowan. Your ID and all the relevant documents."
He handed the folder over.
Rowan opened it and checked the contents: national ID, social security details, family background, academic records everything.
He couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship.
This was truly professional real enough to pass as genuine.
According to the profile, he was born in the Beiyuan District of Yi'an City. His father and mother had both died in a car accident the previous year, leaving him to live on his own.
Even the accident report and death certificates were included and they looked legit.
There were also detailed academic records:
Preschool: Beiyuan Kindergarten.
Elementary: Best Primary School.
Middle School: Yi'an No. 5 Middle School.
With these materials, he was no longer a "ghost" in the system.
"Thank you, Brother Howard. This is exactly what I needed."
"Glad to hear it, Rowan," Howard said with a smile, raising his glass.
Rowan smiled back and clinked his glass with Howard's.
After a sip, Rowan leaned back. "By the way, Howard, I've got another deal on the table. Thought you might be interested."
"A deal? What kind?" Howard asked, leaning lazily back into the couch, clearly intrigued.
Rowan grinned. Howard had left a good impression smart, resourceful, and clearly influential. A solid partner to work with.
"Selling rice," Rowan said bluntly.
Howard's smile faded. He shook his head with a sigh.
He had expected something a little more... exciting.
Grain and oil trades required massive capital, yielded low profit margins, and were easily stifled by regulators. Frankly, it sounded dull.
"Rowan, you're still young. You probably don't know how tricky this market is. Sure, there's a food shortage across the base cities right now, but with price controls in place, there's not much profit to be made..."
Rowan leaned back, still relaxed. "I'm not talking about inflating prices."
Howard frowned. "Then what do you mean?"
"I have a batch of high-quality rice priced at two-thirds the average wholesale rate."
Howard sat up instantly.
He stared at Rowan, eyes sharp.
"Are you serious?"
Howard came from one of the top ten families in Jiangnan Base City. Though he didn't have the talent to become a martial artist, he had been handling family business matters from a young age.
He was well aware of grain pricing.
Most grain suppliers would kill for a ten percent margin. A one-third discount was unheard of.
Rowan gently swirled the wine in his glass, the liquor gleaming under the colored lights.
"Of course."
Seeing Rowan's composed expression, Howard realized he wasn't bluffing.
"How much stock are we talking about?" Howard asked, moving closer.
"Currently, I have 100,000 bags. That's 2,500 tons. If the channel's solid, I can get even more."
"100,000 bags? And you can get more?"
Howard's breath caught, his pulse quickened.
If it was true, this could be a fortune beyond imagining.
But even amid his excitement, doubt crept in. Why would someone just hand him a deal this good?
Sensing Howard's hesitation, Rowan smiled and clinked glasses with him again.
"Brother Howard, I'm new here in Yi'an. Don't know many people."
Ah. That explained a lot.
Howard exhaled slowly. Now he had even more questions about Rowan's background and his real intentions.
"Well then, Rowan, if you can really get your hands on rice at that price no matter how much you've got, I'll take it all."
"Good. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear."
Rowan grinned.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll send you the warehouse address. Come pick it up. 100,000 bags. Not one less."
"Tomorrow morning? That soon?"
Howard could no longer contain his excitement.
He hadn't expected fortune to fall into his lap like this.
"That's right. Just wait for my call. Oh, and by the way do you have any way to get Chromium Alloy?"