"All five tribes get the same price from me. Fairness is what matters most in my business. I don't cheat anyone, young or old."
"But since fuel really is a scarce resource, I can be flexible."
Su Ye said, "If you don't have enough fuel, you can pay with other materials. Mutant Beast meat, cloth, and alcohol take priority. Their value will be calculated at market prices."
Seeing this reply, Ling Yue let out a long breath on the other end.
Although he hadn't managed to bring the price down, being able to offset the cost with other supplies at least eased the pressure on his fuel reserves.
"All right, we'll do it your way."
"I'll order ten thousand Simple Bandages first. I'll have my people gather the materials right away, and trade with you one batch at a time as they come in."
"No problem," Su Ye replied.
"Brother, this is a huge order. Could you give me ten bandages first for emergencies? A few of my brothers have lost too much blood. They're barely hanging on." Ling Yue took the opportunity to make a request.
"Here."
Su Ye traded him ten bandages directly. "They'll come out of your order."
Looking at the ten bandages he had received, Ling Yue sent a speechless emoji. "Brother, I asked for ten and you really gave me exactly ten? And you're even deducting them from my order? You're seriously stingy."
"Just keeping the household budget under control."
Su Ye chuckled.
After settling things with Ling Yue, Su Ye immediately switched chat windows and began replying to the representatives of the tide tribe, flame tribe, frost tribe, and sand tribe in turn.
His pitch was much the same, and his stance remained as firm as ever.
They could either accept two units of fuel or supplies of equivalent value, or go to the Trading Hall and compete with hundreds of thousands of independent players to see who clicked fastest.
Although the four representatives cursed inwardly, bitterly resenting being at his mercy, reality was that cruel.
Su Ye was currently the only person with Simple Bandages. It was a pure seller's market, an outrageously profitable monopoly.
In the end, the four representatives could only swallow their objections and accept the price, each ordering ten thousand bandages.
In just over ten minutes, Su Ye had secured massive orders totaling fifty thousand Simple Bandages. Converted into fuel, that was a hundred thousand units, enough for his vehicle to travel over a million kilometers.
Su Ye sat on the road, doing the math in his head.
Fifty thousand bandages, each requiring two portions of cloth and one portion of alcohol, meant a hundred thousand portions of cloth and fifty thousand portions of alcohol.
The cloth was manageable. Alcohol was the real issue. One bottle could make a hundred bandages, but that still meant he needed five hundred bottles.
He only had a little over a hundred bottles of alcohol on hand, leaving a substantial shortfall.
Still, that's fine. They'll be footing the bill anyway. Once I finish the first ten-thousand-bandage order, I'll have fresh materials.
Use their materials to make my bandages, then sell them back for the resources I need. Now that's how you make something out of nothing.
As Su Ye pondered, a rumbling sound rang out.
The white light swiftly receded like a tide, revealing a brand-new steel behemoth gleaming with a cold metallic sheen before Su Ye.
The vehicle's upgrade was complete.
Su Ye examined his new vehicle. Its body lines had become smoother, clearly indicating major improvements in speed, agility, and steering.
The previously exposed rear bed was now completely covered by thick, sturdy metal armor, forming an enclosed compartment. A streamlined fairing had also been added to the roof.
"It's starting to feel like an RV."
Su Ye nodded in satisfaction, then opened the panel to inspect it.
[Vehicle]: Gale Ranger [Level]: 5 [Durability]: 100% [Fuel]: 652 units (1 unit allows 17 kilometers of travel) [Top speed]: 390 kilometers/hour [Vehicle weapons]: None [Function modules]: Energy saving, Sprint, Rapid Speed, Hard Armor.
Su Ye nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the vehicle's stats panel.
The Hard Armor function in particular gave his otherwise speed-focused vehicle a welcome boost in defense.
Its top speed had also reached a staggering 390 kilometers per hour!
Su Ye quickly did some calculations in his head.
At 390 kilometers per hour, if I can maintain that speed for ten hours a day, that's a full 3,900 kilometers.
If I also use the [Rapid Speed] module's ten-minute, fivefold acceleration, my speed can instantly shoot up to 1,950 kilometers per hour. That's another 325 kilometers in ten minutes.
Nice, very nice. Now I finally have a shot at taking first place on the Mileage Leaderboard.
Su Ye then loaded the Workbench onto the vehicle, climbed into the driver's seat, and started the engine. He floored the accelerator, pushing straight to top speed.
The tires screeched against the road, and the entire vehicle shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The scenery outside blurred as it raced backward. Fierce winds howled beyond the windows with a sharp, tearing shriek.
An ordinary person driving at nearly 400 kilometers per hour would probably have been terrified, their hands and feet going cold, unable even to hold the steering wheel steady.
But for Su Ye, whose spirit stat had reached 6.6, it was no longer a big deal.
His dynamic vision and reflexes had long since surpassed human limits. He could still handle the steering wheel with ease, and even felt he wasn't going fast enough.
If Sprint hadn't still been on cooldown, he would definitely have tried what it felt like to exceed 1,900 kilometers per hour.
Time passed steadily, and two hours soon slipped by.
During that time, the intense driving didn't tire Su Ye out. Instead, it sharpened his focus.
Along the way, Su Ye encountered five more Civilization Monsters wandering the road, as well as two roadside Supply Crates.
Unfortunately, none yielded anything good, only some basic materials.
It wasn't until a little over two hours had passed.
His spirit stat of 6.6 had greatly expanded the range of his perception. From far away, Su Ye sensed three more signs of life along the sides of the road ahead.
Su Ye began slowing down. As he drew closer, he saw three people standing tall and straight, like javelins planted at the edge of the desolate road.
A smile immediately appeared on Su Ye's face. They were indeed Great Xia Soldiers.
After exchanging passwords to confirm their identities, Su Ye stopped the vehicle.
"Comrade Su Ye, time is short, so we'll get straight to it."
The man in the lead strode forward and went straight to the point. "Two of the three of us each have a Storage Ring with ten cubic meters of space."
"The other has a Herbal Pill. When taken, it treats not only external wounds but also internal injuries to some extent."
"Our superiors were concerned for your safety, so they specifically sent us to deliver these."
Su Ye's eyes lit up.
With these two Storage Rings, he would have fifty cubic meters of space.
And the Herbal Pill worked even better than bandages, making it perfect for saving his life in an emergency.
"Was this Herbal Pill made using a Workbench too?"
Su Ye asked curiously.
He had a Workbench. If he could get the blueprint, wouldn't he be able to mass-produce them?
Before you continue