Chapter 221: What to Do When You’re Short on Cash?
The storm in school had passed for two whole weeks.
Xu Xiaoyue moved back into the school, while Xu Xiaoya was at home, living her best life.
Fried chicken, pizza, and soda—who needs a balanced diet when you can have the “Happy Couch Potato Trio”?
Sometimes she found herself wondering, where does all that food even go?
This skinny little thing never gains a pound or grows an inch!
In the game, everyone’s levels were steadily rising.
The player at the top, “Wind,” was still zooming ahead, leaving “Fiery Conflict Across the Sky” trailing behind by three levels, hitting a whopping level 24.
Everyone was scratching their heads, wondering why she levelled up at lightning speed while they were stuck in slow motion.
After all this time grinding in the wild, no one had ever said they bumped into the Wind God!
Well, of course not.
They were grinding in a totally different zone.
While they were fighting tooth and nail with monsters at around level 20, their Wind God was already eyeing monsters almost level 30.
For the average player, the area looked like a deathtrap, but Yuliya strolled in and out like it was a walk in the park.
That’s the kind of confidence that comes with cheat codes!
On this particular day, after finishing her daily activities, Yuliya was planning to sneak out for some grinding when Amelia found her.
The two eventually found their way to the inner city, meeting Elia in yet another unfamiliar courtyard.
“Little Yaya, you’re here! Sit down.”
Yuliya plopped right into Elia’s lap: “Wow, haven’t seen you in ages, Elia!”
“Yep, been super busy lately.”
“Busy… with that thing?”
“Uh-huh…”
The atmosphere in Emerald City was tense.
Even regular players were noticing squads of guards popping up in the outer city every now and then, and the city gates were frequently on lockdown.
This had quite the impact on players’ everyday activities.
Many complained, but others found this setting pretty interesting—this was true realism!
As an NPC, Yuliya was especially sensitive to it.
Rumors about the Emperor being on his last legs had been spreading for ages after getting seriously injured a decade ago and appearing only a handful of times since.
Now it seemed they might be reaching a breaking point.
This would be a huge deal, one that could shake the entire Jade Emperor Kingdom, affecting players and NPCs alike.
Whenever a new emperor ascended, chaos usually followed, shattering existing order.
During this time, everyone needed to figure out how to maximize their interests.
Unfortunately, players had no idea about this.
Maybe a few were in the loop, but they didn’t care, nor did they have the capacity to care.
But for Yuliya, she was just hoping her dear sister could rise to power.
“Does sister need me to help with anything?”
Elia smiled, ruffling Yuliya’s hair: “You’re so sharp, Little Yaya. It’s all good; let’s just chat. Even talking to you helps lighten the load a bit.”
Having gorged on greasy food, Yuliya was really missing the treats Elia had prepared.
A little palate cleanse never hurt!
Once Yuliya had her fill and Elia had her share of affection, they finally started talking business.
“Little Yaya, I really need money right now. Do you have any money-making ideas?”
“Make money from the outsiders?”
“Yep!”
Elia had already tried every trick in the book with the locals, but the results were dismal.
They were a bunch of stingy buzzards, clinging to their coins. Plus, with the current instability, they’d all chosen to play it safe.
Doing business? Maybe once things calm down!
Paying taxes? No rush; they’d procrastinate as long as possible.
So, it came down to the outsiders.
They were all far too extravagant.
And Yuliya was an expert at making money off outsiders!
“How much gold do you need, Elia? And over what time frame?”
“Hard to say… might need… millions. Preferably… within a week?”
“Oh, a week? Is 50 million gold enough?”
Elia was a bit cautious, worried she might sound too greedy.
But Yuliya just casually nodded, and then – BAM! A super double!
Elia’s mouth hung open as she stared at Yuliya.
Come on, I’m a princess in charge of the empire’s economy! Don’t make me feel like a clueless bumpkin!
50 million gold in a week? Even mining gold would take a while!
In a sense, Elia was spot on; that gold really did come from mining.
As for where system coins come from, Yuliya was quite curious.
She once asked Sister Tong, and the answer left her scratching her head.
“Don’t ask; knowing will break your heart.”
So Sister Tong has a heart after all?
Anyway, Sister Tong has that capability, and the outsiders have the funds!
“If you think that’s too little, then I’ll…”
Elia quickly interrupted: “No! Not too little!”
How could it possibly be too little?
Yuliya clearly suggested there was room for negotiation. But Elia was worried that if they pushed too hard, it’d backfire.
Normal folk know that economics requires sustainable development; she was genuinely afraid Yuliya would go fishing the pond dry.
“Alright then.”
Since Yuliya hadn’t made a move in a while, they’d all grown fat.
Time to cash in!
This time Elia was the one coming to Yuliya, and using her resources would make things easier to rake in a big haul.
Yuliya’s approach to making money was always about mutual benefit.
She never forced anyone with a kn*fe at their throat to do anything.
Players need something; she sells it, maybe raises the price a little.
You solve your urgent need while I make my money; that’s the ideal business model—everyone wins!
This isn’t a scam!
Scamming and shearing sheep are just figures of speech; surely no one would take that literally, right?
“Right?”
“Little Yaya, can you share your plan?”
“Of course, and I need you, Elia, to help arrange it!”
“What do you need me to do? Just say the word.”
“Simple! We’re holding an auction!”
“An auction?”
“Yep, an auction for outsiders! We’ll mainly feature three types of things: equipment, inherited abilities, and materials that boost strength. These three types are what outsiders value most.”
Just equipment, skills, and items that permanently enhance base attributes.
“Those things… equipment is fine, but I probably won’t find that many good inherited abilities or materials.”
“Don’t worry, the quality of the last two doesn’t matter; as long as they exist, the outsiders will snatch them up!”
That’s skills and base attributes! Things that are always in demand!
Good stuff? If it’s good in Elia’s eyes, then to the players, it’s a treasure from heaven!
In the fantasy realm, just having it in the real world could cause celestial phenomena!
“Once you gather them, you can show me first, and I’ll also prepare a grand surprise!”
This was the carefully thought-out plan from Yuliya; this time, she had a real surprise prepared for the finale!
(I know ‘finale’ isn’t the right word, but everyone’s used to it like this, hehe!)
