Selling the Spoils

Golden Horn took a pile of useless odds and ends from his spatial ring—damaged weapons, armor fragments stripped from fallen experts, unknown energy fluids, and various technological creations of other races—and piled them on the ground.

It was not that he did not want to sell everything in his spatial ring. On one hand, he was unsure whether other shops offered higher purchase prices. On the other, he had just arrived, and he understood the principle of not flaunting one's wealth. It never hurt to be cautious.

Even so, a flicker of surprise passed through Fox Demon's eyes when he saw the pile. He quickly began taking inventory, his fingers clacking rapidly over an abacus.

Golden Horn had already made a rough estimate. This pile of miscellaneous goods was worth at least one million Demon Coins.

A moment later, Fox Demon looked up, his smile growing even more respectful. "My lord, the total comes to 1,107,931 Demon Coins. I'll round it up for you to 1,108,000. Does that sound acceptable?"

Golden Horn nodded. The figure was close to his own estimate, so it was fair enough.

Then he asked, "You sell supplies here as well, correct?"

"Yes, my lord. Please wait a moment. I'll fetch a list of the goods we have for sale."

The little fox answered happily, then hurried off to get it.

After all, if Golden Horn both sold and bought here, he would earn twice.

Golden Horn opened it and was immediately dazzled. A Planetary level psychic weapon cost 80,000 Demon Coins; a Stellar level psychic weapon cost 800,000; a Universe level psychic weapon cost 8,000,000. There were also all kinds of armor, auxiliary equipment, and one-use offensive treasures, ranging in price from several thousand to tens of millions.

He was still engrossed in reading when he turned to the page he cared about most: metal materials.

"Black Iron Essence, 5,000 per ton; Crimson Blood Copper, 12,000 per ton; Star Sand, 100,000 per ton..." Golden Horn scanned the entries one by one, calculating rapidly. The several metals he needed were all available here, and their quality grades were clearly marked.

"All in stock?" Golden Horn asked.

"Yes, my lord." Fox Demon beamed.

"Good. One hundred tons of Black Iron Essence, thirty tons of Crimson Blood Copper, and two tons of Star Sand." Golden Horn listed the quantities. They were all metals most suitable for the Golden Horned Beast to devour at its current stage—not so low-grade that they would slow its growth, nor so high-grade that they would be difficult to digest. One hundred tons of Black Iron Essence, thirty tons of Crimson Blood Copper, and two tons of Star Sand would last him for quite some time.

A flicker of surprise passed through Fox Demon's eyes. This customer's purchasing power far exceeded the norm. He calculated swiftly, then quoted the price a moment later. "My lord, one hundred tons of Black Iron Essence comes to 500,000, thirty tons of Crimson Blood Copper comes to 360,000, and two tons of Star Sand comes to 200,000, for a total of 1,060,000 Demon Coins. But you are a major customer of our shop, so I'll give you a ten percent discount and round it down. We'll charge you 900,000. How does that sound?"

Golden Horn nodded. He knew Star Sand was not actually that expensive, but since the other party had voluntarily lowered the price, he naturally did not point it out.

"Fine. Transfer the remaining money to my card." Golden Horn handed over his bank card. Fox Demon accepted it respectfully, then turned to prepare the goods.

Before long, he returned holding an exquisite spatial ring. "My lord, all the metals you requested are inside. Also, the 1,108,000 Demon Coins from your earlier sale, minus 900,000, leaves 208,000 Demon Coins payable to you. They have already been deposited into your bank card."

Golden Horn accepted the ring and extended his psychic power into it, carefully checking everything once. The quantities were correct, and the quality matched as well. He nodded in satisfaction.

"By the way, does this spatial ring cost money?" Golden Horn asked, shaking the ring in his hand.

"Rest assured, my lord, it is a gift from our shop. It is a small spatial ring with one thousand cubic meters of storage space, worth 1,000 Demon Coins on the market. Since your transaction exceeded one million, it is free according to our rules." Fox Demon grinned from ear to ear.

This transaction had cleared out his clutter while securing the metals he needed. Golden Horn was quite satisfied.

"Give me a copy each of the sales list and the buyback list," Golden Horn said.

"What do you need those for, my lord?" Fox Demon was slightly surprised.

"To get a sense of the market," Golden Horn said casually. He truly intended to develop on Myriad Monster Star for the long term, and understanding local prices was the first step.

Fox Demon readily fetched one of each and handed them over. Golden Horn stored them in his spatial ring and turned to leave.

Mouse Nine-Nine had been standing nearby with his neck tucked in, not daring to make a sound. Only after they left the shop did he let out a long breath, his eyes filled with admiration. Lord Golden Horn made million-coin deals as casually as breathing. He was more generous than any customer Mouse Nine-Nine had ever seen.

Golden Horn then had Mouse Nine-Nine take him to the residential district.

"Though I'm not afraid of wind or sun, I still need somewhere to stay," Golden Horn said as they walked.

Mouse Nine-Nine quickly asked, "My lord, what requirements do you have for your residence? Such as size, location, nearby facilities, and so on?"

"The area must be large," Golden Horn cut him off. "Otherwise, I won't have enough room to move around."

Mouse Nine-Nine immediately understood. Though Golden Horn's true body had been compressed to just over ten meters, the Golden Horned Beast still preferred spacious surroundings.

Mouse Nine-Nine led him to a real estate agency. A Bear Demon received them, and upon seeing Golden Horn's massive size, immediately brought out a specially made oversized map.

"Does my lord wish to rent or buy?"

"Buy."

The Bear Demon spread out the map, densely marked with residential information for every district of Myriad Monster Star. Golden Horn glanced over it and selected three or four secluded estates with vast grounds.

"What are the prices for these?"

"This one is beside the mountains, covers twenty mu, and sells for 80,000 Demon Coins. This one is by the lake, covers thirty-five mu, and sells for 150,000. This one is the most remote, covers fifty mu, and sells for 80,000." The Bear Demon quoted each price in turn.

Golden Horn barely hesitated before choosing the most remote, cheapest, and largest estate.

"This one."

"My lord, are you sure? It is far from the commercial district, and there are hardly any neighbors nearby," the Bear Demon kindly reminded him.

"The more remote, the better," Golden Horn said flatly.

He had come to cultivate, not socialize. A secluded place suited him perfectly.

After completing the paperwork and receiving the key, Golden Horn flew toward the estate.

The estate lay at the foot of a mountain on the outskirts of Myriad Monster Star. There was no one around for miles, only stretches of forest and a small creek. Its walls were built from bluestone and stood dozens of meters high, while its main gate consisted of two heavy iron doors. Inside was a vast open area at the center, large enough for Golden Horn to restore his true size and move about freely. Several stone houses stood in the corners, simple but sturdy.

Golden Horn looked around.

Five years on Chiyun Star, several months in the Void Vortex Domain—he finally had somewhere to settle down.

"It'll do."

Looking at the open ground before him, he silently made plans. In the future, his true body would devour metal here and temper its flesh; his Void Beast clone would comprehend the Space Law nearby; and the Blue Fruit and Red Fruit would be consumed in batches, so none would go to waste.

"It barely counts as a home," Golden Horn muttered to himself, a trace of satisfaction in his voice.

He turned and looked at Mouse Nine-Nine, who had been following behind him the entire time.

"What's your communication number?"

Mouse Nine-Nine was overjoyed and quickly recited a string of digits. Golden Horn made a few taps on his wristband and saved it.

"You performed well today." Golden Horn took out five hundred Demon Coins from his spatial ring and casually tossed them over. Mouse Nine-Nine hurriedly caught them, trembling with excitement. As a low-level guide who had not even reached the Planetary level, he normally could not earn one hundred in a month. These five hundred coins were enough to support him for more than half a year.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!" Mouse Nine-Nine thanked him repeatedly.

"If I need anything in the future, I'll contact you." Golden Horn waved a claw. "Go back for now."

Mouse Nine-Nine thanked him profusely, then ran off in a flash.

Golden Horn closed the courtyard gates, returned to the main house, and sat down on a stone stool.

Now it was time to settle down and cultivate.