Chapter 49: Business
Lin Huai’s outlook was simple: looking after ordinary players was far too much trouble.
She had survived her previous life by being extremely cautious. In this game, nobody was generous enough to save others for free. If you wanted to live, you had to rely on yourself.
She could protect these people today, but what about tomorrow? What about the day after that?
She couldn’t possibly carry the responsibility of keeping every single player in the zone alive.
She was the server’s rank-one powerhouse, not their parent.
She remembered that Jiangzhehu Inheritor came from a wealthy merchant family and had a sharp mind for trade. She definitely wasn’t proposing this just to do charity work.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: I was thinking: can we turn this information into a real business?
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: After the battle for the town, Brother Jiao Long pointed out that moving forward, this game will depend heavily on the influence and cohesion of each zone’s leader. Overall team strength is going to be crucial.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Selling valuable tips and high-demand supplies is a great way to earn profits while quickly helping our zone’s players grow stronger.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Brother Jiao Long said that if our Zone 444 players are strong when the next merge happens, our chances of winning the next battle will be very high.
Lin Huai raised an eyebrow. Dragon Emerging from the Sea truly had the instincts of a top leader; his insight was spot on.
Coordinated teams were indeed vital. In the later stages of the game, many dungeons required a full squad to enter, while solo instances became increasingly rare. That was precisely why Lin Huai had suffered so many betrayals in her past life.
After Chen Feng made her a target, she had constantly been forced to form temporary teams with strangers. She had grown utterly sick of teammates fighting over loot, stealing monster kills, and stabbing each other in the back. That exhaustion was why she had been so reluctant to build a team after her rebirth.
Even so, Dragon Emerging from the Sea’s reasoning was sound: the overall survival rate and strength of the zone’s player base would directly decide the outcome of the next territorial merge.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: So how do you plan to sell it? What are you offering?
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Boss, my initial plan is to hire a few plants to drop hints in the main chat. Then we can sell the altar details and other useful tips you know through custom requests and auctions.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Naturally, all the earnings from selling that information will belong entirely to you, Boss, since the knowledge is yours.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: As for gear, what everyone desperately needs right now are raincoats, acid-proof suits, anti-rust vehicle sprays, and invisible acid-resistant car covers. I recovered a crafting workbench after Fever’s group went down. I hold the blueprint for basic raincoats, so I can mass-produce them for sale.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Anyone with spare crafting materials can hand them over to me for centralized production and trade. Because we’ll be using your personal reputation to guarantee the transactions, twenty percent of the supply revenue will be set aside: ten percent for you as an endorsement cut, and ten percent into the squad vault as public team funds. What do you think, Boss?
Lin Huai kept driving, racking up her daily mileage while reading Jiangzhehu Inheritor’s thorough business proposal.
The current environment in Zone 444 was actually quite peaceful, with very little robbery or infighting. Even so, the heiress had astutely recognized the danger when a survivor’s material wealth outpaced their personal combat power.
Lin Huai smiled faintly. Nobody ever complained about having too much wealth. She had just been wondering how to kickstart her crystal trading business, and now the perfect partner had arrived right at her doorstep.
Down the line, features like the Ghost Market and roadside outposts would appear. She fully intended to keep bribing supernatural NPCs to unlock special perks and trade lines.
When she found a trading post supermarket, could she run a personal shopping service?
When she visited the Ghost Market, could she flip rare underworld items for massive markups?
Those plans had only been rough ideas floating in her head. She wasn’t an expert at commerce, so although she had considered the concept for a long time, she had never put it into practice. Her only moves so far had been selling crematorium ash bricks and setting up a private currency exchange with Sister Hanba.
Managing those operations was simply too exhausting and time-consuming for her alone.
Now that a sharp, eager financial planner was stepping forward to take the reins, Lin Huai was more than happy to hand over the responsibility.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Your plan is solid. Go ahead and put it into action.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Aside from the secrets about bribing NPCs, you can monetize any general game knowledge we have. Just make sure to manage the release timing carefully so you and our Elite Squad always stay one step ahead of the general public.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Understood, Boss! I’ll make sure our team maintains the advantage.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Also, you don’t need to give me such a large cut from the gear sales. Put fifteen percent into the squad fund; five percent for me is plenty.
On that point, Jiangzhehu Inheritor pushed back politely.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Boss, that ten percent cut was agreed upon after a long talk between Brother Jiao Long and me. He insisted that as the server’s number-one player, our zone’s resources must prioritize you first. That way, we guarantee you hold onto first place this month, next month, and every month after that.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: A team needs balanced growth, and we’ll have plenty of expenses down the road. I appreciate the thought, but there’s no need to take that cut from basic supplies. I actually have a few high-profit trade concepts of my own. Would you be interested in taking them over? I’ll pay you a generous management commission.
Jiangzhehu Inheritor’s eyes practically lit up through the screen. She immediately asked for all the details.
Lin Huai walked her through her ideas: the supply trades with the crematorium, the token system with the pawnshop, and her access to NPC markets, leaving out only her personal relationship with Sister Hanba and the specific mechanics of the items.
The young woman was remarkably clever. She didn’t pry into what wasn’t explained. The moment she realized they could profit from the huge price spread between paper underworld coins and Yin energy crystals, she grew thrilled and began outlining detailed trade proposals.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: Boss, you can count on me! Moving forward, whether it’s the Ghost Market, outpost stores, or special trade hubs—as long as you can secure merchant access, I’ll turn it into a mountain of profit for us.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: I might not be the best in a fistfight, but Zone 444’s treasury is safe in my hands!
Lin Huai chuckled softly. What a bright, self-assured young woman—she truly lived up to her reputation as a wealthy heiress.
Having delegated the business side of things, Lin Huai felt a major weight lift off her chest. Even watching the odometer tick up on the road felt lighter.
The heiress’s efficiency was staggering. Less than ten minutes after getting the green light, her coordinated plants were already stirring up the public lobby.
[Holding Hands]: It’s over for me… The acid rain has almost eaten through my Level 1 car’s roof. I don’t think I’ll make it through tonight…
[Bouncing Archer]: Same here… I heard there’s an item called anti-rust vehicle spray. Applying it to your car can slow down the corrosion a lot.
