Chapter 110: Cross-City Transaction

In the private chamber next to the appraisal room, Ye Chen sat face to face with Ling Tong, whose face was flushed from the breeze. Ling Tong raised her wine glass in a toast to Ye Chen, smiling softly: “Brother Ye Chen, the success of this auction wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Ling Tong thanks you sincerely.” With that, she drained the cup of Snow Mountain Maiden wine, her cheeks tinged with a delicate blush, utterly enchanting.

Ye Chen returned the gesture with a smile and lifted his own glass. “Miss Ling Tong, there’s no need for formalities. You gain reputation, I gain profit—it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Ling Tong nodded but sighed slightly. “It’s unfortunate that the Zhalong Grass and Dreamflower are difficult to gather. Without the Intermediate Power Pills and Spirit Revival Pills at the auction in three days, the event will surely lose much of its appeal. Brother Ye Chen, you promised fifty White Tiger Pills—please ensure you deliver them. Without those, I wouldn’t know how to face the eager players.”

“You can rest assured, Miss Ling Tong. I can reliably supply the White Tiger Pills for the next half month. As for after that, their scarcity will ease. Moreover, most players will have advanced by then, so your company likely won’t struggle to find auction items.” Ye Chen set down his cup. The production of White Tiger Pills depended entirely on the acquisition of beast pills. Over the past half month, he had swept the market nearly clean, having made ample profit. As for the Intermediate Power Pills and Spirit Revival Pills, Ye Chen no longer intended to gather herbs himself. He had entrusted the collection of Zhalong Grass and Dreamflower to Ye Hua Liujin. Since those herbs were hard to harvest, and Ye Chen had many other matters to attend to, he could not afford to spend all his time on side tasks.

As they spoke, a gentle knock came at the door of the private chamber. A female thief of the Cat Clan stepped in gracefully, walking swiftly to Ling Tong’s side with a respectful tone: “Miss Ling Tong, the gold coins you requested have been prepared. I have brought them here.”

“Brother Ye Chen, the total value of the equipment and pills you sold amounts to twelve thousand gold coins. Adding the additional income I promised you, the total comes to twelve thousand five hundred gold coins. Ling Mao, initiate the multi-party transaction.” Ling Tong smiled faintly at Ye Chen before instructing the Cat Clan thief. The extra income naturally referred to the increased price Ye Chen had set for the Magic Ape Heavy Armor.

Once the multi-party transaction was activated, no step could be concealed from any participant. All parties enabled the recording function to prevent unnecessary disputes—a standard protocol.

Ling Mao carefully divided the twelve thousand five hundred gold into thirteen installments, depositing one thousand gold for each of the first twelve, and five hundred gold in the last. She meticulously double-checked the amounts several times before confirming the transaction. Though excited, Ye Chen was not careless; this was his money after all, and he counted it repeatedly as well. Only after Ling Tong’s urging did both sides complete the substantial transaction.

With twelve thousand five hundred gold coins in hand, Ye Chen’s spirits soared. Had there not been two beautiful women present, he might have shouted with joy. Glancing at his gold coin inventory, including previous earnings, the total now stood at fifteen thousand eight hundred gold coins—a truly hefty sum.

Ling Tong observed Ye Chen’s satisfied smile and returned it with a faint smile of her own. Then she waved the Cat Clan thief away and cleared her throat delicately, her face tinged with a subtle flush as she said, “Brother Ye Chen, if you intend to sell these gold coins, I advise you to do so as soon as possible—no later than three days. Otherwise, you will surely regret it.”

Ye Chen was momentarily taken aback, unsure of Ling Tong’s meaning. “Is there a problem? The official gold-to-real-currency exchange system won’t be activated until six months from now. The gold coins shouldn’t devalue significantly in such a short time.” Though he planned to sell most of his gold coins, he intended to keep a few thousand for personal use. After all, alchemy was an expensive endeavor, and without gold, it would be impossible to sustain.

“Indeed, the official gold-to-real-currency exchange system will only open in six months. However, District Four is adopting a new trading model that has never existed before. This model will officially launch in three days, and the entire gold coin market will be profoundly impacted. If it weren’t for you being a major client of Ye Hua Liujin, I wouldn’t have revealed this information. As for the specifics of the model, I’m afraid I cannot say.” Ling Tong smiled mysteriously. She disclosed this news partly to curry favor with Ye Chen and partly to flaunt the powerful backing of Ye Hua Liujin.

“A new gold coin trading model?” Ye Chen blinked in surprise, about to inquire further when a voice sounded through his private channel, the 2058 channel: “That woman’s information is indeed accurate. I’ve just received an upload from the staff. In three days, District Four will open cross-city gold coin trading, allowing gold coins to flow freely throughout the entire empire. It’s estimated that the market price will fall by at least a quarter, possibly more.”

“Cross-city trading.” Those words sent a faint tremor through Ye Chen’s heart. Currently, the gold coin trading model in District Four was the same as in the other districts: gold could only circulate within the city. For example, if Ye Chen listed gold coins for sale, the buyers would be locals. Players from other cities who wished to purchase gold coins had to make the arduous journey here, traversing numerous high-level monster zones. Given most players’ current levels, only a few exceptionally skilled thieves could travel between cities. This was one reason gold coin prices remained high. Once cross-city trading was implemented, this pattern would be shattered, and a price drop would be inevitable.

Fortunately, he learned this in advance; otherwise, holding onto a few thousand gold coins would have been a costly mistake. Better to keep just enough for basic expenses and sell the rest. If prices dropped, he could always buy back some later—either way, he wouldn’t suffer losses.

Noticing Ye Chen’s momentary daze, Ling Tong thought he had been stunned by her revelation, feeling smug inside. Though she said she couldn’t reveal more, her expression clearly invited Ye Chen to ask her directly.

Coming back to his senses, Ye Chen caught the look on Ling Tong’s face and understood her thoughts. He smiled wryly, raising an eyebrow. “Let me guess. Since it’s not the gold-to-real-currency exchange system but will still impact the gold market, the official plan must be to launch cross-city trading, right? Miss Ling Tong, am I correct?”

The moment Ye Chen finished speaking, Ling Tong’s expression froze in disbelief. When the higher-ups had kept her in suspense, she had racked her brains without figuring it out. Yet Ye Chen had deduced the truth instantly. If his earlier reaction hadn’t seemed genuine, she might have suspected he already knew.

Seeing Ling Tong’s wide, round eyes and slightly parted rosy lips, Ye Chen felt a surge of pride. A beautiful smile was always captivating, but to startle a beauty so thoroughly brought a unique satisfaction.

“Miss Ling Tong, it seems I was lucky to guess correctly.” Ye Chen winked. Coming back to herself, Ling Tong’s cheeks flushed faintly. She playfully scolded Ye Chen with a coquettish glare, “Yes, yes, Brother Ye Chen, you guessed it right immediately. I concede defeat.”

That fleeting charm made Ye Chen’s heart skip a beat. He cursed inwardly, “Damn enchantress,” then composed himself. “That was just a joke. I truly appreciate your warning, Miss Ling Tong. I won’t spread this news recklessly.” He spoke sincerely. Although 2058 would surely inform him as well, this did not diminish the favor he owed Ling Tong.

“Heh, it’s not so serious. I’ve already notified Longteng’s side. I expect other influential factions have heard the rumor too. Since you’re from Qing Yu, telling them is fine, as long as it doesn’t spread widely. After all, it will be implemented in three days. By the time ordinary players know, it will be too late to react.” Ling Tong’s complexion returned to normal, and her confidence radiated once more.

Ye Chen nodded. He would limit his disclosures to in-game friends. As for his studio? Of course, he wouldn’t keep quiet!

After bidding farewell to Ling Tong, Ye Chen stepped out of the Ye Hua Liujin auction house. Immediately, he noticed many players from the Fierce Tiger clan lingering nearby. Upon seeing a cloaked figure emerge from the auction house, they trailed closely. Ye Chen’s appearance naturally drew their attention. Before they could approach, Ye Chen vanished without a trace through a city teleportation array. Witnessing this, Fierce Tiger Roar was certain Ye Chen was the cloaked figure who had wronged them. Yet, since he escaped instantly, they could only curse in frustration.

The Fierce Tiger clan’s attempts to trouble him irked Ye Chen deeply, especially Fierce Tiger Roar, who clung to him like stubborn gum. That fellow had recently acquired an area attack Earth-type sword technique—a potential menace if left unchecked. Ye Chen resolved to crush this enemy in his infancy.

With that in mind, Ye Chen decided to refine the Netherworld Pill tomorrow and incapacitate Fierce Tiger Roar first. Reducing all his attributes by fifty points would render him a mere weakling. Even with his Earth-type sword skill, attacking groups would be futile—he would be swiftly annihilated.

But dealing with Fierce Tiger Roar was tomorrow’s concern. The immediate priority was handling the gold coins. Who knew if the news would break out massively? If no one bought gold coins then, it would be disastrous. Better to sell them before prices dropped.

With fifteen thousand eight hundred gold coins, Ye Chen listed fifteen thousand five hundred for sale. Initially, he planned to keep only a few dozen for emergencies but worried about unexpected needs for gold. After all, spending three hundred gold in losses was bearable—times had changed; he was now a wealthy man.

No sooner had he put the gold up for sale than chimes sounded in his ear, signaling purchases of dozens or hundreds of coins at a time. Sales were far better than usual. Ye Chen realized the key: today’s auction had consumed a vast amount of gold coins, so these buyers were replenishing their supplies. Truly, fortune favored him. He hurried to notify his elder sisters to sell off their stockpiles before prices dropped, or they would suffer losses.

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