The Caterpillar returned very quickly, as if it had been waiting for Lancelot.
"The big boss finally contacted me! I have some in stock. How much do you want?"
Lancelot thought for a moment.
Virtual Universe require credits, purchasing Sword Marrow requires credits, bloodline potions require credits, auxiliary resources require credits, the Domain of Spirit Thought requires credits...
He's almost certain there will be many more places where he'll need to spend his credits in the future.
Therefore... the more credits, the better.
I glanced at my bank account balance; there was still a deficit of approximately 540 million Crimson Notes.
60 million needs to be set aside to exchange for academic credits through official channels.
The rest...
Lancelot entered a message.
"How many academic credits can 480 million in Crimson Notes buy?"
This question seemed to put the Caterpillar on the other end in a bit of a bind. It hesitated for a long time before finally replying, "510 credits."
Lancelot narrowed his eyes and frowned.
480 million ÷ 510 = 800,000.
That is, every 800,000 Crimson Notes can be exchanged for 1 academic credit.
The college's official price is 100,000 Crimson Notes.
It's eight times more expensive.
However, Lancelot frowned not because it was expensive, but because it was cheap.
That's so cheap!
In the past few days, Lancelot has also learned about the credit redemption situation through various channels.
Normally, the exchange rate for academic credits privately is more than 10 times the official price.
The highest record reached 126 times, meaning 1 credit was exchanged for 12.6 million Crimson Notes.
It is said that the incident occurred because a super-rich senior student was in dire need of credits and spent hundreds of billions of Crimson Notes, causing the private exchange rate to skyrocket.
Only after the senior student was finally satisfied did the private exchange rate gradually decrease.
However, on average, it hovers between 12 and 15 times.
8 times... that's too low!
According to Nancy, this Caterpillar was also a "peddler".
Such a large discount for a small business?
"Give me a reason," Lancelot sent a message.
Caterpillar: "I'm begging for your help. From now on, this is the price you'll pay when you need to exchange credits with me. However, I hope you can lend me your support when the time is right. I promise I won't abuse your reputation."
Upon seeing the other party's reply, Lancelot's eyes flickered slightly.
Just as I expected.
He was the champion of the Joint Entrance Examination, and also the first champion of the Joint Entrance Examination Innovation School.
Even a fool could guess that Lancelot's status at the Holy Sword Academy was definitely not low.
For these credit brokers to survive in this industry, the most important thing is connections.
Clearly, the Caterpillar is preparing to align itself with Lancelot, and such a huge concession is actually an investment.
After thinking for a moment, Lancelot sent a message: "Not enough!"
He's not that cheap.
Can a few measly discounts really be used to leverage one's reputation?
Lancelot understood one principle very well: one should never entrust one's reputation or position to others!
The Caterpillar claims it doesn't misuse its name, but promises are the things you can't trust.
What if he doesn't keep his promise?
Greed can corrupt a person's reason.
What good would it do for Lancelot to punish him afterwards?
The damage caused is irreversible.
Of course, these are just assumptions.
However, Lancelot always prepared for the worst.
Anyone who wants to use his name must pay a hefty price.
Moreover, this is also a test.
Those who are short-sighted and petty are not worthy of cooperating with me.
In a room at the Holy Sword Academy, a thin young man with a pointed face and monkey-like features stared intently at the projection screen in front of him, his body trembling involuntarily—a sign of intense emotion.
This person is Caterpillar, whose real name is Raquel Nawi, a third-year student at the Holy Sword Academy, Sublimation Department, an A-level potential Ability Energy, nicknamed "Gopher".
"I never expected to hook up with such a powerful patron through Nancy —the champion of the Joint Entrance Examination, and an unprecedented champion of the Innovation School Joint Entrance Examination! If I can make him my backer, won't my credit transfer business take off immediately?"
Raquel thought to herself, and it seemed she could already see a bright future ahead.
Just then, messages started scrolling on the projector.
"Not enough!"
"Um?"
Raquel was taken aback. These concessions weren't enough?
However, Raquel was not discouraged; on the contrary, he was quite excited.
He wasn't afraid of Lancelot making demands; what he feared was the Joint Entrance Examination champion remaining silent or hanging up the phone—that would be truly hopeless.
People who have no desires or wants are the most difficult to deal with.
Where there is demand, a chain of interests can be formed, which can then be transformed into a network of relationships. This is a business lesson that Raquel has learned over the years.
How many do you want?
"Raquel asked."
Lancelot quickly replied, "I want to join your deal."
Raquel's cheeks were hunched over, making him look even more sleazy and cunning, like a big rat; no wonder he had the nickname "Gopher."
After thinking for about ten seconds, Raquel made up his mind, "Okay, I agree, but the benefits must be fair and reasonable."
Lancelot: "That's natural, how about a 30/70 split?"
Raquel was secretly pleased, realizing she had somewhat misjudged this Joint Entrance Examination champion; wasn't this quite kind of her?
To everyone's surprise, Lancelot added the next second, "I'll have seven, you'll have three!"
"What?"
Raquel jumped up from the sofa, her face contorted with anger, and was about to refuse.
And she retorted sharply, "How dare you be so shameless? You do nothing and expect to take 70%?"
But, as if an invisible force was holding him back, he couldn't bring himself to utter the words of refusal.
A premonition in his heart told Raquel time and again that this might be the most important turning point in his life, and if he really rejected Lancelot, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Meanwhile, Lancelot calmly gazed at the projection screen in front of him.
He wasn't in a hurry at all.
Based on basic logic, the Caterpillar must have no one behind it, or the person behind it must have limited power; otherwise, it wouldn't be just a "peddler."
If this guy has any ambition, wants to climb the ladder, and expand his business, then he has to cling to Lancelot, this powerful vine.
In other words, Lancelot is irreplaceable to the Caterpillar.
Don't think that it's so easy to make connections with important people; it's a lot of a matter of luck.
As for Lancelot, even without the Caterpillar, there are other credit dealers.
With his reputation and status, he has no shortage of collaborators in this field.
This is the gap in negotiations caused by unequal status.
Time passed slowly in this tranquil atmosphere. After about a minute, the Caterpillar gave in.
"I agree, you get seven, I get three."
Lancelot's eyes flickered slightly, giving the Caterpillar a second look.
The fact that he made a decision so quickly and decisively, without uttering a single word of objection, shows that he is qualified to establish a preliminary cooperation with him.
As for what happens next, we'll have to wait and see.
"Very good. Since you're now a collaborator, please state your real name and relevant information!" Lancelot sent a message.
Soon, the Caterpillar sent over its information.
"Raquel Navey..."
After carefully reviewing Raquel's information, Lancelot sent a message: "What's the maximum number of credits you can accumulate right now?"
Raquel thought for a moment and said, "I can only raise 260 credits myself. The 510 credits I mentioned before were meant to be borrowed from some friends."
"If you urgently need credits, I can probably scrape together around 800, that's my limit."
"Transfer 260 to me first, and give me the rest within three days. These credits are considered an advance payment, and will be deducted from my share of the profits once the business commences."
"Here's 480 million in Crimson Notes. Consider it my investment. You can use my name to expand your business from now on. If you encounter any trouble, you can contact me." After sending the message, Lancelot transferred the money.
After reaching a cooperation agreement with Raquel, he has officially become a shareholder and a major shareholder, so of course he needs to pay close attention to his business.
"Okay, boss, I'll get the credits as soon as possible," Raquel replied quickly.
"Boss? You changed your tune pretty quickly," Lancelot muttered, having gained a deeper understanding of Raquel.
Putting everything else aside, this guy is shameless, adept at taking advantage of situations, and has plenty of guts.
You see, Lancelot could have easily taken advantage of him, collected the credits without doing anything, and given the difference in their status, Raquel had no choice but to accept it.
However, despite the potential risks, this guy still chose to cooperate, and the 260 credits arrived in his account in less than a minute.
Looking at the credits that had been credited to his account, Lancelot went to the exchange counter to apply for more credits using Crimson Notes.
The exchange was very efficient; Lancelot transferred 60 million Crimson Notes, and the next second, 600 credits arrived in his account.
"Hmm, I have enough credits. Let's get the borrowing rights for the [Regenerative Bone Marrow] and [Tree of Life] Innovation Compendium first, just in case something goes wrong."