Seeing the new Fate Hints, Zhou Heng could not help but curl his lips into a cold smile.
No man with any self-respect could possibly keep choosing Fate Hint One after seeing Fate Hint Two.
Rather than become Black Bear Ba's lapdog and spew a load of sickening flattery, he preferred to try his luck at the Black Bear Guild's resource compound. Since the Fate Hint said that even his movement speed of 1.2 m/s gave him half an hour to work with, he was definitely going there.
Zhou Heng did not even need to ask where the Black Bear Guild's Little Bird Town branch compound was. He found it simply by following the signs.
"Brother, stop right there!"
"Only internal members are allowed into the resource compound. You're just an outer member."
As soon as Zhou Heng reached the Black Bear Guild's resource compound, the two guild members guarding the entrance stopped him.
Zhou Heng could not see either man's detailed information. Clearly, their levels were extremely high.
But he did not panic. He took out the Yellow Crane cigarettes he had bought at the general store. These were a product players had developed after establishing themselves in Boundless Endless, and they were inexpensive, costing about thirty copper coins a pack.
"Want a smoke, gentlemen?"
With a somewhat "simple, honest" air, Zhou Heng offered them cigarettes.
The two players guarding the gate exchanged glances, each seeing ridicule and disdain in the other's eyes.
Offering people of their level trash like Yellow Crane?
Still, considering that Zhou Heng had joined the Black Bear Guild at only level 1, he surely had some backing. After all, the new players in Little Bird Town were all their workhorses, and hardly any had joined the guild. So they still had to do him the courtesy of accepting his cigarettes. They took the Yellow Crane cigarettes with smiles and said,
"Brother, is there something you need?"
"As long as it doesn't involve anything private or restricted, we'll tell you everything we know."
Zhou Heng had only meant to give it a try, but he had not expected to actually get a conversation going. He immediately delivered the story he had prepared.
"Gentlemen, I found a hidden area outside Little Bird Town with a huge amount of fluorescent grass. But my bag only has nine slots, and each slot only holds nine. I thought I'd come here and see if I could make some connections and borrow a bigger bag."
Every player who arrived in this world received a starter bag, but it was tiny: just nine slots with a limit of nine per slot, holding at most eighty-one items.
The two gatekeepers exchanged glances, their minds beginning to turn.
"Brother, just how much fluorescent grass is there?"
"What kind of hidden area could someone at level 1 like you enter?"
The two gatekeepers began asking questions in low voices. For all their swagger in front of Zhou Heng, to put it bluntly, they were merely bigger workhorses. If there really was some money to be made on the side, a little maneuvering would not be much of a problem. They were all in the same guild, after all. Surely they would not get scammed.
Zhou Heng smiled. The knowledge he had learned from textbooks in this life was finally coming in handy.
"Gentlemen, it's a spatial rift, very safe and stable. I risked my life to go inside and look. It's all level 1 to level 10 fluorescent grass, and some of it is even over a meter tall."
Zhou Heng looked around, making a show of being very cautious.
The two gatekeepers exchanged glances, a golden gleam flashing in their eyes.
Although fluorescent grass was only an ingredient for the most basic "small mana potion" and was cheap, a large enough quantity could still earn them a fortune.
"There's really that much? Even some over a meter tall?" The two gatekeepers began entertaining ideas.
Fluorescent grass over a meter tall was at least level 30.
Once harvested, fluorescent grass of that level fetched no small price.
"Gentlemen, I'm just a level 1 player. How would I dare joke about something like this?"
"I could actually report it to the guild, and I know I can't handle that quantity myself. But I figured I should get whatever share I can."
"Gentlemen, could you help me out?"
Zhou Heng spoke cautiously, watching their expressions as he offered each of them another Yellow Crane cigarette, while tracing a three on their palms.
They caught on immediately and shook their heads.
"That's too little. Take those cigarettes back. Brother, try ours."
Each offered Zhou Heng a Soft Hua cigarette. Soft Hua cost a full silver coin, and the first time someone smoked one, it permanently increased their attack by one point and their health and mana by ten points.
As they handed Zhou Heng the Soft Hua cigarettes, they traced a seven on his palm.
How could Zhou Heng fail to understand what they meant? He deliberately put on expressions of "pain," "reluctance," "hesitation," and "difficulty," before finally gritting his teeth.
"All right. We'll do it your way."
"But I need a big bag-the bigger, the better. After all, once I sell the first batch, the guild will pretty much know. There won't be any more money to skim then."
The two gatekeepers did not rush to answer him. Instead, they had Zhou Heng watch the gate for a while and went aside to discuss it privately.
"What do you think?"
"He got into the Black Bear Guild at level 1, so he must be trustworthy. Besides, what trouble could a level 1 possibly cause? I think we can do this deal. Lend him the Brilliant Backpack in the Resource Vault. One night's work will be enough to make a tidy sum."
"That's a resplendent-quality bag. If the guild leader finds out, we're screwed. It's a bit risky."
"What risk? He's already in the guild, so the guild leader must have vetted him personally. Otherwise, with our branch guild's crappy guild system, just anyone could get in. Besides, silver coin drop rates have gotten inexplicably low lately. If we don't cash in now, there'll be nothing left to grab. I say the timid starve while the bold gorge themselves. This job is worth doing. Lend him the Brilliant Backpack for seventy percent of the proceeds. Even if it's all level 1 fluorescent grass, that's still 99 × 99. At ten copper coins a stalk, how much is 9,801 worth? And how much is seventy percent of that? Can't you do the math? And that's only one trip. What about several?"
9,801 × 10 was 98,010, which converted to 98 silver coins. Seventy percent was 68.6 silver coins. To them, that was a very substantial return.
"All right, let's lend him the Brilliant Backpack. With a few hauls, we might even get a gold coin."
Greed drove people mad. Having settled the matter, the two decided to take the gamble.
Soon, they returned to the entrance, having secretly taken out the Brilliant Backpack, and traded it to Zhou Heng.
"Brother, we're lending you this bag for now, but you'll have to return it to the Resource Vault afterward. Understood?"
Their voices were stern, their eyes fixed firmly on Zhou Heng. If he showed even a trace of greed, they would immediately seize him and take back the Brilliant Backpack.
Zhou Heng forcibly suppressed his wild delight, letting a simple, honest look of joy appear on his face.
"Don't worry, gentlemen. I wouldn't dare get any ideas about an item of this caliber. This is all just to make money."
"Rest assured, gentlemen. That area's very safe. Just wait for me to harvest it."
Seeing nothing unusual about the young Zhou Heng, the two expert players relaxed.
It made sense, when they thought about it. How could a newly arrived player possibly slip past the discerning eyes of seasoned veterans like them?
But for all their calculations, they could never have accounted for Zhou Heng being a transmigrator who had lived two lives.
Even setting aside his youth in this life, had he not spent plenty of time weathering society in his previous life?
Holding the Brilliant Backpack, Zhou Heng did not even dare check its stats. With a touch of haste tempered by calm, he looked back every few steps, continually nodding to the two gatekeepers as he gradually left their field of view, until he disappeared from sight completely.
"Haha~"
Far from the Black Bear Guild's resource compound, Zhou Heng could not keep himself from chuckling.
A resplendent-quality bag-he wanted to see just how good it really was.
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