Resource Procurement

Ivan tapped his finger lightly and opened a small screen displaying a list of various resources.

"His Majesty has asked you to procure resources for the Commerce Department. The budget is one billion Universe Coins, and you are to purchase the resources on this list."

"You do not need to buy every type. It depends on your ability and connections. As long as the total amount reaches one billion Universe Coins and the average price does not exceed the required price, you may even purchase only a single type of resource."

"Procuring resources?" Wang Yu looked at the screen.

There were a hundred resources on the list—metals, rocks, plants, liquids... every type imaginable, all materials used to create various items.

However, none of them were ordinary resources. They were all rare resources within their respective grades.

For example, one of them was the C-grade metal, Silver Fluid.

An ordinary C-grade metal was worth only several thousand or ten thousand White Dragon Coins per ton, but Silver Fluid... was worth nearly two hundred million White Dragon Coins per ton!

Metals of the same grade could differ in value by more than ten thousand times!

The reason was simple. Grade only represented factors such as energy and toughness, while value came from demand.

Silver Fluid could be used to make many highly effective items. For instance, Luo Feng had obtained a Silver Guard early on in the future. It was an excellent intelligent bodyguard that could even hold off a Universe-level expert for a moment. Many major factions arranged for their juniors to use them.

Although Silver Fluid itself was not of a particularly high grade, demand was great while output was scarce. Thus, its price had soared to an extreme level, more than ten thousand times that of other metals of the same grade.

The Azure Wave Marrow he had ordered before was the same. Its effect in accelerating Planetary-level body strengthening was simply too good, and there were countless powerful experts in the universe with astonishing wealth. They did not care about paying extra.

Thus, a mere cultivation resource for Planetary-level users could sell for the astounding price of ten thousand White Dragon Coins per gram, far surpassing ordinary C-grade metals meant for Universe-level users.

Both Azure Wave Marrow and Silver Fluid were included. All one hundred resources on the list were rare resources of this kind.

Each resource had a designated purchase price listed after it. Wang Yu took a look and found the requirements were not high. They were merely ordinary market purchase prices and did not deliberately make things difficult for him.

However, unless the price was raised to an astonishing extent, it was difficult to obtain much of these rare resources at normal prices alone.

Using one billion Universe Coins to procure these resources would definitely not be a small quantity.

To accomplish it, one needed connections, commercial methods, or business wisdom. It truly was a suitable assessment for someone in the Commerce Department.

"Wang Yu, since you wish to join the Commerce Department, you should be able to tell at a glance that everything on this list is a rare resource," Ivan said softly.

"You must purchase one billion Universe Coins' worth of resources at the required purchase prices."

"It is easy to calculate how much one billion Universe Coins can buy at the designated prices. If you forcibly raise the price but fail to meet the quantity requirement, it will still count as failing the assessment."

"Lord Lawrence is giving you ten years. If you pass the assessment, you will become an External Deacon. If not, you will merely be an ordinary staff member."

"Understood. No problem." Wang Yu nodded lightly.

"Please thank Lord Lawrence for me, Your Majesty."

"Oh?" Ivan looked at him, somewhat surprised that he had agreed so readily. This assessment was no simple matter.

"It seems you are very confident. Then I wish you every success. From now on, we will be colleagues in the Virtual Universe Company!"

After explaining the matter and chatting with Wang Yu for a few more moments, Ivan soon departed.

Wang Yu was in a relaxed mood.

This resource procurement test posed no difficulty for him at all. He only needed to purchase the materials directly from the System Shop and take them out.

The System Shop had unlimited stock, and its prices were roughly ten percent lower than the required purchase prices. He did not need to keep the difference for himself. If he bought a greater quantity than required, it would make him seem capable and earn him greater status and attention.

Tian Shi tried fighting others in the Decisive Battle Space and immediately became addicted. One match after another, he kept going again and again.

Real life-and-death battles were very fast. If one wished, they could fight several hundred matches in a day in the Decisive Battle Space. Tian Shi was completely immersed in it and fought more than two hundred matches in half a day.

Tian Shi had comprehended Artistic Conception and possessed a Force Amplitude of seventeen times. Though he could not be called particularly powerful, he was still above average among Planetary-level fighters. He won all two hundred-plus matches without a single defeat, rapidly climbing to four stars.

[Elite Citizen "Tian Shi" received a four-star evaluation in the Killing Fields. Reward: 10 Origin Energy]

"The Killing Fields' star ratings also have rewards. Not bad." Wang Yu was quite satisfied.

Starting from six stars, one could be considered a true expert among those of the same rank. Four stars represented the average level. The system gave no rewards for one to three stars, but once one reached four stars—the average standard—it counted as an achievement and rewards began to be issued.

This little bit of money was not worth caring about in itself. What mattered were the rules. It was not just Tian Shi—others could likewise receive rewards by improving their star ratings in the Killing Fields.

They could not earn much, but at least they could recover their own Killing Fields fees. That was still something good.

"Manipulate Killing Fields matches behind the scenes to farm money..." Wang Yu considered it, but quickly dismissed the thought.

The Virtual Universe would only establish a Killing Fields in a starfield or a medium-sized nation at minimum.

With such an enormous scale, he simply could not possibly manipulate it now. And by the time he could, he probably would not care about such a small amount.

If he merely wanted funds, the fastest way to make money was still to let his citizens break through to Planetary-level and Star-level.

Besides, he was not simply short of money now. Rather, he had too much money, just not enough to reach a truly heaven-defying level.

If he had enough funds to purchase a supreme treasure right now, such an unbelievable matter would make anyone imagine that it involved supreme experts and secrets of the universe. It would absolutely intimidate everyone. No one would dare touch him lightly; instead, they would have to treat him with great care, afraid that something major might happen if he died.

Unfortunately, he was not rich enough to reach that point yet. If he only possessed several dozen Chaos Yuan Units, that would not shock people much. They would merely think he had been lucky enough to find the inheritance of a powerful World Lord, which would instead attract powerful experts seeking to rob and kill him.

The same was true of rapidly becoming stronger through stat points. Leaving aside how far he could enhance himself now, even if he could immediately become Immortal, it would be useless. Ordinary Immortals were ants in this primal universe. There were simply too many powerful experts capable of wiping out ordinary Immortals with a wave of their hands.

If he truly broke through to Immortal at a heaven-defying speed, powerful experts would inevitably believe he had acquired a heaven-defying treasure like the Ice-Fire Fruit. The experts coming to rob and kill him would only become more numerous and stronger!

The universe is too dangerous. I still need to keep a low profile and take things slowly, Wang Yu thought.

Though the body was virtual, he was using his consciousness. After going through more than two hundred battles, Tian Shi was still mentally exhausted, and only then did he finally leave the Decisive Battle Space.

"Tian Shi, you rose to a five-star rating so quickly. Well done," Wang Yu praised.

"Thank you for your praise, Teacher!" Tian Shi was stunned for a moment. Receiving his teacher's praise made him somewhat excited.

"However, there is something else," Wang Yu continued.

"As your teacher, I see that you are still using your fists. You merely chose metal gauntlets as your equipment during combat."

"Although gauntlets are also a type of weapon, and as your strength and realm continue to rise, using secret techniques is not truly restricted to any particular weapon."

"The same secret technique can become a saber technique, a sword technique, an axe technique, or a spear technique."

"However, if you choose one weapon and use it for a long time, you will naturally be able to study it more deeply over time and use it more effectively."

"A weapon?" Tian Shi listened with a serious expression.

Although he had not seen much of the world, he naturally understood that weapons were among the most crucial things for a martial warrior. What kind of weapon he used would have a profound effect on him.

"You used fists before perhaps because your circumstances were limited. You had no good weapon that suited your hand, so you naturally trained in fist and palm techniques," Wang Yu continued.

"But now that you have entered my sect..."

"When I teach disciples, I prepare the best resources and conditions for them. Secret techniques, weapons, and treasures will not be lacking. Therefore, you may take this opportunity to carefully consider which weapon suits you best and which you prefer."

"Of course, continuing to use fists and palms is not impossible. The higher one climbs, the less restrictive weapons become. Some powerful experts even use treasures shaped like nets, bells, or mirrors to fight, and they are equally incomparably powerful."

"As your teacher, I am not saying this to force you to change. I merely want you to think carefully about your choice. As for what you ultimately choose, decide according to your own heart."

"Yes, Teacher..." Tian Shi pondered with a solemn expression.