The chat room buzzed with talk of Zhou Yan's black-scaled snake sales. Envy and resentment swirled—natural, he conceded. Swap him for another seller, and he'd feel the same sting. Human nature, after all.
As he prepared to list rabbit meat, a friend request pinged. Perplexed, he paused. Adding friends required rare items—how had this stranger breached his guard? Integrity urged rejection; he wasn't so easily swayed. Yet the territory name swayed him.
[Territory Prompt: "Successfully added [Dragon Kingdom · Lord Army · 9527th Squad · Qin Yao] as a friend."]
A military prefix—state-verified, no impostor's bluff—marked her as official. Rumors of trials doubling as global contests surfaced in his mind. Top 100 lords on the international list reaped lavish rewards, spoils claimed by nations or consortia, not lone wolves. He'd doubted it once, hearsay without proof. Now, evidence stared back.
[Friend Message: "Hi, I'm Qin Yao from the Dragon Kingdom's Lord Army."]
Zhou Yan replied, "Hi. You're after the snake meat?"
Her intent was obvious—no one sought him for his looks. Qin Yao, caught off guard by his bluntness, responded, "Yes. I'll pay fair—1,500 spirit coins per snake."
He typed back swiftly, "No snakes left. All sold."
Regret tinged her reply. "Shame. Contact me if you get anything good."
"But I've got hares and roosters," he offered. "Interested?"
Qin Yao froze, stunned by his stockpile. Her territory, plagued by undead, yielded no edible kills. Her lone friend-adding item—wasted on teammates without food—pushed her to buy. Spirit coins, abundant for her ranking bid, fueled her offer. "Yes!" she answered.
"There's a bunch," Zhou Yan cautioned. "Can you handle it?"
"As much as you've got," she assured him.
"Alright, 1,010 each—hares and roosters." After fees, he'd net 1,000 per sale.
Her surprise deepened. She'd braced for a gouge, not this modest sum—far below [International Trading Hall] rates. "Thank you," she said. "Need help later? I'll assist if I can." His restraint, she guessed, stemmed from her military tie.
"We'll see," he replied, listing all but two chickens.
Qin Yao marveled, "Such guts." A novice braving the wilds on day one took nerve—or luck with weak foes. Her own orange legendary space, backed by national resources, landed amid undead, her dragon knights' appetites straining her stores. Zhou Yan's haul—dozens of kills—hinted at strength or a potent hero. "A lucky one, maybe," she mused, sealing the deal.
[Territory Prompt: "Traded with friend [Dragon Kingdom · Lord Army · 9527th Squad · Qin Yao]. Received 33,000 spirit coins."]
She nearly signed off when he added, "By the way, want stone?"
"Stone?" Qin Yao's jaw dropped. Day one with stone? "Of course, all you've got!" she shot back.
"Not much," he clarified. "2,240 one-star, 117 two-star, 28 three-star. Sure you want it all?"
Speechless, she pictured him stumbling into a quarry. "Price?" she asked.
"Market rate," he said. After haggling, they settled—yielding him 300,000 spirit coins. A patriotic bonus: stronger walls for her, bolstering national pride. Trial buildings needed only spirit coins, but stone walls hiked defenses against late-trial threats.
"Trade with me first if you get more," Qin Yao urged, intrigued. A reliable food source eased her trial woes.
"No problem," Zhou Yan agreed, elated. Nearly 400,000 spirit coins from meat and stone dwarfed expectations. Early days were key—post-level 5, with farmland unlocked, meat's value would crash. Flush with wealth, he turned to upgrade his buildings.