After a round of toasting, Nokovic received a call and had something to handle temporarily, so he apologetically explained to Qi Yun and left first.

Seeing this, Mendeleyev quickly got up and followed Nokovic outside, quietly handing over a briefcase.

Nokovic didn't refuse, a meaningful smile on his lips as he gently patted Mendeleyev's shoulder, signaling his approval of their future collaboration.

With the outsiders gone, the few remaining people felt free to speak more openly. Mendeleyev raised his glass and downed it in one gulp before recounting the events of last night.

It turned out that shortly after Qi Yun and the others left, several cars arrived at the scene. Mendeleyev thought they were sent by Nokovic and didn't put up any defense.

However, seven or eight people got out of the cars and, without a word, detained them.

Mendeleyev wanted to resist initially, but faced with the trained henchmen, he and his two associates stood no chance and could only temporarily submit.

They were taken to a courtyard on the outskirts of the capital and kept there until noon today when someone came to interrogate them, asking who they'd sold the arms to.

Mendeleyev noticed a camera on the chest of the person interrogating them and thought they were sent by Nokovic to test him, so he said nothing, and his two associates knew nothing anyway.

Just as they were about to be beaten, the person in charge of the interrogation suddenly received a call, then stuffed them into a car and dumped them on the street, after which Nokovic's people picked them up.

He'd already found out from his cousin what was going on. Those who grabbed him weren't sent by Nokovic, so thinking back on it now, he couldn't help but feel a bit frightened.

If Qi Yun hadn't exerted influence outside to rescue him, he might have ended up with serious injuries...

"Old Qi, no need to thank me with words. From now on, I'm willing to go through fire and water for you, even give you a back rub if needed!"

Qi Yun smiled gently, "Looks like you didn't really suffer that much."

Mendeleyev sighed, "This time was genuinely unlucky; I never thought I'd get involved in that kind of power struggle."

"But it's a blessing in disguise. From now on, we're fully connected with Nokovic, and we should be able to enter the capital's market freely without anyone daring to cause trouble."

Brother Peng frowned upon hearing this, "That guy Yushenkov, will he hold a grudge against you?"

Mendeleyev shook his head, "While we were in the car, Nokovic mentioned this and told me not to worry. I guess they've reached some sort of agreement."

Qi Yun nodded in response. At such a level of conflict, if both parties get what they want, it's unlikely they'll fight to the death.

"By the way, Old Men, do you know anyone in the fertilizer business?"

"Fertilizer?" Mendeleyev looked surprised and asked suspiciously, "You want to get into that? I have a friend in agricultural supplies, but the market hasn't been good lately."

Qi Yun took a puff of his cigarette and didn't continue, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. Are we heading back to Tashtagol tonight? Your wife must be worried sick by now."

Mendeleyev laughed, "Let's go back. I called her earlier; she won't be reassured until she sees me in person."

That night, they set off on their journey back to Tashtagol.

When they arrived at the hotel, it was already past one in the morning.

Tired after a day of tense nerves, Qi Yun took a quick shower before falling into a deep sleep on the bed.

The next morning, Mendeleyev appeared at his room door, bright and early, holding a small bag.

After entering the room, he opened the bag and handed it to Qi Yun, saying, "This is from my wife as a thank you."

Curious, Qi Yun looked into the bag and saw a hand-woven wool scarf of good quality, though its color was a bit... too bright.

"Should I wear this?"

Mendeleyev laughed heartily, patting his shoulder, "No one's asking you to wear it. Give it to your woman."

Qi Yun smiled and nodded, taking the bag, "Thank your wife for me."

"No need to be so formal with me," Mendeleyev grinned and then changed the subject, "By the way, what was that fertilizer thing you wanted to discuss last night?"

Qi Yun pulled over a chair to sit down, pondered briefly, then spoke, "If in the next couple of days, the price of fertilizer in Tuva goes up by ten percent, do you have a way to profit from it?"

"Ten percent?" Mendeleyev's eyes widened in shock, "With the heavy sanctions on Big Goose, the import of agricultural supplies has significantly decreased, and prices are already high. Can it still go up ten percent?"

Qi Yun handed him a cigarette, his tone calm, "Yes, I heard it's a joint decision by several major agricultural supply merchants in Tuva."

Mendeleyev took the cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, frowning, "If they're manipulating it together, then it makes sense."

"I do know someone in the agricultural supply business. I can get him to help us stock up in advance, but the quantity can't compare to those big players."

Qi Yun nodded, took a drag of his cigarette, and continued to ask, "How much can you stockpile?"

Mendeleyev thought for a moment and slowly said, "If we want to complete it today, it's estimated to be at most two to three million USD worth."

After hearing this, Qi Yun thought to himself, three million USD, that's about twenty million Yuan, but he didn't have that much money on hand...

"Do things like agricultural supplies also need to be paid in cash?"

Mendeleyev glanced at him, instantly understanding his meaning, and replied, "No, you don't need to for these goods. Typically, a portion of the deposit is paid first, and the remaining payment can be settled later."

"But are you sure you want to do it?"

Qi Yun nodded slightly, extinguished his cigarette, and slowly said, "I'm in. I'll transfer 3.5 million to your account, and you handle this for me."

"Alright." Mendeleyev didn't hesitate any longer after hearing this and immediately took out his phone to make contact.

After a while, he hung up, looked at Qi Yun, and said, "My friend has no issues, he'll contact the suppliers as soon as possible."

"Okay." After transferring the money, Qi Yun looked up and asked, "What's your plan for today?"

Mendeleyev also pulled out a chair and sat down, answering, "I'm planning to follow your advice and go talk to those competitors today. I'm tired of competing with them. I'll give them a share of the imported goods and focus on expanding the capital's market."

Qi Yun nodded in agreement: "There's nothing worthwhile to fight for in this small place. Once you finish handling things here, we can visit the capital market and do a thorough study."

...

After breakfast, Mendeleyev took Qi Yun and a few others to meet his competitors.

Once both parties met, Mendeleyev stated his purpose directly and introduced Qi Yun as a businessman from China.

The few people, upon hearing this, all showed curious expressions.

One man with a beard was the first to speak: "Mendeleyev, you suddenly called us together and introduced such a friend, it can't be just to let us get acquainted, right?"

"And about sharing some of the imported goods with us, how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Mendeleyev smiled, unhurriedly saying, "I won't beat around the bush with everyone. We've been vying for this small place for so many years, yet none of us can truly dominate the market. Instead, it's made us all exhausted."

"Now I have a new plan. I want to focus on developing the capital's market, so I'm willing to let you have a share of the imported goods I have."

"Of course, I'm not giving it away for free. We can negotiate a reasonable price."

Another tall and lean man frowned, skeptically asking, "You aren't playing tricks, are you? I've heard that you couldn't make a move in the capital and were nearly driven out."

Mendeleyev, upon hearing the skepticism, didn't show anger. He confidently smiled and said, "Indeed, I did encounter some trouble in the capital before, but that's all in the past."

"I'm not at liberty to disclose the specifics. In short, this time I've come with sincerity, hoping to reach a collaboration with you all so we don't have to fight each other anymore."

"In fact, you could participate in my business in the capital in the future. Whether I'm being truthful or not, you'll soon see for yourselves."

Qi Yun also stood up in time, smiling as he promised the others, "Gentlemen, the Tashtagol market is too small. If you continue fighting like this, none of you will make any money. Why not cooperate? I guarantee..."

After Mendeleyev translated, the expressions on their faces changed noticeably, and their thoughts began to waver.

Mendeleyev wasn't in a hurry. He gave them time to think before leading Qi Yun and the others away, heading back to the capital.

...

After some on-site inspection, Qi Yun found that the entertainment industry here was very outdated, with old equipment in places like KTVs and internet cafes.

Back home, these places were just starting to phase out old equipment like second-hand speakers and computers, which were quite cheap. If we could open up the market here, there's a lot of potential.

During the meal, after Qi Yun shared his thoughts, both Peng and Mendeleyev nodded in agreement.

"That's true, domestic second-hand equipment is being upgraded quickly and is cheap. We could first transport a batch over here to try," Peng agreed.

Mendeleyev also rubbed his chin and said, "I have another good idea. The bathhouse environment here is really poor. I feel like the bathing culture in your country is very good. I'm thinking about opening a bathhouse in the capital. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun exchanged a look with Peng, both recalling when this guy had to take the blame last time.

Peng smacked his lips and asked, "What kind of bathhouse do you want to open?"

Mendeleyev gave him a look that all men would understand: "Of course, it's much more lenient here than in your country."

Qi Yun silently smoked, not commenting.

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