nycdaug Chapter 748 Wotu's Junk Shop
Chapter 748 Wotu's Junk Shop
Chapter 748 Wotu's Junk Shop
Fu Qinghai opened his eyes and looked at the Bansa Blue Milk and roasted camel meat placed in front of him. Before the bartender could turn around, he placed three credits on the bar counter and said:
“I need to sell a batch of… miscellaneous items, including some firearms. Can you recommend a reliable middleman?”
"If you're selling miscellaneous items and firearms..."
The bartender thought for a moment and said:
“Go to Mos Espa and find a Toidarian named Wotu. He does business with the Javans. His junk shop accepts almost any kind of junk, because he can sell even the most useless trash to those Javan junk dealers. But don’t expect a high price.”
After saying that, the bartender was about to take the three credits from the table when Fu Qinghai grabbed his hand.
"still have a question."
Fu Qinghai looked up at the bartender and said seriously:
"I want to see Jabba."
Upon hearing this, the bartender slowly withdrew his hand.
"Why do you want to see Jabba?"
……
Jaba's palace is located on the rocky hills of the North Sand Dune Sea. It is a very prominent landmark in the Gobi Desert, and any local can tell you where it is.
However, Fu Qinghai obviously couldn't just visit him directly, as that would likely be misunderstood by these gangsters. Fu Qinghai was there to discuss business with Jia Ba, not to fight him, so he needed a middleman to act as a go-between and clearly state his purpose, which was also in line with the rules of the underworld.
What makes Fu Qinghai think that the bartender at Mossley's Tavern can act as the middleman for this message?
In fact, in the entire city of Mos Eisley, anyone doing business locally, regardless of their trade, has some connection with Jabba, either through his personal connections or through spies planted by him.
It doesn't have to be the bartender in front of him; it could be anyone from the local area. As long as Fu Qinghai spreads the word in Mossley City that he wants to see Jaba, Jaba will receive the message quickly, because there are plenty of people willing to pass on the message to him.
That's right, the Empire has stationed troops on Tatooine and built a military base in Mos'aisley City. They have stormtroopers, walking machines, TIE fighters, and an overwhelming military force. The Empire is the overt or legitimate ruler of Tatooine, but in the underworld and in the shadows, the Hutts have always maintained a firm grip on the planet through various means.
Why is Hutt space called Hutt space?
This vast cosmic region has been the traditional sphere of influence of the Hutts since ancient times. Even though the Hutt Empire has long since disappeared into the annals of history, the Hutts still wield significant influence and control in this region.
If the Galactic Empire is a powerful dragon...
Therefore, the Hutt clan was definitely the local tyrant.
Fu Qinghai finished the large plate of roasted camel meat in a few bites, then picked up a bottle of Bansa Blue Milk and drank it down in one gulp, ice cubes included. The Blue Milk was indeed delicious, rich and smooth with a hint of sweetness, much better than any Mengniu milk.
After finishing his meal, he sat at the bar and waited patiently. He kept his eyes fixed on the direction of the tavern corridor, watching the people coming and going, until his ears caught those two familiar voices again.
“I have already arranged a time with the Sand People. We will rest in Mos Eisley City for two nights, and then set off from the city at four o'clock in the morning on the third day. We have a bit too much explosives. I have obtained an A-A4B truck-mounted boat. In addition, we will need to hire a few pack animals for transportation. You go and hire the pack animals.”
Two men, one tall and one short, emerged. The taller man scanned the surroundings warily, then leaned close to the shorter man's ear and whispered an order, covering his mouth with his hand:
"Remember, only dragon camels or bansa, not yupi and wetback lizards. Although those two animals are fast, they can't carry heavy loads, and they move too bumpily. Laidensu can't stand the bumps; those things could blow us both into the air. Dragon camels and bansa are slow, but they are very stable."
"Okay, I remember."
The short man readily agreed.
Fu Qinghai slightly shifted his gaze, no longer staring at the two men. Just as they turned to walk towards the tavern entrance, Fu Qinghai put his index finger in his mouth and gently bit it, a drop of blood seeping from the tip. Then he flicked his finger, and the blood droplet traveled a long distance in the air, passing through the throng of heads, and landed precisely on the short man's back, leaving a barely perceptible bloodstain on his clothes.
After doing all this, Fu Qinghai got up from behind the bar, patted Xierli's butt, and said:
"Let's go."
……
Fu Qinghai and Siri returned to berth number 46. Before they even reached the entrance of the circular shipyard, they suddenly heard a terrified scream and a bloodcurdling cry coming from inside:
"Holy crap! What is this?!"
Fu Qinghai and Xierli exchanged a glance and immediately rushed into the shipyard. Sure enough, they saw the short, fat man clutching his empty sleeve, which was stained with blood, stumbling and crawling towards the door, blood dripping from his sleeve.
Behind him was the open starboard cargo hold of the light cargo ship. Rank's fierce and hideous face slowly emerged from the hatch, saliva dripping from between his teeth. Next to the hatch were scattered fragments of a repair robot.
"Calm down, everyone, calm down."
Fu Qinghai immediately raised his palm and said in a deep voice.
The Rank Beast saw Fu Qinghai.
He immediately stopped sticking his head out.
"Go back, go back to your nest."
Fu Qinghai said in an unquestionable tone.
The Lank Beast slowly retreated back into the hatch.
"Oh...ha..."
The short, stout man, drenched in sweat, lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes wide and panting heavily, staring in terror at the hatch. Fu Qinghai noticed that his left arm was completely gone, with only a torn sleeve covering the wound, blood still seeping from between his fingers.
"I told you not to touch the right-side cargo hold."
Fu Qinghai shook his head and said that he then stepped over the man lying in front of him and walked toward the light cargo ship.
Siri glanced indifferently at the man slumped on the ground, then followed Fu Qinghai toward the spaceship.
Fu Qinghai went to the right cargo hold and glanced inside. The Rank Beast lay there obediently, its dark little eyes fixed on him. Fu Qinghai raised his hand and pressed on the control panel.
The metal hatch slowly closed.
Fu Qinghai then went to the left cargo hold and inspected the hatch that he had previously damaged by violently pulling it. He found that the hydraulic linkage that controlled the opening and closing of the hatch had been repaired.
Fu Qinghai nodded in satisfaction.
He was preparing to walk toward the spacecraft's landing ramp.
"Click."
A crisp mechanical clang sounded behind me.
That was the sound of the blaster's safety being released.
Fu Qinghai slowly stopped in his tracks.
"Don't move! Hands above your head!"
Behind him, the short, stout man held a high-powered pistol in his right hand, his left hand roughly bandaged, the muzzle pointed at Fu Qinghai's back, his bloodshot eyes glaring as he spoke sharply:
"You bastard, you made me lose an arm. I don't even know how much it will cost to get a prosthetic. You have to compensate me with your spaceship, or don't even think about leaving Tatooine!"
After saying that, he pointed the gun at Sylvie again:
"You're not allowed to move either, put your hands up!"
Silly stood still without moving.
"The money I'm giving you far exceeds the cost of materials and labor needed to repair a set of hydraulic linkages."
Fu Qinghai spoke calmly with his back to him.
"I don't care! It's all your fault, you bastard!"
The short, fat man roared through gritted teeth:
“I also found a B1 combat robot that was turned off in your cockpit. That was something that should have been destroyed after the war. Possessing such a robot is a serious crime. I should have reported you to the Imperial soldiers long ago!”
He aimed the explosive gun at Sylli, then at Fu Qinghai, then back at Sylli. After hesitating for a few seconds, he realized that with only one hand, he couldn't aim at two people at the same time. So he turned the gun around and aimed it at Fu Qinghai's back again, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Biu!"
Almost the instant he pulled the trigger, Fu Qinghai was suddenly shoved hard, his body tilting to the side as the energy beam grazed his ear and missed.
At the same time, before the short, fat man could react, Sirri immediately drew the long metal knife from his waist and threw it. The slender tip of the knife pierced the man's eye socket with a "thud".
"Uh……"
The short, stout man, clutching his pistol, tilted his head back and fell to the ground.
"Ugh……"
Fu Qinghai sighed and turned to walk over. He squatted down next to the short, fat man's corpse, untied a bag hanging from the man's belt, weighed it in his palm, listened to the crisp sound of credits clinking inside, stood up and threw the bag to Sylli, who caught it steadily.
Fu Qinghai picked up the body with one hand and walked towards the cargo hold.
……
Mos España.
Fu Qinghai found the shop the bartender had mentioned.
This shop stood out among the ordinary semi-domed buildings of Mos España, with its tall, pointed, onion-shaped dome. Fu Qinghai realized he actually knew this general store—wasn't this the junk shop where Anakin Skywalker worked as a child?
Fu Qinghai and Xierli entered the shop and immediately felt a cool breeze. Fu Qinghai guessed that there was a refrigerant flowing inside the clay exterior wall of the general store. In front of them were several circular shelves tightly attached to the wall, which were filled with a wide variety of mechanical parts. Behind the counter stood a dilapidated etiquette robot.
A blue-skinned alien with large noses, a protruding belly, and flapping wings flew in through the side door:
"Hi chuba da nago?"
(Hutter's words: What do you want?)
Wotu, Anakin and his mother's former slave owners.
Fu Qinghai looked at the strangely shaped alien and couldn't help but feel a little emotional: he was still running his general store on Tatooine, but he didn't know that the human slave child who used to work in the store had now become Darth Vader, the terrifying Dark Knight who only appeared in the news on the holographic network and the right-hand man relied on by the Emperor of the Galactic Empire.
"I need to sell a batch of miscellaneous items."
Fu Qinghai spoke to Wotu in basic language.
"Oh? What is that? Let me see it."
Wotu shrugged and switched to basic language.
Fu Qinghai put down the huge bag he was carrying on his shoulder, untied the rope, and a bunch of explosive guns scattered with a "clatter," along with several canisters filled with anesthetic gas.
"Hmm... let me take a look first."
Wotu landed on the ground and squatted down to pick through the items.
Fu Qinghai then turned to look at the room crammed full of secondhand parts: the chain and skin of a speedboat racing car, a land-going boat turbine engine, and an aerospace mechanic robot relaxing in a bath of robotic lubricant...
Don't let Tatooine's status as a remote and desolate outer desert planet, unlike shipbuilding centers like Fondo, Lota, Quarter, and Corellia, fool you. If you look carefully, you can actually find some good stuff in its black market.
Especially the spacecraft's spare parts.
Firstly, because of the prevalence of local shuttle racing culture, and secondly, because it is also a breeding ground for various illegal transactions and smuggling, where many stolen goods are sold.
The so-called "flying shuttle racer" is essentially a semi-open cockpit attached to the back of two spaceship engines. In essence, it's driving a spaceship without a hull, only engines, resulting in extremely high speeds and a wild, unrestrained driving style. Tatooine's ability to host flying shuttle races naturally led to the development of a vast and complex market for trading spaceship parts.
Tatooine is very similar to... Chentian Village.
This place never manufactures spaceships, but you can buy all sorts of spaceship-related parts and accessories—as long as you don't care whether the source of these spaceship parts is legal and compliant.
If time weren't limited, Fu Qinghai would have even wanted to leisurely search for some good goods here, and see if he could modify that YU-410 light cargo ship to be as fast as the Millennium Falcon.
This is also a great opportunity to learn Star Wars shipbuilding technology. Although Fu Qinghai is still completely ignorant of many of the science fiction technologies in Star Wars, it does not prevent him from learning the basics by modifying spaceships—after all, he is a Mars-certified Astartes master foundry.
"Is there anything you like?"
Wotu inspected each of the blaster guns one by one, making sure they could fire normally, without even looking up, and said:
“There’s more in the backyard, you can go and take a look.”
"next time."
Fu Qinghai said noncommittally:
"Give me a total price."
"Here are 150 credits for you."
Wotu looked up and said that the shrewd and cunning Toidarian had quoted an extremely low price.
"Three hundred credits."
Fu Qinghai doubled the price directly:
"Here's a bonus: you can check out berth number 46 in Mossley City tonight. Remember to bring enough manpower and moving equipment."
Upon hearing this, Wotu narrowed his eyes slightly.
He showed a thoughtful expression.
……
Fu Qinghai walked out of the grocery store with the money bag in his hand.
Sylvie followed closely behind him.
As soon as he stepped out of the shop, he saw a strong, burly Gamo man with a pig-like face and green skin, wielding a giant axe, standing at the entrance of the general store, seemingly waiting for him.
"You wish to see Lord Jabba?"
The Gamo man stepped forward and asked in a deep, muffled voice.
"Yes, I have a business deal to discuss with him."
Fu Qinghai nodded and said.
"He'll be waiting for you inside the castle tomorrow at noon."
The Gamo man gave Fu Qinghai a deep look and said.
…………