Outside the window, the early morning was still shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Overcast clouds blanketed the sky, hinting at approaching rain.
"Man, the air quality just keeps getting worse. Once I earn enough money, I'm definitely getting out of this run-down suburb and renting a decent place in the city."
Shi Feng got up and glanced out the window, then stretched his stiff body, got out of bed, and went through twenty sets of fitness exercises before heading to the cramped bathroom to wash up.
After getting himself together, Shi Feng picked up the phone on his desk and checked how much money was left in his bank account. Eating instant noodles all the time wasn't good for his health, and with his exercise routine, his nutrition was seriously lacking.
He had finally gotten the Beidou Fitness Center membership card and spending vouchers, only to find out they couldn't be used for another five days. That put a bit of a damper on his mood. Right now, all he could count on was the sale of Divine Realm game currency.
He'd listed three gold coins on the virtual trading center earlier. If someone bought them, the money would be deposited into his bank account. But the virtual trading center had a three-hour transfer window, and even once the transfer went through, he hadn't enabled account notifications, so he had no idea how much had been deposited. He had to check the old-fashioned way with his phone.
He couldn't afford the latest optical computer smartwatch. If he had one, so many things could be handled through it — even payments. Nowadays, any shop that sold anything supported optical computer payments. Fast, secure, and guaranteed.
Before long, Shi Feng had logged into his bank account on his phone to check the balance. If he had enough credit points, he'd treat himself to a real meal. The last time he'd eaten meat was during his third year of university, and he was already in his fourth year, close to graduation…
He'd withdrawn everything from his account before and spent it all on instant noodles. His remaining balance should be under one credit point.
Game currency had been on sale all night — surely someone had bought some, especially the guilds in the White River City area. He didn't believe those guilds could raise funds that quickly. Even with internal contracts signed with gold-farming teams or having dedicated gold farmers, with this many pieces of equipment and such a short time window, there was no way they could absorb everything. They'd have to buy at least some game currency on the open market.
"Not bad at all — my meals are covered for the next few days." Shi Feng smiled when he saw over seventeen hundred credit points in his account. Though the transaction fee was brutal: on thirty silver coins sold, totaling eighteen hundred credit points, nearly one hundred got deducted. That was daylight robbery.
Still, at least he had some money now — more than double his monthly living expenses. Enough to eat well for a while.
If all three gold coins sold, that would be eighteen thousand credit points — enough for two virtual headsets. The question was whether they'd all sell.
Shi Feng considered his options. He needed to make sure these guilds and players spent more in Divine Realm. If they just traded internally within the game, they'd easily solve their currency problems and never bother buying expensive game currency from the virtual trading center.
After that, Shi Feng left his rented room and went to the bank to withdraw everything.
With a little money in hand, he walked over to the nutrition center and bought three bottles of Grade C nutritional supplements — enough for nine days.
The pretty saleswoman saw Shi Feng buy three bottles without batting an eye, and her heart skipped with delight. She stepped forward and said, "Hey handsome, got time at lunch? My treat — how about we grab a drink at Azure Blue?"
Azure Blue was a well-known entertainment venue in the area, popular with young men and women alike.
Looking at the saleswoman's graceful figure and flirtatious eyes, she was leagues ahead of his flashy classmates. But Shi Feng just smiled faintly. As if he didn't know what she was after. He politely declined and turned to leave.
The saleswoman silently lamented — a big fish had just swum away. Was she not pretty enough? Not fit enough?
Nutritional supplements were the pinnacle products of the new age. They could slow aging, subtly heal injuries the body couldn't even detect, rejuvenate every cell, and even develop brain cells — truly astounding effects. They were essential for athletes and martial artists, but they were expensive. Ordinary people could only afford to buy a bottle now and then, since a month's salary didn't go that far. Drinking one every three days was simply unaffordable. Only the wealthy could afford to drink these like beverages, constantly transforming their bodies.