Yangzhou City. HR Alliance Building.
Wang Ji sold all the materials in his backpack. On the way back, he had encountered two more Beast Generals. So altogether, he had materials from five Junior Beast Generals, along with a pile of Beast Soldier materials.
"Sixty-three million!" After carefully scanning the materials with his equipment, the acquisition manager gave him a quote. Wang Ji nodded. "Sounds good!"
It was about what he'd estimated.
He'd made a pretty good haul this trip. A War General-level squad would have brought back about the same amount in one outing, but that would have been split among several people. Wang Ji, on the other hand, had earned all of it himself.
The money was transferred to his account, and Wang Ji turned to leave.
"Wow! That's incredible! He's so young, yet he can hunt Junior Beast General-level monsters on his own!" the acquisition manager exclaimed. Outside, the supervisor said, "Don't go spreading that around! You could get us into trouble. We have to keep our clients' information confidential!"
"Yes, Supervisor."
As soon as Wang Ji left the HR building, Jiang Nian called him. "Wang Ji, your startup funds and special funds have come through."
It hadn't taken too long. Last time, thanks to the military's consideration, he'd been directly recognized as an Advanced Warrior. Jiang Nian had then helped him apply for an early release of his startup funds. Only a few days had passed, and the money was already in.
Still, two million in startup funds didn't mean much to Wang Ji anymore. The fifty million set aside for buying manuals, on the other hand, could come in handy.
With the sixty-three million he'd just earned, he should have plenty more options to choose from.
Limit Martial Hall, sixth floor. Jiang Nian's office.
"Uncle Jiang!" Wang Ji greeted him with a smile.
Jiang Nian hurried over and looked Wang Ji up and down. Only after confirming that he was still in one piece did he scold him in relief. "You're completely reckless! Everyone else goes into the Wilderness Zone with a squad. You're a rookie, and you went alone! What, did you think you could fly? You nearly got yourself killed, you know? And then there was Liu Zhendong... Sigh!"
Wang Ji smiled. "I didn't expect to run into Liu Zhendong either. Still, I want to thank you and the other uncles. I'd like to treat everyone to a meal."
"What's the point of treating us? They're all my old brothers. No need for all that formality! Think about spending your money on equipment and manuals instead!" Jiang Nian scolded him.
Wang Ji smiled. "Uncle Jiang, you don't need to save my money for me. I brought back materials from several Elementary Beast General-level monsters from the Wilderness Zone. I'm really not short on cash! How about this: we set a budget of two million, and you pick the place. What do you think?"
"You just love throwing money around!" Jiang Nian glared at him.
Wang Ji wasn't being extravagant. He wanted to show his gratitude and sincerity. After all, aside from Jiang Nian, the others he'd invited were all War General-level martial artists. The meal would feature precious medicinal dishes and high-grade monster meat, among other ingredients. That way, Jiang Nian wouldn't lose face.
Seven Luminaries Palace, in Jiangnan Base City. It was certainly an imposing name for a restaurant.
The people who dined there were either wealthy tycoons or high-ranking officials and celebrities. Most of all, though, they were martial artists. Since martial artists risked their lives in battle, they could spend lavishly without a second thought.
Otherwise, even a wealthy businessman would wince at the prices. A meal here could cost anywhere from a few hundred thousand to over ten million.
"Uncle Jiang!" Wang Ji had arrived early and was waiting at the entrance. Seven Luminaries Palace was built entirely in the style of an ancient imperial palace. Each private room was like a small palace. Including its facilities and exquisite little garden, each one covered hundreds of square meters. The beautiful young women dressed in palace attire looked like flowers, a pleasure to behold. There were at least a dozen of them: some waiting in the garden, others standing by the entrance, and still others serving in the private room... It truly lived up to its reputation as one of the finest establishments in Jiangnan Base City.
"Wang Ji, this is Yang He, captain of the Blazing Fire Squad, my old captain and my big brother! He's a Mid-Level War General. Call him Uncle Yang! And this is your Uncle Liu... and Uncle He..." Jiang Nian introduced them warmly. "Over ten years ago, I followed Captain Yang and the Blazing Fire Squad into the Wilderness Zone to hunt monsters... In the blink of an eye, it's been five or six years since I left the squad..."
Yang He laughed. "You rascal! You've got a stable job as an instructor at the martial hall now. We're not so lucky. Something could happen to us at any moment!"
"Hahahaha..."
Wang Ji greeted them warmly. Once all five were seated, he took out a bottle of wine. In the green liquid, tiny golden glimmers drifted ceaselessly like fish. "Green Gold Wine! It's Green Gold Wine!" Captain Yang He exclaimed.
A single bottle of Green Gold Wine cost twelve million! It could heal hidden injuries, but it was outrageously expensive—and very hard to find.
Wang Ji smiled. "I'm treating you uncles to a meal today, and I happened to get my hands on a bottle of Green Gold Wine. I hope you'll give it a try!"
"...Oh, this is far too generous!"
"Exactly! Xiao Ji, if you ever need anything, just let us know!"
The Blazing Fire Squad members smiled much more sincerely. Before, they'd been warm to him out of respect for Jiang Nian, since Wang Ji was still an outsider. Now, they had come to regard him with genuine respect.
The dinner ended with everyone in high spirits. After seeing the others off, Wang Ji took the train home. He soaked in the bath, letting the smell of alcohol fade from his body, then headed into the spacious training room in the basement.
"Xiao Du Xiao Du, open Limit Home!"
Limit Home was an online mall exclusively for martial artists. It sold everything.
"Wang Ji.
Warrior ID: ... Verification successful. Access granted!"
Wang Ji opened the weapons list.
Blood Shadow Battle Blade, Series 2, Model A1 — Price: 100,000 Huaxia Currency (full price), 50,000 Huaxia Currency (half price; requires 1 Contribution Point)
Blood Shadow Battle Blade, Series 2, Model A2 — Price: 500,000 Huaxia Currency (full price), 250,000 Huaxia Currency (half price; requires 1 Contribution Point)
... Series 2, Model A5 — Price: 6,000,000 Huaxia Currency (full price), 3,000,000 Huaxia Currency (half price; requires One-Star Contribution Points)
Wang Ji thought it over. "I don't need to buy a weapon. Should I get a higher-end combat suit? At half price, a Series 6 suit would still cost eighty million... Forget it. I'll make do with a Series 6 vest and Series 5 for the other parts. I felt rich just a moment ago, and now I feel like a pauper! That way, I'll only spend thirty-five million on the vest... It's the core component, after all, so it's expensive!"
"I'll add two more throwing knives. I'll get Series 9 this time. Back then, I had the military custom-make Series 8 knives for me at 1.5 million each—that was already a discounted price. Now a Series 9 knife of the same specifications is listed at a whopping twenty-five million! That's absurd! Even at half price, they're 12.5 million apiece! Fine, I'll grit my teeth and buy two. That'll leave me with twenty-five million."
"I have fifty million set aside for buying manuals. Let's see what I can get!"
World Destroyer, category: spear technique. Rating: Ultimate. Price: 100 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 50 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requires Four-Star Contribution Points)
Nine-Layered Thunder Blade, category: blade technique. Rating: Ultimate. Price: 100 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 50 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requires Four-Star Contribution Points)
Phantom Blade Art, category: blade technique. Rating: SS. Price: 10 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 5 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requires Three-Star Contribution Points)
Mist Sword, category: sword technique. Rating: S. Price: 3 billion Huaxia Currency (full price), 1.5 billion Huaxia Currency (half price; requires Three-Star Contribution Points)
Before you continue