Chapter 30: The Underground Trading Market
Smack!
As the game cabin slowly opened, the nutrient fluid surrounding his body drained out through the holes around him. Qin Ye exited the virtual interface and punched the controller beside him.
"What kind of garbage game has a one-hour cooldown? What's that supposed to mean?"
Thinking of how he'd been killed by a sudden swarm of Blood Corpses just as he was about to kill the Level 10 Rageburst Bug, Qin Ye couldn't help swearing again.
He got out of the game cabin and went to sit on the sofa, then opened his bank account and started making transfers.
There were three transfers in total.
Each went to the leader of one of the three squads that had provided him with the finishing blows.
If he wanted to keep collecting finishing blows in the future, it was important to be trustworthy. He didn't want to cut off that source of income.
He could complain all he wanted, but after trying it for himself, he'd fallen completely in love with the game.
Its extraordinary freedom, lifelike environments and physical feedback, and boundless map for exploration... But what hooked him most was the ability combinations that could be expanded without limit, along with the stat boosts that came from leveling up and upgrading.
Being able to leap several meters into the air and shatter stone with a punch was a thrill he couldn't experience in real life.
But when he thought about the game's biggest drawback—that dying triggered a resurrection cooldown—he couldn't help cursing under his breath.
As far as he was concerned, the mechanic was nothing but a marketing ploy by the Moon Eclipse Clan to stoke players' hunger. There was no need for it at all. It was just designed to frustrate them.
After completing the transfers, he went into the bathroom to wash up, changed his clothes, and walked out.
Before him stretched a magnificent underground space. Countless burning energy torches hung from the rocky ceiling, lighting up the subterranean world.
All kinds of intelligent life moved about.
Green-skinned Steel-Bone Beastmen, Abyssal Fishmen with gill-like markings on their faces, Obsidian Men whose bodies were made of rock... The place was a jumble of different races. Besides humans like him, there were countless other species.
These aliens had fled to Earth from other worlds.
Their worlds had been invaded by some mysterious force and were on the verge of collapse. Only a small number of their people had managed to tear open space and escape.
Of the groups that had fled here, the strongest was the Moon Eclipse Clan.
According to the first members of the Moon Eclipse Clan to arrive on Earth, as their world faced collapse, it had opened eighteen spatial portals to other worlds, and they had fled through them to different destinations.
One group had come to Earth.
They were also the only alien faction to relocate to the Moon after arriving on Earth and establish a new city there.
The underground space where he now stood was known as the Underground Trading Market. It lay on the border of Human Federation territory and served as a place for humans and aliens to exchange intelligence, supplies, and technology. It was managed by the Allied Races Council, an organization formed by the various races.
There were eleven other trading centers like it on Earth.
He was a D-rank Administrator for the Human Federation at the Underground Trading Market. One of his duties was to patrol D Zone and resolve problems between the different races.
Although they were all intelligent beings, differences in their habits, shaped by their distinct environments and cultures, made the place a chaotic mix. Conflicts and disputes often broke out.
"Get out of the way! You're blocking the path!"
Just then, a force struck him from behind and shoved Qin Ye to one side.
He stumbled twice before steadying himself, then turned around. A stone giant over three meters tall walked past without looking back, heading toward the trading area.
"You son of a—watch who you're messing with!"
The stone giant heard him and whipped around, glaring at Qin Ye with its two enormous, black-gem eyes.
When it saw the D-rank Administrator insignia on Qin Ye's chest, its fierce expression instantly turned amiable.
"I'm terribly sorry, Administrator. Please don't hold it against me."
The apologetic voice came from the translator around the stone giant's neck.
"If I catch you causing trouble again, I'll put you on the blacklist. You won't be allowed back into the Underground Trading Market."
As the stone giant kept apologizing, Qin Ye headed into the trading market to begin his patrol for the day.
The entire market was like a tangled maze, divided into eight trading zones. He was in charge of D Zone.
"Earth Spirit Stones from the Mogu World! They can power any equipment that needs charging. Extra-long battery life—one stone is worth six!"
"Fast-Growing Grass, a specialty of the Abyssal World! It can grow even in polluted soil and matures every 68 days. Buy some, and you'll never have to worry about food again!"
"Spirit Breaking Shields from the Mysterious Cave World! This is the last one! Carry it with you to fend off unexpected attacks. It activates automatically and could save your life when it matters most!"
As he walked along, stalls run by merchants of every race lined both sides of the road, their cries filling the air.
Qin Ye stopped in front of a stall.
The stall owner was a green-skinned dwarf with an Iron Helm perched on its head. Lights flashed in alternating patterns on the helmet. It barely reached Qin Ye's chest, and its body was decorated with a variety of items engraved with green runes.
"Old Black, you haven't been causing trouble lately, have you?"
"Of course not. Our Green Spirit Clan loves peace more than anything," came the shrill voice from the translator around the green-skinned dwarf's neck.
Qin Ye couldn't help rolling his eyes.
The Green Spirit Clan looked frail, but was extremely combative. They were one of the alien factions in his trading zone that gave him the biggest headaches.
He crouched down and picked up a glowing green stone from the stall, examining it closely.
"What's this? I haven't seen you selling it before."
At the question, the green-skinned dwarf immediately pointed to the green gem and explained.
"This is one of my clan's most advanced technologies. We call it a Spirit Energy Bomb. It's made by altering the internal structure of an Energy Stone, and it's incredibly powerful. We wouldn't sell it if we weren't on the verge of going broke."
Qin Ye was startled.
"Isn't this thing dangerous?"
"No. We naturally follow the rules of the trading market. We never bring especially dangerous items in here. This Spirit Energy Bomb is made using the lowest-grade spirit stone, and it won't explode on its own. First, you have to leave a mental imprint on it. After throwing it, you trigger it with your mind, which disrupts its internal structure and causes an explosion."
After hearing the explanation, Qin Ye let out a breath of relief.
"How much?"
"100 Earth Coins."
The 100 Earth Coins the green-skinned dwarf mentioned weren't the currency used within the Human Federation.
Earth Coins had first been created over two hundred years ago by the Moon Eclipse Clan, the Human Federation, the Great Barbarian Clan, and other alien factions. They were a new currency used by all the races on Earth, allowing people to purchase the resources and technology they needed from any race.
The currency used within the Human Federation was called Credit Coins and was only used internally.
"Can the technology be transferred?" Qin Ye asked, getting to the key question.
Before becoming a D-rank Administrator, he'd worked at the Federation's Institute of Technology as an alien technology analyst.
The Human Federation had assigned him to the Underground Trading Market. Besides maintaining stability in the trading zone, his job was also to find important technology for the Human Federation.
"As long as you pay, the technology's no problem."
"I need to test its power before deciding whether to buy it. Here are 100 Earth Coins."
As he spoke, Qin Ye pulled a silver card from his pocket.
The display on the front of the card showed a box where he could enter a number.
Qin Ye typed in 100, then swiped the card over the machine on the green-skinned dwarf's stall.
Beep!
With a crisp electronic chime, a payment-complete notification appeared on the machine.