The central square of Black Wing City was packed with players who had come to take in the sights. The central square was one of Divine Realm's most stunning landmarks—Black Wing City sat atop a mountain peak, and towering in the square was a magnificent Star-Gazing Tower. A floating elevator carried visitors straight to the top, where they could admire the entire panoramic view of the city.
At the base of the Star-Gazing Tower, Shi Feng found Shusheng Tanxiao.
The latter looked anxious, his head swiveling back and forth like a searchlight. The moment he spotted Shi Feng approaching, he hurried over.
"Guild Leader Weiwu, I've received instructions from above. For the sake of a long-term partnership with you, we've agreed to sell at two silver coins per stack. As long as you take these forging materials back, you can at least triple or quadruple your money." Shusheng Tanxiao walked up to Shi Feng with a calm smile on his face.
Twilight Echo had spent a considerable amount of time acquiring these forging materials, even burning through gold coins and Credit Points. The whole point had been to convert them all into gold—if lucky, maybe even turn a small profit.
But now that other kingdoms were also selling forging materials cheaply, and with NPCs in Black Wing City offering them at rock-bottom prices, all Shusheng Tanxiao wanted was to offload everything for gold, even at a slight loss. That way, he could head to the Black Wing Auction and pick up items that would benefit the guild's growth.
A beautiful plan—but reality had other ideas.
Getting Shi Feng to spend hundreds of gold coins on these forging materials was clearly impossible, even if he had over three thousand gold on hand.
Besides, Shi Feng had gone to all this trouble, so there was no way he'd agree to buy at two silver per stack.
"Two silver per stack—that shows some sincerity. But apparently someone else is willing to sell me large quantities at one silver per stack, and in significant amounts too. If I'm willing to buy a thousand or more stacks, they're prepared to go even lower." Shi Feng shook his head, feigning complete disinterest.
"One silver per stack? Who the hell is that?" Shusheng Tanxiao nearly lost it. He had finally found a big spender, only for some rival to swoop in—and clearly, that person knew about the NPC selling forging materials too.
One silver per stack—he'd rather go back and sell the Sturdy Stones at that price.
The problem was that guilds across the Storm Empire, where Twilight Echo was based, were drowning in forging materials. Plenty of independent players could self-supply, so there were far more sellers than buyers. Their heavy collection had driven the price of Sturdy Stones up, but originally, buying a stack hadn't even cost two silver.
If these Sturdy Stones were Whetstones, demand might have been higher.
"You'll have to look into that yourself. If there's nothing else, I'll be going—I still need to discuss the exact price with him. Sturdy Stones at less than one silver per stack. No idea how cheap he'd go if I bought several thousand stacks." Shi Feng smiled.
"Guild Leader Weiwu, please wait!" Shusheng Tanxiao blurted. "If you're willing to buy in bulk, we can match that price—or go lower. If you purchase over twenty thousand stacks, I can offer sixty copper per stack, purely as a gesture of friendship."
At this point, Shusheng Tanxiao didn't care anymore. The only silver lining was that Weiwu Dukuang didn't know the NPC sold forging materials directly. Selling over two thousand stacks at sixty copper meant a hefty loss, sure—but he could buy from the NPC at forty copper and flip at sixty. Just that quick turnaround netted twenty copper per stack, and if he sold eighteen thousand stacks that way, he'd more than make up the difference.
The key was speed. If Weiwu Dukuang found out about the NPC, every last stack in his inventory wouldn't sell for even forty copper.
"Sixty copper per stack, and you've got twenty thousand?" Shi Feng put on his best surprised expression.
"Of course. That's how serious we are. But you'll have to commit to buying the full twenty thousand stacks." Shusheng Tanxiao nodded with a grin.
"Let me check with the other party first. If I buy twenty thousand stacks, what price will they offer?" Shi Feng said.
Hearing that Shi Feng was about to contact someone in the know, Shusheng Tanxiao panicked. Someone in the know only needed a quick flip—even one copper per stack on twenty thousand stacks meant two gold in profit. But Shusheng Tanxiao wasn't in that position, so he shouted, "Guild Leader Weiwu, wait! I don't want to go back and forth competing with those people. I'll treat this as making a friend—I'll give you a cost price of fifty copper. But you'll need to buy fifty thousand stacks. On top of that, I'll throw in three hundred stacks of Refined Iron, four hundred stacks of Silver Ore, two hundred stacks of Mythril Ore, one hundred stacks of Gold Ore, and one Black Iron–quality Magistone Ore bundle. At this price, nobody can possibly beat us."
"Fifty copper per stack, plus all these rare ores thrown in—including a hundred stacks of Gold Ore, a high-level material I haven't even seen before. You really are sincere. I doubt anyone else would go lower. Fine, I'll take the fifty thousand stacks." Shi Feng smiled with satisfaction. Getting two thousand stacks of Sturdy Stones at fifty copper apiece—he was more than happy with that.
He'd bought just one stack at forty copper, sold over two hundred stacks, and now got to purchase over two thousand stacks at fifty copper. The profit was enormous. As for the remaining forty-eight thousand stacks, once Shusheng Tanxiao learned the truth, he'd never sell at that price again—there probably wouldn't be any future deals at all. But Shi Feng no longer cared.
With this batch of forging materials, he wouldn't be short of Sturdy Stones for a good while.
"Then please sign this agreement, Guild Leader Weiwu." Shusheng Tanxiao produced a digital contract, one witnessed by the Main God System—no one could violate its terms.
"What's this?" Shi Feng frowned slightly.
"Guild Leader Weiwu, this is a fifty-thousand-stack transaction. If you suddenly back out, the loss would be devastating. I'm not questioning your trustworthiness, but let's be cautious now so we don't have disputes later. Isn't that better for everyone?" Shusheng Tanxiao explained.
"But there's a problem with this contract. I have no objection to completing the trade within ten days, but why should I have to pay five thousand gold coins or fifty million Credit Points if I breach the agreement—and gold coins as the priority compensation?" Shi Feng's voice rose with anger. "If this isn't questioning my trustworthiness, what is? Why is there no compensation if you breach? I think we should just call the whole thing off."
Though Shi Feng sounded furious, inside he was overjoyed. He had already given up on the remaining forty-eight thousand stacks of Sturdy Stones, and now Shusheng Tanxiao was handing him this gift on a silver platter. He couldn't have asked for better. You really do reap what you sow.
"Wait, Guild Leader Weiwu! I forgot to add that clause—if we breach the agreement, we'll also pay five thousand gold coins and fifty million Credit Points. And rest assured, our guild leader has already signed above, giving absolute assurance. All that's left is your signature." Shusheng Tanxiao hastily amended the contract. He truly had forgotten that detail in his rush, terrified that Shi Feng would discover the secret of NPCs selling forging materials.
Once both parties signed this contract, even if Weiwu Dukuang found out, there was nothing to fear.
"That's more like it." Shi Feng reviewed the contract, found nothing wrong, and nodded in satisfaction.
Inside, he could barely contain his excitement. After composing himself, he signed the contract.
But Shusheng Tanxiao was even more thrilled—his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. When he saw Shi Feng finally sign and the Main God System recognize the agreement, a cold smirk crept across his face. (To be continued...)