[ The Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] paused for a moment, feeling like it hadn't heard the other person clearly.
After all, in the past few months, players in the World of Disorder have already switched from cash settlement to online payment.
Aside from some reserve funds and a small number of players who genuinely like precious metals, the vast majority of currency has actually been reclaimed by Ed. Only the Tree Worship Church NPCs who cannot connect to the Root Network are still using physical currency.
The young Greenhouse owner thought for a moment, then finally took out her wallet from a drawer. It was something she had received when she first logged in and completed the newbie quests. Inside were a gold coin and some silver and copper coins.
Clutching her money pouch, she looked at the Soul Returner before her and asked:
"Why must we use physical currency? Are you a wanted criminal?"
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] awkwardly replied:
"No, it's just that I didn't have enough money to revive and my balance was deducted, so it's now in the negative... I plan to pay it back later, but for now, I'll use cash to catch more rats as soon as possible."
"If the payment is made online, this money will be used to repay the loan first, and then I won't be able to continue buying tools to catch mice."
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] nodded thoughtfully:
"I see, so you're... a deadbeat."
"Wait, no..."
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] wanted to explain further, but then realized that it really was true.
If he were to lose an arm or a leg now, there would be no way to reshape it, because the Aberration plant that reshapes the body is connected to Root Network. Since he doesn't have the money to deduct payments now, this service has naturally been shut down.
Similarly, he felt he might face situations where he couldn't enter Dungeon, couldn't use teleportation, or couldn't buy items.
In the real world, wouldn't this be exactly the treatment of a dishonest person subject to enforcement?
I never imagined that I, who am quite disgusted by consumerism in real life, would become a deadbeat in a game because of a momentary lapse in judgment...
The [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ], suddenly realizing what was happening, continued:
"No wonder I saw several silver and copper coins on the table when I came back; you gave them to me too, didn't you?"
"... Yes, I went home to get it; it was the last ripple..."
"Okay, I understand your difficulties. I can settle the payment with physical currency in the next couple of days, but please don't forget to pay me back. I don't want to be accused of helping people cash out..."
Is it really possible?
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] was pleasantly surprised by the kindness of the other players, but his expression became somewhat inappropriate:
"Then you'd better exchange more cash..."
With his impressive strength and physique, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] quickly dug a large pit in the corner of the Greenhouse.
After pouring the Thorn Rat in one by one, he looked at the [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] with a puzzled expression:
"I understand the logic, but how do you prevent the Thorn Rat from digging a burrow and escaping?"
[ The Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] didn't say anything, just clapped his hands, and several thick, Deadwood Vine surrounded him.
She pointed in the direction of the pit and said:
"Keep an eye on them. They're only allowed to go in, not out. Any that dare to escape, eat them all."
Although the Deadwood Vine did not nod, they understood their master's meaning. They quickly wriggled their roots to the edge of the pit and lowered their strongest and most agile branches over the rats' heads.
This scene left [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] speechless:
"No, how Plant Compatibility exactly?"
[ The Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] said quite confidently:
"Guess what? I'm level six now, all my special points are in Plant Compatibility, and I also have a robe and a small item that a bishop once had..."
"... Invincible! Your Plant Compatibility is probably even better than some priests."
[ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] sighed sincerely, took the final payment, and then ran away.
The first stop for this Idea King was [ Great Prospects General Store ], run by those two bankrupt brothers whose names were already legendary among players.
He purchased several slender, long poles of good resilience that he needed here, and hired two day-wage Dragonborn.
The three then headed to their second stop – another shop run by locals, where they found many handmade items from nearby nomadic settlements. After some haggling, he bought two enormous cages large enough to hold even more rats, which the two Dragonborn carried on their backs.
Finally, the three members of [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] arrived at the last stop of their procurement trip—the Dragonborn Warehouse near Obsidian Bank.
There is a large stockpile of general merchandise here. Anything that players can't sell will be bought up by Seraphina, and when they want it again, the price will have almost doubled.
Not all players have the option to rent a small house in a building like an inn or buy a plot of land and a cabin on it as a base. Therefore, after the Fir City Operation, players will often sell the items they can't handle to the Dragonborn in Blue Gum Town and Black Locust Town.
They would exchange goods for cash, much like the war merchants in ancient times who followed armies and cashed out their spoils of war...
Undoubtedly, such a purchase price is relatively low, but the players don't care. Most of them are genuinely happy just to see the numbers on their merchant accounts gradually increase. As for whether they will lose money... let's worry about that after we buy the property.
After harvesting a large amount of supplies, the Dragonborn would sort the items and send them to Seraphina's warehouse in Valhalla.
And Bee Silk such a thing.
This isn't because Bee Silk is particularly rare, but simply because the production of this stuff, which serves as rope when entering and leaving the city, is so high that almost no one collects it. Most people keep one or two strands as spares and sell the rest.
Seraphina's warehouse accepts all comers, naturally choosing to swallow everything thrown at her by players, which is why [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] came here.
He quickly obtained a sufficient length of Bee Silk at a relatively low price.
And so, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] completed its first expansion with the final payment in physical currency from [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ].
He brought the two Dragonborn to his house, converted several long poles into simple fishing rods, and then led the two straight to the wilderness outside Valhalla.
On the vast white snowfield, [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] taught the two Dragonborn the technique of fishing for Thorn Rat, and stipulated that it must not be revealed before the contract expired.
Faced with the temptation of a higher price, the two Dragonborn readily agreed to the temporary boss's offer and began diligently learning how to bait the bait and how to quickly reel in the bait.
Forty minutes later, the two who had completed their apprenticeships and [ Ever-Changing Master Ye ] went in three different directions to begin their respective baiting and mouse fishing.