Shop Competition and the Second-Rate

Huang Yu called Cang Yun over.

He was a plain-looking male blacksmith with Eastern features.

Although he looked respectful toward Huang Yu, his tone was somewhat impatient.

He seemed quite dissatisfied that Huang Yu had called him over merely to "take a look."

"Lord, if there's nothing else, I'll go forge equipment!"

As Cang Yun spoke, he backed toward the door.

To him, the time spent traveling here and meeting the lord was no different from wasting several years of his life.

In just a few minutes, he could have finished processing a piece of Beast Hide.

"Don't rush, Cang Yun."

Naturally, Huang Yu was not angered by Cang Yun's rough manner.

Seeing Cang Yun's puzzled expression, Huang Yu said,

"The usage authorization for Excellent Quality materials is now open to you. Go find Dilios and customize a set of Leather Armor for each of them."

Authorization to use Excellent Quality materials!

Cang Yun's eyes lit up.

He instantly felt that these few minutes had been well worth it.

With materials of that grade and his Expert Level skill, he could definitely produce High-Level equipment.

"Thank you, Lord!"

Cang Yun gave a respectful salute, then looked at Huang Yu with admiration as he patiently awaited further orders.

"That's all. Go get busy. It would be best if you can finish them before they join the battle this afternoon!"

"Please rest assured, Lord. There definitely won't be any problems!"

Cang Yun thumped his chest confidently, then hurried toward the warehouse.

Huang Yu nodded in satisfaction.

As a lord, what he liked most were workaholics like Dilios and Cang Yun.

He did not even need to set KPIs or PBCs for them.

They naturally treated work as life and 007 as a blessing...

Sitting on the crude sofa the steward had ordered the citizens to make, Huang Yu entered the trading platform and opened his personal shop.

He had originally planned to list some of the Common Grade equipment piled up in the warehouse.

But after thinking it over, Huang Yu decided to use his once-daily chance to speak and run some ads on the World Channel.

While expanding the influence of Universe Shop, he could also disgust the people he had blacklisted.

Notification:

Universe Shop will list 50 sets of Common Grade equipment in half an hour!

The types include Leather Armor, longbows, spears, Swords, shields, and more!

Fair prices, excellent quality, limited quantities. First come, first served!

The moment the message appeared, the World Channel exploded.

"The big shot has appeared!"

"Please take care of me!"

"Watching the big shot... Holy crap, Lord Huanyu is listing equipment?"

"Village Mountain Lord is going to cry. His shop has barely opened, and Lord Huanyu is already going to suppress him."

Village Mountain Lord was the lord previously ranked third, the one who had started with a craftsman through check-in.

"Isn't that a bit too absolute? Universe Shop's equipment hasn't even been listed yet."

"Exactly. Even if Universe Shop's equipment is decent, with Huanyu City Lord's stingy nature, how cheap can it possibly be?"

"That's right. Equipment made by lords is always inferior to the equipment in Chaos Mall. I advise Lord Huanyu to set the prices lower. Maybe then I'll buy some..."

"Everyone is welcome to purchase equipment from Village Mountain Shop. To help everyone develop better, all equipment at Village Mountain Shop will be sold at half price in half an hour!"

"Woohoo, Village Mountain Lord is awesome!"

"Now that's the boldness a top-tier big shot should have!"

"Heh, borrowing the momentum I built to start a price war against me?"

Huang Yu sneered when he saw Village Mountain Lord's message.

"Then I'll show you what true despair looks like!"

Half an hour later, Huang Yu listed fifty sets of equipment.

The most expensive items were ten sets of Normal Quality Leather Armor, each priced at 30 Soul Crystals.

Leather Armor in Chaos Mall generally cost more than 40 Soul Crystals.

Huang Yu directly cut the price by one-third.

The rest of the equipment, such as Swords, longbows, and shields, was basically priced below 20 Soul Crystals.

Some standard weapons even cost less than ten Soul Crystals.

The barter prices were somewhat higher, but not by much.

Moreover, in addition to lumber, stone, and Fine Iron, Huang Yu added equipment materials such as Beast Hide, Beast Sinew, Beast Tooth, and Beast Claw.

This not only improved the lords' ability to trade, but fundamentally prevented equipment materials from flowing into Village Mountain Shop.

On top of that, Huang Yu opened an equipment customization service.

He specifically noted that he could produce Fine Grade equipment.

He completely blocked off Village Mountain Shop's path!

Common Grade equipment was not particularly useful to Huang Yu.

What he was waiting for was equipment made by Cang Yun using Excellent Quality materials.

Perhaps after today, Normal Quality equipment would be completely phased out by him.

So he did not feel the slightest regret over those minor losses.

The moment the fifty sets of equipment were listed, they were completely snapped up.

Universe Shop's transaction volume also instantly surpassed four digits.

Huang Yu took a moment to glance at Village Mountain Shop.

The other side had put out more than thirty Crude Weapons.

Their prices were mostly below 5 Soul Crystals.

Yet less than half of them had sold.

He opened the World Channel.

Information related to Village Mountain Shop had already vanished.

Everything being discussed in the World Channel was the batch of equipment Huanyu Mall had just sold.

Did you see the reviews on the trading platform? Universe Shop's equipment was actually no worse rated than Chaos Mall's!

I didn't get any, sob sob sob... I just exited to look at Village Mountain Shop's equipment. When I returned to Universe Shop, all fifty sets were gone.

Same here... It feels like I missed out on a fortune.

Without comparison, there's no harm. Compared with Universe Shop's equipment, Village Mountain Shop's equipment is just a pile of crap...

Hahaha, anything produced by Huanyu is bound to be top quality. Luckily, I stayed there the whole time and grabbed a set of Leather Armor. I saved at least 10 Soul Crystals. What a huge profit!

Am I the only one who noticed Blue Mountain Workshop? I just checked, and it's actually a Perfect Grade Special Building!

Holy crap, it really is! No wonder Lord Huanyu is so confident!

Lord Huanyu, please list more equipment. I'm saving all my Soul Crystals for you!

Same here. This little bit of equipment isn't even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!

Under the assault of Universe Shop's high-quality, low-priced equipment,

Village Mountain Shop's goods immediately lost their competitiveness.

Its overall ranking had already fallen out of the trading platform's top ten.

Huang Yu glanced at the sixty sets of equipment now in the warehouse, as well as the large batch of materials transferred through the trading platform.

Without hesitation, he spent ten Soul Crystals to post another message in the World Channel:

Before nightfall, more than 200 sets of equipment will be listed. The prices will still be cheaper than Chaos Mall's, and the value for money will far surpass the equipment made by those second-rate shops. Don't miss out!

Holy crap, more than 200 sets of equipment tonight!!!

Lord Huanyu is incredible! I can't wait any longer!

I've decided to stay at Universe Shop. This time, I have to get something!

Lord Huanyu, can we trade privately? I'm willing to pay more Soul Crystals, and I need a lot.

Hahaha, second-rate shops... I wonder how Village Mountain Lord feels right now?

Holy crap, I just realized I've been blacklisted. If I don't get out of the black room, I'll never be able to buy anything from Huanyu Mall. I only insulted you a few times. Lord Huanyu is way too petty!

After scanning the wildly scrolling messages a few times,

Huang Yu automatically ignored the other lords' requests for private trades.

Selling Common Grade equipment cheaply had never been intended to make a profit.

It was meant to build a reputation and establish a high-quality brand image.

Ignoring Universe Shop's healthy development for a tiny immediate profit would not be worth it.

After clearing away 999+ friend requests with a single click, he casually blacklisted Village Mountain Lord as well.

Huang Yu exited the trading platform and walked out of the castle.

Dilios led fourteen Spartan Warriors, standing in formation before the castle.

Each of them wore a suit of crimson armor.

They looked imposing and spirited.

They radiated soaring fighting intent.