Translator: AnubisTL
A message popped up on the tablet.
The sender was Wu Zhending from the Black Europe Company.
The message was simple, just one line:
[Jiang Cheng, we've found a large batch of one-star items, but there might be some difficulties.]
"Some difficulties?"
Chen Jiang's expression remained impassive as he said nothing, his silence conveying his meaning: Someone's planning to steal my one-star items? Are they trying to bully me? This is outrageous!
[Specify the difficulties.]
[There are over a million one-star items, filtered from two or three Ten Thousand Races Arenas. They're mostly the kind that are hard to sell.]
[Roughly equivalent to the million one-star items I acquired last time.]
[My father initially contacted the seller to buy them back, but they must have gotten wind of something and demanded ten times the original price. The price is now higher than some one-star items with powerful effects.]
[Normally, over a million of these hard-to-sell one-star items would cost around 50 to 60 million star coins at the channel level. By the time they reach dealers, distributors, and finally retail, the price increases further.]
"When one-star items like these reach ordinary people, they usually sell for around 700-800 star coins each. They're mostly useless, the kind of thing you'd pull out to play with when you're bored."
"Originally, we were looking to sell them for 50-60 million star coins. With some negotiation, we might have even settled for under 20-30 million. After all, these items are notoriously difficult to move, especially in such large quantities. If we'd tried to sell them through normal channels, we'd definitely have lost money. By the time we factored in distribution costs, our expenses would have exceeded our profits."
"Logically, we thought reaching an agreement would be easy. When we tried to sell a similar batch of useless one-star items before, we approached several channels, but the best offer we got was under 10 million star coins. We assumed this time would be no different."
"But to our surprise, the other party immediately demanded 500 million star coins! They insisted on selling this batch of one-star items for half a billion star coins! This wasn't just highway robbery—it was daylight robbery!"
"To put it bluntly, the total cost of launching a Ten Thousand Races Arena is less than 230 million star coins. Yet they wanted to sell a batch of useless one-star items for half a billion? That's utterly absurd!"
"So, Mr. Jiang Cheng, it ultimately depends on your decision. If you truly want to buy them, we can certainly afford it."
Chen Jiang frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before asking, "If launching a Ten Thousand Races Arena costs only two to three hundred million star coins, why don't you just start your own?"
He had seen this information on the galactic forum, which estimated the total cost of launching a Ten Thousand Races Arena at around two to three hundred million star coins.
Now, it seemed the Black Europe Company was even more powerful than he had imagined. They could casually produce five hundred million star coins. But if they could afford that much, why bother bidding for the Ten Thousand Races Arena's harvest rights? Why not simply launch two arenas themselves?
This made no sense.
A reply came quickly:
["Well, the cost of launching a Ten Thousand Races Arena is indeed only two to three hundred million star coins. But to do so, you need to apply to the galactic federation for a permit to operate a Ten Thousand Races Arena."]
["These permits rarely make their way outside official channels. They're usually snapped up by insiders."]
["We come from humble backgrounds. Even with our current wealth, we're still just merchants. We have no influence in such matters. When a permit occasionally surfaces on the open market, it typically sells for seven to eight hundred million star coins—and even then, it's usually acquired by friends of insiders."]
"Understood."
Chen Jiang nodded thoughtfully. The situation was simple enough: they'd been blocked at one stage. This was normal; throughout history, merchants had never been able to outmaneuver politicians.
Wait a minute—
His brow suddenly furrowed, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.
If that were the case, wouldn't he, the hidden hand behind the Ten Thousand Races Arena, be facing a powerful figure from the galactic federation—or perhaps a close relative like a nephew?
By killing the hidden hand, he had undoubtedly offended this influential figure.
It wasn't impossible that such a powerful figure from the galactic federation, seeking revenge for a relative, might deploy advanced space weapons like particle cannons, was it?
Huff!
He exhaled softly, the urgency in his heart intensifying. This practically confirmed that after the Ten Thousand Races Arena ended, his enemy would be a powerful figure from the galactic federation.
In this situation, he needed something substantial to leverage!
His turret had to become even stronger!
Without hesitation, he replied:
[This shipment must be secured. Investigate why they suddenly increased the price tenfold and negotiate further. If negotiations fail, I'll provide firepower support.]
[You handle the rest.]
"Mr. Jiang Cheng, what do you mean?"
"I mean, if they play nice, we buy. If they don't, we take it by force. Understand?"
"Understood, sir. Rest assured, I'll contact my father immediately to arrange the next steps."
"Father, what's our next move?"
Wu Zhending sighed, his expression conflicted. "While Mr. Jiang Cheng's firepower is impressive, we're merchants, after all. Resolving everything with force would make us no different from interstellar pirates, wouldn't it?"
"There's a difference," the elder replied slowly, leaning back in his boss's chair, his eyes closed, an unlit cigar between his fingers. He rocked the chair slightly before continuing, "Interstellar pirates are illegal. We operate within the law."
"At their core, merchants are just legal interstellar pirates."
"We don't need to investigate the price hike further. The sudden increase means someone's pulling strings behind the scenes—likely the Shark Company."
"Their one-star items are stored in a warehouse on Mu Zi Star. Mu Zi Star is a populated planet, and the entire area is under strict control. Taking direct action there would be tantamount to declaring open rebellion."
"Unless... we can make them leave Mu Zi Star voluntarily. Let me think."
"Hmm."
The elder's eyes remained closed throughout, his body swaying gently in the boss's chair.
Wu Zhending remained silent, patiently waiting beside him while casually browsing the galactic forum.
After about twenty minutes, his father still hadn't spoken.
Slightly puzzled, he cautiously whispered, "Father? Father?"
The elder didn't respond. Instead, his body stilled completely, appearing as if he were... dead.
Wu Zhending froze, a flicker of panic in his eyes. Could it be... has Father passed away?
It's not impossible. Father is old, and his health has been poor since childhood due to his beggar origins. A sudden death would be understandable. But how could he just...?
Just as he was about to rush over to check on him, he heard a faint snoring sound coming from his father's mouth.
"..."
Wu Zhending stood motionless, halting his forward movement. He remained silent, his expression blank. Didn't Father say he was thinking of a countermeasure? How could he fall asleep?
So unreliable!
He sighed softly and tiptoed out of the office, not wanting to disturb his father's sleep. His father had been working tirelessly for days, barely getting any rest. It was understandable that he was exhausted.
But just as he was about to leave, a hoarse voice, calm yet tinged with self-satisfaction, suddenly rang out behind him: "I've figured out a solution."
Wu Zhending froze again, turning to stare blankly at his father, who sat at his desk with eyes gleaming brightly. He stammered involuntarily, "A-Ababa, Father... weren't you asleep?"
"Who's asleep?" the elder replied, his tone slightly displeased. "I've been pondering countermeasures the entire time."
"B-but I distinctly heard you snoring, Father."
"You must have misheard."
"Oh."
"Come here. Let me explain my plan to you."
---
"Boss Wang, you've really lost a lot of money this time."
A man in a suit sat cross-legged on the sofa, swirling a glass of red wine as he gazed at the balding middle-aged man opposite him. He chuckled helplessly. "To be honest, if it weren't for our long-standing relationship, I wouldn't have helped you this time."
"Hahaha, no problem at all," the bald middle-aged man chuckled, raising his glass of red wine in a mock toast to the man across from him. He tilted his head back to drain the glass, a fleeting shadow of malice flickering in his eyes.
His name was Wang Jili, the boss and founder of Shark Company.
While not exactly a rags-to-riches story, he had single-handedly built Shark Company into the powerhouse it was today.
The man sitting opposite him was Liu Deping, a longtime friend.
Ever since his humiliating defeat at the hands of Wu Jinshen of Black Europe Company, Wang Jili had remained silent. He had not only lost face but also a substantial sum of star coins. Until he could determine the source of Black Europe's firepower—which individual or faction was backing them—he refused to make another move.
But the opportunity he craved arrived sooner than expected.
Wu Jinshen's Black Europe Company had offered fifty million star coins to purchase a million one-star items from Liu Deping!
The moment he heard the news, he knew this might be his chance to uncover the person behind Wu Jinshen.
His dealings with Wu Jinshen were well-known among the Ten Thousand Races Auction Arena's channel merchants. Everyone knew Wang Jili had suffered a crushing defeat, losing all face.
But he couldn't care less.
Merchants chase money, not reputation. What's face worth? He'd never valued that nonsense.
Everyone loses in life. The key is to get back up after each fall.
He'd lost countless times, but he always ended up standing tall in the end.
Because of his relationship with Liu Deping, Liu Deping immediately informed him of the offer. Of course, Liu Deping didn't reject Wu Jinshen outright.
After all, this was good news for Liu Deping. The items had been sitting unsold for ages, and he'd resigned himself to selling them at a loss. Recovering even a fraction of his investment would be a win.
Then Wu Jinshen suddenly appeared, offering 50 million star coins—not only covering his costs but even turning a small profit. This was a godsend for Liu Deping.
Liu Deping casually mentioned the offer to Wang Jili, who immediately stopped him.
"Boss Wang," Liu Deping said, setting his wine glass on the coffee table, "you can't just raise the price by 500 million star coins. They'll never accept it. These items have been stuck with me for ages. I know you have a grudge against Wu Jinshen, but we're businessmen, not politicians."
"Why not just take my advice and sell them now? If they back out, I'll be stuck with these items."
"To be frank, I can only hold out for one more day. If they say they don't want them, I'll sell them for 50 million star coins."
"We're friends, but just friends. You're not my father, and I can't afford to let these items rot just for you. I know I'm being blunt, but you understand, right?"
"Perfectly understandable," Wang Jili replied with a smile, his expression betraying little. "Don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult position. I'll just go to the restroom."
Quickly.
He strode into the restroom, but instead of washing his hands, he pulled a handcrafted wooden comb from his pocket. With a serious expression, he faced the vanity mirror and meticulously combed his sparse hair, striving to make it as neat as possible.
The situation was simple.
Wu Jinshen had initially gotten stuck with a batch of one-star items worth a million star coins—items Wang Jili himself had supplied, specifically to drain Wu Jinshen's liquid assets.
According to Wang Jili's sources, Wu Jinshen still hadn't managed to sell off that initial batch.
The difficulty in selling one-star items and Wu Jinshen's failure to do so were hardly surprising. What was strange was that, despite being unable to unload the first batch, Wu Jinshen had willingly spent another 50 million star coins to purchase more one-star items he knew would be hard to sell. This was highly suspicious.
It was like someone who, through bad luck, spent a hundred star coins on a pile of dog shit. You could say the shit stank, or you could call the buyer a fool.
But when that person then spent three hundred star coins to buy more dog shit, the truth became glaringly obvious.
The dog shit didn't stink at all—it actually smelled quite fragrant.
Wu Jinshen needed massive quantities of one-star items, and he was even willing to pay a premium for them!
What use could these items possibly have? Based on Wang Jili's understanding of Wu Jinshen, these one-star items were utterly useless beyond getting stuck with them!
That left only one explanation.
The person behind Wu Jinshen desperately needed large quantities of one-star items!
Having reached this conclusion, Wang Jili stared at his reflection in the mirror with a peculiar expression. A slow smile crept across his lips as he murmured, "Well, now we've found our opening."
(End of the Chapter)
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