"Deal."
The word came out almost through clenched teeth.
Yet despite thatâ
the negotiation had actually succeeded.
"This month, the Kingdom of Loren has been engaged in several conflicts with neighboring nations," the Vice President said. "The military will likely place orders for some of these Nation-Destroyer materials as well."
Rei silently compared the purchasing power of this world with that of Earth.
Although the goods available in both worlds were impossible to equate directlyâ
things like healing potions and magic simply didnât exist on Earthâ
there were still some points of reference.
After rough calculations:
20 silver coins â about 6,000 yuan.
In this world, a Level-2 professional who didnât go adventuring would earn only 10â20 silver per month.
Which meantâ
1 gold coin â roughly 30,000 yuan.
Back then, when that group spent 2 gold and 26 silver on their celebration banquet...
it was obvious just how extravagant it had been.
And the luxury hotel charging 100 gold per night?
That was absurdly luxurious.
As for this 120 million gold coins deal...
That wasnât money anyone could casually produce.
"Here are 20 million gold coins," the Vice President said as he handed over a contract parchment.
Oh?
So instead of bank cardsâ
this world used contracts?
That made sense.
In a world with magic, contracts obviously carried far more binding force than bank cards.
"And the rest?" Rei asked.
The Vice Presidentâs lips twitched slightly.
"Even for the Myriad Goods Consortium, mobilizing hundreds of millions of gold coins instantly isnât possible."
"If too much capital leaves our accounts at once, the consortiumâs operations will suffer."
"The remaining payment will be transferred to your contract account within five months."
"Payments will be made on the first day of each month."
Akasei nodded.
"No problem."
"Just make sure you donât forget about it during the Month of Forgetting."
"With a contract in place, we certainly wonât forget."
After December, the month of Death and Destruction, came JanuaryâThe Month of Forgetting.
During this month, people became far more prone to forgetting things.
Many individuals relied on journals or written notes to remember important matters.
Even soâ
the month was troublesome.
Once something slipped from your memory,
it was often impossible to recall, no matter how detailed your notes were.
"Alright then, weâll be leaving."
"Donât forget to send the money."
Akasei waved and left with Rei.
Watching Akaseiâs departing figure,
the Vice President let out a long sigh.
But when he turned back to look at the goodsâ
his eyes lit up again.
This shipment alone could generate billions of gold coins in profit over the coming decades.
If managed properly,
the consortium might even establish a new brand specializing in high-end Nation-Destroyer monster products.
...
At the Myriad Goods Consortium, Rei opened a contract account.
A circular rune appeared on the back of his hand.
The mark glowed faintly when activated,
then faded again.
This was a Money Contract.
Through the contract, one could deposit or withdraw gold coins at the consortium.
As for the possibility of the contract being destroyedâ
there were multiple layers of magical restrictions preventing that.
In theory, it was impossible to break.
It also saved a great deal of storage space.
And prevented thief-class professionals from stealing storage bags or rings to take your wealth.
The 20 million gold coins were transferred directly into Reiâs account.
According to Akasei:
The first 60 million would go entirely to Rei.
The remaining 60 million would belong to Akasei.
Akasei...
Earlier, Rei had thought he was a stingy guy who made others pay even when drinking.
Apparentlyâ
that judgment had been completely wrong.
...
[Listening Springs Bathhouse]
Elegant.
Truly elegant.
Rei hadnât expected a place like this to exist in this world.
They soaked in a golden-lit bath pool, its surface shimmering under the light.
Apparently the pool water was prepared by professional alchemists, mixed with specialized potions.
After soaking,
Rei genuinely felt his entire body relax.
After the medicinal bath,
they moved up to the fifth floor.
A line of beautiful attendants wearing black stockings stood neatly in a row.
Akasei...
Is this massage you mentioned really legitimate?
It was.
The massage itself was completely proper.
Though the techniques of this other world were certainly different.
As they worked, Rei felt waves of warm energy flowing through his muscles and bones.
Apparently the therapists were Level-3 Healing Casters, masters of Life Principles.
Through specialized techniques, they could infuse life energy into the bodyâ
relieving fatigue and restoring mental clarity.
While enjoying the experience,
Rei couldnât help thinking:
Professionals really were different.
Earthâs massages simply couldnât compare.
"Mm~"
"Ugh~"
"Ah~"
Akasei...
Could you stop making those noises?
Listening to a grown man moan like that was deeply uncomfortable.
"Mmmâ"
Still...
the technique was so good that even Rei couldnât help letting out a soft sound himself.
...
By the time they finished relaxing,
it was already late at night.
Akasei grinned.
"So? Didnât I tell you this place was great?"
Rei nodded.
"It really is... pretty good."
Akasei hadnât brought him to some shady establishment.
This place was genuinely a proper bathhouse and relaxation center.
The medicinal baths and therapists were simply far more advanced and professional than ordinary establishments.
Aside from thatâ
there was nothing else.
Of course...
Rei couldnât guarantee the place didnât offer other services.
But he was still technically a kid, so Akasei certainly wouldnât bring him somewhere inappropriate.
Back at the hotel,
Rei reviewed the dayâs results.
Souls â 35,220,000
Gold â 20,140,000
In just one day, his gains had been enormous.
And he had even enjoyed a proper relaxation session to remove fatigue.
Life in this other world really wasnât bad at all.
...
Early the next morning.
The first thing Rei did after waking up was leave the city to collect souls.
Leaving the City Within the Circle, he traveled dozens of kilometers until he reached the sealed location of the Thousand-Legion Ant Hill.
40,000,000
50,000,000
60,000,000
...
97,250,000 Souls
"Overnight, it produced this many ants again?"
Rei couldnât help recalling a science video he had once watched.
If all 8 billion humans on Earth were compressed into a single sphere,
the resulting mass would form a giant flesh ball less than one kilometer in diameter.
The mountain chamber Akasei had carved out was roughly one kilometer wide and long.
It wasnât as tallâ
but it could easily contain hundreds of millions of fist-sized black ants.
After collecting the souls,
Rei sealed the chamber again.
By the time he returned,
it was nearly noon.
"Morning, Akasei."
Akasei yawned.
"No dungeon grinding today."
"Kumironia dragged me off to help her with something."
In any case,
Reiâs Sacrifice ability wasnât going anywhere.
Making money could wait a little.
He headed up to the 30th floor.
Surprisinglyâ
Pali wasnât there today.
Rei recalled the last time she had suddenly disappeared.
A flicker of unease passed through his mind.
But then he rememberedâ
this was the City Within the Circle.
One of the Five Great Cities of Loren.
And people like Akasei, Kumironia, and Obardis were present.
Why worry?
Even if the sky collapsed,
it wouldnât fall on him.
[Wonderful Arcane Artifacts Shop]
"Boss."
Rei returned to the shop.
"Oh! Little Rei!"
"Your magic staff is still being crafted. Itâll take a little longer."
"Whatâs wrong? Getting impatient?"
Rei chuckled.
"Not really. I just came to buy some other magical items."
"Feel free to browse. If you see something you like, tell me. Iâll give you a discount."
The boss seemed busy working in the back room.
So Rei began browsing the shop.
At last, the sales clerk finally came over to help.
"Hey there, brother. Looking for something?"
Rei nodded.
"What kind of defensive magical equipment do you have?"
The clerk immediately began introducing items.
"This magic robe has a Level-4 Arrow-Warding Enchantment. It automatically deflects incoming arrows."
"This robe carries a Dulling Guard Enchantment. Sharp weapons struggle to pierce it."
...
After listening for a while,
Rei simply gestured across the display.
"Alright."
"Iâll take all of these."
The clerk froze.
"You mean... all of them?"
"Yeah. All."
The clerk laughed awkwardly.
"Brother... the equipment here isnât like other stores. These are all premium items."
"Each one starts at over 10,000 gold coins."
But when he saw Reiâs completely unwavering smile,
he realizedâ
Rei wasnât joking.
So he began removing the robes from the wall.
Twenty-five magic robes in total.
All different styles.
"Oh, and those rings too."
"And those pendants."
"Ohâand give me ten pairs of those boots over there."
The clerk stared at him in disbelief.
...Wait.
Brother.
Are you shopping here?
Or are you restocking inventory for your own store?
..
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