Cosmic-Level Demon God-Chapter 78 - 68: The Wandering Merchant Fires the First Shot (Second Update)
Chapter 78: Chapter 68: The Wandering Merchant Fires the First Shot (Second Update)
Ring, ring, ring!
In the dead of night, the retirement home’s landline rang.
In the office, Director Shen, wearing glasses, picked up the receiver.
He listened quietly for a moment, then replied:
"Hmm, got it."
With his gray hair, Director Shen hung up the phone and sat alone for a while. The care worker patrolling the corridor with a flashlight was attracted by the light:
"Director Shen, still not sleeping?"
"Haha, just finishing up the bookkeeping. The month is nearing its end again, need to get the expenses clear."
The care worker chuckled:
"You worry too much. This retirement home doesn’t even make money, yet still draws attention."
Director Shen, in a mild tone:
"Entrusted with a task, one must fulfill it loyally. Cheng Ze gives so much money every month to support the old brothers of the Righteous Fist Society and some neighborhood folks with no one to rely on. If I don’t do it well, it would be a shame to his goodwill."
The care worker sighed, moved the flashlight’s beam back to the corridor, and continued patrolling.
Apart from the retired disabled members of the Righteous Fist Society, the retirement home also housed some lonely elders without family care.
Living solely on the Urban Circle’s funds wouldn’t be enough to support so many mouths. Mostly, it relies on Cheng Ze’s secret sponsorship.
When it became quiet outside again, with only the sound of wind and rain hitting the eaves and walls, it sounded like a chaotic symphony.
"Five bottles of high-class minerals, one batch of load liquid, ten units of high-energy batteries... Cheng Ze indeed dares to dream.
This is like asking for three hundred million, cutting a piece off the Qin Family’s flesh."
Director Shen pulled out an anonymous identification card. In Heng Province, where electronic lockdowns were enforced, one needed to apply for a qualification, get certified, and obtain an identification card representing their identity to connect to the network through official channels.
But as the saying goes, snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways.
The most and least scarce things in the Grand Universe are elite talents. It all depends on the measure used.
Even though the Inspection Department’s rules are strict, clever people will always find a way around that "wall."
For example, this "universal network card" made by a professional first-level Mechanical Domain electronics expert.
Plug and play, browse without a trace, like a fish hidden in the ocean, making it impossible for the Inspection Department to catch.
Director Shen went to the basement of the retirement home, connected a heavily dust-covered desktop computer to the power, and inserted the card into the interface slot. After several webpage redirects, he finally accessed a dark interface chat software.
[Study Material Sharing Group]
Director Shen opened the chat group he had joined, pulled a few group friends into a temporary chat.
[Emei Peak: Xiao Ze asked you to get five bottles of minerals, one batch of load liquid, ten units of high-energy batteries from Qin Lihao.]
[Buddhist Shrine: Is it possible? Heng Province’s energy restriction level exceeds seven, any high-energy products are strictly controlled. It’s not just about money to get these.]
Minerals, the sturdiest hard currency in the boundless Star Sea, can even be used directly as currency.
Their essence is a high-energy substance collected using unique refining techniques from a vast amount of minerals, metals, and plants.
The effect is simple.
The only known "elixir" that can enhance Life Force without side effects.
The benefits this thing has for living beings cannot be summarized in hundreds of thousands of papers.
For instance, promoting cell synthesis, growth, energy metabolism, regulating the immune system, and significantly enhancing brain function... In short, minerals are like blood bottles.
Any kind of life can achieve a healing effect by consuming a few bottles.
It is a key strategic resource tightly monitored by Dongxia.
And load liquid and high-energy batteries, one ensures the proper operation of large machinery, and the other starts up large-scale engines or mechanical devices.
To put it simply, if you want to activate a mecha capable of outer space activities, these two are indispensable.
[Emei Peak: The Qin Family is an exploring family. Even though the past glory is gone, it still has some privileges. If they do not want their youngest son to be in trouble, they might be willing to pay this price.]
[Buddhist Shrine: Okay. Tell Cheng Ze to be careful; Qin Lihao might be eyeing him.]
[Emei Peak: Cheng Ze is a talent. I think the organization should recruit him.]
[Buddhist Shrine: His Life Force limit is too low.]
[Emei Peak: Our organization does not need a genius via the Martial Arts Path either.]
[Buddhist Shrine: Discuss it after we leave this cursed place, Heng Province.]
[Emei Peak: Okay]
Director Shen took off his glasses, intending to end this temporary chat.
Suddenly, the interface flickered, and the other side sent another message.
[Buddhist Shrine: There?]
[Buddhist Shrine: Can I borrow some money?]
Director Shen frowned slightly.
[Emei Peak: Life is that hard?]
[Buddhist Shrine: Recently took a hit job on "Kill Me," and the Inspection Department has been tight on me.]
[Buddhist Shrine: Got a bad review delivering food yesterday, fined two hundred bucks, and the rent is due soon.]
Director Shen sighed, had he known Heng Province was like this, he wouldn’t have come even if threatened with death.
Counted among traveling merchants in the vast Star Sea, he had to rely on delivering food to make a living.
If this got out, it would be a big black mark on his history!
"Entering a controlled zone with a Spiritual Ability Domain skill is really like carrying bad luck for several lifetimes!"
Director Shen cursed inwardly, then silently sent a message.
[Emei Peak: I don’t have much money either, relying on Cheng Ze to support me. I’ll place a delivery order for you, buy me a family bucket of fried chicken and a case of beer, with an extra tip of eight hundred. This way, it won’t raise suspicion.]
[Buddhist Shrine: Okay. I like the sweet chili sauce one, throw me some.]
[Emei Peak: No, staying too long raises suspicion. Go back and eat a pork knuckle rice yourself.]
Director Shen closed the temporary chat window.
In the cold, dark Grand Universe, there is a profession called "traveling merchants."
They reside between legal and illegal, standing in the gray area, being absolute opportunists.
They emerged with Dongxia’s long-term expansion movement, fervently chasing wealth.
New technology, new knowledge, new minerals, and even new species are all "goods" for traveling merchants to sell or buy.
This is a high-risk, high-reward profession.
Even the mighty Dongxia, standing at the pinnacle of the Galaxy, after several tumultuous eras, does not claim that Star Sea navigation is one hundred percent safe.
Not to mention small business, lone traveling merchants.
Excluding unpredictable phenomena like "void tides" and occasional "star wind disasters,"
the most feared situation for them happens to be "shipwreck stranding."
Landing on Heng Province, an administrative planet with high-level lockdowns, is an extremely unlucky shipwreck disaster!
...
...
[Intermediate Achievement - Deep Sleep (29/30)]
"Sleeping to the sound of rain is often a delightful thing." frёewebnoѵēl.com
Qin Shi stretched, feeling refreshed. The sky outside had cleared, and daylight was bright.
Last night, he had a long fight with the fifty-Life Force boxer briefs man, progressing from being beaten unilaterally to a 60-40 stalemate.
Due to the frequent encounters, he even developed the "read command" effect.
Whenever the boxer briefs man from Qiguang Heng University’s Martial Arts System made a move, Qin Shi could guess the subsequent moves and strategies.
"Looks like the first victim of the New Martial Sect has emerged! It’s you!"
Qin Shi swiftly washed up, ready to head to Lin Yunqing’s large villa.
Ready to fire the first shot in the battle between the Old Martial Sect of Dangyang East Suburb and the New Martial Sect of Qiguang Heng University!
